Piyali

I had not expected to end up in a love story. In fact, I was one of the quietest persons and considered a nerd by everyone, that I had always thought I will not get into a romantic relationship. My plans were to just study well, pass exams, get a job and get married to whomever my parents find for me. That was what I thought will happen to me. But then, HE happened.

He shined most brightly than anybody else. He was someone who could make everyone smile and spread happiness around. You know, there will be some people, who when they are with a group of people, they join everyone together. The person will act as a sun, and as the centre point that all other people like planet revolving around. When they are there as the central point, the scattered planet will become the solar system. And, hence...he was like the sun. Breathtakingly bright... And someone named him just too right. His name was Aditya.

I met Aditya when I was last year of my college. I did say that I was sort of nerdy, right? But I was not friendless. Thanks to my best friend Esha. Esha and I became friends on the first day of college. She was a nice girl with a bright and naughty personality. First, it was just Esha and I hanging around all the time. Then Esha got a boyfriend, Rohan. And Rohan brought Esha and me to his friends' group, who were a lot. So soon, I became the popular nerd in the group, whom everyone will turn to if they need notes or have to ask doubts in studying. And by the way, Esha does not like me calling myself a nerd. "You are one of the sweetest persons I have ever met." She says, "Don't disregard yourself. And everyone loves you."

So well, I do have a lot of friends. And they love me... But no one had loved me romantically. Nor did I expect anyone to. I actually have never romantically liked any boy. Never... I never have felt my heart race, or have ever wished for a boy to look at me. I have heard my female friends say that when they were with some boy, they wish to be with him just a few minutes longer, even if that's just for 5 minutes. I have never felt so. Nor did I think I need to feel so.

But then the bright sun came into my life. Even if he might say that I was the sun who came to his life.

Aditya was Rohan's friend. But I had never met him in the 2 years Rohan and Esha were together. Esha has met him. Also has some of our other friends. And all who had met him was a fan of Aditya. And I was told about him a lot. SO I had just heard about Aditya. Never actually met him... Until that day.

"Adi is at the campus. He is coming here now." Rohan hung up the call and told us.

"In Campus as in here? Our University campus?" Esha asked.

"Or else what?" He asked back.

"He is coming here now?" Sachin asked.

"Wow, I really wanted to meet him again," Tanu said. "He is such a cool guy."

"You're drooling," Hari complained.

"Shut up. And what if I do? He is such a darling. I have never met such a cool guy in my life. If only he could see, I would not have let him go anywhere and made him mine... Such a waste."

I saw that Rohan gave Tanu an angry look. Rohan is really protective of Aditya. He does not like when people look down on Aditya because of his blindness.

"I was giving him compliments. I love Adi too." Tanu said.

"Here he is," Hari said, looking in the direction of the door. I looked up to see a handsome boy dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt walk up to us. And yeah, he was good looking. And he had a wide smile on his face. And from the way he walked, it was hard to believe that he could not see.

"Adi..." Rohan called out. And so did a lot of others. Others cheered for him as he walked in. And I noticed that his smile seemed contagious. Everyone was smiling and laughing now.

"I was in the neighbourhood and hence decided to stop by and leave you guys from your boring studies. At least for a few minutes," Aditya said, and we all broke into a laugher. He talked confidently while keeping a wide happy smile. Esha has once told me that she has never seen him without a smile on his face. That is pretty incredible, I think. Aditya was greeting everybody in the group. I turned my attention back to my books. I was sitting in the back of the group, and he was greeting people sitting in front rows. It will take him time to reach up to me, so I might as well refresh the portion I have to teach to others later.

The person sitting in the row in front of me was Sachin. Aditya clapped his hand on Sachin's shoulder, "And you must be Hiten." He told him with a smile.

"Actually, I am Sachin." Sachin corrected. "Hiten didn't come to college today."

"Oh. Sorry, my mistake, Sachin," he shook hands with him. I noticed that Aditya was not embarrassed or flushed. He looked as cool and composed as ever. His confidence was still high and that was actually making him seem more cool and impressive. "I have heard that Hiten sit next to Gyan..so. I was coming to your name next. Sorry. So...nice to meet you Sachin." He shook hands with him. They began to talk and I flipped the page I was reading and began to read the next page.

