The days passed with smiles and laughter. We four hung out and had some good time. Every day I wanted to go to school just to meet Jeni. We shared our memories and laughter. Wherever and whenever we go, all four of us stayed together. No one in the school could see us standing alone.
The talks we had created memories, the smiles we smiled dumped our sorrows. One thing we didn’t give up, it was our studies. I was good at Physics while Susan was at Chemistry, Jeni was good at Biology and Madhu helped in Mathematics. Madhu was in the computer stream and he never bothered over Biology.
We guys will be struggling over the Biology and it will be very interesting to study when Jeni explains the concepts. We mostly clear each other’s doubts. As our grades are good our parents too allowed us to enjoy as much we can. Then one day, I was sitting at my place and Jeni was sitting next to me. The gap between me and her became invisible as the days grew. We were holding our hands and talking to each other. Someone stood in front of the desk and gave a tap over it. It was Susan.
“Why can’t you sit over his lap?” Susan asked Jeni.
“Wow it sounds good”, Jeni said, and she acted like getting up from the seat. Susan forced her to sit at her place by pushing and said, “Look Jeni whole school came to know about you”
“So?” Jeni asked.
“It may reach Princi ears”, she said and walked a step and turned back, “Tomorrow is Parent Teacher’s Meeting”. Everyone needs to bring their parents that day, it was a rule in my school.
Susan went away. We started our conversation again, meanwhile, Jeni asked, “So your Dad comes right?” I nodded. I asked my dad to visit that day, he promised me to come to meet.
Jeni said, “So we could inform our parents about our relationship” with a wrinkle. I was shocked. I could not able to say yes. She laughed and said, “Kiddin”. I smiled. I told her that I will introduce her to my dad. I went home and I was eager to see my dad.
It was about weeks last time I was with dad. I was very happy to see him. I didn’t stay at the school even for a minute later not even with Jeni. I took my cycle and ran to my house. I parked my cycle and removed my shoes and saw a pair of new slippers at my doorstep. I usually throw my shoes in a different direction and Mom will be the one to arrange it. But that day I took my shoes and kept it next to the new pair of slippers.
I entered the house with a smile and joy. There I found a disappointment inside and it was my uncle, Mom’s elder brother. He looked happy on seeing the smile over my face, I tried to maintain a little over my disappointment.
“Nithu”, he said and tapped the sofa seat next to him by signifying me to sit next to him. “Silly Uncle, my uniform was dirty, and I am sweaty. I will join you after changing clothes”. “It’s not an issue come sit next to me”, he said and made me sit. I sat left next to him. He threw his hand over my shoulders. I felt something stinky and later realized why he said my sweaty dresses were not an issue. He had a laddu on his right hand. He gave it to me and asked me to eat.
“I will eat after washing my hands, now you have it”, I said. “You grew him in a good manner”, by saying he patted my shoulders and continued, “Mark my words, he will be a great man in future”, again he patted harder. I was jerking for every pat. I was curious to ask where dad was. But this uncle was sitting in middle to my query.
Patting uncle stopped but he was holding my arm. I could feel the kindness he showed on me but how long I could resist over the smell. I tried to remove his hand slowly. He held me with grip, then I was struck with that stink.
He was talking with the mother about his elder daughter’s marriage. “Mahalakshmi had told a man working as CA in a company. It seems to be a good match; they told that they will be coming to see our Preethi and you need to come”.
“Anna, actually tomorrow there is parent teacher’s meeting for Nithish, and his father was unable to come so I must go for the meeting”, my mother opened her mouth for the question I had in my mind.
I said, “Uncle, I will join you in short”, by saying I ran to my room removed my shirt and stretched myself over the bed. I wanted my dad to be with me, but he didn’t come that day. After some time, my uncle said farewell and he went away. I took my Mom’s mobile and called him.
He started with a word, “Sorry da, Nithu”. He was expecting my call and he knew that it will be me to make the call. I said, “You told me that you will be coming”.
