At last - Short Story

It was a fine Sunday evening. I was browsing through the television channels jumping from “Nakka Mukka” song in Sun Music to Rahul Dravid’s double century in Star Cricket to Breaking News in NDTV to some War Film in HBO, hoping at least one of them would distract me. However my mind was constantly thinking about only one thing. Tomorrow my Girl friend, or to put it correctly, my Ex Girl friend would be getting married to that guy, described by her parents as “Nice, Handsome, High Earning Guy of our Caste”. Though I had accepted this would eventually happen, six months earlier, today I couldn’t control my feelings. Sharp pain engulfed my heart.

“Is your Dad there?” – My thoughts were diverted by the voice of our neighbor, who was standing outside the entrance of my house. “Come in Jacob Uncle, I will call my Dad in a second.” – I said trying to come up with a smile that might mask my inner feelings. As my dad came out, welcoming him, I decided to go upstairs, hoping that a walk under the evening sun would make me think about some thing other than her marriage.

As I walked past, Jacob uncle, I felt a tinge of guilt in my mind, as usual; guilt that always haunts me when ever I meet him or his son Stephen. Stephen was one of the ten new students who joined in my class, during eleventh Standard. As I found out, that Stephen’s family, were the new tenant in our near by house, we naturally become friends. We also did few share few commonalities. We both liked Rahul Dravid more than Sachin Tendulkar, loved reading Tamil Magazines, and both of our secret dream was to publish a Best Selling Novel that will also win the Nobel Prize for literature.

Besides these miniscule things, our lives were completely different though. Though my parents were not ultra rich, being their only child resulted in extra luxuries. Be it the Bicycle I needed when I was in Third, Cricket Coaching Class when I was in Seventh, I was always provided with whatever I needed. Stephen, had two elder sisters, and with his Dad always concerned about saving money for their marriage, he had to sacrifice many things, that I took for granted.

It was not only in the materialistic things that he was at a disadvantage. My parents never fought at home, and rarely raised their voices when I was around. On the other hand his house resembled a mini Kurushetara most of the times. Fight between his parents, between his elder sisters, between his mother and eldest sister, and some times fight with the neighbors, over even trivial things, meant he never got some peaceful time to study.

Whenever he comes to my house to study along with me, I would assume that he would feel envious of the easy life of mine compared to his. However I had never even seen a tint of jealousy in his eyes. “Your dad studied hard and worked hard in his earlier days, and you are enjoying its fruits today. I will also study hard and give my kids, life similar to you”, he said one day revealing his true feelings. He wanted to emulate my father and was not resentful of his success.

As our class teacher usually remarked, both of us were equally talented, but Stephen invariably scored more than me, because he put tons more of hard work. I continued to read Tamil Magazines, and enjoy Dravid’s knocks, even in twelfth, but he sacrificed them for “Greater Good”. Both of us wanted to be engineers, however the force of our motive varied. I wanted to be an Engineer, just because my Dad wanted to be one; but he saw being an engineer as a tool to fight his family’s problems.

Public exams and the entrance exams came and went. And the day of results arrived. On seeing the reaction of both of us after getting the result, strangers could be excused, if they felt I had got School First and he flunked. However the truth was that he scored ninety seven marks more than me; though we both know our cut off would not get us a seat in prominent Government Engineering colleges, as our Dads had envisioned. That didn’t bother me much, however that bothered Stephen enough to make him cry for two days.

“They are asking for 2.5 lakhs, the other guy said 2 only, but their college don’t have good placement”, my Dad was discussing with mother about the capitation fee in Private Engineering colleges.

“Why are you trying to get Management seat. He might get a seat through counseling.” –said my mother, and my Dad gave her, “What an ignorant lady she is!” look.

“He will get in some useless college in a useless department for his marks. And after four years, he would be jobless Engineering Graduate. Let us pay some money and get him a seat in good college. He will get placement by the end of third year.”

Meanwhile I was wondering about Stephen. He had gone that day to get an application form from a leading Arts and Science college to do B.Sc Chemistry. “I might get a seat in Private Engineering College seat through counseling, but my dad said that he can’t pay so much. He said if I had wanted to be an Engineer, I should have studied harder, and got a seat in Government College.” I felt guilty that he scored more than me, but I am able to do a course that he won’t be able to do.

“Dad, I’ll rather study B.Sc, than paying so much”, I slowly told my Dad, so that I won’t have to live with the guilty conscious.

“You don’t know about life, son. I will do only what is good for you.” – My dad didn’t even bother to give my request a thought. He just rejected it.

Months rolled by, and we both went for different colleges, myself to a prominent private Engineering college, and Stephen to an Arts and Science College. With me staying in a hostel, we rarely met, and one evening when we came across each other, we had so much to share.

“It seems your college has 100 % placement, and the average salary is 2.6 lakhs per annum. You might even get a new house like your Dad, with in five years you leave the college.” Stephen seemed to have more knowledge about my college than me. I didn’t ask him about the placement record of his college, but his eyes conveyed to me, his thoughts, “When you get a new house, I will continue to live in the rotten house of mine, for no mistake in my part”.

I felt so guilty, that I skipped my dinner, and couldn’t sleep properly for next two days. I always tried to avoid Stephen and his Dad thereafter, and even when I meet them, I lowered my head with a sense of guilt. Next time I met him, was during his sister’s marriage, and he was so very happy then. He had already been placed in a reputed IT concern that had recently started to recruit Arts and Science Graduates too. My guilt seemed to reduce a bit then.

However my guilt resurfaced from the bottom again, when I met him in his next sister’s marriage, couple of years later. By the time, I had also completed my Engineering, and landed a good job in a leading IT company. I began to talk without a feeling of guilt, as I felt that was a thing of past. We were delighted to know that we were both working in same Technology. However he seemed to know more than me, his work seemed to be more complex than what I was doing.

The talk turned around to salary, and as he heard my salary, he just smiled but again his eyes revealed to me the message. “You are earning so much more than me for the same technology, just because you have a better degree. And what more, you didn’t get that better degree also because you studied well.” This time, I skipped dinner, as well as next day’s breakfast, and didn’t sleep properly for three days.

After that day, I never met Stephen. With problems caused due to my Ex Girl friend, I had even forgotten about him, but my guilty feelings resurfaced, as I saw his Dad today. Assuming his Dad would have went back by now, I decided to go down. However he hadn’t left and was only just about to start.

“So you also didn’t tell us about it right.” – Stephen’s Dad asked me.

“About what” - I sounded perplexed.

“About Stephen’s love.” – He said smiling. He, as my parents were under the assumption that I and Stephen were still close buddies as we were during school days. They were not aware, that we don’t even see each other frequently now.

“Stephen is getting married to his girl friend next month.” My dad came to my assistance.

Did Stephen love a girl? And he has also managed to convince his parents, her parents to arrange a marriage for them. What studying hard, Working Hard failed to materialize, Love had materialized.

My guiltiness subsided, and my sharp pain in heart due to my Love Failure seemed to have some how subsided, as I learnt he had at last succeeded where I had failed. It’s good that there is still some thing left in the World beyond Money.