"So.. Piyali Chatterjee," Aditya said next, and he was in front of me. I looked up hearing my name.

"Oh... You know me?" I asked, looking up. I didn't find it surprising that he knew Rohan's friends. But me?

"Of course," Aditya said to me, with a smile. "Piyali Chatterjee. Topper of the class. Sweet and caring friend. Esha's best friend. I've heard a lot about you."

I looked at Esha. Oh...she might have told him about me.

"I've heard a lot about you too," I told him. "it's nice to meet you." We shook hands. And then Aditya moved on to talk to other boys. We just went to the canteen and had snakes and everyone was chatting with Aditya. I happened to sit near Aditya in the group, but I didn't talk much to him. Actually, I really do not talk much.

That day went like that. I had not thought that I will meet Aditya again. And even if we do meet, I did not think it would be any remarkable or anything. But we did meet again though.

I had joined this weekend classes for a certificate course. On the first day in the classroom, I saw Aditya sitting in two rows ahead of me. Aditya being visually challenged did not take any regular classes, I knew that. I had heard from Rohan and Esha that Adithya is a bright student and is interested in Economics and Maths. And this class is given by a famous professor and has a high reputation. But I was not sure if Aditya could follow the class...

Because the lecture started immediately after I had noticed Aditya, I didn't go up to greet him. At lunchtime, I saw him collecting food from the canteen of the coaching centre. I had already taken my plate of food. I waited, unsure of how to approach him. He walked ahead and passed me. Ah..he can't see me. I turned around and began to follow him unsure if I should call him or not.

Just then Aditya stopped and turned to me. That was a surprise for me because I was walking and almost bumped into him. Aditya smiled at me. "You can just talk to me, you know," he said. I know... Following him without talking must have been really rude towards a person who can't see. Stupid, stupid me.

"Piyali Chatterjee," Adithya called.

"Oh... How did you know it was me?" I asked.

I waved my hand over his eyes. Can he see?

"I can't see." He replied to the question I asked in my mind. "But...I still can recognize people I have met once."

That didn't feel so real to me. I mean, I had not spoken up to him for him to recognize my voice. We did not touch for him to recognize the feel of my skin or anything...

"But it was easier with you." Aditya was saying. "You have this unique smell."

Smell? I began to sniff my hands and armpit. Do I smell?

"Is that bad?" I asked him.

He laughed. "No. It's a good sort of smell. But unique."

I began to casually wonder what the smell is. No one else has ever told me. But I guess if one sense is not there for someone, the others get stronger. So hearing, touch and smell must be stronger for Aditya.

"Let's sit down," Aditya told me. I nodded and we began to walk. Almost all the tables were occupied. Aditya was walking in between tables. When an empty table came up, he slid into the chair by it and put his plate down. WOW! How the hell did he find the empty table? How did he know that the table is empty if he can't see?

I sat down in front of him, with a lot of doubts in my mind.

"How did you know this table was empty?" I asked him.

"Don't you think it's rude to ask something like that? Just because I can't see, it's not like that I can't hear or sense too. I am not an animal, I am a human with intelligence, you know. I hate when people ask me how do you do that and how did you find that. I know that they are curious....but being asked that a million times by whenever I meet is a bit...."

"Sorry." I cut in. "I am really sorry. I had not meant to be rude. I just... I am sorry." I was panicking. Because I don't usually hurt anybody willingly. And hence I felt rather guilty.

But Aditya broke into a laugher. "I was joking. Esha had told that you are an innocent sort of thing. But I had not expected this much. Just Chill, Piyali. I was just messing with you. Of course, you can ask. I felt the table is empty because I could hear conversations at every other table but this one."

He was joking... But it did not feel like that though. Maybe he was joking. But his logic was right. For being a visually challenged person, he might get questions like this from everyone he meets. And when it gets asked by a lot of people, it can hurt. It emphasizes the fact that he is different from the rest of the world, who can see... And no matter how hard I think, that is actually digging up his wounds about his eyesight.

