A Royal Accident

Sunflowers

Ajabdeh followed Pratap who walked to a light yellow three-storey building near the Palace. "Meera Bai School'' was their first school. Pratap's grandfather had made it for the children of Surajgarh, mainly for those city-based people who came for work in Surajgarh and had to settle there. It was an English medium school providing education to the Royal Employees and also to the Princes, till they left for better places. Whatever little it provided, to them it was full of memories. He saw a smile curve her lips.

" School!" She exclaimed. " When did it become this big?"

" Papa introduced higher classes recently. With better facilities." He said.

" Can we go in?" She asked.

" Yes, that's why I brought you here, it's a Rainy day!" He shrugged as she smiled.

She opened the gate and walked into the open front space. She remembered it all like yesterday, that corner where she and Bhago shared mangoes on summer days, the spot where she used to bully boys, the corridors she used to run through, the classrooms where her mother left her crying when she was three. Pratap walked in to meet the Principal. The teachers had changed, but the place... Ajabdeh went and sat on the swing. They used to swing all through the break until the caretakers ran after them. She remembered how Chaks used to do Bhago's homework. That boy was surely in love. Her eyes travelled to where Pratap was standing. Flocked by the Principal and some other officials.

It was the same spot where a crowd of children had gathered. Bhago and Chaks exclaimed, " Kunwarsa, jaa rahe hai na, islie sabhi milne aa rahe..." 

" Jaa rahe hai?" Her swing stopped.

" Haan UK, Plane se jana padta hai!" Bhago was excited.

Ajabdeh ran away, from the swing, from the friends to her lonely corner. She spotted him behind this very pillar, flocked by the people, smiling. She didn't know why she felt like going and talking to him. She picked herself up and bravely walked up to him. His back was to her. She was about to call out when he walked away. She ran to the palace the next morning to find Ranima, but he was already gone. Why was the goodbye so important and left her feeling incomplete? She wondered.

These many years later, his posture and ways hadn't changed much, but from a snobbish spoilt kid, he had grown into a gentle human being. And Ajabdeh? She was still crazy. And confused. She swung the swing hard as he walked up to her when the people left.

" Don't swing that too hard, you are not five anymore and that is for kids, if you fall I won't pick you up!"

" You never noticed." She murmured.

" Excuse me?" He was clueless.

" You never noticed me. Bachpan mein." She got up from the swing and looked at the park her eyes twinkling.

" I hit a guy there! Punched him for teasing Bhago." She smiled.

" Pata hain." He nodded.

" Kaisa?" She asked surprised.

" Because when you picked up a fight, Chaks called me and I was standing right there behind you!" He said amused. "You never noticed."

" Why?" She frowned.

" Well in case he attacked back and you couldn't defend, god knows why Chaks thought you couldn't, I was there." She looked at him surprised, his eyes still fixed on the park.

" I guess you didn't like the girl who picked up fights." She shook her head.

" I liked one who could fight bravely for a friend." They looked at the park as Pratap was lost in memory.