High school diary... - An Unexpected Meeting

The line at the Air India counter wound itself out in to the walk way. Shyam found his place at the end of the line. This was his first trip back home to Kerala in a few years and he rightfully dreaded the thirty hour confinement in a crammed seat. He looked at the attendants at economy class counter. They took their time, with just one finger on the key board .Only a passing glance was given to the passenger. The day was too slow to reveal the tense moments awaiting Shyam.

Shyam’s eyes drifted towards the First class counter. There were two young attendants catering
to no more than five passengers. He noticed the broad smile of the attendant at the first counter.
She nodded in approval at the words of a middle aged passenger in black suit. The man was
blocking Shyam’s view of the attendant at the second counter. But he didn’t find it hard to guess
that she also had a beautiful smile and nodded to every word of the privileged passenger.

His line moved a little and this time Shyam could see the attendant at the other first class
counter. She was looking down at her computer screen and her face was not completely visible.
But something in his mind told Shyam that he had seen that face before. He waited for her to
look up. Instead, she turned the other direction now and went on fixing the tags on the bags.
Even more curious, he tried to tilt his head to get a better look. That face was familiar…. or was
it really?

The lady was now showing the passenger something on a paper which again blocked Shyam’s
view. The paper moved with the actions as she spoke, giving small glimpses to shyam, but not
enough see her face fully. Finally she handed the paper to the passenger and Shyam could take a
clear look. It could have been one of the most exploding moments of his life.
How could he ever forget that face? Indu!! That was her name. They were in school together.

Seventeen years have passed and here they were. Shyam held one of his hands up so that he can
wave and get her attention when she looks in his direction. Moments passed one by one.

“Move on please Sir” He was brought back to the senses by the man behind him.
“Sorry”, shyam said sheepishly and moved ahead.

Indu joined his class when he was at 9th
. In the class where no one could speak a sentence of
English without breaking fifteen times, she spoke for more than half an hour with no breaks or
“Uh..s”. In the class where Shyam had topped in every subject for the last four years, she beat
him in all the subjects. For the first time in life Shyam tasted defeat at the sophistication of a
Dubai trained class mate. Indu seemed to be silent most of the time. She spoke more with the
teachers than with students. Even the other girls in the class seemed to keep a fearful distance
with her. The boys kept themselves even farther. So did Shyam. He struggled the entire year to
reclaim his lost position, to no avail. He had seen her looking keenly at his direction when he
boldly stopped teachers to ask questions. But he hated to look back. He hated her.

He told the big man behind him that he will be back in a minute and started towards Indu’s
counter. Barely did he take a step when an airport security stopped him.
“Sir you must carry your bags with you all the time.”

Shyam went back to the bag he left at the line. He thought of pulling everything towards Indu’s
counter but decided against it. He watched her every move hoping that she would turn once and
he would catch her attention.

He remembered how things changed when they started the tenth class. There were more
formulas and calculations. Shyam found himself back on the top and Indu behind him in all
subjects but English. As the year progressed and exams passed, the gap between them widened
in his favor except in English where he seemed to keep the same position behind her. In one
exam in the middle of the year she almost failed in physics and Shyam felt some hidden pleasure.
Basking in glory he was walking out of the class room one day when Indu called him from
behind. This was something Shyam expected the least. First of all she never seemed to talk to
anyone let alone the boys. In addition to that he never failed to turn his head away every time
they crossed the path. Shyam was so overwhelmed in this confusion that he was only half
listening when she told him how hard she found to learn physics. She wanted his advice on prep
materials. Even before he could answer he found that within him something strange was
happening. Indu was quite humble, contrary to what he thought about her. He felt the wall of
animosity cracking and water pouring out. Soon the water lashed out with such a force that the
wall was shattered in to thousand pieces and the water leapt out in a great wave.

“Can I help the next? “ the lady at the counter announced looking at him. After a moment’s
hesitation Shyam went ahead and passed the ticket and documents now feeling a little better that after this he can go and talk to Indu.

