This is not the End

Meet Ria

It is 2:00 am in the morning when Ria wakes up, drenched in sweat. She sits down and looks at her husband peacefully sleeping beside her. Relief washes over her as she realizes it was just a dream. She stands up and heads to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Almost finishing the entire bottle, she returns to bed, but her mind continues to dwell on the dream. Even though she has been married for 7 years and has a beautiful daughter named Suhani, the dream takes her back 10 years. Why? she wonders, consumed by guilt.

Every detail of that time remains fresh in her memory—the first day of her MBA class when her eyes met those of a tall, not-so-handsome boy. There was something in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat.

Ria was a studious girl, having attended an all-girls school. For her, being friends with boys or experiencing teenage romance was taboo. Coming from a middle-class family, with her father working as a bank clerk and her mother as a housewife, both her parents had made countless sacrifices for the future of their daughters. Ria also had a younger sister named Naina. Her sole dream was to fulfil her parents' expectations and make up for all the compromises they had made for her.

At the age of 21, after completing her graduation in engineering, Ria landed her first job with a decent salary. It was a significant milestone for her, as she embarked on an independent life outside her home. Four years of engineering had taught her valuable life lessons. Starting her first job, she had transformed into a confident woman, shedding her introverted nature. She had become strong, independent, and ambitious, ready to forge ahead in a new life where she made her own decisions. She met people from different parts of the country and formed wonderful friendships. However, this was just the beginning of her journey. She refused to settle for a decent job; her goal was to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible. When she received the opportunity to pursue her MBA at one of India's most prestigious business schools, it was a gateway to her dreams, and she embraced it wholeheartedly.

Once again, she felt nervous about leaving her friends, her job (which provided her financial independence), and moving to Mumbai to start a new chapter of her life. Due to a limited window after serving her notice period, she was one of the last students to enrol in the program.

She arrived on the campus at 5:00 am, just as the monsoon season had begun in Mumbai, bringing relief from the heat, although the humidity still lingered. The cloudy skies cast a darker hue over the morning, but thankfully, it wasn't raining, allowing Ria to easily transport her luggage to the hostel. Most of the other students had arrived three to four days earlier. Ria secured the last available room, unpacked her clothes, and started getting ready for her first day. By 8:00 am, dressed in a light green kurta and white churidar, she wanted to make a good impression. As she entered the breakfast area, she scanned the room in search of a familiar face. Her eyes locked with a guy from the senior batch, and she remembered him as the volunteer who had assisted her during the admission process. She waved at him, and he made his way toward her. Ria thought to herself, "Not a bad start."

"Ria, right?" Nishant said, extending his hand. "Yes, and you're Nishant, if I'm not mistaken," Ria replied, shaking his hand. "I'm impressed you remembered me."

Nishant flashed a charming smile and replied, "How can I not remember you",

"I will take it as a compliment" Ria said blushing.

Nishant: "By the way, we weren't sure if you would be joining."

Ria: "I don't understand."

Nishant: "We had an orientation for the junior batch yesterday, and you weren't there."

Ria: "Oh, now I get it. This is a long story, maybe for another day. But the short version is that I had to serve a long notice period, so I only arrived this morning."

Nishant: "You should have called the administration then."

Ria: "I was told today was the official start, and I was determined to make it, so I didn't think it was necessary."

Nishant: "Cool, you're here now, and that's what matters."

Nishant gave her a tour of the canteen, showing her the menu and sharing his opinions on the food quality. They waited in line together, got their breakfast of bread toast and idli sambar, and returned to their table. As they conversed, they discovered that they were both born and brought up in Jaipur. They explored their common connections and realized they knew a few people in common. Ria had some friends from her old job who were Nishant's classmates. Nishant had joined the MBA program directly, which is why he was in the senior batch. Nishant also provided Ria with more information about the campus and shared some dos and don'ts. They exchanged phone numbers, and Ria felt relieved and more confident now that she had found a friend to sit with in the cafeteria.

Nishant accompanied Ria to the administrative block to help her complete the enrolment process, and then he walked her to her classroom before bidding her good luck. As Ria entered the classroom, she felt a little nervous. She glanced around and spotted another girl. Surprisingly, the male-to-female ratio was quite imbalanced, with only 10% girls in the class. Ria approached the girl.

Ria: "Hi, I'm Ria. I just enrolled today."

Palak: "Hi, I'm Palak. Yes, we heard about you during the orientation yesterday. We thought you probably wouldn't join."

Ria: "I know, I'm a little late. I had a longer notice period to serve. I was actually working until yesterday evening."

Palak: "It's great that you made it. Anyway, today is the official first day."

Ria: "Can I sit next to you?"

Palak: "Yes, sure."

Ria settled down next to Palak in the first row of the auditorium-style classroom. As she turned around to scan the room, her eyes met with a guy wearing a chocolate brown check shirt and glasses. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Ria felt a rush in her heart before looking away.

The professor entered the class and began the roll call. Ria paid attention, eager to learn the names of her fellow students, but she also wanted to make sure she didn't miss one particular person. It was a long wait until she finally heard the roll number 55 being called out - Samar Ahir.