Angel

Have you ever seen an angel? Well I have once. It was a long time before, when I was in college. It was raining heavily that day, when I saw her. It was a mid day about noon, I recall and I was walking,  all wet. I was suspended for a day from the college. I didn't do anything, I said the same. They said that's why I was suspended. The scene was, me and two of my friends, Raman and Richa, they were seeing each other; no they are not genetically related though their name has same initials, it's not an incest situation from any angle. We were returning towards the classroom from the front gate. We were supposed to bunk the class and go for a movie and we jumped over the college wall and all of sudden it started pouring.  Not feeble type but deluge type. So we were trying to jump back when our English teacher Mr. Sah caught us. He asked us to go straight to the principal's office so we were going towards the classroom when the scene took place. We had to pass the front gate to get to our classroom avoiding principal's office. We were going that way when suddenly I saw Ramlal. Ramlal guards the front gate. He owed me 100 bucks of a bet I won few days ago. We all went to the gate and I asked Ramlal for the money. He denied of the bet and threaded me as a sod. I felt sorry for him. It's strange but true,  I never feel angry. I do feel angry sometimes but that's when I see someone betraying another; but in my own case I never feel angry. I feel sad though.  Even when Smitha left me, I wasn't angry, not even sad. She was such a pain in ass anyway. She was such a question mark. Question and questions on anything and everything relevant or irrelevant. Enough was enough,  I was so much irritated,  I called her a question mark and asked her to give me some peace, I said please. She started to cry and I left. I can't see someone crying. It's another thing I cannot stand seeing after seeing someone throwing up. So when we were returning from front gate Big Som came out of nowhere and started hitting Raman. We called him Big Som because of his heavily built body. He always walked with other two guys of his size. No one dared to strive with Big Som. Big Som used to date Richa, I don't know why she broke up. He was a nice guy by heart, always protective to Richa. He hit all guys who came closer to Richa. Then Richa started crying. I already told you I can't stand someone crying. I was thinking of saving Raman, he is my childhood friend and thats my responsibility but then I left the thought and walked away from them. Raman struggled for a while and then fainted, poor thing. The wardens came running. Big Som and his boys tried to flee but were caught mid-way. Next scene was at principal's office and we all were suspended.  I still don't know why I was suspended.  Even Richa showed a cold shoulder to me when I went to talk with her. It was pouring heavily and I wanted lift, she shouted a big no to my face. I couldn't understand why they were behaving so strange suddenly,  I hadn't done anything. Then in that downpour I started to the streets slowly.  Had I carried my headphones,  it would have been some help, but I had left home that day. Its the only day I ever left my headphones at home. The street was deserted except an old women struggling with her umbrella,  half wet on the other side of the road. I thought of helping her, I like helping people in need. I went to her and offered to hold her umbrella for her. She gave this strange look to me, as if I was a monster direct from lochness, and walked so fast as if I asked her both kidneys. People are such dork nowadays.  I cannot figure out what they want. Once, it was the time when I was dating Sumana, it was only a week we had started seeing each other and we had decided to take things slow. It was actually her idea. So I took it slow. Later she used to complain that I was ignoring her, that I didn't call or text or met her frequently.  In my wit I think these activities are not done so frequently when you are taking things slowly. I still can't understand what she wanted to take slow. The old women was much ahead of me and I could see her shade far away. I was no more interested in helping her, so I just ignored her and was trying to think something else when suddenly a scooty stopped in front of me. I was amazed and still and a little scared. I don't have much guts for myself. When this sort of situation come over I feel scared and all my wrong deeds come over my eyes. Like I guessed in my mind that the person on the scooty is the one whom I kicked and ran at the urinal or the guy I portend on the phone to win a bet. She was a lady, the one on the scooty, asked if I wanted a lift. I felt weightless suddenly,  appreciated her generosity and sat on the scooty. I felt so good that I found someone with an ample heart, someone who is not phony. I realised she was my angel. Angel on a scooty not broom. Oh! I think broom are for witches. I always get confused between angel and witch. First I used to distinguish them and evil and not evil, then I read about good witches. What are good witches, if they are good shouldn't they be called angels. Nevermind, people are people and they say whatever they like. They have completely ignored the term logic and they call themselves witty. They have guts. Many things were coming, going and circling my mind as I was sitting at the back of that scooty. Suddenly it came to halt.  There was a crossroad ahead. She asked me which way was mine. I had to go left and her's was right. So I climbed down the scooty and she left. I didn't even got a chance to say her that she was my angel. I got just a glimpse of her lips out of her face, she had a helmet on. I still feel sad about the fact that I wasn't able to say her that she was my angel. I look for her everytime I walk on the road, I even sometime walk alone on the rain expecting her to rescue me. I never found her again. Even today if I saw those lips, I can recognise her and say her that she is my angel. I wonder if she'll recognise me.

(Influenced by J.D Shalinger's "Catcher in the rye".)