Today early the bus stopped the lane that lead to my
home. For the time I was here, roads were muddy and filthy but today I saw everything so
organized. Roads were pitched and trees along roadside added to the beauty of
this place. I wanted to throw away noodles wrapper from last night and
just then saw hoarding board saying throwing things haphazardly is inhuman. I
smiled to it and put it in my own bag.Though
place changed, people I saw now are unfamiliar, the flash back of moments I spent
here still conquered the hundreds of goodwill this place had today. This place had records of early ages and adolescence of my life. I remember the cold misty
days of this place, we girls on woolen hats, gloves and cold nose used to
go to the school. The smell of firewood that rose from firewood every morning,
children dressed ragged playing on the roads and the women lining up for
selling milk in nearby dairy are some i still remember. Perhaps I was missing bucolic lifestyle of
this place which had turned to a big municipality now with no small huts,
people burning firewood and doing works of field. Thought struck my mind if I
were on jeans which I used to deny so much those days, how could I expect the
place to go as it was in the past. Isn’t it old fashioned to think that we
wish for ourselves to be modern but we made our memory recall only old things to be good.
On the remaining five minutes to home I was left in deep silence seeing the
home of Dinesh. Certainly I would not be left unmoved but the thing
that amazed me was on seeing liveliness of home. The house used to look filthy, full of cobwebs
and locked from years every time I used to pass this way. It used to a dream
house for must of us those days. The house had beautiful interiors, well equipped
furniture and the major attraction was evergreen garden it had. I gazed it
constantly until Ranjita came intentionally to knock against me so hard. I felt
like my heart would spring out. She said that nobody could bet the gracefulness
of that house that night. She even informed that the family had returned
hometown. In nervousness that was hard to handle I asked if Dinesh had also
came for the festival. Hearing no from her I relaxed myself to pull down my
elevated nervousness. Because it was Deepawali, the home was clean and
full of lights. Mom was busy in making selrotis and rarely gave a glance of
her to me. Father wanted me to talk but I refused and aware sisters not
to mock around. I knew he wanted to ask me about Sumit with whom I was on a
courtship since few months. I knew I would be questioned round by round to know my decision about getting married. I was pretending of sleeping on bed but I was on a thorough thinking
of doing what on every questions that would tumble over me. The two nagging sisters
again fell on me, telling me to rise up. Grandpa yelled out aloud at them
and they escaped away to free me off their nagging. I forgot my fictitious sleep and peeped out through the window. The cold and dark night was enlightened
to incandescence by lights illuminated at Dinesh’s house. It seemed like
illumination added to the glory of that beautiful house which it was yearning
for years. Today, getting marriage has been a compulsion for me to fall
for some responsibility in life. But I didn't not feel something like love in this courtship. I felt if I
had genuinely allowed love in life at that early age but side by side this thing
equally triggered my head whether or not it would have existed till this date.
I still remember the first day we met, mummy
was milking cow early morning and I was in kitchen with the burnt woods and
smoke all around. I heard Ratan’s Uncle calling on my father while i coughed frequently to let know that somebody was inside. Two people entered the smoky room. To clear my vision I turned backside to wipe my eyes. Before me was Dinesh. The charmness I saw noticeably on him made me still for a while. I noticed how well dressed he was. Meanwhile I became cautious of smoky smell from my dull dress. I had heard
people talking about Ramesh uncle who was a government officer and had been in
Bhairahawa for so long. Lately he had been transferred to his own place to
where he came along with family. Dinesh was youngest child of his. He had been
admitted to our school and Ramesh uncle was there to request me to go along
with him and help in his study during initial days of school. I promptly accepted
his request. The days passed on as usual. Days were getting colder and mistier.
I had nothing to speak with an unusual boy as I was some kind reserved girl to
boys. Even Dinesh seemed calmer with me while he turned out to be a talkative guy with others in school and was leader in class in no time. Those days, mom used to be often busy caring and
rearing animals. My two little sisters were in lower kinder garden. Reading and
studying were on own place but I had to set time differently for kitchen
chores; cooking, washing and fetching water from nearby well. During winter we
would burn firewood for warmth. Because of firewood I used to be late for
school so often. Sometimes I used to meet Dinesh with football team some of who
were school companions while fetching water in gagris. They would
epithet me calling Phulmaya. Dinesh used to seemed smiling and whispering
them not to epithet me. Sometimes I used to feel comfortable with this silent friendship with Dinesh. He seemed alert when it came to me while he seemed
mocking other girls at school. I used to feel he was cautious of me because of his father who linked us directly with the intend of friendship and neighborhood. To me he was
quite extrovert and outspoken guy.
One day Sarita announced birthday party in her
home that evening after school. All girls and guys gathered her home that day.
After fetching water and feeding my sisters, I put on my white umbrella
kurtha. It seemed unpressed but in hurry I didn't care about it. While lining up for dinner, Sandesh behind me laughed out loud
pointing out a mark in my back. Everybody got alert and looked around me. Oops! The blue ink
was spelled all around my back. I bowed my head with shame that I just did not
happen to see this even for a while at home. Boys waited for no seconds and
filled the room with belly laugh. They used to epithet me already a lot and now
this encouraged them to overdo further. Nervousness and shame hit my conscience
so hard that I waited no longer to be there and ran away to home. I cried all the
way, ate nothing and even did not tell mummy and daddy reason I was crying so
hard because of. Two days following that incident I did not went to school.
