Weird and Wonderful

Chapter-11

YEAR - 2011

Kritika was not wrong. Next day, their Maths Sir at coaching announced that there was going to be alumni meet next week for 2008 batch students who cracked JEE exam and Rachit was among the 2008 batch students who had cracked JEE.

Finally the day for which Swasti had been waiting had arrived. Finally she would meet Rachit. Swasti could not believe her luck. But what if she was disappointed again? What if Rachit had decided not to come at the alumni meet? What would she do then?
“Be positive Swasti!”  Swasti told herself and she took deep breath. She could not let the negative thoughts ruin her dream day. So she decided to divert her mind from her fear by thinking about what she should wear for the occasion. Should she wear her red top with black jeans? Everyone says that she looks pretty in it. But the idea didn’t appeal to her mind. She wanted to look real in front of Rachit, not pretty. So she decided to wear her simple brown coloured top with blue jeans.

But Kritika and Ami had different thoughts about this matter so they were dressed up for the alumni meet. “After all, we want to look good in front of our Jijaji,” Ami said. The coaching hall was full with students. Everyone was curious to meet the IITians as they were at the position where each student in the coaching class aspired to reach. Some serious students had even brought a list of questions with them which they would ask the ex-students. But Swasti, Ami and Kritika had different concerns. Kritika had even ditched her boyfriend Abhishek, who had also brought a list of questions to ask, to be with Swasti.

The entire class became silent as Mathsir announced over the mike, “Welcome the pride of our coaching, the 2008 batch students who have made it to the IITs.” The entire hall thundered with applause.

It appeared to Swasti as if her heart had stopped beating. But as the moment of anticipation was arriving, Swasti felt that the hope in her heart was being replaced by a strange fear. What if Rachit already was in love with a girl with unseen beauty and unmatched wits? Though it was burning month of May, her fingers were trembling. The forceful air pouring from fan was slapping her face with harsh reality that she would get rejected from the eternal gift of love. Her own breath was choking her and her heart was beating her soul to death. She spoke in some meaningless language which she herself could not decipher. It seemed as if she had lost strength to walk, stand,sit or more appropriately to live. "I have to be alive, at least until I see Rachit in person before me and hear his voice," Swasti motivated her heart wounded by dagger of fear of rejection.

“Everyone has arrived. Where is Rachit?” Kritika said.

“Come, let’s ask,” Ami said, pointing towards the IITians sitting at the front row.

“But whom will we ask? We don’t even know anyone there,” Kritika said.

“Rachit is not amongst them,” Swasti said.

“But how can you say that, Swasti? You don’t even know how Rachit looks like,” Kritika said. She was   worried.

“I may not have seen Rachit before but I can feel that Rachit has not come,” Swasti said, trying to compose herself.

“Maybe he is late. Don’t worry, Swasti, he will come,” Ami consoled, putting her hand on Swasti’s shoulder. One hour had passed but no one came.
As soon as sir announced snacks break, Kritika held  Swasti’s hand and said, “Come with me. Let’s ask why Rachit has not come.” Swasti went with her as a child who is dragged by her mother against her wish. She did not want to know why Rachit had not come. She didn’t want to accept that Rachit had not come.

“Excuse me,” Kritika said to a boy sitting on a chair with sticker IIT Kanpur, “Do you know Rachit?”
The boy looked at Kritika and Swasti for a minute, then he said, “By Rachit do you mean Rachit Chauhan of Computer Science branch?”

“Yes, yes,” Swasti said, “We want to know about Rachit Chauhan of Computer Science branch.”

“Don’t you know,” the boy said, “That Rachit Chauhan died in a drowning accident three years ago?”

Kritika did not know how to react. At first she thought that she had misheard what the boy said. But seeing the grave expression on his face, the chances of it were rather slim. She looked at Swasti, not knowing how she would console her best friend. But Swasti was abnormally calm.

“Thanks,” she said to the boy and went back to Ami.

“What happened?” Ami said. She was not able to hide her curiosity. Kritika motioned her to keep quite. But Ami had not understood it.

“Where is Rachit? What did that boy say about him?” Ami said.

“Ami, please shut up,” Kritika said.

“Why are you not telling me anything?”

“That boy said that Rachit is dead,” Swasti finally spoke.

“What do you mean, Swasti? Just because he had not come at alumni meet does not mean that you should lose hope. You will meet him one day,” Ami said. She was thinking that Swasti was frustrated because Rachit had not come.

“That day is never going to come, Ami. Our Swasti will never meet her love. Rachit is never going to come,” Kritika was about to lose her temper. She was not able to bear the hopelessness of the situation.

But Swasti was not crying. Actually, she was feeling nothing. She was surprised at her own indifference. The fact that Rachit was dead was only a piece of information for her brain; her heart was untouched by its impact. She looked around her. Her batch mates were pestering the ex-students of the coaching for tips to crack JEE. It was a normal day for everyone. It would have been a normal day for Swasti if she had not known that the boy she had loved was dead. But it was not the day which changed Swasti’s life completely; that fateful day was yet to come.

So please tell me what you feel about this story? Are you liking it? What do you think will happen next?