"Bad day" he thought angrily. "First in the morning. Now this."
He looked down at the chain dangling from the hood of the pedal.
“Bad Day” he sighed.
Awake.
He had woken up suddenly. Only too realise it was 11 and he had already missed the class. It was not that he had some penchant for attending classes. It was only because he got to sit with this girl he liked in this particular class. He thought of the guy who must be sitting with her now. Fifty minutes in ES class (with that pathetically slow professor) is enough for any guy to make a nice chance.
“Competition everywhere” he murmured in a kind of irritation that could only arise from waking up to bad news.
“What!” he exclaimed over the phone.
He looked at his watch. It was five minutes to five. He shot up from the chair pulled up the jeans lying on the bed, strapped on his watch and got out of his room to bang on the door next to his.
“Wha...?” his neighbour murmured in a semi-conscious state, his eyes puffy.
“cycle key” he said.
His neighbour swore loudly and pointed to a key on the table. He picked up the key and ran shouting:
“Please lock my door too. You know where to keep the key.”
He heard his neighbour swear again.
Locked door.
He was looking at a locked door. He was panting, his hands on his waist. He looked at his watch. Two minutes past five and he had no idea how late he was.
Girls giggling.
This was something he hated very much at these times. He had just missed a grade perhaps by about two minutes and all these girls can do is giggle. And for apparently no reason at all. Or was it because of his foul mood. Was his mood showing on his face? He tried to make a normal face. He reached for the lock in the cycle and unlocked it. He climbed the cycle and pedalled too hard perhaps. He heard a loud snap. And girls giggling.
And now 15 minutes past 15, he is walking with the cycle in one hand. He was thinking how stupid it must look to carry a cycle like this. He had always found people carrying their cycles like this amusing. And now the joke is on him. And as if all this was not enough the group of guys whom he very much disliked were walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. He avoided making eye contact but couldn’t help. They saw him and acknowledged in the most minimal way possible. He gave his weakest smile and saw a twinkle in their eyes. Or was he imagining? He didn’t care. Enough had happened already. But apparently that was not the case. As he turned around the corner, he saw the girl from his ES class standing with a guy. And it was not just any other guy, it was him. It was his neighbour, Ankit. He couldn’t understand. When he had left him, he was positively swearing and puffy eyed. Now he looked fresh and in the prime of his life and with the very girl he liked. Was there something going on between them? ‘Or they just met?’- an excuse as old as language. He looked for anything, a gesture or a smile that could tell...Oh wait!...they were holding hands now! No they were not. Ankit was merely giving her something. He couldn’t see what. But still there was a definite brushing. This was it. Seeing them together had branded his day to be the worst in the recent times. He so wished that it was he who was holding her hands. He looked at his hands and felt their desperation. They were black.
***
“It’s a good day” he thought happily.
“First in the ES class and then now.”
“Good day” he sighed happily.
If his neighbour hadn’t woken him up for the cycle keys, he, perhaps, wouldn’t have got the chance to be with her. The strange irony about it was that his neighbour had to play a part in this fortunate meeting. But he had to be cautious of his neighbour. If he found out...he shook his head and turned around. His stomach curled. His neighbour was walking with his cycle in one hand and was staring at at them. No, he was staring six feet to his right. One couldn’t tell from this distance. And what was wrong with his cycle? He tried to find out but couldn’t see anything. But there were more important things on hand. Karan was definitely not going to like him and Natasha together even if they just ‘happened to meet’.
“What happened?” Natasha asked simply.
“hmmm....” he turned around. “nothing. It was just Karan.Look.” He pointed at Karan. She turned around flicking her hair. He liked it.
“Of course, he is” she said with a smile. He didn’t like it.
“Why didn’t he come to the ES class today?” she asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
“er...I don’t know. He was sleeping perhaps.” He said maintaining optimum innocence.
“You are sideys, right? You could have waken him up.” She said.
Of course, it was so simple for her. He smiled sarcastically. She suddenly turned serious at his smile. He made up a normal face and decided to answer her question.
“Oh..ummm...I had another class.” He said and cleared his throat briefly. Meanwhile he could feel Karan coming closer. He had come close enough for Natasha was looking on his right and smiling.
“Hey, Karan” she said. Ankit turned around to see Karan coming with both his hands determinedly holding the handle bar.
“Hey Natasha” Karan replied. It was his turn now.
