Nineteen Eighty Eight was a strange and passionate time. Things that had seemed impossible were happening all around us. The events of those days brought every emotion to the surface. We felt things strongly then. And we felt them together....
All who were in my class. I guess we all got caught up in it.
Even me. And a certain Ms Neogy. My History Teacher. What was it about her that affected me so profoundly? Her sensitivity? Her warmth? Her intelligence? Maybe all of those. Maybe more. Maybe much more. Aah, the look. I'll never forget that look. The way that she cocked her cute little head to the side as her eyes met mine. Oh, it was too good to be true. I loved Ms Sharmistha Neogy. God, she was cute! It wasn't just my 13 year old imagination. She felt it. She knew it. She wanted me, too.
Well, it was pretty clear. She didn't see me as any ordinary seventh grader. She saw me as a man. A man who understood things like democracy and social injustice. A man who understood her deepest thoughts and feelings. A man, a man... ...a man who was getting picked up by his father and in white shorts. Now, most people don't know this but there are two kinds of logic. There's logic-logic and then there's 13 year-old in love logic.
I wanted something to happen. I didn't know what. I just knew that I couldn't leave her class until something happened. I didn't want to talk. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her. I wanted it so bad I thought I would explode. She was right there. She was two feet away. Why couldn't I do it? Why wouldn't my muscles move?
After all, she was a woman and I was a .... And that's when I saw myself as though I was looking down from heaven at my Grade 7 bench. I saw an image of myself with her. And it was ridiculous. She was a woman and I was a 13 year-old boy. Sometimes that night, I started thinking of the first day I fell in love with Miss Neogy back in the classroom. I thought of the way she had explained Indus Valley Civilisation. And I thought of the way that made me feel. And you know something? In my heart, I really believed that she loved me too. It wasn't something that could be a part of real life.
But that didn't mean it wasn't there. It was a strange and passionate time. Some of our dreams dissolved into thin air. They almost seem comical now. But some of our dreams were lasting and real. Living inside me forever in its illusion.
I love you - Nat King Cole
Even me. And a certain Ms Neogy. My History Teacher. What was it about her that affected me so profoundly? Her sensitivity? Her warmth? Her intelligence? Maybe all of those. Maybe more. Maybe much more. Aah, the look. I'll never forget that look. The way that she cocked her cute little head to the side as her eyes met mine. Oh, it was too good to be true. I loved Ms Sharmistha Neogy. God, she was cute! It wasn't just my 13 year old imagination. She felt it. She knew it. She wanted me, too.
Well, it was pretty clear. She didn't see me as any ordinary seventh grader. She saw me as a man. A man who understood things like democracy and social injustice. A man who understood her deepest thoughts and feelings. A man, a man... ...a man who was getting picked up by his father and in white shorts. Now, most people don't know this but there are two kinds of logic. There's logic-logic and then there's 13 year-old in love logic.
I wanted something to happen. I didn't know what. I just knew that I couldn't leave her class until something happened. I didn't want to talk. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her. I wanted it so bad I thought I would explode. She was right there. She was two feet away. Why couldn't I do it? Why wouldn't my muscles move?
After all, she was a woman and I was a .... And that's when I saw myself as though I was looking down from heaven at my Grade 7 bench. I saw an image of myself with her. And it was ridiculous. She was a woman and I was a 13 year-old boy. Sometimes that night, I started thinking of the first day I fell in love with Miss Neogy back in the classroom. I thought of the way she had explained Indus Valley Civilisation. And I thought of the way that made me feel. And you know something? In my heart, I really believed that she loved me too. It wasn't something that could be a part of real life.
But that didn't mean it wasn't there. It was a strange and passionate time. Some of our dreams dissolved into thin air. They almost seem comical now. But some of our dreams were lasting and real. Living inside me forever in its illusion.
I love you - Nat King Cole
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