Short Story: First Crush

Hamlin Irani, world-famous violinist, was often asked what got him interested in the violin. A beautiful music teacher, he would say smilingly. It had been quite an eventful day, when he had first met her...

Hamlin woke up groggily as his mother jerked him awake. He stumbled through his breakfast in a drowsy state. It was raining heavily outside. He walked towards his school, looking up at the grey but beautiful sky and thought how little the people on the road appreciated nature’s beauty. He was one of the few who observed this, HE was a true artist, he thought smugly. But he had been looking up, when he should have been looking down, at the rain-beaten road. He slipped and fell in a muddy puddle. Shucks, god had painted the true artist’s shirt with nature’s colors.

Hamlin walked into the school building. There was a small crowd near the notice board. The football team list! He ran there and shoved his way to the board through the crowd. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H…no Hamlin this year too, no surprises there. Chris Almeida had been selected. Oh how he would gloat. Hamlin walked off disgustedly.

He saw his friend Maya walk in through the school gate. He hid behind a tree quickly. It would be fun to startle her. He peeped out after a few seconds. Now she was near the bench. In ten seconds she’d be here. He grinned to himself and waited. 8, 9, 10…there was a sound near the tree. He leapt out with arms sprawled in the air and screamed “YAAAAAA”. The thin old Mr T fell back with a scared cry. “Oww,” he yelled in agony as his old back hit the ground. Hamlin, genuinely contrite, bent forward to pull him to his feet. The old man shoved him aside roughly (the old boy sure was tough for his age, Hamlin thought) and got up. He hit Hamlin on his behind with his walking stick with energy, once, twice, which the boy tried to duck unsuccessfully. “Uhumm”, he pressed his lips together tightly to suppress a groan, for fear of being seen by the whole school. “What the devil is the matter with you, you juvenile idiot? When will you boys grow up?” screamed Mr T. Hamlin tremblingly told him he thought it was someone else. Mr T walked off in a huff, muttering he wished his walking stick had a pointed steel edge. Not a very good start to a day, Hamlin thought morosely.

Meanwhile, Maya had disappeared. He wondered idly if he’d get a chance again to irritate her that day. The day stretched on. The only good thing about the day yet was that it hadn’t got worse. That is, if you didn’t count having to see Shiva on the second bench dig his nose and wipe his fingers on his trousers. And then it happened. It was the Music period. They were waiting for a new teacher. They didn’t know yet who that would be. He hoped it would be someone nice - he liked music. As the class waited in lazy anticipation, a vision swept in. Dressed in a cool turquoise flowing robe, over some slinky trouser. Golden hair piled up, with a few lose strands. “Hi, I am Nyla Jackson, your new Music teacher. I’m from England and today I’m going to teach you the basics of the violin, my favourite musical instrument.” In that moment, Hamlin would have agreed to learn to play anything. Anything, as long as this glowing creature would be teaching it. And that’s how it had started. All because of Ms Jackson, his first crush.