My eyes could scarcely believe what I was seeing. This was another twist by fate in my life.
I had gone by the rule of thumb in filling up the options for the second round. The college had taken priority over the stream as there was always a legitimate chance of getting your preferred stream in the second year if you score well. Getting the desired college was the first step in that direction. That is why I had opted for all the branches of both RV and SLC. At that point, I had barely spent 10 days in college and I had no inkling about Mechanical Engineering.
Now when I had landed in the same branch in RV, my mind was now riddled with several confusions.
For the first couple of minutes, my mind was in a state of absolute blankness. Thereafter the grey cells started taking over the control of the situation. My father was out of the city on some official errand and was supposed to return the next day. So, there was no use in discussing this issue with him over the phone. I didn’t tell my mother and sister either. The first call that I made was to Ashwin.
“Dude, I think you should now start paying attention in the Mechanical class and should also work hard on your drawing” there was a truckload of sincerity in his voice.
“Shut Up” I was irritated “I have not taken admission there yet. I am asking for an opinion”
“Hmm.. just don’t go then. Stay.”
I realized that it was futile to ask for a sincere suggestion from Ashwin in this regard. He wasn’t mature enough for that.
I then called up Sulabh. He gave me a bit of more practical advice.
“There will be two scenarios as we discussed that day. You score well in your first-year exams and get the CSE. Else, you get some other branch or, in the worst scenario, get stuck in mechanical. Now, are you willing to take that risk? I am saying this because, in your own words, you despise Mechanical. I think it is better if you discuss it with your father first and then maybe get some guidance from someone studying in RV. Then only take a decision.”
It was prudent advice. So I decided to wait for another day. The last date for confirming the seat received in the second counselling was still 5 days away. But the weird thoughts about this whole situation refused to leave my mind. I could barely sleep that night.
The following morning my attention was completely divided as I kept thinking about the pros and cons associated with my impending decision. I even bumped into a bicycle rider. Thankfully neither of us got hurt. I was off the track even in the first lecture as I missed my name during attendance. When I finally realized, the professor had already moved to the next name. Now Prof. Das was a very strict teacher and expected complete attention in the class. He didn’t like getting disturbed during taking attendance too. So I had to wait till he had called out the last name.
“Sir” I hesitantly raised my hand.
“Yes” he looked at me with those piercing eyes behind his glasses.
I swallowed before speaking “I .. I missed when you had called out my name”
“What?”
I repeated what I had just said. I could see a ball of fire raging inside him and I was the target. But before he could direct his tirade at me, he was abruptly interrupted by a sweet voice.
“Excuse me, Sir, may we come in?”
The eyes of the whole class went towards the door of the lecture theatre. My eyes too went towards it to see who had been my saviour.
A small group of students was standing by the door. All of them were new faces. Right at the front of this group stood a girl who had just interrupted Prof. Das.
To be continued ...
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
