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“Also, I hate you”, she said in her stone-cold voice and turned her head around.
One afternoon during mid-January, during our school trip to Adventure Island, I was holding a ring in my hand. And a speech in my brain.
Two days ago, Simran showed me the ring that her boyfriend gave her on her birthday. He took her to a movie, then someplace to eat something, and then maybe a temple. A temple? On a date? I don’t know what women look for in men. No offense to god. I held that ring in my hand, kept it at a distance from my eyes, and said in a proud manner, “Well, I can get you that ring from the budhbazaar.” Then I laughed, although she didn’t follow. She seemed to blush and took the ring and said, “It’s not about that. It’s about the feelings in it.”.
I took that ring back from her and kept it in my pocket.
“I will return it back. I wanna see what feelings this ring has. Maybe the ring will communicate her feelings to me, I am a pretty trusting guy.”
Fast forward 6hrs, I had lost that ring. Simran shouted at me, fought with me, told me that I was the most stupid guy on earth. Well, what could I say. It was a ring her boyfriend gave her on her birthday, it was a pretty big deal.
“I shouldn’t trust you anymore. I don’t know how you will find it. Just get it back to me. I don’t care how you do it.”
I stood 30minutes late after school to check our classroom, the playground, the canteen area, the sports club room, the corridors of the ground floor, and yes, the washroom. When I went home, the first thing I did was taking my pants off. Oooh, I shouldn’t go there. I checked all the pockets of my pants, shirt, and blazer. After a tiring 30 more minutes, I finally held my head in my hands and sighed.
“I am a f*king genius. I lost the ring. Why did I even take it in the first place? It was just straight out silly and stupid.”
As am I known around the world for my sheer will at silly attempts, I decided to go to the market and search for the exact same ring. Without even a photo or a proper description.
I tried the shop across the Vishal Mega Mart, the gift shop in Vijay Enclave, the showrooms in Ramphal Chowk, the Westend mall in Janakpuri, and yes, the Budhbazaar😂. Where the hell did this guy find a ring like that for her?
And two days after that, when I was getting ready for the school picnic, looking into my own eyes in the mirror and the dreading thought of facing her again or maybe not facing her, if she is too mad. The comb ran through my hair, the tie stiffed up to suffocate me, and the shirts all too loose. I took out the bag, picked out all my books in a bunch, and threw them out on the bed to empty the bag. I took the geometry box and threw it on another side. I picked the bag, put it on my left shoulder with one strap-on, and sighed for the last time before the ultimate beating of the decade! I looked down at the scattered books, my geometry box was lying there with its mouth wide open. And there it was!! Something shiny, something small, and round. THE FUCKING CURSED RING OF ANABELLE. I found it! The next thing I did was lay down on the bed with my eyes wide open and my chest sunken into my back. Major crisis averted.
Rajat took that ring. Rushed to the school, and boarded the almost last bus going to Adventure Island. When Rajat got off the bus, he saw her walking towards him furiously. But Rajat had strange confidence. He had a ring in one of his hands, and a speech in his mind.
She(Abruptly): “Did you find it or not?”
My mind went blank. My speech was lost in oblivion.
Me: “Yes. Here it is. Take it.”
She looked surprised, and relieved, and embarrassed. She took the ring and put it in her bag. I said okay, and was about to walk away.
She: “See, I am sorry okay. But you acted so carelessly, how could I control my anger?”
Me: “Na, it's alright. The ring seems to be more important than a person. You keep the ring.”
She: “It’s okay na. Now, don’t be a drama queen. I said I am sorry.”
Girls and their half-assed sorry. God help.
Me: “Ya, it's okay.”
Thoda bhav to khana banta hah!
She: “Now, do you hate me? That I shouted at you.”
Me: “Ya, totally. No doubt about that. I hate you. I guess we are going to be acting all weird with each other now.”
She giggled a bit.
She: “Ya. Those are the new rules. Also, I hate you.”
We talked together for some time. Spent the whole day together on rides. Got trapped in the human maze, and eventually figured the way by climbing the walls. School shows its utter cheapness when it comes to the picnic lunch. Seriously, half-cooked rice, and overcooked burnt Raajma.
“BTW, is it the same one you lost, or have you bought an exact new one?”, she asked while sipping on her cold coffee.
“Ya, sure. As if I would spare a single penny on you. Huh.”, I exclaimed as the thoughts of endless gift shops and malls crossed my mind.
Rajat Upadhyay
The world is our playground, but the rules are too complicated. Some choose to play, others choose to stay home.
