Pieces of the Puzzle

First week in college, I was making my way to the classroom one busy afternoon. A handsome baby faced guy accosted me near the stairs and kindly asked me the direction to the Chemistry lab.

Aha, A Freshie bakra! He called me madam! The fact that I was in my first-year and was equally lost was not a matter to fret about. Opportunity knocks only once in a day.

"Oh yes ofcourse! Very helpful nature I have. Just keep going straight and then you’ll have to take a right at the takloo principal’s office. Then keep going for 10 minutes. I know, huge college this is. Chemistry lab is in a different district. After that, you’ll see a Red sign and then you………."

The poor kid diligently wrote down the directions and went away almost breaking into a run. Must have been in a hurry. Hehe.. Hope he makes it today.

Next class was Chemistry, my most dreaded subject. Millions of C-H-O’s were muddled up in my overtaxed brain from my 12^th grade Organic Chemistry. Bunch of bull crap. What’s the chemical composition of crap again? I just hope we have a great teacher who pulls me out of this sad state and guides me to a Chemical heaven full of daisies and butterflies. See, I am open to everything.. even good Chemistry.

I was so caught up in self-pity that I didn’t notice my Freshie dude enter the class, panting. I look, he looks, we look at each other. Did I just see a smirk? My cover is blown. Yikes! He is going to be my classmate. Why did I have to be mean to him? Maybe we should just kiss and patch up. Me and you- Both Freshie Freshie. Same pinch and all!

I was about to walk up and ask him if he found the Chemistry lab and maybe talk about the horrid weather (and then maybe just add a sorry) when he went up to the front and wrote down his name on the black-board.

Dr. Crabby Chemistrywala, MSc. Phd., Chemistry

"Yes Students! I am your new Professor. And I would like to begin with some discipline in my class. Yes Miss! You! Did you just swallow Hydrochloric Acid! Go back to your seat I say!" he bellowed. Where was that docile creature I had met earlier?

Normally you would think, there would have been some Chemistry between us and with the class as a catalyst, we would have ended up making a perfect equation. But no, I was done for! The man gave me the hardest time ever. My classmates didn’t know why I was being picked on all the time, whether it was answering a silly question or tying Crabby’s shoelace. I hated Chemistry with a passion now.

That’s when I lost faith in Hindi movies.