I truly believe in the saying, Behind every successful man is a woman. According to my experience when things are going well for you in your love life the other aspects of your life work well too. Or it maybe just that because you have someone who brings a smile to your face whenever you see them, or someone who allows you to be yourself without being pretentious and share your thoughts, tensions and worries with you and you are a lot more relaxed while doing things making it easier for you to do them well.
Things were great between Preeti and me; we were meeting regularly at Samreen’s place and talking on the phone for hours whenever we got a chance. We would also see each other at Geeta mam’s tutorials and steal glances and smile at each other whenever no one was looking. Tarun and Chottu told me that they had noticed I kept smiling thinking about Preeti during the boring social studies period too and at cricket practice Mizbah remarked-“at the touch of love, everyone finds the goodness within themselves,” suggesting that I was a bit easy on the players when they made mistakes during fielding practice.
We were practicing real hard and putting in the extra hours and effort for the three match series against our arch rivals, Alsaints School, the alma mater of Hyderabad’s greatest cricketer ever produced until Little Flower Schools very own V.V.S Laxman took centre stage against the Aussies with a triple ton, Mohammed Azharuddin. They were the power houses in Hyderabad’s school cricketing structure with more than half of the team playing for the u-16 state team. They had a special coach for cricket Mr. Denny Lahm, a former Ranji trophy captain for Hyderabad and a very hard task master and a tough man to please. He asked for nothing less than perfection and expected his team to win every time they got on to the field. He was feared and respected not only by his team but also by everyone in the opposition. There were also rumors flying around that he would soon be appointed the next coach of the Hyderabad U-16 cricket team and all of us were keen to make a good impression. Our school had never managed to beat them. Once at the Monfort Games Quarter finals our seniors had ran them close to eventually lose by just 1 run and then too Denny sir had smacked his team with a huge cane in front of everyone immediately after they had won the game because he expected them to beat our school, (whose major concentration was on education rather than any other co-curricular activities) much more easily. If we managed to achieve even that feat and give them a close competition it would be a huge moral victory to see the winning side being punished.
The big day of the 1st game was upon us we had made our plans and strategies. We knew there would be a lot of sledging and they would come hard at us and our P.T instructor cum coach Om Prakash sir had prepared us for the worst by saying he didn’t expect us to win but trusted us to put up a good show. We arrived at Alsaints school grounds to a packed house of students ready to give us their most hostile welcome. We were booed as soon as we got off the team bus to the time we reached the players pavilion, which was just a tin shed open from all sides and all of them kept glaring and pointing at us whispering something in each others ears and laughing at giggling at us. All of us very already very nervous and intimidated except Rohan a left arm spinner who had seen it all before and our wicket keeper Zubaif who never really feared anything. Denny sir and his team made their grand entrance and suddenly the boos turned into huge cheers, cat calls, whistles, salutes and standing ovations. Denny sir shook hands with Om Prakash sir and with a huge smirk on his face asked- “is that your team?” The he wished all of us best of luck and introduced us to the umpires and called our captain, Manzoor for the toss. Manzoor was an attacking batsmen and our team was very dependent on him to get the runs, so we had planned to bat first so that he and our other batsmen were not put under any sort of pressure. But things did not go according to plan we lost the toss and they elected to bat first. I was going to open the bowling with Shezil, who was the fastest bowler in our side and the focus shifted upon us. It was a 25 over game with each bowler allowed to bowl five overs each. I thought to myself that if I don’t concede more than 6 runs a over in my spell and smack a few runs when I eventually get a chance to bat at no. 6 or 7 I would be pleased with my contribution. Their captain Vineet, an excellent all rounder who had already played for the state side for the last couple of years, was going to open the batting with Urush, another young talent who had represented the state side. I ran up to bowl the first ball and produced a rank half volley and Urush drove me though the covers for 4 runs and while I was going back to my mark to bowl the next ball Vineet at the runner end remarked, “I will teach you how to bowl with the new ball when its my turn to bowl, I can swing it like a snake”. That fired me up a bit and I tried to bowl faster and bowled three wides in that over and was smacked for another 4 by Urush. After then 1st over the scoreboard read- 15 for no wickets. Shezil also conceded 10 in his first over and things looked to be getting out of our hand very early on. I wasn’t expecting Manzoor to give me another over but he tossed the ball to me and asked me to relax and think about Preeti. That brought a smile to my face but I knew that wasn’t going to help because Vineet was on strike and he looked like he was in a very destructive mood. I bowled another half volley and as expected he smacked me to the boundary with ease. Zubaif was trying his best to motivate me from behind the wickets and all the boys were clapping and encouraging me which was a good sign. Andy who was fielding at mid on came rushing to me and asked me to bowl my slower ball that I had been practicing all week in the nets and that’s what I did. Vineet was two minutes too early into the shot and I bowled him neck and crop. I was on top of the world and made sure I gave him a grand send off with the snake dance. But it wasn’t too much cause for celebration because the next man walking in was Hariram another one who had played for the state and was known for his ability to hit sixes at will. I conceded 40 runs in my five overs and managed to pick up one more wicket of Urush but not before he had made a stroke filled 53 of just 47 balls. Hariram played well too for his 43 of just 30 balls and all others chipped in with the crowd supporting them throughout and cheering their every run. Alsaints eventually managed to score massive 212 for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 25 overs and the figures of all our bowlers looked really bad with the exception of Romit who picked up 3 wickets for just 25 runs in his five overs. All of us kept our heads down as we walked off the field and did not speak to each other but Manzoor and Om Prakash sir tried to motivate us and asked us to just go out there, give it our best shot and try and have some fun chasing down the huge target they had set. Rajesh our steady opening batsmen suggested that we promote someone to do the pinch hitting up the order instead of him and Manzoor really liked the idea. Nazeem and I were the options available and I was eventually chosen because I was a left hander and would be an ideal foil for the right handed Keerthan.
