Chapter 2: Debi, My divine Goddess
------------------------------------------
My college was at Phoolbagan. Everyone in their college days are called by their nick names, so I also had a nick name, my friends used to call me “Bihari”. The reason behind that nick name was that most of my childhood and youth I have spent in hostel in Bihar, completing my secondary and senior secondary education.
I could not attend the first period of optics as I was late for that. After the lunch break, the electronics practical was to be held so I entered the practical room and took out my book and was reading silently. Not reading actually, although my eyes were fixed on the pages but my thoughts was lingering around my heartthrob, my beautiful mermaid, my Paree. I was thinking of the passionate embrace at the rooftop last night. My damsel was wriggling in my arms like a mermaid taken out of water. Her silky smooth skin felt creamy all over my arms. Her earlobes felt as soft ice-cream melting on my velvety tongue. In my dream also I lost my self in Paree’s embrace. Everything floated in front of my eyes, Paree’s dimpled cheeks, her sweet lips, smiling at me, the twinkle of her big black eyes. A bunch of small lock, dancing over her right cheek. Frequently she was removing her lock and pushing it over her ear.
All of a sudden I heard a soft voice and a soft nudge on my left arm --- “What’s her name, Bihari?”
Involuntarily my damsel’s name came out from my lips --- “Paree.”
I woke up from the trance; the beautiful sight floating in front of my eyes vanished and found my best friend Debanjana, my practical partner, the studious and the best girl in my class, smiling at me,.
She asked --- “So, at last Bihari has got his damsel of his dreams. Hmm…… you rascal.” She yelled at me “So how long this affair with Paree was going on? And how come you have not told me anything.”
Debanjana Bannerjee, I called her Debi, smiled at me with a naughty look at my blank dumbfounded face. Paree’s name came on my lips involuntarily, I was never going to disclose this to anyone, but I got caught.
I nodded my head --- “No, no, no, there is no one named Paree. Who’s Paree?”
A hard slap landed on the back of head --- “Don’t lie to me Abhi, your eyes are telling everything. Even your glasses can’t hide the twinkle in your eyes.”
I yelled at her --- “No, dear, there is no one named Paree in my life.”
______________________________
---“Dhaat …. This can’t happen that Abhi has lost himself during the practical class.”
I smiled at her; I have been caught red handed, so I nodded my head --- “Ok! Baba, I will tell you everything after the class.”
She screamed at me --- “NO, I want to hear everything now.” She started pulling me by my shirt “Come let’s bunk the class.”
---“But, I came here only for this practical class and only for you, so as not to make you angry.”
She waved her hand --- “Oh! If you have come for me, then let’s go somewhere. I want to hear your entire story. And if don’t go with me then you will surely make me angry.”
I asked her --- “But what about the practical?”
“Don’t worry about that, I have bread-board and multimeter and all other electronics apparatus at my home. We can practice this any anytime. Now come with me” She pulled me by my hand and took me out of the class. While going out, I saw my classmates looking at us. Especially Anusuya and Sukumar looked at us as we walked out.
Sarmishta came running towards Debi and asked --- “Hey, where are you two going? Will you not attend the practical?”
Debi looked at me and said to her --- “No, we are going out. I will meet you at home and tell you everything.”
Debi asked me --- “Where do you want to go now?”
I told her that Coffee House will be better option. Her eyes twinkled in joy.
We started walking.
Debanjana was second child, only daughter of her parents; she lived near DumDum Airport. Her dad also worked in the same office; Airports Authority along with my father. They all lived in a huge house, joint family and Sarmishta was her cousin sister, daughter of Debi’s younger uncle. She was bit of short height; probably six to seven inches shorter than me. She had spectacles on her eyes. Small round face was always beaming with smile. She was very cheerful lass and at the same time she was intelligent. She always used to wear long flowing salwar suits of light colour. Seldom would she wear t-shirt or tops along with long flowing skirts. She always carries a dupatta or shawl or stroll around her neck. My friend was very chirpy. I observed that the people who are talkative, doesn’t hide much in their hearts. Their hearts are open as a book, pure as water from Gangotri. And Sarmishta, her sister was just opposite in nature; calm, timid and bit shy.
