The thunderbolt, the toad and the turban!

Whoa, now how many T-s are those?

It's amazing how some people, like for instance, my dad, are just so offhand at breaking news. I mean, they just do it in such a casual, off-the-top-of-one's-head manner, that you really can't think of a way to react to it, especially when it isn't exactly a sort of news which would make you wanna dance around rubbing your hands in glee or even buck you up, for that matter.

In fact, it came as a shock to me. A pretty huge one, at that. At first I didn't believe my dad when he said that my college is opening in another two weeks' time. He said it in such brusque a tone that I thought he was just trying to rib me. But when he shook his head and told me that he was serious, I was so gobsmacked to the core, that I found myself unable to resist expectorating the very yummy Al Marai chocolate milk of mine, which I had so fastidiously been relishing on, till that very second.

God, I'm not ready! I mean, I wasn't prepared to hear this at all. So basically, it means that these are the last few days of my life in Dubai. In less than six days I would be packing my bag and saying 'Alwida' to this city where I've spent a good ten of my seventeen years of life. It's not that I don’t want to go to India. Of course, I don't mind that, but why at the cost of Dubai, my parents, friends and everyone else dear to me. Isn't that a little too much for the asking?

Things have moved a little too faster than I had expected. Not even in my wildest dreams had I thought of my college opening any time before, say mid September, because that was the way it had always been back in Kerala. But unfortunately, this time we have nobody scuffling over seats and admissions, and thus naturally leading to the government not giving this issue a thought more than it gives to the apparent communist streak smudged against the seventh grade social studies text book. It seems the book had sentences like, "Nehru did not believe in God" or something, and to add to it, they had mistakenly swapped Gandhi's picture with that of a toad's, which had the Congress Party fuming. Well, how lame is that?

Damn, why does everything have to seem so complicated, as opposed to the itinerary I had so enthusiastically prepared a week back, wherein I was supposed to spend my holidays till August 5th in India., get back to Dubai , say a final goodbye to everyone here and return whenever the college opens!

Okay, I guess cribbing doesn't help. Nor does pessimistic thinking. And since I have just a few more days left, I might as well enjoy and be happy. On a positive note, I'm pretty excited about college life, and moreover, I'd be off to a hostel…now that's something off the track for me! Man, life's gonna plunge into a whole new dimension. Oh yeah, and I'm happy that my college is co-ed. After nine whole years, I'd be having guys as my classmates.

I guess the last time I sat on the same bench with a guy was in third grade. I remember that dude so distinctly. He was a Sikh, and me being a bit of an imp those days, used to keep patting and trying to unwind this guy's turban all the time, and that used to drive him wild. What would a non Punjabi eight year old dolt like me know about the religious significance of a turban? I used to spend ages wondering what contents would pop out from inside of it once I succeed in unraveling it completely. Unfortunately before I could accomplish my mission, I had to change my school, after which I never saw him, nor his turban :D

I wonder what Ferri is doing right now. Probably enjoying the monsoons out there. While I sit here and get myself poached in this boiling heat. But that's okay, cause I know in a few days time I'd be whining about the rains. Well, what can I say, it's funny the way people like me always manage to find some reason or the other worthy of grousing.