Attention!

“I’d like to thank the honorable Chief Guest Arputham, my department HOD Verona, my co-ordinator Jeyaraj, my best friend Deepan, the faculty, and fellow students who spent their valuable time being here!” Pavithra ended the event, which was followed by thundering applause.

I was awestruck by her daring act of including my name in the Valedictory speech. Most of them didn’t seem to notice, but her HOD was stunned and confused by her sudden inclusion in their decades-old template. Pavithra winked from the stage and disappeared into the crowd that escorted the chief guest.

Pavithra and I’ve been friends for almost three hundred days now, ever since she texted me after reading my blog. She was the first enthusiastic fan outside of my friends for my writing. She genuinely loved all my works and pointed out the few she didn’t. She had invited me to her college for a random workshop on “Girls and how they should be protected.” It was the most backward speech I’ve heard in years. But of course, what do you expect from a women’s college?

I went to the college with my influencer friend Dhanush, who has around thirty thousand subscribers to his YouTube channel. I parked my vehicle and waited in the parking lot as I called Pavithra. She didn’t pick up the call first, and I gave her the time, because she was in charge of the whole event, organized by her department. Then the other girls decided to fade out as she made her shiny entry.

Draped in a crisp silk saree, she adjusted her glasses and maintained her conversation on her phone, stuck between her tilted head and shoulder. She had a unique skin tone and was certainly taller than me. She waved at me and gestured for me to come. I went behind her, as Dhanush followed me, still not out of the first-time-women's-college awe. We walked five floors up that apartment-converted college. It was dark, and the students’ lives looked darker than the building. They seemed depressed, starved, and probably stunned too. All eyes looking at me were less creepy than it sounds and were actually fun. I thanked my grandparents for creating my parents, as they were able to create me and send me to a college, which was kind enough to send me here.

The next thing I knew was, I was sitting in a medium-sized auditorium, which was air-conditioned. I loved the atmosphere, surrounded by hot girls yet cool enough for me to uncuff my shirt. I was sitting in the front row, with Dhanush looking around. Girls started to identify him, and he was getting excited. Pavithra came up to me.

“All okay, sir? You need something, sir?” she asked with a smirk. I thought of a comeback, but Dhanush barged in.

“When will the workshop end? What is it about?” he asked. She turned to him and answered him in the geekiest way possible. He didn’t see that nerdy side of her and preferred to stay silent. I laughed.

“Thank you for felicitating my event with your presence, Deepan”, she said, this time, with a genuine smile. Now I knew what comeback I had to bring in.

“Well, this ain’t enough. Thank me on stage. That’ll do”, I told. She didn’t even flinch, listening to it. She came close to my ears.

“Am sorry to break it, you’re gonna lose”, she whispered.

“Well, tea on me, then”, I said, in a cartoony tone.

Here I was, buying two teas in her canteen, while she was meddling with her phone, on the counter. I took them to the counter and gave one to her. Dhanush got busy with his fans clicking selfies with him and praising him. He chose women over tea, this time. Pavithra must’ve noticed my desperate reaction looking at him.

“Sad that you lost? You look stupid, but I can’t help thinking about how you write some really good stuff. It’s unbelievable”, she went on.

“I’m never bringing Dhanush here, again. It’s irritating,” I told her. She smiled at me and took out her phone. That’s when she received a call from her HOD. She immediately stood up from her chair and attended to it. She definitely didn’t look well during the call.

“Deepan, HOD is calling me urgently. I think I’m getting suspended. Don’t drink my tea or you’ll have to buy me another,” she said before she hurried. I didn’t know what to do, so I called Dhanush. You won’t believe what I saw, but I literally saw him cutting my call, as it interrupted his selfie session with his girl fans.

“Deepan, don’t leave, my HOD mam is coming,” I freaked out once I saw this text from her. What am I going to do now? She’ll get me suspended, using her powers in my college, too? Should I reach for her feet once I see her? Should I get her some tea to calm her down? Will she get calm over a tea? What lady is she, if she doesn’t settle for this beautiful tea?

She walked towards me, as Pavithra followed her from behind. It was terrifying, as I didn’t want to be slapped in front of the whole girls’ crowd. She came to me and looked around.

“Dhanush Raj, is he your friend? Has he left?” she asked in a very serious tone. I remembered his Instagram story where he thrashed the college for their expensive canteen and apartment building. Somewhere inside, I felt happy that he was also going to be destroyed in front of his audience. That put me in a good spot. I pointed at him. She went towards him, leaving me out.

All the girls around him went back as the HOD went to him. Then she took out her phone and asked one of the girls to click a picture of her with him. Pavithra burst into laughter as I went into disappointment. I couldn’t stand that creature taking pictures with the HOD herself, while I almost peed my pants for a minute, in fear. I turned to Pavithra and waited for her to completely laugh. In revenge, I took her cup of tea and gulped it.

She laughed hard before she took out her phone from her handbag. She opened the selfie camera and posed. I looked into the camera.

“With the best writer, there existed the best fan too!” she shouted proudly before she clicked a pic.