A Night Of Curse

                 The bright virtually faded and to reach the place was not within the walking distance for all four cohorts. All were in haste for, it was already late and the very next day they had their exam and one fourth of the syllabus was not even covered. Meantime they were careless as if they were least concerned about the covering up the syllabus. Because they did know, nothing can be gained by getting worried. They all walked out to the main road full of four wheelers, two wheelers, rickshaws and autos. But very few autos like three to four were seen to be parking on the right side of the road after crossing the noisy traffic result of which was those auto drivers were charging high. And Eva recalled about Economics she studied in school and murmured to herself, “its supply and demand relationship where, if there is increase in demand, price too increases. Nothing new!” She said to herself giving a disgusting look at the auto driver.   

Ultimately after sometime one of the auto drivers nodded to the bargained price made by Akhil which did show his agreement to hire the auto. All four made them sit inside the same. Eva to the extreme right, Shahil to the left end and Akhil between the two. On the way, Eva rolling her eyes from here and there with a mark of disappointment between her brows, she tightly encrossed her fingers of both the hands with a little gap between the palms as if there was some reason something for which she wanted a way out.

Then, few minutes later, by giving a playful push sideways, Akhil enquired- “Eva! What are you thinking?”

“Nothing” replied in a single word.

Then silly talks among them continued for next few minutes. Eva though tried, but could not help herself and failed to involve herself in the conversation related to laugh, joke, carrier.  Nearly after twenty to thirty minutes they made themselves dropped down from the auto near a square and took a small walk and made an entry to a Xerox shop in the left side of a narrow passage of the main road.

               Three of them ventured to the shop decorated with the photo frames of Gods and Goddesses which were made to cling on the walls painted with pink color and there were two Xerox machines inside it. The shop was not spacious enough that three of them could have made themselves wait inside the shop.  Eva unzipped the first chain of her hanging bag and took out a square cut paper. Shahil opened the syllabus along with book and Eva kept the paper on the table and bending herself little, she penned down the pages searched and dictated by Shahil on a torn slip of white paper which were to get xeroxed. Shahil gave that paper piece to the boy of the shop and made himself sit on the chair having some silly talks with the same boy. Eva left the shop and with plugged earphones in her ears stood outside supporting herself with her tilted head towards left against the achromatous fence as if she had nil interest in what was going on around them. She was mostly like getting zombie even though not always. Another young man Akhil after finishing his talks over the cell phone now marched near to Eva.

With wide chuckle on his closed lips, “hey! What are you thinking?”

Eva then using her thumb and index fingers took the earphones out of her respective ears saying, "nothing" and returned a smile back.

He probed, "will you say me what has happened to you? Is there anything troubling you? I have been marking it since few days. Why don't you speak?"

First, she did keep quiet and then replied- "Will I say? I love you. He he! I was kidding. She grinned."

As if shocked, he questioned- "What? Listen... listen to me."

Akhil tried to stop her by catching hold of her hand but Eva sauntered to the spot, the entrance of the same thin lane. Akhil too followed her and with astonishing voice uttered- "You never said that before. I didn't know it. O! Really? Is it so?"

Eva claimed, "No, I said, I was kidding."

Akhil added- "No, you are not kidding. Come on! Now tell me. I just do not believe this."

Eva somehow spoke and expressed with difficulty. While speaking she could feel her throat getting drier and drier and a kind of coldness in her hands. No sooner she did speak about her troubling heart; she felt water drops beating her face. Eva looked with her head up towards the sky.

That was rain and rain drops. And suddenly started heavy rainfall. But both kept standing constant talking to each other getting wet under the acherontic gloomy sky.

Suddenly Eva found herself in a reposed state after unveiling her emotional sensitivity. Concurrently, she however, sensed a terrible kind of shame, a kind of guilt.

          Hands of the wrist watch were approximately 8:45 pm and Eva rushed to the shop. With her slow, slight trembling voice "Shahil! Shahil! Haven't the Xeroxes got finished?"

[Shahil observing Eva's face] "Let’s go. It's already late for you. I was waiting for you both to come back."   

They moved themselves fast and there was silence among them. Continuation of rain still there. They left Eva in front of the gate of her building giving her send off and bidding her goodnight.

