Angels study in schools, they will be in 9th standard

It was an evening during the onset of winter. The sky started turning grey with the early sunset. Yet, there was enough light, that made the evening look like the morning before complete sunrise. The breeze flowed with faint serenity. It had the radiance of satin. Its coldness had the quality of warmth, the warmth a child feels in the lap of his mother. Its touch made one feel comfortable. The world seemed to have been vanished for the moment.

The street was empty with no sign of a human. The grocery store, the Pink Petals florist, Teddie’s gift store, all of them were empty, open and waiting for customers. It was one of the most beautiful streets in the city with elegant structures. The sidewalk bore trees, the trunks grew high and branches spread out. A few bore purple flowers, a few bore pink, a few reds. Mid-way of the street, on the left, there stood a coffee shop. Furniture arranged in an orderly fashion, just beside the glass entrance of the shop.

At one of the tables, there was a girl sitting, her legs crossed, slightly leaning forward to the table, one hand on her lap, the other supporting her chin. It bore a shiny, thin bracelet. She was in cream-coloured Anarkali, the sleeves covering her forearms. The dupatta hung neatly on her shoulder, the length touching the ground. The attire fit her so well that the colour almost blended with her fair skin. Her posture reminded one, of the elegance of a queen. There was a glossy white cup with coffee on the table, the fragrance filled the ambience. A bunch of fresh roses looked smiling, at the middle of the table in a Chinese vase.

Raghava sat opposite to her, leaning forward, his hands on the table, palms clasped, looking at her eyes. He seemed overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment. His face bore no expression. But his eyes looked at her, filled with contentment. The thin, cool breeze flowed smoothly touching their skin interrupting the moment’s silence. They spoke nothing. Just sat looking at each other, as if they wished to get inside each other and become a single personification. As if that little distance made them feel insecure about their togetherness.

A few moments later Raghava moved forward, held her palms gently with his, felt their smoothness. The breeze smoothly flowing, swaying the fine strands of her hair, his tone held an emotion of love blended with reverence, he said “Aravinda, for me, you are the most divine form existing on earth. You are the personification of a beauty for which a human form is insufficient. I wish you were a Goddess, eternally beautiful, untouched by any earthly thing in existence.”

Aravinda replied looking at him, “Raghava, there is a limit to exaggeration of love.”

“It isn’t love, Aravinda. It is a sense of worship. It cannot be easily expressed. It has to be experienced.”

They got up to leave. Aravinda held Raghava’s hand as they walked together along the street. Flower petals lay on the street. They stopped at the end of the street just before parting. Raghava stood facing her. Held her palms, moved closer, kissed her on her forehead and said, “I love you.”

Then there was a voice in the background, calling, ‘”Raghava, wake up, you will be late to school.”

It was his mother. She moved the curtains off the windows and the morning rays hit his face. Waking up, he still could not realize that it was a dream. That dream filled his heart with joy. He sat for a moment in the bed, smiling. Getting ready to school became an automatic process, he made no conscious decision. He was still living his dream, enjoying her beauty, this time AR Rehman gave him the background score. With immense enthusiasm, he got ready, attractive enough to impress her. He came out of the home.

There stood a tall neem tree on the left side of the gate. It stood straight with its roots grown deep into the earth. It looked strong. Strong enough to stand the wildest of winds. It has been a symbol of strength for him since he was 10 years old. It’s trunk growing high, the branches spread wide, all originating from different points. He put his hand on the trunk, looking up at the branches. His eyes filled with reverence, he smiled at the tree.

He started walking to school. Aravinda’s home was eight homes away from his and he knew the time when she would start to school. He was about to pass her home, he saw her coming out through the gate. She was in school uniform. No matter in what attire she was, she was an angel. He fell in love with her five months ago. More than love, he worshipped her. She was his symbol of elegance, a symbol of divinity to be untouched by any earthly thing. He walked behind her. He could never understand how her presence along the way made it look new and beautiful every day. She walked gracefully, with a kind of simplistic grace. He admired every movement of her as she walked.

When they entered the school building, it was his world, where he could stay in her presence for eight hours. He loved it. He stood next to her during the assembly. In the classroom, she sat diagonal to him. They spoke not very often. But often enough that a healthy understanding grew over time. Now looking at her, he was not concentrating on the class. He was overwhelmed with her beauty. He was writing something. He looked as if he were trying to bring out the hidden John Keats in him.

Every evening, when the last bell rang, he felt a sense of emptiness. Leaving the school, he would follow her steps till her home. He wished to talk to her this evening. He went to a florist nearby, bought a rose for her. Aravinda was already on her way home. He walked faster to reach her. Now, walking beside her

He said, “Hai, how was your day?”

She replied, “Normal. Like every day. How about you?”

“More beautiful than every day.”

“How can it be beautiful with 2 hours of maths class? I thought of running out of the class.”

“I would enjoy a full day maths class with such a beautiful teacher.”

“Oh! So that’s the reason you keep on asking unnecessary doubts.”

“Technically, I’m not a bright student to get technical doubts.”

“Hmm…. What’s the matter? You look so happy today. There is a rare glow in your eyes.”

“How did you understand that?”, he asked in astonishment.

“I observe you a few times. I like your energy. But your energy was subtle today. Only your eyes revealing contentment.”

“I didn’t know that you knew this much about me.”

“How can I not know, you keep glancing at me a hundred times a day, and today you were busy writing something all day.”

“Hmm… Yes.”

“You can keep it with you if it’s personal.”

“Nothing like that. I had a beautiful dream early this morning. I’m still living in it.”

“So it was the maths teacher, finally.”, she said laughing.

Looking at her tranquil eyes, he said, as if he wanted to make his love known to her, “A girl more beautiful than her. More beautiful than anyone on this earth. I wish I expressed how much I worshipped her.”

“Is she a Goddess to worship?”

“Maybe, more than a Goddess.”

They both smiled at each other. And there was silence. By the time they reached her home on the way, Raghava took a paper from his bag, along with the rose. Giving it to her, he said, “It was you.”

She wasn’t surprised. Aravinda knew that Raghava admired her. Now, in that walk from the school to home, she enjoyed his presence beside her. She took it. Looked at him, smiling. That smile had a faint tinge of blushing. She could not speak. But as they parted, she said, “So, we’ll meet tomorrow. Bye.”

As she turned to go, Raghava said, “Read that before you go to sleep. Bye.”

It was the description of his dream that he gave her. Raghava walked along the street to his home. There was joy, that he spoke to her. There was pain, that he will have to spend the next 15 hours without her. He celebrated both of them. It was AR Rehman again, who filled the next 15 hours.
– An original by Pawan Kumar