NINE

CHAPTER  IX
 It was my birthday. I hadn’t told her. And she too didn’t know about it. So I didn’t. I don’t know why. But who the f**k would do that. Isn’t it bizarre? But I was bizarre then. May be I was expecting her to know about it. But then neither was I her boyfriend nor a childhood friend or a facebook buddy. So how could she have known about it?
So we met that day and she didn’t wish me. To be honest I was expecting it. But I knew she wouldn’t have known by any means at all. It wasn’t disheartening at all. Infact, we parted earlier. The reason being my birthday (booze) party. Probably, it was because of the word “booze” I avoided her that day.
Anyways I returned. I entered my room and to my astonishment or as to say my surprise I found my friends waiting for me with boxes of beers and packs of cigarettes. Ready to blast. I’d planned it alright but certainly not the thing which I saw inside. There are things which we did in our past, and look back later and just smile at it and murmur “what were we thinking, and good old times”. But this one topp’d the list most certainly. It was obscure. Why we’d done it. But certainly enjoyed it. So to my amazement, my friends had blown up a ******, filled it with coloured sparkling papers and hung it right in the middle of the room. What was that? I bursted out in laughter looking at the creativity of the scene. And right underneath lay a beer ready to be popped out instead of the traditional candle blowing.
So no guesses, what happened after.
But matter of the fact is I exactly don’t remember anything of that night. I was let say dark’d out.
 
I woke up to my cell’s ring.
 
It was Natalie. It was 6:30 in the morning. She never rang me up so early. Keeping my massive headache aside I picked up and said, “Hello”.
There was no reply.
 
“Hello. Natalie?” I said again.
 
“Hmmm”, she replied after a few seconds.
 
“What happened?” I asked.
 
“I’m sorry,” said Natalie after a pause with a very low tone.
 
I got puzzled and said, “What? Why? What happened ha? Sorry for what?” I replied in an instant.
 
She didn’t answer.
 
“Where are you”, I said.
 
“Outside,” she answered.
 
“Where?” I said a little tensed and worried now.
 
“Look outside your window”, she replied.
 
I instantly hurled towards the window to look outside and to my amazement she was standing outside. I didn’t know what was happening. I put on my pants and scampered outside for her.
I crossed the street. I asked her, “What happened?” and held her hand almost involuntarily. I was scared. I didn’t know what had happened and what was going on.
 
She replied saying, “You didn’t answer my calls or messages either.”
As I was about to answer her that “I was kinof’ busy” and thinking about a story for a lie as I’d to cloak about yester night.
She added, “I didn’t know about your birthday until I came to know about it from one of my friend. I’m extremely sorry. So I called you to wish you a happy birthday, but you didn’t respond at all.”
And then I went “Ahhh! For that?”
“Chya, no issues ya”, I replied.
Then she said something which completely eradicated my aftershock of yester night.
 
She said, “I got tensed and thought you were angry with me, so I came as early as I could right after the college gate opened. I haven’t slept the whole night and neither have I ate my dinner. Only to say you sorry and a Happy Belated Birthday.”
I was left speechless and stunned.
Then a tear rolled down her cheek and said, “I’m sorry na, I’m such an idiot”.
Guilt filled me up from inside. There was a girl standing infront of me 6:30 in the morning outside my room, not slept and uneaten from yester night only to wish my Birthday? And I on the other hand was blacked out the whole night and most certainly avoided and ignored her during all those seconds when she was not able to sleep. What kinof’ a love I’m into? I questioned myself.
 
“What’s wrong with you? Have you gone crazy?” I said.
 
I was so stunned and shocked by this act of her I was infact getting embarrassed. “Phew! Are you insane”, I added.
 
“Please don’t be. And if you ever do something stupid like that again, You will get from me,” I added further.
 
“Here, come here,” I said and wiped off her tiny little tear from her cheek and held her by her arms and kissed on her forehead.
 
She shook her head saying ok and smiled.
“See, that’s what I want to see and not those tears. Alright,” I said.
 
Then we went to the canteen beside our college where we would usually go. Me although unbrushed had no problem in gulping. As I sat there with her having breakfast which was too breakfasttty, I stared at her and wondered what was that all about and for about. Did she really didn’t sleep last night? Have not eaten? Alright, she was hungry I could see that. But is it for real? Could it be possible?  Could I’ve done, or would do something as crazy as that? But the question lies here, what was she thinking? And more importantly why would someone do as such? She’s not my girlfriend. She doesn’t want to accept me and be mine like the way I expressed her and wanted to and on the other side she does something as dramatic as such. I was f*****g puzzled. I couldn’t understand anything. It was much much more complicated and crazy than Quantum Mechanics. Infact, it was helping me understand Dual Nature of Light/Particles. One instant she’s a wave which I won’t be able to catch, and on the other she’s a particle but with a lot of Uncertainty Principle principilised. So the question is am I stuck with this duality of her and never know what exactly she is? Or unravel the mysteries cloaked within her. It made me go haywire. But what I hope is not to be too late before I understand it and get shot. I hope.