Last Word

If it hadn’t rained,
Our world would have been much brighter;
Letting the birds see other,
To echo the world with laughter
If it hadn’t rained

Oh it poured so heavily,
Spreading words like droplets
Piercing its edge into me
Making me blame someone else

Who could stop the rain?
Who could stop the words?
And who would know the pain –
that my little heart bears?

It was 4.00pm and another working day had come to an end and there was a small large gathering on the veranda outside my classroom. Josan, as usual, was delivering some of his usual stuff at which everyone was laughing. Tebin was busy arguing with Prijeesh on the acting skills of Mohanlal versus Mammootty. Titten, combing his long hair, was trying to impress Renu with his rhetoric.

I was there, leaning on one of those old brick-coloured pillars of the “Mar Kurialasserry Arts Block”. I was not thinking of the part that I was doing in Christopher Marlowe’s – “Dr. Faustus”. After all Wagner was not a significant character in the adapted version of the play that we were enacting. Neither was I thinking about those dark clouds marching in unison. I hardly noticed them.

My mind was full of thoughts of Anu – the smart girl from the junior batch. Mr. Josy Joseph, their mentor, had not dismissed the class yet. I was waiting, in fact dying to meet her. There was nothing extraordinary about her. She was one lean figure, 5ft three inches tall, “fair”, dark eyed and her hair cut at shoulder length. She had a deep voice, for which I always tripped on her.

The pale green cotton salwar was looking good on her. The carefully folded dupatta looked as if it was pinned on to the salwar. She saw me and smiled at me. I was just waiting for that and moved towards her.

“Hi”
“Hi da. Josy sir was talking about some play that they are doing.”
“Which play?”
“I don’t know. Some doctor or something.”
“Ha ha.. It is Dr. Fautus by Christopher Marlow. Dint I tell you yesterday?”
“Did you? You know na, that i’m not that interested in all these stuff.”
“Then why did you take up English?”
“Because... Hmmm.. I don’t know” Her face sulked.

That was the last thing I wanted to see. How can I ever hurt her even with an innocent question?

“Hey Anu, would you like to have a Chocolate? Here take it.”

A smile suddenly beamed on her face. What a beautiful smile... I didn’t tell her that I had literally begged Gijo for that one aphrodisiac. His Aunt, it seems, had returned from the US and got him a box full of chocolates and other gifts.

“Da, do you want half of it?”
“No dear. You have it. I have many more in my room. Gijo gave us all quite a few of these.” !!!
“Mmm.. This tastes so good”
“Yeah.. I know.. I had two Snickers in the morning. So, aren’t you going home?”
“Oh yes. I am.. I am just going to enjoy the weekend at home. What about you?”
“I have that play practice happening in some time. Will be able to leave for home only once it gets over. Chal, I’ll come with u to the gate.”

We walked together through the grass that had covered the hockey ground, towards the gate near the college post office. I didn’t see all those fellow creatures meandering towards the comforts of their homes. I could see only her; I could hear only her; I could smell only that perfume that she had on her dress.

We had passed the post office and the gate adjacent to it long time ago. But I realised it, only when the first warning came from the heavens.

“Anu, do you have an umbrella? I think its already drizzling.”
“Thank God. Amma had reminded me to take it in the morning. I have it here inside my bag.”

She was standing on the roadside, searching for the three-fold Johns umbrella in her bag. A few strands of her smooth hair had fallen on her face in front of her eyes and I could see little droplets clinging on to them.

Suddenly she looked up with a smile and took out the umbrella from her bag. It was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever seen in my life. The combination of all those colours.. The various shades of green, the dark clouds, the violet umbrella.. everything looked like a colourful palette and in the middle of it all, she was there – the artist’s masterpiece.

“Juby, what will you do? You don’t have an umbrella.”

I woke up from that dream and without even thinking anything, told her, “Its not a problem. I’ll run back to college.”

“Hey that won’t help. You’ll get wet. There is not even one building till the end of the road. You won’t be able to find any shelter. You come with me.”

Did I hear the right thing? I kept staring at her as if I didn’t hear what she said.

“DA.. COME UNDER THE UMBRELLA. You’ll catch a cold.”

The clouds shouted something else at me. But I was not going to listen.

We both walked along the road ignoring those quirking eyebrows around us. My right hand was almost touching her left hand as we both were holding on to the umbrella. Evading the numerous pools of muddy water and the stares we walked against the strong wind towards the bus station. That was the closest I had ever got to a girl and I was not listening to all that she was saying. I was just blushing like a small kid who had got a priceless gift.

Did I hear her saying, “if any of my dad’s friends spots us like this.. then that is the end of it.” I chose to ignore it.

I got back to college all high spirited in an auto and paid the guy, the 10 bucks that I had borrowed from her. Straight to the drama practice.

There was not a single minute that weekend that I didn’t think of her. I had to wait till Monday morning to learn that she was gone forever, leaving the puddles behind.