Back then, my sunday routine was super simple. I get up from bed, brush and take my cricket bat, and go out to play cricket until sunset. My new friend Mahesh from nalanda vidya nikethan accompanied me on all my adventures here in Vijayawada since my family shifted from Vizag to Vijayawada due to my father’s transfer.
Few are that kind of people who will forgot to eat our lunch while playing cricket. But I was shocked to see dumbu(mahesh) sustaining the day without eating lunch. Really he is a super foodie. He used to eat in between classes, sometimes while class is still going on. That habit of him made him to stand outside the class regularly, not just for eating while class going on but also for eating away somebody else lunch box.
Do you know how we managed to skip lunch to play cricket for a few more hours in our houses? I will lie to my grandmother that I ate in dumbu’s house, and he says the same in his house. Dumbu’s grandfather knows all these tricks so he brings us food to the cricket ground when he is in town. That much dedicated I used to be, but nowadays I don’t know how I lost all my interest in cricket totally.
As usual, that sunday, we both packed our cricket bats and started pedalling our cycles to the cricket ground. Dumbu came late to my house on the way to the cricket ground, So we lost the place to play in our junior team. Dumbu always comes with an excuse and an idea to compensate for his mistakes. Today to decrease my anger for losing our place in the cricket team. He said “There is another ground nearby where most of our seniors play cricket. Since our seniors have exams next week, Most of our stud seniors are busy studying and won’t come to the ground. I felt that was a great idea and I didn’t want to miss a chance to play cricket, so we started going to our senior boy’s ground. we decided to go both of us on dimbu’s bicycle, punishment to him for coming late.
While going to that ground, I saw one girl on the cycle opposite to us. She didn’t make any impact on me, Just an ordinary girl with a good ponytail hairstyle. I ignored her as usual like any other girl, because at that moment I was thinking just about cricket.
After a few streets, dumbu and I stopped at a small general store to buy an extra cricket ball to play cricket by forming a small team if seniors wouldn’t accept to take us in their team. We can play ourselves by adding a few lonely kids to the ground. That shopkeeper told us cricket balls were not available in his shop and told us to go three streets back there was one good sports shop. so, we decided to go there.
We started pedalling back our cycle. We see a small crowd on the road. It looks like one accident happened on the road. We being those curious kids, and we parked our bicycles on the roadside corner. We both went close to the group. Someone is lifting the cycle fall on her. She is getting up slowly and dusting off the sand and mud on her dress, Pink shorts up to the knees, and a Blue T-shirt with a nice ponytail. Now I can see her face clearly. She is the same girl who crossed us before. She probably hit her kneel to the ground. A wound is deep in her leg, and blood is coming out of that wound. After seeing that, a few people started offering her water and some band-aids. But that girl looks like she doesn’t a damn about the injury at all. She just focused all her eyes on that person who hit her with his bike. She went to him super-seriously, took away the bike keys into her hand with grace, and shouted at him.
“Man, are you driving a bike keeping your eyes in your pocket?”
That Biker ” See, don’t be that serious, I didn’t hit you with any intention to hurt you. It’s just an accident.”
Girl “You are still standing only because it happened as an accident. if it any case by intention, you will be dead in my hand 10 minutes back itself.”
One big old man from the crowd
” He is telling you sorry, and it was not by his intention, Don’t try to make a big scene out of it, girl.”
She” What? Will you repair my cycle, old man? and will you cure my wounds without any scars? if your answer is no, then keep calm, Mr. Kamal Hassan.
That old man and a few people in the crowd are shocked to the core by listening and seeing her like that. I am also just mesmerized by the way she carried herself at this time of difficulty. She just stands there alone without longing for anyone’s sympathy or help. She is there by herself. I have seen a girl like this for the first time. In my school, I have interacted with many girls before. But they just fear for anything and everything. Forget about this type of incident, if anybody raises their voice and teases them a little bit, They would probably go home and cry for hours without saying to anyone in the house what made them cry. I am just attracted to that cherishma or fearlessness or whatever you may call it. I was really thinking about possible ways to talk to this girl after some time in the future.
While I was busy thinking, Mahesh whispered in my ears “what a girl she is. If I had a little bit of her courage and boldness, I would probably have proposed to the girl in our class by now”
I smiled at him and said nothing
To stop our thoughts, that accident-done fellow said to the girl ” I will repair your cycle for sure, and I am really sorry.”
Girl ” Don’t think of it as if you are doing any help or social service by repairing my cycle. You just made a mistake, and you should do the repair work. But first, drop me at my house and tell my father that the fault is all yours. There is no problem with my bicycle riding skills, otherwise, my father and grandmother already telling me that I became a little boyish and going out alone and insisting me to stay in home doing nothing just because I am girl.
He replied,” I will do as you said, Madam.”
She continued ordering more “Okay, now drop me in my home. Bring my cycle fully repaired to Atkinson School by tomorrow at 8 AM Sharp.”
Yahoo, I got a hint. she is studying at atkinson school.
