Frustration Point

It was late in the evening. I shivered as the cold, frosty wind danced around me blowing the scarf off my head. My teeth chattered as I bent down to pick it up.

Not bad, eh. Wrong beginning, though- I’m in Manipal and well, the weather’s not exactly what you can call cold. Let me try again.

It was late in the evening. I shivered (with fear), wondering how much hotter it could get. I wiped the sweat off my brow and looked around.

Now, that’s more like it!

The road was silent. It seemed to be saying something to me.

‘Where are the bikes zooming like jets?
Where are the Romeos? Where are the Juliets?
The taste of gum, the smell of mentos wrappers,
The husky voices of the wanna-be rappers,
Adidas, soothing to the touch,
Nikes, I didn’t like so much,
Aah, the painful stilettos too…
Where, where are all of you?’

‘Honk, honk.’
What are doing there?’ Hastily, I stepped back to the kerb.
‘Yes, there are people left. Poor souls like me’, I thought, (self) pityingly.
I suddenly remembered a friend of mine say, ‘Now, that the place is empty; walk like you own the place.’*
‘Why not?’ I told myself. (Note: I had begun talking to myself. First signs of madness.)

I walked on the pavement, remembering the many times I had walked there with my friends. The jokes we’d shared, the silence which spoke volumes ( read: mouth shut due to ongoing sessionals), running to grab a copy of the assignment from campus stores, nudging each other and whispering gossipy stuff………………
I wiped a tear from the right edge of my left eye. (Or maybe it was sweat. They’re both salty, anyway.) Filled with emotion I tried to walk into my old classroom and relive a few memories. (Or maybe it was the air-conditioning that beckoned me) I was promptly stopped by the guard.

‘Yenu beku?’ (What do you want?)
‘Aah, hmm, volage hogbahudaa?’ ( Aah, hmm, could I go in?)
‘Naale banni. Iga close aagide.’ (Come tomorrow. It’s closed for today.)
My chest swelled with anger at his audacity. MY classroom. Smiling mockingly, he went in and sat down on the stool, (in the air-conditioned room). I sneered at him. ‘Just you wait, I’ll be back soon’, I thought and walked away.

The library gave me a cheery grin as I passed by. I didn’t even want to enter. The wonderful place where I had had such fun would never be the same. The place where I had studied, had enjoyed numerous cups of coffee and veg bun masala, almost forced a ‘friend’ to sit on the steps, discussed crushes and break-ups, bitched to glory etc. would never hold the same charm for me.** I walked past without a second glance.

I came close to the canteen. I looked at my reflection on the walls (it’s a 2-way mirror, actually). I looked pale and thin, not having eaten there for days.*** I could almost smell the dosa. I almost heard the crispy sound it made as I ate it. I felt the touch of the ice-cold glass and the feel of cold-coffee down my throat. I could see myself laughing at a completely idiotic joke, and wondered how I could’ve laughed at all. I shook my head hard and with a great effort, continued my walk.

I reached Frustration Point. (How apt!) I gazed around, not a thought in my head. (Actually, no. I was wondering where the cows of Manipal had gone. Frustration point generally provides a good view of them.) A gentle breeze blew all stray thoughts away. I stood still for a few minutes, just enjoying the silence.

College will reopen in a few weeks, I thought

Yay, yipeee, hurray, three cheers, YAY, YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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I dedicate the above article to my college, my classmates and friends; all of whom I sorely miss. I HATE holidays.

* told by Dhruv when I lamented about how bored I was. You can find his blog here. (There! I’ve repaid you in kind!)
**The library is being renovated. And the whole place will be ACd I guess. Ugh.
***That was a bit of an exaggeration. Kinda obvious,yes, but I thought I’d make it a bit more obvious.
Frustration Point is near our college. Nice view. ( Apart from the cows, that is.)