Blog Fiction – THE GIRL AT THE AIRPORT

Blog Fiction

THE GIRL AT THE AIRPORT

Short Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

“Hello Sir,” she said.

In the suddenness of the moment – I did not recognize her.

But then – she gave me her typical vivacious smile – her eyes danced – and I knew who she was.

She had been one of my brightest students.

But then – that was quite some time ago.

“Of course I recognize you,” I said, “How can I ever forget one of my best students? But meeting you here at the airport was so unexpected that I was confused for a moment – and you’ve grown up so much – and I too am getting old now...”

“No Sir – you still look handsome – and as young as ever. I am sure all the girls still have a crush on you – like we all did...!” she said naughtily.

I almost blushed – so to change the subject – I asked her: “What you doing here at the airport?”

“I’m going to New York,” she said, “my flight is delayed – so I am just killing time.”

“My flight to Singapore is delayed too,” I said.

“Singapore?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m going for a conference,” I said.

“Oh,” she said.

For some moments – no one spoke.

To break the silence – I said, “Let’s go to the coffee shop. We can sit and talk over there till our flights are announced.”

As we walked to the airport coffee shop – I thought of the young girl walking beside me.

She had abruptly left our school 3 years ago – after completing her 9^th Standard.

When we teachers expressed our surprise – the Principal of our school told us – that her parents wanted to shift her to an elite boarding school – faraway in the hills.

We told the Principal that she was a brilliant scholar – one of our best students – who had the potential to top the 10^th Board Exams – and she would surely bring laurels to our school by getting into the merit list. 

We also argued that – even from girl’s point of view – it was not prudent to change her school and shift her just one year before the matriculation board examination.

The Principal told us that he had discussed all this with her parents – but they were adamant that the girl be shifted to a boarding school.

So – the bright young girl left our school – and she went away to the elite boarding school at the distant hill station.

I did not see the bright young girl again – or even hear of her – after she left our school.

“Sir – do you know why I had to suddenly leave school?” she asked me – as we sat down for coffee.

“No,” I said, “in fact, we were quite surprised at your unexpected sudden departure.”

“My parents were getting divorced – and they did not want me around – so they sent me away to the boarding school,” she said, nonchalantly – without batting an eyelid.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “that’s sad.”

“Yes,” she said, “it was really sad. They never asked me anything. They just decided to divorce on their own. I felt terrible. I did not like it at all. It was amicable divorce by mutual consent - but no one took my consent. Why is it – that in divorce cases – no one bothers about the children’s consent?”

I did not answer. 

I did not answer – because I did not know the answer to her question – “Why does the family court not take children’s consent before granting divorce to the parents...?” 

She had a point.

Aren’t children stakeholders in a marriage...?

I remained silent.

I looked at the girl.

Though I had met her parents once or twice perfunctorily at school functions – I did not know her parents that well. 

In fact – I do remember most of my students – but I hardly remember their parents.

I sipped my coffee in silence.

I did not say anything.

I waited for the girl to speak.

“I just don’t know why they split,” she said, “we seemed to be such a happy family together.”

“They must have had their reasons,” I said.

“Well – I think I know at least one reason now,” she said.

I just looked at her – waiting for her to continue speaking.

“Do you know what my father did the moment the divorce was through?” she said.

“What?” I asked.

“My dad got married to a woman half his age.” 

“Half his age?” I asked, quite incredulous.

“Yes. The female was his student.”

“Student?”

“You know that my father is a Professor, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

The girl looked at me with bitterness on her face – and she said, “Yes – my father married a woman half his age. That girl was his student. She was doing her Ph.D. under him. The wily female snatched him away from us. And it was his fault too – a married man with a family getting involved with a woman so much younger in age than him.  It was terrible – a teacher and a student shamelessly getting married to each other. Just imagine how embarrassing it must have been for me and my mother.”

“Yes,” I said, trying to show empathy.

“And do you know what my mother did?”

“What?”

“Three months later – she too got married to a jerk from her office,” she said, “I hate him – he’s such a crafty smooth-talking fake – a charlatan . I just don’t understand why my mother fell for that slimy scoundrel...? ”

The girl paused for a moment – and she said, “And can you imagine his audacity?”

“Audacity?”

“Yes – this so-called step-father of mine - one day he politely told me that ‘they’ wanted more privacy – so could I please go and stay with my own Dad for a while?”

“Don’t tell me…!”

“Yes – it was disgusting – my mother and my step-father – they were behaving as if they were a ‘honeymoon couple’. And now – my step-father wanted to throw me out of my own house. So – I asked my mother to tell her new husband to shut up...”

“And...?”

“You won’t believe this – my mother just kept quiet and said nothing.”

“So?”

“So – I packed my bags – and I went over to my father’s place – but it was even worse over there.”

“Even worse?”

“Though she did not say so in so many words – my ‘step-mother’ made it quite clear that I was not very welcome – she kept giving me repulsive vibes of fake politeness – you know those terrible negative vibes – I could feel them every moment.”

“That is sad – very sad.”

“So I spent the next two years of junior college – my 11^th and 12^th – shuttling between my two parents like an unwanted badminton shuttle-cock,” she said.

“It must have been terrible...” I commiserated.

“Yes. It was really very painful for me – so I made a deal,” she said.

“A deal?”

“I told both my parents that I wanted to go abroad to America for my studies – and I wanted them to jointly pay for it – I told them that they must fund my entire studies and my stay abroad,” she said.

“Oh!” I exclaimed.

The girl paused for a moment – she had a sip of coffee – and then – she said: “You know – all of them – my Dad, my Mom, my Step-Father, my Step-Mother – all of them were delighted to hear this – that I wanted to go away from their lives. My Dad used his academic connections – and he went out of the way to get me admission to the best university in the US. As I said – no one wants me here – so – everyone – my very own mother – and even my so-called ‘step parents’ – they are all chipping in to finance my education in America – for as long as I want to study. They are all so happy to get me out of the way.”

“Oh – so that is why you are going abroad to America?” I said.

“Yes. I am running away. To a new life...” the girl said.

Suddenly – her flight was announced – and she got up to leave.

“Thanks for the coffee, Sir,” she said, “it was really so nice meeting you.”

“I am sure we will meet again when you come back,” I said.

“I am not coming back, Sir. There is nothing left here for me to come back to. I am leaving behind the debris of my past – and I am moving on to begin a new life over there – and I am not going to look back...” she said.

“All the Best. Take Care...” I said.

“You too, Sir – Take Care...” she said.

Then she turned – and she walked away.

I watched her for a long time – till she disappeared from sight. 

I thought she would look back. 

I thought she would wave a last good bye. 

But – she did not look back.

Maybe – she did not want to look back at the world from which she had escaped forever.

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

This is a revised version of my story titled RUNNING AWAY (SHE DID NOT LOOK BACK) posted online earlier by me Vikram Karve a number of times on this blog - first on August 21, 2012 at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/08/running-away.html  and later at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/11/she-did-not-look-back-girl-with.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/02/escape.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/11/she-did-not-look-back.html etc