Life in Progress

Disclaimer: This work is influenced by some old, hazy memories of self and others and thereafter flight into fantasy. This is my first attempt at writing a fiction and against the advice of my unofficial editors have decided to publish the story in several parts. And yes, absolutely not attempting to be a Chetan nor Chetali Bhagat. Just a challenge to self. 

 1

Sometime in April. Morning 10.10 am. A six year old short, willowy girl with a short crop and a heavy school bag is jostling around to get inside the crowded school bus, full with cankerous school kids. Finally when she manages to go further inside the bus, she finds even the last seat completely full.

Gingerly, as she tries to maintain her balance by holding tightly a seat handle, she feels someone tugging her skirt from behind. Looking behind she sees another girl of her same age, with almost similar features but having short fringes instead of just a short crop.

"Come. Sit here beside me. I think we both can fit in to this seat if we sit more tightly."

The girl very gladly takes up this unexpected offer and smiles at this new-found benefactor.

"What's you name?"

"I am Spri. "

"I am Cher."

 2

Three years later in August. Evening 5.15 pm. The same two willowy girls are sitting together in the second last two-seater seat. They still have the same hair style, only seems to have grown taller. One looks haggard, hair messy and the uniform dirty, while the other looks very concerned.

"Why did you have to fight with that boy? Don't you know that he always speaks nonsense?"

"He called me a pole!!"

"So what? He calls me a giraffe!! Do I get angry?"

"But why did he call me a pole?"

"He is an idiot! That's why! Who asked you to fight because of that?"

"I will fight!! I will fight a hundred times! He keeps on calling me a pole in front of every one and every one laughs at me!"

"Don't be silly! He is just a stupid boy. But who asked you to be equally stupid to fight in front of everyone in the school ground? If I had not pulled you out on time then you would have got beaten up badly!"

"Do you think I am afraid of getting beaten up? And on whose side are you? Why aint' you supporting me? If you had been my friend then you would have supported me! You are not my friend any more! Go! Katti, Katti, Katti!

"Fine! Go! Katti, Katti, Katti!"

3

Three years later. Sometime in October. Evening 4.45 pm. The final school bell rings in a shrieking tone. In few minutes a stream of students of different heights are seen rushing out of the class rooms and filling up the school ground. In the next fifteen minutes nothing else can be seen on the ground apart from heads of different sizes and heights. Almost everyone is either talking, or laughing or playing creating a cacophonous environment. Two girls are found away from the maddening crowd, talking something serious near the annex building. Both look worried as if something is eating them up from within.

" Have you shown the report card at home yet?"

"No. Have you?"

"No."

"So what are you planning? When will you show? This Friday is the last day of submitting the signed report cards to the Class Teacher. "

"I don't know!! My mother will kill me if she sees my Physical Science marks!"

"You have only Physical Science! My Physical Science and Sanskrit are both gone! And my mother has been asking me daily about the marks of both! And I am just giving excuses that both the subject copies have not been shown to us till now."

"I know. Same case. I don't know what to do. I had been thinking earlier of making the last digit of the Physical Science marks from 1 to 7 so that I am shown passed, get it signed and then change it back again. But the report card has come out in printed format, so can't change anything. It will be easily caught. I don't know what to do! I simply don't know what to do! Sometimes I feel like running away from home!"

"Me too! You know what I want? I want to write a letter to the police complaining them about how these teachers are torturing us and then run away. Then when I would be missing, the police will come and arrest all these teachers! I will be so happy!"

"You know we should do something like that! We should really run away! Then these people will get a nice lesson!"

"But how?"

"On Thursday when the school ends, instead of taking the school bus, we will quietly sneak out of the school gates and run away. We will carry some clothes in the school bag instead of so many books and change our dress in the public toilet. Nobody will suspect us."

"That's a great idea! Let's do that! Let's run away!"

"Yeah! Let's run away!"

