I ringed in the cash counter with my regular choco-milk can. I saw the part-timer girl I saw a few days ago just arrived at the shop, it was half-past five in the evening. She hurried to the counter, while the person who was on duty right before her told her to take her time. She thanked him and took a seat by the window and our eyes met by accident? Coincident?
I wished she did not hate me because I bet I looked like a creeper looking confused whether to smile or not and finally decided to just smile. I did not wait for her reaction and continued my business of choosing my milkshake flavour and then I remembered I already cashed mine. So I silently was about to leave the shop. But the weather was plotting something different to start a sudden downpour out of nowhere. I was perplexed, I searched through my backpack for an umbrella. But I couldn't find one.
Then I had to wait for it to stop raining. The guy who was on duty before the girl left with his umbrella. I thought maybe I should just run home. Then again, I was in a convenience store. I could get an umbrella anyways.
"I am afraid we are out of umbrellas.", she stood at the cashier's place.
"Don't you have inside in stock or something?"
"Sorry, sir!"
"Ah! It's okay.", she was still wearing her id tag.
"Ummm!", I cleared my throat and pointed out her id. She bowed slightly at me and removed her tag. "Isn't it hectic to manage studies alongside the work?"
"When it's not an option but a need, you ought to do as if nothing, Sir."
When I was in my college, I used to work for fun. People are living working hard after all. "What are you majoring in college?"
"It's Computer science."
"Well, I did the same. Are you in your final year?"
"Yes!"
"I guess the professors haven't changed ever since my batch."
"Are you an alumnus of our college?", I could see a spark in her eyes. Was that because we found a connection? She loosened up herself a bit.
"I am Ashmit Swaminathan. I five years senior to you."
"Risha. Glad to meet you."
"Are you really?", I teased a bit. She took it seriously though and nodded heavily.
She then tucked in her hair behind her ears, I watched her blushing a bit. The rain supposedly had no idea to stop anytime soon. I just sat there conversing with my junior. I learnt that she was living with her mother and father. She was bound to work when her father's income stopped. Her mother worked too as a house helper after her father stopped earning.
"Woah! That's quite a percentage you get. Fancy aiming for a scholarship with this.", I found she was not real bad at studies but still needed to score more if she was to get a scholarship.
"I know it is bad already.", she sulked.
"Well, haha!"
I told her that I lived beside the shop and I drop by the shop very often. She apparently shifted with her family there for her college. Somehow she entered college but her father's job was not stable to support the family, to begin with. In the end, she was trying to make living and also for tuition fees.
"I know your house is a bit far from here. Be careful when you get off work."
All she did was another nod to my nags. Was there also this kind of innocent girl? I was worried to leave her alone in the shop alone. She was very likely to get into tough situations. An accident-prone one. I took out my diary and tore off a page, which I never did and scribbled on it my contact details, "If anything, contact this number. Be it doubts about studies or other problems.", she took it but I was not even sure if I did well.
Was I being nosy? Was it a creeper's act? Did she find me gross?
Regardless, she smiled and said, "Thank you!", with a cheerful voice.
Regardless, she smiled and said, "Thank you!", with a cheerful voice.
I remembered Anand's useless comments. That's why a poet should not complain about romanticising things.