Apology

Gauri

"Uski himmat kaise hu, dekh lungi use (How dare he threaten me, I will see him.)" I paced back and forth in the empty class room hitting my fist into my palm.

"Ane do aaj use. Kya samajhta hai apne apko..wo..wo kuch nahi hai (let him come today. What he thinks he is..... he...he is nothing.)" I gritted my teeth remembering his smirk when he threatened me back. I was forming a plan in my mind to teach him a lesson when Mrinal tapped my shoulder.

"Kya hua? (What happened?)" She asked with her sunshine smile.

"Mrinal, I am very angry and I don't want to discuss the matter right now SO please leave me alone." I couldn't hold back my frustration. I knew it is bad to let out my anger on my best friend.

"Woah! Calm down my iron lady." She fanned me a little

"Now tell me what happened? Hurry up!" She gave me a curious look but I remained silent.

"Won't you share your problem with your best buddy" her emotional blackmailing has started.

Our staring process continued for about five minutes and then I huffed.

"Okay, I will tell you but promise me you won't tell a soul" I warned her and she nodded in yes.

"God promise nahi bataungi (won't tell)" she pinched her throat while swearing to god.

"You know... That firangi (foreigner), he came into the gym after school when I was practicing and started checking me out." She gave me a surprised look but didn't interrupt me.

"I saw him in the mirror and hit him with my boxing glove but it missed him." I saw a ghost of amused expression on her face which has infuriated me more.

"I will break his bones, how dare he stare me like that. That bastard, he threatened me back." I was boiling with anger.

"Calm down. Okay?" she put her hands on my shoulder to comfort me.

"You know what Gauri, it is not his fault if God has made you with so much affection in his holidays, how do you expect these earthy creatures to ignore his masterpiece" she teased.

"Mrinal" I rolled my eyes.

"Okay okay, on serious thoughts Gauri, how long you will remain angry when you know that all guys in this school are like that. See, you have many things to focus on, like becoming the school topper, taking care of your brother, becoming independent. Don't waste your energy on useless guys" She paused

"In case of Alex, he is new in this school and this country. It might be possible that he has arrived in the gym accidentally and you have overreacted." She gave me a serious expression and paused for a second like she was thinking something.

"Wait, have you threatened him first, Yes or No?" she asked accusingly.

"Yes." I bit my cheek and gulped down the spit formed in my mouth. I knew that I was going to get an earful of lecture.

"Gauri, what is your problem? Don't make the whole world your enemy. We have to live in THIS world and we cannot avoid men and their hungry looks. Don't give them a damn, yar (buddy). Not every man is bad. After all, Fathers and brothers are men too but they love and protect us." I nodded in agreement.

"Try to change your perceptions and for now, just settle this issue." She gave me a stern look.

"We will go to him and apologize for your overreaction, you got it?" she asked me and I paled under her gaze.

"No" I protested and stepped away from her.

"I will not say sorry to him. What have I done?" I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.

"You.have.over.reacted" she pointed her index finger in front of my eyes and scolded me.

"And now don't make it a big issue."

I opened my mouth to speak but she stopped me

"Enough Gauri, this is it. We will not discuss it further, now let's go to assembly."

The whole day, I was fuming over him. Sitting beside him was like a punishment. I wanted to smack his head with my heaviest book. Pagal, bewakoof (crazy, stupid)

I have packed my bag a little early because I didn't want me to get embarrassed by Mrinal's stupid idea of apologizing.

I was about to leave when Mrinal grabbed my wrist and made me sit and I tried to free myself. When everybody left and that stupid angrej (an English man) was about to leave, Mrinal blasted that apology bomb on me.

'Hey bhagwan, koi roko is ladki ko (Oh god, please someone stop this girl)' My inner voice shouted on top of her lungs and I closed my eyes.

"Can we have a word with you, Alex" she asked with extra sweetness and I rolled my eyes at her.

'Why my best friend is putting me in this embarrassing situation? God!'