The conversation that day was his first with Indu. He found that she listened to every word he
spoke, watched every move of his face and placed her eyes on his all the time. He shared
everything he knew. It was not Bollywood drama after that but there was something between
them for sure. Something more subtle, and more sublime. Smiles every day. “Hi” s and “Bye” s.
“All the best” s before exams and “How was it” s after that. With only 4 months left for school
Shyam found that he waited for each morning to wish her. At times they stopped the teacher at
the same time to ask the same question. She would gracefully let him ask with a smile. Other
times both raised their hands to answer teacher’s question and he would let her have the chance.
Things like that. Silence seemed to speak more than the words.

Shyam thought of the last days at school. As the school neared closure, they decided to stage a
drama. Shyam played the main role of Krishna. Indu chose a more silent role – a dasi of
Draupadi. Shyam noted that she watched him closely during the rehearsals. He would ask her
feedback time and again, and she would always look impressed, her eyes gleaming and say that
he was great. Then one day she called him by his nick name – Bear. His hostel mates called him
“Black bear” because he had a lot of body fur . He got used to it when his buddies called him
that but a slight irritation was always there nevertheless. She called him “Little bear” . He was
ashamed, but for some reason felt quite warm at heart. She took many pictures of the rehearsals
and the drama. Study leave of a month followed that. He learned from his friend who in turn
learned from his cousin, the girl sitting next to Indu, that Indu took all those pictures mainly to
get him in each snap. Shyam couldn’t believe it completely but liked it all the same. He waited
for each exam to come by so that he could see her. He did notice that her smiles were broader
and lasted longer. But he didn’t have the guts to take this relation to the next step. One because
he couldn’t completely trust his friend and spoil the dream like relation he had with Indu.

After checking in his bags Shyam collected his boarding pass and walked towards the first class
counter. This time an Air India assistant stopped him.
“Let me see your ticket sir.” “ Hmmm.. This is only for first class.”
“I know. I just want to see her” Shyam pointed at Indu.
“Sorry Sir you have to settle everything at the economy counter.” The assistant was a big man
who blocked Shyam’s view completely.
“No this is personal” Shyam stepped aside to look at Indu’s counter. To his relief he found that
she was looking at them. But then she didn’t seem to recognize. She looked at shyam, then at the
security and smiled at him and looked at shyam once again, turned her head and went on with
her work.
Shyam was speechless and embarrassed at the same time.” I am sorry “ he told the assistant now looking at shyam with a question mark face.
How come she didn’t recognize him? Was it really Indu? Of course she didn’t look exactly like
the Indu he had seen 17 years ago. But that face, the eyes, he was more or less sure.

When the students parted after the tenth class exams, Shyam got Indu’s address in the centre
page of his autograph book. In the loneliness of the holidays that followed he found that he was
thinking more about her than about the upcoming results. Finally he gathered strength and wrote a letter about how he would like to study with her again. His feelings not expressed completely but signs were there all over his words. Her reply came after a few anxious days. She wrote that she too would love to study with him for 12th. And that she kept thinking about his advice and the days of rehearsals. Signs of love all over her words but nothing expressed in open. Shyam wrote again, this time he recollected more events of the last four months. More hints and signs of love. Days passed by and no reply. Results were published and he went to the school hoping to see her. Everyone was there but not her. No one knew about her. He joined the same school for higher secondary. She didn’t join there. Later he would know that her dad insisted that she join a school in Dubai. What followed were some agonizing days of coping for Shyam.

