Chapter 12--An Unknown Caller

Chapter 12

An Unknown Caller

Sathya didn’t accepted my greets. She was staring at me instead. She asked, “What the hell you are doing in my class?” She stood with a shock. I smiled shamelessly. Some around looked at me like an idiot.

“Who is he?” a girl next to Sathya asked in low voice. I replied her instead of Sathya, “I am her new friend”.

“No, no, not friend”, she hurried.

“Then what he is related to you”, her neighboring girl asked. Sathya got irritated at that moment.

“Do you know him”, that girl added.

“Yes, I know him”, Sathya said in low voice.

I smiled and waved at her and moved out of the class. I didn’t expected to act like that. But I got confidence in talking at that time. On the way to my class, there was mirror like reflecting windows. I saw myself over it and combed my hair with my fingers. I felt myself like a hero at that moment. After two steps I realized I was late to class. I ran to my class, I noticed some boys of my class following behind me. So I calmed my speed as I was not the last one to enter the class.

I entered the class there were no staff. I walked in the class and sat over my place. Sakthi was reading a book. I pulled it and saw its title. That book bore a title ‘Indian Economics and’, before reading completely he pulled from me and he started reading.

The day was very bored with the absence of Arshitha. After the lunch at break, Sathya came to my classroom. She rolled her tiny eyes all around the classroom and asked, “Do you have any sense?” On her voice Sakthi got away from that bench and the bench became empty.

“Sorry it’s very limited for me”, I said playfully.

“Bad joke”, she said and added, “Why you came to classroom this morning?”

“To see you”

“Why you want to see me?” she yelled in a cracking low voice with a biting teeth.

I laughed.

She was staring at me and she said, “I will talk with Susan”.

“Hey, hey wait”, I made her to stop and asked, “What is your problem?”

“Why Susan suggested you to me?”, she asked.

“You told that she told you about me”

“She just told that you are her friend. I know nothing more than that”

“Okay”

“Okay? Why she suggested you to me. I need answer if you didn’t I will ask her”

“Hey chill. Chill”, I tried to calm her.

It was the lunch break so most of the benches were empty. I made her to sit on a bench and sat next to her. She moved a little to maintain distance. I noticed it and I stood and sat on the very front bench and turned around.

“What you need to know?” I asked.

“Are you deaf?”

“Sorry sorry. I am in love, I said.

“No I hate love, I never wanted to be in”

“Aaaaaiii shi”, I interrupted her.

“Seriously, I don’t like”, she still continued.

“I love other girl”, on my saying she calmed down. I continued, “I told Susan, but she didn’t believed in me and she told me that she will believe until you say her what’s happening here”.

“Oh, why should I?”, she asked by scratching her hair near the ears.

“Because you are the one who she knew in this college”

“Oh okay okay, who is the girl you love?”

“I am sorry she is absent today”

“Which department you are?” she asked.

“Electronics. You?”

“Electronics”, she said and raised for an Hifi. I hified her.

“I will study harder and go to Computer Science next year”

“Why?”

“As you are in Electronics”, I said with a giggle. She smiled with her little lips and shook her head slightly.

“Arshitha is from Computer Science”

“Who is she?”

“She is my love”, I said with a lifted eyebrows.

“Oh okay okay, so you are choosing Arshitha not the Computer Science”, she said and I nodded rapidly.

“You are teasing me to see Arshitha, you should show me tomorrow”, she said.

I agreed. She continued, “I thought you are bullying with me”. It made me to laugh.

“You know one thing. I am not good at speaking with girls”

“I think you are wrong about it”, she said.

“I never talked with anyone like this”

“Is Susan a boy?”

“For me she is a friend. Friendship has no gender”, I said with a smile, I missed my friends in my college. We shattered like glass pieces, I never knew about Jeni too. Susan always keep that away from me. She also insisted not to think about Jeni or not even to spell her name.

“Friends”, I extended my hand. She forced her tiny hand into my hands with a strong beat and added, “Friends”.

Later that night, I called Susan and told the whole story. She was shocked on hearing what I said her.

