Me and My Darling - 2

Click here for Part I

My version:

Aug 1996.          

               As a middle-class girl, my aspirations ran high; dreaming of a degree from Lady Shri Ram college to pursuing a career in law, I settle to join in our local Women's college. Don't mistake it for any ordinary college. It carries the credibility of winning University ranks academically along with Championships in various sports too.

                 

Being a social butterfly by nature, I made friends easily and had myself established in the Commerce section and started to build a good reputation in the staff rooms too. 

Having completed high school just a couple of years back then, most of us school friends were in contact with each other through letters. Remember, there was no Orkut/FB or Twitter, for that matter no internet in our world. There was this friend from school who wrote to me regularly and informed that one of his classmates joined in the same college and asked me to meet her.

Now, I made rounds to the Science department every day in the excitement to meet the would-be new friend. But couldn't meet her for days together. She either didn't come to college that day or left early every time I went to meet her.

One fine August noon, I went to the science section again and asked someone, "Is Kalyani in?". They pointed to a lean structure with hair oiled properly, wearing a thin braid, facing the blackboard. With the excitement, one carries on finding a hidden treasure, my face beams as I approach her and say: "Hii..I am V.P.Latha". She gives an expression which said: "So what? do you think you are the president of India?" My face becomes a punctured balloon. Not to lose my spirits, I say: I'm Siddu's friend. Now her face shines up like a 1000 W bulb. Then she walks out and smiles amusingly. We exchange our classroom numbers and timings. 

Friendship was bonding stronger between the new girl and me. We would meet for lunch whenever we could, spend time together when we had free classes or bunk the IHC (Indian Heritage and Culture) class and meet in the old building at the back of the college. Now when I look back, I don't recollect one single thing that we chatted for hours and days together. 

Days were turning into weeks into months. My friend used to travel for an hour and a half each way from a different town hoping to get admission in the college hostel. Unfortunately, the principal informed her that the hostel facility was only for the children of the Singareni Collieries employees and that she couldn't give her admission. 

As disappointed and frustrated as she could be, my friend took her TC and was leaving. While riding her back on my cycle to the bus station, I uttered without a thought: "I feel you'll come back". Hearing that, she jumped from the bike.

To be continued...

P.S: sorry for the long gap in sending out the 2nd part. I hope not to delay the remaining parts.