During the innings break I made a quick phone call to Preeti and she wished me luck and said she would pray for our victory. I knew even with prayers on our side this was going to be a very difficult task. Keerthan and I walked down to the middle and he asked me to take first strike, I marked my guard and was all set to face Vineet who was going to be opening the bowling too. His words rang in my ears and I wondered how he was going to swing the ball like a snake. He had a very attacking field set with three slips, a gully and mid on and mid off both up inside the 30 yards circle. All I wanted to do was get bat on ball, take a single and get to the other end before I went after the bowling because I did not want to get out on a Duck. Vineet started his run up with the cheers getting louder as he got closer to the crease. He bowled the ball right up looking for some swing and I got to the pitch of the ball and hit it smack in the middle of the bat through mid off and it raced away for 4 runs. I smiled at Vineet as he gave me the glare and mouthed something and shouted at the fielder to give it a better attempt to field the ball. All of a sudden I felt confident. I felt like I belonged at the top of the order and could bat and that’s half the battle won because once you have the mental strength and self belief, you accomplish anything and not just in sports but life too. That over I smashed Vineet for four boundaries and could see the excitement it was generating in the pavilion. Andy,Zubaif and Rohan were jumping with joy while Manzoor waved his hands frantically towards me asking me to stay at the wicket and calm down. But my adrenaline was on an all time high I was going to try and smack every ball out of the park and it was my day. Everything worked for me, everything I tried came off. I even played shots that I didn’t know I could play when I pulled one of their quick bowlers for a huge six. We could see the crowd support dwindling. The noisy audience was a lot quieter now. Some of them had already started leaving sensing an embarrassing defeat and some of them turned on their own team by name calling and shouting abuses in their direction. Vineet had tired everything he could and was running out of ideas. All the bowlers he tried were put under tremendous pressure and they conceded around 40 extras in wides and no balls adding to his misery. The smirk on Denny sir’s face had been wiped right off and he turned a shade of red with fury. I was eventually dismissed when the teams score was a comfortable 170 for 3 of just 15 overs for a swash buckling 81 of just 46 balls filled with square cuts over cover and point for sixes, and lofted hits straight down the ground off the spinners. Zubaif and Manzoor completed the easy win in the 21st over and all of us rushed on to the ground for our victory celebrations. Shezil and Romit lifted me on their shoulders and for a victory lap and andy tore my tee shirt off. I was on top of the world; my lady luck had worked her magic.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
CHAPTER 17 HOME VISITS
CHAPTER 17- HOME VISITS
So now that mom had found out about me and Preeti we were very careful not to get caught talking on the phone or anywhere else. For a few days we decided to tell my friends too that we had broken up. The only people who knew the truth were Preeti’s friends Samreen and Shruti and their boyfriends so that we could communicate with each other using them as messengers. We gave up seeing each other in front of people and only spoke on the phone and that too had a process. When one of us was home alone we would give the other one a missed call and that was an indication to call back as quickly as possible. The thrill and excitement of all this kept us on her toes all the time but after a while it became frustrating because when one of us had something urgent or exciting to share we had to wait for the right moment when no one was around and more importantly when you are teenager in a relationship you want to flaunt it not hide it from your peers. Today’s teenagers have it easy with their easy internet access, facebook, cell phones and blackberry messengers but for our generation, the only easy thing was falling in love but as I found out keeping it going was real hard work.
