Kiss Of Serverance

Life sometime shows you event that force you to go back in time and recollect the scattered pieces of past. The same happened with me today when I was standing near a shop opposite to a school. A girl and boy may be in their early teen came to the shop and asked for ice cream. They were happily eating when the shop owner asked for money and the boy put his hand in his pocket. He had 5 rupees less and the shopkeeper started scolding him. As tears started falling from his eyes the girl hugged him and wept the tears from his face. She told the shopkeeper that they would pay after a day but he was not listening. He kept asking them to call their parents with money otherwise he would not let them go. They were seating on the bench holding each other’s hand crying in fear while their ice cream was melting down. The situation felt like I have lived it already and yes that had happened with me when I was in my final year of my school. I gave the amount to the shopkeeper and asked them to smile. They both kissed on my cheeks and run towards their school saying thank you. After returning home I sat on my bed and remembered my schools days and the girl I have first crush on.

It was the late years of the fist decades of 21^st century and I was in my 9^th standard. Days were going happily. Being the topper of my school everyone had a special attention towards me. From sport to extracurricular there was no match of me. Teachers were giving my example to others, seniors girls talked about me in their groups. And one day she entered to the class room to take the crown out of my head. From head to toe her body was covered in a black burka and she slowly entered into the classroom and sat on an empty bench. 

Every eyes of the class was on fixed on her because we had never saw someone wearing that kind of dress in real. We had fear that they are different kind of people so they cover their face and they kill animals to eat. As time passed the fear started converting to hate as when our parent knew that a Muslim girl is in our class they started telling us not to be friend with her or talk to her even not to sit near her. So after sitting in the same class for 6 months she didn’t have friends. No one was ready to take her in their team while playing and she kept looking others enjoying with her wet eyes. Most of the time she kept herself busy in her books and notes barely coming outside of the room in the six hours at school. She didn’t goes to the dining hall because everyone looked at her food like she is eating that are not eatable by humans.

Our half yearly exam was over and this time my name was on the second row of the list as she had took over my place. Unhappy scolded by my parents for coming second I was not in a mood to eat so I threw the tiffin and came back to class. She was alone sitting on her seat eating her lunch with her face uncovered. For the first time I saw her face a cute round face fair like the paper that if you touch it may get dirt. When she saw me looking at her she put the food on the plate and covered her face. I was confused by her action. So I asked in an innocent manner,” Why you always covers your face. Students says you looks different so you don’t shows your face but you look similar as me even far beautiful”.

Her eyes told that she blushed and she asked me to sit and explained me that in their religion there is a rule not to show your face to anyone except husband. I was amazed by her wards as that was the thing I had never heard of. For a moment I doubted on my knowledge. I turned towards the blackboard and said,’ you can eat now I am not going to see your face” and we laughed. After finishing her lunch she went to wash her hand and when she came back I put forward my hand saying my name. She shook my hand and said,” I know you. You are the topper of the class”. I smiled and said,” Ex-topper. You are the new topper and please keep my crown clean because it will definitely take it back from you. She smiled and we went to our seats.

As time passed we become good friend. Sharing notes, discussing topics in class and solving math become our daily routine. She taught me a lot about her religion and I told her mine. Most of the things we found common in both. Our little brains were thinking about the world peace which even the great scholars can’t. I had stated testing her food and that was amazing. The first time I tested mutton I was in the third world for the first time it felt that my mom was not the best cook. My friends had started making distance from me as I was getting closer to her. That had started taking about unrealistic stuffs like she is doing black magic on me and controlling my minds. Even I had fight with some of my best friend on that topics.

One day she brought a box full of chicken biriyani for me and I kept that in my bag to eat at night thinking that my mom would not be able to know. But from the moment I enter my home she was talking about an odd smell that only I knew. My father was busy in his work so didn’t gave importance to her words. In the night I told my mom that I was not feeling well and didn’t go for dinner. When they finished their dinner and went for sleep I opened the box and started eating the biriyani. I was about the take a bite from the leg peace my mom opened the door. Seeing that on my hand the milk glass dropped from her hand and she came near and put a tight slap on my face making the piece fall on the ground. My eyes were tearful on their way to explode but my mom kept beating me until she become tiered.

She said,” shall I call your father or you tell me where you got this”. When I told her the truth she put her hand on her head and said,” how many times I need to tell you that they are not good people. You shouldn’t be friend with them”.

I said in anger, “It’s not like that mom they are also like us just because of their food habit a worship method you hand make someone out of the society”.

She said,” Beta why you are not understanding that the girl is poising your mind to keep you down. Didn’t you see after she came to your school you are not in the number one”.

I thought of telling her that the girl she is talking about was far more brilliant then their son but I didn’t spoke a single word because I knew she was not going to understand.

