"I am in no condition
to draw. I don’t want to draw. I want to confess something; something that I
hide from you. When I was absent from school for a week, I knew I would have to
leave. Doctor said I can go home for one day. My mother asked how I want to
spend my last day away from medicines. I said I want to go to school. I wanted
to live a normal day. I had my choices, either to end our friendship with no
end or give it an ending. I thought of giving it an ending and I walked through
the door with my sick eyes. They were hurting still I tried to smile. I wanted
the day to be normal. I walked in the class and saw your eyes, eyes of hope; a
hope to see me every day. I looked at you and I felt like a loser, I felt
defeated in front of your hopes. I felt like crying my eyes out of my face, if
it was possible. I wanted to throw away the reason of my disease. I wish I was born
blind. I took a seat away from you, but when you came at me and asked what
happened I just could not control my emotions. I told you everything what
happened with me. I am sorry that I came in your life. I don’t regret to be
your friend but you will surely regret it someday.”
“So, you regret that she was your friend?” his friend asked.
“She is my friend and I don’t regret that.” He replied
without giving a second thought.
“But she is dead now.” His friend told a hard reality.
“She is not dead; she is still somewhere alive in the past
where we are spending beautiful moments together. 1st grader Sarthak
and Anantika are still together and as she said- forever,”
“But we can’t deny the truth.”
“You want to listen the truth? The truth is that you all are
conned by me. She can’t die because she never even existed. You think I will
complete my homework. I don’t even have an English notebook.”
His friends looked at him jaw-dropped. They knew what he
meant. He just said that the story was a lie. How could it be? One of them
asked to confirm. “So, it all was a lie?”
Sarthak laughed and said, “You thought I was serious? Haha…
no.” His face was clearly depicting that he wasn’t lying. He was truthful to
them.
“We all thought that it was your own story,” One of them
spoke again. He felt connected to the story Sarthak narrated.
“I can’t help it guys. I did not want punishment, so I just
cooked a story in my mind."
That was the end of their conversation. It was a strange
day, every student was feeling sorry for the girl and as he said, she doesn’t
even exist. Period after period passed. Last period was Games period and
everyone went in the ground. Boys were playing football and girls were playing
badminton and basketball.
Sarthak was attacker of team A. Their team lost the game
with 2 goals. School was over and he was still playing. Students started
walking to the school buses and bicycle stand and he was still shooting the
ball in goal. He took the loss seriously.
“Aren’t you coming with us in bus?” his friend asked.
“What day it is?” He asked back.
“Thursday… no actually Friday,” His friend said. He thought for
a while and said that he would play and won’t be coming with them in bus. He
played there for half an hour, checked his watch, and then left for home by
walk.
He walked on the footpath for few minutes and then reached
to the bus stop. He waited for his bus and was constantly thinking of the
character he made today in the class. “Anantika, means forever,” He chuckled.
His bus arrived and he sat down on the seat. After few stops,
bus dropped him back on the footpath. He walked to a familiar building and went
in the garden. The garden was flooded with school going kids, playing around. He
walked to a bench and sat down.
“You know what? you come here every day,” There was a girl
sitting next to him.
“And I find you here every day, as if you wait for me every
day.” He pointed back. He looked at the girl. She was smiling and was looking
at him. He smiled back to her.
“You look beautiful today,” He complimented.
“I listen it every day from you. I don’t know what you find
beautiful in me. I always wear this ugly school dress.”
“I never noticed what you wear. I just come here, see you
smiling at me and I find this thing beautiful.”
She blushed and then again smiled. “Were you again late for
the school today?” She knew the answer still asked if some miracle happened.
“Yes and the good thing was that I didn’t get punished.”
“How...?” She looked astonished. She put her hand on his
cheek and slapped him softly.
He smiled at her back and told her what exactly happened
this morning. “I just entered the class and teacher said she would forgive me
if I had done homework. I said yes I have done it.”
“You lied to her,” She caught him as always.
“There comes the real fun. Homework was an article on topic ‘A
friend to Remember’ so…”
She cut his sentence, “So you opened a blank notebook and
cooked up a story to tell them.” She completed the sentence, as if she knew
every bit of him.
He was caught. He smiled, looked straightly in her eyes. She
looked back and he said, “I told them our story.”
Author
Himanshu Appie Chhabra
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