“Hey Ankit” he heard. But that was not bitter. He expected to be bitter. In fact it seemed positive, a little too positive.
“ey” he replied back, his throat suddenly constricted. “What happened to the cycle?”
“Oh! I am sorry yaar! The chain came off. I think I pedalled too hard. I tried to put it on but the hood wouldn’t let me.” Karan said. Something in his voice told him that Karan really meant that. Ankit was a little taken aback. Karan was not the type of guy who would feel even the tinsiest bit of sorry for a cycle chain.
“That’s okay.” Ankit replied “It do comes out once in a while.” Karan nodded.
“So what are you doing here?” Karan asked Natasha. Again Ankit felt bitterness missing in his voice. “And you...” Karan rounded on him “How come you are here? I remember leaving you half asleep”
There it came! He felt a little bitterness.
“well...you woke me up so I came out for some...fresh air” he said again the constriction in his throat blocking his voice. He cleared his throat loudly. He felt Natasha move away from him a little.
“yeah...”continued Natasha with a little extra zeal “I was returning from a class. And I really needed my pen drive which Ankit had.” She held out her hand. Karan looked at the pen drive resting on her palm. Ankit felt for a second that Karan was looking at the pen drive with too much interest. His eyes had definitely brightened for a moment.
“So you slept through ES today. You should have come. He started a new chapter.” She said with a funny smile on her face. Ankit now suddenly felt very insecure.
“Yeah I slept through ES today. But how did you...” Karan asked but was interrupted.
“Oh! Ankit told me.” She said quickly.
“And did Ankit tell you why he didn’t wake me up for the class.” Karan rounded on Ankit. This was it. This was the proof that Karan was disturbed seeing him and Natasha together. And he deliberately framed this sentence in a way that was bitter to the core but dipped in mischievous curiosity. But then Karan’s face assumed a kind look which again put him into doubt.
“I had gone to SPM class” Ankit said. “Today.”
“You don’t attend...” Karan asked quizzically.
“yeah..I generally don’t.” Replied Ankit looking at Karan. But Karan’s eyes were boring into him. So he turned around to look at Natasha who was smiling mischievously too but suddenly pursed her lips when he looked at her. “But I went today.” He said and turned around to face Karan again who to his surprise was smiling very kindly at him. “I wanted to keep up with what was going on in the class...you know.” He finished.
“Yeah. I Know.” Karan said. “And thank god for that. Because I really needed that sleep tonight.” Karan said kindly and smiled. He believed him. He believed him? Ankit looked carefully at his face expecting a twinge of mischief in his eye but did not find any. He felt a little relieved and at ease.
“Okay. I have to got to go.” Karan said. “I need really to have a bath.” Karan added and smiled sheepishly.
“How long since your last bath?” asked Ankit.
Karan turned around. So did Natasha who started smiling. He had asked the wrong question. Yes, he had asked the wrong question. This was the problem. He just can’t control his mouth when he suddenly feels at ease. Karan eyes were boring into him again with a strange look that he could not comprehend. What was it? Ankit became impatient. He was smiling so were his eyes. But there was a shine in it. The shine gave him a feeling of contentment. But he wasn’t speaking anything either and all that Ankit wanted was for him to answer the question and end the tension (if any).
“Good try Ankit, but I had a bath yesterday?” Karan said pointedly. Ankit relaxed. Natasha was still smiling.
“Okay I will go then. See you Natasha.” Karan turned and nodded at her “And you” He turned to face Karan and held up a hand. Ankit got confused. It was unnatural for Karan to hold out a hand. They lived next door. He was smiling with a child-like anticipation in his eyes. Ankit held up his hand and shook it with Karan’s. He felt his palm stick to Karan’s. It felt strange, very strange. He looked down and tried to pull his hand. But it was indeed stuck. He looked up at Karan and muttered “What the...” but stopped on seeing the mischievous smile on his face that was slowly turning into a laugh. He lifted his had, thus lifting Karan’s with him, to find the answer. Grease. Karan pulled off his hand and showed both of his hands to him and Natasha. They were black with the grease. Natasha started laughing too. Ankit stood there stupidly. He did not know what to say. He wanted to swear loudly but had to settle with a meek “kya yaar...”
***
Karan was looking at Ankit with the utmost satisfaction. And Natasha’s slow but conscious laugh made him even more happier.
“Not a bad day after all.” He thought.
