章 12: Chapter-11
(Next day in college)
Navya paced between the bookshelves in her college library. She was looking for material to prepare for the midterm exams in a few days.
After finding the book she was looking for, she walked over to the rows of tables. Everyone sat in pairs or groups with their friends, no one sat alone. "Did I have to sit alone again?" Navya said to herself in disappointment.
Navya distributed her view in the entire library. There were three people sitting in the corner, she knew they were in her class. She took a deep breath, daring herself to step closer to them.
"Hi! Can I sit together or not?" Navya greeted the three people, trying to smile kindly.
They looked up at Navya.
"Okay, okay. Come on, sit down!" responded one of the girls with short hair and glasses. She pointed to the chair next to her.
"Thank you, I'm Navya." Navya said, holding out her right hand.
The girl welcomed Navya's handshake. "I'm Sanjana. This is Shraddha." She pointed to another girl sitting across from her. "And this is Saurabh." This time, she pointed to a boy sitting next to Shraddha.
Navya shook hands with Shraddha and Saurabh too. Frankly she was relieved that their response was quite friendly. All of her classmates were older than her, but that didn't mean she couldn't be friends with them.
"I often see you in the library," Sanjana said to Navya. "I actually want to call you, but it seems like you used to be with Sonia huh?" Sanjana said to Navya.
"Uh...., yes..." Navya said to her. She had no idea that Sanjana had seen her so often.
"I've heard about Sonia. She got kicked out for taking drugs, right?" This time it was Sraddha who chimed in.
Navya was stunned, she didn't even know anything about her friend's fate!
"Shraddha and I used to have bachelor's degrees at the Biology Faculty as well. Sonia is our younger generation," Sanjana explained. "From the beginning, she seemed to have a problem, didn't she? She almost dropped out because she often come to class. Her grades also barely met the target for graduation." Sanjana said to Navya.
"Yeah... but I like hanging out at the discotheque, drinking, and teasing the boys from her class," Shraddha said while laughing. "Well, I don't mean to be bad, but that's just how she is. So, I wasn't surprised when I heard she was arrested." Shraddha continued to Navya.
Navya didn't know how to respond. But they kept talking to her, as if they were already familiar. From their chat, Navya knew that Sanjana and Shraddha were twenty-six years old, while Saurabh, Shraddha's boyfriend, is twenty-seven years old. All three of them are from Jabalpur. Since that day, Navya was happy because she made new friends.
(At home)
Navya came home around three o'clock in the afternoon. She had lunch in the campus, but she wants to know what Miss Padma is cooking today.
She opened the serving hood on the dining table. It turns out that the side dishes have been cleaned up by Miss Padma. There were only rice and sweets on the table which was bought yesterday! The two snacks had already eaten almost half the box. "Did Mohit eat it?" Navya thought in her mind.
Navya's hand stopped. Her eyes looked around. Miss Padma is sweeping the front yard. Driver is also cleaning the car in the yard. Mohit must not have come home from campus.
Quickly, Navya plucked one piece of strawberry and one piece of sweets each. Then she ran towards her room, opening and closing the door hastily, as if afraid that someone might see her.
Navya was standing behind the door, panting from the tension she felt herself. She looked at the strawberry and sweet she was holding.
(Why did taking just two slices of this snack made her so nervous? After all, why did she have to take it anyway? Is she really affected by what Miss Padma said?)
She bite the sweet in her hand. "Delicious, sweet.... No wonder why Mohit likes it." Navya said to herself. For some reason she smiled to herself imagining her behavior earlier. Slowly, she continued to bite the two pieces of snacks in her hands up.
(In the evening)
At seven o'clock in the evening, Navya's house had a visitor. It turned out that Mr. Khurana, the head of their colony, was with one man and one woman. Navya doesn't know the other two because she's also new to this neighborhood. They are looking for Mohit. Navya is already worried, "Surely they want to ask Mohit to be the administrator of the colony management." Navya thought in her mind. She was tensed.
"Come, please have a seat, sir and ma'am." Navya heard Mohit's deep voice welcoming his guest cordially in the living room.
Navya remained in the living room, busy with her lecture material. She did not really listen to Mohit's conversation with the guests.
