A Tryst with Destiny

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: BLOSSOM

"Today's lecture is going to be different. We shall be discussing the new chapter from the literary textbook. Turn to page 107..."

Abhishek frowned. He had listened to these lines being repeated over and over again in various lectures. The reason for the instant displeasure was more about the monotony of sitting through an entire hour of gazing at the plain old text in the transcript. Although he did enjoy going through a good piece of writing but his mind was elsewhere lost in thoughts. Natasha hadn't come to school that day. In fact she had been missing for the past 2 days at a stretch. Her gnawing absence unsettled him. It wasn't as if he had anyone who he could discuss about it openly. A recluse already, he was now starting to be paranoid.

"Where is she? What could have happened to her? Is she alright?"

Abhishek had occupied his usual last bench at the left corner of the class. This allowed him maximum distance from the prying eyes of the teacher as well as his peers. While not entirely a taciturn he had difficulty articulating his thoughts freely. While he was indeed a sincere student and to his dismay or embarrassment often at the oversight of his teachers.

Dreading to sit through another one of those boring lectures he took out his books and started to flip through the pages. The apathy writ large on his face. Nothing felt heavier to do the things he had absolutely no interest in. His mind was brimming with thoughts and possibilities. "I have to find out where is she.", Abhishek pondered.

"Did you hear about Natasha?"

Abhishek got startled. Hearing the name raised his ears suddenly. The best part of his quiet nature was that he had acquired a keen sense of observation. He would pick cues from conversations even when it appeared that his attention was elsewhere or he appeared to be busy in something.

On the adjacent column of benches, a little to the diagonal right of him he could overhear what the two girls were discussing.

"No what happened?"

"She has been diagnosed with dengue. It's spreading like a wildfire. My mom told me this morning...."

That was all he wanted to hear.

"Ma'am! I'm feeling nauseous and my whole body is aching. Can I leave for the medical room?", said Abhishek in the middle of a dead silence lecture.

"What happened Abhi? Is everything alright?", said the teacher. It was Ms Anita's class. She was fond of Abhishek and always encouraged him to speak. On this occasion though she didn't feel right about it.

"I'll be fine Ma'am. Just need some rest. Can I leave now?", asked an impatient Abhishek.

"Sure. Take care Abhi. You can take the day off in case...". He didn't wait for her to finish. The whole class was staring at him. Abhishek picked up his bag frantically and within the blink of an eye darted out of the classroom. He wasn't heading towards the medical room anyway.

Outside the school gate, Abhishek was pacing towards the auto stand. Although he could take the bus as a cheaper alternative but he didn't want to stall.

"Why hasn't she told me? Why does she keep hiding such things? Perhaps I am thinking too much"

Teenage is a weird place to be in. You become more self-aware, responsible, curious and conscious as well as marred by contemplations, inhibitions, palpitations and insecurities. The despair of wanting to know the unknown, chasing shadows, daydreaming and thrill of indulging in pleasure made room for adventure as well as setbacks.

He got the rickshaw soon enough and was on his way towards Natasha's place. Abhishek had known her for quite some time now. She had this subtle charm of capturing his attention and although it may be safe to say that it could be blamed on the charm of the first love but there was some innate quality about her candour that touched his soul. She would not miss out on any opportunity to pull Abhi's leg. All he could imagine would be a sheepish laughter. He remembered this moment where he was supposed to be presenting the "Thought For The Day' in the morning assembly and used to practice everyday in front of the class. Once when the teacher was collecting feedback from the class about him, she quipped,"I think he needs to put more thought in his thought for the day. Maybe that could be his thought for the day". While indeed the whole class burst into laughing, Abhishek couldn't help but fall for her childlike innocence and the enthusiasm she carried in her voice. He didn't quite understand what he felt about her exactly but it surely was something that drove him to see her happy. Each day he met her.

The auto came to a screeching halt outside the main gate. Abhishek took out his purse and handed over the change and quickly headed over to Natasha's place. He didn't take the elevator that day. A couple of flights of stairs later he was at the main door of her house. He suddenly froze for a moment.

"What the hell am I thinking? How do I meet her like this? This seems stupid. She'll think I am a stalker"

Abhishek was crestfallen. In his hurry to reach and meet Natasha, he had given absolute no thought about what would he speak to her about. They weren't the closest or the best of friends and if Abhishek thought carefully maybe only an acquaintance. He had a dejected look on his face. After coming all the way here and taking so much of effort he was agonisingly close to fulfill his desire but his conscience told him otherwise.

After spending some excruciating minutes standing there he decided to go back home. There was no point standing there in hope. He could meet her in school anyway afterwards.

"I'll call her up maybe. This might seem awkward. She might get turned off"

Abhishek turned around and started walking towards the stairs once again. Only his steps felt heavier each time. As soon as he was about to step down the stairs there was a creak at the door and a frail voice called out.

"Abhishek! It's You!"