We were walking towards Sealdah.
She screamed at me in the middle of the road --- “Tell me about Paree or I am going to scream here that this boy is abusing me.”
---“Oh! God, don’t do that. Wait I will telling you everything.”
I started my story, how I met Paree during the wedding. The relation between me and Paree. My first kiss on her forehead in the secluded bus. The deluged eyes of Paree on that very night on the lonely dark road. I told her about my Mom’s relation with Paree. My mom was going to bring her to our house for her further studies.
Debi exclaimed and yelled at me --- “Oh! My God, so from last two, three months you are lost in this lady’s thought and you have concealed everything from me? You cunning jackal; bloody swine.” She started slapping me on my arm in middle of the road.
We took left turn from RazaBazar and were walking towards Sealdah station.
She asked me --- “Want to have Phuchka (Gol Gappa in Bengali terms)?”
---“Sure ….”
--- “Ok, let us have that and rest of the story I will hear at Coffee House, you swine.”
There was a naughty smile beaming all over her face, as we ate those fast-foods on the road side.
Debi asked me --- “So what’s the problem now?”
---“Nothing as such. She has come to my house.”
She again yelled at me --- “You rascal, you have left her alone at the house and come for Physics practical?” then she smiled at me “You have done good job, else how could I know what was there in your heart?” she winked at me.
“Is she beautiful? How does she look? Is she intelligent? When can I meet her?” she flooded me with a series of questions.
______________________________
I slapped her on her head --- “Wait, let her arrive at my house after Basanti Puja, then I will get her acquainted with you.”
She pointed her index finger and asked me “Promise”.
---“Promise, baba. Where can I go?”
We both giggled at each other. We were walking over the flyover towards College Street.
“So, Bihari, has at last fallen in love with someone.” She giggled at me “At one time I thought that you can’t fall in love. So rude and crude.”
“Crude person” I laughed to myself and said in a bit gloom voice “The world around me made me so”.
--- “Hey come on don’t start all those again. I feel like crying whenever I see tears in your eyes. I am happy that you have Paree, I really want to thank her, and she has brought back smile on your gloom face again.”
I asked her “Hey! Shall we call Arindam to Coffee House also?”
---“Ah! Leave that rascal; he must have gone home already.” Saying so, we walked silently towards our destination, through the lanes and by lanes of M.G Road, crowded with all small and big book shops.
Arindam, Debi’s heartthrob, was doing his Master’s from Kolkata University in Chemistry. They met last year in October, during our college fest and they got engaged. The guy had a heart of gold. The day he proposed Debi, jokingly I said to him that if I see tears, anytime in Debi’s eyes then I would kill him and drown him in the Ganga River.
While walking I got lost in my old thoughts, of Debi. I came to this college about two and half years ago. I was two years older than all other boys and girls in my class, after my schooling was completed in hostel in Deoghar now situated in Jharkhand state. The reason behind that I was two years older was that I flanked once in class eleven and then I flanked again for preparing for engineering IITs and other engineering colleges. My parents were very hard upon me; they used to say to me always that since they have spent so much of money on my studies they want me to be an engineer. But from my childhood days I wanted to be a painter. After my class ten exams I wanted to pursue painting and arts as my subject so that I could get admission in Shantiniketan. But my parents were adamant about my studies. Several days has past that I could not sleep due to all the heated arguments between me and my parents, forcing me to take science and do engineering. All they said that since I was good in my studies and good in science subjects especially in physics and maths so I had to be and engineer. I got ranks in IIT KGP and also in ISM Dhanbad, but I was adamant that I will not study engineering. We got in a huge fight over that issue and later on I was admitted to the college for pursuing my bachelors in Physics.
