The first day of 11th standard, Mahira is made to sit with a boy she had seen and heard of, before but never
talked to. He was her biggest enemy and she felt her insides burning sitting with him and constantly prayed for death. Since beginning Mahira has been a very shy girl. She had no friends, literally. Her parents kept
Reminding her that the reason they left their home in Jammu and settled in Delhi was her studies and that she should be concentrating on her studies. Like a programmed robot, she did everything her parents told and
From 3rd standard itself, her name was written on the top of the blackboard below the heading "Class Topper” In 10th standard, she had come second in the whole school. Her parents were unhappy and the reason of
their unhappiness was sitting right next to her right now. Sharief Malhotra. He was a nerd, the thick
glasses resting on his nose said it all. He was a typical nerd who didn’t talked at all minded his own business with a book in his hands, all the time
His father, the head of his family was an IAS officer who valued discipline more than anything in his life. He also had no friends, the only friends he had were the fictitious characters of the novels he read. The first few days were a literal mess. They shared no contact with each other and went to the respective class teacher for getting their seats changed. Unfortunately, they couldn’t. The class teacher wanted both of them to sit together in front because she wanted to give extra attention to them as they were the only one who was capable, responsible and curious enough to learn and to study. More days passed, they still haven’t even called out each other’s name. The tension between them kept on growing. Both of them suddenly started to find it difficult to sit next to each other or should we say, ‘tolerate’ each other.
Finally on one day, when she noticed that everyone in the class was busy gossiping with one another, she tapped on his shoulder once. He was still busy with his homework. He didn’t even care to look up. She tapped his shoulder again. This time he looked up.
‘Why are you so egoistic, huh?’ she snapped in anger. His face remained expressionless as always. He raised an eyebrow and replied with a ‘No I am not’, launching himself again in the world of quantum physics.
Anger now rushed through her. She took out her school water bottle and splashed it on his face till it emptied. The whole class looked in horror at them. Angry, Sharief also looked at her with burning eyes for a moment and then suddenly with Barry Allen like speed, he emptied his water bottle on her too. Both of them now, soaked in the heat looked at each other in anger. The anger was followed by a few seconds of silence and the silence, later turned into a joyful laughter for both. They laughed at each other while they splashed the last few drops of water on each other from the bottles. Unfortunate enough, the class teacher entered at that very moment and needless to say, both of them were made to stand outside. While their hands burnt in pain, their ribs still tickled as they continued laughing and smiling for the rest of the day.
In the following days, their friendship became more and more strong. The assignments they did together, the practical experiments they performed, the bets they placed on who’ll top this time, the morning crossword puzzles, everything served a purpose. The purpose of brining the two together.
Even though their studies weren’t being affected, their parents now were in a mode of emergency and alarmed. The changing attitude of both towards the way of life became the new threat for their parents. Mahira’s prolonged absence from her home on account of extra classes, Sharief’s sudden love for Shah Rukh Khan movies and his raising pocket money expenditure (which he spent on buying gifts and chocolates for her) were something that worried their parents. Moreover, both getting a new personal mobile so that they could text each other and never feel alone or detached was alone enough for their parents to take steps.
Their parents were unaware of the friendship or the little un named relation between the two. They were unaware of the fact that how the little relation would change both of their lives, forever.
Finally, after gathering much courage, Sharief proposed her on his birthday. She, as expected, said yes. Why wouldn’t she say yes? He was everything she wanted. The handsome nerd or the ‘beauty with the brains’ was all hers now. Late night calls, texts, video calls, they left no stone unturned to make sure that their love didn’t suffer. When they would be together, he would hold her hands and tell her how much he loved her. He would tell her that his love was the value of tan 90 (infinite) and many other nerdy jokes. They had a happy world of their own. A world where only love dwelled and a world where sadness was just like unicorn in the real world, it didn’t exist.
But as they say happiness can’t exist for long. Their love had caught someone’s evil eye.
With the course of time, while Mahira’s love for Sharief became unconditional and grew stronger day by day, Sharief’s love for her had taken a turn. His love now had became an obsession. He would now tell her not to talk to any boy of the class and on some days, even not to talk to her family. He would instruct her on what to wear and what to eat, where to go and not, for how long she should sleep, what career choices should she make. On many days would he fight with her for not following what he said. She would cry inside but still, for the sake of his happiness try her best on following what he said.
