01 March 2009

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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16 comments:

  1. wow man...now this is definately not a filler post...
    like i've said before...do more of these short stories..really absorbing..n touching..

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  2. wow! now that was a really good post!...true story eh?!....either ways a really good post to read just before one's board exams when people tend to think they suffer ALOT more than any other person on earth! (personla experience--i always get tht feeling these days :P )
    bt yeah overall really good!

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  3. hheeheeh so good that i read this one.. :) i hope irfan gets to write his exams..

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  4. Is that true??that's really a wonderful post!!

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  5. @Rejin: Glad that it's not a filler post! and yah...i'll try to give more of these...i just hope they dont become too 'touchy' or emo...

    @Swati: thnks...and wht u told abt the board exams is really true!

    @The Pink Orchid: well...i hope so too..!

    @Honey: yes..this is inspired from a true story...but 'Irfan' wasnt waiting for his board exams...it was sumthing much more serious...still...the feelings r all true...glad u liked it...btw...hw did u come across my blog? hope u'll be a regular reader...do subscribe if u can!

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  6. master piece dude

    bravo!!touched the heart directly!!

    tru sumtyms we feel sad n think everything is horrible
    bt we 4gt abt all the gud things in lyf
    only after meeeting sum1 lyk Irfan we cum to kno abt the real sadness
    n think dat ours is nthing at all

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  7. wooow..u've done i tagian muthu
    a lot of ppl go through situations like this..but they always forget tht they have tat sumthing..that others dont...if u compare our problems..with a few others..our problems turn out so silly
    really inspirational..muthu..keep it up
    rock on bro!!

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  8. Boy I sure hope Irfan gets to write his exams.

    And thinking about this whole thing in another way, I'm not sure if its just the system...but the world seems to be a lot crueler on younger people.

    I mean, can you imagine an employee running home from work forgetting his ID?
    Or a supervisor who refuses to understand why a guy couldn't come on time one day because of something?

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  9. bravo'
    its a short compliment, but if I were Irfan I would thank God for friends like you who are willing to shut away their worries even for a few seconds and think for people less fortunate whether they deserve it or not. THANKS

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  10. Irfan seems to be a good person at heart. I'm sure God will help him and bless him. And I hope you and your friend come back together if you haven't already.

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  11. i hope irfan or whoevr he is gets to write hi xams... m givin ma boards nd i kno hw imprtnt de r.

    btw... dis is mor relatd 2 u... u always said u lykd my doc stry, but i can't always write d same thng. rite???? i lyk variety nd so m tryin wid diffrnt typs of genres. thnx so mch for ur suggestions tho. i promise dat thr will b more of doctor stories soon. jus let my boards finish. nd do keep readin ma blog. jus a thng more, u got a huge fan followin. plz plz plz cud u refer my blog to them to???? plz plz plz.

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  12. wow!........an anwweessumm story bro!....really luvdd it!....

    btw, hw long did it take 4 u 2 get bak with ur close frnd??

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  13. if u really do know someone like irfan,someone who has the patience to listen to some one else's sob story while his own situation is so much worse,and whats more amazing, has the heart to genuinly empathise with the other person..keep him close bro cos he's got a lot more to teach u..
    u've this good talent to convey a moral using such examples that strikes a chord with ur readers...good one

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  14. Whoa!! i never thought the day would come when i'd say this..but u know wat?
    i'm really proud to say that i'm your cousin!Wait..let me rephrase that..That i know you..
    Its not just this post of yours..but every other one that i read that made me stop everthing else for a minute and jus think about what i'd just read..You've got yourself one more ardent fan.
    Keep it going!

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  15. my hearfelt desire to be more like you.............words frm a song.... but in accordance with wht we were talkin abt 2day it seems very revelent to da story... well any man my kinda story der4 10/10............ keep it up....

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  16. not lyk others...........old school type i prefer smthng new style.....XD
    anywas nice emotional touch to it..

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