Read Retake! :: Chapter 4 - Tumultuous day, pt I

BEEP BEEP

BEE-

“Ah, I didn’t have any sleep last night,” I murmured as I turned off my alarm.

“ARGH! Why did it go into snooze now?!”

What is the purpose they give the snooze option for? The only reason I use it is by mistake. I disabled the alarm clock in the app and re-enabled it, effectively turning off the snooze. I got up on my bed and scratched my hair, fixing the bends. After sitting for a while, I got up and went to the washroom.

What happened last night? What did I do to make her so furious? Does she hate taking photos? But she was clearly overreacting. She could have just denied me and ended there. I didn’t force her either. But she overreacted to the idea and went off. Is there something more than that? Something I was not able to catch back then?

CLINK-FLOOOSH

Think, think, think. What am I missing? Something I could not notice about her.

BRUSH-BRUSH-BRUSH

She was late, then she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We then had our first photography session. I was slightly distracted, but it got better towards the end. She took some photos with her camera too. They were impressive, though.

THOO

BRUSH-BRUSH

After that, I asked her for a selfie. That’s when the issue started. Hmph. What happened right before it?

PITHOO

“ARGH,” I spat on my T-shirt. I quickly finished brushing and splashed my face with water thrice. The spat came off easily after a gentle rub with water, but that part of my T-shirt was soaked. I needed to change. I decided to change into my school uniform anyway.

“Mom, breakfast?” She was in the kitchen. Dad had already eaten and left for school.

“...”

She glanced over me for a moment before replying.

“Yes, sit over the dining table.”

“Can I sit on the couch instead? I want to watch TV.”

“Okay, but don’t drop anything on the couch while eating,” she then went back to preparing breakfast for me.

Maybe it was not a regular sight for her. I went over to the drawing room and turned on the TV. I took the remote in my hand and sat comfortably on the couch.

“BREAKING NEWS!! India has secured multi-billion dollar military deal with *******, terror resonating within Pakis-”

BEEP.

“Like I was saying. Our motto is one of peace, but if anyone threatens our land, we will not hesitate to-”

BEEP.

“FIRE IN BORDER!! INDIAN ARMY MARCHES TO THE DEMISE OF ALL ENEMI-”

Oh, come on, man! Enough of this. It has hijacked all the channels. Dad never watches anything besides this shit.

BEEP.

“I was 5 years old when I clicked the shutter for the very first time. It was not the sharpest photograph. It was blurry and dark. Had many aberrations, but it was the genesis. It was the beginning of my journey. A journey that shaped me into who I am now. Throughout this journey, the images I took got sharper and brighter, and so did the vision I had in my head. It has been more than two decades since.”

This seems interesting.

“Miss, why did you decide to pursue astrophotography as a career when there were many better-paying jobs?”

Astrophotography is a career, huh?

“Well, it is true that being an astrophotographer does not earn you much these days, and it does not even earn you a penny in the beginning years. But it comes down to one’s passion. A man’s passion can keep him alive for months without any food.”

A young woman was being interviewed by the anchor. They were sitting on single-seater red coloured sofas, and a round glass table separated them. The backdrop was a green screen scene of a house’s interior. A glass window behind gave a view of the setting sun, and the faint sunlight glistened over them. It was a re-air of tomorrow evening. The sunlight was probably crafted with the help of overhead flood lights, though. But it looked quite realistic.

“So you mean it was your passion that fueled you in this journey.”

“It was not just mine but the passion of my family, my friends and my mentors. Everyone devoted their passion to me. It was with their support that I became worthy of being here, answering your questions. It would have been extremely difficult without them. Especially in my starting years. So I could not ever thank them enough for their support.”

“AHAN! Fetch the breakfast from the kitchen,” my mother said while still in the kitchen.

I got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. She handed me a plate having around five Luchi and a bowl full of Alur-Dom.

“Heh?”

“Don’t heh at the food. Be grateful for it and eat it already.”