A few uncles in the crowd are talking to themselves,
“What girls are nowadays becoming super head weight and not giving any respect to old people? The mistake should be her parents for growing her like this”.
A few others said” What a girl. Her parents brought her up in an excellent way to handle any situation in her life. They made her lead her life without any fear.
But she didn’t give a single look or thought about what others were talking about on her back. That one thing I felt super unique about her.
She left the scene on the accident done uncle’s bike, people disappeared slowly, but I still stood there without much thinking in my mind.
Later that day, I didn’t have any idea how many runs I scored in the cricket match. all the thoughts in my brain are about that accident girl. If I count a single run for a thought, she has probably done century or double-century runs in this little time. She was not going away from my thoughts. how can any girl at this young age be that strong and independent? with that much fighting spirit. I felt she was super special. no, not because she is cute or something. If I fell for the beauty, I would probably love her at the first encounter right?
My first impression of her is she is an ordinary girl with a cute ponytail hairstyle. But the way she carries herself made me go for her. Yes, I decided to see her tomorrow at her school. I remembered she already informed that bike uncle about bringing the cycle tomorrow at 8 AM to atkinson, so I decided to go at that time.
I slept that day imagining everything. How about me proposing to her after a few interactions and she accepting my proposal? I didn’t know how she would accept me, but I didn’t doubt that. Maybe I felt that way in my bones. I even imagined we both pedalling and roaming on my cycle all over the streets of vijayawada. See how great that idea was. I don’t know when I slept that day thinking about all these cute things.
I woke up a little early than every day. though I happily imagined everything yesterday night, right now I’m super tense. I started practising how I would introduce myself to her or didn’t have any idea what was going to happen. Forget about talking with her or not. I just want to go there at least to see her a few more times ☺️.
I went alone, not telling anyone, not even to my friend mahesh who played cricket with me that day. I thought he might announce this to all my school friends. Maybe he and my school friends see me as a crazy person because I just ignored her when she crossed our path that same day. still, everything changed after that accident and argument. Maybe I fell for something more than how she looks. So at that age, I didn’t know that people love someone like this. All my cartoon characters love their counterparts because of their looks, so I felt this was odd and crazy. So to avoid the embracement before my friends, I didn’t disclose about going to atkinson school to see her to anyone.
I went to school and parked my cycle one street back so that no one would recognize me by my cycle. It was still 7:50 AM. My home is a little far from the atkinson school, so I started early not to miss any chance to see her again in my favourite blue shirt bought for dewali festival last year.
8:00 AM still no sight of her or that accident did fellow.
8:30 AM a few students are coming to school, but I can’t see her anywhere.
I waited till 10 AM with a bit of hope that she may turn around at any time. but to my disappointment. she didn’t came.
I wanted to go home, but I had a little hope that maybe I missed spotting her in the school dress. So I want to wait for a little more till the lunch break. So I went to the same ground again to wait for some time since I didn’t want to wait outside the school for a long time.
I returned at 12 PM and waited until 1 PM. I didn’t see her this time either. I just went home with a heavy disappointed face. I said everything to mahesh in the evening tuition. I don’t know why I said this to him now. I felt like sharing this with him probably will decrease my sadness a little. After listening to everything, he said like ” arey chinnu, you like her for the reason she argued with the bike uncle, so in case if she likes you back will you ask her to argue with you sometime rather than asking for some kisses”
I replied, ” Idiot, you didn’t understand the whole point, go to hell with your stud girlfriend .”
But later, Mahesh accompanied me on my cycle during my visit to Atkinson School for 30-40 days. But we didn’t see her any day. After seeing my real intention, one of my senior girl enquired few of her friends having mutual friends in atkinson school. All my efforts and hers went in vain. I can’t find her. The only positive thing I can see is my frequent visits made me familiar with the watchmen of that school. Finally, one day I gained all my courage, I straight went to him and enquired about the girl but no use. I didn’t find her and ended up with a lot of memories there even a few girls thought that I was coming there to see those other girls and they smiled at me in a nice way few times, but my intentions were quite different and carried my sad face for the rest of the days.
But now, I mean in the present days while preparing for civils when I go on that school street or come across the street where that accident happened, I remember her unknowingly. but, her boldness, courage, and the hope she gave me are on a different level. I even told my cousin’s sisters when they come crying to me for help, I say this story and ask them to face any situation on their own.
Now more than proposing to her, I probably want to ask her if she has any superpower hiding from me. I searched for her all over vijayawada for a few months, and I didn’t have any trace of her at any corner.
finally, I want to dedicate this letter to that girl. Thank you for changing my view of loving somebody not only by their looks. It’s about how they carry themselves around people. I hope you become stronger and reach all your goals in life.
P.S.- most times, if I want to paint a strong girl. I imagine her and paint her image in my thoughts.
If somehow she read this using her superpowers i want her to remember me as The boy who waited for her at Atkinson School gate with a Blue and White Diwali Dress.
This is Ravi Yalavarthi and I will see you soon, Click here to read about other women who influenced me