[Previously on sHe:
Her backpack seems to be heavier than before. She could hear the assembly bell but could not take one step further. Her legs are not cooperating with her. Someone deep inside her is saying “I’m differently abled, I’m differently abled, I’m differently abled”. But her mind is not ready to listen. She fainted slowly.]
"She is overthinking like you" The doctor said. "Remember?. The day you fainted when you come to know about her syndrome?”
It was our doctor padmanaban.
“Plus her health is getting worse,”
“But why now?” Liya asked
“When her age increases, her weight will increase, which in turn will make her walk difficult as she cannot withstand her weight in the legs..”
“Radha, I need you to wait outside,” liya said in between.
“No way. Let me know about me,” Radha said.
“Radha, RESPECT!” Ajith commanded.
Radha waffled.
“She needs to know it. Let her be here,” The doctor said.
“Listen radha, you cannot change the fact that you are differently abled, but you can change the way you think. It’s all in you,” The doctor said.
Radha is not ready to believe or trust anyone. But still she nodded “yes”
“Good. You need to do another thing,”
Radha listened.
“You need to allow your mother to drop you In the class every day!”
“What?”
“You need to, radha!. You cannot go alone,”
“I’m in 9th grade. Do you still think, I can’t go alone?. If weight is the problem, then I’ll give my bag to my friend.” Radha argued.
“No, radha. There are a lot of chances for getting slipped. You already got sprain. You know it, right?”
She saw her leg, which is wounded with some sort of bandaid.
“You’ll know how it hurts when you go home. I don’t want it to happen again,” the doctor suggested.
She looked at liya whose face is dull as hell.
“Okay! I agree,”
“What about in school?” Liya enquired.
“My friends are there for me!!” Radha said.
“But you must be careful, Radha,” the doctor said.
“I’ll be fine!” Radha replied.
Sprain is not a big deal for many. But it’s a big thing to those who limp all the way because they cannot even limp with that cramp. So the sufferer is not the one who is having it. The sufferer is the one who is taking care of them. As far as Radha, it’s the worst part. For each and every step, she needs to depend on liya.
In short, liya need to be with her all the time. Walking becomes further more difficult when the fear of falling blends with the fear of seeing someone suffering because of them. What looks 2 steps to others started to look like 200 to her.
The school made necessary arrangements to make her comfortable. Teachers are therapist and friends are her pills . Friends plays a major role in her life. All have one thing in common. That is, No matter how much they care, they’ll never show it off. They’ll say stupid things at your face and will smack the face of those who call you stupid.
Radha is blessed to have this kind of stupidest people. When everyone is feeling sorry for her Sprain, there is this guy named Shyam who’ll be like “I wish I had that, Radha. It’s the best excuse to skip the history test”. And another guy named Sam will be like, “I’m actually worried about your lunch box as I saw it break open with all that yummy stuff inside. I really missed it, radha”. They are twins. Looks identical, the only difference is Shyam wears specs and Sam is not. And this girl, named prakrithi will react as if nothing has happened. All she wants is, “completed your assignment, Radha?”. But what actually happened behind the scenes is, they’ve enquired everything the day before through liya.
“Alexander invades India in.....” The class is going in the background.
“Radha..” Shyam whispered from behind.
It was a two-seater. Radha and prakrithi is sitting in front of Shyam and Sam.
“What?” Radha Whispered back without turning.
“Have you seen that new girl?”
“Caught” Radha said.
“What?”
“Shyam!! Up” mam called him out. “Answer this question” she yelled.
He blinked for a minute.
“What is the question, actually?” Shyam said, scratching his head.
“Out now!!” She said, pointing out.
He will never go alone. When he was halfway out, he said “I think Sam knows the answer, mam”.
Sam jerked from the sleep as soon as he heard his name.
“Both of you, out now!!”
And the rest of the history class is spent out of the class.
Shyam is good in maths. Sam is made of science. They never try to impress others and will never get impressed by others. One of the humourous and experimental guys who will read all night to get the top rank just to experience how it feels and will regret later by saying, “It doesn’t felt good. Next time we need to try the last rank”. Which they actually took in the last assessment. But if you provoke them, that's the end of the game. Their philosophy in life is simple “If it doesn’t going to help you for next five years then don’t spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it. Just do it and feel it.”
“How’s outside?” Radha teased
“Awesome!. But this idiot woke me up when I was about to enter into the Blackhole,” Sam said, kicking shyam
“Thank me. Otherwise you would not have returned back,” Shyam said, kicking him back.
Science stuff!!
“Radha, what about that girl?. She’ll be perfect in our gang, right?” Shyam said, looking at her.
Shyam is very close to Radha than others.
