Cinderella Story or Is it? Ch 9 Pg 38 5/5 - Page 13

Chap 4:

"Geet until I make an entrance entertain yourself with others. Once I get there you know what I am like. No looking at other girls."

Geet "Proof stop being obsessed with me. This is getting unhealthy. I am telling you."

Proof's face was showing up as if Geet were viewing it through a rocket launching bottle.

Proof "And I see that you are still dressing like a servant."

Geet "Ah first of all show some respect to servants. They are humans like us. And second of all I dress as I always used to. I am not changing my style for anyone."

Proof "Geet you have good shoulders. Try showing them off once in a while."

Geet "Proof in case you did not realize, this is a professional college and there is a dress code."

Proof "You are joking right? I just went shopping yesterday. Don't tell me I have to dump all of the new ones."

Geet "No hang on to them. You are not coming here crazy lady. Proof come on show some maturity once in a while. You are an adult now!"

Proof "I have been an adult since the time I have been capable of reproducing, thank you very much. Now tell me which hot guys have you met?"

Geet "I haven't met anyone. All guys are nerds and are so boring. What do you expect in an engineering college?"

Geet was not about to entice Proof more than she already was enamored by telling glowering tales of hot males in her own vicinity. Especially Maan.

Proof "Liar. I know you. You are a hot guy magnet. Spill the beans darling."

Geet "Move a little to your left. I want to see your room. If it is not clean, I am skinning your hide."

Proof "It is very clean. Don't worry."

Geet "Don't think that if you come here you will get away scot free. I will drive you crazy with my organizational skills and fight with you every damned day. I mean it Prafulla."

Proof "Ya ya. Let us see. My dad is slowing coming on board. He is on the edge. Just a little more blackmail and I can easily tip him over."

Geet "Proof you are treading on dangerous ground here. Be very careful."

Proof was yawning. This was her afternoon nap time.

Geet "Don't sleep now please. Again your sleep cycle will get messed up."

Proof was not over her yawn yet "What about when you were studying huh? You used to stay up nights."

Geet "Hey Babaji! That was to avoid the cries of my baby Teji. He sometimes makes noises during the day but sleeps like a toddler at night. He is too scared to use the study when Dad is asleep. Curse his soul."

Proof "Fine I won't sleep! See who is going to take care of me here?"

Geet "You are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Don't pretend to be a movie star just because you look like one. Not at the moment though."

Proof "Are there any good malls there?"

Geet "Of course there are malls here. But who has time right now to go till there? I am dead by evening. There is an awesome chudi store near here named 'Awesome' however."

Proof "You are kidding right? What you are planning to become Auntyji now? Buying chudidars. Hmph."

Geet "There is a dress code baba! How long will that take to get into your thick skull."

Geet was getting irritated. There seemed to be no way to get Proof to back off from her insane plans. Geet would have to accept the inevitable. Why couldn't her life be normal?

Proof "Ok dad is here. Gotta run. Bye."

Proof zeroed out of the laptop monitor. It was a wonder though how Geet was able to get a full network coverage enough for the webcam to work. She was sitting in the nearest Cafe coffee day. That was why. Before she used to scoff at people who showed off their latest gadgets in these kind of 'cool' cafes. Now she regretted her premature conclusions. Probably they stayed in a hostel and their network really sucked.

She was about to pack up when she saw Maan getting a huge latte - take away. She did not even look at him though. That guy had a huge problem in life. He looked at everything so negatively. Upon careful deliberation, Geet had decided she did not want to be caught at the wrong end of his tether. She pitied Ganesh who had to be this guy's project partner.

She threw a fleeting glance at him as she was walking away. Had she imagined it or did she see a hint of smile on his face? Strange. This guy smiled too?

She was already on her way to the book store. It had been a week full of classes and she was already feeling the heat. Every professor seemed to think his or her subject was the most important subject in the universe. And one had to read from the textbook they prescribed which in most cases was something they themselves had co-authored or a fat expensive reference book. One of the fallacies of studying in a popular college. Every Tom, Dick and Harry had thought it fit to write their own text book here. Apparently the university prescribed textbooks that she had bought earlier were not good enough.

She checked at the book store and they did not have stock or rather never had stock for a couple of books. The rest of the books were each scarily big and were giving her mini heart attacks just going by the number of pages in them. Boy if boards were hard these looked humongous. She was going to worry about all of it later. She had to buy them because the syllabus had changed just the year she had joined. So any of the earlier editions of textbooks were not alright. The new editions had sweeping changes in content. Apparently the university wanted to make the students more 'industry ready'. Whatever that meant!

She bought whatever textbooks she could find and paid for it with cash. When she was about to leave she realized the books were not packed.

Shop fellow "Madam we are not allowed to use plastic and we are out of brown bags."

Geet "Do you at least have a box? I have to carry these all the way to the hostel."

The shop fellow shook his head.

Geet "Can I leave it here and come back with a bag?"

Shop fellow "My shift is getting over. I cannot hold on to it."

