DEFEAT

“The second world war, as you all know was an international conflict mainly between the Axis powers and the Allied powers…” The history professor went on amidst the yawns and hushed giggles of the students.

A war was going on in her own world about which the history professor seldom knew-A war in which she was bitterly failing.

….. It was penetrating into each and every cell of hers….she could feel it deep down….she realized… she was being defeated!!

Though pretty, she was very shy and dressed up in such a way that she could slip away unnoticed. She was, by all definitions, a nerd, a fact that she was well aware of. She never thought this would happen to her- by no chance!! Many a time, she could resist temptation. But this time, surrender was unavoidable. It did happen to her too.

She controlled her thoughts with a lot of effort and started listening to the lecture.
It was only when the professor came near her and shouted out her name that she discovered that her mind had wandered away from the Second World War yet again.

“ANITA” he growled.
The whole class burst into laughter. Anita was so shocked that her spectacles almost fell off her face when she got up from her seat.
Until then, she had been staring at the board, her chin in her hand.

“Y-y-yes, S-sir…” she said in a very low voice realizing what had just happened.

“I WILL NOT ALLOW DAY-DREAMING IN MY CLASS!! GET OUT!!”

“S-sorry sir….”

“I say, Get out!”

“Sir, please…. I won’t repeat this”

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR AN EXPLAINATION FROM YOU. GET OUT, THIS MOMENT!!”

Anita obeyed him reluctantly. She heard the door shut behind her.
There she was, in the deserted corridor of the History block. She walked nervously, with short steps, her head bowing down. Nothing of this sort had ever happened to her. She felt ashamed. “What’s happening to me?”


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In the library, she saw a group of students sitting around a very thick book, reading from it and scribbling down something in a hurry. Anita walked past them, to the English section. She took out “Revolution from Within” by Gloria Steinem and started to read.
When she was about to turn the first page, she found out something – she had already forgotten what just happened in the class, neither had she followed a single sentence of the book…. Her mind was somewhere else! She was still thinking about it! ‘It’ was so beautiful…She lived in the memories of ‘it’… Her Love!! Yes, she was in love!


She shut the book and went towards the long line of shelves. It was there that she had first seen him....It was between these shelves that he had proposed to her….

He was no where to be seen. There was no use of being in the library….


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As she wandered aimlessly through the picturesque campus, she felt someone touch her shoulder. She knew who it was.

A shiver ran through her spine the moment he touched Anita. She turned around.
“What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in your class now…” She was struggling to avoid eye contact while speaking. She knew that her eyes would betray her.

“I was thrown out of the class…” The manly voice replied.

“What for?”

“For dreaming”

“What were you dreaming about?” She enquired slowly and softly in an effort to hide her curiosity. Her heart was thumping hard.

After a pause, which, to Anita seemed like forever, he said firmly

“You”

Now Anita blushed, her face turning into a dark shade of pink. A fragrant breeze arrived, caressing her hair.
“You look more beautiful when you blush” he said, with a naughty smile.
At this, her face blossomed.

“Can I walk with you?”

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They walked silently, between the huge trees that led to the garden. She sensed him looking at her all the time but was too shy to face him.

It was him who broke the silence.
“Anita….”
She turned to face him, still avoiding his eyes.

“You didn’t tell me why you are not in your class….”

Turning her head away from him, she smiled secretly. She really had lost the war…

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