He knew it then and there, at the very moment that she had after all, really got it for him. As she approached him with a gentle and serene smile, even he could feel a smile stretching on his lips which otherwise was a rare. He took the book from her, feeling his rough hands against her soft and tender ones.
“For you” she said.
He felt rapturous, astonished and above all cared for.... and somehow he managed to say “thank you”.
The commencement of their beautiful and purely innocent friendship happened 3 months back, when she entered the library for the first time.
****
He was sitting on his chair, just near the entrance, where he could see people coming and leaving the library, one leg crossed over the other, reading a local language newspaper, and some other books lying on the table. She entered, sat on the table just near to his. Both were engrossed in their reading, not even noticing each other. She was amazed at the silence that prevailed, it was as if the world had stopped - no sound, no music. Suddenly, breaking the silence he moved his chair away from the table, got up and started collecting the newspapers and books that the students had left on the tables after reading and had not bothered to keep it back on the rack. That is when she noticed him and their eyes met for a fraction of a second. He took them all, and placed them back very neatly. He arranged the chairs back to their places, switched off the computers which once again the students did not bother to shut down. Seeing all this, she was impressed and she never expected him to do it, because she never saw someone of “his kind” do it.....after all who cared to put “things” at their proper places?!?
Observing him was intriguing for her now, she forgot that she was here to read the newspaper. She was a an observer and loved to observe people and guess their lives or say personality to a certain extent. For today she got her target, it was him, an intriguing personality, and now she was on her so called “mission” of knowing him better...
****
The next day they were sitting at the same places, reading their own stuff. But this time not without noticing each other. She was observing him constantly like a hawk. She, for the first time noticed, that he was reading a book! She was bewildered by his uniqueness from others of “his kind”. Him reading, that too a book came as an unexpected surprise. Now, she started observing him admiringly.
Feeling someone’s eyes on him for more than 5 minutes, he turned to face her, she smiled at him, but unfortunately she did not get the same warm response from him, he just forced a smile which was unwelcoming.
This continued for days, when finally she decided to break the ice and talk to him, actually appreciate him for his efforts.
“Hey you are doing a great job, you know, keeping all the newspapers and chairs back. Good. It is for you that the library is so neat and clean” she said.
He could not say anything, he just smiled, this time a genuine one as no one bothered before to appreciate him, no one bothered to talk to him....
This somehow changed his perception towards her, he accepted her as an acquaintance at least. Every day was same, she would come to the library, both of them would sit at the same places and then give each other a warm smile, not just once, twice or thrice, but all the time their eyes met. It happened once that she could not come for a long time and he could feel the void in the library without her. But finally she came one day and she crossed his table, giving him a smile as usual. She saw him solving Sudoku in the newspaper. Another surprise element in him, but this time she was not shocked as she had learned observing him that you should not judge a book by its cover. She accepted in appreciation. But this time she was really impressed by him, totally unexpected out of him.
The second time they talked was this day.
“Oh you like solving Sudoku?” she asked
He just nodded to this, once again managing not to speak anything.
“Even I like solving Sudoku, I do it every day, the one that comes in TOI? that one, and sometimes in my Sudoku book too”
He replied with a smile.
“Do you know that there are Sudoku books? You can solve more than one in a day if you want to”.
No, he shook his head.
“Hmm, I thought so, I have many books at home, Shall I get you one?”
Nodding yes, he smiled. She went back smiling and started reading her paper.
He did not expect her to get him a Sudoku book, he thought that she might have asked it just like that. Obviously, she would not remember to get one for him. Why should she remember for a person like him? She has got many other things to deal with in her life after all. And he just eliminated the thought of it from his mind thinking all of this. For the whole next week he did not see her at all. He got a little worried and felt a little lonely too. Where was she?
****
She entered the library, it was early morning 8.30. She saw him sitting on the chair, one leg crossed over the other, reading a local language newspaper, and some other books lying on the table, the same way she had seen him the first day. He looked up from his newspaper and saw her. She opened her bag and took out the book.
He knew it then and there, at the very moment that she had after all, really got it for him. As she approached him with a gentle and serene smile, even he could feel a smile stretching on his lips which otherwise was a rare. He took the book from her, feeling his rough hands against her soft and tender ones.
“For you” she said.
He felt rapturous, astonished and above all cared for.... and somehow he managed to say “thank you”, speaking for the first time ever to her.
She realised that she did not know his name.
“What is your name?”
“Rajesh” he said, she took the book, scribbled something on the first page and gave the book back
He could not believe that after all these years he did really manage to make a friend, a genuine friend, who really cared and after all bothered to know him personally. That was the day when they became from mere acquaintance to being good friends. He was enthralled and on cloud nine to share this with his other acquaintances. No one had done such a thing for him in years, it was just a book, but it made him feel very special. He showed and boasted it off to almost everyone entering the library. He pointed out her to everyone who asked as to where did he get the book from.
“It is a gift for me” he would say with pride .
He could not believe it, his happiness knew no bounds. He saw her leaving the library. The entire day he solved Sudoku. It was late night and time for the library to close. He opened the first page read it again.
“ To, Rajesh...From Ananya”, this was the first time he got to know her name.
This incident created an unnamed bond between them, it grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
He was so happy that he even called her for a tea, they sat in the library itself and had tea talking over the Sudoku book. He was content that there is someone with whom he could talk to now.
It was late night and time for the library to close. He got up from his chair, the usual place where he sits all alone every single day. He kept all the” things” back to their places, with all the sincerity towards his work he switched off the lights, locked the door with the book still in his hands.
Walking towards his home and realising that he has really grown old now, feeling the pain in his knees and looking at his wrinkled hands, he was happy to have made a new friend after so many years. He was still amazed at the kindness and the affection of Ananya, after all who would even bother to do such a little thing for a man like him, for just a security guard of a library...
