~Kyunki... ~
Sameer, Rohan and Deepika were settled on the back seat of a seemingly new Maruti car. Mr. Somani and Vishakha had decided to drop off the kids to school, as it was Sameer's first day at St. Peters Convent for Boys and Girls, Delhi.
Sameer had hardly spoken to anyone since the day Nanu had passed away. His initial shock had given way to apathy. His mind seemed numb, unable to register what had happened. The absence of Nanu had brought massive upheaval in his life. Only a month back, he had been extremely happy. His and Naina's love story had just started to blossom. He remembered the last time he'd met Naina. It had been the evening just before that fateful morning, at Shefali's home. A tear trickled down his cheek as he stared out the window. And her touch on his arm. Sameer suddenly felt a touch on his hand again. He turned to see Rohan smiling supportively at him. He silently shook his hand away and continued to look outside. He had not been able to tell Naina that he would have to leave for Delhi with his mother and step-father. With Nanu gone, Sameer didn't have the energy left to fight with his parents. Mr. Somani had spoken to the principal at Pragati Vidya ka Mandir and informed him of Nanu's sudden demise and how seeing Sameer's mental condition, they had decided to shift him to Delhi as soon as possible. Principal sir had agreed to give him a passing and school leaving certificate, based on Sameer's performance throughout the 11th grade. And the next day, he had flown away to Delhi. Away from his Nanu's home. Away from his best friends- Munna and Pandit. And most importantly, away from the love of his life! God had been so cruel to him always. Naina had just forgiven him. They had just said those three magical words to each other. And in a week, this disaster happened. Sameer couldn't even imagine, how Naina would've felt when she got back from the village and realized Sameer was gone. When Munna and Pandit had told her, she didn't believe them at first. She had thought Sameer was out there hiding somewhere. And then when she read his letter, she had collapsed then and there. With great difficulty, Munna, Pandit, Swati and Preeti had revived her. And then, she had broken down- crying her heart out. Sameer shuddered as he imagined Naina in tears. He had promised to her that he would always keep her happy, but he hadn't been able to fulfill his promise. Naina had blamed herself, for going away when he needed her the most; for not reaching him on time. In short, Naina had been as shattered as Sameer.
The car screeched to a halt, and it bought Sameer back into the present. All of them disembarked from the car and headed straight to the principal's office to complete Sameer's admission formalities. All that while, Sameer had just stood in a corner and looked on as a stone. "Welcome young man! exclaimed the principal when he finished the admission process, to which Sameer only nodded half-heartedly. Vishakha came over to Sameer and kissed his forehead, "All the best beta! Sab theek ho jayega! But even she couldn't incite any reaction from him. Rohan could sense Sameer was extremely disturbed by his Nanu's death and tried to comfort him whenever he could. "Chalo Sameer...hamari class wahan hai..., he led the way as Deepika ran over to her friends in class and Mr. and Mrs. Somani left.
Sameer entered the class and again a flash of bittersweet memories came to him. His school! His Pragati Vidya ka Mandir! That Hindi medium school was all that Sameer longed for, rather than this high-end school. They say, once a student of St. Peters, you can get into the most esteemed colleges in Delhi just by citing the name of the school. But Sameer couldn't care less! He recalled his first meeting with Naina- the way they had almost bumped into each other; the way they used to sit on the adjacent benches; their pen-taps and mid-lecture eyelocks. He half-expected to see her smiling at him from her usual seat, in that sky blue uniform of hers. But sadly, she wasn't there. Sameer moved over to a corner desk by the window, and sat there all alone, looking outside. Rohan called out, "Sameer...ye mere friends hain... Sameer just pursed his lips and nodded slightly in admission and again started staring out of the window. Rohan explained to his friends that Sameer was in a state of shock. His grandfather had been the only person with whom he had been extremely attached; and he had passed away just a few weeks ago due to a sudden heart-attack. And till now, Sameer hadn't been able to come to terms with it.
