Special Friend
Part 2 - Videshi Chudail

It was perhaps the weirdest Diwali vacation ever. He had spent yesterday ruminating over his conversation with Nanu. He couldn’t understand why he had even thought of Naina when Nanu had been talking about love and life partners. Of course, he didn’t think of that girl in that capacity…

She was intelligent, yes. But she was so annoying… Always raising her hand first in class to answer any question being asked by teachers. She never gave a chance to someone else, forever hogging the attention. Like a chipmunk hopping on its feet on seeing a nut.

Plus her hair was gross. It seemed she dunked her head in a tin of oil before coming to school. He was sure he had spotted an oil stain on her white shirt one day, a spot where her right pigtail usually lay. How can she ever be anyone’s dream girl when she looked like that?

He just wanted to win the bet and escape the situation as soon as possible. Once he had his revenge then he could truly explore what Ahmedabad truly had to offer. Right now it was natural for him to be occupied in her thoughts, after all he had to devise strategies to win the bet. She was proving to be a tough nut to crack. He had offered her a chocolate and asked in not so many words if they could be friends. Surely friendship would lead to love and then she would confess. But he had not been able to progress much. He didn’t know how to ask her to meet him outside of school, how to talk about love when all he could think of was how she repulsed him. God forbid she came over in some ghastly dress and oiled hair if he asked her to meet outside. Just the thought of how people would stare at them and how his perfectly good-looking image would be ruined by being seen with her made him shudder.

Special Friend… He scoffed and determinedly pushed her out of his mind for the day. He didn’t want to spoil his diwali vacation by thinking about her. Surely he could resume his attempts of winning the bet once school restarted. He had spent a delightful evening with Munna and Pandit… And when Nanu told them that Kali Chaudash was a night for evil spirits and ghosts to play around, Pandit commented on how Sameer already had a chudail in his life, making all three friends dissolve in laughter and leaving Nanu perplexed.

Today was Diwali. He had woken up early and accompanied Nanu to the temple simply because he couldn’t say no to his grandfather. Now he stood, with his hands resolutely by his side, refusing to bow to the idol in-front of him… He didn’t believe in God. Why should he? God had taken his father away, had proved him as a thief, had distanced him from his mother… His trials and suffering never ended. So surely all this belief about God was a myth. God didn’t exist. The idol in-front of him was just a craftsman’s talent in moulding mud. Nothing else…

Just then there was the sound of the temple bell ringing twice, and he turned… An involuntary reaction of his body to react to any sound made twice after Naina had proposed this to be their signal. Two rings of phone, two taps of a book or glass, two honks of horn, two trings of cycle bell… Everything twice. He didn’t really expect to see Naina there, he had just reacted like he always did. But to his extreme shock there she was, standing under the very bell she had rung, dressed in a simple yellow-green salwar kameez, her hair open and slightly wet, her hands folded in prayer, eyes closed and a small smile playing on her lips as if what she asked for had made her happy. He felt a hitch inside his chest as his eyes roved over her from her head to toe and back, especially returning to her open hair repeatedly. It was the first time he was seeing her without an ounce of oil in her hair, and he couldn’t take his eyes off how the soft wet strands framed her face, softening the outlines and making her almost pretty. How was it possible?

Nanu finished his prayer and turned to his grandson to ask him if he was done, but was surprised on finding the boy turned almost 360 degrees staring with wide eyes at something behind him. He also turned to check what had captured his grandson’s attention, and was surprised to see a beautiful girl praying. Was she… Naina? A memory tickled his mind, as he recollected almost falling down after colliding with a girl… It was this same girl. She had helped him steady his balance, and then gathered the spilled contents of his puja thali while apologizing properly. He remembered thinking how simple and beautiful that girl was and wishing someone like her would enter his grandson’s life. Well… it seemed his grandson had the same opinions as him, for there was no mistaking the enraptured look in Sameer’s eyes.

A hand clapped on Sameer’s back and he jerked, wondering who would do that. When he spotted Nanu he blinked in surprise. He had forgotten where he was, who was with him… Everything was black for a few moments, except Naina.

Nanu quirked a brow, “kahan khoye hue ho?”

