Love is not just a shoulder to cry... But for Kannan, his shoulders were the ones which got soaked in tears. The strong friendship which was built over a year of being together in class reached a moment so beautiful that Kannan realized that he liked Priya. He wanted to tell her how comfortable her presence made him. The smiles they shared, the moments they enjoyed despite the differences and fights they were used to as close friends. The studies were the second reason for Kannan to be on time to college. It was that his eyes kept searching for the one. A friend to whom he could talk to, share his thoughts and feel that the day was worth every moment it had in it.
There were evening when the sccoter wouldn’t start until Kannan had not dragged it along walking with Priya till the bus stop as he would be better off talking to her till the time she boarded the bus or days when a full tank petrol would be called empty and he would lock the scooter and board the bus with her. There would be evenings when suddenly Kannan would have a realization that there is an assignment to be submitted and that would be the reason for him to quickly take a ride down to her house. To see her stand there at the door in her nightie with a smile. But he never thought whether it was Love until that evening. When he wanted to tell her. He sat all night writing a message on a card he made to express his love.
The clock chimed 12 and Kannan was still working on the card with sketch pens, scissors and all his creativity to create the best possible card which will carry the message of love. His eyes were turning red with strain, but he smiled to himself thinking that the color of love itself is red. He wrote a note on a piece of paper. Not satisfied, tore it into pieces. Wrote another one. Still not happy. The process went on and on. After two hours, he was happy with what he wrote and it was almost five past two. He packed the card with the message on it with a smile and sealed it with a kiss on it. It was his heart, the feeling he had. He was feeling loved and filled with love. Slept with the pack of love under his pillow.
The morning sun invited him out to take a breath of fresh air. He went out and felt the morning breeze. Finished his prayers, morning chores and had a wash with a song in his heart. Shaved to look the best and a generous splash of his favorite musk after shave. Dressed in his best in his favorite denims and light full sleeve shirt. And thought about Priya telling him in a casual talk
"I like full sleeve shirts... it has something special about it"
Dabbed the perfume and wore an enviable smile on his face. Had his breakfast in a hurry and rushed out. He went to parking and there stood the green scooter, his ride. Like the pig tails of a school girl the mirrors were waiting for Kannan. He checked twice in the mirror how he looked. That’s when the thought flashed in his mind.
"Oops... the card"
He ran back home, rushed to his room, when Amma saw him run and asked
"What happened Kanna?"
"Nothing ma, my workshop record... I forgot it here"
He took the pack and hid it in the record, and pushed it into the bag and ran to the scooter back. He kicked the scooter and it sprung to life on the roads. He reached the classroom to find Priya sitting on the third bench with her regular mates. Smiled and lightly waved at her. The presence of the lecturer was of least importance. Waiting from hour to hour for the best moment. The time seemed to go slow with him that day. It was lunch break and still it was not the best moment. The regular chit chats about movies, classes, and casual jokes were gulping the time away and still it was not time for him to take the pack out from the record, where it was hiding with his heartbeats pacing for the moment. Before the classes resumed Priya came up to Kannan and said
"I need to talk to you... something special. Can you come home this evening" asked Priya
Kannan could not hide the smile in his heart. Smiled and said "With pleasure... I will be there before you reach"
The rest of the classes where just hours flying like seconds for Kannan. He was waiting to hear it from her. The last hour was over and Kannan ran to his scooter. Hung the bag in the clip, kick started the scooter and raised it to reach Priya who was as usual walking towards the bus stop. He braked his ride and smiled at her
"I will wait for you at your place... Should I take your bag too" asked Kannan
"Its okay... you go... I have told Amma that you would be coming home... Have a cup of coffee and have a chit chat" she smiled and replied.
Over the year Priya's Amma and Kannan shared a special bond. They were more friends than his other college mates. They discussed everything under the sun. Kannan drove towards the moment with wind in his hair and love in his heart. He reached home, parked his ride and rushed to the door. Rang the bell and waited with his black sling bag on his back. Tall, well groomed for the day, Kannan was more than confident what Priya was going to tell him. The door opened and Priya's Amma was at the door.
"Come on in .... Priya had told me that you would be coming. You have a seat I will get you filter coffee"
The small guest room and a study on the ground floor and kitchen bedroom and living on the first floor, Priya's house was a remodeled old fashioned house partitioned to call it a separate home. Kannan picked the newspaper and was going through it. He seemed to read every line, but nothing made sense to him. He was still thinking about the time which is yet to come. He said to himself in his mind
"Well Priya... I... I think..."
"No no... That’s not how I should start"
"Priya... will you ..."
"Nah ..."
"I want you in my life... for..."
