Twenty- five Seven

New Beginnings #WriteOverTheWeekend

January 21, 2018

It was his first day in college. He had no idea of what to expect. It was all Princess’ idea that they move out of Makete Street . He stood outside the imposing stone entranceway and wondered if he should go in or wait for her. She was late as usual .

He decided to walk in and carefully made his way through the boys and girls chattering excitedly, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

The new boys stood out like sore thumbs , awkward even, in their obviously new jeans, tees and backpacks . The new girls stood out too but seemed more confident. Of course they stood in the comfort of clusters , talking loudly and shiftily looking out from the corner of their eye to see who was watching them. It was a well known secret that on the first day of college , the Senior boys gaped at the new girls , checking them out to pick one as a potential love interest. Occasionally, they giggled, embarrassed when their gazes locked . It was almost like a mating dance thought Sandokan with the boys and girls interacting in an atmosphere charged with excitement, curiosity and the enthusiastic raw energy of youth.

“Should I go up to the new boys? Or should I go up to the new girls? ” he thought . Just then he heard a peal of laughter and looked up, straight into the green eyes of a girl surrounded by a gaggle of other giggling girls. Their eyes met and he sighed ” Cat eyes, hard to resist their magic . Changing with the light…. sometimes green and sometimes brown but always deep and mysterious “. Then he saw her. Princess looked at him archly. She seemed amused by his awkwardness.

He made his way towards her when suddenly the bell rang and the group of girls went up the staircase .Princess followed them too.

“Oh dear, I’ve lost her even before I found her !”

All day he waited in the hope of bumping into her between classes. He even hung around outside her class. He didn’t want to seem to desperate.

Finally , he caught up with her in the Canteen. She was rubbing herself against a table leg. Sandokan approached her stealthily not wanting to lose her again. But before he could reach, the bell rang and she darted . “Drat!” he thought. “And she did it again! ”

You can read more about Sandokan and Princess here and here .

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’
The Castle by the Sea #FridayFotoFiction

January 19, 2018

‘Remember that night son?” asked Captain Johnson as we looked up at the castle perched perilously on the rocky cliff above.

“We fled for our lives with just the shirts on our backs.”

How could I forget that momentous night when he handed me his keys making me sole owner of a property where my father once worked as a gardener?

“You did well my son,” said the old man proudly as we stepped inside the Castillo Junto Mar, the award winning resort featured in Conde Nast Traveller three times in a row.

I’m participating in #FridayFotoFiction hosted by Tina and Mayuri.
Getting ready for bed #FridayReflections

January 19, 2018

As Bahadur pulled the blanket up to his chin, he realised that something was missing. He traced back the events of the day to see what it was.

The tea was fine in the morning. The fruit were cut just right . The papaya was sweet enough and there was no news of rapes, murders or scams in the morning papers.

The electrician who had come to fix the bathroom light wasn’t sloppy or arrogant . Besides he didn’t overcharge. So that was a trouble free transaction.

Gangu had managed to get the vegetable cooked just the way the Captain liked it – crisp and not overdone, mildly spiced and with less oil. And the solitary paratha that made up the rest of the meal was papery thin and soft.

The grandchildren who came by after school were surprisingly subdued, quite unlike their usual rowdy selves . They pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t dart in and out of the room like irritating flies of late summer.

And the rest of the day wound down to a perfect evening. The Colonel managed his forty steps which was all he could manage these days . Bahadur watched his former boss a mere shadow of his former self slowly diminish before his eyes; trying to straighten up as he doffed his cap at the ladies who sat in the garden.

Dinner was uneventful too as he quietly sipped his soup and crunched his buttered toast. Carefully wiping the remains of custard off his lips, the Colonel folded his napkin signifying the end of the day.

Bahadur helped him to his room and went back to his chores while the Colonel watched some television before bed.

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.

So why did he have that nagging feeling that something was missing ?

Puzzled, he slipped further into his bed when he heard the faint slip slop of slippers outside his door . There was a light knock and the door opened just a crack ” Bahadur come quick . Something has happened .”

Quick as a flash Bahadur was on his feet and ran to the Colonel’s room.

There he was all bundled up, slumped in his chair. His heavy socks were crumpled round his feet , his head wrapped in a frayed muffler and his body swaddled in a worn out shawl. He held out his hands and pulled off the leather motorcycle gloves .

“Bahadur, ” he whimpered . “My hands are cold . What can you do to keep them warm?”

As he rubbed the hands gently and got the circulation back in place, Bahadur realised what was missing : the cantankerous old Colonel had not grumbled even once the whole day!

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I’m linking up with Corinne and Shalini who are hosting #FridayReflections.

Do join in !

New Beginnings #WriteOverTheWeekend

The Castle by the Sea #FridayFotoFiction

Getting ready for bed #FridayReflections