The Bond of Love

He was all of 9 years old, with not much agility & flexibility either in his body or his arms. His structure was skinny with a layer of epidermal; no extra flab; just the translucent skeletal, and a transparent crystal clear heart. He had inherited his father’s fortune as inheritance. His father’s business and life support was going to be his new venture. Studies were never his forte. He would do anything in this world to give up his studies; his master’s rebuking; pressure from his parents and leg pulling of his peers. Leaving his studies didn’t mean just leaving school; it also meant no more books; no more friends and no more school games and fun. But he had accepted the fact in good spirit, that he was pathetically pathetic at studies.

Shyam had taken up his father’s job and was now the new proud newspaper vendor with monopoly in Sectors 1-10. Waking up at 5:30 am was a religion for him now. Donning his stylish pullover, classy slippers he would head in the direction opposite to that of his school. Finally he had managed to turn his back on his school. Shyam's father was bed ridden because of damaged kidneys, attributed to the excessive alcohol consumption. Shyam was too small to face the world but then somewhere had inner strength to face the riff raff of life. Life spared nobody and it didn’t spare this less privileged kid as well. But that’s what he had sought from God & from life. Lucky he!! He got what he wanted from God & life, freedom from studies.

Shyam was enjoying this new life, every part of it. Even though it was thrusted on him he has accepted it with both arms. School was monotonic and mundane, but newspaper delivery was far more fun. Those were different days, & these are different days now. It was more fun also because of the girl in the corner white house; sector 2; besides Aradhana Cinema.

First time they met, it was a coincidence, coincidence of a collision followed by an explosion. Shyam had thrown the newspaper as usual in the balcony. But Radha was watering the plants that she had planted 1 year back on her birthday. Before going to school everyday she would make sure to nourish & nurture the saplings with a fervent motherly love & caring. Her head was in range of the newspaper’s projectile. The paper landed directly on her head. The newspaper delivered all its kinetic energy onto her head, with a thud. It wasn’t much paining, but more of a shock and seizure. Radha blurted out loud, grabbing attention of her parents.

Shyam stalled, realizing what damage his throw had caused. Radha’s father who had come to her rescue, asked her, what had happened!! Radha pointed towards Shyam. Radha's father with furious eyes, directed Shyam to come upstairs. Shyam was scared, that he would be rebuked, and maybe beaten up too. But it wasn’t Shyam's mistake altogether. Shyam reached the door steps, and Radha's father, who was already at the door, started scolding him. But, he was cut short by Radha, seeking forgiveness for him. Radha's father stopped getting mad on Shyam, and went inside. Radha asked Shyam to wait; hurried inside ans came out with some chocolates. Shyam didn’t accept them at the outset, but Radha forcibly handed them over to him. Radha gave him a smile and then went inside.

Radha had touched Shyam somewhere deep inside, where no body had touched him before, or even tried to!! Shyam had a swarm of feelings for Radha surging in him, the feelings that he had felt for nobody else, ever. Suddenly everything was pleasing and warming for him. Shyam was very happy, often singing; whistling; day dreaming and even dancing when nobody was around. He felt a new wind in his head, often raising his feet up from the ground. He felt like flying.

After his delivery and the house chores, Shyam would come in front of the Aradhana Cinema to get a glimpse of Radha. Seeing Radha walk up to her home with her friends back from school, was an ecstatic and soothing feeling.

One day Shyam summed up enough courage, to give Radha a bundle of roses that he had plucked from the nearby rose park. Radha not only recognized him but also accepted the roses with an innocent smile. Radha introduced Shyam to her friends, as a hero who could javelin throw as far as the horizon. Shyam felt elated and so proud of himself. He never thought of touching the horizon, but now he wanted to do it, and flatter Radha by proving his strength and mettle. He went to the hilltop in the outskirts of the city, and started throwing stones as far as he could, until his slender arms started to ache. He returned home at the fall of dawn.

Radha once asked her father why Shyam didn’t go to school. To this her father simply hushed it by saying that Shyam had the job of collecting all the news in the world and then giving it to all the people in the world. She was so swollen with pride, for her new found friend. She knew that not only was Shyam a good boy, but he was also doing a great job!!

Shyam continued his work of newspaper delivery, and most of his day would pass happily. His feelings for Radha had only become stronger and stronger. His affection so pure and serene, just like that of Lord Krishna for Radha. There was so much that he wanted to tell her, how she had changed his life; bought in a lot of happiness; and transformed him completely. But that day never came, as fate had something else in reserve.

One day Radha's father called up on him, asking him to settle his account, as they were moving to a new place. Shyam was shattered and battered. He settled the accounts with Radha’s father and bought chocolates out of that money. After all, that’s what Radha was fond of. Next day he delivered it to Radha with the newspaper; into the Balcony. Coincidentally Radha who was watering the plants, =picked up the pack. She cut it open and accepted the gist childishly. She waved bye & even whispered thank you Shyam. That was the last time he saw her. Within a week Radha was gone along with her family.

Shyam couldn’t even bid a final good bye to Radha. He was feeling so down trodden, and broke. He felt sluggish, sad and rarely smiled. He was completely caught unawares, and had completely lost focus of his work. He was at a tender age, where his emotional drain could easily make him go haywire and ruin him completely. But the hangover remained for a week or two. It had to go, life had to come back to normal. Life has its own designs of taking you up, and then bringing you down in a vicious circle.

"Change is the only thing that is permanent." He realized this, a very sweet way. It was when he came across Padma, the girl in the blue colored home, in sector 5. He had felt a stronger streak for Padma the moment he saw her. His days returned back to normal. His life had come back to square one, the only difference being his focus shift from the house adjacent to Aradhan Cinema to the new Blue house in Sector 5. Radha was definitely the beginning, but never the end. Shyam was again back on track.
Shyam the boy who delivered newspapers.

"It's just that Love is all around us, we just need to sense it, find it, feel it and fall in it. It is alluring, contagious and irrestibile". Shyam had found love again, without fail.