Weird and Wonderful

Chapter 9

Year - 2011

Swasti reached the home. Her mother had not returned from office but Swasti did not notice it. She was excited by the new information she had found out about Rachit. Enough of reading poems and imagining about the poet! Now was the time for some action. Swasti had to find a way to enter the IIT-campus. But how could she enter the campus? Swasti was trying to find a way to enter into IIT when her father called her.

Irritated, she went. Swasti was irritated every time her father spoke to her. She felt that he had lost his right to speak to her after he had left her mother for his artistic pursuit.
“What?” Swasti asked her father. Her voice could barely hide her irritation.

“Come, sit here”, her father said. He had made his studio in the store room. There were paintings everywhere in the room. The sky blue walls of the room were stained with red, orange, yellow and violet colours. Swasti sat on the only chair in the room.

“I have to do my homework,” Swasti said, tapping the handle of the chair.

“I want just five minutes,” Swasti’s father said.

“OK.”

“Do you know why I left you and your mother to learn Kangra style of painting in Himachal Pradesh?” Swasti’s father said.

Because you have never cared for us-Swasti wanted to say this, but instead came out with a more
diplomatic answer, “I don’t know.”

“Because I trusted the love between me and your Mummy. I believed that even if everyone questioned my decision of leaving my job to pursue my passion, your Mummy would understand. I believed that she would never need any proof of my love for her and you. But I was wrong,” Swasti’s father said with a sigh.

Swasti remained quiet. She didn’t know what she should say.

“So now I have decided that I have tolerated enough insult at the hands of your mother. And it would be better for both of us to separate.”

‘What do you mean?” Swasti knew what her father meant but did not want to believe it.

“I am giving your Mummy divorce. I have been talking with lawyers and by the next month, the divorce papers will be ready,” Swasti’s father said.
Swasti could not think how to respond. She had always known that the relationship between her parents was far from being normal but divorce? It was still rare if not taboo in Kanpur. And what should Swasti do? It was not as easy as shown on  TV shows where children act as a bridge between their parents. In her heart, Swasti knew that her stingy comments had further deteriorated the relationship between her parents. Still she could not bring herself to mend the relationship of her parents because she could never forgive her father. Even if she could, she didn’t want to forgive her father.

Should she tell her mother about what her father told her? No, she could not increase her guilt quotient now. She should let her parents sort out the matter by themselves.

“He proposed me,” Kritika said as she, Ami and Swasti were sitting at the last bench of the classroom.

“Who?” Swasti said.

“Abhishek, you dumbo. Who else?” Ami said to Swasti, pushing her a little.

“Abhishek...” Swasti said, scratching her head, “But why did he propose you?”

“Due to the same reason because of which you are crazy over Rachit’s poem,” Ami said.

Swasti’s face was as red as cherries.

“Just think about it, Swasti. The flower of love has blossomed in both our lives at the same time. Now the only one left is Ami,” Kritika said.

“I am not interested in these things,” Ami said.

“Go on, Ami, tell us what is hidden in your heart. Blushing does not suit you,” Kritika said.

“Someone is speaking too much,” Ami said and hit Kritika with her water bottle.

“What is happening here?” It appeared that the entire class was under the effect of anaesthetic when Mr Singh’s voice boomed in the classroom.

“Nothing sir,” both Ami and Kritika said in unison.

“Hmm...I have checked your practical notebooks,” Singh sir said.

“Sakshi, here take your notebook.” A tall, thin girl went and took her practical notebook from Singh sir.

“Shivam.”

“Deepak.”

“Nikki.”

“And finally, Swasti,” Singh sir said, with his wicked smile, “So, Miss Swasti Khare, you call this piece of trash your practical notebook!”

“But what is the problem in it, Sir. Tell me and I will correct it,” Swasti queried innocently. . She was trying her best not to look scared of Singh sir but her courage was like a timid child who refuses to come out of the corner of her heart.

“The problem is, Miss Khare, that your practical notebook is the worst notebook I have seen in my entire teaching career,” Singh sir rebuked, “and I can’t let it to harm my reputation in front of the external examiner.”

Then Singh sir tore down the notebook. Swasti stood there watching it with tears in her eyes. Her entire hard work was a waste now. She looked around hoping that someone would support her but Ami and Kritika were trying not to look at their friend’s face. Deepak was smiling and other students were making fun of Swasti.

But Swasti was not a wimp. She looked at Singh sir and said, “No problem, sir. I will make another practical notebook so that you will not be able to find any fault in it.”

“We’ll see that, Miss Khare,” Singh Sir said, in an attempt to hide his hatred for the girl standing in front of him.

“Sure Sir,” Swasti said as she went back to her seat with her head held high. It was going to be a very difficult time for Swasti but each dark cloud has a silver lining. In spite of all the bad things happening, a shy hope whispered in Swasti’s heart- the hope of meeting Rachit.