BACK TO SCHOOL

Rahul, Ritesh and Fardeen were sitting at a tiny but tasteful café in one of the by-lanes of Cunningham Road. While Ritesh and Rahul were scanning the pastry counter, Fardeen rang his mate Akshay whose feature film had recently hit the theatres. After he was done talking with Akshay, he joined the two boys at the table and looked at this white quarter plate on which was sitting a delicious chocolate brownie before Rahul and a petite tart with gooey chocolate before Ritesh. As mouth-watering as it appeared, he summoned the lanky waiter and ordered for himself a Café au lait. The moment the waiter had left their table; Ritesh pushed his plate in front of Fardeen and asked him to get a bite of the tart. Fardeen hesitated for a second and in order to avoid getting lectured, he broke off a wee bit of the tart, put it in his mouth and declared that it was yummy. No sooner had those words escaped his larynx; Ritesh broke into a bout of loud laugher as Rahul observed both of them and smiled to himself.

The following day Ritesh and Fardeen were midway their endurance training and in order to irritate him a little, Fardeen told him that he was feeling a bit weird and wanted to get himself a sachet of an oral rehydration salt to mix in his bottle of water. Ritesh stared at Fardeen squarely and asked with sternness, “Why do you think you need that, hunh?”

“I like the sweet taste it leaves in my mouth,” said Fardeen, smiling widely. 

“No, you don’t,” uttered Ritesh firmly.

“How do you know what I like and what I don’t?” said Fardeen bestowing upon Ritesh an enquiring gaze.  

“Don’t look at me like that,” said Ritesh seriously, and in a quick movement came forward and seized Fardeen’s ear and twisted it harshly, as he carried on, “the next time when I tell you to eat something I want you to eat it. I want you otherwise too to eat properly. Everything done in moderation is fine. Since you workout daily nothing will affect you adversely, so stop behaving like a chick.”

“OK. OK,” said Fardeen whining, “could you let go of my ear please? It hurts.”

“That’s the intention,” he added with clenched teeth.

“I said I’m sorry, didn’t I?” said Fardeen when Ritesh let go of his ear. Still feeling the sting, Fardeen stood rubbing it, trying hard to look angry and failing at it miserably.

“Am I clear?” Ritesh asked crisply.

Fardeen nodded and went on with the endurance training feeling this nice feeling because never had anyone twist his ear and treat him like that before – it was as if he were back at school.