Bus#126W - Chapter 18

The next morning, I was sore all over. The vigorous training schedule was taking a toll on me and my under-utilized muscles were aching in protest. I had half a mind to skip the session in the morning when I remembered Dhruv stressing the importance of co-curricular activities.

I willed myself to get ready exhaustion seeping from all my pores. I even dozed off on the bus and managed to miss my stop. The good thing was, all the other trainees were in pretty much the same condition. Our initial enthusiasm had worn out and we were aware of the effects each training session had on us. It wasn’t making us any stronger, it was just zapping all energy out of us leaving us too weak to face the rest of the day.

“Hey,” A dispirited Pooja flopped down next to me after the training. “This is inhuman, I’m thinking of quitting. I didn’t sign up for this.” She said in disgust.

I nodded in agreement. “Seriously man, my calves are killing me. I can barely walk.” I complained.

She smiled halfheartedly, “We both know we’ll be here tomorrow.”

I sighed while tying my shoe laces, “Unfortunately.”

“So how was yesterday? Did you go?” She asked, making small talk.

“Yeah, but I didn’t spend much time with Sneha and gang. I met another..” I paused, “friend.” I smiled softly. I liked the way the word had rolled off my tongue.

“Hmmm, just as well. They’re not like us. Look at them now.” She said gazing over my shoulder.

I turned around, she was right. They were like a class apart. While most of us wore our uniforms awkwardly with skirts too long, ties too tight, socks too high; they managed to somehow transform our uniform into something cool.

And there in the middle of the group was Arpit. He waved at me, calling me over. I shook my head and nodded at Pooja. I would be infinite times more comfortable with her.

Just a minute. He indicated.

 “I’ll be right back.” I told Pooja and walked over casually towards them. As though I belonged.

“What?” I had shoved my hands deep in my pockets and kept my head low. I didn’t want to mingle with this crowd. Somehow they made me feel inadequate.

“Yesterday! What happened?” He said, grabbing my arm and pulling me aside.

A smile touched my face. “We spoke.”

“About!??” Impatience was dripping from his face.

“St. Peter’s. ” I said calmly. I knew that would get his heart palpitating.

“Oh.” Here it goes, I thought to myself. “Nice.” He said.

I took a step back. Nice? 

Bus#126W - Chapter 17

For a change, we sat together. Conversing naturally, as though we had known each other forever. Anyone listening to our playful banter would have had a smile on their face. I knew I had one perpetually fixed on my face.

“So, serious stuff.” Dhruv started suddenly, “You’ll need to be good in maths. The test is 55% maths. Are you any good?”

“Good?” I scoffed, “I’m brilliant.” I said brightly. I was blessed with some kind of internal computational device. I didn’t understand the conventional ways of solving problems, but something guided me to solve them anyway; that too in a much quicker way. Arpit had tried to get me to explain it to him, but I couldn’t. It just didn’t make sense put in words.

“That’s good to hear. Second thing, co-curricular activities? Involved in any?” Dhruv asked, “Apart from your track events.” He smiled. I guess he remembered our conversation earlier on.

“Ummm.. Does trying for the debate team and dance team count?” I said. To my surprise, he burst out laughing. “Hey! I’m serious!” I was mildly offended. It wasn’t like my school was very encouraging towards co-curriculum activities. The teachers had a select few pets who ended up participating and might I add, winning everything.

“Oh.” Dhruv stopped laughing abruptly, “In that case no. So you’ll need to work on that.”

I sighed. “But how!”

Dhruv looked at my dejected face, “I might be able to help you out there.”

“How?” I was mystified.

“I do some work in some school here and sometimes in an animal shelter. Could get you in there. That will make you look really good.” Then as an afterthought, he added, “On paper.”

I was besides myself. Where did they make people like him! I stared at him in awe. He was everything I had ever wanted to be. He was obviously smart, funny, intelligent, socially aware, loved animals and  he wasn’t bad to look at. In my eyes, at that moment, he had it all.

“You’re just incredible!” I couldn’t help exclaiming.

He got a strange look on his face. “No, you are. You don’t know what a blessing you’ve been.”

 Then as I got up to get off the bus, he grinned a little, probably at the doting admiration that must have been apparent on my face and “But, thank you, I was beginning to forget that.”

At that moment I didn’t find his goodbye odd. I was all smiles as I walked back home from the bus stop replaying the whole scenario in my head over and over again. It was only during the fourth or fifth rerun did I begin to feel uncomfortable with his parting sentence. 