"Yes ME, tell me" I gave a confused look.

'Why he addressed Mrinal like that?' I frowned.

"Are you angry with me" she gave her innocent expression.

'God Mrinal, how melodramatic you can be when you should not be.' I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's not about you, ME, it's because of your strong headed friend. I hope you got to know everything from her." he eyed me and I scowled at him.

"You..ME? kya laga rakha hai isne (What is he speaking)" I asked my friend in our language intentionally so that he couldn't understand my question.

"Angreji kharab hai kya iski ? (Is his English weak)" I leaned on her to ask.

"Hush." she rolled her eyes at me and elbowed me to stay silent.

"He cannot pronounce my name that's why I told him to call me ME". She whispered back and I wanted to laugh out loud but laughed in my mind.

'Poor guy, I knew how tough her name is, even I did mistake while calling her with her full name.'

But I wanted to divert her attention from her plan so I thought to make the angrej (English man) angrier.

"I can understand Mrinal, these Englishmen can't pronounce any Indian word correctly even a very simple name like Mrinalini" I mocked him and he was clearly offended.

He gave me an angry glare and his blue eyes become little dark while his face became red within a second.

"Oh really, are you challenging me" he was clearly pissed off. I patted myself mentally on the success of my idea.

"No, no, no... Alex, she doesn't mean that." She gave me an angry glare

"By the way, I want to clear the misunderstanding happened yesterday."

'Why the hell Mrinal wanted me to apologize.'

"See Alex, she felt that you were checking her out and checking out a girl is a bad manner. If you had announced your presence there, she might not overreact" she explained in one go.

"Are you getting me?" she asked him. He was silent for a moment like imbibing her words.

"Okay I am sorry BUT I.was.not.checking.out.her" His gaze didn't leave me which made me little uneasy.

"My driver was late so I was just exploring the school and headed towards the gym when I heard some hitting sound. I saw a girl who looked familiar so I was just figuring out who she was?" his eyes darkened while he was explaining.

His gaze was piercing my soul making me restless. I was feeling that he was stirring some unknown emotions inside me.

I somehow felt that his last sentences were completely false but he has already convinced my friend. What could I do?

"Now your turn Gauri" she ordered but I pressed my lips more tightly.

'Uff ! kya karu,(what to do). Kya karu.' I looked my left then my right; My mind was juggling hard for an excuse when I heard her firm voice again.

"Mrinal, I will say sorry only on one condition." I half looked at her and smirked before returning my gaze back to his blue eyes.

"Gauri, now don't act, just say sorry. Alex has already apologized to you without any condition. Then why are you acting like this?" she scolded me lightly. I went to her, placed my hands on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Mrinal, dear c'mon, It is very simple if he will pronounce your name correctly" I smirked at him raising my eyebrow in challenge.

"Even HALF of your name then I will bow to him and apologize properly." I said mockingly looking directly in his blue eyes.

"Dar gaye (are you scared) Mr. Miller" I asked him totally forgotten that he couldn't understand Hindi but his eyes twinkled in response as he understood me.

"What have you just said" he narrowed his gaze on me and towered over me in threatening mode.

"I said that you can't pronounce Mrinal's name correctly so you don't deserve an apology" I left my imagination aside because his thick British accent proved that he could never talk in Hindi or understand it.

"Loser" I gave him thumbs down.

"Hey. Stop it guys! Gauri, He can pronounce my name. It was me who told him not to call me by my full name" Mrinal intervened to stop any future argument.

"Oh my god, I have forgotten my reference book in the library. Gauri, dear can you please bring me any bio reference book from the library before it closed down. We are waiting for you here" She requested sweetly and I eyed her intently. Her overacting skills revealed everything running in her mind.

Okay so this is the plan, I would go and she would teach this firangi how to pronounce her name. Aha! Great! Let's see what he could learn in two minutes.

"Okay Mrinal, anything for you dear" I replied sweetly and left the classroom smiling.