CROSSROADS

Part-2

It was 6 in the morning when I woke up. The air in my room smelled of revenge and suffocation, there was pain and anger which I could feel and my blood shot eyes were a proof of what I was going through as a stood and watched myself in the mirror fighting my own Pandora of emotions. I had decided what I wanted to do last night when I lay on my bed tossing from side to side. I was angry on Sheila aunty who had once again played her cards.

Few years back:

Me: mom can I join guitar lessons?

Darsh: yes beta u can

Me: thank u mommy when can we go to buy the guitar?

Darsh: we will go tomorrow

Door Bell rings:

Sheila aunty: Hello Darsh how are you?? Muaah Muaah  muaah…

Me: I am good (but my heart says- how can it be good… you just came)

Sheila aunty: Do u know my son is in the cheetah chauhan cricket academy and now he is the wicket keeper of the school. So what is your son planning to do?

My mom: he is going to learn guitar

Sheila aunty: but….

(Mom looking sternly at me. It was her indication that she wanted me to be out of the room.)

Sheila aunty: what are you doing? What will he get by learning a guitar? It’s your son’s future think accordingly

My mom: I guess you are right. I will put him in cricket. After all it is a matter of his life.

Sheila aunty: I guess I should get going now.

Mom: thank u

I heard this conversation as I was eavesdropping on them and I dint talk with my mom for the rest of the day

It was 10 past 7 and I was in the road to my school for the last time before the two months summer break. The shops were still closed and there were groups of school children of different school who were waiting impatiently with their parents for their respective busses to come. Some were wiping the sweat with their handkerchief while others used the sleeves of their shirt. The sweepers were still sweeping the road and the street dogs stood beside them wagging their tail. I was waking and kicking the pebbles which came in my way and my mind was busy in some other thoughts. Though Sheila aunty had played her cards nicely but this time I didn’t want her to win. I wanted her to teach a lesson so that she stops interfering and my wandering mind came up with a plan.

The bell rang and the school was officially closed for the coming two months. I had bunked my classes, sat in the computer lab and surfed the net searching for the admission proposal in the NSD. It was quiet a tough one though but I had a fair chance of clearing it. The Banta walas and the ice cream stalls were still there, mother wiping their children forehead were still there, kids crowding those stalls with their money in their hands were still there and yet again I walked past them. Today I didn’t feel the heat. I was happy with the thought that tomorrow I will be in the place where I belonged.

The excitement in me increased my pace today and I dint touch my water bottle also. I usually took 20-30 minutes to walk home but today I reached in just 15 minutes. The moment I entered I dashed into my room and banged the door completely ignoring my mother words. She called out my name many times but I ignored too. After a few minutes she started banging on the door and asked me of my wellbeing. The bottle of deo rom my dressing table dropped and rolled on the floor of my room and my mother heart sank she started banging the more loudly. I finally unbolted the door and came out. She took a sigh of relief.

Me: mom can u give me lunch? I am very hungry today

Mom: Darsh are you nuts? What was that? Whey didn’t u answer me when I was banging the door? What happened? Is everything all right?

Me: yes mother everything is all right. Vacations have finally started and I am excited for them

Mom: oh so you are excited about your summer camp. Your dad will be happy

Me: yes mom I am excited and saying so I started laughing as it was more of a devil laugh. She didn’t know that some other plans were running in my mind.

I chewed the food and gulped it down my throat as fast as I could. Seeing my odd behaviour she was scared.

I was feeling a bit sleepy so I dozed off to sleep and this scared her even more. She knew I didn’t like to sleep in the day time.

It was around 6:30 in the evening when I woke up. I was feeling fresh and excited. There was a surplus amount of energy gushing through my body which prevented me from having the regular yawning sessions and also putting my alarm to snooze which I did in the morning. I went straight into washroom washed my face and straight away went into the kitchen. My dad who was sitting in the sofa flipping the pages of a magazine suddenly stared at me totally shocked, I waved at him grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen and went into my room.

My room looked as if it was just robbed. School clothes lay in a corner, photocopied notes in the other side, bedsheet kissing the floor from one side and I didn’t knew where the other end was even the study table looked messy. There were empty glasses and water bottle and now the empty sandwich plate lay there too with stripes of maggi tomato sauce in it. I tried finding some space in the floor and reached the study table. It was time for me to write something for tomorrow and so I begin.

The writing continued for 3 hours. My family stared at me as I opened the door. They didn’t spoke a word. My mother started searching the phone number of the doctor and instantly I started laughing.

It was going to be a big day tomorrow. I ate my dinner and went to sleep with a big happy and satisfied smile on my face.