Win or Lose?

Creative Writing Competition 2012 India
CODE	383
SETTING	College Canteen OR Restaurant
OBJECT	Chocolate
THEME	True Love Triumphs

Shwetha took the usual corner seat in the empty college canteen. Through the window on her right side she looked out. The huge celebration by the winners of college election echoed. Her heart throbbed faster and her eyes got filled. She quickly took the kerchief from her bag and wiped the tears off her face.

The canteen had self service. So no one asked her what she wanted, or even why she was sitting there. As all the students have joined the winners’ procession, the canteen was empty, which would otherwise be full with students at that part of the day.

Shwetha looked at the other end of the canteen. There displayed chocolates in big glass bottles as well as in shelves. No matter how expensive they were, they always had a big market in the campus. Because it was a mixed college and the girls were generally chocolate lovers. So the boys who wanted to be friends with the girls started the friendship or affair with the chocolates. The Dairy Milk ad of shubh aarambh, has boosted the sales too.

Needless to say Shwetha too was a chocolate lover. But that day, the more she looked at those chocolates, the more depressed she became. She couldn’t resist the pain and tears flowed down her pretty face.

The happenings of the past few days flashed before her.

 

Shwetha was sitting in the same place the same day last week with Rohith. She was enjoying the sweet chocolates offered by him. They were good friends and love was definitely there in the air too. The only place they used to hang out was the college canteen. It was then she had made a declaration.

“Rohith, surprise news for you!”

“What?” Rohith was indeed surprised.

“I am contesting for the college election this time …..and you know ….for the chairman post!!! I have just given my papers for that! ”

Rohith’s dazed look made it clear that her declaration has literally shook him, where as her face showed she was expecting a big “wow” from him.

Seeing Rohith’s shocked face and without getting the anticipated response from him, she became dim.

“What? What’s wrong Rohith?”

“Why should you contest? That is unnecessary. I think you should withdraw. And don’t you know that the election is next week, only a couple of days left, who will work for you, do you have time, resources and people to back up? Come on Shwetha, you may be joking!”

Shwetha found it as an itch, an irk. She turned red with anger. The euphoria provided by the chocolate in her mouth soon disappeared from that pretty face. It seemed she had swallowed it even without enjoying.

“What ‘s the problem if I contest? You don’t think I am eligible for it, right? They knew I am, and they have requested me to be a candidate. I have agreed too…This is bad Rohith. Very bad attitude, I didn’t expect it from you!”

“Shwetha, don’t be silly. I am telling not because you don’t have the eligibility or caliber. I am telling because of some other known facts! See, the chairman post is held by the same girl repeatedly and I know she is contesting this time too. And she wants to win….”

“Oh I see…so you want her to win without an opponent, right?” Shwetha interrupted.

“No! Shwetha be serious, this is not joke. They want her to win this time too. But there is a lot of difference between a winner without any opponent and a winner with opponent. They just want an opponent for her, that’s why they have requested you so, if at all that’s true! And, definitely NOT because they want you to win!”

“Enough Rohith! You say, “If at all that’s true!” So you don’t think they requested me?…..and I am just boasting? Again they have assured me that they will work for me, though the time is limited. But I am really sad that you don’t like to see me win…”  Shwetha told in a choked voice.

A moment of silence passed. Shwetha continued.

“……you don’t like to see me up even in a college election. That proves a lot Rohith. I had placed so much hope in you, I trusted you as a supporting friend, but now, you behave just like any other boy here….”

“Shwetha, don’t be a simpleton blindly believing their words, please try to understand me, I always want to see you as a winner, not as a loser, that’s the sole reason behind me telling this!”

“ENOUGH!!! I AM CONTESTING!!”  Determined words were discharged at the speed of light.

Shwetha left the remaining chocolates on the table and dashed out of the canteen. That was the first time ever she had shown a dark face to Rohith as well as to chocolates.

The communication between them had come to a halt since then.

 

Sitting in the same place when the results were out, Shwetha realised Rohith was absolutely correct. They wanted an opponent and they were successful in that endeavour by making her an opponent.

She wanted to see Rohith. But her mind prevented her.

“He might hate me for disrespecting his advice and becoming such a fool….a loser!”

She cried placing the kerchief over face and covering her face with her palms.

After some moments she felt some one’s presence near her. Removing her palms and kerchief she looked. She saw Rohith sitting in the opposite chair with a big box of Hershey chocolates.

She cried more intensely. “I am sorry Rohith, I am really sorry, I should have taken your word!”

“It’s okay Shwetha, it is not a great matter!”

“Please forgive me!”

“You didn’t do such a big crime to beg pardon like this, got it?!Take the whole election thing as a joke, take that light! Okay?”

“I didn’t see you all these days! Where were you?”

“Hmm…you could have called me, mailed me or messaged me. Anyway, I went to Delhi to meet my grandfather and I came back yesterday night!”

“So you didn’t vote?!”

“Yes I didn’t vote! Because I knew my single vote wouldn’t have that much value to beat the lead of your opponent!”

His reply made her already glum face more glum.

“Look , don’t cry over this! Take it as an experience! And, this is not going to decide your future too!”

“I am not that sad about it, but I am sad that I have hurt you with my words…”

“Yes! To be frank, you have hurt me…but I can’t stop loving you Shwetha!”

She blushed, a smile spread over her tear-filled face.

Without further dialogue she opened the box of chocolates and put one in her mouth. She extended one to Rohith too.

Smilingly she said, “You know, chocolate has a chemical called PhenylEthylAmine that causes your brain to feel elated, which most people associate with love, so……”

“No science talks please!” Rohith broke in, but Shwetha continued.

“….when we eat more and more chocolate, we fall in love more and more, repeatedly… and in my case, I am falling in love with this same guy named Rohith, you know him?”

“No! I don’t ….who is that poor fellow?” Rohith teased.

And the good old days were back.

She has lost an election. But she has won her true love.

The joy of the latter outweighed the pain of the former.

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