Diary: Whispers of the Heart

Diary: Chapter 28*** Results!!!

"Wow really? I had no clue." - I said scratching my head.

Classes for the first year were suspended due to the results. In the evening, I rushed into an auto, collected a butterscotch cake, a big pack of dairy milk chocolate, and balloons with the note Congratulations, and rushed to Pallavi's house. I had planned to celebrate till late evening that day.

But as I reached the house, I saw a long queue of cars and bikes parked around her house.

What??? They are having a party and I am not invited? - I wondered

Should I go inside or not? I was struggling with the question when I spotted their main gate getting opened and Sharma Sir was saying goodbye to a family with a big smile. He saw me standing there and signaled me to come inside. But before I could reach him, he was pulled in by a group of men.

I looked for familiar faces in the crowd. Aunty was busy with arrangements and making guests comfortable. Then as I moved near Pallavi's room, I found her surrounded by a crowd of 6 aunties and their kids. She looked suffocated in her own room. She was flashing her courtesy smile throughout but her left eyebrow was raised more than normal, which gave me a clue that she was not comfortable atall.

Aunty 1 - "Beta, I have heard that you have a Photo brain. Is it true?"

Pallavi looked confused

Child 1 - "Photographic memory mom not Photo brain!"

And there was a giggle around. Offended aunty scolded the child - "Learn something from didi, you need to learn and take tips from her about how to study & copy her timetable ok?"

Aunty 2 - "It's all the magic of America. I think they taught her engineering during her school time only, here it was only revision for her. Isn't it beta?"

Pallavi struggled to convey the right expressionin response to this comment. She looked around the room, looking for help, and found me near the door, amused at the whole situation.

Her one look was enough for me to understand her cue. I faked a phone call.

"Pallavi, HOD sir has called for you. Can you come this way? You need to take this call" - I pretended a call waving my, on silent, mobile phone."

And Pallavi jumped out of the chair and rushed towards me. She acted as if attending a call, by lifting the phone to her right ear. She held the sleeve of my left arm, and guided us outside the room. I let the congratulatory balloons off my hand and they started rising high toward the ceiling. A couple of them came into contact with the hot bulb that had been ON for a long time and popped with a loud sound. As everyone was distracted by the loud bang, she pulled me towards the staircase. She moved towards the back of the terrace room, adjusted an old chair kept there, and climbed on it. She turned to face me, Kept her both hands on the terrace top, and pulled herself to sit on top of it. Then first she pulled herself up and then made space for me. Reluctantly I followed her and saw Pooja di sitting there already, reading a Robin Cook novel and sipping Litchi fruit juice out of the Tropicana can.

"Too much sugar is bad for you, give it here" - Pallavi said while pulling the can and taking a big gulp out of it.

"So bad down there?" - Pooja di asked.

"Don't even ask" - Pallavi said while taking another gulp. "One aunty even appointed me as a personal tutor for her 13-year-old son! Can you believe it?"