A few days back I was watching the Chelsea FC Vs Man City
match (which we lost 1-2) and during the halftime break I saw the Vodafone ad
about the 2 kids falling in love for what seemed to be their first time. It wasn’t
the first time I saw it, but it just never really hit me the way it did that
day (I must say Ogilvy have always done an amazing job on Vodafone ads). (heres the link for those of you that haven't seen it, really cute ad)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kdLAmaS2eA
After watching it I started to look back at my junior high
school days, and I remembered the first time I fell in love with a girl. Her
name was Eva (to this day I still think she’s the most beautiful girl in the
world, and I’d like for it to stay that way) we were classmates since KG 2 at
Brook Side School, Shillong and I fell in love with her from the first day I saw
her. I really didn’t understand the feeling then coz I was probably too young
to know what I felt. But she was the reason I never skipped school.
Now the thing I remember about loving someone at that age
was, how pure and wonderful it felt. We didn’t even have to talk, just a smile
was enough to send me to cloud 9, make my knees weak, and every time she smiled
back at me I felt like Superman, I was invincible and a ridiculous smile would
linger on my face for hours. We hardly ever spoke, all we ever did was smile at
each other all the time and that was it, but it was better than nothing and I think
that was a good thing.
Going home after school was probably the saddest part of the
day, knowing that the rest of the day was going to have to be spent just thinking about her, but there were times, I’d sneak out after doing my home work
and walk past her house 10-15 times, just to get a glimpse of her. Come to
think of it most of the time I never saw her, but just the thought that I just
might see her was enough to fuel my long brisk walks.
Then one fine day when we were I think in class 4, my class teacher
Mrs. Florence spoiled it all, while re arranging seats she made me sit with
next to her. Now I don’t remember exactly how I felt sitting next to her all I remember
was that suddenly I didn’t speak very much, I was always very nervous, shy and I
don’t think I impressed her much. And later that year she was elected class
captain, and that’s when I started to hate her a lil bit, coz she was always
shouting at people, “don’t make noise, keep quiet”. She would secretly write
names of people talking between classes and give it to teachers and I myself
got my ass whooped quite a few times. (but I always forgave her, come on... it was
her job… what are you gonna do? And on top of that she always helped me out
when we had exams, she’d secretly whisper answers to me)
And then the unimaginable happened, I think it was 6th
Std. she left our school, I was the saddest person on the planet. After that I never
really saw her much, coz I left school too and came to Delhi but she was always
on my mind. One fine day in June, summer vacation, I was walking back home and
a familiar voice from behind called me, and even after 5 years I knew it was
her J (well no one calls me Zirsang except her, no one before her and none since) we
spoke for a brief moment and she invited me to a bible study camp lol. I surely
did not go (hmmm…. Maybe I should have), she gave me her number but I never
called. I’m such an ass I should have called. Sometimes we make all the wrong
moves at the wrong time on the wrong person.
But that wasn’t the last time I saw her, the last time I saw
her was 2001, I was out to buy a mobile phone and as I opened the door I kinda knocked her a bit, and she turned towards me with an annoyed ‘ufffff….. be
caref….oh my God Zirsang!’ I had the biggest smile, but it didn’t last very
long coz she was with another dude, I was so jealous. (grrrr…….) so I didn’t want
to talk much, bought my phone and walked out and I never saw her again.
Been endlessly googling her name, looked her up on facebook,
myspace, Hi5, orkut, friendster, flicker but never found her. It’s like she
never existed, been asking my old classmates but no one seems to know where she
is or how she is.
I think there's definitely something about the first person
you fall in love with, which no one else will ever replace. I’ve never felt the
same way I did about her with anyone ever again. It’s not to say I haven’t been
in love ever again, I have and they were all good, but with her it was
different, and as I write this, I can’t help but smile, coz I can almost feel what
it felt like as I recall the days spent with her.