Suddenly, Miss Padma called out to her, "Navya mam, I prepared drinks and snacks for the guests please go and serve them." Miss Padma said to Navya, she had already prepared four cups of hot tea and snacks on a tray. "It's not good if you wouldn't present inside." Miss Padma continued.
Navya sighed. She knows the manners in the Delhi area are indeed different, it must be more polite and friendly with neighbors and people around. After all, she doesn't want to be the talk of the town.
Finally, Navya walked out into the living room, carrying a tray in her hands. "Please drink it first, ladies and gentlemen. There's also a perfunctory snack here." Navya tried to speak politely while serving dishes on the living room table.
"Well, so here is Mrs. Mohit, I just seen" said Mr. Khurana, chuckling. The other two guests also laughed.
Mohit took Navya's hand to sit beside her. Navya immediately shivered at the touch of Mohit's warm hand.
"Navya, introduce yourself, this is Mr. Shiv and Mrs. Sapna, the administrators of colony management in this neighborhood." Mohit introduced the two guests who smiled at Navya.
Navya shook hands with them while nodding politely.
"Ohhh...., it turns out that Mrs. Mohit is still very young, she's really pretty!" said Mrs. Sapna "No wonder why Mohit is in a hurry to get married. Don't let other people take her Mohit" she teased Mohit.
Mohit and his guests laughed together. Navya just blushed at her comment.
"Look Navya, as I said yesterday. We are here to ask Mohit to become the administrator of the colony management, the coordinator of the youth sector," Mr. Khurana spoke to Mohit. "But you said Mohit's permanent adress is still his old house in south. That's why I am asking you Mohit, would you like to move your permanent address to this address? Navya said you would move as it won't bother you.... what's your opinion about your wife's thought" Mr. Khurana said to Mohit and chuckled.
"Yeah she is right, it is not a big issue for me. I can move my permanent address to here." Mohit said to Mr. Khurana.
Navya was surprised. "Why Mohit want to move his permanent address to this home address? Doesn't he still have his own house?" Navya thought in her mind.
"Miss Navya can also be colony administrator to help Mr. Mohit. Usually it's always like that. If the husband becomes the administrator, his wife also joins. Like I am with Mr. Shiv" Mrs. Sapna said to Navya.
Navya could not answer anything. If she refuses, it will definitely be considered strange.
"Yes, Navya" This time it was Mohit who spoke, while looking at Navya gently. "In colony management we want to develop medicinal plants. The family is the same as the Sustainable Food Torch plant, according to the government program. You must know about that plant, right? So, I said to Mr. Shiv and Mrs. Sapna, you can also help as you are also in the biology department." Mohit explained to Navya.
(Of course Navya knew what Mohit meant. As a graduate majoring in Biology, she has learnt a lot about botany.)
Navya nodded. "Yes, I know about that plant." Navya said to Mohit.
"It's good, if husband and wife share their knowledge with each other. Mohit majors in Pharmacy, Navya majors in Biology," Mr. Shiv commented. Mr. Khurana and Mrs. Sapna were seen nodding.
About fifteen minutes later, the guests said goodbye and thanked them. Navya went into the kitchen carrying a tray of cups and plates.
After washing all the dishes, Navya went again to the living room. Mohit was sitting in a lounge chair in the living room, looking at the laptop on the table. He turned his head when Navya sat beside him.
"Navya do you mind, if you help me in the colony administrator?" Mohit asked Navya. The look in his eyes again seemed to be probing Navya's face.
Navya was worried. She don't know what to say. "Mmm..., but I've never been a administrator. I don't know how to do and what to do" Navya said to Mohit.
"It's okay, I can teach you about that. The important thing is that the intentions are good or not" Mohit responded. "Knowledge is useful if it can be used for other people, especially for the people around us. You will stay here for at least two years. So, you have to blend in with the surrounding environment. And you also have intention to help people." Mohit trying to convince her for administrator post.
Not wanting to oppose him, Navya nodded slowly. "Yes, Mohit, I understand. I will help you"Navya said to Mohit.
Mohit smiled then he again started staring at the laptop screen. For a moment Navya felt warmth in her heart, when she looked at the figure of Mohit but she did not understand why she felt like this way.
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