Before ending of second day, Sarita phoned me. I denied to speak but she was
eagerly wanting to tell me what happened after I left. She said that Dinesh quarreled with Sandesh after party for making me feel insulted. The
following days when boys questioned him for the reason he fought, he was
unanswerable and quiet. This astonished me like nothing that time. The coming
day I went school but did not see him there. On the way to my home, I found Dinesh.
Grandpa was on attempt of noticing what we would talk. He just handed me the
notebook that was of Sarita’s for the things I missed in my absence and went
away. On opening it up I found a letter by him where he had written. "You are beautiful enough to look beautiful. Please take care about not messing up yourself. Don't let people speak on you.". This note inspired me a lot that the day from then to
today I care about my look and not messing up myself before others. This was such a worth thing
that someone had written and complimented me so far. The class started murmuring
of love blossoming between us. I never hesitated his stares on me, his willingness to
speak to me, calling me on phone anytime he needed. I even started liking every coincidence that was going; like the first glance we hit upon each other, an unintentional setting for school together and even the face to face encounter felt good to notice. Everything was on silent
mode but noticeable to each other. He even wrote that he would preserve my delicateness for which he adored me so much. I got aware of his care and concerns for me but stayed up in pending for
myself thinking what it was I felt for him. I never denied to accept letters from him
but never wrote one to him. I used to gaze out of window when it was time he
set for football practice by my way. Days passed on like this. We never talk so promptly also. There was nothing like confession of love but these days i feel it was love we used to feel for our friendship. Dinesh turn inconvincible even today about this saying that it was unconfessed and unrequited love. Sarita used to aware me to not
accept any letters and notes from him. Though he was good to see and treating
me well, he had several bad habits, she urged. One day when we got to school,
there was parents' meeting because Dinesh along with team quarreled with
another football team intoxicated. The whole football team was
suspended from school for several days. On hearing something like this about
Dinesh, i felt like the ground i based on turned upside down. I remembered how I quarreled once with my parents making issue about grandpaa’s alcohol habits. I don't understand now what on blame on, my teen age or other else but I distinctly cut a line in my understanding that time that the thing considered bad was dangerously bad.
This early intoxication about Dinesh's gave me a clear reason to
avert away off him whether it was for friendship sake or others'. That day afterward I never smiled to him and valued him that I used to. The whole one year
following that incident he kept on his attempt to renew things with me. That time i remained in aghast if he would hurt me for getting averted in between. I saw him annoyed and
irritated because of my silence. He
never stopped to follow me and wait me on the way. I also kept on warning him harshly when he used to come for renewing things with me. Year passed on and we completed our lower
secondary study. After three years of settling there, his father got
transferred to Kathmandu. By the time he left, he gave all my belongings like
the essay I wrote which was ranked first on women empowerment, my painting and ink pen that he once borrowed. Those days I hardly had friends because I was so specific in my character. Everyone would chant
‘The Great I’ and in parallel mock me at my back. I laughed recalling the old version me. I was A-one in study.
Along with doing study and work with due perseverance, I was bound with so much rules for myself and also for that one who wanted to be in my company. I could never see people littering in class.
Even Dinesh used to put wrapper in his pockets after getting familiar with my
habits those days. Perhaps his character defamed so awfully before me that it
never rose again though he left away some day.
That day onward we never knew about each other until the time he told a friend to inform me about him leaving aboard for study. Gradually my study completed. Many happening came across in this long time. I learn to familiarize myself with
people and came to lessen myself off complete goodness or badness i used to live with. Today i listen to people, better not judge them by one thing and try to feel their realization for bad they do. I realized none is virtuous or villainous in one point, there are many things unexplained, incomplete and
undiscovered as well as there are so many perceptions and perspectives that
come along. Likewise were things between Dinesh and I. I put only mine perception so rigidly that i denied to accept that he was sorry and was himself affected because of my rudeness. Well, what defines me today
is much more familiar nature with people, good defender with my points in front of people and the
one that have a lot of friends. Going out, drinking alcohol and hanging out with friends are the things i take normally these days. Well, I am good friend to Dinesh
once again. He just laughed so hard the day he knew about my drinking habit and even said he had not smelt alcohol there onward. He
told me that if I had not been fearful about things and forgiven the mistake he
had once committed, today we would have much better to say about ourselves. In reply to this I said if
I had not forgiven him he would not had seen struggles in his life and would
chase after love that would never take his career to that apogee of success. I
too have learnt many things for myself. I feel I am on verse of getting less reserved,
more familiar and even more optimistic for my life. This is also a success
to me, isn’t it? I want to find the best version
of myself in days to come. To that memory of unrequited love, today we smile and counsel ourselves saying sometimes things happen for good time to commence. And sometimes
bad things come along because with it ending up, again good thing is to
commence. The ultimate thing is to find happiness in life.