She said, “Nithu, she is a silent girl da. She is very calm and you are also calm. I can’t believe if you guys spoke these much”.

“I think she is good friend”

“She is. She is also soft don’t speak with her as you speak with me behave properly”

“Am I rude?” I asked.

“You are not, but I am saying”, she said and later she hung the call.

I messaged Sathya, Come to my class on the start of the day. She replied with a like emoji.

On the next day, I was at classroom very sooner. I sat on my place and was waiting for Sathya instead of Arshitha. Arshitha came but Sathya didn’t at that time. My eyes were fixed on Arshitha as usual. But Sathya didn’t showed up. I was looking at the classroom entrance and was expecting for Sathya.

At break, I walked straight to B section, I saw Sathya was drawing something in an A3 paper. I stood in front of her. She realized my presence later and said, “Sorry Sorry, I forgot this morning”.

“It’s okay”, I said.

She folded that A3 paper and placed it inside a notebook. She urged me to show Arshitha. I took her to my class there I saw the same gang of girls sitting together. Arshitha wore red dress on that day and she was bright even from the distance. She had a new pony tail hair style too. I pointed at her and told, “She is Arshi”.

“Whom you are pointing?”, Sathya asked.

“That cute girl”

“No one seems to be cute for me”

“Idiot. Look properly”

“Mind the language Mr. Nithish”

“Sorry madam, Arshitha is that red dress”

Arshitha spotted my pointing hand, she waved her hand at me. I was jumping with my standing feet. I urged Sathya, “She is calling me, come come”

I pulled her hand and walked faster to Arshitha, “Hi Girls”, I had some little breathing gap.

“Who is she?” Arshitha asked.

“My School mate”, I said.

“Always you are with a girl, chocolate boy”, Arshitha said.

“I am not a chocolate boy, I never spoke with girls”, I said.

“You said me the same”, Sathya hushed near my ears.

“Okay Arshi bye”, I said and walked few steps then I went near Arshitha and said, “Arshi I searched for you in FB, but I could not find you. What is your id?”

“Nithu, I don’t use face book, sorry”, she said and shrunk her face and bent her lips down for a sad look. It was cute enough to make anyone to bow before her.

“It’s okay”, I said with a love hiding smile.

“We can talk face to face”, she changed her sad pity face to a smiling face with a winkle. I turned with a smile and I winkled myself and had a shy. I forgot Sathya was standing next to me. She was staring at me with a strange look. “What are you doing?” Sathya started to laugh by saying.

I giggled and said, “You must say this to Susan”

“To say what?”

“You need to say Sue that Arshi winked at me”

“But you didn’t”, she said with a laugh and added, “Last night Susan told me that you are useless to love”

“I am not”

“You are”

“I can prove it”, I said boldly just to make her understand.

“Is it, then wink at Arshi”

“If I go back and wink she may mistake me”

“So you don’t know to wink, isn’t it?” Her words teased me a lot, without a second thought I winked back at her with a smile at the edge of my lips, raised my left eyebrow and winked my right eye.

“Stun-ning”, she said with pauses.

Her tiny eyes looked like big eyes at that moment. I laughed myself and walked away and she went to her class by waving bye.

Days passed, The calls I made for Madhu and Susan reduced to two days once, later four days once then it became weekly once that was also on the weekends. On weekends we make call for hours. I will say a hi to Arshitha everyday without missing a day. I could not talk more than that.

I made new friends too, I mingled with my class boys like a family. I told everyone about my crush on Arshitha. Some encouraged me to propose soon and not to miss the days. I felt hesitation on thinking over it.

I used to text with Sathya everyday. She became a good friend and she was almost closer to me as Susan. Sathya is the crazy little demon. I got another friend named Balaji, he was fair with brown eyes and had curly hair.

Balaji was classmate of Sathya, I got friendship as I went to Sathya to meet her.