After around a month and a half of these shenanigans something came our way. Samreen’s parents were going to USA for good to earn dollars and live the American Dream and she was going to stay back in the care of her aged grandma so that she could complete her schooling here. So now, whenever I had a chance I would call her and Preeti would come down to her place and we would chat for hours, so much so that now the phone booth from where I usually made the calls recognized me instantly and gave me a stool to sit down and make myself comfortable because my endless, meaningless gibberish and puppy love were good for his business. Our conversations usually fluctuated from important stuff about what had happened in school, and what I was planning to do after the 10th class to silly stuff like how mom had yelled at me, how she had fought with her sister for her favorite nail polish but always interspersed with our grand confessions of how much we loved each other after every three and half complete sentences and a million flying kisses in between. Things were smooth now and mom too had eased her vigilance on my whereabouts and actions but the problem with us teenagers was that whatever we have is never enough. Samreen’s grandma used to go to prayers for a couple of hour’s every evening and Shurti’s boyfriend Ameet came up with the novel idea of using that time for the six of us to meet up at her place and enjoy a delightful rendezvous. I was very reluctant and hesitant initially, not because I wasn’t excited to see Preeti but I was afraid about what would happen if we were to get caught? But Preeti and Rajesh talked me into it and I finally decided to go with the flow. So everything was meticulously planned from how the three guys would be together around that time and how Samreen would call Rajesh as soon as grandma was out of the house. We also planned on saying we were going to Pappu’s house (one of Samreen’s neighbors) if the watchmen asked us where we were heading. We decided to avoid using the elevator too and use the stairs to climb up the six floors to decrease the chances of anyone who knew us or our parents seeing us. Everything went according to plan and the girls ushered us inside. Rajesh and Ameet felt more at home and seemed really relaxed about the whole thing; even the girls were pretty cool about it and I felt like I was the only one who was tense, maybe I wasn’t as brave as them or maybe I wasn’t as stupid not to care. I kept glancing towards the front door and asked Preeti to make sure it was locked properly. We spent a good hour there and I had to literally drag the guys out of there before grandma made her presence felt. Our first attempt had been successful and we were proud of our selves and because it had been so smoothly executed these home visits became a weekly affair and even my nerves were eased a bit now. Life was good for us and we were having a great time and now we decided to inform my gang too about the whole plan of faking the breakup so that they could cover for my absence in tuitions and if my parents asked them anything. But if you ask me what all went on in the house I would tell you what I told Billu and Timmy whenever they got really curious- “I am a gentleman, I don’t kiss and tell.”
So now that mom had found out about me and Preeti we were very careful not to get caught talking on the phone or anywhere else. For a few days we decided to tell my friends too that we had broken up. The only people who knew the truth were Preeti’s friends Samreen and Shruti and their boyfriends so that we could communicate with each other using them as messengers. We gave up seeing each other in front of people and only spoke on the phone and that too had a process. When one of us was home alone we would give the other one a missed call and that was an indication to call back as quickly as possible. The thrill and excitement of all this kept us on her toes all the time but after a while it became frustrating because when one of us had something urgent or exciting to share we had to wait for the right moment when no one was around and more importantly when you are teenager in a relationship you want to flaunt it not hide it from your peers. Today’s teenagers have it easy with their easy internet access, facebook, cell phones and blackberry messengers but for our generation, the only easy thing was falling in love but as I found out keeping it going was real hard work.
After around a month and a half of these shenanigans something came our way. Samreen’s parents were going to USA for good to earn dollars and live the American Dream and she was going to stay back in the care of her aged grandma so that she could complete her schooling here. So now, whenever I had a chance I would call her and Preeti would come down to her place and we would chat for hours, so much so that now the phone booth from where I usually made the calls recognized me instantly and gave me a stool to sit down and make myself comfortable because my endless, meaningless gibberish and puppy love were good for his business. Our conversations usually fluctuated from important stuff about what had happened in school, and what I was planning to do after the 10th class to silly stuff like how mom had yelled at me, how she had fought with her sister for her favorite nail polish but always interspersed with our grand confessions of how much we loved each other after every three and half complete sentences and a million flying kisses in between. Things were smooth now and mom too had eased her vigilance on my whereabouts and actions but the problem with us teenagers was that whatever we have is never enough. Samreen’s grandma used to go to prayers for a couple of hour’s every evening and Shurti’s boyfriend Ameet came up with the novel idea of using that time for the six of us to meet up at her place and enjoy a delightful rendezvous. I was very reluctant and hesitant initially, not because I wasn’t excited to see Preeti but I was afraid about what would happen if we were to get caught? But Preeti and Rajesh talked me into it and I finally decided to go with the flow. So everything was meticulously planned from how the three guys would be together around that time and how Samreen would call Rajesh as soon as grandma was out of the house. We also planned on saying we were going to Pappu’s house (one of Samreen’s neighbors) if the watchmen asked us where we were heading. We decided to avoid using the elevator too and use the stairs to climb up the six floors to decrease the chances of anyone who knew us or our parents seeing us. Everything went according to plan and the girls ushered us inside. Rajesh and Ameet felt more at home and seemed really relaxed about the whole thing; even the girls were pretty cool about it and I felt like I was the only one who was tense, maybe I wasn’t as brave as them or maybe I wasn’t as stupid not to care. I kept glancing towards the front door and asked Preeti to make sure it was locked properly. We spent a good hour there and I had to literally drag the guys out of there before grandma made her presence felt. Our first attempt had been successful and we were proud of our selves and because it had been so smoothly executed these home visits became a weekly affair and even my nerves were eased a bit now. Life was good for us and we were having a great time and now we decided to inform my gang too about the whole plan of faking the breakup so that they could cover for my absence in tuitions and if my parents asked them anything. But if you ask me what all went on in the house I would tell you what I told Billu and Timmy whenever they got really curious- “I am a gentleman, I don’t kiss and tell.”
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