Two and half years back when I joined that college, I was very new to this city of Kolkata and as well to the environment. It took me some time to adjust myself in this city life. Although being a Bengali, my vocabulary was mixed with Hindi and English words. For most of my colleagues I was like an alien factor. Then I saw Anusuya Chatterjee, beautiful lass in my class and a good danseuse also. Her dance practices kept her figure sharp and angelic. I was smitten by her beauty on the very first step I took into the class. Gradually our friendship grew stronger. I poured my heart to her, divulging all my dark past. Seeing a beautiful girl along my side, others classmates also stretched their hands for friendship. I proposed her on Christmas Eve of that very year, but I was turned down. Probably due to my pronunciation and linguistics problems she thought that I was not from Bengal and was actually not a Bengali guy. I was left alone again but then with only friends or better say classmates. I used to seat in one corner of the third last bench and used to look at her with heavy heart. Since Sarmishta and Debanjana were studious and intelligent so they got many friends, but the rumor of Anusuya’s rejection and my past failures spread like wildfire in the class. Anusuya told everybody about my past failures and made me look cheap and failed person in my life, in-front of others. I was helpless out then with no one around me. I tried to persuade her that I was Bengali and born in Kolkata only. Much later after much of coaxing she was convinced but I could not win her back. She made several stories to avoid me further. At last I thought it would be better to leave the past and get along with life. And to my utter amazement or to make me burn in jealousy, Anusuya started dating fellow colleague of mine, Sukumar. Yes I felt jealous at first, but I kept all those raging fires deep inside a corner of my heart. I hid myself into my shell again with pain and rejection. I became calm and quiet all over, although my past and my relationship with my parents have made me rude. The friendship between me and Sukumar got bit strained, but mostly I tried to avoid the tension and talk with everyone with smiling face.
______________________________
Time went by. Things were getting normalized between me and Sukumar and others. But with Anusuya, the relation was not same as before. Her gaze used to remind me that I was a failure.
During our second year in college, probably in September we were starting our new chapter in second year of college days. The lunch time was about to get finished, students were returning to their classes. Sarmishta and Debanjana already took their seats in the first bench and I was about four benches behind them. I was reading a Bengali Novel. Suddenly all the chit-chats in the class came to a pin-drop silence on hearing a whimper of pain. I looked up to find that Debanjana was rubbing Sarmishta’s back. Sarmishta nose was bleeding profusely. Everyone was dumbfounded on seeing the blood. She was crying in pain with her head leaning over the desk. Everyone was giving suggestion as how to stopping the bleeding but doing nothing. I realized that Bengali Guts are very poor, these guys are timid and panicked on seeing the blood. Some sort of rage flooded my brain. I leaped over the benches and took off my shirt (I had a full-sleeve vest underneath) and pressed that on her nose. I shouted to all the guys standing there and doing nothing, to call an ambulance. Sarmishta was crying in pain. I put my arms behind her back and other below her knees and pulled her on my lap and asked Debanjana to hold her head up so that the blood doesn’t come out. Debanjana was also crying. As I picked up Sarmishta she fainted in my arms. I screamed at her not to close her eyes. Debanjana was uncontrollable by ten. The ambulance arrived; I carried her all the way to the ambulance. Every person present in the college was asking about her as what happened. I asked the rest of the person to call her parents as I and Debanjana boarded the ambulance and rushed her to Medical College Hospital emergency.
I came to know at the hospital that Sarmishta had a small lump of flesh inside her left nostril and that has ruptured and that was the cause of all the bleeding. She was to be operated immediately. Debanjana and I were anxiously waiting outside the gate. The tears from Debanjana’s were flowing like flood. In my mind I was cursing my colleagues as what type of person they were, mere donkey without courage of taking the first step. Debanjana was seated on a chair and I was kneeling in front of her with her hand in mine trying to console her that everything would be alright. I buried the worst thoughts in some corner deep in my heart. The classmates arrived at the hospital and along with her parents. Everyone asked us about the incident. Debanjana only answered to the queries of her parents, she was not talking to any other person. I could see a raging fire in her tearful eyes as when she looked at her colleagues, as if saying to them “You all are coward and bullshit persons.” The guys came near me asking me about what was the status. I explained them Sarmishta’s problem. With corner of my eye I saw that Anusuya was standing at one corner of the waiting lounge and looking at me, intently. I paid no attention to her and kept talking to others.