Soon, the class teacher entered and she introduced Sameer to the class. Sameer just stood up mechanically when his name was called and then sat back down silently, staring at his bag. Suddenly, he felt a breeze near him. It felt as if Naina had come there. "That isn't possible Sameer! Stop thinking about the impossible! his brain reprimanded him. A minute later, a knock sounded on the door, but Sameer was more interested in the trees outside than the class. "Class...today's our lucky day..., called out the class teacher, "we've another new admission in our class...she's also from Ahemdabad... Sameer gulped hearing the word "Ahemdabad again. How much are they going to torture him now? "And her name is Ms. Naina Agarwal! the teacher concluded. Sameer turned so fast that he could have broken his neck. He couldn't believe his eyes. There she was...his Naina...standing near the teacher's desk...looking in his direction, smiling wide. Sameer and Naina were left looking at each other. Sameer involuntarily got up from his bench, forgetting he was in a class full of students and teachers. The teacher's voice sounded, "Sameer?? Naina and Sameer's eyelock was broken. "Sameer...why did you stand up? the teacher asked him. "Ehhh...Ma'am...Naina...! was all Sameer could mutter. Naina understood his state of shock and helped him complete. "Ma'am...actually we were in the same school, same class last year in 11th in Ahemdabad...so that's how we already know each other! she explained to the teacher. "Ohh..that's great then! Why don't you go and take a seat next to Sameer then! It's his first day here too. You guys would feel comfortable seeing each other's familiar faces! the teacher said happily. Comfortable was an extreme understatement to what Sameer and Naina were feeling seeing each other's faces. It was as if a magma of love had erupted between the two teenagers. "Naina...? the teacher interrupted the eyelock again. "I said you can sit next to Sameer! she repeated. "Sit on the bench next to him? Swati was right! Delhi schools were advanced..., thought Naina. But then Naina and Sameer did not mind it. Infact, they welcomed the decision. Naina walked over to Sameer's desk, smiling at him. He was still dazed. He slid to the side to make space for her and she sat down. The class began.
"Nainaa...kya ye sach mein tum ho? Kaise? Mujhe to yakeen hi nahi ho raha! Sameer couldn't help ask. There, sitting on the adjacent bench, Rohan noticed that for the first time in a month, Sameer was smiling. He actually seemed happy. Naina had made him happy! How, he didn't know as yet. Naina smiled and explained everything to Sameer- As soon as she got to know of Nanu's demise and Sameer's shifting through his letter, she'd been shattered. She'd spent two whole days crying, unable to bear the thought of him broken down, all alone, and then the pain of separation from him was killing her. And then, she decided if she wanted to be with him, she would have to think of a way herself. She had wiped her tears away and put her brains to work on how to go near him again. She got to know about the reputed school that Sameer was joining through Munna and Pandit. And of course, with her excellent credentials, which school would say no to her? She pleaded with Arjun bhaiya to convince the family to allow her to leave. And Arjun by now, had seen Naina's pain and the depth of her love for Sameer. He told the family that he would be joining the cricket coaching in Delhi, because it was the best, and insisted that their father, Rakesh and his sister, Naina joined him. Knowing that Naina's family would be by her side in Delhi, the rest of the family was easily convinced. Sameer's smile faltered, "sasurji aur saale bhi aaye hain...uff...yahan bhi...! And then his smile came back, as he looked at her, "lekin tumhari ek jhalak dekhne ke liye main sab kuch jhel sakta hun, he whispered. "Naina, sach me tum aa gayi ho na...kahin main koi sapna to nahi dekh raha? Ek kaam karo...jor se mujhe maaro, he told her. "Kyaaa? Naina muttered. "Maaro please...tumhe meri kasam! he said adamantly. Naina shrugged her shoulders and gave him a tight slap on the arm. The teachers and students looked up as Sameer howled in pain. And then he opened his eyes.
Sameer's arm had hit the bedside table. It was still dark and he was in his new room. He rubbed his eyes and saw the alarm clock besides him. "5 am..., it was a dream...pata tha mujhe...itni achi haqeeqat kaise ho sakti hai meri zindagi mein..., he thought morosely. He lay down crying, thinking about Nanu and Naina, till it was time to get up from the bed.
Sameer took bath and got ready and then they all drove to his new school. Sameer entered his class and sat on a bench besides the window. "Kaash wo sapna na hota..., he thought sadly, when he heard a loud knock on the door. He looked towards the source of the sound and saw his Naina smiling at him from the doorway.
Kyunki shaastron me likha hai...ki subah ka sapna sach hota hai...
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