Schooldays...(fiction)

Winters have always been a tormenting in Bhagalpur. The cool breeze can shiver the strongest of soul. But for Saurabh there were no alternative.
The alarm clock punctually buzzed at 4 in the morning. Saurabh gazed the hands of the watch making a sharp 120 degrees with half opened sleepy eyes. He unwillingly sacrificed his golden sleep and sluggishly leapt for the History book on his study table.

He leafed through the pages of cold war squinting at the dates, wars and their causes. Making different eye brow shapes, trying to open his eye forcefully he kept repeating…

“To counter with German armament, Warsaw Pact was contrived in 1955’
“To Counter with German armament Warsaw pact”
“To Counter with Germaaannn….”

‘n finally dozed of while memorizing the chronicles of Cold War…He woke up several times in

between trying to learn the Cold War lessons but the enchanted sleep always snared him.

It was finally 7:30. He quickly threw quilt the other side, donned the school uniform with a red striped tie, combed hair making different face poses and adoring smartness in the mirror , he finally pedaled…

Racing through the university main road, old buildings with cracked paints due to rains since many years, a lake which flowed by the side of railway track with one or two aquatic flowers sprouting and unlimited mangroves that served as the backdrop to the school he finally reached the place five minutes late. He had to stay behind the assembly congregation as he was late. When the entire school was engrossed in the prayer, He was lost in apprehensions of the brutal history class in the third period. But at the same time the memories of Supa served as a consolation of whom he dreamt night and day.

* * * * *

“Locate, Bay of pigs?”, Father John bellowed flaunting bundle of sticks in the air
“Faaa…Father Hungarian crisis”, Saurabh choked trying to recall

It was a wasted attempt. One wrong word was enough to trigger Father’s anger as his stubby fingers caught hold and shook Saurabh’s chubby cheeks and throat profusely.

“Sorry faaaather, faaather its Czechoooo…slovakian…..crisis”, he mumbled as Father kept his cheeks pulling hard.

“Faaather its…..” as he was on his third attempt Father whipped him bizarrely with five sticks together and then with the torrent of his overused word, raining his saliva, howled.

“You kaddhu…I feel sooorry for you…
“You are just building castles in the air.”

And the tantrum continued haunting everyone till the bell for the break had gone and everyone then heaved the sigh of relief…Ahhh Thank God!!!

In the break, just outside the class, many students gathered. Some threw pranks laughing and pushing each other. Some just stared at the girls with budding round contour clad in tight sweaters and some for no reasons. Few paces away near the stair case Saurabh stood alone, silently waiting for Supa to pass by. He knew her daily chore, as in where she went everyday during the breaks and with whom she loved to talk etcetera.

Supa passed by, just a minuscule distance away barely touching his blazer, he felt the heat pounding in his heart. He glimpsed his sweetheart, she looked just beautiful as ever. The winter had softly made her cheeks red. Her shivering gait, a few strayed hairs trying to veil her eyes and her ear rings swayed up and down as she sprinted down the stair case. Her reddish white naked feet below her skirt gave Saurabh the clue of the hidden beauty she suppressed under her. He felt the heat running between his thighs…. Fantasizing!!!

When Supa reached the ground floor, she looked up playfully, for she knew Saurabh always ogled her. Saurabh blushed in acknowledgement tossing his hair. “Captivating beauty”, he mused.

Winning an awry look from the girls was not onerous job for Saurabh for his tall, dark and handsome personality did it all and Saurabh took its full advantage. Most of the girls liked him but he would not give them the lint of his shirt. However this formal way romancing with Supa went for some time. Saurabh used to toss his hair looking at her and she bloomed a smile looking down and when Supa stared him with her head straight but pupil sideway, he scratched his head raising it coyly, if you understand what I mean. She then always occupied the front bench waiting and when Saurabh zipped into the class in the morning, both of them would be lost in each other’s eye searching themselves, for a moment, for what seemed to them like an eternity.