We all were anxiously waiting outside. After sometime, the doctors announced to her parents that Sarmishta was out of danger; there was a feeble, very negligent chance of development of that lump to a tumor in future. But due to the rupture and timely bringing Sarmishta to the hospital has saved her from facing a bigger problem. Her parents looked at me with their thankful glistening eyes. Debanjana came running towards me and embraced me in her arms and started to cry, tears not of pain but of thankful and joy. Her sister was going to live; she will again be able to see the sunrise with her next day. Her sudden action pushed me bit back. I was not at all ready for all those emotions. No one has hugged me like that in last fourteen years and not a full grown teenaged lady. All my life I have heard that I am a failed person, and all of a sudden my actions hurled me to the top of the life. I gently tried to console Debanjana and told her that as everything was fine so I need to go. Her parents asked me to accompany with them to their house. I politely denied them saying I would visit their house some other day after Sarmishta gets well and returns home. Her father brought a t-shirt for me as I was till then in my sandow vest only.
We all friends came out of the hospital and there was a hush among all of them. I walked alone towards the bus-stand but then I was walking tall. After a long time I felt that I am a person who also had a living heart that throbs inside my chest and which was not as coward as the people around me. For the first time I felt that the world around me to be very black and nauseous. I saw my friends calling me to have some food in some eateries at College Street. I nodded my head that I don’t have time to eat. Suddenly I found that Anusuya running at me gesturing me to stop as if she wants to say something. I looked at her with a bit forgiving eyes and boarded my bus. She looked at me. The same look was on her face, dejected and lost. I could see the pain but I smiled in my mind that whatever God does for us are always best for us.
______________________________
------------------------------------------
My college was at Phoolbagan. Everyone in their college days are called by their nick names, so I also had a nick name, my friends used to call me “Bihari”. The reason behind that nick name was that most of my childhood and youth I have spent in hostel in Bihar, completing my secondary and senior secondary education.
I could not attend the first period of optics as I was late for that. After the lunch break, the electronics practical was to be held so I entered the practical room and took out my book and was reading silently. Not reading actually, although my eyes were fixed on the pages but my thoughts was lingering around my heartthrob, my beautiful mermaid, my Paree. I was thinking of the passionate embrace at the rooftop last night. My damsel was wriggling in my arms like a mermaid taken out of water. Her silky smooth skin felt creamy all over my arms. Her earlobes felt as soft ice-cream melting on my velvety tongue. In my dream also I lost my self in Paree’s embrace. Everything floated in front of my eyes, Paree’s dimpled cheeks, her sweet lips, smiling at me, the twinkle of her big black eyes. A bunch of small lock, dancing over her right cheek. Frequently she was removing her lock and pushing it over her ear.
All of a sudden I heard a soft voice and a soft nudge on my left arm --- “What’s her name, Bihari?”
Involuntarily my damsel’s name came out from my lips --- “Paree.”
I woke up from the trance; the beautiful sight floating in front of my eyes vanished and found my best friend Debanjana, my practical partner, the studious and the best girl in my class, smiling at me,.
She asked --- “So, at last Bihari has got his damsel of his dreams. Hmm…… you rascal.” She yelled at me “So how long this affair with Paree was going on? And how come you have not told me anything.”
Debanjana Bannerjee, I called her Debi, smiled at me with a naughty look at my blank dumbfounded face. Paree’s name came on my lips involuntarily, I was never going to disclose this to anyone, but I got caught.
I nodded my head --- “No, no, no, there is no one named Paree. Who’s Paree?”
