tales of Suchita

The news that Sagar had been the culprit behind all the pranks that had wreaked havoc in school in the past 4 months spread like wildfire. Nobody could believe that the imbecile Sagar had it in him to pull off pranks like he had. Some were impressed. Some were disgusted. Some proclaimed, loudly, that they had always known that something was off with the dude.

But to Mayur and Radha’s utter horror, the final verdict on the series of events was positive. Most of the students were fascinated with what Sagar had achieved and in many ways they were hoping that they were able to leave a legacy behind like his when they left school.

As is the resilience of school, children and life, however, they forgot about Sagar’s ‘legacy’ in a matter of days. The only two people who continued to be affected by what happened were Mayur, Radha and Ameen miss. Radha was so shaken after the encounter with Sagar and his accusations, he had started to question his humanity.

He had first approached his parents, then his grandparents and even Sheetal tai, quizzing them over what they thought of him. Was he a good person? When he didn’t get any satisfactory answers from them, he had decided to ask Mayur. But Mayur was so distressed, he had developed a fever and hadn’t been to school in three days. That had left Radha to stew and brew in his thoughts of self-loathing. For hadn’t Sagar been right? Radha had, after a point, stopped seeing the bruises on his friend’s face. When was the last time he had asked him how he was or if things were okay at home?

Getting fed-up of the repeated thoughts, he found himself in Energee bhaiya’s shop at the end of a school day waiting for his father. The parents were all ensconced in a classroom where Ameen miss was apprising them of everything that had happened. Seeing her face, Radha had started to feel remotely better. At least he didn’t have to face an angry mob of parents ready to tear him limb from limb and assuring them that their children were safe in school. No, he did not envy Ameen miss her job. He had told his father though to go easy on her and to support her where other parents wouldn’t.

Seeing his precious Radha babu so down in the dumps made Energee bhaiya fret like a chicken. He had even made his magic Maggie in the hopes of cheering Radha but he had gulped it down, without his usual sounds of appreciation or slurps.

“Babu kya hua?”

Energee bhaiya thought he wouldn’t get a response, but Radha finally said, “I am a bad person.”

Energee bhaiya sighed. He obviously knew what had happened. And though he wanted to rant about Sagar, he had the foresight to know it wouldn’t be received well. Instead he said, “Don’t blame yourself. Apki koi galti nahin thi.”

Radha brushed off the statement. It may not have been his fault but he was as much to be blamed as Sagar’s parents. Once Radha had told Ameen miss everything, he had asked her if anything could be done to help his friend. She had smiled sadly and told him they had been trying to rehabilitate the family since Chandra’s expulsion. But there was only so much they could do. This news had further reinforced just how blind Radha had been to his friend’s state of mind.

“Bhaiya he did all of that to get my attention. Galti meri hi hai.”

“But abhi isse kya faida?”

Radha opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. He was, of course, right. What was the point now of berating himself for all the things he hadn’t done? He could start now, right? He suddenly got up, a new sense of energy passing through him. He thanked Energee bhaiya for his help, told him to tell his father he had gone to Sagar’s house and left.

Yes he would rectify all his mistakes now. He would go to Sagar, apologize and tell him he was here for him. He knew it wouldn’t be easy; Sagar had every right to be angry with him. But he had to make a beginning. Sagar was his friend after all. He didn’t even care of all the trouble he had had to face thanks to the pranks. Radha was so focussed on his need to rescue his friend, he forgot he was thirteen, his friend was thirteen and sometimes, life didn’t give you second chances.

Radha reached Sagar’s building but wasn’t allowed to enter. He made the security guard call up the house three times but no one answered. Undeterred, he went back home, thinking of all the things he’d tell Sagar once he returned to school. He even typed ‘how to help your friend in need’ on Google to find ways he could help.

But Sagar was, inevitably, expelled from school. He was a hazard to other children and no amount of good intentions could change that. Radha didn’t know Sagar had known this would be the verdict and had thus made no plans to return, plead his case or harass Radha. He had made his point and now he was okay to disappear into his little world where everything was okay and he was safe.

And when Radha did come to know, he didn’t know what to do with his guilt. How could he redeem himself when it wasn’t even an option?

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This is the twenty-fifth post in the series. To know more about Radha, click here.