One day, Balaji and Sathya took me to canteen. There I met Arshitha and her friends occupied a table. Sathya took me to that table, “Excuse me friends can we share this table”. A girl in that table nodded. Arshitha hadn’t noticed me as she was busy talking with a girl. Sathya made me to sit right to Arshitha. Sathya asked Balaji to sit next to me but he sat opposite to me and sat next to a girl in that group. He smiled for having that seat. Sathya had no option other than to sit right to me. Sathya and Balaji were looking at me and asking me to talk to Arshitha. I was refusing with dumb like actions. Sathya pushed me a little. I hold myself from dashing Arshitha.

Arshitha noticed me and she was casual on seeing me. I greeted Arshitha, she greeted back and she went back to the conversation she was already in. It was a bench like sitter at the canteen. I felt shy and I moved right to Arshitha and gave some distance.

Sathya moved near and said, “Give me some space”. I felt uneasy to sit next to Arshitha. I just stood up and asked Sathya to swap the seat. She did, Balaji and Sathya laughed at me. Arshitha hadn’t even considered my change in place.

Then it was most comfortable for me to admire Arshitha’s beauty by faking like having a chat with Sathya. In minutes everyone got away, Sathya looked at me, “We need follow them is that what you are going to say?”

I nodded and I turned to Balaji, but he was missing. “Where is Balaji?” I hurried with words.

“We need to follow him too”, Sathya said with a tired tone.

“What?” I said and turned back and looked. Balaji was talking with a girl in that group. ‘How the hell did he made it up’, I said myself.

Myself and Sathya walked together behind Arshitha and her friends group. Suddenly a girl from that group came and stood in front of me.

She had scaring eyes but she was huge in size both horizontally and vertically, she was little taller than me. She asked, “Behave properly don’t stalk her”.

I had no words to reply at that moment. I was completely speech less. I just bent a little to look at Arshitha. She was staring at me. “She already has a boy friend”, that huge girl said.

“Is she?” I asked.

She nodded. I was disappointed at that time, that huge girl didn’t gave a minute for me to grieve. She was talking without a stop. Balaji came in and asked us to stand aside and talk as everyone crossing by were watching us. That huge girl scolded Balaji too and went away. Sathya laughed at me for wasting my time for all my day.

Later, I got puzzled myself as I knew Arshi was not in a relationship. That evening I went to Arshitha, miraculously she was alone. I went near her and tried to start a word, she saw me and she started, “I am sorry Nithish”, she said.

I just stand quietly, she added, “You might have told me about your interest on her”

“On whom?” I puzzled a moment.

“You were stalking Archana isn’t it?”

At that moment I came to know that Arshitha’s friends thought I was behind Archana. I laughed myself. Without a second thought I told Arshitha that I was not behind Archana.

She said, “So you won’t love her isn’t it?”

“Yeah I didn’t”

“If you meant didn’t you never had crush on her?”

“I never had”, I said.

“Thank god, then I could be friend with you as before”

“Always we can be friends”, I said with a smile and continued, “Arshi can I have your contact number?”

“Yeah, say yours too”, she said and recited her contact and I did mine. “Will call you soon”, I said.

“Don’t call often I may face problems with my family then”, she said. I nodded.

That evening I told this to Sathya and Balaji. Sathya asked, “Do you have my contact?” I didn’t have her contact so I said nothing and added, “We are texting in Facebook so I felt comfortable there”.

“I see”, she said.

“Balaji she gave her number to me and asked me to call”

“Did she asked you to call her?” Balaji asked me.

“She didn’t said that exactly but she said”, I said.

“Then what did your angel said?” Sathya asked with a dry voice.

“She said me not to call often”, I said.

“Arshitha asked you not to call, Idiot”, Sathya said with a laugh. Balaji followed her worst joke and made a laugh just to irritate me.

Whatever others might think, I had a strong belief that Arshi wants me to call her. It was what went in my mind all day. I was sitting in the room, Yogi was doing his daily workouts and Harish was busy speaking with his girlfriend. I was leaning over a wall and opened the contact and was calling and canceling the call for five times continuously.

