“Raj, your friends are calling you at the ground?” My mother called me from kitchen. She must have seen society boys at the ground.
“I am busy.” My mother was furious because of my behaviuor. I was just ten years old but behaves like a college going boy, she told those lines once to me. My winter holidays were on and I was not playing at all with other society children.
“Raj, I think you should go and play with your friends.” My mother shouted from kitchen. Her voice was coming to me with the sound of ‘Tadka’ she gave to the food. The smell of food was fabulous.
“Mom, I have to finish my holiday homework and one more thing, they are not my friends.”
Now the frustration of smoke coming from the ‘Kadhai’ started to burst on me. She started cursing me in her village’s language which I didn’t understand at all.
“Thare koi home work milo hogo………….” And other similar sentences which I even can’t write.
I just closed the door of my room and started concentrating on the essay, “How you spent your holidays?”
***
I was pretty excited today. I was the first one to come to school. I started rehearsing my essay; I didn’t want any mistake from my side. Today was the big day for me.
Rehearsal completed and the wait started. Class started to fill with strangers and my eyes were still waiting for my love, Shikha. My eyes were near to shed water when I saw her. After a long 27 days period, she’s again in front of me. Her eyes met my eyes and then her eyes, slowly felt shy and as they felt shy, they left a smile on her lips which induced the same effect on my lips. What an enormous feeling that was!
She was a shy girl, she never expressed her feeling. She even didn’t talk to me much. She sat in the girl’s row and chose the seat from where I can’t see her clearly. I decided to change my seat but before I can do so, our class teacher Mrs. Anita reached the class.
According to the roll numbers, essay reciting process started. I thanked god for putting her roll number before mine. Now the wait for the roll number 23 started.
Roll number 21, 22 and finally 23 arrived in front of us. She stood from her bench, adjusted her skirt, then her hairs and slowly looking at the paper on which she wrote the essay, moved towards the teacher.
Her eyes again met my eyes and the same shyness took her eyes away from me.
“During my winter holidays I went to my uncle’s house where I ……………” she continued in her sweet and childish voice. I kept on staring her till she again reached her bench.
I was lost somewhere, somewhere very far away from where we live when I heard my teacher shouting my roll number.
I rose from my seat and reached in front of the class. My eyes again met her eyes but this time she seemed to hear me out eagerly. I looked at my paper and then started to read:
“I just hate my holidays because it takes me away from my friend. I just hate my holidays because it restricts me to see my friend, my best friend, my love Shikha.
During my holidays, I just missed her and waited these holidays to over. I missed my Shikha’s smile, I missed my Shikha’s eyes, I missed my Shikha’s …………..” my teacher stopped me in between. I looked at Shikha she was lost in some thoughts; she was lost in my essay.
Her expressions changed in seconds when she saw Mrs. Anita dragging me to the principal’s office. I left my paper on the floor in hope that she will pick the paper and read it. I was on the door of principal when I saw her picking the paper. I was happy.
Principal Sir called my parents and told them everything. Firing of shouting was on from both sides, my parent’s and the principal’s side but I was happy with the thought that Shikha will be reading my essay which was a kind of love letter, my first love letter to her.
Outside I was sad and inside I was smiling by thinking that she must be reading:
“I missed Shikha’s talk, I missed Shikha’s walk. I want Shikha to stick in my life forever because Shikha is my love, Shikha is my life. I love you Shikha, I love you…….”
I know that she must have had tears in her eyes and ‘I love you’ on tongue.
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