Sameer -Naina FF : Kati Patang

Part-1

 Author's Note: The flashbacks are  in italics to avoid confusion.  

06.03.1991

Last day before the final examination of 11th class .Yet Naina was not at peace. The sole reason was Sameer. He had not come to school since three days and hadn't picked up her phone even. Munna and Pandit were not ready to divulge the secret even. Restlessness and anxiety was taking toll of her as she remained absent-minded most of the times. While Chachiji shrugged it as symptoms of examination fever , Preeti smelt a foul play.

Half-heartedly she got up that day and got ready to go to school.As she was putting a palm ful of oil in her hair Preeti admonished " Naina, e tel kyun itna sar pe lagayi hai? Thoda saj dhaj ke jaane mein kya problem hai tujhe? ''

Naina grunted as she heard Preeti's words.''Kiske liye saju? Jise dekhna tha wo to nahin hai.''

"Kya badbada rahi hai.Arey wo powder to thoda ache se lagale.Jali hui lakdi ki tarah sakal dikh rahi hai.Main bhi kise samjha rahi hun''. Preeti mumbled and half ranted.

"Der ho rahi hai.Chal.'' Naina said as she tied the laces of her shoes.

"Aaj bhi nahin aya hoga shayad.Pata nahin kaisa hai wo.'' Random thoughts did cartwheels in her mind as she approached the classroom.

"Naina! Wo PT teacher tumhe field mein bula rahe hain.'' A boy informed and left.

"Ab PT sir ko abhi bulana tha mujhe.Dekhne ne bhi nahin diya ki wo present hai ya absent. '' She was definitely depressed with the turn of events.

"Lo ab field mein to aagayi par yeh Sir kahan hai.? She tried to lean against a tree trunk. The ground was not suitable to sit since it had rained the previous day.

"Naina!'' she jerked with wonder. ''Yeh Sameer ki awaz to hai.Lekin wo yahan kyun ? Mein bilkul pagal ho gayi hoon''. She murmured.

"Naina! " She again heard and this time she saw standing across her.The whole world went blur and she forgot where she was.She just knew he was there.She just remembered hugging him.She just felt ; he disentangling her .She had forgotten what transpired but still remembered the feel.

"Naina! Control.Kya kar rahi ho.Koi dekhega to? Sameer said to her with all fakeness.

"Wo,..matlab..I am ..sorry.Tum absent kyun the?Phone bhi nahin uthaya.'' She said as she fidgeted with her fingers to gain courage to speak out her mind.

"Tum pareshan thi? Mere liye? Kyun? " He asked with the surety that finally he has reached the end point of bet-game.

"Haan pareshan thi.Tum thik ..to ..ho..na.Meri matlab ..tum bimar to nahin ho.?''

"Nahin Naina.Wo bas thoda sa infection ho gaya tha isliye Doctor school aane se mana kiye the '' That was the only truth he said in entire conversation.

" Haan mein kya puch raha tha ki tum mere liye kyun pareshan thi? ''He asked with all sweetness of voice as he heard the 2nd bell for games period has gone off.The bell was unfortunately missed by her.

"Kyun pareshan thi matlab? Teen din se phone nahin uthaya.Tadpana chahte ho na mujhe.Haan mein tadap rahi thi.Ab to khus ho na.'' She was irated with Sameer's attitude.

"Calm down.Main kyun tadpaunga tumhe Naina.Main to bas..Waise tum kyun tadap rahi thi?Kya rishta hai humara? Sirf dost Right?'' He knew he had hit the bull's eye.

"Dost! Ab bhi tumhe mein sirf dost lagti hoon? " She definitely had lost her mind.

"Dost nahin aur kya Naina? Toh aur kya humara rishta.Bolo Naina.'' He knew how to build up the pressure.Smart guy definitely he was.

Something unhinged in her heart with his words and she felt that a hug would materialise what her words failed to convey.

There was the blunder she committed.There she failed and fell .

"I love you Sameer.Hum dost nehin hai.Please understand.'' She was suddenly feeling sickly.Her intuition asked her to look around and there it was.

The class of seniors standing.She could see a ghost feeling on faces of some boys.She was simply clueless of what transpired in surge of emotions.She failed to fathom the happiness over Sameer's face.Was it because she proposed or was it..

"Bhai! Tu jeet gaya.Arey humare Sameer ke baal bach gaye.Dekha Sameer Maheshwari ne bet pura karliya.'' Munna applauded as he saw the fallen faces of senior boys.

"Arey kawuyon! Ab to saastang dandvat karo apne bhai ko.Badi mehnat lagi hai bet pura karne mein.Ab to uska result use de do.Aao aao aur bhai ke per pe gir jao.'' Pandit was too excited to notice the fallen face of someone else.

Someone called Naina.

The news had spread like wild fire.Naina was already in the Principal's office.Sameer had been called in too.

"Dekho Naina! Tum discipline monitor hoke agar aise harkat karogi to hum dusro se kya umeed rakhe? ''Principal sir was really disappointed with her.

"Sir..mujhe maaf kar dijiye.Wo bas..''

"NAINA! she heard her father's call.Till date she remembers the slaps she received.Still she remembered how her father had dragged her outside the office in the corrider.How hard Arjun had tried to stop his father and how Sameer was still regaling in his victory.

"Mumma! Mumma! " Nisha shook her mother as she found her mother lost in some oblivion of emotions.

"Haan beta! Bol .. ''Naina jerked from the painful memory lane.

"Aap khana nahi doge? Der ho gayi hai aur bhook bhi lagi hai..Aap sad ho?'' She suddenly noticed the specks of tear drops on her mother's eyelashes.

"Nahin beta .Main sad kyun hungi? " Naina caressed her short locks.

"Maine aapko pareshan kiya isliye.'' Nisha could find that as the sole reason of her mother's sadness.Little did she knew what had flowed over her mother.

"Nahin beta.Main bilkul thik hoon.Chal lunch karte hain''. Naina said as she set the table.

"Mumma! Yeh Paneer thoda jal gaya hai.Main isse nahin khaungi''. Nisha grumbled at the burnt piece of Paneer.

"Wo..tu ek kaam kar wo piece mujhe de de aur yeh le le.Acha hai yeh.'' Naina cajoled her daughter.

"Ab fatafat khaane khatam karle aur kal ke classes ke liye padhai kar.Mujhe thoda kaam hai bazaar mein.'' Naina said as she rinsed the utensils.

"Aap kab tak aaoge market se?''

"Aa jaungi.Agar dar lage to Rishav ko bula lana .Thik hai.'' She took up the scooty keys and locked the door.

She had to see the Publisher of her recent bestseller and finalise the royalty amount.The royalty amount was a real saviour since they could help her pay Nisha's tution fees and add to her savings.

The scooty creaked a bit and she tried to avoid a pothole.

The brakes failed her.They failed her like Sameer that day.

She tasted blood.She saw darkness and then she felt into nadir of unconsciousness.

(To be continued)