30 TEENAGE STORIES

Chasing A Dream Ramendra Kumar

"Has Priya not come home as yet?" Surya asked, depositing his bag in the cramped drawing-cumdining-room of his tiny two bedroom flat. He had just returned from work. He was a cashier in the State Bank of Hyderabad, while his wife, Sharada, a lab assistant in Reddy College for Women. Their daughter, Priya, was a Class X student in Saint Anne's School. They lived in Vidyanagar, while Priya's school was in Tarnaka around six kilometres away. There was a direct bus from Priya's school to Vidyanagar.

"She should have been here by 4.30. It is 5.30 now and she still has not come," Sharada replied. Sharada's college closed at 3.00 and she was usually back home by 4.00 p.m.

"Yesterday too she was late."

"In fact, since the last few weeks she has been coming home late."

"Did you ask her?" "Yes, I did, last week."

"What did she say?"

"She mumbled something about spending time with her best friend, then she kept quiet. You know she is not very forthcoming. If I ask her too many questions she just clams up or bursts into tears. Sometimes when I talk to her I get the impression I am conversing with a stranger, not my own daughter."

"I know she is a difficult child. But should we at least not know what she is up to? I...I hope it has nothing to do with some boy... You know at this age..."

"No, I do not think our Priya would get involved in that sort of thing.

" Priya was to appear for the Class X examination in April the next year. This was the month of July and her studies had started in real earnest. Morning six to eight she went for Maths and Physics tuition, and in the evening seven to eight for Chemistry.

The next day, Surya happened to discuss Priya's strange behaviour with his colleague, Durga, who too had a teenaged daughter. Durga was a despatch assistant in the same bank.

"Surya, you should not take it so lightly. With teenagers one can't really say anything. One never knows what they are up to."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Why do you not confront her?"

"She will simply clam up and withdraw into a shell. I am worried what her reaction will be if she knows that we are even remotely suspicious of her activities. With so many youngsters running away from home at the smallest pretext and news of teenaged suicides appearing in the newspapers almost everyday, frankly, I am scared. You know, with both of us working, Priya is left alone in the house quite a bit. What goes on in her mind only she knows. I would not like to probe too deeply and upset her. All we know she may just be going to her friend's house for some combined study."

"I have an idea. My brother, Ajay, works in a Detective Agency. I will tell him. I am sure he will agree to follow her. Since Priya does not know him, she will not get suspicious. Moreover, it will all be done in strict confidence."

Surya kept silent for a while, finally he spoke. "I think it is a good idea. How do we get started?" "I will talk to my brother and let you know."

Two days later, on Monday, 'Operation Shadow' had begun. Surya took Ajay to Saint Anne's and showed Priya to him from a distance. Ajay promised he would have the required information in a day or two.

On Wednesday, Surya got a call in the office. "Hello! Surya? This is Ajay?"

"Yes, Ajay. Any news?"

"Plenty. Can you come to Arts College at 4.30 in the evening?"

"Why?"

"I will explain when we meet."