Page 42 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

He pushed me in. “Aunty, Uncle is here.”
She was reading a textbook. “Oh, hi.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you,” I said, turning back to leave. “He dragged me here.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Come in, please.”
She set the textbook on the desk and blinked at me. “I am sorry about your brother.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Be strong,” she said. “That’s a human trend.”
My heart shuddered, and I did weird things. “I appreciate your concern.”
“What’s the matter with you?” she said. “You look nervous.”
“Nothing.”
She grinned. “Relax, please.”
“I am fine.”
“There’s something you want to tell me. Feel free.”
“Um…”
“Come on, tell me.”
Should I propose to her now? I thought as I bit my nail. Or wait for a few moments?
Every time I tried to spill her, something happened. Someone barged in or the windows clattered. And if nothing
else interrupted, she chuckled, making me more nervous.
“I like you,” I said.
“Really?” she said in a virtual sense of humor. “Oh, lucky me!”
“Seriously,” I said.
She laughed. “I like you, too.”
I kept my hand on the chest and said, “I mean it. I swear.”
She covered her mouth to control her chuckles. “We’ll always be good friends.”
I went scarlet with embarrassment. So, I slouched out.
Outside, Baggio beamed at me. “How’d it go, buddy?”
“I don’t know.” I sighed. “She said she liked me.”
He raised his hand for a high-five. “Congrats.”
“Don’t insult me,” I said.
“I am not,” he said as he dragged me down the stairs. “She likes you, buddy. I swear.”
“I think I should stop bothering her,” I said.
“Be determined, buddy, just bound and determined.”
“Please don’t force me,” I said. “I have a reason to quit.”
“What is it?”
“That’s top-secret.”
Even after weeks, Baggio insisted that I should write to her. So, I wrote a funny letter instead. Two weeks passed.
I expected a similar letter from her, but I didn’t.
“Drat, who the hell she thinks she is?” I ripped a paper from my exercise book. “Scarlet Rose of Titanic?”
The next day, I met Baggio at school. “Baggio, I won’t give up now.”
“What’s the matter?” he said with disinterest in his eyes. “You said you gave up.”
“I was going to give up.” I handed him the letter. “Now, I am not. Go give this letter to her.”
“You sure, man?”
“Yeah.”
Two weeks later, Baggio came to my place. “Surprise!”
I threw him a lackadaisical look. “What?”
“High-five.”
I high-fived him. “What is it?”
He clipped out the white envelope from the middle of his Chemistry textbook and tossed it over to me. “Read
this. It’s from Nyingthenma.”
I shook my head and read the letter. “What’s this all about?”
Baggio widened his eyes. “What now? Rejected?”
“Nope.”
“Then what?”
“I made a mistake, buddy.”
“What kinda mistake, man?”
“I love someone.”
His lips pursed. “Are you crazy? Who?”

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