A hard slap landed on the back of head --- “Don’t lie to me Abhi, your eyes are telling everything. Even your glasses can’t hide the twinkle in your eyes.”
I yelled at her --- “No, dear, there is no one named Paree in my life.”
______________________________
---“Dhaat …. This can’t happen that Abhi has lost himself during the practical class.”
I smiled at her; I have been caught red handed, so I nodded my head --- “Ok! Baba, I will tell you everything after the class.”
She screamed at me --- “NO, I want to hear everything now.” She started pulling me by my shirt “Come let’s bunk the class.”
---“But, I came here only for this practical class and only for you, so as not to make you angry.”
She waved her hand --- “Oh! If you have come for me, then let’s go somewhere. I want to hear your entire story. And if don’t go with me then you will surely make me angry.”
I asked her --- “But what about the practical?”
“Don’t worry about that, I have bread-board and multimeter and all other electronics apparatus at my home. We can practice this any anytime. Now come with me” She pulled me by my hand and took me out of the class. While going out, I saw my classmates looking at us. Especially Anusuya and Sukumar looked at us as we walked out.
Sarmishta came running towards Debi and asked --- “Hey, where are you two going? Will you not attend the practical?”
Debi looked at me and said to her --- “No, we are going out. I will meet you at home and tell you everything.”
Debi asked me --- “Where do you want to go now?”
I told her that Coffee House will be better option. Her eyes twinkled in joy.
We started walking.
Debanjana was second child, only daughter of her parents; she lived near DumDum Airport. Her dad also worked in the same office; Airports Authority along with my father. They all lived in a huge house, joint family and Sarmishta was her cousin sister, daughter of Debi’s younger uncle. She was bit of short height; probably six to seven inches shorter than me. She had spectacles on her eyes. Small round face was always beaming with smile. She was very cheerful lass and at the same time she was intelligent. She always used to wear long flowing salwar suits of light colour. Seldom would she wear t-shirt or tops along with long flowing skirts. She always carries a dupatta or shawl or stroll around her neck. My friend was very chirpy. I observed that the people who are talkative, doesn’t hide much in their hearts. Their hearts are open as a book, pure as water from Gangotri. And Sarmishta, her sister was just opposite in nature; calm, timid and bit shy.
We were walking towards Sealdah.
She screamed at me in the middle of the road --- “Tell me about Paree or I am going to scream here that this boy is abusing me.”
---“Oh! God, don’t do that. Wait I will telling you everything.”
I started my story, how I met Paree during the wedding. The relation between me and Paree. My first kiss on her forehead in the secluded bus. The deluged eyes of Paree on that very night on the lonely dark road. I told her about my Mom’s relation with Paree. My mom was going to bring her to our house for her further studies.
Debi exclaimed and yelled at me --- “Oh! My God, so from last two, three months you are lost in this lady’s thought and you have concealed everything from me? You cunning jackal; bloody swine.” She started slapping me on my arm in middle of the road.
We took left turn from RazaBazar and were walking towards Sealdah station.
She asked me --- “Want to have Phuchka (Gol Gappa in Bengali terms)?”
---“Sure ….”
--- “Ok, let us have that and rest of the story I will hear at Coffee House, you swine.”
There was a naughty smile beaming all over her face, as we ate those fast-foods on the road side.
Debi asked me --- “So what’s the problem now?”
---“Nothing as such. She has come to my house.”
She again yelled at me --- “You rascal, you have left her alone at the house and come for Physics practical?” then she smiled at me “You have done good job, else how could I know what was there in your heart?” she winked at me.
“Is she beautiful? How does she look? Is she intelligent? When can I meet her?” she flooded me with a series of questions.
______________________________
I slapped her on her head --- “Wait, let her arrive at my house after Basanti Puja, then I will get her acquainted with you.”
She pointed her index finger and asked me “Promise”.
---“Promise, baba. Where can I go?”
We both giggled at each other. We were walking over the flyover towards College Street.
“So, Bihari, has at last fallen in love with someone.” She giggled at me “At one time I thought that you can’t fall in love. So rude and crude.”