"What the heck"
Kannan kept searching for the lines and he thought, "Let her say what she has to... maybe then I just have to give her this pack"
He took out the record from inside the bag and kept it by his side. He kept looking at his watch and waited for Priya's coming home. Her mother came with the coffee and started talking to him
"So... What’s special... something tell me that you are very happy today"
"Yes ma...nothing... just like that I am happy"
She went on talking to him, but his eyes were only at the door. Half an hour passed and her father reached home
"Well Kannan... Priya is coming ... I saw her round the corner"
"Good evening Uncle" Kannan greeted and his eyes went in search of her.
And there she was, tired by the ride and the whole day at college. But the smile seemed to be fresh. She threw the bag on the sofa and plunged herself into the chair out of sheer exhaustion.
"Amma ... coffee" said Priya in a tired voice
Amma smiled and both her father and mother went upstairs. Uncle was talking about something at office to her Amma and the sounds faded. Priya jumped from the chair and grabbed Kannan by his arm and rushed to the study.
"Come come..."
Kannan's heart was beating faster than ever; he even forgot to pick the record that was lying on the sofa.
"Guess what.... Anwar proposed to me and I said yesssss ...." she said with all the excitement Kannan had ever seen.
Kannan stopped for a second and couldn’t believe his ears. His heart sank. He had no words. His throat went dry. His heart almost stopped beating. He felt choked. He felt as if he was freezing. Priya shook him hard and said again
"Yes yes yes... Anwar loves me"
Kannan smiled and pulled himself back together again
"Congrats... so your Black Yamaha is yours now" referring to the joke which they cracked when Anwar a senior student, Always at his best, dark complexioned with a rectangular gold frame glasses, mostly with his black jeans and white full sleeve shirts with folded cuffs, and drove past Priya with a smile every now and then. "So... calls for a celebration" said Kannan with a heavy heart. He wanted to burst into tears, but couldn’t. He saw the happiness in her face and was happy for her. He smiled and said
"So party at Lords Cafe tomorrow... call him too... lets meet"
Her eyes were shining, smiles so full and shy... unusually shy. Probably that’s what love does to a woman and to a man. Kannan was heartbroken but still wore a smile as he walked to the other room. Grabbed his record and pushed it into the bag and started leaving.
"Have to go to the temple... tell Amma that I left" Kannan walked towards his scooter. As he was leaving he saw Priya at the door waving with a smile to her best friend, who still had the love hidden in his heart. Kannan rode waving back to her and before he reached home he parked he stopped by the side of the road. He opened his bag and took the hiding pack from the record. He opened it and read the lines he had written for her
"I want to see you smile ... I want to see the glow of love in you ... I want to see your happiness"
And yes, his wish came true. He threw the card in the dustbin by the side of the road. Kept the record back in the bag and rode home still hiding the love, which he had for her.
There were evening when the sccoter wouldn’t start until Kannan had not dragged it along walking with Priya till the bus stop as he would be better off talking to her till the time she boarded the bus or days when a full tank petrol would be called empty and he would lock the scooter and board the bus with her. There would be evenings when suddenly Kannan would have a realization that there is an assignment to be submitted and that would be the reason for him to quickly take a ride down to her house. To see her stand there at the door in her nightie with a smile. But he never thought whether it was Love until that evening. When he wanted to tell her. He sat all night writing a message on a card he made to express his love.
The clock chimed 12 and Kannan was still working on the card with sketch pens, scissors and all his creativity to create the best possible card which will carry the message of love. His eyes were turning red with strain, but he smiled to himself thinking that the color of love itself is red. He wrote a note on a piece of paper. Not satisfied, tore it into pieces. Wrote another one. Still not happy. The process went on and on. After two hours, he was happy with what he wrote and it was almost five past two. He packed the card with the message on it with a smile and sealed it with a kiss on it. It was his heart, the feeling he had. He was feeling loved and filled with love. Slept with the pack of love under his pillow.
The morning sun invited him out to take a breath of fresh air. He went out and felt the morning breeze. Finished his prayers, morning chores and had a wash with a song in his heart. Shaved to look the best and a generous splash of his favorite musk after shave. Dressed in his best in his favorite denims and light full sleeve shirt. And thought about Priya telling him in a casual talk
"I like full sleeve shirts... it has something special about it"
Dabbed the perfume and wore an enviable smile on his face. Had his breakfast in a hurry and rushed out. He went to parking and there stood the green scooter, his ride. Like the pig tails of a school girl the mirrors were waiting for Kannan. He checked twice in the mirror how he looked. That’s when the thought flashed in his mind.
"Oops... the card"
He ran back home, rushed to his room, when Amma saw him run and asked
"What happened Kanna?"