“Yeah I wished to, and I tried making an arrangement, but I got some work at school”, he said. I didn’t leave him. I asked, “Why are you not coming home? Usually, you will be visiting twice a week but this time you haven’t showed up for one month”.
He promised me that he will be visiting that weekend. I hated his promises as he broke them along with my expectations. “Mom needs to talk with you”, by saying I gave the mobile to my Mother and sat on the sofa, my mom sat next to me.
I curled myself over the sofa by lying over her lap. I was listening to Mom’s conversation. She was talking to my dad and combing my hair with her fingers gently. I was almost sleepy when she does it.
She ended the call, I asked her slowly, “Only us tomorrow?” She said, “Your Dad will meet you this weekend, he misses you a lot”.
“It doesn’t sound like that”, I said and walked away and slept that night. I didn’t even text Jeni, I slept that night.
Next day morning, I need to bring my mother to meet. So, I went to school by auto with her. While traveling by auto, I haven’t spoken any words with her. I was mad at Dad but showing them to my Mother. She used to tolerate whatever I did.
We reached school by an auto-rickshaw; it was like a fest that day. Every student brought their parents, and some didn’t purposely. It was the day, most of the students get reported their activities in the classroom to their parents. I got good in academics so I wanted my parents to come to all meetings to hear something good about me from teachers.
I was searching for my guys to show to my Mother. Finally, spotted Madhu, he waved at me and I followed by a wave. Madhu came with his Father and Mother. His Father on seeing my raised his hand for a HiFi. I gave it to him. Madhu’s father was friendly, he always treated me in the best way.
“Where’s Nithish Dad?” Madhu’s father asked my mother and he added, “Don’t disappoint me by saying that he left me alone here in meeting”. Usually, in all meetings, my father and Madhu’s father will be having a political talk and they will be hanging out. My mother said, “He left you”. I turned to my mother and said, “Me too”.
“Oh no”, he said and turned back where Madhu’s mother was approaching us. “You got company but not me”, he said to Madhu’s mother. I clung over Madhu’s shoulder with my hand and said into his ears, “Get him to Susan’s Dad”. On hearing this, his tooth showed up with a giggle and followed by a nod.
“Dad I got you another company too”, Madhu said and ran. After a few steps, he turned and called me a hand sign. I joined him. We found where Susan and Jeni’s parents were sitting.
Susan and Jeni were busy sharing some conversation and their parents too. On seeing them Madhu went near Susan’s Father. He was sitting with Jeni’s Father. Madhu, “Uncle”.
“Hey here come the boys”, he nearly shouted. Jeni’s father hadn’t seen me before. I dropped a little smile for him. Madhu was talking with Susan’s father meanwhile, Susan and Jeni spotted us and they came to us.
“I haven’t met your parents”, Susan said to Madhu.
“I will show you”, Madhu said.
“I will show mine too”, I said in common but my eyes looked specifically to Jeni’s eyes.
After the introduction to parents. We sat under a bench ten meters away from where all our parents were sitting together. That day we sat in a different order, Madhu, me, Susan and Jeni. Our friends crossing us started to tease on seeing us.
A boy said, “Hey look here, Bread with Key and Lock with Jam”. On hearing this we burst into laughter. “I think Karthi meant those words in our sitting order”, Madhu said with a questioning tone.
“Are you saying me as Lock?” Susan asked but bending over and looked into Madhu.
“Sue I didn’t meant it, Karthi mentioned it”
“Well, in that order you are Bread and I am Lock”, Susan said.
“So?” Madhu asked.
“I am not a match for you”, she said and wrinkled at me.
I called out, “Jeni someone is wrinkling at me”.
“Ow, someone going to free me from my burden”, Jeni said by twisting her arms around Susan.
“You girls are idiots”, Madhu cried out.
“How about us Bread and Jam?” Jeni wrinkled at Madhu. “Nithish, I think Susan loves you”, Madhu.
