Section B.
I found the class and entered it.
After that incident with the girl back in assembly ground, I had thought, I’d never show my face to her. Or if by mistake, I do happen to see her, I’ll just run in opposite direction. God is Crazy! That girl was sitting in the class I entered. Just as I saw her, I grew nervous. I started to look around for any boy who would be kind enough to welcome me so that I could get carried away. But there was no one in that class whom I knew. Slowly, I caught the strap of my bag, emptied the books on the class shelf and walked straight past her towards the end of the class. There I sat on one of the desks in piece. There was a pile of notebooks beneath each desk in the classroom. I took out one pile and wrote my name on them.
Suddenly, there was rumbling sound of boys and girls standing. I looked up and found a dark guy in the front of the class. I too stood up and (first impression, Sunny) wished him.
“Good Morning, Sir” Yeah. That’s right.
“Good Morning”
And just as I thought everything was alright…
“Why are you sitting in the last bench? Come here” And he pointed the empty seat near that ‘Fry-Girl’.
“Sir, actually, I have already written my names on these books” I pointed at the notebooks on which I wrote the names.
“It’s Ok. Come here now.” This time, he’s tone was a little disturbing.
With no choices left, I picked up my books and settled in the Frying Pan.
“Ok. Everybody sit down. I’ll take the attendance now”
I gave a quick glance at the girl beside me. Her eyes were kind of inclined towards her forehead at the end. You know, cat-eyes kind.
“Anita Khadka?” The teacher called out the name for attendance. We weren’t familiar with our roll numbers yet.
“Yes Sir” The fry-girl raised her right hand and said. So, her name is Anita Khadka!
Maybe, I just went out of my mind or something, but I started admiring her.
“Bijita pathak?”
“Yes Sir.” The girl on the other desk beside me stood and answered. I looked at her. She was the thinnest girl in the class. Didn’t her parents give her vaccination? Or is it that she isn’t well fed?
The teacher continued calling names and different boys and girls answered him.
Anita really was beautiful.
“Sunny Sawrav?”
Her figure was the best in the class or better, in the school.
“Sunny Sawrav?”
I heard my name and hastily got up.
“Yes Sir.”
“Be careful, Sunny. I won’t tolerate it again.”
I didn’t answer. God really liked messing up with me.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes Sir.”
Soon, attendance was over.
“Ok. Let’s have Introduction.” The teacher said, “starting from me.”
Bring it on!
“My name is P. Devanand and I’ll be your Science teacher.” He moved to the other corner and then continued. “I’m from South India” South India? How did he get here? “Ok. Now, you, Sunny Sawrav, tell me about you.”
Deep inside, I was actually waiting for my turn to speak out. After all, I wanted to be known.
“What all do I have to say, Sir?”
“Where you live, your hobbies and what would you like to become”
“Sir, actually, I’m from Bihar. But..I was born in Assam….” I didn’t know, if I should tell something more or not. “Due to my father’s job, we kept moving places.” It wasn’t that bad, now was it? “I’m interested in music and play keyboard very well. And I want to become Computer Engineer.” I don’t. I had always dreamt of being a big businessman or do something in Videography. But being from Bihari origin, my father thought that Computer and Doctors are the only saviors of the World. So, even if I didn’t want, I had to get myself high up in computer. “And I’m good at Computers”
“Good. Now, you, umm….” He referenced the names once and spoke “Bijita Pathak”….. The introduction continued for around half an hour and then ended.
That day, we didn’t have much, but just introductions in all the classes. I returned home and explained the day to Mom.
“Be careful from next time. Ok?”
“Ok”
“Mom, Nashta?
“I’ll make it. You go and freshen up” And she was off.
