UNROMANTIC

Chapter10:A weird little secret

Kaveri Iyer
15th April 2024

The day has finally arrived which I've been eagerly waiting. Ever since I've married, most of the time I've been staying at home engaging with the househould stuffs and all.But today I'm gonna attend my first day of work at the college.Actually, I'm thrilled and excited about this new journey of my life as I've never worked at a college before.I was working as a counsellor at a mental health awareness centre.It doesn't mean that I have never got to meet with students,it's just that it's my first time working at a college.I've dealed with the mental wellness of many students too at the centre I've worked before.

It's 8:15 in the morning when I take off for work.Back in my college days,Dad once taught me to drive and I drove once where I got a minor accident,since that day I'm always reluctant to drive so driving myself to college is not an option here. Nandhini wants to drop me at the college but our ways are in opposite directions so I tell her not to worry about me and leave first. Veer hasn't been coming home since yesterday as he's spent the night there. Akash have different work timing with mine so I don't bother him and just take the college bus.The bus stop is just 500m away from home,so it takes about 10 minutes to reach there when I walk on foot.The bus arrives at 8:30a.m. at the stop and it takes fourty five minutes to reach the college.

College starts at 9:30 a.m. and I reach there fifteen minutes earlier.When I reach there and enter the gate my mind speaks,'Woah! The campus is so big and beautiful.Feels like a big palace that we see in the movie!' Then I ask someone around, the way to the principle's room and go straight there to report my first attendance to the college.I open the door and declare,'Excuse me,Sir.' A middle aged man with a big round spectacles raises his head to the direction of my voice and stares at my presence for a while and replies,'Oh! Come in,sorry I get distracted with something.You must be the new counsellor,Ms.Bhatti has appointed,right?'

'You're right,Sir' I reply.Then he calls someone to bring two cups of coffee and continue talking,'I've heard a lot about you from Ms.Bhatti and I hope you'll be contributing well in bringing the mental wellness of the students here.I'm handing over the task with full trust.' I ensure him that I'll do my best to fulfill his wishes.The coffee arrives in few minutes and after having it I leave the room.I learn from him that the teacher's room is located on the floor just below this one.He's also told me that the counselling room is just next to the teacher's room and I'll be dwelling there from today onwards.As I walk down the stairs I can clearly see the field from the window and it's filled with a bunch of students unlike that time when I first take the stairs to the principal's room.

I walk towards the counselling room and put down my bag on the clean desk shining at the centre of the room under the ceiling fan.There's also a giant window facing opposite to the door with a white curtain.I walk towards the window and open it to let the sunlight in.I can see a far view of the college ground filled with soft green grass.The trees and the plants growing in the campus are the clear proof that it's springtime covering the whole campus with their green leaves and spring blossoms.Then I roam around the room and find out a book self standing behind the desk.I can see some books there.Maybe the former counsellor left it.

After checking out the room I go to the teacher's room.It's one large room where there are different sections divided according to the departments they are teaching.I have greeted the teachers of all sections and they all give me a warm welcome.One English teacher named Preety adds my number to teacher's whatsapp group and to help me access the informations about the college.Unlike other teachers I have to just sit at my room and deal with students' mental health whenever required so my schedules are not that tight.When I come back to my room and open the door,a girl with braided hair is there standing in front of the bookshelf.

She startles at my presence and tries to run away.I stop her and asks her what was she doing here.She looks too frightened,so barely can utter.I give her a chair to sit down and tell her to cool down,offering her a water bottle.After a few minutes, I ask again about the reason of her being in the room.She then replies that she's gere to meet me to get a mental counselling on exam pressures.

'Oo is that why?But I'm not doing counselling today as it's my first day.Would we just go out to watch a movie?'I tell her jokingly.She just gives me a surprised look and replies,'Huh?'
I smile and tell her that I'm joking.Then I start asking questions about her problems.Based on the answers she has given me so far,it doesn't seem like she has mental issues so I jist give her some advices.She suddenly gets up after checking on her wrist watch and exclaims,'Oh,no!It's already time for my class.Sorry,Ma'am I have to go now.'
She hurriedly runs away.

I even don't get the chance to tell her to come again if she's any problem regarding her mental health.I relax myself on the chair and start looking around and the bookshelf catches my eyes.I go to the place where she was standing and scan the bookshelf through my eyes.There a notebook with a beautiful lanscape on it's cover grabs my attention.

'Wow!That's cool' - spills out of my mouth unconciously.I pick it out and walk towards the table to check it out.When I open the cover,there are drawing sketches all over the page displaying like a comic.The difference is there are no colours in the drawing and no dialoques there like that of the ones in comics.But from the sketches I can understand a little what they want to potray.It seems like a story of a girl having a crush on a boy but cannot confess it.She's secretly following the boy around.

On the next page,it's displaying the scences of some group of boys bullying the boy she likes.I turn the page with curiosity to find out what happens next.
There I see a scene of the boy hanged himself in a room and a lot of people are finding it out after his death.It's just some drawings but looking at it gives me chills inside me,an undefinable mixed feeling.I turn the next page but it's all blank.I check the other pages too but they are all blank.I take a deep sigh and close the notebook.

Suddenly I hear a knock from the door.I get up and walk towards the door to open it.When I open the door,there stands a tall lady.

She announces, 'Excuse me,Can I get something from the room which I forgot to bring with me last time?Ah..I am the former counselor and I used this room before.'

'Oo!Okay,Okay, feel free to get what you want' I invite her inside the room.Then she starts to look around and places are eyes on the table saying,'Oh,it's there.'She picks up the notebook from earlier and start asking me,'Did you by any chance look at the pictures inside?'

I reply with a confused face,'Huh?Aah...
That notebook? Yes,I have just finished looking at it.Is that yours?If so,you draw really well.The drawings are so good,it gave me chills!'

'Rea..lly..? Actually they are not mine,it belongs to my niece.She's got a good talent on it but the problem is her parents didn't allow her to study fine arts and enroll in this college to study Science. She was stressed out because of the pressures of her parents' expection.It might be because of her stress,she started to draw weird things like violences and deaths.So I persauded her parents to let her study fine arts and they'd agreed it after a lot of discussions.But when I tell her to enroll in a new college to study fine arts as there is no course for it in thos college,she refused and told that she wanted to continue studying here.'She narrates.

She asks me a favour to look after the girl on her stead .She has written the name of the girl and the department she's studying on a piece of paper and give it to me to let me identify later.She tells me to keep it a secret about our meeting and talking today from her niece.Then she leaves the room bidding me goodbye.