An Unforgettable day

It was an unforgettable day for me. I handed off 50 bucks to the auto-wala and hesitatingly entered the college gates for the first time only to be welcomed by an amazingly never seen before spectacle. “Is this supposed to be a place to study!” were the first thoughts to cross my mind as I saw a bunch of guys sitting in a pool of smoke in a corner, gaudy graffiti written on the cafeteria walls and girls promenading in the smallest of clothes.

I was myself in a total chaos at that moment, wearing an old pair of jeans and a loosely fitted kurti iced with unkempt hair, a combo which left absolutely no stones unturned in making me out of place. I silently gruntled at my parents for having me admitted in a place where apparently only the creamy class studied; or seemingly caroused for that matter. “Why did dad get me admitted in this madhouse; how am I going survive a single day here, let alone 3 years”.

As I walked past looking from one side to the other; I was taken aback by the enormity of the sprawling campus around me. I wanted to go to the college registration desk and had unwittingly boarded off the auto at the gates itself, not realizing that this ai'nt my old school where everything was at a stone's throw. Going near one of these jerks around and asking them the route was the last thing I wanted to do at that moment. However considering that there was no-one else on the road and the office might close anytime soon, I let out a sigh and stepped into the walkway that led into the cafeteria.

"Ha, look at that walking hideous creature", a girl cried out from the front. My eyes widened out but I attempted hard to not look vexed and kept on moving. There were a few more snide remarks from others but I was already tired from the long journey and had neither the mood nor the courage to face any of them.

To add to my woes, the walkway was paved with cobble; and my suitcase continued to revolt against my attempt to tug it along. I had broken a part of its wheels while taking it off the train; and it was now taking its share of the payback time. I knew I must have been looking like an idiot pulling a rollicking bag so I heaved a big breath and flashing my most brazen look pulled the handle with all strength. But to my horror, the handle came off and hurled the suitcase away. The idiot crashed a feet from me and sprung open from the impact, sending its contents on a ride.

For a moment I was frozen. Motionless and dazed, I was trying to digest the disaster that was taking shape in front of me as I saw my books and clothes strewn around. My silly suitcase had just added enough to the list of me being a laughing stock in college. Fumbling through my undies and papers, I hastily picked up everything and stuffed them back, and got up to leave fighting hard the tears which were on the verge to effuse.

"Hey!" Somebody called out from behind me. I hardly had the courage to look back now and continued ahead. "Hey!!" he called out again; this time more persistent. I turned back to find one of the guys from the cafeteria standing behind me.
"What on earth does this goon want from me; have I not given him a laughter dose already".

He was squinting his eyes tangentially, took a pause to check out my face for some time and spoke "I dont know who you are, but I find your eyes sorta cute!" 

I wasnt quite sure if I should interpret it as a mockery or a compliment. For the record, I was not used to compliments at all. I had always been like a good for nothing girl, quite average in studies and quite average looks. Somehow my parents felt that I could do well in commerce in this college and had me registered here.

"Is this something you say to every girl you meet?"
I asked.

"No this was my first, and I did not expect that kind of response though; anyway do you need some help in carrying those bags. I presume you are a fresher and looking for the dean office. Well its down the lane but far enough to drain you out if you carry those heavy things all by yourself." He spoke with a reassuring confident smile.

So there is some gentlemanship inside this rugged rough looks, I wondered. Saying "Thank you", I looked at him, a brief smile appearing across my face. He was tall and appeared more like a sportsperson with quite a chiselled body and broad shoulders, his face was a combination of darkness and shimmer in the aura of the setting sun.

"So you are a commerce enthusiast, eh?" he asked as he took my half broken suitcase.

"Not really, I am not much into studies; just doing this to get a decent degree from a good college because my parents wanted me to."

He chuckled "Hmm.. so you are another one of those who follow others and not their hearts."

"I beg your pardon?". My eyebrows rose.

"Just leave it, by the way as your suitcase fell and popped open and gave off quite an amazing scene, I couldn't help but notice you had many photography books in there; do you like shooting?"

I wasnt someone who was used to talking so much to a stranger and this guy was sticking more than fevicol. But he had touched my weak chord, photography, my love. "Yeah photography is a hobby, I absolutely love it". I said and heaved a sigh of relief as I saw the pale ash color building round the corner with "Dean Of Academics" brandished at the gates.

"So we reached your destination, you can grab the registration forms from the desk here and the office has arranged drops to the hostel, so the suitcase shouldn't cause more problems to you. And here are your baggages, all in one piece".

"Thank you so much!"

"Just stay happy gurl, do what you want. Remember, the people around you, including your parents, will be happy if you are content and confident in what you are doing. If you get time, just compare what you just told me about your interest in commerce and photography and you will have all the answers. Anyhow, welcome to the college. See ya".


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8 years down the line…

It was an unforgettable day for me. I was setting up my photography exhibition at the city centre; it was my 5th national exhibition so far. It was around 2:0p.m. when I got a call telling me that Mihir had suffered a terrible accident and was admitted in Apollo hospitals. I dropped dead and rushed out without a moment to spare. Driving madly on Mumbai roads, I reached the hospital and when I frantically barged inside having almost lost my mind; I was met with a spectacle of a heavily bandaged Mihir lying unconscious in the ICU. The doctor came and told me he had suffered serious head injuries and also memory loss.

"Your husband has lost his memory, Mrs. Khanna. It may take months even years for him to come back to his original state of mind."

After a long wait of 4 hours in hospital hallways and numerous cups of lattes and rounds of prayers, the nurse came to inform me that Mihir had regained consciousness. I went inside, taking small steps and vision fixated at the centre where Mihir was lying down. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up.
As I went near him, the world just stopped to turn. I gave him a small smile to make him feel that everything is just okay; he was staring at me for a while; then squinting his eyes tangentially for some more he spoke “Hey; I dont know who you are, but you know your eyes are kinda cute”.