Sameer’s eyes widened, he couldn’t let Nanu know that the girl he had been staring at was Naina. He couldn’t imagine how embarrassing the situation would be. “Kuch bhi nahi Nanu”, he hastily answered, “aapka ho gaya ho toh ghar chale?”

Nanu smiled, “haan chalte hai. Bas prasad le lete hai…”

As they searched for the priest, Sameer never noticed how Nanu cleverly stepped in Naina’s path, almost bumping into her. As his elbow bumped the girl’s puja thali, Nanu turned to apologize, “oh sorry…”, and then exclaimed, “aree beta tum…”

The girl turned with a smile on her lips, but her eyes widened on seeing the man and the boy with him, and she stammered, “uh… s..sir… aa..aap?”

Nanu’s smile widened, “yaad hai hum pehle bhi isi mandir me mile the? Aur phir school me… Kya naam bataya tha tumne apna… ummm… haan… Naina… haina?”

The girl gulped, “h…haan sir.”

The priest asked them to take prasad and move along to make space for others. The temple was fairly crowded because of Diwali. Sameer hoped they would separate in the crowd, but to his mortification, Nanu stepped alongside Naina, enquiring if she had come alone or her family was with her.

Naina smiled gently, “chachiji, taiji aur Preeti, meri behen, aayenge thodi der me. Main thoda jaldi aa gai.”

Nanu suddenly grasped his arm and dragged him forward, “tum ise toh jaanti hi hogi… Sameer. Mera navasa hai, tumhare class me hi padhta hai.”

Sameer pursed his lips, his cheeks flushed, as he tried to make sense of the situation. Nanu observed how Naina’s eyes softened on seeing his grandson, and it delighted him. She took a fortifying breath, and smiled once more, “haan main Sameer ko janti hun…”, and then wished, “Happy Diwali Sameer.”

His grandson blinked and then flashed a lopsided smile, “Happy Diwali Naina.”

Naina swallowed, eyes moving over her surroundings, “umm… main chalti hun ab sir.”

Nanu stopped her, “ek minute beta… Apne ghar ka number dogi mujhe? Darasal mujhe tumhare papa, mera matlab Rakeshji se kuch baat karni hai.”

Sameer was confused and so was Naina, but nevertheless she recited her number for Nanu to note down. Then she wished them goodbye and left. Sameer couldn’t refrain from asking, “aapko uss… uh… mera matlab Rakesh sir se kya kaam hai?”

Nanu didn’t falter even for a second before replying, “main kuch naye books order kar raha hun school ke liye. Diwali pe achcha discount mil raha hai. Lekin school me abhi vacation hai toh Rakeshji se ek baar phone pe baat karke confirm karna chahta hun ke sab theek toh hai na. Main toh soch raha tha principal sir se baat karke number lena padega, lekin achcha hua Naina hi mil gai…  Isi bahane tumhare special friend se bhi mil liya main.”

Sameer groaned, “Naina meri special friend nahi hai Nanu.”

Nanu simply laughed, “haan haan… tum toh bas aisai ghoore jaa rahe the usko. Saaf pata chal raha tha ke uss ladki ne tumhare hosh uda diye the.”

Sameer stood stumped on the stairs, watching his grandfather descend, wondering if he had really looked at her like that… No, it can’t be. Nanu was hallucinating.

Sameer was not sure if his Nanu had talked to that tormenting librarian or not, neither did he ask. He was afraid that if he showed even a slight interest in the situation, Nanu would be sure that he liked or worse, loved Naina. However, to his extreme disbelief, at around 4:30pm when the doorbell rang, Ramdhari escorted three people inside – Rakesh Agarwal, Arjun Agarwal and Naina Agarwal. He rubbed his eyes thinking he was living in a nightmare, that even his overactive imagination hadn’t been able to conceive. Nanu greeted them, and asked Ramdhari to prepare tea, then frowned at his grandson, “beta aaj Diwali hai… paav toh chu lo apne teacher ke.”

