Dawn Of My Life CH 1 (2)

Chapter 1

It was evening by the time I landed at my designation. Long journey had its effects on my body. It took me 10 minutes to set my muscles relax. As expected, I was pulled into a warn hug by Laxminandan Uncle. Though it was awkward as it was the first time I met him, I felt ease near him. It was due to my talks with him, and Bapu would always praise the man and the friendship between them in his own way.

"I am glad to have you with me, Kumud," he said with a genuine smile and I understood, convincing this man about my stay would be very difficult, "let me call your Dad first."

Silently, I followed him to the car and was glad to sit in a place where I was familiar with. The car might be of too modern for my experience, but it was a thing I knew without a fail. Taking the chance as he was in the phone with Bapu, which I knew, wouldn't end any time soon, I busied myself in admiring the city.

My thoughts drifted back to the time I was a kid. It amazed me how I always inclined to things that others were not convinced. I still remember the time when I lend my pencil to a friend during exam as she asked me. I had no spare but I didn't want her to get less marks. She was talented student. All my teachers back then called Bapu to complain how crazy I was to fail in my exam in order to help the girl. At that time, I was so annoyed with the scene they were creating. Now, when I thought back about it, it was really silly to think in that way, but it wasn't, considering that I was just 8. Bapu had hugged me, in front of my school faculty. "I am proud of you beta," he had said, "we should never say 'no' to people who are in need," and that became the center point of my existence. I wanted to make him proud with my steps. That might be the reason I was too inclined to help them. I found it was the only way, at that time, to make him proud of me. With the age, I was grown up into the person I am now.

I was glad that Uncle understood me and allowed me to reach my university alone, and was uncomfortable for bothering him. he had provided a car with a driver as he got down near his office. I was supposed to come back to this place and pick him up and then back to his house with him.

The university was just in the way I had imagined it would be with long hallways and typical circular lecture halls. All the blocks were exposed with brick cladding, with the numbers on top of the building, painted in deep blue. I wondered why the combination, it was odd to me. But other than that, I would pass this phase of life with ease. I tried to ignore the stares I was attracting. It was hard to walk in a place alien to you, and it was too hard when everyone had fixed their eyes on you.

I regretted for not listening to my sister back in home to switch into salwaar. I wasn't used to the dress and opted my regular choli – part not wanting to change my dressing just because I was in states, and part of my egoistic stubbornness.

Walking into the admin block, I introduced myself to the receptionist in her late fifties, a brunette and was glad to have her friendly smile. Though she eyed me and my attire, she chose to ignore and handed me a folder and my schedule. While she checked all the documents that I handed her, I took the time to focus on the room, rather than on her or on my nervousness. The office room was large enough with a waiting longue within it. There was a door on the right side of the counter, which read 'Medical Emergency'. The color was bright with white marble flooring. Photos of awards hung on the left wall, with important notes on the wall behind the counter. Paper baskets filled with papers, a pen-stand on it sat on the right of the receptionist, aside was the nameplate that read 'Mrs. Dawson.'

The kind old woman helped me highlighting the best ways that connected the blocks and I groaned silently. This was frustrating. How I missed teaching those kids in higher school back in my village. "You are just a week's lectures behind," she said with a smile, showing her dimple, "I hope you will follow up with it. If you need any help, you can just knock my door."

Thanking her, I turned around as fast as I could, wanting to escape from the room. It was too much for me to accept. Firstly, it was Uncle who forced me to go with my further studies this far and I already missed my family. Everything here reminded me how different this world was when compared to my world. It was weird. I stepped on my lehenga in the process and lost my balance. Cursing my luck all the while, I shut my eyes tight, as I hugged the folder to my chest. Most memorable welcome I have ever had for myself. I prayed silently, expecting the floor to hit my head. I expected pain filling my body when I hit something hard, but it never came.

Instead, I smelled something woody along with leather. Something cold pressed my waist – bare waist – and on my back. Slowly, I opened my eyes, realizing that something cold were fingers, which fisted now, the movements clearly tracing my waist. Whoever was holding me, was fisting their palm, avoiding to touch the exposed part. Another reason that gave me to regret about my choli. As I raised my eyes, I was stumbled at the person. With his jaw in a tight line with day old stubble, his eyes flashed a kind of irritation, which turned softness as his dark eyes looked at me, his thick eyebrows releasing the little annoyed frown between them – he was handsome.

He helped me standing on my feet and took a step away, keeping a safe distance between us. "I am sorry," I apologized hurriedly, "I wasn't looking where I…"

"Never mind," he cut me off; he had that kind of voice that would hold attention of everyone around him. It held some kind of – power. "I hope you are okay." I nodded, unable to find my voice. I thanked God, silently, to be saved by a friendly soul. By his looks, I could say he was an Asian, but he had American assent. I watched him walk up to Mrs. Dawson and spoke to her which I hadn't heard properly as I was too busy to grasp what just happened. I made fool of myself with my clumsiness, and near a man I had never saw. It was just embarrassing as hell.

The man walked back and held the door open as he turned back to look at me. I tried to manage a smile but failed miserably. "Are you going to drop by on your way, Saras?"I heard the receptionist while the man shook his head with a "I am afraid I couldn't able to," and he left the room with a small smile addressed to me.

Nothing was left for me and I made my own way to the car Uncle had provided me, with a small yet steady prayer that I would never cross with this man ever in my stay here…

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