The mobile rang once again. She hit the silence button.
‘Why doesn’t he ever stop?'
No answer again. He puts his phone down, frustrated and
hopeless.
‘If at all she answers
my call, I’m going to tell her I hate her.’
“Ths isn’t d
right time 2 talk”, she texts him.
“I hate u”,
came the reply.
She frowned. ‘He’s mad..But what
option do I have?’
Pallavi
looks at the mobile Srikanth got her the last time they met. It wasn’t a gift;
rather a necessity. That black ` 899 phone was their only means of communication.
She slid it under the table and looked up. The Chemistry lecturer was giving
the class, notes which least interested her. Good thing she was sitting in a
place seldom noticed.
*****
But Sahana did. She noticed the way the girl
beside her kept staring at her mobile from time to time. ‘Definitely it’s some boy thing’, she thought. Lunch break, tea
break or any other spare time were always spent with a solemn Pallavi and her
nasty little mobile. When they first met, Sahana considered Pallavi her ideal
pal- they were about the same height, shared the same complexion, were fans of
the same actor (Vijay) and even lived in the same locality. But ever since that
cellphone arrived (not more than a month), Pallavi has never been the same…
much to the dismay of Sahana. Her job is now to keep an eye for Pallavi – to warn
her if anyone notices her texting during class. Even worse, she feels guilty to
leave her alone and go with others to the canteen. She stays behind, filled
with resentment.
‘I had said such wonderful
things about her to my mom but she doesn’t give me a minute’s thought. What a
selfish thing!’
*****
Srikanth’s mom seemed troubled.
“He’s spending more time on his mobile these days. He doesn’t talk to me
anymore,” she whined to the old lady next door. “Yesterday,
his father found him whispering over the phone in the dead of the night. When
asked for an explanation, he snapped it was a friend in trouble and asked him
to keep his nose to himself. He has never ever said such things to his father!
I’m so worried over this boy. He used to study extremely well but now...I’m not
sure whether he’ll clear his arrear exams. I can only find him with his so
called “touchscreen” mobile and never with his textbook. Oh, May God save him!”
The old woman nodded in agreement
but had nothing to say since her frail ears could pick up just half the words
spoken.
*****
The Samsung Galaxy i5700 smartphone gave a
beep. Srikanth’s hands got hold of it in what seemed like less than a second.
Atlast, the ‘SMS’ was from her.
‘Sri…?’
His fingers moved artistically over
the touchpad.
‘Don
tlk 2 me. I hate u’
He waited for five minutes. No
reply…. Anxiety followed by restlessness.
‘Don tlk 2 me. I hate u’ he sent
it again.
This time there was a beep.
‘k fine’
No, this wasn’t what he expected. ‘Fine huh? Well let’s see how long it lasts….’
No SMS came from Pallavi that night. He wanted to talk to
her so badly. ‘How I longed to meet her
and break the news! She wouldn’t even
receive my calls. I have finally passed
my arrears just to make her happy... I did this for her! For her! And she…these
girls just never understand‘
*****
Raghav looked at the black mobile he had snatched from Pallavi
and gritted his teeth.
‘How dare he! I should have wondered why he
dropped in so many times. Well, it was only to see her and not me. I shouldn’t
have encouraged him. Where will I hide my face once my parents find out this
@$#%?! She must be crying now. Let her! I don’t think she will ever face him
again considering the kind of threat I pose. Wretched ones.. Those two have
made me grumble like the guy who plays the heroine’s brother in that cricket
movie?!’
“What makes you talk to yourself? Have you gone mad?”
His father’s arrival made Raghav flinch while his hands
hastened to hide his sister’s phone.
“What’s that in your hand?”
“Nothing Appa…”
“Hey .. Is that a cellphone da?”
“Um….Yes. My friend’s
phone. He wanted me to give it for repair.”
“You say there’s no time to go pay the electricity bill but
you have all the time in the world for this
friend of yours” Raghav’s father shook his head as he left the room.
“Blame it on fate!”
sighed Raghav looking at the black mobile.
“I’ll throw this thing at his face
and give that Srikanth guy such a bashing that he’ll never forget!”
*****
Pallavi blamed it on
herself.
‘Now I’ve let Raghav
know. That ruffian will never let us meet each other anymore. But what if all that he said was true? Did he
really have two girlfriends before me? I’m confused. I shouldn’t have said yes
to the first boy who set eyes on me. But it was Raghav’s mistake as well. He
was the one who let Srikanth in and gave him so much importance.
But now Raghav has threatened to show the mobile to my
father if I ever talk to him again. And father would kill me if he knows. What
should I do? Oh, this is all a mistake, a terrible mistake!’
She tried to calm herself.
‘Let things sort out by themselves. I’m not going to try
talk to him. It is the best I can do’
*****
Sahana received a beep on her mobile. She gulped the last
morsel of idli left on her plate and reached for, guess what, her mobile. ‘Unknown number?’ she shrugged.
‘Who’s ths?’
‘Sahana?’
‘S..pls say
who’s dis?’
‘I m Pallavi’s
frnd’
‘God! Who’s this?’
Sahana’s heart began to race.
‘Pardon?’
This chat extended
for another hour or so until Sahana finally realized who it was...
*****
“Kohlrausch’s law
of dissociation. Take down the notes….”
Pallavi promptly took
her pen and wrote it down. She nudged her friend to start writing. Apparently
Sahana had better things to do. Her fingers crept into the front zip of her bag
kept underneath and out came a cellphone.
Pallavi couldn’t
help being smug-faced. “She doesn’t have
a brother….Good for her.”
Liitle did Pallavi
know that Sahana was texting the same guy she broke up with a little while ago.
*****