“Do you guys think”, I started a sentence suddenly I spotted a man entering the school gate. He was waving at me and the words I got to speak vanished slowly. He was my Dad. I took some rapid steps and ran to him. On the way, I realized it wasn’t him and I was imagining him for the all-time.
Madhu rushed back my way and he found my disappointment. He tried to console me with his words. I put an expression over my face to signify that I was consoled. Jeni came up next, she wrinkled at me and said, “Be chill Nithu”. I nodded and took two steps near her. “Feeling Chilled”, I said by standing close to her on the right-hand side and held her fingers. She blushed.
We walked back to the same place we sat before and continued our chat for some time. I was just speaking with them with an empty heart.
On the continuation of the chat, the crowd started to move. The time for the meeting had begun. Everyone moved to respective classes. We too moved to our class. I sat with my mother and I kept my words unspoken.
She called, “Nithish”.
I spoke then, “Mam will call me out in the attendance register order so we will be in middle”.
“I am not speaking about it. Are you worried about your Father?” she asked. For her question, I turned to her with an empty mouth without words. I just nodded. She smiled and pinched my cheeks.
She bent near me and spoke with a low voice like a secret, “He came today and he kept it from you”. These words were magical words it suddenly made my face bright and happy. I asked, “Where is he then?”
“When will he come here?” “Why he lied to me?” “Why you kept it from me?” I kept asking questions repeatedly.
“Calm down Nithish”, she insisted and she started to speak, “He came today morning for you, due to some reasons he needs to attend the function at Preethi’s house. So he said to you that he will be coming to Teacher’s Meeting. He never told you that he won’t be coming home”.
I giggled and shook my head rapidly. I was delighted to see my Father. My mother tried to say something, so I lend my ears to her words.
“Nithish, he planned something as a surprise for you. He hadn't even told me. But, he told that he was planning for some surprise”. Her words made me excited about that day. I started to think about the surprise that my dad planned for me.
The crowd was counting over the meeting. It comes to ‘J’. Jeni was ready with her parents. She stood, looked at me and gave a wave. I haven’t had a thought about Jeni at that time. All I had was about my Dad. I waved back at Jeni and showed a thumbs up.
While I was giving greets to Jeni. Madhu was standing at the entrance of the classroom and called me with a hurrying actions. I walked slowly to him without showing any haste in my actions. I could feel something wrong in his actions. I neared him.
He pulled me and started to run, I didn’t know anything about why he was doing that. On the stairs, he took 3 steps together and at the end of 5 he jumped. I lagged some speed, but I could maintain the distance. I held his hand and asked, “What?”
“Someone scribbled something wrong at boy’s toilet”, he said with gaps filled by panting. “What was there?” I asked.
“I don’t know I just got the information from the boys”, he said.
“So what? It’s a usual thing happens in school”
“Nithish, it was about you and Jeni”, he hurried his words and started to run. I ran along with him, I was in anger at that time. When we neared there was a little crowd standing around near the entrance. I saw some boys giggling by pointing something over the wall upwards.
I stepped inside the washroom, it was full of junior boys. There were no other 11th and 12th boys as everyone was at the meeting. I heard some boy’s conversation.
“What will you poll for?” a boy asked and another boy replied, “I don’t know them how could I put on it”. First boy said again, “Just go with the name you like”
I moved inside the crowd still I could not see what was on the wall. “JENI who is that?” a boy in the middle was speaking.
“I knew Kathir, we played together”, another voice heard over my ears.
The writing on the wall was visible to my eyes. It was written with Black marker in upper case and with middle finger emojis around.
WITH WHOM THIS BITCH FITS GOOD?
(A) KATHIR
(B) NITHISH
There was a drawing of a middle finger all around it. A pointing arrow from BITCH leads to a figure of a girl and it had a caption of Miss. JENI.
There were some ticks over the name Kathir and Nithish. I stood with a frozen state, I could not bear the writing on the wall. Madhu cleared the crowd by making them to go for class. A boy in the crowd whispered to another, “He must be Nithish I think so”. Even I heard those words I could not respond to them. My eyes were fixed to the writing. There was a writing mentioning my Jeni’s name with a title that never fits her. What she would feel when she came to know about that. How could I console her? How will she speak with me then in this school? I was fed up that day.
