The Red Umbrella
It was Raining.
The little drops of water splattered down towards the earth in a graceful fashion. Ravi was walking briskly towards his Hostel, hoping to reach it before the drizzle turned into a downpour. As he was about the reach the crossroad where another path led towards the Girls’ Hostel, his eyes suddenly caught sight of something. It was a bright red umbrella. His pace slowed down as his eyes tried to look at the face hidden beneath the umbrella. And that very moment, she turned her face towards him. But, alas, it was only for a few seconds, as the umbrella once again hid her face from his view. Ravi stood in the rain, drenched and mesmerized. ***** Ravi stood with a cup of tea in front of the University Canteen, discussing about the inter-department cricket competition with a classmate. Someone passed behind him and he instinctively looked around. It was her! He could never forget that face. Finally he saw her again after a week. She walked inside the canteen and joined her friends. Looking at her friend circle, Ravi now knew which Department she was from. ***** It was the foundation day of the University. Ravi and his friends were among the audience, watching the performance of the students on the stage. And then suddenly his heart skipped a beat as he saw her on the stage. She and a few of her hostel mates danced to the tune of a popular Hindi song. Ravi was now more and more in love with her. ***** “I am not sure I can call it Love”, Ravi said to his roommate. “Of course it is; whether you agree or not.” He replied. “I don’t even know her name.” “Then go and ask her.” ***** “Please give me a Xerox copy of pages 51 to 69 of this book”, she said to the boy at the shop. Ravi stood behind her; he too had come for copying some pages of a book. He wondered whether he should talk to her. Suddenly her phone rang and as she was about to retrieve it from her purse, it fell on the ground. Ravi picked it up and handed it over to her. But the phone had stopped ringing and its display screen was now blank. A look of concern formed on her face. Ravi took it from her and restarted the phone. It came back to life. “Thank You”, she replied in a voice which Ravi felt would have been able to melt butter. “Hi! I am Ravi”, he introduced himself. “I am Naina.” ***** “It will be Valentine’s Day after a few minutes. If only you would have taken her number that day, you could have called her at midnight and wished her on Valentine.” Ravi’s roommate remarked. “She doesn’t even know me and you want me to wish her on midnight of Valentine’s Day?” Ravi replied sceptically. “Well you could have, if only you had taken her number”, came the sarcastic reply. The moments passed by. The midnight hour came and went. And then from another end of the hostel wing came in shouts of joy and celebration. “What’s the noise outside? Is it someone’s birthday?” Ravi asked his roommate. They both went out from the room and peered outside. “Not a birthday. It’s the other celebration. Someone has got his valentine. Guess he proposed at midnight and she accepted. Let’s go and give the lucky guy some bumps.” His roommate said and walked towards the celebrations. Ravi took a bucket and went to the bathroom to fill it with water, so that he could drown the revellers in it – a usual practise in their hostel, of which Ravi was one of the progenitors. As he was about to leave the bathroom with a bucket full of water, another guy came in. “Hey, who is the lucky guy?” He asked. “It’s Rajiv”, came the reply. “Whom did he propose?” “Naina” ***** It didn’t take much time for Ravi to find out that it was the same Naina. He didn’t know how to react. He slowly walked out of the hostel. It was past midnight. The roads were empty. He walked aimlessly as he tried to process his thoughts. Many miles above him, bolts of lightning began igniting the sky. And slowly drops of rain began to descend on earth. The same rain that had brought him love was now back again to drown his sorrow. Ravi kept walking. It kept raining.
The little drops of water splattered down towards the earth in a graceful fashion. Ravi was walking briskly towards his Hostel, hoping to reach it before the drizzle turned into a downpour. As he was about the reach the crossroad where another path led towards the Girls’ Hostel, his eyes suddenly caught sight of something. It was a bright red umbrella. His pace slowed down as his eyes tried to look at the face hidden beneath the umbrella. And that very moment, she turned her face towards him. But, alas, it was only for a few seconds, as the umbrella once again hid her face from his view. Ravi stood in the rain, drenched and mesmerized. ***** Ravi stood with a cup of tea in front of the University Canteen, discussing about the inter-department cricket competition with a classmate. Someone passed behind him and he instinctively looked around. It was her! He could never forget that face. Finally he saw her again after a week. She walked inside the canteen and joined her friends. Looking at her friend circle, Ravi now knew which Department she was from. ***** It was the foundation day of the University. Ravi and his friends were among the audience, watching the performance of the students on the stage. And then suddenly his heart skipped a beat as he saw her on the stage. She and a few of her hostel mates danced to the tune of a popular Hindi song. Ravi was now more and more in love with her. ***** “I am not sure I can call it Love”, Ravi said to his roommate. “Of course it is; whether you agree or not.” He replied. “I don’t even know her name.” “Then go and ask her.” ***** “Please give me a Xerox copy of pages 51 to 69 of this book”, she said to the boy at the shop. Ravi stood behind her; he too had come for copying some pages of a book. He wondered whether he should talk to her. Suddenly her phone rang and as she was about to retrieve it from her purse, it fell on the ground. Ravi picked it up and handed it over to her. But the phone had stopped ringing and its display screen was now blank. A look of concern formed on her face. Ravi took it from her and restarted the phone. It came back to life. “Thank You”, she replied in a voice which Ravi felt would have been able to melt butter. “Hi! I am Ravi”, he introduced himself. “I am Naina.” ***** “It will be Valentine’s Day after a few minutes. If only you would have taken her number that day, you could have called her at midnight and wished her on Valentine.” Ravi’s roommate remarked. “She doesn’t even know me and you want me to wish her on midnight of Valentine’s Day?” Ravi replied sceptically. “Well you could have, if only you had taken her number”, came the sarcastic reply. The moments passed by. The midnight hour came and went. And then from another end of the hostel wing came in shouts of joy and celebration. “What’s the noise outside? Is it someone’s birthday?” Ravi asked his roommate. They both went out from the room and peered outside. “Not a birthday. It’s the other celebration. Someone has got his valentine. Guess he proposed at midnight and she accepted. Let’s go and give the lucky guy some bumps.” His roommate said and walked towards the celebrations. Ravi took a bucket and went to the bathroom to fill it with water, so that he could drown the revellers in it – a usual practise in their hostel, of which Ravi was one of the progenitors. As he was about to leave the bathroom with a bucket full of water, another guy came in. “Hey, who is the lucky guy?” He asked. “It’s Rajiv”, came the reply. “Whom did he propose?” “Naina” ***** It didn’t take much time for Ravi to find out that it was the same Naina. He didn’t know how to react. He slowly walked out of the hostel. It was past midnight. The roads were empty. He walked aimlessly as he tried to process his thoughts. Many miles above him, bolts of lightning began igniting the sky. And slowly drops of rain began to descend on earth. The same rain that had brought him love was now back again to drown his sorrow. Ravi kept walking. It kept raining.
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