SHADES-XIV

“Sun had already raised high and I had another reason to keep my head low. I couldn't believe what I was doing? Seeing him coming down from a distance along with the same bunch of friends he used to carry, I was burying my head , as low as I could. Adding to my visibility, I hadn't put my scarf on, even. I wanted my beauty to tag him, that was the reason of avoiding the scarf, but lo what I was doing for my exposure was only trying to dig myself in the grounds. Not sure if he had noticed me or not I peeped through the corner of my eyes and what happened was never on the plot. He seemed to be standing right next to me , but without even a hint of me. Suddenly I heard a voice right from my left side, “Excuse me”. I trembled with a shiver that ran into trillions of nerve I carried in my body. The voice continued and I forced my eyelids from raising high, “ If I am not mistaken, which I usually don’t , have we met before. I remember something vaguely about you and being very honest something drew me towards you as I am not into bumping into someone asking such stupid questions. So, in short do we know each other?”

 A deep silence prevailed all around, even though there was much of a noisy air at the bus-stop. I didn't even raise a single word and not even my eyes, until I five fingers flashing right in front of my face and a firm voice raising a question ,” “Hello mam, I am talking to you, if you don’t mind, could you answer me please. I think I haven’t asked one of those difficult MCQ’s that are asked in your medical exams that you are out of your calculation.” The firmness turned into a mocking smile, then after, I had no other choice than to answer him. I looked straight in his eyes and asked, “ If you can remember all these shit, can’t you remember, who I am?”, and turned my head right away from him,and walked around five steps away from him. My strength of anger had definitely created a question mark in his mind and he followed me counting right five steps in proportion to mine. I was a little pissed off at his reaction, but was loving the steps he was taking towards me. As he was about to utter a few more rigid words, right then the bus appeared out of nowhere and the horn broke both our anticipations, running around.” Tammy could watch Ankush’s  pink face opened in astonishment and he jovially touched his lower chin to close his open mouth.They both laughed together on the fact that how serious they have gone in the flow, that none of them noticed the opened piece of mouth, Ankush had been carrying throughout the conversation.

SHades-XIII

Time was passing and so were the days, but something stagnant was still left behind. I kept trying to get away from thinking about him, but everything went in vain. Ankush was surprisingly looking at Tammy as the only time passed, she remembered was his summer and winter vacations, that he would regret.

Tammy continued, “When it was beyond my control. That I could no longer keep away from him, there was no option I was left with. My last decision to reach him had failed, but this time I decided not to give up. Purely an indecisive Tammy was coming in the highlights, which I never had been as a person. Definitely something was wrong with either of the two – situation or I, again an indecisive situation. I was being completely, what I was not, but absolutely unaware of the reason. Everything was up in the air and felt as if hung upside down. I had made up my mind for the second time to tell him what was running throughout my mind. My medical exams were very near and I had to live up to my dream. A disastrous second night passed on somehow and this was the second time, I was on a lead to the sun. “Ankush was smiling hearing Tammy accepting her faults, herself. Tammy smiled back at him, noticing the naughty thought, the kiddo was full of.

“As I knew the place, he boarded the bus from, I had decided to be in time there and board the bus along with him. My plan of action was to make him notice me and as he would look puzzled, I would strike the hammer, making him more puzzled. I always knew that guys are more interested in puzzling things around, thanks to my brother, who was an expert at puzzle solving. I was wearing a white shirt, half folded along the cuffs, along with icy blue jeans. I found myself the dumbest creature on the earth on that day and finally ended on these as the wisest decision of my life. But, I must say the floral prints on the white base were actually suiting the occasion. White danglers along with my favourite white wrist watch and a little gloss on my lips were adding to my arena around. He always had seemed to be a serious guy, but some of his mischievous acts had always confused me. The winks he shared and the closeness that I shared while he approached me out of the blue still were giving the most interesting puzzle to me that had to be still resolved. Anyways what so ever it would be, I had decided to my part and live regret less, the entire life”

Watching her serious expression, Ankush asked her childishly, “Why does your expression always get bitter, when you talk about regrets, especially in terms of him?” Tammy was surprised of the level of understanding this seven year old had. She went on and on saying, If you being such a kiddo, just seven year old could understand so many untold things,  why can’t he?” She couldn’t stop few drops of tears that flickered down her corner of her eyes, smudging her kajal, this time. “Which kajal do you put Tammy?” with a fully amazed expression. Tammy looked completely surprised at him, with the tears driven eyelashes of her. “Answer me Tammy, this can’t be a secret, you cannot reveal”, strongly drafted Ankush. “LAkme, but what do u draw from that, I simply wonder”, said Tammy wiping the smudged corners of her eyes. “You cry so much that even Lakme smudge-free kajal couldn’t help and he started laughing in his own naturally childish flows. Tammy’s lips widened and this time, it wasn’t an artificial one. Ankush burst into laughter as he was Tammy smiling and watching him gave immense pleasure to Tammy.