What kind of a shop was this? Did they not want lucrative business? She would never visit this store again.

Geet "Fine load them on my arms when I reach out."

She started wobbling her way back to the hostel carefully balancing the textbooks, with her arms already hurting. Why did her back have to itch right at this opportune moment? And before she knew it the books were all over the uneven pavement. Thankfully her laptop was in her sling bag. She began picking the books up one by one. To her surprise she found another pair of hands helping her. She looked up to find Maan!

Maan "Hi Geet. That is some shopping for class."

Geet "Ya don't even ask. They were out of bags at the store. How lame are they huh?"

Maan "Let me carry it."

Geet "No no! It is fine. I can carry it. Not an issue."

Before she could protest further all books were on Maan's biceps. Or triceps; whatever they were called. She had never been good in zoology. Or was it anatomy?

Maan smiled "It is perfectly fine. Come I will walk you to the hostel. I anyway have to go there to meet that Ganesh."

She smiled awkwardly. She did not know how to react at the mention of the name 'Ganesh' especially when it was preceded by 'that'. The monologue from Maan last time around had not exactly been tasteful. They began walking and he seemed to be carrying the books effortlessly. Lifting dumbbells in a gym had some uses after all.

Maan "You cannot even get these books Xeroxed right? I believe the syllabus has changed this year?"

Geet nodded "Ya. I mean big deal na. Why is it such a bother to refer old editions? Anyway I hate the smell of Xerox so I prefer new books or buying them secondhand at least."

Maan "I don't like the smell of Xerox either and the way the letters stick to your fingers. I like new books. These old books have strange writings in them."

Geet nodded vigorously. True there were often love stories in old textbooks. She liked it though. It gave the book a personality. She did not voice her thoughts about it however.

Maan "If that Ganesh had been here he would have gone on about how 'poor' students like him cannot afford textbooks like me and how I am throwing money about. Who is he to tell me how to spend my money? So what did he tell you about me anyway?"

She looked at him surprised.

Maan "Go on tell me. I will not mind it even if it is something negative."

She sighed. What did she have to hide? Ganesh pretty much spoke to everyone's face.

Geet "Nothing much. Just that you have more money than Tata and Birla combined."

Maan "Wonderla."

Geet "What?"

Maan "It is the Kannada word for 'Monkey'."

She stared at him "You know Kannada?"

He smiled mischievously in return "Yep I know quite a bit. At least most of the swear words and common stuff. People look at me and assume I don't know. You should see the fun I have when people talk 'secretly' in front of me as if it is some code language after generously interspersing it with English words. Not all of it is bad though. But that Ganesh bugger is the biggest 'chammach' you can find."

Chammach? Geet began giggling "And you have told no one until now so you can enjoy the 'fun'. You are something."

Maan smiled toothlessly "Such a chapter he is. He gets on my nerves sometimes. And by the way 'maga' is not really considered a compliment for someone who is not a friend. Don't let him use it on you."

Geet "Oh come on. Do you have to take it all so seriously? I mean Ganesh is like such a sport. One feels like yapping away to glory in front of him."

Maan "Wait till you hear him talk to his friends. He is annoying as hell."

Geet "Whatever. So I was checking this useless store. When I asked that guy some books he looked at me as if he has never heard of those titles in his life. Where can I get them? There are only a couple remaining to buy. I think."

Maan frowned a bit "I think you can try Avenue Road. They have everything there. I have seen these hifi stores always get the stock last. It is annoying."

Was there something not annoying?

Geet "Avenue Road? Where is that. Is it some popular place? Will the rick guys know the place?"

Maan "They would know but it is not really a great place. Go with a couple of your friends. It is like a fish market."

Geet "Oh really? Not a big fan of such places. I don't think I can find company either. My classmates believe in wait and watch. They seem to think the textbooks will appear by themselves one day."

Maan "May be they are waiting to Xerox it from a bakra who actually buys all the books. That is what happened with me. Ganesh's every textbox is a Xerox."

Geet did not know whether he was being serious about the joke or joking about the seriousness of it. She made an in-between face just to be on the safe side.

Maan "See it is not a question of Xerox. It is a question of principles. Don't fry the head of the person you borrow from. Anyway can you manage with the books you have now? For sometime at least?"

Geet applauded his speech with a head shaking 'tsk tsk'. Why was he telling her all this. She was not Ganesh now, was she?

She continued "Yes I believe I can. The internals are not like tomorrow."

Maan "Ok I might be going to that place sometime in the near future. I will tell you when I am going. You can join me."

Geet grinned "Maan, such a big thanks for helping me out with the books and all."

Maan "Don't mention it. I will be taking off now."

She smiled a bye. May be Maan was not so bad after all. Normally cute guys became less cuter when they opened their mouth. But he was still ruling the cute category.

What was this guy?

Was he a funny person or funny things happened to him?

Prima facie question, why the hell did she always attract drama queens? May be it was just her stupid chubby face.

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