You Had A Bad Day?

It was one of those days when life seemed horrible in every possible way. About three months ago, I had a huge fight with a very close friend of mine. And like any other teenager, it affected me a lot. In fact, my entire day at school went bad. For some odd reason, there seemed to be no joy left in the world anymore.

As thought that wasnt enough, I got out of school, only to realise that my bus had left without me. How much more miserable could life get? Deciding that I needed to get home before I broke down and cried about my pitiful life, I walked towards the nearest bus stop.

That's where I met Irfan. He was taller, and more good looking than me. And with his bag slung across his shoulders, he looked like a college kid. We began talking, and soon I found myself ranting about life and all its problems. He was a patient listener. In fact, he was a passive listener. He smiled when he had to, shook his head sympathetically when he had to. For half an hour, that was all he did.

Then the bus arrived, and we both got on board. By now I felt as though I knew him my whole life. It's easier to make a friend when you're feeling horrible, I guess.

Then suddenly, I realised that I never asked him anything about himself.

"So, dude, tell me. How was your day?"

He smiled. The kind of smile that makes you wonder what the person is thinking. And then he told me how his day was.

Irfan was a 12th grader. Not a very studious 12th grader, unfortunately. In fact, the school in which he was studiying, had decided not to allow him to write the Boards. The only way he would be able to write, was if he passed his Physics Pre-Boards. That day was his Physics Pre-Board. Realising that he had just one shot at getting his school life in order, Irfan studied as hard as he could.

Things were looking quite positive that morning. He left his house, boarded the bus, and was revising his lessons. Just as he reached the school, though, things changed. Irfan realised that he had forgotten his Hall Ticket. Without that, he wouldnt be able to write his Preboards. There were just a few minutes left for the exam to begin. And the bus driver refused to take him back to his house.

Irfan ran the fastest he had ever run in his entire life. He ran through the streets, dodging passerbyes and crossing busy roads. With sweat making his shirt stick to his body, he ran all the way to his house, which you can understand is far(why else would he use a bus to get to school, right?).

He got the Hall Ticket, and ran all the way back as well. But well, as they say, all bad things happen together. He was 20 minutes late for the exam. What was more, with all the sudden rush of running across the city, Irfan couldnt seem to remember what he had learnt. That happens to many of us, right? The only difference is, we've never had to run across town for our hall tickets.

Irfan did badly in the exam. That's actually an understatement. He wasnt sure of passing. In fact, within an hour of submitting the paper, he was called to the Principal's office. Seems they had a jolly easy time correcting his paper. There was nothing much in it. And then came the bad news. Irfan wouldnt be given the Admit Card for his Boards. Without an Admit Card, he wouldnt be able to write his Board Exams. Without writing his Board Exams....well, there's nothing much he could do about his further studies.

"So what now?" I asked him after he had finished telling the story. "Well, I'll have to bring my parents to meet the Principal. If he allows, then I'll be able to write the exam. I'll have to wait till January 3rd. Six long days, till January 3rd."

The bus stopped, and Irfan got up. "Anyways dude, take care," he said as he got down. "And I hope everything turns out alright between you and your buddy. Cheer up!"

The bus moved again. I was the only remaining passenger. The bus driver called out, "Where to, young man?"

I couldnt hear him. I was thinking about my bad day. Suddenly, life didnt seem so miserable. Suddenly, I didnt feel as though I was a victim of faith. In fact, I said a silent prayer. A prayer for everything good in my life. And also a prayer for Irfan, who had to wait six days to know whether he could write his Boards, and save his future studies...

Note: This story was actually inspired from a real life incident. Though the name, incident and dialogues have been changed, the effect it had on me was real. Waiting to hear your comments...

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