THE SPECIAL ONE

I started writing when I was nine years old. Well, I still laugh out when I think of those stupid stories. There was a short story titled “The ghost who served as my husband” (I don’t exactly know what it means) and “Silence is dangerous”. I had never thought that I was really capable of doing something serious. But, things change suddenly when something happens in your life. To be very honest, I don’t think that a person will be able to understand my problems until and unless he or she also goes through the same thing. On the other hand, with writing, everything is possible. You can kill a character if you aren’t really fond of the person; you can make certain things that will never happen in real life happen in a book, and so on.

I didn’t want anybody in my college to know that I write. I didn’t want anyone to know about the book I had written when I was half out of my mind. Obviously, when you write something, it is no longer personal. I am completely aware of that. But, still, I was afraid of being judged. I wanted to be a new person, and tried pretending as if I was very happy, and had no problems at all. All they have to do is to read one page of the book I have written to really know who I am. Some of my friends really want to read it, and therefore, I have decided to share something with you all. Those who want to read can go ahead. This part is one of my favorites. After all, we all have certain things in our lives which we will never be able to forget, no matter how hard we try. This is neither the beginning nor the end of the book. I wish I had written the book in first person, so that it would have been more realistic. Whatever, it is, there is Ritika, Ankit, and Rahul for you. (Rahul is however, still my favorite character).

“Suddenly, a guy came and called Akshay. He couldn’t stay with Ritika, because their English teacher wanted to meet him urgently. He really wanted to sit with her for few minutes and sort it out, but he couldn’t stand her silence. He left the class soon leaving her alone. Ritz didn’t even see him walking out. She couldn’t move from where she was sitting. A Kho-Kho match was going on in the court, but she didn’t feel like moving. She heard Maahi’s sound emerging from the corridor. Maahi was calling her. She didn’t have the strength to face her. Maahi would understand everything in one look. Ritz rushed to the washroom before somebody saw her. She closed the door behind her. Whenever she got sad and depressed, she ran to the washroom and cried out loudly until she became okay. She didn’t want anyone to see her crying. She cried out until she got out of breath. She had never cried that much in her life. She couldn’t think of losing him. How could God do this to a harmless person like him? She opened the tap so that nobody would hear anything. She thought of the love she had in her heart for him. She couldn’t stop. She recalled everything Akshay had said. She stopped crying when she heard someone knocking on the door. She took out her handkerchief form her pocket and wiped her tears. She looked in the mirror. She looked like a monster with her smudged kajal. She washed her eyes, but her tears didn’t stop. She opened the door and saw Ankit. Her legs began to tremble. She had thought that it would be someone else. Ankit understood from just one look that she had been crying heavily. He didn’t ask anything. He held her hand and took her to the games field. They were having many free hours due to the upcoming sports day. There was no one in the field at that time. They sat down on a bench. He didn’t know how to comfort her. Words were not going to help. Ankit hugged her gently and patted her on the back. She was still crying. He squeezed her arm and looked at her watery eyes. He could realize the depth of love she had in her mind for his friend. He regretted for not telling her the truth. If he had told the truth, she wouldn’t have been suffering this much.

He decided to speak out, ‛I know that it is difficult for you. But, you have to accept the truth.’

Ritz shut her eyes like a small child and began to sob again.

‛Why didn’t you tell me Ankit?’

‛Please don’t be like this. Rahul will be fine.’

‛First of all, you have hidden the truth from me and now you are saying that he will be alright?’

‛I am sorry Ritz. Please don’t spoil your happiness for him.’

Ritika stopped crying when she saw Rahul coming to the field.

She asked Ankit, ‛Does he know about this?’

Ankit nodded his head and this time he too was about to cry. Rahul saw both of them sitting on the bench. He smiled and walked towards them.

He understood that something was going on between them. Ritz was still on the verge of tears. She tried to hide her face from Rahul, because she didn’t want to give any explanations. Rahul broke the awkward silence among the three of them.

‛What on earth was happening here?’ Ankit looked at Ritika who looked tensed as well.

Ankit tried to act normally, but he too couldn’t face Rahul. He managed to reply, ‛Nothing. I was just passing by. I saw her sitting here and we started talking. That’s all.’

Rahul asked Ritika, ‛Why do you look tensed?’

‛Nothing. I am fine.’

Rahul raised many questions as he still wasn’t sure of what had happened between both of them. Whatever it was, he understood that it was something regarding him. He left when Akshay called him.

‛I think that he too likes you,’ Ankit said.

‛Even I think so,’ she replied and moved away from him.

We just can’t forget some people. A part of me still weeps when I read this excerpt. Life is never really happy. We all have some kind of misery in our lives. Even I had many. But, we all succeed when we just start shrugging our past and start living in the present. Even though I have started a new book, this book will always be close to my heart, because I can never forget my past because of its existence.