Soft Drink
/“One more lap to go Karan, you can do it; just get moving - pedal fast, you'll win, yes, Karan, go on my dear," says Puza. Oozing of blood from the wound can be seen and also the sweat all over his body. But Karan pedals to win the race. Puza keeps motivating Karan.
Two years ago.
Puza goes to college on cycle. She is in her last year of college. She is a laborious student. Talks less with others. She is a simple girl but deep inside she has an adventurous avatar. She wants to experience the adventure side of the world and be part of it. But most think that she is only a bookish girl, who knows nothing except bookish knowledge. She presents herself and behaves the same. And she even doesn't like to show her adventurous side to her friends as once when she was a child she went through major accidents; collided with the bike, which fractured her arms.
Most of the time she would turn the pages of her books and do the task given by teachers, this made other students think that she can't be their friend. They all were of a fun type and would bunk classes, even chat in the class and do mischievous acts to irritate teachers.
On the other side there is Karan, who is rich as well as popular in the college. He changes his bike in a week and comes to college and takes different girls on a date.
Girls go crazy over him as he's handsome and what else does a girl need? Fame, money, popularity, all he has. Even girls would quarrel with each other to go on a date with him.
Though Karan was popular in college, Puza never knew him, and also Karan didn't know anything about Puza. It was 7:00 in the morning; the bell rang. Most of the students were in the class and one of them said, "Gadha came." Everyone was silent but Karan came after a long time in a class and had no clue what Gadha actually was. He thought that the real donkey would come and thought of showing his bravery in front of the class. He says to everyone, "no need to worry guys, you know I can control anyone, so don't be afraid, I'll handle the Gadha." Everyone starts laughing and also is surprised but they didn't dare to explain to him. Puza was also in a class but thinks that these guys are having fun and ignores them. She keeps revising lessons.
Karan was just at the side of the door and one of them says, "Gadha is here" and then Karan tells everyone to keep quiet; he takes out the rope and makes it a circle. As soon as economics sir enters, he throws the rope, which gets in the neck of the teacher. He pulls the rope and the teacher falls on the floor. Everyone laughs but in just a second, the classroom gets quiet.
The rope was in Karan's hand and the teacher on the floor. Puza keeps on seeing drama with her eyes wide open.
Karan hurriedly goes and sits on the bench where Puza was. The rope was near Puza and she was standing. The teacher sees that the rope was near her and scolds her and tells her to go out of the room. The dean suspends her. She tries to explain but he doesn't listen to her word and also her classmates didn't show any guts to tell the truth.
Puza was angry. She gave an angry glimpse to Karan. She takes her bag and leaves.
Karan breathes deeply. He looks at her going out of the classroom and says, "Thank god, you saved me." She gave him a killer look.
After the bell, he goes in search of Puza to say sorry but he doesn't find her.
For several days he kept on waiting for her to say sorry. After two weeks she comes to the college. Karan notices that Puza was in a cycle, he smiles and calls Puza.
Puza hears and notices him but she behaves like she hasn't listened to him. He accelerates his bike and goes to the parking area where Puza parked her cycle.
Karan says sorry for his mistakes that he made two weeks ago. Puza doesn't speak any word and searches for an excuse to leave, but again he says sorry, “why aren't you talking?” But again she keeps silent. The third time he calls and this time she speaks and expresses her anger where all the students and teachers gather. For the first time, he faces humiliation from a girl.
Karan's friend gathers and tries to intervene but he doesn't let them do that, instead, he smiles.
They go to the classroom to attend the economics class. Puza was on the second bench. Karan comes and looks around and finds that every seat was packed and only one seat was empty. He hurriedly goes and sits, as he turns his head he sees Puza. Puza sees him and gets angry but controls and doesn't utter any word.
For several days they didn't talk with each other. Exams were coming nearer. Their teacher gave them a project work which has to be submitted in a group of two each. Everyone selects their partner and only Karan and Puza were left. The teacher says, “so, you two are in a group, great.I'll mail you individually about the topic and you all should complete it on time.”
Puza is stunned and doesn't want to do any assignments with Karan.
They don't speak with each other, Karan tries but Puza doesn't show any sign of talking with him. The exam was coming nearer and almost everyone had submitted but only they were left. Puza was tensed as she was the high achiever of the college and for the first time, she hadn’t submitted her projects.
After two days the deadline would end. She didn’t want to talk with him but this time she had to talk as it was related to their marks.
She says to Karan that she'll meet him in the afternoon at the college canteen and leaves. At 4:00 pm she comes to the college canteen and waits for Karan. It was already 6:00 pm and she was worried and kept waiting for him. At 7:00 pm Karan arrives.
Her temper rises and shouts at him. He says, “you said in the afternoon but you didn't say the exact time. I've waited for you for three hours but you didn't come. Now, you say, whose fault is it? " Puza doesn't utter any word.
Karan brings the soft drink and tries to give her too but she ignores and keeps quite. He tells her, "See, only this one is left; drink it, otherwise someone might drink It." She says, "Yeah, are you threatening me?" As she was trying to hold the bottle, one of Karan's friends comes and takes it. Puza's eyes are wide open, Karan laughs.
Puza stands up to go home but Karan holds her hand saying not to go. She sees Karan holding her hand and says immediately to remove it and says, "I am not that type of girl, it’s better you be away from physical contact." His friends see but Karan signals them not to do anything.
