Chapter 6: hostel fun, for u.... :D

Bloody hell.. how was that even possible? The girl was Divya, from SDMCET Dharwad. Someone from my place. What else would i have wanted at this time?

“Wow!! yes ma’am this is 402.... bang in.” I welcomed her with big smile too.

“U have lost weight like hell Appu.” Divya noticed.

Now that was something new, I had heard after a decade i guess. I smiled. “Yo! My mom would like that.” i told.

It was true. All my old dresses were not fitting me anymore. All the messages that came from college friends addressing me as “kung fu panda” had lost their meaning now... ;)

“Hope I lose some weight too in this hostel.” said Divya.

Now that was what I hated about all the slim girls in this world. She was hardly visible in front of old me. She was thin already! There was no weight left to be lost. I didn’t get the logic again. I didn’t argue. And then we started in Kannada and went on and on and on till Sam finally spat at both of us.

“Will u girls give it a break? I am here too.”

“Sam this is Divya, from my place. Department of civil engineering. And Divya this is Sam, CSE uttarakhand” I smiled again.

“Don’t u guys dare to speak in ur language. We ll speak in common language hindi.” Said Sam.

“No way... we shall speak in English!!!” Divya replied again smiling.

Now that was interesting for me. Problem with Sam was, she had difficulty in speaking in English, she would have done her computer science and engineering in Hindi itself if someone had allowed her. But even after 62 years since they left our nation, our country learns their language with so much dedication. No hard feelings against English. I love all the languages. That was just a thought. Anyway... No one had allowed Sam. So she did her Engineering in English. And Divya had problems with Hindi. She had heard Hindi only in her favourite serial Jhansi ki raani lakshmi bai.

Now that was fun for me. Naughty person in me wanted to know who wins. ;) I was waiting for Sam to reply.

She just said. “Ok”.

And all my dreams of witnessing a Hindi vs English match shattered.

Sam was so cool a person. Nothing affected her so easily. Her calmness made me wonder sometimes if she was an old disciple of Lord Buddha. She had once told me her boy friend was from Buddha Gaya. May be that connects. I don’t know.

“But I don’t know much of Hindi!! I can understand everything but can’t speak fluently.” Divya replied politely but sadly. “But I’ll give try.”

Wow. That was nice. Divya was a good girl too. Now they made nice people for roommates. I loved them. For the first time in a month, all three roommates of room no. 402 were talking to each other, about each other. N the fun began.

Divya was fascinated by Sam’s collection of perfumes, deos, creams, shampoo, I don’t know what! There were so many of them on the rack. And she tried her first sentence in Hindi.

“wow yar, tere pas to perfumes ka makan hai”

Makaan?? Sam looked at me for help. N me at Divya for help inturn.

What. “It’s like she has a shop of perfumes”.

“dukaaaaaan” Sam and I shouted back at her.

Well... that was no help! She ignored both of us n continued with her discussion on things on the rack.

“U use matrics? I have allergy for them. I use some “xyz” she said. I don’t remember the name. “Where is the beauty parlour here? I hope it’s nearby??”

“Ya its just on the road behind, next to brand factory.” Sam enlightened her.

“Thank god. Are u going in this week? If yes tell me I need to have a step cut. Look at my hair. Totally out of shape!!!”

Wow!!! I stopped both. “Will u two girls stop talking in ur language now.????”

Both of them started laughing.

“Aparna r u a girl???” Both started giggling for no reason.

“Shut up u both.” I was angry now.

Divya started telling Sam my legendary stories from the college days. when a boy as fat as old me had tried to propose me n I started fighting with him and the poor fellow ran for his life. And again they stated giggling.

“Huh” I said n opened some book.

Life was cool for next few days. I was doing well in classes too. I always reached late for the classes and hence never got to sit in front benches. I always sat on the last bench.

There was a boy who was somewhat like me in this case. We both were the last to reach the class. It was alright because I never wrote any notes. I always listened to lectures. I had a wonderful note maker called Rashmi for a friend. I Xeroxed her notes at the end of each day. In fact I xeroxed three people’s notes just in case a person missed something. I was particular about them. I wanted them neat and clean. The trade off was they gave me notes I solved their doubts. Both parties happy n satisfied.

