Mud (Sangeetha)

The smell of the earth after the first rains… it takes me to yet another time… a happier time when girls were not yet taught how they ought to behave…

THUD…… Splash!!!

“You bi…, F*** you… Go learn to play!”

God knows why this Deepa tries her hand at football…

FOOTBALL and RAIN. A lethal combination!! Rolling in the mud... getting dirty like crazy… and the rain falling on you washing away the mud… and there again you fall get dirty and it goes on…

“C’mon Remya get it!!” Lakshmi cheered. I winked at her. And, now it was time for some magic…

ZOOP………… “That was a cool one…”

Now, that’s difficult to assimilate, isn’t it? A girl playing football… well, balls to you, you MCP!! Coz it’s because of people like you that in spite of loving this game so much, I have to shut up about the fact that I even play. My mom has made me promise that I’ll never play in a college team or tell anyone about my secret passion… it’s only after all those beseechings and pleadings and that I even get to play in my colony…

“Remya check out that one…”

‘Shit!! Deepa at her worst as usual…’

“Corner!!”

Sometimes I wonder if she were playing for the opposite team!!!

Was that a kick?? :@ Safely evaded it though… Lucky for me… may have lost an eye… Ronak ko kaise dekhti fir?

RONAK??

‘Yeh kidharse aaya?? Hold!! Shit! Kaise bhool gayi yaar main! Yeh saala baarish sab kuch bhoola deta hai…’

The ball now lay there… still. I was feeling dumb. He had caught me red (brown) handed (& faced). What could I say? ‘Hey! You’ve come for Remya? Hi! I am her twin. Wait, I’ll just call her in a moment…’??

He had a look on my face which said. “Weren’t we supposed to meet?”

‘Saala! Chance pe dance karta hai!!!

‘Kya zaroorat thi aane ki… I must be looking soo ugly. Man! Have to make up for it somehow. Itna dur aaya mere liye. And bechara shock me rahega.’

“I will get ready in 5 minutes” Dunno wot I managed to do in those 5 mins… Clean myself… Aargh!! Itna ganda koi kaise ho sakta hai? Yaar yeh earring ka pair kidhar gaya… and where did I put the bracelet last time I wore it??

I used to always wonder what Ronak would have to say when he would come across that ‘guy’ in me… Got the answer today… ‘He was simply speechless!’

He was there waiting for me. ‘Abbe, kitna ghoorega?? Meri koi twin nahi hai!!’

That night as I walked back through the grounds, careful not to allow the mud stain my sari, I thanked it for helping me clear things with my love… we had grown closer that day. I had feared that he would not appreciate me if I were not feminine and charming. But this guy was different! But one thing was for sure. RONAK would always remain my second love… my first love being MUD

- Sangeetha