So I kept feeling sad and guilty. I should not have asked that.

Aditya began to eat his food and I silently began to eat too. But I kept feeling bad about what happened though... A minute passed.

"Are you still there?" Aditya asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I know you are still there. But it feels like you are not. So silent... Come on, talk a bit." He said.

"About what?" I asked.

"About anything." He said. "Why? Have you never talked before?"

"I don't usually talk much," I said. "I don't mean to be rude though. I am a silent kind of person."

"And I hate silence," Aditya said. "The things I hate the most in this world is silence. So you are not allowed to be silent when you are with me. Sorry about that but, you are simply not allowed to stay silent."

I felt a bit troubled. Because I am used to talking the bare minimum required. But I do get his point. He must hate silence. For him, it might feel a bit lonely when there is no sound...

"Sorry," I told him. "I will talk..." but about what? I began to think for a while. What to ask him... What is there to talk about... "Hm..." only hmm comes out of my mouth and Adithya seemed to be waiting for me to talk. "Eh... The weather is so nice today, right?" And Adithya broke into a laugher.

"Sorry," he said, "Of all the things, you come up with whether."

That was really stupid of me, right? Also, he can't see the sky or sunshine either so... Crap!

"Sorry. I am just..." I said.

Aditya was still laughing. His laughter had a nice happy feel to it. Maybe because he laughed freely without holding back anything.

"Let me do the talking then..."He said. "You tell me what's that smell that comes from you. It's a good smell, by the way. It kind of reminds me of something, but I don't know what? It's sort of gives you some nostalgia. That kind of smell."

"No idea what you are talking about. I never notice the smell." I didn't even know I have a smell. I smelled myself again. Then I found out what he was talking about...

"Clay...." I said with hesitation.

"Clay?" he asked.

"I do pottery as a hobby," I said. "But I think the smell washes off well. No one complained before."

"Clay... Cool. Now I get what it reminds me of, the smell of rain falling on fresh earth. I like that smell." He smiled as if thinking about that smell. "What do you make?"

"Just small cups and pots and stuff". I said.

"I would like to feel what you made one day."

"It's nothing big. I just make small figures. Just a hobby. They don't even look good."

"Still it's a different hobby. So I think it's cool."

I smiled to myself.

We had finished eating and we began to get up. We went to give back the plates, and then I looked around for a water cooler to drink water. But Aditya already had found the water cooler and went to it. He even got me a glass of water.

It was kind of unbelievable. Because he actually never let anyone feel that he cannot see. I was in wonder how he found the water cooler. I wanted to ask him how did he find the water cooler. I was really curious. But I held back.

"You want to ask how did I find it?" Aditya asked me.

"No," I said, taking the glass from his hands and drinking up.

"No?" he asked.

"Hm," I said.

"Why?" He sounded puzzled.

"Because that is being rude," I said.

"Oh come on! Don't tell me you took offence about what I told you just then. I was joking."

"Even if you were joking, I don't want to ask anymore," I said. "Because no matter how happy and perfect you pretend to be, I think that as long as you are a human, you will still feel hurt if anyone just keeps on asking stuff like that. It's like reminding you how you are different. Even if they give compliments for you for that, it's just overly insulting or reminding you of everything that you are trying to get over." I could see his expression getting serious. The ever-present smile slightly vanishing from his face. Guess my words are true.

But he regained his smile back again at once, and said, "Hey, it's not like that. See, I am fine with it."

"Sorry, but...it's you who cannot see. I can see things. And I just saw your expression. And it said something else. But that's fine. Your secret is safe with me. You still are the cool person who doesn't get affected by anything. But... I won't ask you questions like that anymore. Because, maybe it won't make a difference, but at least one person less asking might help you a slight tiny bit."

I smiled at him, and put back the glass and began to walk back to the class. He began to follow me. And when I looked back, his smile was sort of different from usual. Like he was actually happy that someone thought well for him.