The ‘Alex Page’ Series – Part 4

trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrringgg!

When you constantly look at the watch for the time to move fast, it doesn't. Alex was constantly looking at his watch waiting for the lecture to finish off before the turn to introduce himself comes upon him. But every time he took a look at the time it was still! :)

Finally as he wanted, it went off. The bell which announces the end of a lecture rang and the introduction activity came to an abrupt stop. PHEW!! Alex got a big relief from facing the crowd.

First impression is the last impression. Alex has been hearing this for quite a few years. Truly the statement proved its worth with the first lecture. He was not impressed at all with the professor. The weakest in mathematics, a thought started running in his mind on how he will cope up with the subject with such a boring professor. He had scored one mark in his algebra and geometry paper in his final prelims. How he cracked the same papers in the university level was a mystery for him. It was a miracle that had happened. It was a miracle that let him believe in god.

“it was all because of the prayers”.

Never in his life was he ever serious with prayers, serious with god, serious with Sunday school not even with his studies. The seriousness came one week before the university exams were to begin. When everyone went to bed in the night, Alex used to get down on his knees and start saying his prayers. He used to pray not only for himself but for everyone he knew who had helped him for the preparation of exams.

God was a regular topic every night for Alex from the day results were out.

“Don’t fall in bad company, Make good friends, Don’t do drugs, Don’t smoke…Don’t…Don’t…Don’t…Don’t….”. Clara had given all the advice she could give to her son. She was aware that Alex would be exposed to very different environment which could harm him.It was her duty to take care of her son even if he was away from him. That’s what a mothers responsibility is.

Alex had grown mature enough to understand all of the above. He had grown enough to understand that he should not be letting his parents down. He had grown enough to understand that he should make good use of his fathers hard earned money. He knew what to do.

They showed a macho man and a beautiful woman going round the trees in the movies. They showed a macho man impressing the girl he loves with love letters, roses and the fake suicide attempts by cutting his veins. They showed a macho man bunking lectures and doing all the weird things one can do. They showed a macho man coming inside a lecture room and leaving a lecture room at is own will with the professor looking helplessly at the class. They showed a macho man standing outside the college for three sixty five days and still standing first in the exams. They showed a macho man fighting the bad guys and outsmarting them with sheer ease as if he had all the powers of god. They showed the macho man taking his bike inside the corridors of the college premises and doing stunts inside the campus. The college life was portrayed such in the movies. Perhaps Alex thought this will be happening in his Maryland College too.

But what followed was exactly the opposite. It changed Alex’s life. It changed Page’s mindset about Alex. Clara was heartbroken.

To Be Continued…