“In front of College Management….? With Principal’s Approval…? Have you gone mad…”, Vivek asked Jeeva shockingly after he explained the whole conversation with Janani. Without any reaction, Jeeva was just thinking deeply, sitting in their gaming chair tilted all the way back.

“You know about our psyco Principal, right..? If this get’s escalated, he will call both of your parents… Think about her…”, Vivek added. Slowly raising from the tilted position, Jeeva sat straight. Then, he bent slowly towards Vivek and whispered, “I’ve got an idea”, with a wicked smile on his face and confidence in his eyes. “If your plan involves, burning down the college and killing the psyco Principal, I’m all in”, Vivek whispered back with his usual sarcastic feedback.

The next day, Jeeva didn’t go to the college. Remembering the previous day conversation, Janani was worried on him thinking he might propose her before the farewell. And if that happens, they can’t even look up and face each other after that.

She called Jeeva and in the first ring, he attended the call. “Why you didn’t come to college today..?”, she asked. “I’ve to print the certificates for the farewell.”, he replied in a dull tone. “Don’t lie… We usually print those in the college printing shop and moreover you never involved in these work before….”, she shouted. He stayed silent.

“Why are you doing this to me… In another week, our college will be over… You’ll go to Bangalore and I’ll be leaving to Chennai.. let’s enjoy the time we have without complicating stuffs”, she said with tears clogged in her eyes. He replied,”All these years, I’ve complicated my feelings because of the fear of rejection. This last week in college, I’ll be brave enough to accept my feelings are real and pure. Not a infatuation.” “I know she likes me and it’s up to her to take it up to love… Unlike her, I’m not afraid of anyone but to myself…I’ll never forgive myself if i didn’t look up in her eyes and say…. I love you di….”. The last 4 words felt like an actual proposal towards her. Her heart felt heavy and she started crying. Before she speak further, he cut the call. She had never seen him speaking this serious before.

The Farewell Day

At last the day arrived. The college auditorium was filled with Office Bearers and Junior Volunteers of all the Extra-Curricular clubs. Everyone was busy running place to place, decorating the stage, arranging the chairs in front of the stage for the dignitaries, checking the mic and audio systems, and other stuffs. Jeeva, sitting in the organizers room, was carefully arranging the certificates he had prepared, as per the winner’s list. He dressed in full formals in a Grey shirt and a dark pant. His shoes were polished to the shiniest black possible. His perfectly triangled blood red tie complements his grey shirt so well. He wanted his attire to so be perfect for this special day. Opening the organizer room door, Janani entered. Looking at her, he got completely stunned. She wore a red saree with tinniest possible bindi. Her makeup matched with her skin tone. She had put on an antique jewelry earrings and a thin shiny gold chair close to her neck. His confidence completely broke up on seeing her in this magnificent attire.

“All ready..? Prize distribution is going to start in 10 minutes..”, Janani said in a soft tone without looking at his face. “Yeah.. All ready. Even I’m ready for the day”, Jeeva replied looking straight at her. “What do you mean, you’re ready…. If you want to say something to me, tell me now…” she questioned him. “You know what I mean… You asked me and I’m prepared for it”, Jeeve replied with a smile and left the room. Immediately, she recollected the fight they had last time and on that day, before leaving, he had told her that he would propose to her in front of the College Management with the Principal’s approval. Her heart started beating fast. Her whole body started feeling numb.

After all the cultural events got over, finally the prize distribution started. The speaker in the Dias called names one by one. They walked to the stage where the college management were sitting, and received the momentum and certificate from the Principal. Behind the screens of the stage all the certificates and corresponding momentum were placed on the desk. There was a junior volunteer who was taking the momentum and certificate from the table and handed over to the principal as each prize winners came up on the stage. Jeeva was standing calmly near that boy. Opposite to him, in the other end of the stage, Janani stood in fear. He signaled her and when she saw him, he raised his eyebrows and pointed his finger towards the Principal and Management seating area and smiled.

The speaker in the Dias announced, “Next, we congratulate the ChairPersons of each clubs for their dedicated work in the past year”. Jeeva signal her once again from the opposite end of the stage. But she didn’t notice him. He took out his mobile and texted her, “Be ready”. She opened the message and immediately looked at the opposite end, but he was not there. Confused and frightened, she couldn’t able think or react. The speaker announced, “Next, I would like to call, Ms.Janani who is the Chairperson of the Writers Club…”. She started walking towards the Principal. Jeeva from the other end of the stage, pulled back the junior volunteer who was about to deliver Janani’s certificate and momentum to the Principal. He snatched the certificate and momentum from his hand forcefully and signaled him to stay back. He then started walking towards the Principal, while Janani was coming from the other end. She saw him and her mind went blank for a moment. She understood his intention that he is going to propose her, with management and principal on the stage. Her hand started trembling and face turned red because of the blood rush. Jeeva reached a step before the principal with certificate in his hand and Janani nervously came and stood near the principal to collect the certificate.

He handed over the certificate and momentum to the principal and just stood there. After receiving the certificate from him, the principal got confused why he was not moving back. Janani’s heart started beating fast and heavy. Jeeva then kneeled down with one leg in front of them and the whole auditorium got stunned for a moment. He saw Janani who’s eyes were wide open and she was moving her head left and right signaling him not to proceed further. He raised his head and said to the principal, “if you excuse me….”. The principal, who was still under confusion, whispered in anger, “What are you doing…”.

Jeeva calmly replied that his shoe lace has unfastened and he needs to tie it back. The principal got angry and asked him to tie it fast and leave the area. He finished tying his lace in the same kneeled down position and then left the stage. Janani who was standing there with a blank mind was at last relieved that he didn’t propose her. She collected the certificate from the principal and swiftly got off the stage without even posing for the photograph.

She saw Jeeva at far distance leaving the auditorium through the back side gate. She followed him. When she got out of the auditorium, she saw him sitting calmly on a stone bench under a tree. The place was still and peacefully quite since the whole college was packed inside the auditorium. She slowly walked near the bench and sat next to him. “You really killed me there for a moment…”, she said. Her words still reflected the shock she had on the stage. “Let’s break the ice… Common, say it to my face.. Do you love me?”, she asked. That’s the first time she acknowledged his love and questioned him directly without referring to the imaginary girl. “I already proposed her”, he replied still referring the imaginary girl. “When did you propose to me? You started tying the shoe lace because you got afraid at the last moment..?”, she asked curiously.

“No. As promised, I proposed to her in front of the management with Principal’s approval.”, he replied. “Cut the crap and say properly…”, she shouted with confusion. He smiled and replied, “You’ve made me to complicate my feelings. If not, I would have expressed it directly. So you have to pay the price. You have written and read a lot of poems. I’ve written a poem for you. Try understanding it, then your questions will be answered.” “Ok, recite your poem”, she asked confidently. He started reciting,

They say my feelings for you is blind. But you are not.
Yet you couldn’t see it,
Thinking it won’t take us to the cultural knots.
Just to make you feel it
Which your sense of vision would not,
Let this piece of card reveal it through embossed dots,
Which surely my words could not.
                                -Jeeva

After reciting that, Jeeva stood up from the stone bench and said, “My job is over…Figure out the meaning of the poem, your confusion will be resolved”. “But,…”, Janani started. “Shhh….”, Jeeva hissed and left the place.