My Love, at 12

By Fatema Rajkotwala

Look back and recall. Which was your most dramatic, eventful, and emotionally packed phase of life? If I am not mistaken, you just rated the point when you had not yet completely left your childhood but were thrown unaware into adulthood! The time of transition from a child to an adult, the phase of confusion, of awkwardness, of superfluous, touchy ego, the phase of adolescence!

What if someone promises to recreate this very intimate switch of your life? To intricately focus every feature of your growing-up awkwardness, of your sight of the first shooting pimple, and above all, your first experience of the fluttering feeling in the stomach, shooting pain in the heart, that sweet pain named love! Interested to indulge in some brimming nostalgia? Good for me, for I just won my first reader!

Every adolescent contemplates that what he/she is experiencing is exclusive to him/ her; however, the truth is that the set of feelings that form his/ her core are shared not only by this persons own peers but also by the billions who passed before and the millions to come!

Although each individuals emotions are special, I, as an author, have made an attempt to explore the general hue shared by those special people called the teenagers!

The novella tries to catch the growing-up nervousness and excitement and finally the coming to terms with oneself via the three main characters, Javed, Manju, and Ajay.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Apr 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496977106

Fatema Rajkotwala

Fatema was born on April 22, 1978. She majored in Psychology and later attained her Masters in English Literature alongwith a Diploma in Journalism, Film and T.V. Video Production and Fashion Designing. A creative writer by aptitude, she has also written features in newspapers, such as Bombay Times, D.N.A. and Cine Blitz magazine. A Bollywood film script writer, she has worked for Mukta Arts and U.T.V. As a Documentary Film maker, she won a prize for a P.S.A. on H.I.V. AIDS. Fatema’s first novel, ‘I Died’ is based on a true story. She has extensively composed several poems, short stories, one liners and concepts for Ad Films. An Artist too, she derives solace by creating life on canvas and has showcased her collections, ‘Nature vs Man’ and ‘Mystique’ at prime locations such as Nehru Centre and Hilton Towers. A Black Belt holder in Karate, she loves the sense of struggle it creates against oneself. However, her greatest and the most satisfying passion lies in mothering her two beautiful daughters!

Book preview

My Love,

at 12

FATEMA RAJKOTWALA

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AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Phone: [phone]

© 2014 Fatema Rajkotwala. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/03/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7709-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7710-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

1 Is anyone there?

2 Honeymoon, in a Cupboard!

3 ‘Hey sir, good morning, man!’

4 Wow! Here comes our chic…

5 ‘Whisper whisper (whisper) day’

6 A sweet revenge!

7 Crush me, if you can!

8 Catty catty, Bow wow!

9 It can be you, only you…

10 Why don’t you understand?

11 Every Action has an equal and opposite Reaction

12 ‘BRAINLESS HULK’, I am ‘proud’ of you!’

13 Am I just that?

14 ‘Him, I’ll never forgive!’

15 Can I help you?

16 First day, first Show

17 Manju misses practice.

18 Why am I so ugly?

19 What’s wrong?

20 A new chapter—a new beginning

21 Racquet in the air!

22 Is he better than me?

23 Javed and I

24 A shade redder.

25 Focus Focus Focus

26 NO!

27 Yes! We Can Do It!

28 Time is running

29 She ‘is’ ruthless!

30 The Day We Would Rather Wish, ‘To Not Dawn!’

Dedicated to

My parents,

Mr. Kutbuddin and

Late Mrs. Rashida Lokhandwala

Hi! What’s your age? Why? Does it matter? Not to me!

Just that, to be indulging in this novella, either you

need to be a Teenager Chronologically or

. . . . Emotionally!

Prelude

WARNING:

The 12 somethings, skip this!

Look back & recall; which was your most dramatic, eventful, emotion packed phase of life? If I am not mistaken, you just rated the point when you had not yet completely left childhood, but were thrown unaware into Adulthood! The time of Transition from a child to an adult; the phase of confusion, of awkwardness, of superfluous touchy Ego, the phase of ‘Adolescence’!

What if someone promises to recreate this very intimate switch of your life? . . . To intricately focus every feature of your ‘growing-up’ awkwardness, of your sight of the first shooting pimple & above all, your first experience of the fluttering feeling in the stomach, shooting a pain in the heart, that sweet pain, named ‘Love’! . . . . Interested to indulge in some brimming nostalgia? Good for me, for I just won my first reader!

Every adolescent contemplates that what he/she is experiencing is exclusive to him/ her, however, the truth is that the set of feelings which form his/ her core, are shared not only by his own peers, but also by the billions passed before, & the millions to come!

Although each individual’s emotions are special, I, as an author have made an attempt to explore the general hue shared by those special people, called, the ‘Teen-agers!’

CHAPTER 1

Is anyone there?

A dance practice is in progress back-stage, amidst a complete hustle bustle. A few girls are hurrying with their make-up & jewelry. All girls are about the age 11-12; a few are praying, while others, nervous. Suddenly one plump looking girl rushes out. She jostles the rest out of her way, shutting the large wooden door behind her. Her friend Jhanvi looks on.

Puffing and panting, Manju runs into the washroom. Frantically looking for a vacant one, as a girl steps out from one, she swings herself in.

Back at the lighted back-stage, the girls are awaiting their turn. Jhanvi is one amongst them, her eyes glued on the large wooden door, hoping, praying that her best friend would join them soon.

Manju rushes out of the bathroom, crying, ‘Is anyone there? Helloooo… Please… . Is anyone there?’; but is answered only by silence. She takes a closer look at the rest of the doors; they are all ajar; seems the rest just rushed out for the dance. O! The dance, she will miss the dance. What will she tell her teacher, her classmates? Thank God, her parents didn’t show up finally; for once she is grateful at their absence on yet another Annual day. But what will she do now? Just what? Should she go back and get help, may be Jhanvi. No! It must already be time for their turn, she sure doesn’t want Jhanvi to miss the dance too. No, no, but now what? In what seems to be just a whisper, she tries once more, hoping against hopes, ‘Is anyone there?’

Loud music starts with just that, a start! The girls throw themselves on the stage, quickly taking the positions. With the second beat, they take the taught step, adorned with plaster smiles. The quick beats need to be matched with their flying legs and arms. The audience, consisting of mostly family and staff watch with bated breath, their eyes glued on their respective daughter or favourite student; fingers crossed!

While practicing, the same steps that the girls had effortlessly carried out are now a task, with the saris and heavy jewelry. Their