Every time she pulled my ear, I fell in love with her, not because getting my ears pulled turns me on or anything, but because when she pulled my ear she would bring her lips so close to my cheek that I could smell the perfume on her neck and I believed that one day she would pull my ear and give me a peck on my cheek. I was 13 years old then, in the seventh standard, and no, I wasn’t getting my ears pulled by the female counterparts in my class but by my English teacher. Yes I know thirteen year old boys, studying in catholic schools, having a crush on their English teacher is a cliché but then that was how my childhood was, a cliché.
So there I was sitting on the last bench everyday, with my chin in my hands, looking at her face, dreamy eyes. From the moment she entered the class I would never lose sight of her slender body, dressed elegantly in a salwar kameez. I don’t know whether it was my imagination or the truth but every time our eyes met she would push a curl behind her ear.
Her brown eyes floated from face to face as she moved around the class reading us prose and poems. And when she passed me the whiff of her perfume and sometimes her duppatta grazing my cheek would make me sigh,”Oh! Teacher Sangeeta”.
I worked really hard in English, doing my homework, preparing the lessons diligently for the next class. Whenever she asked a question in the class I would enthusiastically raise my hand and when she looked at me and said “yes, Vivek what’s the answer”, I would go blank. This would make her really angry and she would pull my ear, which as I have already s
aid I enjoyed.It was Anu, my confidante in the seventh grade, who told me that women liked bold men. “When you mumble in front of teacher Sangeeta, it doesn’t look very manly”, she told me. I looked at her with my mouth wide open wondering how she knew so much about men. But then I realized she was a woman herself, so I thought she must be right.
I always hated it when teacher Sangeeta gave one of her brilliant smiles to anyone except me, and I always thought she did it purposefully to make me jealous. There was one person whom I hated the most and that was our physical trainer Mr. James. He was a tall good looking guy and whenever teacher Sangeeta would see him she would stop and talk to him. They both talked in whispers and she laughed at his secret jokes sometimes touching him on the shoulders or hands and that would make me wreath in envy. James in turn hated me too because I was never good at any sports. But I think he secretly knew about my love for teacher Sangeeta and was jealous of the fact that I might someday steal her from him.
Anu like everything else knew about the hatred I had for James. During recess we would both sit under the tree at the edge of the cricket field behind our school building and try to hatch plans to get James out of the way.
Anu once even suggested asking her cousin brother to arrange for some goons who would hide behind some wall near James’ house and beat the f*beep* out of him when he was walking alone in the evening.
“This would keep him in the hospital for a good whole month during which you would be free to woo teacher Sangeeta”, she said without blinking. And while she was suggesting this, all I could do was, as always look at her with my mouth wide open.
We (read I) decided to stay away from any such act of violence.
It was teacher Sangeeta’s birthday. Anu told me that I should give her a birthday card and a bunch of roses too. But I had only enough money to buy a birthday card, so Anu chipped in and I also bought a bunch of roses. Anu helped me write my feelings beautifully on the card and I told her that I would give it to teacher Sangeeta in the school. But Anu as always suggested otherwise.
“Dress up and go to her place in the evening, there you shall personally give her the flowers and profess your love for her”, she said. “But wouldn’t that be a bit bold. What if she didn’t like it? Wouldn’t she be angry at me?” I asked. “Don’t be silly, what did I tell you about women, they like bold men. She will melt when she will read those line and sees such beautiful flowers”, Anu convinced me.
So in the evening I dressed up, picked up my bicycle and pedaled to her house. As I reached near her house I saw James opening the gate of her garden and entering. He was dressed in a black suit and was accompanied by an old lady who must have been his mother. I stopped a few yards away from her house and waited for James to leave. After a few minutes a few more guests arrived. I knew teacher Sangeeta had given a birthday party. I saw Sumit come along with his parents. Sumit was my classmate and teacher Sangeeta’s nephew. He waved at me when he saw me standing at the corner of the lane. As his parents went inside he waited for me. I cycled up to him.
“Hey, did teacher Sangeeta invite you for the party too”, he asked. “Yes”, I mumbled, embarrassed. “You know it’s a surprise party. Nobody knows but my mother told me that it’s her birthday party as well as her engagement ceremony.” he said. I looked at him as if something had pierced through my heart and shattered all my dreams.
“Won’t you come inside” he asked again. I didn’t say anything. I turned around and cycled back to my home, the flowers and the card still in my hand. I found Anu sitting in the playground out side my house. I threw my bicycle went up to her, sat beside her and threw the flowers and the card on the ground. She put her hands around my shoulders and asked what had happened. I told her everything.
She sat with her hands around my shoulders as I hid my face in my knees. “Why do you worry, I am here for you”, she said caressing my hair. I looked up in to her eyes. She had tears in them. I bent down picked up the flowers and gave them to her. “These are for you, for being my best friend”, I said. She took the flowers in her hand, hugged me and then gave a kiss on my cheek. And as always I kept looking at her with my mouth wide open.
