Weekly Diary : Week 40

09 March 2026 (Monday) : The Last Exam, An Unexpected Walk, and a Look I Couldn’t Ignore

Today was the last day of the semester exam. The subject was Tissue Culture and Developmental Biology. And just like that day… I was late again. So, I texted Tissue not to wait for me at the station. I got ready quickly and rushed to college. When I reached, she was at the same spot, sitting on a bench in the corridor, quietly revising whatever she could. There was something calm about the way she studies. No panic. Just focus.

When it was time, she went inside the classroom for her exam. I didn’t go to the library this time. It was too crowded because of the ongoing Round 1 exams. So, I went to the engineering stairs instead. After the exam ended, I got a call from Maahi. She said she was waiting for me at the college gate. Since she was there and we rarely meet, I looked at Tissue. She understood without me saying much. Honestly, I wanted all of us to go together. But Tissue was on fast and preferred taking an auto till the station. Maahi preferred walking. And somehow, without much discussion, it got decided. So today, I went with Maahi, and Tissue left by auto.

But something unexpected happened on the way.

At the station, as Maahi and I were about to step onto the escalator, I noticed a lady calling out to people. No one was stopping. No one was listening. She looked around 35 or maybe more. I’m not good at guessing ages. When she saw me looking at her, she asked, “Beta, yaha koi aisi jagah hai jaha South Indian food milta ho, jaha baithne ki arrangement ho?”

I nodded yes.

She stepped onto the escalator. So did Maahi and I. While going down, she noticed I was holding Maahi’s hand. She asked, “Aap darte ho?”

I nodded again quietly. A little awkward. She looked at me in a way that said more than words—darna to hum budho ko chahiye, tum jaise young log darte ho?

I just smiled a little. I didn’t know what to say. After getting down, I told her the directions. But she asked me to drop her there. I looked at Maahi. She understood instantly and told me she would wait at the bus stop. So I went with the lady.

As we walked, I noticed something in the way she moved. I asked her, and she told me she had undergone knee surgery. I nodded. She asked me about the buses around, where they go. I answered—CBD Belapur, Ghansoli, Thane, Karnajade, Kalyan, Sainagar. She seemed surprised. She smiled and said, “You seem very knowledgeable.”

I chuckled a little and told her that I grew up here. My hometown is in the North, but I spent my childhood here in Mumbai. She kept asking about my studies, where I live, and what I do. I told her I’m in the third year of Biotechnology. She also shared things about herself.

Soon, we reached the place. She thanked me, and I just nodded. I was about to leave when she stopped me and asked me to join her. I refused politely. I told her my friend was waiting. But she kept insisting. At one point, I felt a little irritated. I had already helped her. Why wasn’t she letting me go? But I didn’t show it. And then, without thinking much, the truth slipped out. I told her I am on medication. That I have been on it for years. That I don’t eat outside food. I almost said more… about the possibility of surgery… but I stopped. Because I saw that look. That look people give when they hear the word “medicine.” Something between pity and curiosity. I hate that look. I hate it so much that sometimes it makes me want to distance myself from people completely.

She didn’t force me after that. Instead, she offered me a lassi. Refusing again felt rude. So I accepted it, thanked her, and finally left.

When I reached the bus stop, Maahi was waiting. I told her everything, especially the lassi. Soon her bus arrived. I waved goodbye, and she left. And then I took an auto and went home.

The day started with an exam… but what stayed with me wasn’t the paper. It was a simple walk, a small act of help, and a look I wish I could forget.

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10 March 2026 (Tuesday) : A Quiet Day, a Book, and a Postponed Goodbye

Today was nothing dramatic. I spent most of my time watching random YouTube videos. Whatever showed up on my feed. One video led to another, and before I knew it, time had quietly slipped away.

After that, I picked up a book and started reading. That part felt a little more grounded. But even then, the day felt simple.

Later, a message popped up in our Official TY BT group. It was a notice. The farewell has been postponed. Now it will be held on 24th March. I stared at the message for a few seconds. I don’t know exactly how I felt. Maybe nothing… or something very small that I didn’t fully understand yet. Because somewhere, I had already started accepting that things are ending. And now, it felt like that ending was just pushed a little further away.