Seema was easily the most beautiful girl in our college. Whenever I'd see her, I'd feel a trifle jealous that God seemed to have given so much time to her creation and seemed to have rushed through when it came to me. A gripe I hold even to this day. Well anyways, this story is about Seema and not about me. So let's talk about her.
Seema was a very popular girl in our college and the reason was not just her good looks. There was something attractive about her. Something that catches your eye and never lets the face be drowned in the ordinariness of the world around it. That was the feeling Seema inspired in people around her.
As for me, I did not know Seema that well. The only thing common between us was that we were both into sports - both of us happened to very good athletes. We were the only girls from our college who represented the University's athletic team. I had always been a good athlete but I was stunned when Seema proved to be good too.
Looking at her outwardly appearance one could never imagine that she could run so fast or throw the shot put so far. I had almost collapsed out of shock when my strong legs could not compete with her slender ones. Nor could my wellbuilt physique overtake the shot put throw from her delicate frame. God, seemed to have had all the time in his hands for Seema - looks, talent and athleticism.
To add to my misery was the fact that Seema came from a very affluent family. She was the youngest and every bit of attention and money was lavished on her. She had her own car while I had to do with a run-down moped which would give up on me once every few days. It was one such day when it had rained the entire day. I made my way to the 2-wheeler garage(which leaked big time!) with trepidation. I was sure my moped would not start and it did not prove me wrong much as I'd have liked it to. So there I was, standing in the drizzle, after having kicked my moped(sometimes literally!) innumerable times.
I was miserable. Not a soul seemed to want to help me out of my predicament which was as well since I'd have died with sheer embarrassment. After standing like a lost soul knowing not what to do(and regaining my breath), I decided to walk to the bus stop. The rain Gods also seemed to be against me as the drizzle gained speed and it was raining hard in no time. I was stranded mid way to the bus stop.
I wasn't feeling very pleasant towards the whole world when a car came to a halt next to me. In sat Seema offering me a ride home and I almost dived into the back seat of her car. I thanked her profusely and offered her some coffee once we reached home which she graciously accepted. No wonder people around her loved her. She was a wonderful girl, I had to concede, albeit reluctantly. She left after I introduced her to my family.
My younger brother, who was almost 4 years our junior fell for her hard. Every single day he'd ask me, 'When is your Fairy Friend going to visit again?' with his tongue hanging out of his mouth! All this when his nickname for me loosely translated meant a big fat cow!
College came to an end. I was still busy trying to find something to do, so that I would not be pestered by all and sundry about what I was doing? It is like you have to get out of college and either pursue higher studies abroad or land a job immediately or worse still get married! Otherwise every single person who has the remotest contact with you makes it their personal agenda to keep on asking about what your plans are for the future.
How could I tell them that I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do? I am sure a lot of people would have had heart attacks including my parents if I had let known the fact that I was clueless about not just my future but almost everything else.
It was during those confusing and idle times that Seema paid another visit home. My brother who I thought had recovered from the crush sat with his mouth open, tongue hanging out, staring at her while we talked. She had come to invite me to her wedding. I was surprised that she was getting married so early. Didn't I hear that she had secured admission in a highly rated university in the US of A? So what was this? But I did not let my doubts show, lest they be translated into jealousy, even as my brother was controlling tears of grief that seemed to be forming in his eyes. I congratulated her and assured her that I'd be there. She seemed really happy and I was once again invaded by the familiar feeling of being insignificant. There she was, her life laid out neatly in front of her.
I opened the card, the boy's name seemed familiar to me. Wasn't that our senior from college? The one every girl worth her salt had a crush on, including yours truly! I never knew that they were a pair. I imagined them together and yes, they would from a strikingly handsome pair no doubt. A sigh escaped my lips as I put the card back in its place.
I did go the wedding. It was a grand affair as expected. There were so many people there, that I got lost in the melee. I so wanted to congratulate Seema personally but fate did not give me that chance. I had to make do with seeing her from far. She looked breathtaking dressed in traditional bridal finery. Her mother was on one side beaming at everyone and her best friend stood next to her. Seema was the cynosure of every eye as she made her way to the stage. What attracted me more was the look of absolute happiness that permeated her being. I congratulated her in my mind, left the gift I could not afford to buy amongst the host of gifts and quietly left. Soon I forgot about her as she flew far out of my life.
After a while my life seemed to finally gain some momentum. No, it was nothing as fairy-tale like as Seema's life had been but according to my standards it was pretty significant. The company I worked for decided that I was good enough to be sent to their operations branch abroad and I thanked my lucky stars as I boarded a plane. Finally I was getting away from it all. No more questions about where my life was heading. But something else. Trust people to find something to continuously trouble you with. If it is not one thing, then it is something other. The questions now switched from - 'so what are your future plans?' to the famous 'so when are you getting married?' Was I glad I was getting away from it all!
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