            Eva while riding the stairs to her room thought, perhaps rain had washed away all her burdens of her mind by sharing with him whom she never had concealed anything before as he being the intimate friend of her and she desired to live her life as before without any dilemma.

But, strange! In reality, that rainy night did not wash away any of her troubles. Rather, it rained to alert her by falling on her face being drops just to inject her to give a surcease to the discussion, to suppress her feelings without letting them out. Perhaps the cause was that she could have hold it even though it pains or it mentally distracts but, once told out, then gone case.

            Rain rained being a blessing to her. But being not able to judge it, she instead of getting herself blessed with right path, she did bath herself which brought her a badge of curse with the rainy night. Her sinful soul left her blank and empty and ruined her.

She stood at the door and kept ogling at others present in the room. Some were studying and some were having fun. Suddenly Eva was gazed by others. There slowly remained silence and that time Eva heard someone screaming.

“What is this? You are totally wet and you have your exam tomorrow. Why do you stand there? You will catch cold. Change it soon and go and study.”

Eva nodded her head twice and moved towards the bathroom. She next heard the consecutive knocks at the bathroom door.

Eva, turning off the water tap, “who?”

“I.”

“What happened?” asked Eva. Perhaps she recognized the voice of the person.

“Where have you gone Eva?”

“Arre yaar bathroom na?”

“That’s what I’m asking. Why?”

“Of course to change my wet dress.”

“Have you taken anything to change?”

Looking towards the steel rod “Ah! No. I forgot to bring. Will you fetch me…?”

“Take it. I’m holding.”

Eva unlocked her bathroom door with a slight opening and stretched her right hand from the little gap and gestured with movements of her fingers to handover her clothes. She shut the door after receiving her night dress. She stood silently for a while and took a cold shower and dressed herself after that. She then came out of the bathroom and kept aside her pair of black wet slippers and made herself stand under the fan drying up her hairs.

“If I’m not wrong, I guess you have your exam tomorrow.” Claimed her roommate.

“Yes, there is,” Eva sounding very grave.

“Well! Have your supper and then sit to study. You at least always used to swot hard the night previous to your exam day. But why such changes? No seriousness at all. I’m shocked to see you. What will you do if you continue to live such life?”

Rubbing hard her teeth with anger, Eva shouted “Goddammit! I just know nothing. I am not hungry. It’s like living hell to me. Do not know what I’ll write my paper tomorrow. Right now let me stay with myself. We’ll discuss later.”

 Saying this Eva got on to her bed well covered with blue bed sheet of Tom and Jerry cartoons and sat there peeping out through her side window.

Eva spoke to herself- "What did I do? Why and how was I so out of control that I vomited all in front of...? Shame on me. O Lord!"

Meanwhile she felt the vibration of her mobile on the bed. Seeing the incoming call from her father, she wiped out her teary waters from her face and with normal tone "hello! Papa."

“Hello! We just returned from God's place. What were you doing?”

Preventing her tears Eva answered, “studying.” There was slight weakness in her quivering voice.

“Are you tensed? Don't worry for your exam. There is God always with you. You keep on doing your duty. Don't waste time. All the best. After all you are too laboring hard. And rest on God."

Failing to utter anything, Eva only sounded “hmmm.” Then she disconnected the call.

More painful these lines were for Eva as her inner soul knew very well about her deeds. Squeezing her another bed sheet she pressed it to her face lying on the bed with her knees bent and her head touching to the side wall. She decided not to make herself sit blank in the exam hall. And there was a call from Akhil who requested her to write her paper. Eva always respected the words of Akhil and therefore agreed but... She sat the whole night on the stool consoling her to study holding a book with her both the palms but could not and ultimately sun rose with the crowing of the crows and singing of the cuckoos. She made herself stand on the corridor gazing at the mango tree and saying to her- "whether my night of curse was the curse for some nights or for the life? Whatever, everything is unforgettable and now I'm out my strong tracks and I have become equal with those which I never had preferred before." 

Eva heard someone calling her from inside.

“Hey! There is Akhil's call for you.”

By the time she came to receive the call, the incoming call turned to a missed call and she ceased herself from calling him thinking how to confront with him and made herself move to the bathroom to have her bath. Time was running out.