Smile Please

I met B first time when I entered the class room on the very first day of my first year in an Engineering Institute. Our role call and seating were on alphabetical order. So, B to B (me too a B!) communication started on the first day itself. That day is still vivid because of what he mentioned as his dad's profession; photography, my passion!

B was (and is) a gentle soul to the core, affable, silent, expressive eyes, smile and all that.

Our institute, being a premier one, was considered 'safe' for girl students on many parameters. We realized 'how' when we were outnumbered in most of our class rooms!

There she was, A; bundled alphabetically into our class. My first impression of her was 'Gosh, She is SO dignified and poised!'. 

Both of them had winning smiles. They won over each other soon. We got our 'First Couple' of our Batch thus, right few months into our first year.

Both talk in low decibels, in a measured tone. I had never seen them angry right through the four years we were in Campus. They used to talk in many many places in and around our campus. 

New to the bigger world, being on our own, stepping onto romantic notions big time, some guys used to tease them heavily, jovially

(When you roast peanuts in a dry pan too long,  smoke and aroma fills the air making you sneeze right? Some guys used to sneeze while crossing the star crossed lovers just to pull their legs, kinda 'u guys are roasting romantic words too long yaar!').

I watched this from the sidelines and one fine day decided to join the fun. When I saw A and B chit chat, I deliberately took a detour and while crossing them, sneezed loud with mockery in my eyes.

B just turned around, looked quiet into my eyes, and just said 'You too?!' in all earnestness. I felt like a roach and apologized. That was the only time I 'sneezed' in my college years!

In Second year, we opted for specialization. B chose Electronics and A remained in my class, Comp. Science.

Months and years just rolled quickly and we graduated our course. A and B got married soon after, against stiff resistance from one of their families. They became proud parents of a baby boy the very next year. They stuck on their own and ventured into trying out many a thing starting from a running a Computer Coaching Centre way back in the 90s.

I was in touch on and off for some time till both of them boarded a plane to Uncle Sam.

In the next couple of decades, I was not in touch with many of my batchies as we 'split' the world between us :-) I went to Europe and the rest were all in US of A. I remember speaking to them once, a decade back, by phone.

Last year, we had a batch reunion. I met B and A again after 25 years.

B greeted me warmly and enquired about me and my family. I happily showed him some photos of my kids. Then I asked him, 'What about you? How is your Son?'

His eyes went hollow for a micro second and he said, 'Yeah, I had a Son, V. I thought you knew...he was killed in a car crash a couple of years ago...' in the same, low decibel, measured tone I knew him for.

I felt gutted; something caved in me. I never expected a friend of mine, in my age, to lose a dear son the way he did...

Unable to collar my emotions, with a lump in my throat, I hugged him and told him how sorry I was to hear it from him and mumbled some philosophical words. He actually comforted me! by telling something about how they moved on...

For me, the Reunion program was over at that moment. I couldn't muster the courage to face A and silently left the venue shortly thereafter.

Later on I asked a close batchie friend of mine whether he knew and he said 'it was in the news, didn't you see?!'. Europe is far away from US...

V, fun loving, nature loving, twenty something, smart, adorable (Internet still keeps 'him' alive)... got killed in a car crash while returning home one late night. His Mom responded to the grief sharing outpouring from the people who knew V, with a note that for them (parents), it was like V had just gone to another room in their house / place in their life.

How else one could take in such a terrible loss and still move on? We all expect life to be orderly, meaningful, one long smooth swing from here to eternity but...

I had only a faint memory of V as a baby...even that I am no longer sure about but I could still feel the intensity of their loss as if it happened to a close family member... (it took six months for me to collar it and write about it but still I have this lump in my throat right now).

A and B must be viewing life in a very different light these days. They even donated V's Camera to a photography club in my Alma mater during our reunion visit.  I think every time when somebody says 'Smile Pleaae' behind that camera, V will be smiling somewhere up there... Such a winning smile he had...