Sharief was a lonely soul. His own family never talked to him for days, no one showed literal interest in him, while in family functions he was being told to sit on one side alone, while the rest of the family members joined their age groups. His cousins never considered him a cousin. For them, he was the egoistic topper kid who would study all the time just because his parents would later brag about him.
The lonely soul was met with a wonderful spirit, Mahira. She taught him the way of life. Well, both of them taught each other things that contributed to their little happiness. Mahira now became the whole sole centre of the universe for him. He saw all his relatives, all his friends, his parents, his sibling in her. She was a one person world for him, his relax, his tears of joy, his happiness. She was ‘his’ Mahira and he didn’t want to share her with anyone. From anyone, he literally meant ‘anyone’.
In the mid of their twelfth standard, Mahira’s parents told her that she would have to leave the country for higher studies. They were planning to send her to her maternal uncle, who was already settled there. Her parents told her that the education she deserved could only be sought from London, United Kingdom. Mahira’s eyes gleamed with dreams. Her dream of becoming a doctor, graduating from the best medical school abroad was now about to get fulfilled. Happily, she said yes to her parents.
Sharief, on the other hand had no plans as such. He had no dream of his own; his parents were the one who dreamed for him. He had taken up the responsibility of fulfilling his father’s dream of his son being an IAS one day. His plan included joining the University of Delhi, graduating and then going for a coaching. He wanted her to be also involved in this dream of his. He wanted her to stay with him, forever and never leave him.
When Mahira first broke the news of going abroad to him, she was met with heavy anger.
‘Why abroad? Why don’t you straight away tell that you don’t want me anymore? You want those goras now, isn’t it? Money minded bitch’ He had said and later started sulking in front of her. Even though it hurt her, she tried her best to make him understand that she wasn’t leaving her at all. That career was their main priority but he refused to understand.
On that night, he self harmed himself for the first time, slitting areas near his chest and shoulders. While the blood flew through his body like an injured solider, his eyes burned as images of her leaving him and settling abroad flashed in his mind. Would his one person world really leave him? Will he be pushed again in the life he has been living all these years, the mental torture he has been facing and the vanished existence he had.
Obsession combined with fear and he thought of something that might feed his obsession but would destroy his love, forever.
Days passed, Mahira kept telling him how much she loved him and how much did he matter to her but nothing changed inside him. He was now on a mission, a plan that would save and destroy his one world universe soon.
He would ignore her calls, her texts, run away when she wanted to talk to him. He left no stone unturned to hurt her.
On the farewell day, tears mixed with her courage, she approached him. He stood still, didn’t move a single inch. ‘I am going abroad and it’s final!’ she said. He remained silent. ‘Why do you think I’ll leave you?’ No answer. ‘I love you’ he said. ‘I love you too baby’ she said and kissed his cheeks. He closed his eyes and tears started to flow. ‘Stop crying’ she said and wiped his tears, ‘let’s go somewhere’
Sharief had recently learnt to drive. Both of them sat in his car as he started the engine.
They roamed through the barely filled street of Connaught place and Hauz Khas while she held his hand throughout and slight drizzling outside with Arijit’s romantic voice on the radio.
Few hours later, she signalled him that it was now time to go back home. He nodded and kept driving. After reaching a dark and empty space, he halted the car aside.
‘What?’ she looked at him, grinning. ‘Nothing’ he said and unbelted himself. He then raised from his seat to hers and kissed her. Both of them started kissing passionately, saying little ‘iloveyou’ in between. For the next fifteen minutes, they made out until they were totally exhausted.
‘Happy?’ she said. He smiled a half bake smile and started the engine again, later dropping her home.
Mahira was happy that everything was normal again. The next two days were the best of her life. He didn’t say even a single thing to her. No restrictions, she could roam freely anywhere, watch movies with her girl-friends and what not.
The third day, she called him and asked him what she should take away with her as basic requirements to survive outside. She told him that she was preparing a list of basic things she would need there.
He said nothing and just told her to meet him as soon as possible.
‘But I am busy with packing baby’ she had said. ‘I won’t repeat it again. I said I want to meet you. My home, no one’s here. Bye’ he said and cut the call.