“Her name is smriti. At least call her by the name. She is a girl. Everyone knows it, Shyam,” prakrithi said.
“You know that I’m not good at remembering names” Shyam said.
“Other than Radha!” Prakrithi completed the sentence.
“Okay. Okay. I agree. We are best friends for years. So it’s not easy to forget her name. You don’t change the topic. Radha?” Shyam asked in hurry.
"How are you so sure about it, Shyam?" Radha said.
“Because she is not talking much to others,” Sam added.
“Perfect. That’s what I’m about to say, ” Shyam said. “It looks like seeing you years before, Radha,”
They are the group of people who’ll talk more within them, but not the same with others.
Shyam started reciting it.
“You were sitting in the last bench on the first day blinking whether or not to talk with others. We smiled but you stared back. For two days you didn’t socialise with others and then we thought you are the one we needed. I am the one who approached first, and I blabbered for months. You listened but never spoke a word. I really thought you are from other planet, Radha...”
“Enough! Enough” Radha said, thrashing pen at him.
“...Then you started to blabber more than we did. Now, see, you are not closing your mouth for a minute. You must really thank us for hearing all your blabbers, actually. That’s so hard, you know, ” Shyam said, sarcastically.
“Not funny,”
“Then how about this” Sam said, in between the laugh. “The face you made when we pranked you by saying, there is a lizard beside you”. Sam and Shyam laughed out loud. “You must have seen your face for God’s sake, Radha. Even the kids won’t react like that,” Laughing even more harder.
“Prakrithi, stop them” Radha said, bitterly.
“ No one can!” Prakrithi sighed.
“Do you guys want me to talk to that girl or what?. If yes, stop it now!!”
“That’s a great deal. Mouth shut!!” Shyam replied.
“Why don’t you go and talk to her like you did to me?”
“You are good with people than me, And also she looks rude. What if she hit me with that big book she carries everywhere” Shyam said.
“You deserve that” prakrithi smirked.
“Ok, fine!. Let us see for two days. Then I’ll go and talk, ” Radha said.
“What? Two days? Is this a IAS exam or something? Why can’t we do it right now?” Sam suggested.
“Ok, go ahead “Shyam said, raising his brows.
Sam got up, went straight to her and turned back.
Prakrithi signalled a “thumbs up👍”.
He went closer, looked at the big book, thought for a minute and without turning back he paces off the door.
“Busted!”
............
“Hi. Can I sit?” She asked, pointing at the other seat.
New girl.
“Of course,” Radha said. “You feel good,”
“That’s a new phrase,”
“It’s my usual one,” Radha said.
“I heard that you'll talk well,” she said
“Wrong information,” Radha said. “And I think you don't talk much"
“I don’t usually,” she said, looking at the book. “Will you always be alone during games hour?”
Radha tried to read the name of the book. She missed.
“Yeah, I love to be. My friends will give company sometimes,”
She smiled back.
“So, you like the class?”
“Not bad”
“You can join us for lunch if you like,”
“Tomorrow for sure,” she said. “By the way, have you ever talked in the assembly?”
That sounds odd to Radha. Whenever she hears the word auditorium or assembly, the first thing that comes to her mind is the two steps and the crowd staring at her. She is frightened of both.
“Sorry?” Radha said, hoping to hear it right.
“Have you ever talked in the assembly?” She repeated, firmly.
“No. Never” Radha said, tensely.
“Tomorrow you are gonna talk,” she said, calmly.
“What?. Tell me you are kidding,” Radha said, even more tensed
“Hey relax!!. Breathe out,” she said
Only then Radha realised that she is holding her breath for long.
“Ok fine,” Radha exhaled. “It’s just for fun right?”
“Hey, I’m serious. You are going to. I already talked about this to the respective in-charge,”
Radha is speechless.
“Hey? Are you here,” she asked, waving her hands
“You didn’t ask me?”
“Because I know you will. See, you cannot hide for long, Radha “she said.
“But you barely know me,”
“I know you more than you know me,” she said.
Meanwhile, her friends entered the class.
“Hi, I’m shyam. This is Sam and this is prakrithi”
“Hi, smrithi” she introduced. “You both look alike,”
“Twins” Sam said.
“Oh, but Shyam seems like Hindu name and Sam is somewhat...”
“Yeah! I am Hindu and he is Christian. He is adopted, actually, ” Shyam said, jestingly.
“That sounds interesting” she said.
“They are just kidding. His full name is Samesh. He’ll change whenever he like,” prakrithi said.
“We don’t believe In religions.” Shyam said, smiling.
"Oh, Radha too?"
"She don't believe in religion either but she believes in god"
Shyam noticed something wrong with Radha.
“Ok, I’ll catch you guys later,” she said and left.