* * * * *

Few weeks later…

“What an absurd question is this.”, he told himself.
He looked sideways towards his other classmates.
Everyone’s faces were blank. The questions were out of syllabus or perhaps not taught in the class. All but everyone could do was to quit the examination hall and throw stream of vulgar tantrums on their geography teacher named Mr. Lambros.
The hidden motto behind the complicated paper was understood as score of students joined him for tuition.

“A tuition for Geography, damn it!!! No chance”, he raised his voice.
“C’mon Saurabh, it’s a matter of just another exam, n then who cares”, admonished Priyanka, his class mate and neighbor.

“Its fine, I will take care of it”, he said with disregard, for he dint like Priyanka. She was one of those behinji types of girl whose life just whirled around her parents and studies. Apart from some good manners, grades and smile she did not had one strand of hair to flaunt.

“And by the way, what would he teach, the same damn stuff in the textbook. Right?”, he added almost pouncing.

“Its up to you. By the way, Supa and me going tomorrow”, said Priyanka playfully for she knew Saurabh’s heart more than him, if you understand what I mean.

The next day Mr. Lambro’s verandah was full of students who were inspired to pass geography in their coming exam. Lambros, a Christian in his mid thirty’s was 6’2” tall and equally stouter. He held the book, which looked so negligible in his two broad figures and kept vomiting for one hour without a pause. Saurabh kept drafting the notes with a divided attention towards Supa’s tight jeans and revealing t-shirt. The inner strap that curved her bosom was thinly visible as he relished the nectar for the first time.

* * * * *

Supa had taken a toll on Saurabh’s mind and body as he kept dreaming of her. He always thought of approaching her in the morning when both of them looked each other. Every night he gathered courage and every morning he went numb and frozen. This continued for a while until one day he found a ray of hope in Priyanka for both of them appeared to be closed friends.
One Saturday, just outside Mr. Lambros verandah

“Priyanka, I wanna tell you something”
“Yes”, she heaved a long sigh in anticipation.
“I have fallen in love with Supa and I want you to this convey this message to her”

“Why don’t you tell her yoursef”, she replied after a long pause as they kept strolling.
“Am very scared, you know but am sure you gonna help me”, Saurabh pounced in one deep breath.
Priyanka looked into his eyes with a lost hope.
“But she…she is … Saurabh…Saurabh”, she felt a touch on her shoulder. Surprisingly when she looked up she found Saurabh had gone.
It was Supa’s hand.

“What was he telling Supa”, Priyanka asked inquisitively.
“Nothing!!! He was just asking for my notes”, she retorted looking down.

But then, nothing happened, Priyanka kept mum and Saurabh could not gather enough courage to propose Supa.

His patience mitigated day by day...

* * * * *

Then in one of the history class,

“NAM, Non Align Movement, 1950. The purpose was to ensure national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries in their "struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism and racism”.

Father John was busy in reading these texts from the world history book. Everybody in the class was scarily glued to their text but for one. The one who was buried scribbling in a loose paper with an undivided attention.

All of a sudden the roar came to halt and everyone looked in surprise. Father stood like a flaring edifice near Saurabh, but a bird didn't chirp in his head.

“Saurabh…”
What is happening…..What is happening here”, a deep harsh voice echoed the entire classroom…
Saurabh fiddled with the paper and froze to terror. His strokes of beard at the chin got erected and earlobe turned red as he raised his neck to see the death personified human standing right in front of him.

“Faaather….”, he strangled with his voice trying to smash the paper with the other hand.

Father leapt for the paper and snatched it. His eyes slowly turned red hot and his body stiff with rage as he read the love letter for Supa.

A downpour of sticks along with spurt of words continued for another ten minutes that left red mark on Saurabh’s face and body. He then summoned Saurabh and Supa to his chamber and ordered the peon to draft a suspension letter in their name.

* * * * *