“Nithu. Com on we need to do something”, Madhu said and he took a bucket nearby and filled it with water. He was in a hurry and he hadn’t closed the tap. He poured the water over the writing.
The writing was still there. I need to make my actions faster at that time. I climbed over a urinal and extended my hand to Madhu. He handed over a cloth nearby. I rubbed the writing with the cloth. My mind didn’t think of the permanent marker. All I had was to remove that writing. The writing was still on the wall with shine.
“Madhu get me a marker”, I asked Madhu. Poor Madhu he had to run out and search for marker. I climbed down and searched all around for other writing. I checked every corner of the washroom.
Suddenly, a marker caught in my eyes at a corner. It must be left by the writer who wrote badly about us. I took the marker. Then, I could strike out all the writing. I climbed back. Tossed the marker lid somewhere and I held the maker in my right hand with my left hand supported over my balance by holding the wall.
I stroke the middle finger emoji to first. That emoji was cut off and the intensity of marker reduced as the wall was watery. I was in great anger. I scribbled all over the other side of the non-wet wall. The marker loses its capacity to write, I was in an extreme point of the anger and I scribbled very rapidly on the side of the wall it was totally in a thrown state.
I threw the marker with a force and fell over the floor and bounced a little and rolled near a leg. It was Madhu, he showed up a marker with a great smile. He took some great leaps and stretched his hand to give the marker to me. I took the marker and I was cautious this time.
“Come on Nithu scribble out”, Madhu shouted. I said, “Madhu find me any cloth or something to wipe this wet”.
“Why?” he asked with a questioning face. I had no time to explain to him about the marker and the incident had before. “Just do what I asked you to do”, I ordered him like I knew everything.
I rubbed the wall with my hand and I tried to remove the strain with my nails. My long nails bent a little and I didn’t wish to break my nails. I had no patience to wait for Madhu. So, I turned here and there. I tapped my thighs suddenly, something stuck into my hands it was my kerchief. I took my kerchief and plugged my hand into the kerchief and cover my fingers entirely.
I scrubbed with it over the writing and it wiped the water from it. I touched with my other hand to check whether the water droplets over the wall was completely wiped away. My fingers sensed some little moisture over it. I took the other side of the kerchief and rubbed the wall again. I took the marker out and stroke a word from the writing it was the first word WHOM. I was delighted to see the stroke over it. I heard some footsteps around, I felt sorry for yelling at Madhu. I shouted, “Madhu the marker is writing well, come up here”.
The footsteps approached closer. I turned back to check out Madhu. To my disappointment it was him. Yeah, your guess was right. Like in every Love story, there will be a point to get stuck with the partner’s Father. I had it at that time.
He read over the writing over the wall and Jeni’s name over it. He stood without words. I knew something bad was going to happen. What would I do if he would take it to the Principal and make it an issue? I want to fix that problem and to tell him that I would handle it.
His eyes moved from the writing and directly to my hand which was holding the marker. I understood what he was thinking about me. It was completely wrong but I had no words to explain to him.
Madhu entered the scene by calling me, “Nithish”. He didn’t know about Jeni’s Father’s presence. “I didn’t expect these from you. I thought you are nice boys. But, you guys”, Jeni’s Father said and folded his hand with staring look over us.
He stared at me and glanced over Madhu. On staring at us, he took some steps out. I understood that he was thinking I was the one to write them on the wall. I wished to make him understand that I haven’t written anything. I came forward and pronounced, “Uncle”. He broke my words with a slap. I sealed the words and held my hand over my cheek.
Madhu tried to calm him down. “Actually”, Madhu started. Jeni’s father raised his hand and was about to beat. He gave a nasty look over us and walked over. I was in the state without realizing what to do then.
Madhu, “Nithish, you told him anything?” he asked.
