Once upon a time in the life of Gopal

When I was in the 2nd standard around 7 years old and we had just recently shifted from our old rented bungalow to our new apartment in Sahakarnagar Pune, I joined the gang of schoolchildren climbing onto the school bus called Khatara because of it’s junk looks and running condition and took a seat. As I sat down and looked around my eyes caught a smart very lively looking beautiful girl sitting in the school bus. I saw her maybe twice and then a strange thing happened.
One Sunday morning as I walked outta the door and stopped down the flight of stairs, I saw the same girl from the bus hopping around the house where our new neighbours had moved in. Realisation struck and I was happy. We did start playing together soon after that 2nd standard Diwali. Then we did start walking to school together. When we got our report cards from school when she had an eighth rank I had eighteenth and when I had a seventh rank she had seventeenth and I thought that was how it was meant to be. I never ever told her I loved her.I would park my bicycle next to her BSA SLR. I used to stomp on the stairs as I walked past her apartment. I used to scratch her name on leaves and leave them floating in the air and watch them fall from the third floor balcony. Everytime we played pairs and chains we used to hold hands as pairs and I would think there couldn’t be anything better.
From 2nd standard to 6th standard she was my first and longest love angle. Then she got herself a boyfriend and I was put in a boarding school and life moved on. But I can say as much that true love never gets wasted and I think if, ever, the person met me again I would still be indebted for helping me see a beautiful me beyond the turbulence that was called a childhood for Gopal.