The Boy Who Never Spoke

When asked to explain relativity, Albert Einstein once remarked that when you are waiting beside a boiling kettle for a minute, it seems like an eternity yet when you sitting by a beautiful girl for a day, it hardly seems like a minute. That might have been a humorous outburst of his genius mind, yet little did he know his lines could explain lives of so many. In case of Lok, the lectures of Professor Giridhar were like the kettle, a kettle for an eternity.

"Dude, have you done the thirty fifth question?", Manto remarked while sipping his mango shake.
"What! You are on the thirty fifth question ! Tapan replied with pencil in his mouth and surprise in his eyes. The restaurant was more filled with drawing sheets than with food plates. Lines intersected other lines amidst shaded circles beneath array of sharpened pencils, compasses and protractor spread over white paper like weapons put on display. Professor Giridhar was one of the unforgiving teacher of the most unforgiving subject. He wielded his red pen on answer scripts of students with elegance of a swordsman. Last class, he made his students re-draw the projections because he thought the lines were not straight and dark enough. If it were not for his whims for perfection that the three would have been ruining their lunch time for assignment.
"Are you done with the engineering drawing assignment, Lok. The class is at one."
The silence following the question was interrupted by the soft sound made by pages of the book slapping against each other in the monsoon breeze. His eyes had hardly batted his eyelids in last twenty minutes of their conversation. He held the book tightly in both hands and drew it near with hardly realising the cup that sat on the table between him and the book.
"Will you tell something, Loki ? I am not talking to the pretty girls behind you in the corner bench"
"Girls ? Where are they ?", said Manto pivoting around his fat face behind.
"Tharki sala ! ", Tapan replied with a grin munching upon wafer.
"Have done the first twenty", Lok said with a gentle smile.
"There are forty. Get ready to be screwed by Girdu"
Lok looked expressionless on that gloomy day with winds of change blowing in. Soon the wind changed to an impending storm as the three found themselves standing in the classroom with the sea of eyes watching them like the crowd watching the goat before it is butchered.
"So, any one else who had not done his assignment?"
His voice was calm and his eyes sharp as an eagle. He went on his customary round to the back benches where he had his usual suspects. With a cane in one hand, his eyes seemed to scan notebooks like an X-ray machine scanning the body.
"Stand up, Sneha" She looked around in surprise.
"Stand up, Sneha. I am saying to you" The voice was directed at two seats away from where Lok stood staring aimlessly around.
" I have done my assignment...." she said drawing away her hands from the table. Professor Giridhar looked at it and grinned at her with sinister smile.
" What have you tried to draw ? Even a five year old kid can draw straighter lines. Better stand up !"
She stood up with her eyes looking down unconvinced yet lips pressed tight giving an expression that it wasn't a big deal after all.
He picked up few more culprits and then announced with finger pointing towards the door
"Defaulters have never found a place in my classroom. Go away from my class!"
They walked out briskly. Lok too walked yet somehow dragged his feet slow enough to catch up with her. He turned aside and saw her walking with her sling bag swinging about her with each step.
" How many did you manage to do ?"
" 20 and you ?"
" Nothing"
" But you said you have done it..."
She chuckled and said," I made up that one. Can you help me with the problems however?"
"Yeah, why not."
"So, let's go to the library. Next class is at 4."

They turned around the corridor with the winds throwing her black glossy hair that she had just untied, during the course of conversation, in a disarray camouflaging her snow like face. She carried a touch of non chalance exaggerated with bubble blowing from the gum she chewed intermittently. She tucked her hair beside her ear and looked at him.
" What is your name ?"
For a moment he was relieved. She didn't know anything about the tragedy around his name.
"Lok"
"Nice name"

Appreciation in any form can fire you up and there is no bigger fire than attraction. He was glad within. Words weren't his forte yet. The day may not look but if it was not for Giridhar's punishment that he couldn't have talked to her. He walked lost in the memories of her conversation when all of sudden she stopped at the entrance of the library.