Woe and A Confession

BETWEEN THEM
Part 56

She could not hear his reply. Was he answering? ........ It didn't seem that way.... Something was up... Rather, down.

Kamala knocked hard, and called louder, "Krish!"

"Later"

She was shocked. It wasn't like Krish to ever refuse to meet her. She opened the door silently and stepped in.

He was near the window, in the rocking chair, legged propped up on a side table, staring out.

She realized he was crying.

"Krish? What happened dear?"

He was startled, and turned around in shock. It was so sudden that he forgot he was crying, forgot to wipe away his tears and forgot to hide away that piece of paper in his hand.

"I have never seen you cry, except for that day in sixth grade when you were hurt that your friends stole away your lunch, more so with the fact that they did so when you could have given them yourself"

He was collected by now, and realized she was more affected with his pain than she was showing. It wasn't like his grandmother to get nostalgic.

"Nothing is wrong. Just a small tiff at work."

They were silent for a very long time.

She started. "Who is it Krish?"

"Just a sub, he wasn't sure of the codes, you know, an engineer and his coding was awful and I..."

"I meant, is it that Shriya?"

Again, as always. He just smiled. She could never be fooled.

"Shriya? Hey.... Actually...."

"I know it Krish, I know you never bother about girls the way you bothered about her... rather the way you bothered her that day."

"It was just plain friendship."

"Let me hear that again."


He was quiet. He knew he could not say that again. She wasn't just a friend.

"Give me that, Krish"

She reached over and pulled the paper from his hands. He made a grab for it, causing her to grip it more firmly. She read through, aloud.

"Angels appear in this world in the least expected places ~ Search for them and you will find them not ~ Search within yourself and there She resides"


"And what did that angel do to you, Krish? What went wrong? What was it that made you cry, child?"

He somehow wished he could stop those tears, stop the jitter, stop the pain from returning.

He turned away and stared at the window sill, at the grills, at the curtain and at the floor.


"I love her."

Kamala smiled, beyond her wish. It was hurting her that he was hurt, but that voice with which he said that......... Oh! The ways of youth!

"Did you tell her?"

"Not yet...... I wanted to, many a time."

"Why did you not?"

"I am still wondering about that."

"So, at least when she told you.... You could have right?"

He sat up straight.

"How do you know it gran? That she told me?"

"It was all over her face that she liked you. And it was almost evident you never realized the extent. And I know, you wouldn't have known until she had worded it."

"Great. I was the ass all along."

"You still are."

He gave her a sad look. "I want to tell her. But not in any simple way. I want it to be something monumental."

"And what do you plan it to be?"

"I thought I will tell her just the day before she leaves her."

"Leaves? You mean she is vacating Bangalore?"

He nodded. "She quit."

"Because of?"

He winced. "I hoped you would not ask me that. It was me, gran , me cause of whom she leaving. I screwed it all up royally."

"Explain."

He started. Over the evening, he told her everything that had ever happened, including those far away times at school.

It was almost dinner time when she stood up. He was beaming and she smiled. Somehow he still looked pained, though the major part was past their plan.

She stopped on her way out of the door.

"Get back down now, else your mother will get wild. She missed seeing you the whole day, you just scurried off here, which was why I followed," she paused, "You mean a lot to a lot of people, Krish. Realize that."

She shut the door softly behind her.

His smile faded. He stared at the paper and then at something on his table. The well- faded diary.

"Realized it, the day I started writing this. But today I realize enough to act, Shriya."

He hoped she could hear him then.