I didn’t know wat that boy’s name was. But since we reached almost at same time every day we did smile to each other just before entering the class. One day he and his friend reached before me. They were sitting on the bench before mine. I was literally not able to see the board. I was doing all kinds of circus at my place to have a look at the board. A girl was sitting next to me. All we both could see were big heads of boys in front of us.

I had had enough. Girl next to me asked the other boy next to my late coming classmate just before the start of next class.

“Can we pls swap our benches? I can’t see anything except ur big head.”

The boy said. “Get up early from tomorrow.”

“Hello... that was harsh” I spoke spontaneously, that came involuntarily.

“U carry on with ur sleep girl.” He told me.

It was a surprise, a bad one! That meant people knew of my “dozing off” ability in the class. That was sad. But this was no time to feel bad. This was time to defend the girl next to me, to show the girl power.

Our discussion had caught the attention of few benches around us. Everyone was waiting for my reply.

I was not going to keep quiet either.

I shouted at the top of my voice-

“ek to itne abnormally lambe ho! Upar se aise baat karte ho... u r bad.”

There was silence all over. N when the loudness of my voice finally faded, there was response from our spectators.

Hell! A big wave of laughter broke out.

I looked around to see everyone smiling and making fun of me, even the boy whom I was fighting with smiled, I bet, in the corner of his lips.

It was badly embarrassing. I was fighting, he was laughing. I hated him.

He opened his mouth to argue, n the boy next to him, my late entry partner stopped him.

“Let’s move” he said smiling, n pushed him out of the bench.

“Ya u ppl can sit here. We shall swap.” He was good I thought, but other one was bad I concluded.

They both walked out. N the friend of my enemy smiled weirdly at me. I didn’t smile back. Got to hell both of u I told slowly.

When I told this story to Sam n Divya in the evening, back in room no. 402, they both were angry at them too.

“Boys r just show offs u see. All they want is fighting with people. Doesn’t he has the basic manners of speaking to a girl?” said my Sam.

I agreed.

“Aparna is a girl?” Divya started pulling my legs again.

“This is no joke Divya. All they want is to fight.” Sam said angrily.

This was going somewhere else, I realised. She was not talking about the boy who fought with me, or boys community out there, but her boy now. maybe she had had a fight with him. Er.. boyfriends girfrieds fight.. no big deal.. but ya.. Discussion now was defiantly not about the boy who fought with me.

Divya had realised that too. “hey u have a boyfriend?” she suddenly changed the topic.

Divya had an unimaginable talent of handling emotions. She knew exactly what to speak at what time. Something I lacked very badly.

“Yep” Sam smiled.

“I knew” said proudly smiling Divya, as though she had spotted something very uncommon. Anyone would have guessed that! Seeing the time Sam spent on phone. But Divya was still smiling at her discovery.

“wow!!!! How does he look??” Divya was curious.

“Hmmm.. he looks cool..” Sam smiled, rather blushed.

Ohh god!!! Did she really do that? Did she blush at the reference of his? I wondered. Love speaks... I said to myself smiling.. But didn’t dare to say it loud!!! coz i knew had I had made the fun of hers or love for that matter, both would have murdered me right there. And u wouldn’t have been reading this story now.

Sam started operating her phone. No points for guessing- she was searching for best pic of his.

But our Divya was too fast.

“show show show” she had grabbed the phone from her already.

Grabbing some one’s phone like that was bad I thought. But it was “ok”. Neither Sam felt bad about it. Just in few days we had become too close to each other. I was living with two cartoons. But two beautiful n good hearted n caring cartoons.

Divya came n sat beside me and started describing him. “Wow he looks awesome.”

I looked at his picture. Total villain he was. He was good looking but his unshaven face gave him total “tapori” look. Not his mistake, Divya had not let Sam choose a good pic of his.

She had shown me the pic and Sam was waiting for my reply now.

What was I to say? I didn’t know. I said the first thing that came to my mind.

“Wow total topori pose.. coooooool” even before thinking what I was going to say.

Sam stared back as though I had called him gabbar singh. It was over. Our friendship?

What I had said!!!!!! u idiot!!! I told to myself. I should have told something like” wow” “super” “brilliant” anything.. But not what I had said....

I started back at four eyes staring back at me in a full serious way.

“Sorry” I said watching the floor of the room, face saddened. Waiting for Sam to get angry on me....

chapter 7 coming up next!! :D