4

Two months later. A cold December evening. 7.00 pm. A small two-storey house with a green gate. A pack of school students are seen waiting outside the gate, while a group of mothers are seen furiously comparing the efficacy of two Maths tutors. At sharp 7.05 pm the green gate opens and one-by-one a group of students start trickling down from inside the house and those who were waiting outside the house start rushing in. About 200 metres away from this hustle and bustle there is a medical store on top of which there is a small, dimly lit, modest Chinese restaurant called 'Golden China', though there is nothing golden about the interiors, just red, bright red. Two girls are sitting on one corner of the restaurant, overlooking a window giving a complete view of the main road, and giggling and fighting over a plate of American Chopsuey, .

"Look! There's the first batch coming out! So it's 7.05 pm."

"Do you want to go? We can still finish the food quickly and join the class. We can always say that we were late."

"Do you? I don't think I wanna go. I hate going there. It's like going for another class in the school, only it's outside the school. I counted in the last class that including us there are 36 students. And you know how DKC teaches. It's like he is in a hurry to catch a train! How can anybody understand physics like this? Everything he teaches goes right over my head! I think I will have to carry a potent antenna to catch all his lessons effectively!!"

"Hahaha. You are so right! Even I doze off in his classes. That's why I always ask you to poke me in his classes. I hate coming for the classes. It's just, you know na, Mum believes that the only way I can pass Physics if I attend his classes. Apparently he gives really good suggestions for the exam and if you write his notes then for sure you will get good marks!"

"Why not? After all he teaches in our school! But I cannot mug up notes like a complete idiot without understanding the concept!"

"Me too! But seriously, do you think we should go? It's still 7.10 pm."

" Nah! We will go in the next class. Till then, let's just enjoy the Chopsuey."

"Yeah. This is really fun! We should do it some more. But next time please order Chicken Momo. I don't like Chopsuey."

"Ok deal! But then you will have to finish the clear soup. I don't like it at all!"

"Deal!

5

One year later. A sultry June evening. 7.45 pm. An open terrace on the 4th floor of an apartment. It's a cloudy sky with few stars scattered here and there. No breeze is blowing. Occasionally one can hear the din of the city life - horns of vehicles been blown, bus conductors calling out the names of the stoppage, people asking for goods in different  stores, a group of young lads sitting on the wall of an under constructed building and discussing football. Two girls are seen lying on the floor of that open terrace and singing a popular English song. 

"I think I am in love with Leo!"

"What? Seriously? Hahahaha!"

"Hey don't mock my love for him! I really love him. Nobody loves him more than me!"

"Ok fine. You love Jack and nobody loves him more than you! Now what? He stays in US and you stay in here. How will you go to him? Have you thought about that?"

"It doesn't really matter. So what, if there is physical distance between us. Our love will conquer all distance!"

"Don't be silly! Accha, how will he even know that you love him?"

"I will send him a letter professing my love for him. I am quite sure that he will come for me here once he gets to know how much I love him! Even if he doesn't come I will wait for him till eternity."

"Oooh! Someone has become very romantic!"

"Why? Don't you feel romantic about any one?"

"Of course I do silly! But unlike you I am much more practical!"

"Really!! You never told me! Who is he? Tell me na!"

"It's Shahrukh!"

"What! Shahrukh! Eww!!"

"Shut up! What eww? I love Shahrukh and unlike you idiot I already have made a solid plan of getting him."

"Really? How?"

"See, my aunt stays in Bombay. So, I will ask Mum to let me visit my aunt's place during the Puja vacation. And once I reach Bombay I will definitely find a way to visit him and then.."

"You silly, but he is already married! How will you get him?"

"Uff! It's simple. When I will go to visit him, I will make sure he falls in love with me and then I will ask him to leave that ugly wife and marry me. Of course he won't be able to say no!"

"That's a great plan!"

"I told you I am far more practical than you even in romance."

"I agree, I agree. Listen na, if you marry Shahrukh then you will become very rich. Can you send me a ticket to US then? I can go to US and marry Leo."

"Of course! I will ask Shahrukh to buy tickets for both of us, so that we both can go. After all who is going to take care of you if you faint after seeing your Leo!"

"That's so cool! You are my best friend!"

"I know!"

To be continued.....