"JEC, which engineering college is this?"
My father looked at me with a combined expression of bewilderment and annoyance. I swallowed hard before I could reply to him. There is a solid reason behind it.
My father grew up in a rural background and after very hard work he had secured a job in the revenue department of the state. He had lived a very disciplined life and he was strict & unyielding in matters pertaining to studies. There was little or no scope of softness in them unless backed up by solid reasoning. It was one of those delicate matters. And there was one more reason.
I had committed a blunder.
"It ... It is a new college in Mansarovar," I replied.
His expressions barely changed upon listening to my answer. He glanced at my mother and sister who were sitting in the chairs across him and then turned his face back towards me.
"How come you ended up with a seat in this college when your rank was good enough to secure a seat in the top 5 private colleges of Jaipur?"
I took a deep breath. The hour of reckoning had come.
"A mistake occurred while filling up the options," I said.
"What kind of mistake?" My father's voice rose a little.
"The code of SLC was 12 and JEC was 21. I committed a mistake while filling up the options. Instead of 12, I ended up ...."
"How can you commit such a stupid mistake?" My father bellowed. I instinctively took a step back. Even my mother and sister, who knew the truth and were expecting this reaction from my father, were taken aback.
"Tell me" I had no answer. I didn't have the guts to tell him what had transpired a week back and how I had filled up the options in the nick of time. There was a possibility of committing a mistake but I came to know about the huge blunder today morning only. After filling up all the top colleges where there was minimal chance to get a seat with my rank, I had started filling up the colleges with a realistic chance. After filling up RV, I had to fill up the code of SLC. And I bungled the task there.
"I don't know how it happened? One digit here or there ...."
My father threw the newspaper in his hand on the table in front of him in frustration. I could understand the reason behind his outburst. We were in a peculiar situation now. Joining JEC was completely out of question. There were only two alternatives - waiting for second counseling and hoping for a vacant seat in SLC, or even RV. The second alternative was way tougher - dropping a year and preparing again. I knew my father would never agree to the second option. He just didn't trust me enough.
'He is just going to waste one more year.' He had told my mother a couple of months ago when she had approached him on this subject. But the situation was pretty different now.
"My mind is too tired to think about it right now. We shall see tomorrow" Without looking at me my father left the room. My mother shook her head and followed him. My elder sister though had something to say to me.
"Why do you complicate the things Anshu? All your friends must be dreaming about the beginning of college life and here you are not still sure whether you will go to college. You have given a headache to Dad too. Grow up, dude. You are not a kid anymore."
On any other day, I would have had a verbal spat with my sister right there and then. But today I was out of words. So I quietly left for my room. I was still in a state of melancholy when my phone buzzed.
It was a call from Rashi.
We didn't have had any interaction since that fateful day. I had come to know through a common friend that she had left for her grandparents' home. The same friend had informed me today evening that Rashi had secured a seat in the computer science stream of RV college. Her dream had come true while mine was broken and lying in a heap. And yet again my anger boiled over. I picked up the phone in an instant.
I don't exactly remember what did I say that day, but the crux of it was that I blamed her for my predicament. That day our friendship decisively came to an end. Her parting words - 'Anshu, I regret that I had once called you my friend.'
Her words didn't sting me. I was overwhelmed with frustration and uncertainty. After disconnecting the call, I crashed into my bed, hoping that the next morning would provide me with some clarity.
Indeed, the morning breeze gave me the much-needed serenity and by evening I was sure that the only way forward was dropping a year and work hard to at least get into a State Govt. engineering college, if not some NIT. I had already started planning in my head about how I am going to approach the studies this year. I had also planned how to convince my father regarding dropping a year. That was the toughest part but I was confident that I will pull it off.
And then in the evening, my father dropped a bomb
“Arrange all your documents. We’re going to JEC tomorrow to complete the admission formalities”
To be continued ...
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
