Once Upon a University Campus

Billuji

Annika was hanging her clothes out to dry after her morning ablutions that Sumo woke up clueless of Annika's late night rendezvous. But it did not take more than ten minutes for the groggy Sumo to notice the small yellow daisy hidden amateurishly between pages of a textbook.

"Akka" Sumo screamed at once. A startled Annika dropped the clothes in her hand and rush to Sumo.

"So?" Sumo started.

"So? What?" Annika was annoyed that Sumo was fine and the sky had not fallen down on them.

"So.. tell me.." Sumo gave her another opportunity to come out clean.

"Tell you what? Sumo? No earthquake, no sandstorm, no stock market crash..all is well. You look well too. You just scared me." Annika turned to go back to the balcony to finish her incomplete task.

"Oh! Really Akka? The earth quaked just beneath your feet and now you are trying to hide it from me? You failed by the way."

Annika pretended to not understand Sumo and went on with her task. She could hear Sumo stomp out of the room. Must be to the bathroom, Annika assumed. But soon Annika could hear Sumo's footsteps.

"Someone needs to treat flowers with respect! That too the first flower of a brand new love story." Sumo spoke loudly making sure that Annika was hearing.

When Annika came back, Sumo eyed her keenly. Her daisy now rested in a pint beer bottle filled with what must have been water.

"Respect! Akka! Respect... Did you hear what I said? Respect this flower and respect your love story.." Sumo censured Annika.

"Shush Sumo, nothing like that." Annika looked away.

"Aha! Nothing like that, but a gentleman comes and meets you late at night with a daisy. Just like Romeo came to meet Juliet at her balcony...at midnight.. How romantic...a perfect love story." Sumo lost herself in happy thoughts for a moment.

"Hush.. Now nothing romantic. We only get to see sparrows at our balcony, no Romeo and all. In a way you are right Sumo, love stories happen only in books and films. In real life they remain just 'stories'. Why unnecessarily expect things in life that is way away from reality? True, he was here last night. But nothing like what you think. He typically comes to meet Om after his work day. Since Om is out of town, he ended up meeting me..." Annika justified her rendezvous.

"Oh! Really Akka.. So in this big city of Delhi, he comes to meet you because his brother is out of town? Like he has no other friends?" Sumo would not give up so easily.

"I remember him telling me the other day that he does not have many friends here in Delhi. His only other friend in Delhi is Khanna ji and Khanna ji is on paternity leave. So.. It is just that he does not have any friends right now.." Annika continued her justification.

"Oh! I see, but then why should you be blushing right now thinking of him if it were just what you say it is." Sumo was relentless.

Annika denied blushing and turned away into her closet, feigning to rearrange her impeccably arranged clothes.

"Sumo, all this is hard enough on me. You told me the other day to live in the moment. I am doing just that. This path that leads to nowhere might be all that destiny has in store for me. I do not want to delude myself into thinking of it as anything more than what it is. We all know how these stories end in real life. This daisy made me happy, true. But please don't read much into it. Life has been rough already. I can very well do without a heartbreak. "

"Say what you might.. I know you can be a lot less negative and lot more positive. You should stop being afraid of falling in love, or happiness itself..." Sumo eyed Annika keenly. "By the way, such flowers are supposedly precious. Sushma used to hang them upside down so it dries retaining its shape. Then she saved them safely. Here you are crushing it under the weight of half a textbook." Sumo teased a silent but blushing Annika.