“Crude person” I laughed to myself and said in a bit gloom voice “The world around me made me so”.
--- “Hey come on don’t start all those again. I feel like crying whenever I see tears in your eyes. I am happy that you have Paree, I really want to thank her, and she has brought back smile on your gloom face again.”
I asked her “Hey! Shall we call Arindam to Coffee House also?”
---“Ah! Leave that rascal; he must have gone home already.” Saying so, we walked silently towards our destination, through the lanes and by lanes of M.G Road, crowded with all small and big book shops.
Arindam, Debi’s heartthrob, was doing his Master’s from Kolkata University in Chemistry. They met last year in October, during our college fest and they got engaged. The guy had a heart of gold. The day he proposed Debi, jokingly I said to him that if I see tears, anytime in Debi’s eyes then I would kill him and drown him in the Ganga River.
While walking I got lost in my old thoughts, of Debi. I came to this college about two and half years ago. I was two years older than all other boys and girls in my class, after my schooling was completed in hostel in Deoghar now situated in Jharkhand state. The reason behind that I was two years older was that I flanked once in class eleven and then I flanked again for preparing for engineering IITs and other engineering colleges. My parents were very hard upon me; they used to say to me always that since they have spent so much of money on my studies they want me to be an engineer. But from my childhood days I wanted to be a painter. After my class ten exams I wanted to pursue painting and arts as my subject so that I could get admission in Shantiniketan. But my parents were adamant about my studies. Several days has past that I could not sleep due to all the heated arguments between me and my parents, forcing me to take science and do engineering. All they said that since I was good in my studies and good in science subjects especially in physics and maths so I had to be and engineer. I got ranks in IIT KGP and also in ISM Dhanbad, but I was adamant that I will not study engineering. We got in a huge fight over that issue and later on I was admitted to the college for pursuing my bachelors in Physics.
Two and half years back when I joined that college, I was very new to this city of Kolkata and as well to the environment. It took me some time to adjust myself in this city life. Although being a Bengali, my vocabulary was mixed with Hindi and English words. For most of my colleagues I was like an alien factor. Then I saw Anusuya Chatterjee, beautiful lass in my class and a good danseuse also. Her dance practices kept her figure sharp and angelic. I was smitten by her beauty on the very first step I took into the class. Gradually our friendship grew stronger. I poured my heart to her, divulging all my dark past. Seeing a beautiful girl along my side, others classmates also stretched their hands for friendship. I proposed her on Christmas Eve of that very year, but I was turned down. Probably due to my pronunciation and linguistics problems she thought that I was not from Bengal and was actually not a Bengali guy. I was left alone again but then with only friends or better say classmates. I used to seat in one corner of the third last bench and used to look at her with heavy heart. Since Sarmishta and Debanjana were studious and intelligent so they got many friends, but the rumor of Anusuya’s rejection and my past failures spread like wildfire in the class. Anusuya told everybody about my past failures and made me look cheap and failed person in my life, in-front of others. I was helpless out then with no one around me. I tried to persuade her that I was Bengali and born in Kolkata only. Much later after much of coaxing she was convinced but I could not win her back. She made several stories to avoid me further. At last I thought it would be better to leave the past and get along with life. And to my utter amazement or to make me burn in jealousy, Anusuya started dating fellow colleague of mine, Sukumar. Yes I felt jealous at first, but I kept all those raging fires deep inside a corner of my heart. I hid myself into my shell again with pain and rejection. I became calm and quiet all over, although my past and my relationship with my parents have made me rude. The friendship between me and Sukumar got bit strained, but mostly I tried to avoid the tension and talk with everyone with smiling face.
______________________________
Time went by. Things were getting normalized between me and Sukumar and others. But with Anusuya, the relation was not same as before. Her gaze used to remind me that I was a failure.