Suddenly a call came, it was an unknown number. Usually these unknown numbers won’t make any eagerness in knowing who it was. The leaning me sat stright. It tempted me on that day, I felt it was Arshi and she is the one who got my number on that day. Smiles filled my face. I eagerly attended the call and kept the phone near my ears and very closer to hear her voice inside my ears.

There was a silence, I ensured if the call was ended. The call was still on, I said slowly, “Hello”. The call hung up. I became very curious, I didn’t have any apps to identify the caller. I saw Harish was busy in talking. I just waved a hand to gain his attention. I asked him, “Do you have truecaller?” He nodded.

I asked him to check with the number by splitting the contact numbers by two numbers. Harish typed and clicked for search. I pulled the mobile from him and was curious in seeing the name. It was loading as the data was very slow in hostel rooms. I took the mobile and wished to move to other place for searching signal. The search was completed, it showed a name. It was Jeni.

“Who is she?” Harish asked.

“An old friend”, I said with a no expression face.

“Not a friend now?”

“We were”

“Okay, talk to her”, he said and took his mobile and continued his call again. The memory of Jeni took me away from Arshitha. Why she called me? What she wants from me? Did she love me still? Am I still in love with her?

These questions started to revolve inside me. I didn’t wanted to cry on thinking her. I made a call to Susan. A voice in me told, ‘You are not the old Nithish to cry to Sue’. I hung the call before it started to ring. I called the number that called me with name of Jeni.

The ring went up, my heart pounded along with the every ring my ear hears. The call was attended, I maintained the silence then. The silence last from other side too.

“Hi, I am Nithish. I got a call from this number”, I said calmly.

“Hi Nithu, I am Jeni”, a sweet voice reached my ears. On hearing that voice, the tears I controlled spilled at the edge. I wiped the tears before my room mates notice it. They were busy with their stuff, but I felt like everyone were watching me. I walked out and stood at veranda.

“Is this Jeni Sugaina”

“Yes”

“How are you?”

“I am fine, what about you Nithish”

“I am good, fine”

“How is Arshitha?”, she asked. I got very interesting on hearing that name from Jeni.

“How you know?”

“Recently I had a talk with Susan, she said that you have crush on Arshitha”

“Yeah”

“It is really different to hear that Nithish got a crush”, she said with a small laughing tone.

“I am a boy Jeni, what are you studying? Where are you studying?”

“In a college at the corner of the world where you never come you don’t know the place too”, she said.

“Was it missing in Google too”

“Yes it will not be in Google too”

“Hope you are in a heaven”

“I am, by the way, I have started a new relationship too”, she said with a little hesitation.

“Good was he along with you in heaven”, I asked with a forced happiness filled voice.

“He is. I am his angel now”

“You are always an angel”

“Nithu don’t try to flirt with me”

“I didn’t tried and I am not interested to. I never behaved like that”

“You did don’t you remember?” her voice raised in anger.

“Look Jeni, I think you are not here to fight”

“I am not”

“Leave the past, have a good life Jeni”

“You are starting a new life too. Hope we will be friends”

“I think it is not good to be friends again”

“Why you think so Nithish?”

“I think friendship won’t work out”

“So you..”, she was saying something. I interrupted by saying, “My mind will not be stable”

“Stable about what?” she asked.

“About the friendship you wish to offer”

“So you still with the old memories two years ago”

“Jeni look, I have forgotten you. Even though I cannot accept your friendship”

“Okay”

“Thank you for offering friendship”, I said with a start of laugh.

“You laughing?”

“Yes I am”

“Why Nithish?”

“I just had a thought about out past”, I said by ending my laugh and added, “Jeni take care”

“You too”, she said and hung the call.

That call on that day was unexpected. The expected call would made me smile and happiness but Jeni’s call brought an inner peace. I talked with her without a fight and she is back to the normal life. I didn’t told about that call to Madhu or to Susan later too. I felt myself that I could handle the problems on my own. It made me to feel strong. Arshitha, I had no dreams with that name but I like her so much. I took a pencil which was in the middle of the notebook and wrote ‘A ‘R’ ‘S’‘H’ I was writing her name on that notebook with a smile. Later I slept calmly with a deep satisfactory sleep.