Karan doesn't talk at that moment. After a few minutes, she says,"Hey, we are here to discuss our project work." Karan says, "Yes, project work!" Puza says, "what project work, common on, let's get serious, you know what, I've always achieved good marks, so this time too I want to get better marks." They discuss and make a project work. They work till late at night. The next day they submit their project work.
From that day on they would talk casually.
One day while coming to the college he collides with the car. For several days he was absent. For a few days Puza ignores his whereabouts but when it's been about a week, she starts searching for him.
After a month he comes to college, he sees Puza but doesn't talk with her. She thinks that she'll talk with him in the class but he doesn't come to the class. After college, she sees Karan with his friends and waits for them to leave so that she can talk with him. After three hours his friend leaves.
He sees Puza standing outside the canteen on her cycle. He invites her. She looked angry. However, she parks her cycle and goes into the canteen. Karan orders coffee. He asks, "How are you? I hope you got better marks in project work, so how happy are you?" She says, "yes, we got great marks. Hey what happened to your leg?"
I met with an accident. I'll be ok in a couple of months, hmm the doctor has told me to take a rest for six months.
"What? Six months!" Puza exclaims, "so you'll be missing the class but don't worry, I'll provide you with the notes, you shall get good marks and pass with distinction." He says, " DISTINCTION!!" and she says, "yes! I always get distinction, I am also the high achiever of the college. You don’t need to worry, I'll help you out until your leg recovers." and says " I am in a hurry, I waited for you for almost three hours, ok I'll meet you tomorrow." And she leaves.
Puza keeps thinking of him, on the other side Karan too keeps thinking of her. He murmurs, "This girl is so good, she is good in studies as well as she is simple but has an angry attitude."
The next day he comes in a cycle, Puza notices and goes near him and asks, " where's your motorbike?" and he says, "well, I thought of riding a cycle." So you ride it too, don't you?" She says "yes, I am always with my cycle, it's good to go for cycling."
Then they park their cycles and go to the canteen and they talk for hours.
On the other hand, Karan’s friend doesn't like him being with Puza. Other girls get jealous and try to get her out of Karan's life. They talk with Karan but he ignores them.
One day they start making conspiracy against Puza. During the exam they exchanged the symbol number, when the results were published Puza finds her name in the failed list, she was shocked." Karan was with her and tried to console. He talks with the teacher but the teacher shows no interest in finding the truth.
Later he finds that one of his friends had done all that. He fights with him.
From that day on, Puza became close to Karan. They start spending time together. She says the entire story about her life and how she became close with the cycle. How she won many cycle competitions and so on.
Karan starts liking her more and proposes her but she says "NO"
She wants to keep the relationship only as a friend . Also her parents were conservative and would not let her be with any other guy.
Karan then says, "I'll wait for you until your mind changes."
After several days, a notice was placed on the information board that the cycle competition will be held in a month and request all the interested participants' to register their name.
Puza asks Karan to take part in it. Karan says, ok. Puza trains him. This makes Karan's friend jealous. One fine day, what they did was loosen his brake. At the downhill, he tries to apply the brake but it fails. He gets into an accident.
He's immediately taken to the hospital. The doctor says that he’ll need at least a year break from moving. “But the competition is from next week,” says Karan looking concerned. Puza says to forget about the competition but he says, “NO, I've to take part in it and you should help me, I want you to be by my side."
After a week
The competition was about to start. Karan comes in a wheelchair. Seeing him, Puza’s heart gets heavy and says not to take part in it but Karan says, "I've to take part and I'll win the competition, you just cheer me up." He wipes her tears. The competition starts. All the participants cross him. He is left behind but tries his best to pedal.
The entire crowd de-motivates him but he tries his best. He starts moving fast and crosses some. Seeing this makes his enemy angry. In the jungle they make a plan to kill him. After some lap he passes through that place. The big rock falls over him. He gets hurt but he stands and pedals his cycle. Blood starts coming from his leg. Some guys even push him.
On the other side, some girls kidnap Puza and try to kill her. But her parents see and rescues her from them and saves her. The previous day she had also invited her parents to come to attend, but they said that if they would get time then they would come. As luck would have it on Puza’s side, they came. She tells the entire story to her parents. Her parents support her. They tell them that Karan is their friend's son. “20 years ago you both were married to each other.” Puza is shocked. Her mom continues, “You were small so you don't know about it.” Her father says, “His father and I were good friends and we decided to marry you both while you were young. There was no hindrance as it was a tradition back then to do child marriage.” Puza is amazed but happy.
On the other side, Karan is trapped and her parents try to find out but in vain.
Later they meet with Karan's parents. They hug each other and accept Puza as their daughter in law. They find that Karan is being beaten. They rescue Karan from those people. Karan tries his best and completes all 19 laps, except 1 to go. This is the final lap and three of them are ahead of him.
Puza cheers him up "one more lap to go Karan, you can do it, just get moving, pedal fast; you'll win, yes Karan, and go on my dear."
Karan finally wins the race.
Blood oozes from his body. Puza hugs Karan and says that you are my husband; we were married 20 years ago. See your parents are here and mine too. Their parents show them the photographs.
With much fanfare, their marriage is again held. They lived happily then after.
The End
By Moin Uddin
From: Nepal
Website: https://mynameismoin.blogspot.com/
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