During our second year in college, probably in September we were starting our new chapter in second year of college days. The lunch time was about to get finished, students were returning to their classes. Sarmishta and Debanjana already took their seats in the first bench and I was about four benches behind them. I was reading a Bengali Novel. Suddenly all the chit-chats in the class came to a pin-drop silence on hearing a whimper of pain. I looked up to find that Debanjana was rubbing Sarmishta’s back. Sarmishta nose was bleeding profusely. Everyone was dumbfounded on seeing the blood. She was crying in pain with her head leaning over the desk. Everyone was giving suggestion as how to stopping the bleeding but doing nothing. I realized that Bengali Guts are very poor, these guys are timid and panicked on seeing the blood. Some sort of rage flooded my brain. I leaped over the benches and took off my shirt (I had a full-sleeve vest underneath) and pressed that on her nose. I shouted to all the guys standing there and doing nothing, to call an ambulance. Sarmishta was crying in pain. I put my arms behind her back and other below her knees and pulled her on my lap and asked Debanjana to hold her head up so that the blood doesn’t come out. Debanjana was also crying. As I picked up Sarmishta she fainted in my arms. I screamed at her not to close her eyes. Debanjana was uncontrollable by ten. The ambulance arrived; I carried her all the way to the ambulance. Every person present in the college was asking about her as what happened. I asked the rest of the person to call her parents as I and Debanjana boarded the ambulance and rushed her to Medical College Hospital emergency.
I came to know at the hospital that Sarmishta had a small lump of flesh inside her left nostril and that has ruptured and that was the cause of all the bleeding. She was to be operated immediately. Debanjana and I were anxiously waiting outside the gate. The tears from Debanjana’s were flowing like flood. In my mind I was cursing my colleagues as what type of person they were, mere donkey without courage of taking the first step. Debanjana was seated on a chair and I was kneeling in front of her with her hand in mine trying to console her that everything would be alright. I buried the worst thoughts in some corner deep in my heart. The classmates arrived at the hospital and along with her parents. Everyone asked us about the incident. Debanjana only answered to the queries of her parents, she was not talking to any other person. I could see a raging fire in her tearful eyes as when she looked at her colleagues, as if saying to them “You all are coward and bullshit persons.” The guys came near me asking me about what was the status. I explained them Sarmishta’s problem. With corner of my eye I saw that Anusuya was standing at one corner of the waiting lounge and looking at me, intently. I paid no attention to her and kept talking to others.
We all were anxiously waiting outside. After sometime, the doctors announced to her parents that Sarmishta was out of danger; there was a feeble, very negligent chance of development of that lump to a tumor in future. But due to the rupture and timely bringing Sarmishta to the hospital has saved her from facing a bigger problem. Her parents looked at me with their thankful glistening eyes. Debanjana came running towards me and embraced me in her arms and started to cry, tears not of pain but of thankful and joy. Her sister was going to live; she will again be able to see the sunrise with her next day. Her sudden action pushed me bit back. I was not at all ready for all those emotions. No one has hugged me like that in last fourteen years and not a full grown teenaged lady. All my life I have heard that I am a failed person, and all of a sudden my actions hurled me to the top of the life. I gently tried to console Debanjana and told her that as everything was fine so I need to go. Her parents asked me to accompany with them to their house. I politely denied them saying I would visit their house some other day after Sarmishta gets well and returns home. Her father brought a t-shirt for me as I was till then in my sandow vest only.
We all friends came out of the hospital and there was a hush among all of them. I walked alone towards the bus-stand but then I was walking tall. After a long time I felt that I am a person who also had a living heart that throbs inside my chest and which was not as coward as the people around me. For the first time I felt that the world around me to be very black and nauseous. I saw my friends calling me to have some food in some eateries at College Street. I nodded my head that I don’t have time to eat. Suddenly I found that Anusuya running at me gesturing me to stop as if she wants to say something. I looked at her with a bit forgiving eyes and boarded my bus. She looked at me. The same look was on her face, dejected and lost. I could see the pain but I smiled in my mind that whatever God does for us are always best for us.
______________________________
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