As if in a trance, Sameer went to take blessings from Rakesh sir, who scowled at him but couldn’t insult him in his own home, so he placed a reluctant blessing hand on his head. Sameer thought he heard a whispered ‘baalo ki dukaan’, but ignored it. Arjun shook his hand but avoided meeting his eyes, though he wondered why. Naina smiled at him and once again wished him happy diwali which he reciprocated with a nod. Rakesh sir handed over a bag of sweets and snacks to Nanu, exclaiming how happy he was to be invited, and thought it would be a perfect time to not just discuss the library requirements but also about Arjun’s college admissions. Nanu genially agreed to talk about Arjun’s career once they all had tea, and then politely steered the conversation to diwali celebrations.

After a fill of tea and snacks, Nanu proposed, “main books ka list dikhata hun aapko aur phir aapko jo baat karni hai woh bhi kar lete hai. Tab tak Sameer, tum Naina ko hamara ghar dikha do.”

Sameer frowned, but before he could ask anything, Rakesh interrupted with a question, “kyun?”

Nanu smiled wide, “aisai Rakeshji… Arjun ki toh college ki baat karni hai toh woh yahan betha hai, warna toh main saare bachcho ko bhej deta. Ab bado ki baato me bachche kya kare. Aur waise bhi Naina pehli baar mere ghar aai hai… Meri koi poti toh hai nahi toh main chahta hun uske shubh kadam se mera ghar bhar jaaye… Waise bhi Rakeshji, aapki beti mujhe bahot pasand hai… Kitni hoshiyar hai, aur sanskaari bhi. Aapko bataya tha na maine ke mujhe mandir me mili thi… Aaj kal ke dino me bhi aapne itne achche sanskaar diye hai apni beti ko, mera toh dil khush ho jaata hai jab bhi main iss bachchi se milta hun.”

Rakesh struggled between accepting the high praise and his instinctive habit of denying his daughter, but finally caved under Nanu’s generous compliments, “theek hai… aap sahi keh rahe hai… Naina, jaa beta, Sameer ke saath ghar dekh aa. Aur mithai laaye hai usme se thoda mandir me rakh de, agar Jaiprakashji ko aitraaz na ho toh.”

“Aree mujhe kaisa aitraaz hoga”, Nanu affably grinned, “achcha hi hai Lakshmi swayam mandir me prasad chadake aayegi toh.”

Sameer nearly rolled his eyes at this over-dramatization, but stood up and gestured to Naina to join him. She demurely stood up, looking once more to her father for approval, who scowled slightly but then nodded. He took her to the mandir first as instructed, and she lit a diya and agarbatti, and placed some sweets in a small dish as an offering. He stood a little behind her to the side, observing her as she prayed. She was still dressed this time in a light red salwar-kameez that had floral prints in a deeper red shade, the dupatta was transparent with a thin gold border. She had worn matching bangles, and a tinkling sound when she walked had intimated him that she must have worn anklets as well. He was also sure that she was wearing kajal and something on her lips, maybe gloss, as well as a small red bindi on her forehead. But even now the most striking thing about her was her open hair, which was now completely dry but still open and still without any oil. The shoulder length hair looked silky and the ends curled into soft waves making him wonder if it was naturally like that or if she went to a parlor.

“Sameer”, he heard her soft voice, “mera ho gaya… chale?”

He shook his head trying to get rid of the irrational impact her non-oily open hair caused, “haan… neeche toh aur kuch nahi hai, bas kitchen aur living room hai, aur ek chota sa room hai jisko Nanu ne apna office room jaisa bana rakha hai. Upar chalte hai… Aao…”

They took the stairs, the sound of her anklets and the low drift of conversations from the living room the only sound in the silence. He signaled towards the first door on his left, “yeh Nanu ka kamra hai. Aur yeh uske bagal wala pehle meri mummy ka hua karta tha par ab guest room hai.”

She twiddled her hands, not saying anything, so he shrugged and gestured to the last door on their right, “wahan aage kone wala darwaza, woh mera kamra, aur yeh”, he continued gesturing to the door next to where they were standing, “yeh terrace garden hai… Nanu ko bahot shauk hai paudho ka. Jhula bhi hai ek yahan pe.”

He thought she would ask to see the garden, but when she didn’t reply he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “kya hua? School me toh kabhi itni chup nahi rehti ho.”

She bit her lip, smiling a bit, “kuch nahi… bas woh… socha nahi tha iss tarah se tumhare ghar aaungi kabhi.”

He chuckled, “haan, jab tum log andar aaye, maine toh socha main sapna dekh raha hun shayad.”

