Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11,Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25
I went back to the television and sat there watching whatever that was running in it. Well, I was just seeing in that direction with thoughts fixed somewhere else. I went to the bed room and lied next to her. After I wrapped myself in the three bed sheets, I turned to see her sleeping. She was beautiful as always and I was there admiring her all over again. A few minutes passed in bliss and she moved in sleep and hugged me. I laid back with her face in my shoulder and hand around me. I was going back to times we had spent together and ordeal she faced to reach here. I fell asleep with her breath blowing over my heart and making it lighter than it had already become.
I woke up with the sun, as soon it rose to shine through my window pane. Sunrise seemed to be a remote thing happening underground all these days. I got up to see a clean half of the bed next to mine. Of course she should have woken up early. I found my way to the kitchen to stop my gastric juices from eating my stomach. I came back to the hall and switched on the TV with a hand full of eatables. As a few songs got over along with the eatables, I realized she is not home. ‘Should have left to work.’ I thought and continued the songs and snacks.
The lab seemed to be filled with activity when I entered it. Before I could complete the Brainstorming, the intern stepped out of the Animal cell culture cabin and smiled, “Is this the time you come to lab?”
She had transformed my lab into a place that looks as it should.
“I am actually early today. The lab has had a few changes since you left.” I said.
“Ya. I can see that. But, not anymore. Now sit down here and check out the photos from yesterday’s treat.”
So we started going through the photos that we took last night in her mobile. She stopped with the a photo in which I was looking at my love and zoomed it.
“What’s this?
“What?”
“You guys. Both of you have wet eye lids.”
“What?” I looked at it again and I could see that. That was the time when we came back from the argument in the Café terrace.
“Too much light I guess. I live underground these days.” I smiled.
“Hmmm” she turned to see me, smiled and nodded. “Nocturnal to the core. But since I am back you can take proper sleep.” She pretended as if she had bought my lie and I pretended as if I trusted her buying that. Sometimes we know more than we need to.
“Hope so.” I said putting an end to the pretences.
She had transformed my lab into a place that looks as it should.
“I am actually early today. The lab has had a few changes since you left.” I said.
“Ya. I can see that. But, not anymore. Now sit down here and check out the photos from yesterday’s treat.”
So we started going through the photos that we took last night in her mobile. She stopped with the a photo in which I was looking at my love and zoomed it.
“What’s this?
“What?”
“You guys. Both of you have wet eye lids.”
“What?” I looked at it again and I could see that. That was the time when we came back from the argument in the Café terrace.
“Too much light I guess. I live underground these days.” I smiled.
“Hmmm” she turned to see me, smiled and nodded. “Nocturnal to the core. But since I am back you can take proper sleep.” She pretended as if she had bought my lie and I pretended as if I trusted her buying that. Sometimes we know more than we need to.
“Hope so.” I said putting an end to the pretences.
I made myself busy with the research and she kept herself engaged in the various outcomes in our research that she had missed. After a couple of hours she dragged me to the cafeteria and as we sat for lunch, asked “So how was last night?” and smiled.
I had a smile spreading within the inner portions of the tight lipped mouth. “We slept.”
“Ya. Ya. What else will people do at night?” She said in a tone that demanded my smile to break its barriers.
I threw a tissue paper on her and said, “Shall we go back to the lab?”
She held my hand and said, “Ok ok no more questions. Just say your plans for New Year.”
“Haven’t planned for anything. The campus will have a party right.”
“Another party with these nerds?”
“Ya. With us nerds.”
I had a smile spreading within the inner portions of the tight lipped mouth. “We slept.”
“Ya. Ya. What else will people do at night?” She said in a tone that demanded my smile to break its barriers.
I threw a tissue paper on her and said, “Shall we go back to the lab?”
She held my hand and said, “Ok ok no more questions. Just say your plans for New Year.”
“Haven’t planned for anything. The campus will have a party right.”
“Another party with these nerds?”
“Ya. With us nerds.”
“Just don’t have any plans. You are anyway bad in that. We will plan. By the way where is the girl you slept with last night?”
She smiled and made signs for apology as I gave a look which meant anger, shock or both.
“She left before I woke up. Should be busy with work.”
“God! You are pathetic than a one night stand.” She said, stood up and continued, “I will call her. Now go back and do some work.” She smiled and ran away after that, making me revisit to my heart assessing if I am careless about the relationship or careful about her privacy.
She smiled and made signs for apology as I gave a look which meant anger, shock or both.
“She left before I woke up. Should be busy with work.”
“God! You are pathetic than a one night stand.” She said, stood up and continued, “I will call her. Now go back and do some work.” She smiled and ran away after that, making me revisit to my heart assessing if I am careless about the relationship or careful about her privacy.
I went back to the lab and was making sure of the temperatures in the Incubators, when she came in with a confused look.
“What happened last night?”
Again the same question I thought and turned to see a confused look.
“What?”
“She is on the way to Erode. Doesn’t tell me the reason why she is going.”
“No. Her dad was ill. But she spoke with him and he is alright now. But why did she go?” I was revising all that happened yesterday.
“She asked me not to tell you. May be I shouldn’t have. Sorry.”
“Hey don’t worry. May be she was in a hurry. I will talk to her.” I said and she turned to go back.
“Wait! She asked you not to tell me?”
“Yes”
“Fine. I will wait for her to call me.”
“Hope everything is fine.”
“Yes. It will be.”
“What happened last night?”
Again the same question I thought and turned to see a confused look.
“What?”
“She is on the way to Erode. Doesn’t tell me the reason why she is going.”