She gave a lecture for more than an hour and asked me to sleep and made me promise that I would not talk with the girl again. But as we know promises are made to break I did the same. Our friendship was grew with every passing day. I had started liking her, she was the world’s most beautiful girl for me. I was not ready to listen a single word against her. We ate our lunch together sat on the playground far away from others. Every time we were alone she never kept the burka over her face giving me a signal that she liked me. And we completed our 9^th getting same marks. My mom was happy as I came first she thought I was not getting close with the girl.

In the summer vacation she went to her grandparent’s house and I stayed back at my home but we stayed in contact over phone. We had already decided the times when our parents were out of home or busy in their work so that they would not be able to know. The distance make our relationship solid. I was confirmed that the feeling in my heart rising for her was nothing but love. For the first time I felt something like that. The pure form of love. No expectation no desire no show up but just taking care of each other and protecting her from everything taking all the force on my own.

When our school began we came early before anyone had even reached half way. I was sitting in the room when she entered. She came running to me and hugged tightly. Her eyes were looking wet but those were the cold tears of happiness. She removed her burka and kissed on my cheek. I was blushed, for the first time a girl kissed me. For the day was feeling awkward not able to meet her eyes. We shared our lunch and talked about everything we had done in the vacation. She was excited and worried about the new class as we had our board exam that year as everybody told that it was hard to clear that if you failed your carrier was gone. No one would give you a job or you would go to a good college.

Luckily our parents put us in the same coaching center and we got more time to spend together. We went there on our cycles and sat on the empty class. Our combine pocket money was only able afford a single ice-cream so we share it one by one. Sometime we bunked the tuition and went for movies from the saving we had did for months. Our life was going fine until the darkest day of our life came.

Our pre-test exam was over and that was the last week of our tuition. We had purchased a big diary milk chocolate for her birthday and we were eating inside the classroom. We both taking bites when our lips touched for the first time. That ran like a thunder bold through our body. We look at each other’s eyes and our body moved closer. There was no gap between our face her warm breath was touching mine I was able to feel her heart beating faster over my chest. She closed her eyes as my lips touched her. In a second we were kissing passionately our lips were fighting inside mouth to drink the saliva and teeth were biting lips softly. And at that time someone knocked the open door making us realized that we were in the classroom. We moved away and she covered her face. We were trembling with fear as our class teacher was standing before us.

He said,” Meet the principal in his chamber. I am calling you parents”.

We moved our shaking feet holding hands to the principal’s room. He was not angry as he didn’t knew the incident and asked us about our studies and other things. He appreciated me for being friend with her. Bu as our class teacher came inside and explained our did he become upset. In half an hour we were standing before our parents with head down. They both took side of their own keep and tried to make other as the culprit. They were not ready to listen to us. At last my father did a thing for which I am not able to excuse me till date was that he called some member of a saffron party member and intimidate her father to leave the city or they would harm his family. The discussion ended there no one asked for our answer. I was beaten with shoes, stick hand and whatever came to my father’s hand back at home. My mother tried to stop him but of no gain. He kept beating as I had done a heinous crime. But tear didn’t came from my eyes I kept looking at him like I was feeling nothing. One thing was going on inside my brain what would be happening with her in her house, where would they go and if not did my father would do what he had said in the office.

I didn’t slept that night and woke up early and ran to her home. A car was standing before their house and they had packed everything inside. Her father was pulling her inside the car while she was crying not to leave the city. She saw me from the side of the window. When the car started moving she opened the window and threw a paper towards me. I kept looking her till she vanished in the horizon. After she was gone I picked the paper and opened it. A picture of ours eating ice cream together and I love you was drawn on that. I smiled and putting that safely in my pocket ii came back home. My father was standing on the door and asked where I was gone and I said,” You have proven to be a good father. She is gone now”. Giving a smile I went inside and that was the last time I talked with him.

Completing my 10^th I got scholarship for study and went to Delhi. The amount was sufficient for me to survive and the prize money helped me to become financially independent. I kept my search for her but never heard her name again. And after nine years I was living alone for from my parents and city that took my love decided to never go back and with a dream in my eyes to found her.

The old memories brought tears to my eyes and I turned the television on to divert my mind. That was showing a live report on a communal riot and as the guy from the studio said a name who was on the spot to provide updates my eyes shined and I looked closely to the girl in a salwar and jeans holding a mike giving live information. Those eyes I could never forget it was her my love. I remember those kids from the morning and smiled. With a lots of happiness I drove towards the news office to meet her.

After waiting for six hours she came back exhausted but when the receptionist told her my name she ran to me and hugged. Tears flooded from our eyes we kept looking at each other.