A love story

It was 8'o clock already and still I had to finish my breakfast. The school starts at 9.30 but I was getting ready pretty early though it requires not even 15 min to reach the school premises.

But I was in a hurry...

'Mom where is my bag, my uniform, my shoes...!'

Ufff…I was getting tensed as if it was a final exam and I was already late! This is not just that day, but from past few days you could see me doing the same thing at my place in the morning.

Mom never doubted me why there was a sudden change in my schedule because every time she'll get the answer as 'volleyball practice'. I was in the school volleyball team so it was a safe answer. But my intentions were something else. :)

It was 8.15am, and I was waiting near the place, where I used to wait from the last few days. Just a couple of yards from my house. I was getting restless; my eyes started searching for the face which was responsible for all the recent changes in me. I was checking my watch now and then even though there wasn't any big change in the time. Slowly my mind filled with her picture… with that cute smile for which I l had lost my heart…that sweet voice… hmmm… :) I was physically present there, sitting on my cycle and with all the other stuff's like school bag and all. But mentally I was absent; I was roaming with her in some other world. Suddenly a noise of scooter brought me back… Yes! It was her, as usual with her dad and her sister, sitting in the back seat. I started chasing the scooter, watching her, till we reach our school. Though they were going on the scooter, her father never drove beyond 40km/hr which helped me to keep up with them. This had become my daily routine.

She had joined our school in the middle of 9th Standard and from that day itself I had lost fallen in love with her. My friends used to say,

'You've changed man, is everything alright..?'

But I never told anything about my love to anyone. I was scared to tell even though they were my close friends. For some reason I came early one day when I saw her going with her father for the first time. And since then I had changed my timings.

In the class room I had changed my place so that I could see her properly and teacher couldn't notice me while doing that. It was just the walking path that separated her place from mine. I used to have an extra pen just in case if she asks me and never used to give it to anybody else. I used to wait for the teacher to call roll no.17 to listen her sweet voice. I used to clean her place when nobody was around in the class and look for her things that she left or any waste papers or any thing that she felt of no use. Within few weeks, I had collected many things like hair pins, safety pins, lots of papers, and even the pencil wastes!

She was beautiful and no doubt, there were many people after her. But none of them were so serious and crazy about her like me. :) I always waited for one opportunity to speak to her but I couldn't. Even though I had many chances! We used to have many events in our school and as usual, I wanted to impress her some how by doing something special. But every time I failed. Finally that day came when she spoke to me for the first time and since then we became friends. It was quiz competition and we need to have 3 in a group. She was willing to participate and had only 1 partner who was her best friend. Surprisingly she asked me whether I can join them! Without any doubts in my mind I agreed. I was so happy, finally I got an opportunity to get close to her and I decided not to waste the same this time. I started preparing for the quiz. I never prepared so much even for my test! My mom was happy to see me that day busy studying without compelling to do so; however she did not know the reason behind and about what I was studying.

We lost the competition by a narrow margin but she was pretty impressed on me. :) After the quiz we spoke a lot about it and even other things. That's how we became friends. She liked me, I could see that in her eyes and I had some doubts that she even knew about my secret love. But I never asked her anything directly. I was scared to tell and now I was not ready to lose her friendship at any cost.

One year passed and still my morning chase continued. She saw me doing that everyday and she used to give me a smile but never asked anything about it. Time was flying and we were in 10 th Standard now.

It was Rakhi day the next morning, and at lunch break she told me something,

'…I have a surprise for you…' and smiled.

I just smiled back, didn't speak anything. But then I was getting really tensed. It was obvious that the surprise was nothing but the rakhi, but didn't find the courage to ask her about the same. I was so tensed that I couldn't concentrate on anything that day. I came back home so depressed as if she had tied me rakhi on that day itself. I wouldn't have felt so depressed even if I had failed in any of my subjects! I just didn't want it to happen. Then I got an idea. I decided not to attend the school next day, but for that I needed to have some strong reason. I found an obvious reason and that was nothing but 'illness'. Next morning I acted as if I was having a very bad head ache and made my face look like a patient. Poor mom couldn't find it and she took me to a doctor. Doctor obviously couldn't find any problems but then he gave me some tablets which I threw outside when nobody was around. Mission accomplished. :)

Next day when I went to school I saw her laughing at me, as if she came to know why I was absent on the previous day. As I had expected before, she had tied rakhi to each and everyone in the class on the rakhi day! When I saw my fellow mates who were also behind her but got the 'rakhi treatment', I felt so happy and excited as if I had won some championship. :) But then there was a twist in the tail! But that made me even more excited and happy!

During the lunch break she asked me about the reason for being absent on the previous day. And then she continued,

'… You were afraid that I would tie you rakhi…right…?'

I was shocked to hear that, before I could tell something she continued again,

'… I was just joking about the surprise… actually I brought rakhi to everyone… except you…' and smiled.

I was even more shocked to hear that. For few minutes both of us didn't speak even a word. Then she told me that she knew everything about what I was doing and she even told me that she had liked me from the beginning. That day evening she introduced me to her father. It was just a formal introduction and nothing special. :) But I knew it was the just beginning. Finally not like a usual love story, my love story is started looking on the right track. I was just hoping for a happy ending. That day one could have easily noticed a special shine on my face. But god had something else in his mind.

Next morning, 8.15am, I was waiting for her in that same place, and then she came in the scooter with her father. She saw me and smiled as usual, but today it was special, it was very special. :) But then… for my bad luck, that special happiness didn't last too long. As I was peddling fast behind her I saw a truck, which came from nowhere and hit the scooter on which she was riding. It hit the scooter so hard that I saw them all flying in different directions and then fell into the ground! I stopped…

For a moment I couldn't believe my eyes…I was wondering what actually happened... was a reality or was it just my imagination! But sadly... It really happened. I rushed to her, people gathered, road blocked… I saw her lying unconscious… blood covered all over her face… it was hard to even recognize her…I couldn't move… I couldn't believe my eyes…tears started running all over my face…! I hold her in my arms… She was counting her last breath… What struck me the most at the end… that she saw me and smiled… Perhaps, that was the last one...

And then…

And then suddenly I heard some voice…its familiar…!

'Get up son… else you'll be late for school… :)

What the…!!! God... It was just a dream… I pinched my arms to make sure and Ouch… Ya it was a dream and what a relief… :) though my love started and even ended in my dreams, unlike in other stories this was a happy ending to my little story… Even now, I meet my dream gal in my own dream land.