THAT IS HOW IT ALL STARTED

                           Rithika gave a surprise look at me, said Amar. She smiled and said “Child! My child!! Nooo… You are mistaken. She is my sister’s child. She is two years old.” It was a great relief to me. I had taken a long breath and my heart started beating normal again, said Amar. Briti interrupted and asked curiously, “Did you take her phone number? Did you meet her later?” Wait! Let me guess said Meetha and told them that Amar might not have taken her number directly but asked his school friends after he went home. “Am I right?” asked Meetha. No! Not really…said Amar, for which Meetha made a tiresome sound.

                                     Amar said Rithika had taken my number. This made both Briti and Meetha baffled. Amar continued saying about Rithika that they both had exchanged some text messages from almost two months from the day she took his number. They both were very friendly and used to share everything. Meetha interrupted saying, “Then, what’s your problem? Why are you looking sad? Did you propose her? Did she reject your proposal?” Amar said, “I thought of proposing her many times. I even tried to propose her whenever I visited my village. But I couldn’t do it as I forget my world and my surrounding when I am with her. I only try to feel her smile, her words and her beautiful eyes.” “O! Is that your problem? You are unable to propose her. We are there know to help you”, said one of the boys in the group. Amar said, “No! No so. Once I took a greeting card with red roses and her favourite chocolate to propose her.”

Briti: O, really! What happened then?

Amar: That is the worst day that I have ever thought of facing.

Meetha: Did she reject your proposal?

Amar: No! I didn’t propose her that day.

Boys: Why? What happened on that day?

Amar: I met her as usual at the backside of the temple. She came there in a green half-saree which suited her very well. She looked flawless in that attire. She carried a book and a card which I mistook as a greeting card. I am very happy seeing her in that attire and with that card thinking that she also has same feeling like I do. We both were very happy seeing each other. We both at a time said to each other, “I wanna say something to you.”

Rithika: You say first.

Amar: No! You say first.

Rithika: No! You.

Amar: No… no… You have to say. That’s it.

Rithika: Ok. (shying) Whatever I wanted to say is there in this card. You only see.

Amar said I am very excited seeing her like that. Shying… smiling… the blush on her cheeks when she was smiling with shy... O God! What can I say!!! I opened the card and shocked to see that. It’s…. it’s not a greeting card. It’s a wedding invitation.

Rithika: I am giving the first card to you.

Amar continued saying to his friends - I didn’t know what to do. I shouted and cried louder in my heart. I consoled myself and acted happy. I gave her the red roses and her favourite chocolate which I hide from her sight and wished her congratulations. Rithika said thanks and made me promise her that I’ll attend her marriage without fail. 

Then, she asked me what I wanted to say. I told that I wanted to congratulate her for her marriage date fixing as I heard it from some friends and I also added that, that is the reason I brought the flowers and chocolate. She believed what I had said and felt very happy. Only then, I have understood that she had no feelings on me.

She left the place and I with a broken heart cried and cried seeing the greeting card which I didn’t give her, which I kept in my jacket. I am unable to digest it. My first crush… my first love… my childhood friend… is going away from me…. She is going to get married soon… cried Amar.

Meetha: When is the marriage?

Amar: Right after our exams. April 25!

Briti: Amar, it’s all your mistake. You didn’t let Rithika know about your love. You didn’t propose her. How can she know about your feelings if you were looking her or staring at her?

Briti even uttered firmly that:

Love is to be expressed.

Love should be felt by your actions.

Love can’t be known clearly until you show it.

Love should not be kept in heart.

That Is How It All Started

Don’t say that you love him/her so much.

Just show it(Love). Show him/her how much you love.

You need not give expensive gifts all the time to show your love.

A flower in your garden or

A letter with your expressions in your writing or

A dish which you cooked or

A small present which you made on your own with recycled things…

Moreover, your soothing words all the time…

They are enough for any person to know and feel your love.

Love should be exhibited in every possible way.

If you do so, the other person feels how importance you are giving and you will give to him/her in your life.

Remember one thing,

OUR PARENTS WILL BE WITH US ONLY TILL WE GET MARRIED, OUR CHILDREN WILL BE WITH US ONLY TILL THEY GET MARRIED; BUT IT IS ONLY YOUR LIFE PARTNER WHO HOLDS YOUR HAND TILL HE OR SHE LEAVES THIS WORLD.

By saying this Briti exhibited her pain and her love for Sudeep.

                        Briti and other friends consoled Amar not to worry and said “Maybe Rithika is not your life partner; as you rightly said she is your first crush, your childhood friend. Wait for the girl who belongs to you. Read well and get settled so that you can look after the love of your life well. Let us all first concentrate on our studies and settle down. Let us promise to ourselves today that we will not be disturbed by anything and focus on our career.” Promise! Promise! Promise! Me too Promise! I too join my hands Promise! Promise! Promise! … all the hands joined in promise there comes Amar’s hand above all at the end. Amar seemed to be consoled and lifted out from the burden on his heart, the very pain of his heart.

                “Exams are ahead. There are not even a week days. So guys, lets aim at getting good marks”, added Meetha.

                                 All were very much focused on their studies. The week days went on just like a couple days. Amar, by keeping the marriage of his crush aside, was busy discussing the subject and clarifying the doubts of his friends. The next day was the first exam. All the friends prepared well with their armour of knowledge to face the exam.

                                   Luckily all got the same exam centre. So that they can meet and share how they fared. Exam centre is same but halls are different. So they departed to their respective halls allocated to them. Briti’s hall number is 4. She entered her exam hall. There comes this guy who dashed Briti while entering the hall. While Briti was entering the hall, he was leaving the hall in a hurry. He didn’t even turn back and said sorry. Briti felt irritated but as he already left the class by the time she turned back she walked towards her seat and sat. When enquired, who he was the other students in the hall said his number is 110034.

Who is this number 110034?

Why did he leave the exam hall in hurry?

Let us see it in the next article.