I didn’t say anything and went back to the drawing room. I sat on the couch and placed a cushion between my lap and the plate. The cushion acted as an insulation for the hot food on the plate.

“So that was our interview session with Miss Mohina. Thanks a lot for coming to the studio today. We really appreciate your presence. You answered the questions beautifully. I am sure our viewers will be wanting you to give them some final words.”

It ended already?

“Thanks a lot for having me today. I would like to thank you and your whole team for arranging this event for me. Thanks a lot. To anyone listening to this, I just have one request for all of you. You do not need to be a doctor, you do not need to be an engineer, you do not even need to be like me. You don’t ‘need’ to be something. You ‘wish’ to be something. So, carry on your ‘wishes’ with passion. Storms will come, only you have to be stronger.”

“Thanks a lot for your kind words, Miss Mohina. We wish you all the very best for your career ahead. With this, we end this session here. Dear viewers, thanks a lot for tuning in. We will meet next week, same day, same time. Till then, have a tea break!”

Mohina was her name, huh? So there are pros in this field in my very own city. I mean, it was not unexpected, but it was not expected either.

I then switched over to a cartoon channel because the news was unwatchable for me. It’s too cringe nowadays. I’d rather watch cartoons, which are far less cringe than news.

“Mom, I am leaving,” I said while putting the empty plate down in the sink.

“You’ve got everything packed up? Books, notebooks, pens, your homework?”

“Yeah, yeah. I can do that myself already.”

I went upstairs to my room to get my bag. The camera and other equipment are in my almirah. I am taking the keys, school with me. I closed the door on my way back and then went straight to the porch to put on my shoes.

“Take care,” my mother said, wiping her hands with her apron.

“Yeah.”

I parked my bicycle in the school’s parking lot. I bent down and carefully locked it. I was early, judging from the fact that there was space for me to park.

“BRRR, man, it’s cold outside today.”

I wish it were summer already. Winters suck. I began walking towards the school building. I was really early. I could not see anyone from my class. I saw a few girls who had made a circular group. They were talking and laughing among themselves. None of them have opted for wearing leggings. Girls must be immune to cold then. Chhaya also wears a skirt, but hers is a much shorter one. She is the Ice-Queen, even in her personality.

Wait, I forgot. I need to know why she behaved awkwardly last night. Where was I? Yeah, I was thinking about what happened right before I asked her for a selfie. We were photographing together. She had just taken a picture. I was appreciating how professional it looked. She, being her, didn’t budge an inch. And then I asked her if we could take a selfie. No, it does not look odd to me so far. A natural follow-up would have been that she denies me from taking a selfie, and we go back to what we were doing. But she was almost getting scared at the idea. Like she had seen a ghost or something.

“ARGH, this is so complicated. Girls are so complicated.”

WHACK

“OW! O-O-OW! WHO THE HELL WAS THAT?!”

“Boys are so irritating.”

“Why you, DEVIL!! Why’d you kick me in the back? Ah, it feels like my spine has shattered.”

“Oh, but did you even have one, coward?”

“SHUT UP!! KOFF-KOFF”

Even uttering a word was painful.

“You seemed to be lost in your mind. All I did was help you come out of it. You should be grateful to me. But you clearly don’t understand anything, do you, Mr. India? Ah, how unfair. It’s totally unfair. I wish to be redeemed.”

“Shut up! Just keep quiet for a moment. Let me die in peace.”

“You are not dying, not before you pay me back.”

“Just you wait. I will return the kick with twice the intensity.”

“Not the kick, it was for free. I am not evil to charge people for helping them. But you lost your memories, or what? I think you need one smack on your head, too.”

“You know what, I give you a knife and you draw it through my chest, yeah, that will do.”

“Not a bad idea,” she said while putting a finger on her chin.

“Ooi! Isshi! Good morning! Oh, Asshi is here too. Good morning!” said a girl after running towards us. She is Mishti, our upperclassman. And that’s her nickname for us. I somehow controlled my posture. I didn’t want to look like a girl had just kicked me. It would be shameful for a man.