She grinned, “mujhe toh pata bhi nahi tha pehle ke hum yahan aa rahe hai. Papa ne bola bas ke taiyar ho jaa, bahar jaana hai. Adhe raste tak aa gaye tab bhaiya ne bataya ke sir ne phone karke bulaya hai milne, aur khaas karke kaha tha ke mujhe bhi leke aaye.”

Sameer frowned in displeasure; it seemed as if Nanu was determined to believe that she was his special friend. As he wondered how he could clear this misconception, she suddenly said, “bahot sundar hai tumhara ghar.”

He flashed a genuine smile, “thank you. Mujhe yahan rehna bahot pasand hai. Tumhe terrace garden dekhna hai?”

She tilted her head, considering for a moment, then requested, “umm… pehle tumhara room dekh sakte hai please?”

He was stumped by the request. Why did she want to see his room? What should he do? Only Nanu, Munna and Pandit entered his room. Even his own mother had never entered the space he claimed as his own. But, if he refused it could probably halt his progress in winning the bet… After all, why would anyone refuse a girl who he wanted to be more than friendly with? So he reluctantly agreed, all for the bet, he assured himself.

As he opened the door of his room, allowing her to enter, she hesitated at the threshold for few seconds, as if a step further would change something between them. Taking a deep breath she finally stepped inside, right foot first, he noticed. Her eyes wandered over the expanse of the room, noticing the life size picture of him above the bed, the smaller photo frames on his desk containing pictures of Nanu, Munna and Pandit, the bed with its blue bedsheet, the cricket bat he had balanced near the desk, his roller skates – one titled to the side, and the boxing bag hanging near the phone. Her hand traced the back of the small wooden lounge beside the phone, and she smiled, “bahot khubsurat hai tumhara room…”

Before he could thank her again, her eyes moved to the opposite wall and she gasped, “yeh… yeh photos kyun laga rakhi hai tumne?”

He shrugged, not seeing the relevance of her question, “Julia Roberts meri favorite hollywood heroine hai… isiliye… par yeh tum kyun puch rahi ho?”

She scrunched her nose in disdain, wringing her hands in impatience, as she tried to fake nonchalance, replying in a tight voice, “bas aisai… soch rahi thi iske baki ke kapde kahan hai.”

He blinked, tilted his head, thinking for a minute and then realization and mischief lit up his deep chocolate eyes, “I see… tumhe jalan ho rahi hai na?”

She promptly replied, “jale meri jooti…”

He smirked, biting on the corner of  his lower lip, and then started talking or rather raving about the pictures he had already seen, and how much of a wonderful actress Julia Roberts is, and also how gorgeous she looks. He gleefully declared, “main toh hamesha sochta tha bada hoke bilkul Julia Roberts jaisi ladki se shaadi karunga.”

All this time he noted how her entire body had stiffened, how her ears were turning red in anger, how she narrowed her eyes into slits glaring at the posters as if she wanted to set them on fire, and mentally cheered. If she was jealous it meant she liked him, and if she liked him romantically then he would definitely win the bet. To add more fuel to the fire, he slyly informed, “ek do din me Julia ki new movie ki DVD bhi aa jayegi… Par pata nahi Naina, yeh wali movie na thodi waisi type ki hai… ekdum typical English movies me scenes hote hai na waisi… Isiliye Nanu se chupake raat ko akele me dekhunga.”

Her eyes shut, fists clenched as she tried to keep her temper in control and Sameer wanted to pump his fists in victory. A minute later, she looked at him with a small smile, and said in a perfectly normal voice, “mujhe bathroom jaana hai… Tumhe problem na ho toh tumhare room wala use karlu?”

He was confused on seeing her normal demeanor. Wasn’t she angry? Still puzzled he nodded his head, “sure… main… uh… main bahar jaata hun.” He closed the door after stepping out and then moved next door to the terrace garden, thinking about what had happened. He was pretty sure that Naina was jealous on seeing the posters, and had been angry on hearing him rant about the actress. Then how had she suddenly been normal? Deliberating on the issue for some time, he concluded that even if she was jealous she obviously couldn’t tell him. They were still in the initial stages of their supposed relationship, and she was not ready yet to confess her feelings. But the reaction he had seen surely meant victory for him.

