Page 92 - Love Story of a Commando

quiet and alert. All the black cats were masked and only their eyes were
visible, but I could feel his presence around.
He was one of them, I was sure of that.
I was numb for a moment and then my stomach began to churn and
my heart began to beat menacingly, sweat trickled down my face and my
eyes widened in shock. I clutched my stomach and almost collapsed to the
ground.
The kids turned to me, hassled. ‘What happened ? What happened?
Get up! Get up! The prime minister sahib is here.’
Their voices awakened me from my trance and I managed to regain
my strength. The kids heaved a sigh of relief. How embarrassing though! I
was supposed to look after them.
I don’t care about anyone now, I told myself. Black cats, white cats
or no cats! I don’t even like cats. To hell with everyone! And even if he is
here it does not bother me a bit. I hate him from the bottom of my heart. I
know this and I am firm about it.
The little thought bubbles assured me of my sanity, and I repeated it
to myself several times until I was signalled to greet the prime minister. The
poor army JCO who was tasked to take us to him had to literally shout the
instructions before I understood.
But trust me, I was absolutely normal. Okay! Fine! I might have been
a little distracted.
It was a glorious moment. The kids offered him the flowers which he
accepted humbly and shook hands with me. Yes, he actually shook hands
with me and I could hardly control myself from jumping. Man! I had just
shaken hands with the most powerful man in India. I swore that I would vote
for him next time, even though I had never participated in any election
before.
He patted the kids and chatted with them for a while. I was
mesmerized by his magnanimous personality and then I suddenly felt as if
someone was watching me intently. I looked around and could not see
anyone doing so. All the NSG guys were scattered by now and some joined
the prime minister’s security bubble, and it was impossible to identify them.
They all looked identical.
The prime minister moved ahead towards his convoy of bulletproof
vehicles and we were hurriedly escorted into one of those vehicles by some
other officials. The crowd was scattering but the chants of his name were
reaching the sky.
Kashmir was so welcoming. Who knew!
The school looked like a Kashmiri bride from a distance. Glowing in
its own beauty! As if it had realized its magic for the first time and now
mesmerized the world with it. The building was freshly painted. The wooden