It was time for boarding the aircraft and he kept looking around. No signs. Settled on his seat he
scanned the airhostesses in his cabin. If at all he had just one chance to tell her it was him.
He was still in thoughts when he heard the captain’s voice on the speakers. What caught his
attention were the words – “ in a few, refreshments will be served by Indu Malhotra and team”.
Indu Malhotra? That sounded like a north Indian name. Shyam had seen Indu’s name written on her note books as Indu K. He didn’t know what that K stood for. Half hope and half despair.
Something in his mind still told him that it was Indu. He shifted restlessly in his seat. May be she
got married to some Malhotra. Probably some officer in Air India. Then the cabin was filled with
a voice he could never forget. The speakers had significant static noise. But not enough to stop
Shyam from recognizing the mellowed sweetness in Indu’s voice. It was her. And she is in the
same air plane. That seemed to over flow his mind with joy. He will find her somehow.

When the seat belt signs were turned off he got up and started moving towards the front of the
cabin. He might have passed one block when the air hostess appeared with the food tray and
blocked his way. She gave him an annoyed look – let me do my job. Shyam was not in a state to
stop. He stepped on the hand rests on his side and jumped past the food cart. He ignored the
stunned look of the air hostess and the loud gasps of the passengers.

As he reached the front of the cabin he saw Indu walking up a stair way with a tray in her hand.
He wanted to call her name aloud but decided not to. He moved as fast as he could through the
alley. In the middle of the stairs Indu seemed to pause and her eyes met his. When it stayed a
minute longer, Shyam thought she recognized him finally. But she moved on. He wanted to leap
in the air and stop her. He was now at the bottom of the stairs and Indu was almost at the top. He was about to take the first step of the stair when an air hostess appeared from his side and
stopped him. “Sir, your seat number?” .

“No.” He pointed towards Indu. ” I mean I know her.”
“sorry sir that is first class cabin and you may not enter”.
“I know. But she is my friend” He looked up at Indu hoping that she would intervene. She
seemed to stop at the top of the stairs, looked at them for a moment and disappeared.

Now the airhostess gave him a “now what” look. Unable to comprehend the situation and not
knowing what to do next he lowered his head and stood there. Why didn’t she stop? Why didn’t
she come down? May be it is some other Indu after all?. He walked back with eyes still down.
Back in his seat he tried to kill the thought that maybe it was indeed Indu but she did not want to talk to him. But why would she do that? She might have thought that I would try to take
advantage of the old friendship. He felt that he could see the colors of days long gone far clearer
than those of the days nearby.

When they were about to land at London Heathrow he gathered up his mind and wrote on a
napkin.” Indu, I believe we studied together in Palakkad. I am Shyam. If indeed you are the same Indu, glad that I could see you but sad that I couldn’t talk. By the way, you look more or less the same. Signed Shyam” .

As he walked out of the cabin he passed the napkin to the airhostess who was standing near his
seat and requested her to pass it to Indu. She looked at him quizzically but agreed to pass it. He
felt worn out as he walked around the shops at Heathrow.
It was more than a couple of hours before they could board again to the same aircraft but with
new cabin crew. As he walked towards his seat, he saw that his adjacent seat was already taken
by an old man. On Shyam’s seat was the old man’s blanket and bag. The old man smiled and
took his blanket on seeing him. Under the blanket was a bottle of cold water, mist on every inch
of it. The old man took that as well. It was then that Shyam spotted a white napkin. It was his own hand writing. He picked it up thinking that the airhostess didn’t even pass it. The ink
was spread on the paper by the mist on the water bottle. He sat down and just kept looking at the ink spreading through the paper like a mystical design. Not sure what made him turn the napkin around. But when he did, he saw on the other side a set of new words.
On top of the napkin were the words “To my little bear.”

The words below had already started melting. But he could make them out –
" sorry da. That I couldn’t recognize you. You have changed a lot. And yes I am the same Indu. There is a lot to tell. Call me when you get time.
The words almost filled the napkin. At the edge of the napkin was written something like a
phone number. He could make the first 3 numbers – 314. The fourth one was mostly dissolved
but he could read – 6. With a pained heart he saw the rest of the numbers turned to
unrecognizable shadows on the pale napkin.