“No. Her dad was ill. But she spoke with him and he is alright now. But why did she go?” I was revising all that happened yesterday.
“She asked me not to tell you. May be I shouldn’t have. Sorry.”
“Hey don’t worry. May be she was in a hurry. I will talk to her.” I said and she turned to go back.
“Wait! She asked you not to tell me?”
“Yes”
“Fine. I will wait for her to call me.”
“Hope everything is fine.”
“Yes. It will be.”
I called her dad to make sure everything is fine. He spoke as if he doesn’t know about her travel and I didn’t reveal it either. The rest of the day went with my focus on my phone which never brought any message from my love. I was worried. I figured out that I can’t simply sit here and wait for her call and decided to go to Erode. I got my friend’s car and started to Erode after explaining the various activities going on in the lab to the Intern.
I didn’t know how fast I drove but I reached the old couple’s tea shop in the outskirts of Krishnagiri. They haven’t seen me for long and sat with me for a discussion. From their eager eyes I couldn’t stop myself from saying what happened. The said all that happened in short and they smiled. “You two will make a great couple.” She said and went in to bring tea for us.
“So you are going to see her.” The old man asked me.
“Yes.”
“I won’t do it if I were you.” He said, looked at me for a moment and continued, “Women need their time alone too. Just like us. From what you told us, she is very strong and has gone to see her Dad. Let her come back to you and explain. She will have her story. You can play angry and there can be romance. Don’t spoil all that by going there. Moreover don’t spoil her time at her home with her parents.”
“Hey don’t spoil the child. He can’t stay away from her.” The old woman came out with tea.
“No. He is right. She should have her personal life too. Her decisions have always been correct. She would have called me if she needs me.” I said.
They had a small argument within themselves if I should go to Erode or not. I smiled as I watched them argue and they stopped midway seeing my smile.
“So you are going to see her.” The old man asked me.
“Yes.”
“I won’t do it if I were you.” He said, looked at me for a moment and continued, “Women need their time alone too. Just like us. From what you told us, she is very strong and has gone to see her Dad. Let her come back to you and explain. She will have her story. You can play angry and there can be romance. Don’t spoil all that by going there. Moreover don’t spoil her time at her home with her parents.”
“Hey don’t spoil the child. He can’t stay away from her.” The old woman came out with tea.
“No. He is right. She should have her personal life too. Her decisions have always been correct. She would have called me if she needs me.” I said.
They had a small argument within themselves if I should go to Erode or not. I smiled as I watched them argue and they stopped midway seeing my smile.
I reached the campus by 3AM. I didn’t get any sleep with my mind centered on her travel and more towards the denial of information. I was devising all possible reasons for her denial but nothing seem to fit in. But heart that I have, always said she is right. With a battle between mind and heart, there is no clear victory. That day went like hell with me reaching lab before anyone. Well, I get up late only when I sleep. Now that I didn’t sleep, I was early. I made sure no one finds out my thought and involved myself in research as much as possible. Avoiding coffee and lunch breaks helped me escape the Intern’s gazes. Whenever she tried to talk I diverted the topic and involved the discussion in our experiments.
But it was clear that she knew about my state of mind. She did most of the work while I did some easy stuff that I had put off for long. She left the lab at 10pm after I promised her that I will be normal tomorrow and everything is fine. I reached my room by 2AM, started browsing through the long list of photos we had taken. Some made me smile; some made me laugh; some loaded moisture under the tired eyes. Before I realized the early morning rays flowed in through the window edge much like a single golden strand from heaven.
I didn’t want to be early today and scare the Intern. So I tried to sleep, in vain, against my lucid dreams, which again were centered on her reasons for sudden negligence. I had become a self-induced Insomniac. When I reached lab by 11, The New Year’s Eve had all its color in the Campus as everyone was busy in decorations and arrangements. The lab looked different as well.
“I have planned everything and all our work will be over by 8PM.” The intern was saying as she made all arrangements for today’s experiments.
“Great”. I said and went to check my children in the Incubator. Well if we all are God’s children, the bacteria that I cultured should be mine. I smiled at the thought as the rational mind that I have, kicked itself.
“I have planned everything and all our work will be over by 8PM.” The intern was saying as she made all arrangements for today’s experiments.
“Great”. I said and went to check my children in the Incubator. Well if we all are God’s children, the bacteria that I cultured should be mine. I smiled at the thought as the rational mind that I have, kicked itself.
The intern kept herself busy with the schedule that she had made and I focused in the research mechanically. Heart, obviously was wandering few hundred miles away in search of answers. The same easy experiments demanded greater concentrations, thanks to the sleepless night. Soon the clock struck Eight and the intern was pulling me to come out of our lab. We went to the Celebrations lawn which was abuzz with activity. We joined the fellow lab mates in final decorations needed for the party. The party started by 10pm with all Professors joining us and soon the DJ, Dance and Drinks started to fill the party. I moved from one group to another and involved myself in the chatter and avoided the intern whom I feared, would drag me to the Dance floor any moment.
The sparking lights, the Colors and the loud music were making my Insomnia show its rough side. I sat in a table with an unpredictable pain in forehead and the Extraocular muscles. I closed my eyes and the moisture inside spread out making my vision unclear.
The table had a lot of glasses: empty, half filled or full based on the time the holder went to dance. I searched for water and drank it from the packed drinking water can. I turned to the crowd where one person got my attention. She was moving towards me and I shook my head and sprinkled some water on my face to see clearly. I smiled at her as soon as I realized that she resembles my love and stood up.
Just then I received a tight slap from a very familiar person standing next to me making me stumble and sit back on the chair. The person who resembled my love took hurried steps towards me.
