Crack The Job

4- Feelings Revisited

Siddharth

Everything seemed messy. Payal made my heart beat once again like my younger self. Seven years... it's been seven years since that day but still, that day stays fresh in my memory. 

I sometimes hope how great it would be to forget those memories. Then, at times, I feel glad that I didn't completely forget those times; the times when I was so in love, happy to watch her from afar. 

It wasn't all bad. I had found my love. First love.

The day remains vivid in my memory. Our college was located in the middle of the city. The boys' dorms were a hundred metres away from the girls and our hostel meal provider would bring us the meal. 

Hostel food wasn't preferable at all. That same roti and sabji dish would be repeated and if we complained, they would change it to rice, dal and half-boiled eggs. On Sundays however, we were free to choose our favourite meal out of three combinations. 

"Man, I am ordering chicken today!" Abhiraj shouted, jumping up on the bed with excitement. 

"And I am not paying for that!" I announced, slumping back in my chair. "I... don't have money." I buried my head inside my books, waiting for the accountancy book to just take me into their world. I didn't know why I wished for that terrible nightmare. 

"Ah... your dad really cancelled your card? Wow, you should make up with him already." He threw his hands up in the air.

I just sighed when Sanjay looked up from his copy. "My treat guys. Let's get chicken!" 

Sanjay was in a good mood after scoring the best mark in the semester. At last, we dialled up the number to order our dinner. "Chicken meal— three." 

"What?" The man shouted from the other side. 

"Three chicken meals — Hostel B, room 306," Abhiraj screamed just to make sure he heard. 

While we sat in our room, waiting for our dinner, the doorbell rang. Abhiraj ran to the door, excited to get his chicken order. I swear he could go crazy over food. 

He picked up the food packet, somewhat giving an odd look at the packet then turning to us, he said, "What is this? It's not chicken." Sanjay and I rose from our seats. We opened the packet to find two paneer dishes with one egg meal.

It felt like we just got cheated. It was like we had been biting on a luscious fruit and suddenly discovered it to be a water balloon, exploding over our faces, only to leave us drenched like clowns. The cheating felt on a personal level. 

"What a joke!" Abhiraj exploded. He heard the phone ring and ran across it, fully sure to explode on the dialer. But he never did that.

"...Oh really? Gosh, it's okay. Yeah okay. You are coming? Oh, you are sending your friend. Okay, thank you so much. Ah, thanks." His voice softened as he chirped goodbye to the caller happily. 

"Such a sweet girl," he murmured, giggling like a stupid fool. He noticed our confused, questioning glances and replied, "Ah, our food got swapped. A girl from Hostel A will be coming..." he paused when he realised. "A girl is coming!" He shouted. 

Girls aren't supposed to be in the boy's hostel. Something that need not be told to anyone. Soon enough, the bell rang. Abhiraj and Sanjay were fast enough to put on a decent shirt.

I opened the door to meet my eyes with the most beautiful girl. Her entrance, of course, brought about chaos— the hostel had turned into a whirlwind of spilt drinks, mismatched socks, curious peeks and door slams. They were all gathered to see the water angel amid the desert.