I could not answer him. I just showed a sign of no by moving my head a little from left to right. “Nithish, he assumed us as the writer over this wall”, he added.
“What could I do now?” I asked.
“You could explain him”, he said, held and dragged me. I resisted and said, “I need to strike these”, by pointing my other hand over the writing. Madhu brought a marker too. We both climbed over and stroke those writing.
We came out of the restroom there were some boys making fun of us. I got irritated, I could recognize some of the faces were Kathir’s friends. We passed over them. Madhu went to his class, my mother was wandering around the ground. She spotted me and hurried to me.
“Where were you?” she came by a rapid walk. She must have known that incident and there would be a devastation in my house that’s what I thought at that time. But, she said, “Where were you? Your class teacher had been calling your name and you were not there. I asked her excuse and she scheduled us after all students”
“Mmm”, I said with a face facing downwards. “Any Problem?” my mother will read my face with a single, just a mother stuff that every mother could do with their children.
I refused to answer, we walked the class. On the way, Jeni’s Father passed by. Jeni waved hand to say bye. I waved back. This time, I looked at Jeni’s Father instead of looking, Jeni. Jeni’s Father pulled her hand down and gave a staring look at me. I gave a fast look at Jeni, she seemed to be confused when her Father pulled her hand. I turned to my Mother whether she noticed that. She wasn’t, I confirmed.
The meeting went well, the teacher told the good about me and my mother was proud at that time. Inside me, I couldn’t tolerate the burden of the incident that happened in the washroom. When we are about to move, Mother told me, “We are going to Preethi house”. I hate going there at that time. I told her that I got some schedules with Madhu and Susan.
She went away and I stayed until Madhu comes. Madhu came later. Madhu, “Let’s speak with Jeni’s Father”.
“No, I can’t”, I said.
“You should speak and make him understand that you have done nothing”.
“I should but I can’t”
“Fuck off. Don’t pretend like having a fear”, Madhu shouted with a push over me.
“Listen Madhu, I am not pretending I am enduring”, I said. “There is nothing to worry about, say what you have to”, Madhu said with a calm voice in a consoling tone.
“What are you going to do?” Madhu asked.
“I am going to make a call”, I said. We both walked to the nearest telephone booth. I took a coin from my pocket and made a call to Jeni’s house. The phone rang and ended up in a voice tune saying NOT ANSWERING THE CALL. I collected the coin and redailed, the call was attended. Jeni’s voice reached my ears.
“Jeni is that you?”
“Yeah is this Nithish,” she asked
“Yes Yes I am Nithish, I want to tell you something”
“If your Dad said anything just don’t trust him”
Suddenly the voice changed, “Yeah she should not trust me while she should trust an idiot who writes her name over the wall where everyone pisses off”. It was her father again. I froze at that moment. I didn’t say anything and the call hung up. Madhu pushed me and put a coin inside the phone and he dialed a number. I had no idea of who he was calling.
“Is that to Jeni?” I asked. He shook his head in a sign of no and I repeated, “Then whom you are calling?”. “Susan”, he hushed by holding his hand over the mic.
“Hey Sue, It’s me”, he started to speak and continued with everything that we faced that day. He ended the call by saying, “Just convey it to Jeni in the right way”. He hung up the call and said, “I have done my best part”. I hugged him and said, “Thank you”.
We went home and I found my Dad sitting in the living room. My worries will fly away on seeing him, but that day it wasn’t like that. I spoke to him and we had a good talk but Jeni was heavy inside me. She never came online that night. I could not sleep well that night.
I walked to my Parent's room and knocked. My mother opened, I just walked inside without saying anything. I threw myself over the bed near my Dad. “Any problem?” he asked. Whenever my Dad asks me anything I would speak up openly. I could not tell him what happened that day. I said nothing. My mother sat next to me and took my head and placed over her lap and said, “You seemed to be disturbed Nithu, Don’t worry everything will be alright”, in a very low voice such that it will reach only into my ears.
Chapter 8: Under ink, will be notified soon;
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