THE REVENGE

“Professor, do you have a minute to spare?” Asked a student after the

whole class was dismissed.

“Of course.” The professor recognized the voice pretty well and didn’t
need to look up to know who it was. It was her favorite student, an ideal
student for any professor. He gave complete attention in the class and
was a bright and promising young man.

“Actually I wasn’t able to understand the chemical reaction you

explained yesterday. I know I am demanding too much of your time but
can you explain it to me again, Professor?”

“Of course, Mr. Brown.” The professor agreed and for the next 35
minutes clarified the difficulties of her student.

“Thanks Miss Taylor.” the student stood up, “Sorry, I meant Professor.”

“Mr. Brown, hang on.”

“Yes maam?” the student asked politely.

“Do you mind me asking a question? Of course you don’t. Actually I am a

sort of too curious. What’s the deal with “Miss Taylor”? You never call me
that.”

“I do, professor. When we talk amongst ourselves, I call you that.”

“You talk about me?” the professor couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, I mean, we talk about all the professors.”

“Hmm. And who’s we?”

“The students.”

“Okay you may leave now.”

“Thanks for devoting time to me again, Professor and good evening.” Alex
Brown took leave.

Professor Zelena Taylor sat in the empty classroom for around 10

minutes wondering if she had ever enjoyed teaching the same extent she
does when she teaches Alex. Zelena was the youngest professor in the
university. At 26, she was teaching the post graduate students of nearly
her own age. She had finished her doctorate at an astonishingly young
age of 25. This was itself referred to as an unbelievable achievement in
the world of academicians.

Zelena never denied sparing time to Alex for he was her favorite. It was
nearly every alternate day that Alex came with difficulties in her subject
and she cleared them up for him. It gave her satisfaction that he is
studying seriously in her subject.

“Thanks Professor again for devoting time to me.” Alex said, near the end
of the year, “I don’t know how to really thank you after all the troubles I
have been to you. This subject has become very easy for me now just
because of you. Thanks again.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Mr. Brown, it’s what I get paid for- teaching the
students.” Zelena said, with a smile on her face.

“Of course Professor, you’re paid for teaching the students, not taking
the private classes of just one student.” Alex answered trying to ignore
the beautiful smile on her professor’s face.

“Let’s leave that aside, can we, Alex?”

“Hmmm. I mean yeah, we can.” Alex was shocked as his professor called
him by his first name for the first time in the whole year. She had never
done that before even when he himself suggested it.

“Okay so tell me; got a date for the prom night?” Zelena asked. “I hope
you don’t mind me going into such details. If I overstep my limit, feel free
to tell me so.”

“No it’s okay. And I didn’t manage to find a date.” Alex answered with a
huge dissatisfaction and a little embarrassment on his face.

“Are you kidding me? You are among the most popular guy of the college
and you don’t manage to get a date? This is weird and perhaps, a lie too.”

“No, Professor, I know it’s weird but it’s not a lie. It is the truth.”

“What? What’s the matter? How is it possible that the most deserving
and popular student of the college goes without a date? Who could say
no to you?”

“Actually maam, I told a blatant NO to them.”

“What? Why for?” Zelena wasn’t convinced.

“They were not really my types. I mean, they were unintelligent and weird
with a mask of make up on their faces. They are the least intelligent
species on this earth, I would say.”

“You shouldn’t say such things about your co-mates, Mr. Brown.”

“Professor, Alex was fine if you don’t mind. I mean Mr. Brown looks too
old for me, isn’t it?”

“You are right, Alex.” Zelena smiled, “So what are your plans now? You
know only couples are allowed in the prom.”

“I know that, maam, but I really have no choice here. I cannot go with
someone who doesn’t match me. So am better without prom than with a
stupid creature in my arms. I have decided.” Alex said and added,
“Maam, you do understand me, don’t you? I mean you must have faced
the same problem. You are smart, intelligent, beautiful, hot, I am sorry, I
mean perfect. I doubt if you ever found a person perfectly matching you.”

“Alex, you must leave now. I hope you find a date, a perfect date for the
prom. Good bye.”

“You are avoiding me because you don’t want to admit that I am right.
Isn’t it, Maam?”

“Alex, can we cut this thing off? And what matters is not if I was able to
find a perfect date or not. It’s if you can find what you want.”

“I can, Maam; in fact, I have found some one I wanted.”

“Great news. Best of luck then.”

“Do you think she will say yes to me?”

“I don’t see any point that she will say no to you.”

“Thanks, Maam.” Alex took a deep breath, “Maam, will you be my date
for the prom?”

“What? Alex, are you out of your mind?”

“I am in perfect control of my mind, Maam.”

“Then you must be kidding.”

“I am serious, damn serious here, maam. I have thought over it again

and again and all I understood was that the only girl in the whole college
that I would want to be with is you.”

