I was absentmindedly
copying the highway engineering home assignment to compensate the class I have
missed deliberately, no doubt I love missing few occasionally. Thank god! As irrigation ma’am was yet to
come and I had enough time to complete the assigned homework. Next period was
highway engineering. We never know the mood swings of the tutor; when we write
and complete notes in a clean sheet they never check and if we leave it
unattended in a presumption that they never check, they bombard us by checking
every notes. It affects our CA and we land up hanging like a Tarzan in end
semester exam. I ignored the pain on my forefinger due to pressure it bore for
past 45 minutes.
“Girls usually marry
first.” I heard Dorji talking behind me. Dorji was a most talkative guy of our
class. He always jokes around and smiles a lot. He was a restless who always
had time to tease friends with his typical hypocritical talks. Today, his
target was Dechen, a complete opposite girl who rarely talks, a tongue-tied who
never smiles. Nobody dares to mess with her, she is known for her
temperamental. Dorji was digging his own grave. I silently wished him luck.
“What a cliché.” I
was surprised when Dechen replied. He surely
knows how to provoke people.
“Haha…you will marry
first and will have bundle of kids by the time I marry.” Dorji teased her.
“Hypocrite, you will
be the one who will marry a first girl you encounter right after graduation.
Don’t fool around.” Dechen retorted.
“It doesn’t matter
with me. You should marry in your 20s; otherwise you will marry either a
widower or divorcee with three kids readymade.” He was irritating not only
Dechen but also passive me with his blunt statement.
“What an attitude!
Pig, male chauvinist.” I muttered.
“Don’t worry about
me. I can stand on my own feet. I don’t need a man.” I heard anger in Dechen’d
voice.
“Who said you will
stand on husband’s feet after marrying? I assure you, you will stand on your
feet only. Are you sure you don’t need a man in your life? Planning to be
spinster? Hope you are not lesbian, are you?” Dorji winked at her. I expected
Dechen to slap him but was surprised when she didn’t. He was irritating guy who
sometimes know how to be funny. I silently laughed listening to their
conversation while completing the homework.
“Why do you care? I will
rather be spinster or lesbian than with kind of a man of your attitude. Sick!”
Dechen surely didn’t find it funny. She was overreacting little, I guessed.
“I don’t care at all.
I was just saying that girls marry first. And there is no harm in it. Is there?
“He continued.
“If girls marry
first, whom do they marry with, a pig? You are saying boys marry later. I am
sure there should be a boy and a girl to get married.” I liked her sense of
humor.
“Haha….you haven’t
understood my point. See, after completing studies or in between, girls are
usually the one who marries first compared to boys of same batch. It is a
fact.” I didn’t think Dechen didn’t understand his point earlier; she was
deliberately twisting the points.
“You want to bet?”
Dechen challenged. I completed copying notes and faced them to listen along
with the couple of friends who were already engrossed with an entertainment
they provided.
“Who, with you? I
don’t want to. I will win without any doubt. ” Dorji lazily declared.
“Are you afraid or
you are already having a wife and kids at home?” Dechen wasn’t a person we
thought, not at least tongue-tied though temperamental part was partly true.
“Ok. The one who
marry first will have to pay a lakh to other.” Dorji laughingly said.
“Ok, keep your
words.” Dechen said fumingly.
“Yes, your highness.”
He mocked a respect and bowed to her triggering laughter from us.
“Yes, class. Any
special discussion you wish to share with me?” Irrigation Ma’am arrived wearing
a lovely dress glowing with a beautiful smile. Chair dragged, table moved and
students positioned to get ready for the class.
After
completing three years of services in DOR in Phuntsholing and two years of M.E.
in Transportation Engineering from Thailand, I was placed at head office at
Thimphu. I was busy shopping around when I accidentally bumped with a person.
“Sorry…sorry” we
offered our apologies. “Tshering?” “Dorji?” we spoke together.
“Hi, when did you
come back? I heard you went abroad.” Dorji said.
“I came few weeks
before. You are at PHPA-II right? “It was a question which felt like a
statement.
“Yeah, we came here for a family shopping.” He said with a smile.
“Wait, what ‘we’ and
‘family’? You lost a bet?” I laughed at him remembering an infamous bet of
college days.
“No, I didn’t lose.”
He sheepishly grinned.
“So, Dechen lost? Did
she pay you a lakh?” I asked curiously.
“I guess, neither of
us won or lost the bet.” He said. I quizzically looked at him and then
followed
his eyes to the direction where a woman was coming with an infant in her arms.
“Dechen!” I gasped
looking at an unexpected family of the century.
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