Chapter 20: Tripping

As they walked past a small park, going back home from the convenience store carrying all the items they needed, Cabir’s eyes spotted a boy jumping back as a swing missed his head by a hair’s breadth.

He stopped.

“What happened? Why are you stopping?”

Cabir pointed in the direction of the swing by way of answer.

“A swing. A boy. A park. Oh and a few pigeons on the branches. Ah, there’s a grey cat on the adjacent wall. And squirrels running around. So?” Aakash pointed out all that caught his eyes.

Cabir looked over at his companion, one eye twitching with annoyance. “Trying your hand at sarcasm...well done. Do you want me to give you a medal now?”

“You’re the one who pointed and left it at that. Like I am psychic and know what you are trying to say.” Aakash replied matter-of-factly.

“...Ok, fine. Whatever. I just saw the swing miss the boy’s head.”

“Lucky.”

“Yeah and that’s why I pointed.”

“If he already escaped getting hit, then I obviously missed the moment. So, what’s the point of pointing me there?” Aakash asked, accentuating the word “missed”.

“Doesn’t this incident ring any bells?” Cabir asked him.

As Aakash shrugged his shoulders, Cabir again lifted his finger and pointed a finger at Aakash’s forehead.

“Now what?! Is there something on my forehead?” Aakash raised his hand and ran it across his forehead and finding nothing, asked his friend again, “Can you please speak normally? Because your pointing at this and that is making me want to break that finger of yours.”

“Hey!” Cabir quickly lowered his hand and stuck it inside his pocket; out of Aakash’s sight.

“I was referring to that scar on your left temple.”

Aakash traced his forefinger down the mentioned scar; he knew from years of looking into the mirror that it was of a light skin tone, lighter than his own beige skin colour.

“And what of it?”

“Um...swing? Scar? Ding Dong?” Cabir cocked his head to the side.

“Don’t imitate a bell! And what do you mean sc- Oh.” Aakash’s eyes lit up as he caught on to what Cair had been trying to say. “You could have just said it straight out!”

“Oh, don’t mind the petty details!” Cabir waved it off. “Remembering these old times with Aarav really seems to have opened up a Pandora’s Box of memories...” He trailed off.

“Sure has. But...that was quite the situation when I told you guys about this scar. You guys were so panicked!”

“Any sane kid would have panicked in that situation, you crazy dolt!” Cabir scowled at him. “I totally thought you were off your rocker...in fact, I still do!”

Aakash waved him off.

“That aside,” Aakash raised the perennial fringe of hair that fell over his right temple and traced a similar scar over there, “Same-same, eh?”

Cabir just looked at both of Aakash’s scars and said, “I don’t see how they’re the same. One is almost horizontal and-”

“Your response never changes, huh?” Aakash shook his head and laughed. “It was exactly the same in Class 3 and it’s the same now.”

“I’m become so used to seeing your ugly mug around that those scars don’t rouse the memories of that day. It’s just that recalling all these old time with the kiddo...”

“Yeah...feels like a wave of old times smashed into you.” Aakash grinned. “It’s a bittersweet feeling.”

“Yeah...” Cabir stared off into space. “I mean, that scar on your left is still something you just told us that day so it’s not like I have some connection with it. But the one that fringe is always hiding...we guys literally saw you getting that wound! I’d never seen anyone bleed that much before! I can’t believe you tripped-”

“No! Someone pushed- No, actually that was just something someone surmised to be the case! I remember! Someone ran past me from behind and the force of the wind knocked me off balance as I was entering the classroom!”

“Rather than tripping over the very-slight, almost unnoticeably raised level of the floor of the classroom to the corridor, you are saying that a gust of wind from someone running behind you made you lose your balance...” Cabir looked at his friend sceptically, “Aren’t you just weakening your own case? Were you really that weak that a wittle wind knocked you down?”

Cabir mispronounced “little” intentionally to sound like a child and make the theory sound even more ridiculous.

“Well...” Aakash looked lost; he wasn’t sure about what had happened all those years ago.

“However it happened, you fell in front of everyone. And we laughed for a few moments but then within the next few seconds you scared the sh*t out of us!” Cabir shook his head with a wry smile.

*****

An eight-year-old Aakash walked back from the waster-cooler, drying his hands on his handkerchief. Carefully folding it and placing it inside his pocket, he righted the spectacles that sat on the bridge of his nose.

As he reached the doorway to his classroom, he stood at the entrance for a heartbeat and then slightly raised his foot to enter. At that very moment, he felt a rush of wind from behind him and spotted a blur racing past him from the corner of his eye.

The next moment, his body was in motion- almost horizontal to the floor- and his eyes were wide open in shock as all he registered was the white-tiled floor rushing up to meet him.