Morning Walks
“Hi”, I said. It was 5 in the morning. I was wearing T-shirt and pajamas.
“Hey Anirudh ! What’s up?”, Rohan said surprisingly as he adjusted his cricket kit.
Rohan was my classmate in tenth standard. He had changed his school for eleventh as our school was not good for commerce.
“Fine bro. How are you?”, I said.
“I am great bro. What are you doing here?”, he said.
“What would a person do at 5 in the morning”, my mind wanted me to say but I resisted.
” Just completing my maths problems”, I said sarcastically. I wanted him to realize that the question he asked was useless.
“Ahn, jokes?”, he said while looking towards the vehicles on the road.
“Oh ! Are you waiting for someone?”, I said.
“Yes my father is coming to pick me up”, he said.
“By the way, how’s your new school”, I inquired.
“Not so good ! But better then the previous one. The cricket facilities are good there! “, he mocked.
“Oh OK nice. But, Your previous school has also changed a little”, I said.
“Better then”, he said as he saw his father coming on a TVS scooter.
“Namaste Uncle”, I said.
“Hi beta! How are you?”, Uncle said.
“Fine Uncle! Just came for a walk”, I smiled as Rohan gazed at me. Maybe he was thinking that why couldn’t I say the same line to him.
Rohan and his dad started talking as they drove away from me. Maybe Rohan was telling his father who I was.
I wore my earphones back as I continued to walk further.
“Catch it”, a guy screamed.
A ball, high in the air was rushing towards me. I positioned my hands to catch the ball but I couldn’t. It fell down. I picked up the ball and threw it towards that guy. He caught it so easily and went back to play.
I took a glimpse of my either sides to know whether someone has noticed my failure in catching the ball. I walked further without wearing the earphones.
I was watching those guys play while walking. They were from ‘Elite academy’. They came here daily to play for two three hours. Rohan is also part of them but he returned early today. “God knows why”, my mind said.
My phone was vibrating. I took it out and ‘Aakash’ flashed on the screen. I picked it up and he shouted, “Hey you idiot! When will you come home? Don’t you have to go to school”. “Just coming in 2 minutes”, I said uninterested. I then took a U turn and walked back home !!