“Alex, calm down. You are just a little worried about not finding a date
for the prom and so you are behaving this weird. It will settle up. We will
talk some other day.”

“No, Maam, it’s not about finding a date for the prom. It’s about finding
someone perfect for you. And my ideal and perfect date is only you. Let’s
take it this way. In your college, you weren’t able to find a perfect date
and in my college I find someone perfect but it turns out that she is my
professor. Is it my fault?”

“It surely is, Alex. You already knew I was your professor, didn’t you?”

“But that doesn’t mean you can deny the fact that we are perfect for each
other.”

“Behave, Alex or else-” Zelena was beginning to get angry now.

“Okay let’s strike a deal. If I am not wrong, even professors are supposed
to come in couple at the prom, maam, isn’t it?”

“Yes. So?”

“If you can find a perfect date, I won’t bring this thing up again. But if
you cannot find such a date, then we’ll be going together like a couple.”

“This is weird. I am not agreeing to this deal.”

“I knew you won’t agree to it because you know you cannot find some
one who’s as perfect as you are and then you will have to be my date.”
Alex now turned very low, “Maam, what’s wrong in to be with the person
you think is perfect for you?

“There’s nothing wrong in that, Alex, but-”

“If you think that I am right then what’s the problem?”

“The only problem is that you are my student, Alex. I know you can be
my perfect date but-. Just think about it a professor and a student as a
couple on the prom. Is there anything weirder than this?”

“It doesn’t make a difference to any one, maam. And it’s just for the
prom.” Alex said, “So Maam, will you be my date?”

“Okay but only for the prom.”

“I promise I will be the best date you have ever been out with, Maam.”
Alex smiled, “It seems weird that I will be calling my date Maam.”

“I told you so. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve done in my entire life.”

“Maam, to be a perfect date, I need to ask you certain details if you don’t
mind. I mean I want to make this the most memorable date in my as well
as your life.”

“So?”

“Can we go for a dinner tomorrow where we can discuss about this prom
date thing?”

“What do you want to ask? I am your date only for the prom, don’t take it
too seriously, Alex or you will mess it up.”

“I won’t, maam. In fact I’m sure if we devote some time to each other, we
can win the couple of the night award.”

“Doesn’t interest me, Alex.”

“So we aren’t meeting for dinner tomorrow, are we?” Alex asked.

“Okay we will meet. It will be only a dinner, nothing more than that.”
Zelena couldn’t understand why she was saying yes to the dinner.

“Thanks Maam, do you have some minutes to spare?”

“Of course. Got more difficulties in the subject?”

“No Maam, I was in fact thinking that we can go out for a coffee to plan
out tomorrow’s dinner.”
“I must say you’re pretty smart, Alex. First of all, you convince me to go
on the prom as your date saying that it’s only for one day. Then you
bring the dinner issue and now this coffee date?”

“It was simply a coffee, maam, but if you want you may consider it as a
coffee date.”

“Funny. I gotta go, Alex.” Zelena started walking towards the door, “See
you in the café after 20 minutes. Good bye.”

Alex was never happier in his life than this instant. His beats racing fast
when Zelena was near now tried to slow down the pace. He could bet
that lady fortune was showering luck on him as his professor; his
beautiful and young professor had agreed to be his prom date. It was his
only dream these days and now it was no longer just a dream.

“Hello professor” After around 30 minutes, Alex entered the café where
his professor was already waiting for him.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to keep you waiting, maam.”

“But you did.”

“I am sorry for that. I just couldn’t make out what should I gift you. I
mean nothing looked good enough for you. So at last I got these
chocolates for you, Maam.” Alex told in one single breath.

“What? Why did you think you need to gift me anything?” Zelena couldn’t
believe it.

“You told that it was a coffee date and I didn’t want to come without a
gift for my date, maam. I hope you forgive me.”

“It’s okay. Now let us order some coffee. And thanks for the chocolates.”

“So Maam, if you don’t mind me asking, can I know what does your
name mean?” Alex asked taking a sip from his cappuccino.

“You want to know what does Zelena means.”

“Yeah, I mean in case you don’t mind.”

“Alex, Zelena means sunshine.”

“Wow! That’s a beautiful name.” Alex smiled, “You are the sunshine of
my life; lead me from darkness to light. Let me hold your hands, till the
sun dies and its night.”

“What was that?” Zelena asked with her eyes shining in happiness.

“It’s just a poem.”

“You wrote it?”

“Just thought of it right now.”

“I didn’t know about this talent of yours.” Zelena was surely happy and
her happiness showed on her face, “They were beautiful lines. Thanks.”

The next night, Alex came to pick up Zelena for their dinner or perhaps,
date. He was looking handsome and happy beyond words, Zelena could
notice.

“So tell me; why did you select this particular restaurant?” asked Zelena
after taking a seat in not very posh but still great looking restaurant.

