CHAPTER 7: A MEET AT THE CAFÉ AND A BUDDING FRIENDSHIP
Saurav Munshi sat holding his mug of coffee, constantly staring at the entrance door of the café.
‘Where was she?’, he thought. ‘Isn’t she going to come today as well?’.
Yes. He knew he was behaving like he was obsessed with her. But he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help, but watch her from a distance. He wasn’t particularly attracted to her. He just liked seeing her.
He just looked forward to the time of the day, when she would enter the café, sit at her usual table and try to make a house with wafer biscuits.
Often, she came with a younger girl, whom he assumed to be her sister. The younger girl had called her ‘didi’. But since last two days, she hadn’t stepped into the café.
He looked down, his eyes downcast and suddenly feeling low. But then, he heard a creak from the café’s entrance door. He looked up and his heart paced rapidly. There she was!
But… Something about her was off today. Why did she look so upset? What was wrong?
After about ten or fifteen minutes, he saw her trying to build a wafer house once again. But, she didn’t have the excitement and joy on her face. She looked rather distracted.
He couldn’t take it anymore. He got up and approached her table.
“Hey! I’ve seen you trying to build a wafer biscuit house since many days. May I help you?”, he asked politely.
Her face flushed, but she nodded meekly, anyways.
‘She looks cute while blushing’, Saurav thought and sat down to help her. With the help of a marshmallow and a few toothpicks, he helped her fix the house.
She looked at in wonder, as if it was the fossil of an extinct animal in a museum. Her mouth was wide open in a perfect ‘o’. She clapped excitedly.
He laughed seeing her wonder and amazement.
“What are you? A civil engineer?”, she asked laughing.
Saurav grinned. “No. A newly appointed interior designer. You?”.
“I’m a small-scale music teacher”, she smiled.
“Really? Wow! By the way, nice to meet you. I’m Saurav Munshi”.
“I’m Sampoorna Jadhav”, she replied.
And from there, their conversation continued….
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“So, you mean that along with Rakshak Babu, you are also my Shikshak Babu?”, Bondita asked, as she and Anirudh descended down, from the terrace.
“Yes. And now your Shikshak Babu asks you to go into your dormitory and prepare for classes. Sessions start tomorrow. You do remember, right?”, Anirudh said, giving her a pointed look.
“Ok. Ok. I’m going”.
When Bondita entered her dormitory, the girl who was sitting near the window, was still in the same position. ‘Weird girl’, she thought.
Exhausted with the hectic day, Bondita lied down on her assigned bed, and closed her eyes hoping to get some rest.
But then, she had a weird sensation. Bondita opened her eyes and nearly screamed. The girl who was sitting near the window, was now, hovering over her, staring at her, as if she was a modern artist’s complicated art.
Bondita sat up hurriedly. “What were you doing?! Why are you staring at me like that?!”.
“Well, I tend to observe things around me”, she replied. “Hello, and welcome Bondita Das”, she said, smiling serenely.
“Err… Hi… Hey! How do you know my name?!”.
Still smiling, the girl merely pointed at a book that Bondita had taken out of her bag, which had her name on it.
She sighed in relief. But then frowned. The girl was so creepy.
“Who are you?”, Bondita asked the girl.
“I’m a girl, of course. So silly of you”, she said, giggling madly.
Rolling her eyes, Bondita asked, “I meant, what is your name?”
“Oooohhh… My name? It’s Mimi Thakur”, she replied, suddenly looking serious.
“Hey, look that’s a flying mosquito!”, she exclaimed happily.
“What? What’s a flying mosquito?”, Bondita asked, utterly confused.
“That mosquito, which is flying over there! Look”, she said pointing to a mosquito.
“But what’s the difference between a mosquito and a flying mosquito?!”.
“You’re so silly! Look, it’s a flying mosquito. That one, on the wall, there, is a dormant mosquito! There are many types of mosquitoes, you know!”, she explained, nodding her head, smiling goofily. Bondita felt like pulling out her hair in frustration. Such a weird, creepy girl.
“Will you help me?”, Mimi suddenly piped up.
“With what?”, Bondita asked sighing. Whatever the girl was, Bondita couldn’t deny helping anyone.
“Sticking a poster!”
“Poster? For what?”
“Oh! Someone has stolen my notebook. I had some useful notes in that and I want it back. So, I wanted to issue a poster”
“What?! Why did someone steal your notebook? This is wrong!”, Bondita exclaimed.
“No. It’s okay. It’s nothing study related. Just something I had written. They’ll probably return it. But it would be better, if they return it soon. So will you help me?”
“But why do you tolerate someone stealing your stuff. You should never tolerate injustice!”
“But this is kind of a habit. Because they all tease me everyday!”, she said expressionlessly.
“For what?!”, Bondita asked, bewildered.
“Because they think I’m weird and creepy. It’s not their fault, though. But teasing me isn’t right. You thought that I’m creepy, too. But you didn’t criticise, right?”
Sudden guilt washed over Bondita. She regretted thinking, what she did. But how on earth, did Mimi know, what she was thinking?!
“That’s not teasing and criticising! It’s bullying!”
“Posters, Bondita!”, she exclaimed, giggling.
“Arrgghhh! Come with your posters!”, Bondita exclaimed and got up to help her.
And that’s what, marked the start of a friendship.
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“Oh! I didn’t notice the time! It’s been nearly an hour!”, Sampoorna exclaimed.
“Oh, damn! Lost track of time, I guess”, said Saurav, smiling nervously.
Both of them got up to leave, when Sampoorna asked, “It was nice meeting you. Will we meet again?”.
“Yes, of course! I mean, you would come to the café tomorrow? Wouldn’t you?”.
“Yes!”, she exclaimed happily.
Grinning widely, Saurav nodded enthusiastically.
Sampoorna rushed forward to shake his hand. And then went away, waving goodbye.
Saurav’s hand was still raised in farewell, smiling stupidly.
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