It took 2 days, 30 minutes and 52 seconds to let her talk to me after that incident (or accident!!). She told me clearly that she doesn’t want her boyfriend to go through the same what her father is suffering from whenever she achieved her consciousness. Though I was not fully agreed, but could not express my preference in the fear of losing her. Now I understand it is all pre planned in the court of The Almighty, but at that time I was pretty sure that I can build my future life. I know questions will arise in your minds why am I saying so negative to my life!! Huh! My life…… I used to dream a lot about it, about us, but……..
Sorry guys, I was carried away by thoughts, thoughts pouring from endless avenue to past. The roadside trees are leaving leaves of memories on the pavements of sheer pain. Anyways, I am not here to deliver you a slurry of mixed emotions, I will try to offer you all what was faced, in to-to.
All changed after that incident. I never saw her becoming so serious about her life before. She was totally fun loving, cheerful, jolly girl who always used to hang around with her friends. But after that day she cut few chapters of fun from her life. She started spending more time with me, causing trouble to my “social life”. Yes, I hated this part of her activities.
It was midnight when I was sitting on the roof top of the college hostel situated beside our college campus. It was a very old hostel giving shelter not only to our college students but also few students from other Government colleges. There were five wards distributed in a three storied U-shaped building and the newest ward, ward six was a seven storied building totally separated from the existing old building. We didn’t like the new building because its rooms were very much isolated from each other. There was another reason to dislike it. It was dominated by the then ruling party of the students’ council whom we hated like anything. So, ward three was our favorite, for endless gossips, music, fun and much more else.
It was a night of such kind when we gathered on the roof top to have some ‘fun’. Das was preparing ‘reefers’ with taking out the tobaccos out of the cigarettes so efficiently that it seemed he was doing it from his childhood. He was singing while doing it. Anjan, Dipto, Mrinmoy, Kali, Debu and Sumit were around. Many of us would have the greatest ‘Prasad’ of Lord Shiva for the first time. So everyone was a bit nervous. Das explained, “Please don’t be nervous. You guys won’t feel any sort of nervousness after doing it. So, just chill.” He gestured like a Bollywood hero.
“Is there any side effect of it?” Kali inquired.
“You Kali, you!! If you do like this, please leave.” Disgusted Das scolded Kali a bit.
“No no, it’s okay. I was just asking…”
“No need. When Das says something about Prasad, please try to believe. I said, you won’t be able to feel your nerves, so where from this question comes?” Das stretched his hands wide and fixed those in a mudra like Lord Nataraj.
“Okay, enough. Please proceed.” Irritated Anjan interfered to end the stupid discussion.
Das passed three reefers amongst us and asked to enjoy while he held one reefer with his fingers high and shouted “Bom Bhole”……..
We joined him. Anjan with his practiced hands lit the lighter and within few moments of unknown fumes we reached a high. I could only figured out Das was sitting on the top of the water tank while Debu and Dipto were moving around the roof with help of their four limbs pretending they were just out of the jungle. I looked at the sky. I felt I was moving towards the sky and the sky with thousands of starts on it was coming to engulf me in a much faster speed. I was almost out when Anjan said my phone was ringing. Anjan was the only stable guy within us who helped me hold my phone, “Yes, speaking. Who are you? Ma Durga? How are you madam? When are you coming this year? Please come fast naa…” Anjan banged me on my head, “Soham, it’s her.”
“I am talking to her, stupid!! Why did you bang me?” I was trying to punch his face but my feast took a round in the air and came back.
“Soham, it’s not Ma Durga. It’s her.” Anjan shouted.
It was like a spark flashed on the starry night and made me stand. I felt like my maths result has come out. I gripped the phone firmly and started speaking.
“Hello, is that you?”
“Who else do you expect to call you in the middle of the night? Is there anyone else?” Her voice was so calm that instantly I started stammering.
“No… No… No one….What are you saying dear….”
“Where are you?”
“In the hostel.”
“And what are you doing?”
“Nothing, just chatting with friends….”
“And with gods and goddesses….”
“No, that was nothing, actually we were acting, no no, we were playing actually….”
“Please don’t try to make me fool, Soham. Why are you doing this?”
“Please don’t fight now, I am very tired. I won’t do it again, I promise. But please don’t stop talking to me like last time.”
“Ohh, you can remember that. But cannot remember why I stopped talking to you.”
Shit… What I was trying to escape has started already. And now on I won’t be able to control myself.
“No, I cannot remember. And why should I remember always? Who are you to restrict me from my social life? Yes, I do love you, but that doesn’t mean you have power to interfere when I am with my friends. Why on earth girls are always so nagging, can you explain with a single minute of rational thinking? ….. Hello, hello?”
“Fine. You have already thought so much. It’s my turn now. I think I should not interfere any more. Bye, bye for now, bye for life. Good night.”
And she hung the phone. Instantly I found me falling from a multi-storied building endlessly. All I could do was just to come back to my friends who were still running on the floor using four limbs, singing in a very peculiar tone and etc etc. Anjan grabbed me when I was falling, and asked, “What happened? Had a fight, naa?”
I just started crying. Das came closer and started consoling me, “Vats!! It happens to everybody. After all, we all are mortal here. No one will escape the eyes of the Kaal…” He continued for a long while I slept there after a period of wiping.