THE LADY IN THE RAIN

HER MESMERIZING EYES

Ting tong!
The doorbell rings. Vani goes and opens the door. The sun is about to set within an hour. The clock is speaking 5:30 p.m.
‘Good evening, Auntie!’
‘Good evening, Auntie!’
Say a boy and a girl of Ritwik 's age.
The girl is wearing a red sweatshirt and jeans. She has golden locks till her shoulders. She looks like a sweet and a cute child of eight.
The boy is dressed in a shirt, jacket and casual jeans. He also has light moustache on his face like Ritwik . He has curly hairs.
Vani gives a gentle smile to them.
‘Come inside, Pri is in upstairs.’
‘How come aunty you didn’t address Pri as Fuchu today?’ Rubel giggles and says.
‘Well, he is upset about that with me. That’s why I won’t repeat it!’
‘What are you both doing now?’ Ritwik  says coming down from the stairs.
‘Are you out of your nuts? What are we doing here? Gone crazy or what?’ Rubel smirks.
‘What do you mean?’ Ritwik  looks questioningly at him.
‘Idiot, it’s 5:30 now,’ informs Pihu.
Ritwik  looks at the clock in the living room. He is shocked.
‘We’ve planned for badminton, remember?’ asks Rubel.
‘Yep! I am coming with my racket. Wait!’
He goes into his room.
                              **************
The three are walking on the footpath with badminton bags on their shoulders.
‘Rubel, why did you decide to play in the park? We always prefer the badminton court, no?’  asks Pihu.
‘Well...’
He clasps his fingers and blushes.
‘What happened?’
‘Actually...Raima is coming.’
Both Ritwik  and Pihu look shockingly at Rubel.
‘Are you into that sicko?’ asks Ritwik  shockingly.
‘That’s so rude, Pri. She’s gorgeous as heaven. You won’t understand that because you don’t know to love and respect anyone except yourself.’
Ritwik  well understands the taunt from Rubel. That morning he rejected three proposals in a row saying that they are unworthy of him. They don’t deserve him. He has always been rude to every girl except Pihu,  because she is his best friend. He always carries a bossy attitude with him. He thinks himself to be the best in the entire universe.
‘Thanks for reminding me about Shaheen, Mallika and Ishita. I am not a fool, okay? I well understood that you taunted me for this morning.’
‘Good for you! Pri, I am not actually taunting you. I am trying to open your eyes. Don’t be so overconfident about yourself. Open your eyes. You’re not realizing but you are gradually losing all your admirers and loved ones. Only because of your attitude, except me and Pihu, nobody is interested to talk to you in the class.’
‘As if I care!’ Ritwik  smirks.
‘Fools are always like that. It is right said that advice is seldom welcomed. Those who need it least welcome it,’ lectures Rubel.
‘Fine! If I am such an asshole and a fool, then stay away from me you both. I am leaving both of you in your own terms. It is better to be alone than having a company like you guys.’
He turns and angrily walks away. Rubel and Pihu keep on looking at him shockingly till he vanishes from their sights.
‘What was the need for all these, Rubel? Pri is already upset about his Tham's demise. He is in a deep state of shock and grief. He has always loved his grandmother dearly. Don’t you think that we must understand his situation and be with him in this hour of grief and loneliness?’ questions Pihu.
‘I am not interested, Pihu. That ass is worth of it. He is so rude and arrogant these days. He may be the most handsome, the most intelligent and the smartest guy of our school. But it doesn’t mean that he will behave like this. He is letting his ego and impulsiveness to come in between every relationship. He will regret this someday when no one will be there with him, not even his family.’
He walks away. Pihu stands there, confused.
                             ************
Ritwik  stops before a confectionary shop. He goes inside and asks for one Cola. He looks here and there. Suddenly, his eyes fall on the same lady whom he saw for the first time that day. He feels the butterflies in his stomach. She is wearing a black and white fusion long frock. She enters the shop.
‘Excuse me! Two pastries and two mango juice bottles, please,’  she asks the shopkeeper.
Ritwik  suddenly remembers his grandmother’s voice. She exactly sounded like that lady,  sweet and melodious. Ritwik  could not take his eyes off her. He keeps on observing her. Her lip movements, her standing posture, her eyes, her whole body from top to bottom and so on. Her eyes were too mesmerizing. He just couldn’t resist himself from looking at her.
The lady catches Ritwik  red-handed. She gives a smile to him and extends her right hand to him. He extends his left hand and they share a handshake.
‘Hi, I am Veronica. And you?’ she asks.
‘P...Ritwik .’
His hands and legs are shaking tremendously due to nervousness. His heart rate is pacing too fast. It is fully out of his control now.
‘Which school and class?’ she asks.
‘St. Arnold’s, class XI.’
‘Wow! Nice! Actually I will be joining there from tomorrow onwards.’
Hearing this, Ritwik  is on cloud nine. He never expected his crush to end up in his school.
‘Are you serious?’ he enthusiastically asks. Veronica notices that enthusiasm and smiles.
‘Yes. I guess you liked me a lot,’ she raises her eyebrows and asks.
‘Umm...well...you seemed quite friendly.  We have stocks of fucking snobbish teachers in our school. And they are too...’
Ritwik  stops. He is cursing himself due to the word that slipped from his mouth just now. He looks at Veronica with eyes full of terror. He accepts her furious reaction on him. But he is disheartened by the fact that she will now have a bad image of him on her mind. She is looking surprisingly at him.
‘I am...actually...it just...’ he hesitates.
Veronica pats on his shoulder and laughs.
‘Don’t be scared, kiddo. It’s okay. Even I was also like you at your age,’ she tells him.
He feels relieved now. His negative thoughts didn’t turned into the reality. He smiles on this account.
‘Which subject are you gonna teach us?’ Ritwik  asks.
‘Mathematics- the scariest nightmare of a student.’
Ritwik  nods. But he never feared mathematics. He is a genius in that subject. He never scored below 95% in mathematics.
‘Ma’am your items,’ the shopkeeper says.
‘Yeah!’
The shopkeeper hands over her the items. She pays the bill.
‘So, see you tomorrow at school!’
‘Yep!’
‘So, bye!’
‘Bye!’
She takes her things and walks away.
‘New crush, huh ?’ the shopkeeper teases.
Ritwik  blushes.
‘Prithvi, isn’t she beautiful?’ Ritwik  asks.
‘Superbly hot man! Her perfect bosoms and butt filled my mind with the dirtiest of the dirtiest fantasies. I think she is new here. I am seeing her for the first time.’
‘Hmm.’
‘You’re lucky man!’
‘I know,’ he winks to him.
‘How is Rubel doing? I mean both Pihu and Rubel?’
‘I know, right?’ he gives a naughty smile.
Prithvi looks down and blushes.
‘They’re fine,’ Ritwik  says.
Prithvi and Ritwik  studied in the same school few years back. Prithvi is three years senior to him. He would often substitute for his father in the shop.
‘My Cola?’
Prithvi gives him the Cola.
‘Okay, see ya!’ Ritwik  says.
He notices Veronica’s phone on the shop table. He finds this as the best opportunity to see her again for the third time in the same day. He picks up the phone and silently walks away. Prithvi doesn’t notice him as he is busy with other customers.