Let’s pack our bags and move back to Chennai, thought my mom and the universe heard it. Once again we were all packed up and ready to move.
So far I had studied in eight different schools in five different cities. Moving in and out of schools became second nature. But this time it was different. Destiny had given me an opportunity to go back to the place I had left a year ago. Going back to Chennai meant a chance to get back to my old school, to my old friends. A chance to feel welcomed back to a known place. The whole idea of rejoining my old school and studying with my old friends filled me with extreme joy. I was looking forward to starting this new experience.
On the first day of school, a bomb was dropped on my dreams that burned away my happiness. I was assigned to a different section, not the same as the previous one. It didn’t feel like I had come back. The first day was like every other first I had in the eight schools. I didn’t know anyone from the class. And the fact that the people I knew were sitting across the hall in the other section, together, brought me to tears. I don’t remember if I ended up crying. I must have. The eight experiences were of no help here. The silver lining here was I could meet them during one class and that was all I was waiting for. The attempt of going back to the old life had failed miserably.
As the days passed by, things got better. I actually liked the people around me. In a few days, everything seemed normal just like it would in every other school. And then came a turning point. Our class teacher changed the seating arrangement. I was seated next to a very quiet girl. Little did I know she would soon become my best friend and wouldn’t be as quiet as she seemed. In front of us sat two boys. The four of us bonded quickly and that became my first study group. The four of us enjoyed studying together. It wasn’t just school books. We learned different things together. Studying was like a game where the four of us competed. Somehow all of us won each time. There was no jealousy. There was no unhealthy competition. There were no ill feelings. We bonded over learning and our friendship grew with time. Though later we went our separate ways this one stays special to me. At that time, in those circumstances, it was one of the best things that happened to me. The bomb didn’t burn away my happiness after all.
Comentarios