It was ten minutes already and still she had not come. So he thought to go and check on her… But as soon as he tried to exit the door, she entered, her one hand raised to adjust her open hair. They almost collided, but Sameer braced himself with a hand on the wall… It was just her hand, or rather her glass bangles that brushed his chest slightly, like the whispers of the air. He felt a hitch similar to this morning in his heart and thought that maybe he was suffering from acid reflux. Stepping back to let her enter the garden, he noted how the late evening light illuminated her face and how her eyes sparkled like tourmaline when she smiled on seeing the fully bloomed roses. Dressed in that red salwar kameez, her tinkling glass bangles, open hair fluttering in the wind, she looked like a part of the garden, one of those exotic Floribunda roses that was gorgeous to look at and smelled just as divine. He placed a hand over his thundering heart, unable to reconcile the reactions his mind and body were generating.

Fifteen minutes later when Nanu came over to call them back, saying that her father and brother were ready to leave, he wondered if should say something to her. They had spent the time in the garden in complete silence, just passing tentative smiles at each other, and now he thought if he should have taken the opportunity to talk something. As Nanu went back, Naina also stepped forward to leave the garden. Throwing caution to the wind, he called, “Naina…” She turned to look at him questioningly. He fumbled with his words mentally before blurting, “aaj tum bahot achchi lag rahi ho.”

Her lips curved in a pleased smile, “thank you… Aur… tum bhi…”

He grinned, “main toh hamesha achcha dikhta hun.”

Tinkling laughter spilled out of her and he felt the sound surround his being, lifting his spirits, as she agreed, “haan woh toh hai. Bye Sameer… Mithai zaroor khana.”

Later that night, after a scrumptious meal of chole-bhature and sweets brought over by Naina’s family, he returned to his room. His eyes moved over the space that had been invaded today, or rather that he had shared today with Naina. A small smile graced his lips as his gaze moved over his belongings, and he thought that maybe he could keep one of those rose plants in his balcony as well. But the next moment, his smile disappeared, and his brows furrowed in confusion… All his posters were missing. The stunningly beautiful Julia Roberts was no longer gracing his wall. Puzzled he began to search here and there without any success.

Just then there was a small sound from outside and he immediately opened his door to check. It was Ramdhari. He asked, “kya kar rahe ho?”

Ramdhari replied, “kachra ikkhata karke rakh raha hun. Subah phenk dunga. Aapke room se bhi le lu?”

Sameer nodded, letting him take the rubbish bin, but then stopped him, “ruko… woh kya hai?”

Ramdhari picked up what looked like a torn paper, “yeh toh… aree yeh toh aapke room me lage photo jaisi lag rahi hai.” He looked at the walls, and asked in even more surprised tone, “aapne sab nikalke phenk diye?”

Sameer frowned, “main? Main kyun phekne laga? Dekho theek se…” He trailed off as realization dawned, “oh… toh iska matlab…”

Ramdhari queried, “kya matlab?”

Sameer shook his head, “kuch nahi… yeh rehne do yahan pe, subah le jaana.”

As Ramdhari left, Sameer shut the door and inspected the trash bin. The posters were unrecognizable… Torn viciously into as small pieces as possible, all five posters were now just uneven scraps of paper in the trash can, completely useless and irretrievable. Sameer thought he should be angry, but all he could manage was a loud laughter that bubbled up in his chest and made him throw his head back. He was right… Naina was jealous… This meant that she liked him… Maybe even loved him already. The thought made him grin in happiness. As he slept off that night with a smile on his face, he dreamt of a girl dressed in red, clinking bangles and fully bloomed red roses. Never once did he think of humiliation or revenge or bet.

The very next day Sameer thought of watching an old English movie, but the DVD won’t start, and even after spending thirty minutes in checking the contraption he couldn’t figure out the problem. Giving up he went to meet Munna and Pandit, after informing Nanu that the DVD needed to be repaired. At the other end in Nirmal Jyoti Society, Naina sat on the bed in her room with a stack of Chachiji’s magazines, religiously ignoring every educational article and instead poring over fashion and make-up articles, determined to be a topper in this area as well. After all she can’t let a videshi chudail like Julia Roberts steal her very own malai ka katora.