The sentence mixed with the look told me something didn’t quite add up.

Bus#126W - Chapter 16

He led the way, walking slightly ahead of me. Turning back ever so often to see if I was following or more importantly listening. He was giving me some gyaan about St. Peter’s.

I pretended to listen intently. Nodding intelligently and laughing appropriately. I wondered how he could be so normal.

“You’re not listening Naina..” Dhruv had stopped, he was leaning against his cane observing me critically.

“Of course I am, I heard every single thing you said.” I defended myself vehemently.

“No.. ” he limped over to me, “You are more interested in the people around us. You’ve been looking at them forever. Why is that?”

I grimaced. I had been distracted by other people. Everybody was reacting to him, everybody in a different way. I was curious. How’d he handle all that staring? I didn’t know whether it was okay for me to ask such things. After all, I didn’t know him too well.

“Come on, out with it! What is it?” He cajoled.

“Its..” I hesitated, thinking of a polite way of putting it across, “nothing.” I decided to let it go. Shouldn’t start off with the heavy stuff, I reminded myself.

“Nothing?” He made a face at me. Then a little more gently, “What is it?”

I grimaced, “People. Do they always stare at you?”

“Oh, thaaat!” he laughed as though it was the most normal thing ever. “You see,” he continued, “There are three different groups. One, who openly sympathize. They give me way, offer to help or sometimes just stare at me with pity. Then there is the second group, people who for some reason don’t like people like me, they usually try their level best to avoid any interaction. And the third category, is what I like to call the confused category. They think they shouldn’t be giving me special treatment, so they pretend like they’re not, but secretly, in their own way, they do extra things for me. Claro?” He said throwing in a little bit of Spanish.

“Wow,” I exclaimed, “And you’re not bothered by it at all?” I was amazed.

“I have had some time to get used to it..” He said flagging down a passing bus. It stopped immediately. As I brushed past him to get inside, he murmured “The driver falls under the first category.”

I had to laugh. Here I was feeling sorry for him, maybe I fell in the 3^rd category of people, the confused kind.

As he got in and chatted up to the driver, thanking him for stopping at an undesignated stop, I realized that my infatuation with him wasn’t mostly curiosity as I had earlier assumed. I couldn’t understand why he fascinated me so much by just being normal. Somewhere in my mind, I had taken it for granted that the calm exterior was just a façade and once I dug deeper, he would have insecurities that I knew someone like him should have.

So wrong. I was so wrong.

Bus#126W - Chapter 15

I stared at him blankly. I hadn’t expected him to be so direct. 

He must have seen the dazed expression on my face because he smiled a little and said, “Oh don’t look so surprised. Your mom told me you might want to talk to me.”

My mum knew??? Wait a minute, knew what? There was nothing to know. Was there?

I kept my cool, I think..“Oh, she did huh?” I managed to stammer.

“Yes, don’t look so surprised Naina. You’re not the first one.”  At that moment, I had no idea what he was talking about.

“Huh??” summed up what I had to say.

“St Peters? Your mom told me you and Arpit wanted to get in and that you might ask me for some pointers.” He looked around. “Where is he by the way?”

“Who?” St. Peters, sure. Yeah, that’s what I had in mind. I think.

Dhruv gave me a quizzled look, “Ummm, Aprit? I thought he also was interested. I have some time to spare. I can help point out some areas you guys can work on.”

“Ya, about that.. He’s not coming.” No sooner had the words left my mouth did Arpit make an appearance.

“Naina! What the ..” He stopped abruptly when he saw Dhruv. “Oh!”

“Arpit! There you are! We were looking for you! He agreed..” I faced Arpit, desperately signaling him to play along.

“Oh he did? That’s great?” Arpit played along. I’ll admit he wasn’t very convincing but Dhruv didn’t seem concerned.

“But I told him you can’t come along.”

“I can’t?” Arpit started, confused. On seeing my face, he changed tracks quickly, “Of course I can’t because of.. because of..” he stuttered.

“Sneha. You have to take her out right?” I completed his sentence quickly.

“Oh yeah.. Sneha.” Arpit looked at my quiet desperation and then at Dhruv. He smiled softly and leaned forward. “I don’t know what’s going on, but be careful okay? Some of his friends looked creepy.”

I nodded. “Thanks.” I whispered. “Let’s go?” I turned towards Dhruv.

“Sure, this way.” He adjusted his sling bag and pointed with his cane.

I gulped a little, maybe it was apprehension, maybe excitement. I couldn’t tell.