The Thing We Call First Love

Chapter 7 - The Coin Toss

I was praying literally that she shouldn't be sad because of her marks before I opened the message. The message read 'CONGRATS SCHOOL THIRD.' I didn't know what to reply. She didn't respond to the text where I had told her that I saw her marks. So she must really be down because of the marks. I felt really bad that I scored more than her. If I had the power, I would have swapped her marks with mine. Unfortunately I was no God. I decided not to respond to her congratulations text. Instead I replied 'ARE YOU OKAY? WHY DIDN'T YOU REPLY SINCE MORNING?' I really wanted to know what was going on.

Two minutes later came the reply 'SORRY. WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE MARKS. NOW I'M FINE AND I'M SO HAPPY AND PROUD THAT I'M YOUR FRIEND' Reading it, I was elated. I had made her proud. I had a gut feeling that this was the beginning of the old days. In ecstasy, I replied 'THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME. DON'T WORRY. EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE' And the replies continued that day. I was right. It was really the old days. I could feel it in her texts. Her anger on me was completely gone.

The replies continued till my text limit reached that day. Fortunately, I had to wait for only two minutes since it was 11.58 pm. It was a special day. It was the day I had found the old me. I was happy again. Everything changed again. The miracle happened again.

The next question was which group do I join in 11th grade. Pravesh had taken commerce. I was confused. It was because Ramya was wavering between computer science and biology. It was the last day for the group selection. She wasn't sure. Finally, she left her decision to her father. But she didn't know that I left my decision to her. Time was running out. I couldn't control the tension. My parents were also pestering me to decide quick. I had to do it. I had to take a group and pray to God to make her take the same group.

In order to decide my group, I opted for a coin toss. I know it was nuts to decide my future with a coin toss. Well, you can't blame me because I was in love. If it was heads, I would take computer science and if it was tails, I would take Biology. With my heart pounding, I spun the coin in front of Goddess Saraswathi. The coin hit the ground; it tumbled and rolled close to the Saraswathi picture only to hit Her legs and finally rest. Tails. So biology it was. My fate had been decided.

After the coin toss, before I submitted the group selection form I texted her. 'I TOOK BIOLOGY. YOU?' I then submitted the form with a hope that Saraswathi would help me. I came home and sat in my bed waiting for her reply. Since I was thinking about the group selection I didn't sleep properly for the last two days and so without me noticing I fell asleep from 2 pm to 11.30 pm. I opened my eyes to the phone screen reading three messages. Then reality struck me.

Immediately I opened the message. The first message read 'YOU THERE?' The second one read 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Only then I realised that I had been opening the messages in the wrong order.  Finally the last message. I thought of Saraswathi for a split second as I opened the message. Did Saraswathi answer me? No. But something else answered me. I realised that that something was more powerful than God herself.