“Radha you did it!!” Sam said, in excitement.
“Hey what’s up?” Shyam asked.
“Did you saw a ghost?” Sam asked in a deliberate tone and giggled.
Radha didn’t react to it either.
“Radha, what is wrong with you,” prakrithi asked.
“She said,”
“She said?” Shyam asked.
“She said that I need to talk in tomorrow’s assembly, ”
“Cool”
“Shut up, sam!” Radha bursted out in rage.
“Not cool,”
“She must have said it for fun, Radha. Relax, ” Shyam consoled.
“No, it doesn’t sound like that,” Radha said, facing down.
“You are good at talking, Radha. Then?” Shyam very well knows what she is afraid of.
Radha didn’t speak for a while. After a gulp she said, “It’s that two steps. I don’t think I can climb it anymore. Ànd also, I’m not ready to do it. Because if I fall down then I need to face this Sprain, then I need to face the face of Amma who is working all time, then...”
“Radha, these and all possibilities. It doesn’t mean it’ll happen for sure. We are here for you. We’ll take care. Ok?” Shyam said, serenely.
“What about the stare?. There will be large number of students”
Prakrithi intervened. “You are not a kid anymore, Radha. You must get used to it,”
“And also you cannot see all the expression from the dais,” Sam winked. “Hey wait, I don’t think it’ll happen. Just think about it. She is new. It’s been only a week and no assembly so far. Then how she knew?”
“She said she talked to the respective in-charge” Radha said.
“Sam is right, Radha. Even we don’t know who the in-charge is” prakrithi said.
“She also said she knew me more than I know her. Do any of you guys know her before?” Radha asked.
Everyone frowned at her.
“Hey, I’m just inquiring. You might have forgotten by mistake, ” Radha wriggled.
“And what is that book she is carrying everywhere?” Sam demanded.
“Yeah, it looks weird and old. And it’s definitely not a storybook” Radha said.
“Name?” Shyam asked
“I tried, but I can’t. I think she is purposefully hiding it,” Radha said.
“You are right. It was upside down when I was about to talk to her.” Sam said, guessing.
“Whatever it is, we’ll ask her straight after this games hour,” Shyam said
“What about that hit,” Sam grinned.
“I don’t care” Shyam said, grimly.
“Excellent” prakrithi remarked.
“Is she rude, Radha?” Shyam asked, scratching his chin.
“I can smell your fear, stupid,” Sam squinted.
“Just a general knowledge,”
“I see” prakrithi chuckled.
“I don’t know whether she is rude. But she felt good, ” Radha said.
Bell rang.
It was physics class. And the teacher is taking the attendance.
“Radha?”
“Present mam, ”
“Smrithi?”
No one answered.
“Smrithi!!” The teacher called for the second time.
No answer.
“Where is she?. Already 15 minutes passed by, ” The teacher claimed.
No one knows.
“Prakrithi, go and search in the rest room and library. Ask her to come Immediately,”
Prakrithi went off and came after some time. “She is not there, mam. I searched everywhere”
Shyam and Radha looked at each other.
“What?. Revise the lesson. I’ll be back,” she said and left.
“Who and where the hell is she?” Prakrithi spitted out
“How about this?” Sam said, jumping up.
Everyone knows where he is about to connect it with.
“No, no not again” prakrithi pleaded.
Sam ignored it. “What if smrithi is from another..”
“Universe?” Shyam breathes out.
“Exactly!!. How do you know?”
“You tell this every time idiot” Shyam said, hitting his head from behind.
“She might have ...” Sam continues.
“I’m tired” Shyam cut in between and dozed
“Prakrithi?”
“I need to complete the assignment,” Prakriti turned quickly.
Then sam turned to the last option. “Radha, you are the only one who cares about me,”
Radha has no other choice. “Ok, cut it short”
“Promise,”
“See, it was said that there is a universe which is exactly similar to us do exist....”
“Ok, as per your theory, why smrithi need to come from so-called other universe?” Radha questioned.
“Yeah, I have another theory for that”
“You’re dead, Radha” Shyam muttered.
Sam continued. Remember, HE IS MADE OF SCIENCE. He have theories for everything and will connect everything to something.
Shyam cannot take it anymore. “Don’t complicate it, guys. Especially you, Sam. She will be out somewhere reading that old weird book. And please stop these theories. We are not living in some science fiction movies. Give some rest to your imaginations,”
Radha is now physically present and mentally absent. Her mind is full of “who’s smrithi?” “Where is she?” “Do I know her or she really knows me?” “Do I need to prepare for tomorrow’s assembly,” “what topic I need to prepare,” “will it happen?” “How will I climb that two steps?”
To be continued...