8.An SMS

I was sitting before my laptop, doing some nonsense as usual. My mobile beeped with a sms. I thought it must be some stupid forward, from some bored school friend of mine. I ignored it. 5 minutes past another sms, 2 more minutes 1 more message.

‘Who the hell?’ I checked my mobile, the latest message, “Sry if I disturbed u, I just tot.. anyway sry tc bye”, then the 2nd message, “U ther?”, finally the first one, “Good evening..”.

No prizes for guessing it was a guy. My pulse rose, “Oh no! What have I done!” I don’t know how to reply, I almost sent “Who s tis”. Suddenly realizing it would offend him, I stopped the message.

After a couple of minutes I came up with a more convincing reply, “Sorry didn’t notice my mobile, who s this”. Got a beep immediately, 'Damn' that was the delivery report.

Mind started reeling across faces, 'Who might it be? The ‘11th rank guy’, Hari?' Suddenly I felt like somebody was watching me in the class, typical good looking girl syndrome. ‘May be it must be one of those 2 guys, sitting in the 4th bench on the other side of the classroom.’

Curiosity killed the cat. Being unable to wait I called the no, just after a ring I cut the call, feeling embarrassed that would have looked desperate.

I cursed myself for ignoring the 1st sms, and 2ndly for calling the number. I tried to forget it and concentrate on to my laptop’s LCD. 

But when my mobile flashed with a beep again, I grabbed it from the table like a hungry dog would do for a piece of bone, and checked the message. How would you feel, if I say that was a forward from a school friend. 

Certainly it was a forward, and at the moment I was about to throw my mobile in frustration, I got another sms. “I am Kiran, Comp sci dept :)”. I was scanning across faces, but couldn’t place him. 

As if reading my weird expressions my roommate Anu asked me, “What’s wrong?”, I abruptly asked her, “ Who is Kiran?”

She gave a more bewildered expression. We never heard of that name in our class. Countless questions popped up, I put 2 of them in a reply, “Which batch r u? How did u get my no?”

“I belonged 2 f batch”, I read it aloud. This has made things more complicated.

Anu got more annoyed, she looked more than interested.

Just then Maria, my 3rd roommate opened her mouth, she belongs to some other batch but not f. Anyway even ‘f’ it didn’t make sense, ‘belonged’. “He is one of the seniors in our NSS unit”. Damn! Why didn’t it occur to me!

The next sms, “u have a beautiful voice”, I read it aloud recalling the last NSS meet where we were asked to do something before everyone. I read it aloud, illogically blushing.

If not for we being only 2 months old in college, my roommates would have jumped on me for that message, as a sign of celebrating their excitement, which was (hopefully is) one of our college customs. They all just gave a weird smile.

*The SMS language was intended to be that way.