"Nothing ma, my workshop record... I forgot it here"
He took the pack and hid it in the record, and pushed it into the bag and ran to the scooter back. He kicked the scooter and it sprung to life on the roads. He reached the classroom to find Priya sitting on the third bench with her regular mates. Smiled and lightly waved at her. The presence of the lecturer was of least importance. Waiting from hour to hour for the best moment. The time seemed to go slow with him that day. It was lunch break and still it was not the best moment. The regular chit chats about movies, classes, and casual jokes were gulping the time away and still it was not time for him to take the pack out from the record, where it was hiding with his heartbeats pacing for the moment. Before the classes resumed Priya came up to Kannan and said
"I need to talk to you... something special. Can you come home this evening" asked Priya
Kannan could not hide the smile in his heart. Smiled and said "With pleasure... I will be there before you reach"
The rest of the classes where just hours flying like seconds for Kannan. He was waiting to hear it from her. The last hour was over and Kannan ran to his scooter. Hung the bag in the clip, kick started the scooter and raised it to reach Priya who was as usual walking towards the bus stop. He braked his ride and smiled at her
"I will wait for you at your place... Should I take your bag too" asked Kannan
"Its okay... you go... I have told Amma that you would be coming home... Have a cup of coffee and have a chit chat" she smiled and replied.
Over the year Priya's Amma and Kannan shared a special bond. They were more friends than his other college mates. They discussed everything under the sun. Kannan drove towards the moment with wind in his hair and love in his heart. He reached home, parked his ride and rushed to the door. Rang the bell and waited with his black sling bag on his back. Tall, well groomed for the day, Kannan was more than confident what Priya was going to tell him. The door opened and Priya's Amma was at the door.
"Come on in .... Priya had told me that you would be coming. You have a seat I will get you filter coffee"
The small guest room and a study on the ground floor and kitchen bedroom and living on the first floor, Priya's house was a remodeled old fashioned house partitioned to call it a separate home. Kannan picked the newspaper and was going through it. He seemed to read every line, but nothing made sense to him. He was still thinking about the time which is yet to come. He said to himself in his mind
"Well Priya... I... I think..."
"No no... That’s not how I should start"
"Priya... will you ..."
"Nah ..."
"I want you in my life... for..."
"What the heck"
Kannan kept searching for the lines and he thought, "Let her say what she has to... maybe then I just have to give her this pack"
He took out the record from inside the bag and kept it by his side. He kept looking at his watch and waited for Priya's coming home. Her mother came with the coffee and started talking to him
"So... What’s special... something tell me that you are very happy today"
"Yes ma...nothing... just like that I am happy"
She went on talking to him, but his eyes were only at the door. Half an hour passed and her father reached home
"Well Kannan... Priya is coming ... I saw her round the corner"
"Good evening Uncle" Kannan greeted and his eyes went in search of her.
And there she was, tired by the ride and the whole day at college. But the smile seemed to be fresh. She threw the bag on the sofa and plunged herself into the chair out of sheer exhaustion.
"Amma ... coffee" said Priya in a tired voice
Amma smiled and both her father and mother went upstairs. Uncle was talking about something at office to her Amma and the sounds faded. Priya jumped from the chair and grabbed Kannan by his arm and rushed to the study.
"Come come..."
Kannan's heart was beating faster than ever; he even forgot to pick the record that was lying on the sofa.
"Guess what.... Anwar proposed to me and I said yesssss ...." she said with all the excitement Kannan had ever seen.
Kannan stopped for a second and couldn’t believe his ears. His heart sank. He had no words. His throat went dry. His heart almost stopped beating. He felt choked. He felt as if he was freezing. Priya shook him hard and said again
"Yes yes yes... Anwar loves me"
Kannan smiled and pulled himself back together again
"Congrats... so your Black Yamaha is yours now" referring to the joke which they cracked when Anwar a senior student, Always at his best, dark complexioned with a rectangular gold frame glasses, mostly with his black jeans and white full sleeve shirts with folded cuffs, and drove past Priya with a smile every now and then. "So... calls for a celebration" said Kannan with a heavy heart. He wanted to burst into tears, but couldn’t. He saw the happiness in her face and was happy for her. He smiled and said
"So party at Lords Cafe tomorrow... call him too... lets meet"
Her eyes were shining, smiles so full and shy... unusually shy. Probably that’s what love does to a woman and to a man. Kannan was heartbroken but still wore a smile as he walked to the other room. Grabbed his record and pushed it into the bag and started leaving.
"Have to go to the temple... tell Amma that I left" Kannan walked towards his scooter. As he was leaving he saw Priya at the door waving with a smile to her best friend, who still had the love hidden in his heart. Kannan rode waving back to her and before he reached home he parked he stopped by the side of the road. He opened his bag and took the hiding pack from the record. He opened it and read the lines he had written for her
"I want to see you smile ... I want to see the glow of love in you ... I want to see your happiness"
And yes, his wish came true. He threw the card in the dustbin by the side of the road. Kept the record back in the bag and rode home still hiding the love, which he had for her.
No comments:
Post a Comment