“Good morning, Mishiti-di. You are very early today,” Ishika greeted her.

“Ah, haha, I woke up early today. My dad took Bolta for a walk today instead, so I was bored at home. I thought to myself, why not go to the school early for once? Tee-hee,” she held her right hand on her head in a cute pose. I could not comprehend the fact that she is two years older than us. She is the embodiment of cuteness.

“Awww, that’s very cute, Di!” Ishika replied, holding her hands together and with a glint in her eye.

“Hehe, you are making me blush, Ishika. Please don’t.”

“You look cuter when you blush like that. Haha.”

“Hahaha.”

Dude, someone stop these girls. No one cares about me.

“Oh, Ishika, I wanted you to come over to the clubroom today. Can you come over for a moment now?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t take much time. You can still make it to the morning assembly.”

“Okay then,” Ishika said before turning towards me and whispering, “Remember the camera I traded with you? You need to pay me back in twenty instalments starting now.”

“Huh?!”

“Ahan, I will be going with Mishti-di, would you take my bag to the class with you?” she said in a loud tone.

“HA!? Why would I do-”

She kept staring at me with her eyes closed and a grim smile on her face. So this is the first instalment of my payment, huh? I should have known that this was coming.

“Sure.”

I took her bag and hung it on my right shoulder. Mishti waved at me with a smile and left for the clubroom along with Ishika. Man, it’s so heavy. She must have brought bricks just for today. She does plan on shattering my spine.

I somehow managed to carry both of our bags into the classroom. The layout has not changed much. There were three columns, each with 7 rows. Each bench could be occupied by two students. Three or four are possible too if you have a bigger friend circle. If the teacher allows for it. I placed her bag in the middle column, first row, where she usually sits. I then carried on to the last row in the left column.

“Yo! Ahan! Been long. Here, saved some space for ya.”

“Anirban is not coming today?”

“He will come at the right time. You know him, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

I decided to sit in the last second row instead, beside Kaustav, who was sitting near the window. Kaustav, Anriban and I have been sitting together for two grades now. We were not tight friends. But just a group formed for convenience. After all, humans are animals that live in a group.

“So, why did you come to school?”

“To study? Obviously.”

“Gimme a break,” he said before bursting out in laughter.

“What’s so funny about it?”

“You sure know how to make a joke. You will make a good boyfriend.”

“Keep laughing, it suits your mental state.”

“Come on, dude, don’t act girl.”

“You don’t act kid.”

“Okay, now seriously, why did you come to school? Besides study,” he asked after controlling his laughter, still chuckling though.

“I had some business with Tarak sir. He asked me to come to the school and meet him later.”

“Bro, I suddenly feel bad for ya.”

“Why?”

“If he wants to meet you, it is not for a good reason. Did you do anything wrong?”

“I didn’t do anything. I don’t know what it is, honestly,” I said.

“Well, think about it later. Anirban is here. Hey! Boka, over here,” he said, signalling Anirban with his hands.

“Whoah, Ahan has finally come to see us,” Anirban said, raising both of his hands.

“Yeah, feel privileged to see me.”

“He is on a mission, dude. Don’t distract him. You sit beside him on the right. Ahan will be in the middle today, we have to share him,” Koustav intervened.

Share me? For what?

“Oh, a mission? This sounds interesting, spill the tea,” Anirban asked.

“So listen, give me your ear.”

Anirban climbed over me to reach Koustav and listened to his murmurs. ARGH! Everyone is up to breaking my spine today.

“Climb down, idiot. I am suffocating.”

“Hold your breath for a moment, Ahan. Let me listen. Ah, yes, yeah.”

Enough of this.

“YOU! Sit in your place! And YOU, got something to say, then say in front of me!” I said after pushing Anirban back to his seat.

“Okay, okay, I understood the assignment,” Anirban nodded, and Koustav gave him a thumbs up.

“What did you guys just plot?”

“Don’t tell him, Anirban.”

“Sealed,” Anirban said, trying to act like zipping his lips.