Pritam's Blog
A Nameless Relationship
The beauty of any relationship lies in knowing each other. Whether it’s a relationship of friends or enemies, I guess these are probably the two primary relationships, it needs the two concerned persons to know each other, at least to some extent, for the relationship to exist.
However, recently I have experienced a third kind of relationship, a relationship between two complete strangers, and it was pretty beautiful.
I remember, when I was a kid, I was a last bencher in class. I was too shy to speak with others. Moreover, I was from a village and had a different accent. Many of my classmates, and even their parents, and some of the teachers too used to laugh at me for that. This had given rise to a complex in me, that I was not as smart as them. Probably that was one of the reasons why I used to wade time reading books, making sketches, and writing bullshit rather than playing, cause I didn’t have many friends, but that’s a different story. So, when boys and girls used to play together in lunch break or after the school got over, I used to sit quietly, at a corner, invisible to others. I was so shy that while returning back home in our school bus, when a student would get off from the bus, and others would scream and say goodbye, I used to sit quietly. I couldn’t even utter a goodbye.
My mom was worried about me and she tried in innumerable ways to make me a little social. I used to go to school with her in a rickshaw. I remember, on our way, everyday, we used to see a beautiful little girl, from a different school, waiting for her bus. Everyday mom used to ask me to wave hand at her - that’s how kids would know each other, and have that friendly attitude. But I never did that, never waved hand at her, even the thought of staring straight at that girl used to make me blush, I was so shy and unsmart. One day, when I refused to wave hand at her, mom took hold of my hand and waved it at her. The girl waved back. And I blushed, as expected. I had had a fight with mom for doing what she did.
Since that day, everyday, the little girl would wave hand at me, and I would turn back. It continued like that for a year or so, I guess, I don’t remember. Yes, she did wave hand at me every single day. And then, I didn’t see her. I guess she left the town, to a new place, new school. I almost forgot her.
Few days back, I went to a drug store to get some medicines. I have recently moved to Silchar, with my new job. Now,I am 23 and I haven’t changed much, though now it is more like a habit.
Anyway, the shop was crowded, and I was waiting for my turn. Just then, I saw a girl in the crowd. She seemed familiar but I was not sure.
She too was staring at me, she was smiling. And then she waved her hand at me…