PART 2 How did I know?

Chapter 1

“Ma!... Ma!... Oh! Here you are. I have to reduce my weight”. Saying that I smacked my head to a pillow and started crying. Ma turned back and asked me "What is it that is bothering you?", Gently she combed my head with her fingers. "I am being bullied Ma, by my college friends!". Ma just raised her eyebrows and laughing quietly she left to do her chores. I hit my head back to the pillow and started to miss him again, Tipsy of course! I told you guys if you remember that nobody can replace him. After I lost Tipsy I got into depression and started to binge eat. Ma and Daddy thought it is the hormones playing with my age and will get back on track as every teen does. But that wasn’t the truth. The truth was I kept eating anything and everything when I thought of tipsy just to divert my mind. Never knew it could be dangerous. From 50, I turned to 80 without knowing. There was a routine health camp in our college and I had no choice but to stand on the scale and check my weight. "No way! I am not doing this", I told Jaya. Jaya was my bestie at college and kept few secrets of mine. She said, "Don’t be mad! You have to do this, as it is going for some college records". And I was like "Acha! They are going to give an award is it! for maintaining the best figure!" with rolling my eyes up. With no further discussion, she dragged me in front of the scale and pushed me on it. With a grumpy face, I looked straight at the person sitting right in front who was in charge of the camp and I raised one eyebrow sighing "What? " he shook his head and smiled. 

He quickly filled the column of weight and I snatched the paper while he was handing it over to me. I glued it so close to my chest and was worried that someone might look at it. Jaya and I quickly started walking towards our class. I took a small peek. "What! No way" I shouted out and it was so palpable that I drew the attention of few classmates who were chilling with some teens gossip. I cried standing in the corner of my classroom while Jaya was trying to console me and those few others joined. A chubby girl who was standing among them came to me and said, "It's ok! our bodies are toned that way". I looked at her with sore eyes and wanted to say, "Excuse Me! what do mean by Our Bodies?". I felt bad and the rest of my day was like a sad Bollywood song. And to be honest I lied to Ma, nobody bullied me at college. I just couldn't imagine that I grew fat and only realized it when an oversized girl said that "Our bodies are toned that way". After that episode, the first thing I started was I put an end to binge eating which wasn't easy. My system got used to eating nonsense while I was in depression. I made some major changes in my routine.

It was very tough but worth it. All I had to do was keep remembering the words that chubby said "Our Bodies".

 

Chapter 2

 

Time moved rapidly and I was getting compliments for how gorgeous  I looked. I never imagined my body was so fat till I shrunk in one of my old Kurtis. I promised myself I'll never do this again to my body. I couldn't believe my eyes how beautiful I started to look. I still missed Tipsy but now my focus was on my body.

There was a pooja at Thata's house and Ma asked if I wanted to join her and Sushmi. Had it not been the new me, I would have simply denied to her but this time I wanted to go. Sushmi and I decided to wear a saree.

Saree is traditional wear and usually, we are traditionally dressed when we attend poojas. Ma gave me her best Saree and Sushmi helped me in draping it. Sushmi had a good figure and she looked like a bombshell in Saree. Soon we reached Thata’s house and everyone there were just staring at me! It made me cautious but it was a great feeling. The day went on with all the rituals and chants followed by bajhans and so on. Since it was the weekend we Ma decided we would stay at Thata's place and spend the rest of the weekend there.

Meenu and I made a good companion. We grew up together and shared the same year of birth so u can guess now how tough the competition grows between two cousins of the same age. We loved each other though. Meenu shared her room with me and preferred me over Sushmi, as I kept Meenu's deep secrets safe. The next day Meenu and I were asked to go to get some groceries from a supermarket close by. We walked up to the supermarket and the cashier at the supermarket was staring at me and was following us to help us buy our needs. Meenu was fuming and she did not like that guy flirting with me. I felt it so cool because it was the first time some guy was flirting with me. Studying in a girls school and again joining a girls college is a curse and also when your parents get too overprotective. Meenu made a quick move to the cash counter with all the required groceries. She paid the bill and held my hand and walked me out. I turned back to see if that guy was still looking at me and Oh boy! He was and also did wave with a smile. That made my day and I kept humming some weird Bollywood song and feeling on top of the world.

 

Chapter 3

Months passed by and the monsoons had started. I loved the monsoons a lot. I still remember how tipsy and I danced like a geek in the rain. Diksha and I were heading back from college on her red scooter.

Diksha is my bestie to date and a childhood friend. She was my guru and I always went up to her in case of any illusions. Diksha was and is one of my motivators who keeps pushing me to explore my talent deeper.

She knew I would achieve something someday!. After Tipsy left if I needed someone to open up and it was Diksha. On our way back home it started to rain and we got drenched completely, that did not bother us anyway. We enjoyed the rain pouring on us and Diksha speeded up with the rain. It was like we were racing in the rain. My destination arrived and we quickly did our best friend's handshake and hugged. She left to her house which was just next street. I was completely drenched and soaked in water. I started heading to the staircase as realized that someone was watching me. I had a sudden tickle in my tummy when I turned back and looked into his eyes. 0h my god! He was still staring at me. I lowered my head and made my way upstairs without looking back. I felt it was wrong and tried to forget about it. I reached home. Changed quickly into my fav pajamas, dried my hair, and was watching the rain from my balcony sipping hot coffee. That night I kept thinking about that guy who was staring at me. It was a mixed feeling of fear and attraction. I calmed my mind and stopped anticipating. Pressed my head to the pillow and slept quietly.

A few days later I saw him again. I figured out he lived in the same building and was waiting for me to return from college. I was scared but I liked the feeling that someone was holding a crush on me.

I ran upstairs to my house, I called all my besties, told them about it ,and celebrated just like every girl does. Be it a love affair or a heartbreak these things are first told to the besties because they are the best advisers and healers.

A sudden new turn on my way never even dreamt of that. Everything seemed very beautiful. Jaya also felt it was beyond attraction and it's nothing but love as she told me I wasn't behaving normally. And how could I? Damn! I was in love.

I shared this feeling with Diksha and she said no it's not love and she did not get good vibes from Jay. Jay the first guy who was beyond any crush and who proposed to me and made me feel like I was the world to him. Yes, the same guy who kept waiting for me to head back home and wait for me to turn back and smile. He was very cool and handsome, I don’t know why Diksha hated him.

Jay and I shared some secrets and I did tell him about Tipsy. That moment I felt he is the right guy and how did I know?! Jaya told me that he was the right guy in my life and like every teenager, I too believed in another teen. Not knowing that she too was the racer who belonged to the same lap. She was struggling hard to build her path to her future and I expected her to channelize my path. Not knowing what I was pushing myself into. And with this, the beginning of an end had started!