Feared, she threw the clothes she was packing aside and ran towards his house. She rang the bell twice or thrice and after two more times, he opened the door.
She hugged him tightly the moment she saw him. He had a frozen smile on his face. He hugged her back and later released of the grip.
‘I wanted to show you something’ he whispered. She nodded.
He took out his phone and played with it for a while. Then, he handed it to her as a video played on the screen. Mahira stared the screen, open mouthed and wide eyed as her lips moved but she couldn’t say anything.
The screen displayed a video of them making out with each other, naked in his car from the Farewell day.
‘How could yo..’ she said as her eyes now burnt and blood rushed through her insides, her heart thumping heavily.
‘I.. I told you not to leave me. I had told you to stay with me. I had.. I love you.. I love you.. don’t go please’ he said, stammering, in tears. Mahira stared him as the secret obsession of his had finally come out.
‘I cant do anything, Sharief’ she said, ‘its a decision my parents have taken. Its my career which is at stake’ she said.
He nodded. ‘Go. I suggest you leave, me and this country for your god damn education. I swear..’ he said as she cut him mid sentence.
‘ I swear what?’ she snapped.
‘I’ll make sure each and every person of our school and your next college has this video in their phone’ ‘You won’t do it right?’ she cried.
‘What do you think? If I can record this I can even share it’ he said, ‘please don’t leave me. Please. I beg. You are my everything. See how much sad I am’ he said and removed his t shirt. The cuts and slits on his chest and shoulders were now visible. Mahira was not in a state of shock.
He fell on his knees and started to cry.
‘Don’t leave me please’ he said. She was now expressionless and glued.
Tears started to roll down her cheek. Without saying anything, she left his home wiping tears off her face.
That night, after fighting with her parents that she didn’t want to go anymore and tearing the ticket in front of their face, she cried her heart out and didn’t sleep. She was finally sacrificing her dreams. She was killing her dreams for him; she was not following her heart and rather following his heart.
She stayed in her home for the next few days. She had cut all sort of contacts with the outer world and her parents too, fearing that he had already leaked the video and that her image would now be of a slut and a woman of questionable character.
She was half asleep when she heard a knock at her door. When she opened it, her mother stood outside with a brown envelope.
‘This is for you’ she said and threw it on her and left. She opened it, surprised who would mail her now.
As she shook the envelope, two things fell down. One was a ticket of a direct flight, from Indira Gandhi International Airport to the London Heathrow airport on her name for tomorrow and the other was a white placard, with
“Follow your dreams and become a good doctor. Please treat your patients with love but not as much love as you do to me”
Tears flooded in her eyes. She kissed the white paper and ran towards his home. Unfortunately his parents were home. She ringed the bell. By now, his parents knew that she was his classmate and a good friend.
His mother came outside. Mahira folded her hands into a Namaste.
‘Aunty, is Sharief home?’ she asked.
‘He’s sleeping beta. I’ll tell you once he’s awake’ she said. She smiled and left.
The rest of the day, she kept calling him again and again. His phone first was switched off and then became not reachable.
She kept herself busy in packing and stuff. Tired, she called him once again. The same not reachable tone was heard and she threw her phone on the bed, sleeping.
The next morning, as she was about to leave for the airport, she hurriedly went to his home to see him for the last time before she left.
There were a lot of people outside his home and mourning sounds could be heard from inside. She knew what had happened as she picked up an abandoned today’s newspaper. It read “Delhi teenager poisoned, money also looted”.
Obsession is a powerful word. Many times, we are obsessive towards someone. Just what happens when someone curses our favourite movie star or our favourite cricketer. The rage and the fire that dwells inside us, suddenly in that very moment is destructive. What if we take that cricketer or filmstar away from you?
This was what happened with Sharief. His obsession became his poison. The pureness of Mahira’s heart and the loyalty she possessed was a clear sign that she won’t leave him, ever. The little things she did for him, for his happiness were a clear indicator of how much she loved him. But Sharief wasn’t able to hold this. For him, the drug he was now addicted to, Mahira was being taken away now. He was totally helpless.
He did things that he thought would help Mahira stay in his life.
Guess what, it took her away from him. Forever.
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