34. SSs AAs and The 'B's

The 3rd sem exams are over now. After the last day of the exam, I spent the entire evening with Shantanu. I will miss him for a couple of weeks now. We spoke more about what to do in the sem hols.

Shantanu had plans to experiment his new speculative strategies staring the whole day at his laptop watching the market dance. He is of course a bit too greedy. He himself would agree that he would have made hell lot of profit in short term investments than losing gold in the speculative wave. But he never gave up.

I have asked mom and dad to come the next day of the last exam. Anu had plans for the last day evening with Kiran. I don’t know where? What? I didn’t bother anyway.

She came running into the hostel when the gates are just about to close. Sangi asked her about the date. She just gave a blushing weak smile. I felt it useless to bug her to get only a lie.

I asked Anu to come home with me like the last sem hols. But she refused stating that she would be fine at her home. I couldn’t make the meaning of this but I still didn’t persuade her anymore.

Mom and dad on the sight of us talked to Anu even ignoring me. Mom, “Anu dear where are your baggages”

“Aunty I am not going now?”

“Are you not coming with us?”

“No aunty I am going home, thanks”

“Why dear you don’t like being with us?”

“Oh aunty not like that, hmm.. but I, I don’t want to burden you, I will be fine, so kind of you. I don’t want to be more indebt of you”

Dad now, “Silly we feel pleased to take you home. You are more than a sister to Elvia. Come on now, get your things we will wait”

As usual there is no more arguments when Dad orders. Not just for me for anyone. We left to our home after my mom calling Anu’s dad. He did agree being an understanding father.

We spent time as usual but no hill stations or vodka this time. Cuddling ourselves in the bed enjoying the winter, we spent the days completely at home with visiting nearby places every now and then.

Thanks to the electronic revolution. I could stay in touch with Shantanu. He would chat a lot with me except when the market is open. I am contented that he did care about his career and I don’t have to blame myself.

As days went on I started longing for college. Not just Shantanu but all the hostel fun. The smuggling of vodka, movies, gossips, teases and a lot more of them.

At last back in college. The lush academic smell of college was refreshing. We settled in our room the day before reopening.

Girls, “What about vodka today to celebrate a new sem”

“You are becoming a dipsomaniac”

“Cool, I would like that, but no one would call someone who drinks vodka once in a month a dipsomaniac”

“Hmm… anyway it’s already late there will be many people in the shop we would get it by this weekend I am not in the mood today”, Sindhu

“Hmmm fine then”

“Hey does Shantanu know of all this?”, Anu

“Hell no, no way he would kill me”

“Why would he kill you it’s your life and “ with a sarcastic smile, “your vodka”

The 4th sem, first day. As usual we have collected the database of possible professors and other faculty who may handle us this time.

As feared one of the most deranged psychos of our department Asst Prof. Chandra Pal handled the paper Theory of Computing fancily called TOC, for us. In seniors batch he had failed nearly half the class. Sangi almost started to shiver.

Though failing is not a thing for me to be concerned of I still feared that if he awards poor grades that will bring me down. There were not many strategies to handle him either. The very sight of him was scary though he did looked like a saint.

“Do you know the results are coming out tomo”

“Ya I do, looking forward to see your Ss”

S is the highest grade one can get in a subject. I don’t know whether it’s an acronym for ‘super’ or something.

“What about you, what do you expect”

“All I would pray is to pass all the subjects nothing more” and we laughed at the statement.

The next day till morning break the results are not out. Most of us started cursing everyone from the office assistants till the VC for delaying the results. Many started to turn pale and cold. I could feel the same in myself.

Mind never stayed in the class. It kept reeling back to the results. How much would I get? How will he feel at my results? What will he say about it? Will Divya be satisfied? Such ramming thoughts ached my head.

After the class I literally ran to the department to check the results. Shantanu was already there. He greeted me with a weak smile. In that split second I made a million guesses from his expression.

Before I could finalize on a particular guess he, “You have got an S in algorithms and 'A's in 2 subjects and the labs. 'B's in the rest.”