Last days

Chapter 4

I am lost in thoughts at the dinner table when dad asks," How's the preparation going?" I coughed. "Umm, yeah! It's going good" I managed to say. I had a flashback of Sister Angela's scolding.

I tried to focus on the math problem at hand. Integrating an equation with a bunch of ugly terms. I threw my pen to the side and closed the book in frustration. I opened my phone. Krish had texted.

"I won the bet bro! But I am concerned for you. Are you okay?"

Why would he ask that? I thought. I opened the class WhatsApp group. The results of the first round of mock tests were out. I open the pdf file and zoom in to my roll number (13).

Physics – 60

English – 84

Maths – 63

Chemistry – 73 (FUCK!)

I am screwed, Krish scored 75.

"Yeah, I am alright!"

"Meet me on the roof!"

***

Our building offered a stunning view of the Bandra-Worli sea-link from distance. We would often come here sometimes and spend the whole night talking and playing games on phone.

"So, the mighty and powerful have fallen." He said acting as if he was in some Shakespearean play. I just nodded to his theatrics.

"You know, I watched this video on quantum theories on youtube. There was the dope thing they said. In the quantum realm, if a wall is enough an electron can go through it, without breaking the wall."

"You are into physics?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, the point is there is some probability that we can go through walls."

"Well, that's cool I guess."

"Yeah, even I don't know if whatever I said is 100% accurate." He said and we laughed. And then we talked about how the school has been fun for the last five years. We remembered our pranks, our punishments, our glories, our defeats. The days when we hated school and just wanted the day to end, and the days when we couldn't get enough of it. We laughed together remembering our punishments and felt thrilled remembering our cricket matches.

"I have something to tell you," He said looking far into Mumbai's Skyline. " I am going to Japan, after high school."

"What?" WHAT? "Are you messing with me?" I said. He smiled and then laughed. He was being serious.

"How man? Why?" I fumbled as I said.

He turned to me, "I have been digging Physics a lot recently. Remember when we were kids and after watching star trek, I was like I want to be in space?" I nodded. " I feel like that dream never really died. I wanted to play cricket for India, I wanted to become a soldier, and I wanted to become a Rajnikant once too. All of those dreams faded, But the dream to go into the space stuck. If 3 feet Krish was brave enough to look at the stars and was brave enough to go for them, I guess this 6 feet Krish must leave up to his standards." I stood there speechless. We grew up together I never thought I one day we would be growing apart. That one day I will hear Krish Walia talk with maturity.

I gave him a bear hug, even though I am not a hug guy. "Boy, don't you sound like a responsible adult." and we laughed.

"Go see her tomorrow, it's Saturday. We all have a holiday."

"I am not sure about that man."

He shook his head and said, "I am not having that, we had a bet! Everyone is moving ahead, after six months no one knows where will they end up. I don't want you to stay stuck in one place."

He didn't say but it did sound like it was his last wish, something he wanted me to do before he leaves. Before he moves on.

"Alright! I'll tell her tomorrow."

That cheered him up and we talked more for a while, under the stars he wished to reach someday. 

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Hola Amigos❤️! let's get this boy his girl!