WELCOME, DEAR ROOMMATE!!

2007 August

Hostel Allottment’s done with… and I was careless enough to waste the chance. I was so nearly there. But in the end, I remain a parasite at C-4, officially belonging to Sarath and Mama.  4 others were also guests in different rooms.

2008 August

Allottment’s come again, and this time, there are no compromises. Myself, Manji, Unni and Ammavan got allotted. Finally. There were initial discussions on roommates. Everyone knew that Ammavan and myself wanted each other as roommate, but then, there was a possible ego-clash between Unni and Manji. ‘They won’t get along well’, was the general opinion. Finally, it was Manji and me, occupying C-21, on the first floor and Ammavan and Unni at C-7, opposite Sarath’s C-4.

That leaves just one guest at the hostel (from our class). Enter our hero – JERIN JACOB.

Jerin’s always been with Kedar, and they’ve been literally together always. And when Bimal moved into C-26 in 2007, and chose Kadi as his roommate, it was expected that Jerin will accompany Kadi into the room. Bimal wouldn’t mind. Not s long as Jerin was subject to Bimal’s verbal jousting!!!

Come August 2008, and Bimal moves into C-9, with Poo. What a pair!! One sleeps at odd times and is generally considered a nocturnal animal. The other is immune to sleep…. and if at all he sleeps, his lap is his pillow. Made for each other. Anyways, this left Kadi and Jerin in C-26, without an official roommate for Kadi, until allottment got over. And most newcomers to the hostel didn’t want to occupy a room with someone they didn’t know personally, unless there was no way out. Jerin was confident that the day wouldn’t come.

The day did come though. Our batchmate Vijesh from EC, brought him. His cousin. Donno his name. Short, shy, soft-spoken, with an air of innocence all about him. Ah, he’s just into college, I thought. Will change for certain.

The roommate had come, a new bed, previously thought to be inhabited by blood-thirsty MOOTAAS, was brought into the room, and the kid finally settled. Jerin’s dominance in the room continued. And he made certain that he was in no way, a disturbance to the kid. Oh yes, the kid never complained about anything, bu Jerin wanted his assurance. Jerin must have probably, behaved in a manner that made the boy feel that Jerin was one of the better guyz in his class. Better than Kadi, definitely. Jerin knew that the boy liked him. What happened next, was surprising. Atleast to me and my colleagues.

Jerin has this habit of talking over the phone to anonymous girls (anonymous to me), late in the night. This guy walked into the room, saw Jerin talking over the phone. He gave an instant smile and said “SORRY CHETTA”, tip-toed into the room without turning the lights on, opened his bag to get a book or so, and left without making a noise.

True, the guy must’ve this so-called respect for the seniors, that too he’s just stepped into the college. Thats what we deduced. But what happened a couple of days later revealed otherwise. While in the room with Jerin, he made a request to Jerin. “CHETTA, I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU”!!!

Appearances are truly deceptive. Jerin laughed at the kid and his ignorance. The kid continued ” Teach me how to talk to girls, how to mingle with them, how to deal them with tact and elan. I like the way you speak to girls, and I know u can tell me the secret to maintain a healthy relationship with them”. Jerin had no words. He didn’t expect the kid to say something like that to him. He finally disclosed what the kid thought was the ultimate truth. “YOU’LL GET USED TO IT, DA… ITS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE GALS START LAUGHING AT YOUR JOKES AND SPENDING TIME WITH YOU….”. The guy seems convinced. Jerin has brainwashed our little master.

Jerin, Kadi and the kid are still roommates. And the kid is obviously seeing Jerin like he sees his best friends. Talk freely, share secrets, Jerin’s no longer a stranger. The kid’ll definitely learn a lot more with Jerin being there every now and then. Some really valuable lessons. And there’s bound to be some interesting situations awaiting Jerin in the next few months. He’s finally a teacher. And he’s got a bright, inquisitive student. Unlike him. Letz hope the kid gets his wishes satisfied… although he wouldn’t wanna be like Jerin in all aspects.