“Thought you would like it, Professor. I mean it’s near the sea and the
music’s good too. But you didn’t like it, maam, do you?” Alex looked
worried.

“It’s good, Alex, it really is. Now let’s order our dinner or else it would be
too late.”

“Can I have the pleasure of a dance with you, maam, till the dinner
arrives?” Alex asked after sitting quietly for some 10 minutes. Zelena
could make it out that he was wondering whether to ask her for a dance
or not.

“Sure.” And they left for the dance floor.

Zelena was never happier than she was at this hour. Alex was really a
perfect date for her. His manners, his attire, his gentleness, his dance,
his choice, even his cologne was perfect as Zelena would put it in a word.
She couldn’t understand how her dream perfect date just arrived in her
life as her own student.

“Alex, I must compliment you, you are a really good company, a perfect
date to hang around with.” Zelena said, dancing to the soft music.
“Thanks, Zelena; it was just your perfection that made me perfect.” Alex
said, with a cute smile on his lips.

“What did you just call me?” Zelena couldn’t believe Alex just called her
by her first name.

“Zelena, it’s your name, right?” Alex was hardly bothered that it was his
professor he was speaking to, “At present, we are on date. This date has
to be perfect and professor or maam were the hurdles in this perfection.”

“Alex, I don’t know what to answer?”

“You don’t need to, our dinner is served. Let’s go there, shall we?”

Both approached the table decorated beautifully with the various dishes
along with a bottle of champagne in the middle and a bouquet of red
roses besides it. Zelena now understood that Alex was simply keeping all
these arrangements from her by making her busy in a dance. They had
their dinner silently for the band was playing some Mozart’s music right
in front of their table.

“That’s such a lovely arrangement.” Zelena was overjoyed

“Is it perfect, Zelena?” Alex asked

“This is beyond perfection. Alex, this is the best date I’ve had in my life,
my dream perfect date. Thanks so much for it.”

“Thanks a lot.” Alex paid the bill and helped Zelena wear her overcoat.
Both left the restaurant with an unexplainable joy in their hearts. They
both forgot that they didn’t discuss a word about the prom night, the
reason behind this dinner date.

“Thanks for this lovely night, Alex.” Zelena said, coming out of the door of
the car opened by Alex for her.

“Thank you, Zelena, for this unforgettable date. It was really special to
me.” Alex said, coming close to Zelena and giving her a kiss on her
cheeks.

“Okay good bye then.” Zelena couldn’t think of any other sentence after
this.

“It’s pretty cold out here, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t get you?”

“I mean its cold out here. Don’t you think you should invite me in for a
coffee?” Alex asked

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course I mean I am not so bad that you cannot even invite me for just
a coffee, am I?” Alex put stress on the word ‘Just’

“Okay then, come in.” Zelena gave up very easily.

Zelena and Alex sat with coffee mugs in their hands thinking what to
say.

“Nice coffee” Alex got something to start with.

“Thanks”

“Can I have a dance again with you?”

“Actually my music system is not in order. There would be no music and

song” Zelena backed out.

“I don’t need any.” Alex took her hands without waiting for her approval

“Look into my eyes; you will see,

What you mean to me.
Search my heart, search my soul
When you find me there, you’ll search no more,
Don’t tell me it’s not worth trying for,
You can’t tell me it’s not worth dying for
You know it’s true
Everything I do, I do it for you.” Alex began singing this famous song from
Bryan Adams continuing the slow dance with Zelena.

Zelena couldn’t help but got lost in his deep and passionate eyes. The
next morning she woke up and found Alex asleep besides her on her bed.
She kissed him on his cheeks and went to the kitchen for preparing
coffee. At that time, she felt somebody’s hands around her waist, she
knew who it was.

“Good morning.” Zelena said blushing with shy.

“Good morning, Zelena. Thanks for everything. It was such a memorable
date.”

“You want coffee?”

“Of course honey.” Alex said, kissing her deeply.

“I got to go now. Be ready at 7 0’ clock, I will pick you up for the prom.”
Alex said, after having the coffee.

“Okay good bye.” And Zelena gave him a parting kiss.

Zelena couldn’t hide the happiness on her face. At last, she had found a
perfect date, someone who was especially made for her.

“Yes, Alex, where are you? I am waiting for you for the last 20 minutes.”
Zelena got a call from him.

“So sorry, Zelena, I couldn’t make it and to be honest, cannot make it

now.”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Actually I am all tucked up at this moment so I may not be able to pick

you up. Can you reach directly at the prom? I will see you there.”

“But you promised you will pick me up.”

“I know, but I was so busy in the preparation of this prom that I forgot
time. You know I wanted it to be special as I wanted everyone to meet my
love today, I mean; I was planning to introduce you to everyone. Is it
okay with you?”

“Okay, I will reach there on my own.” Zelena agreed. She knew it has to
be a very special arrangement from Alex to propose her in front of
everybody, including her own colleagues and even university chancellor.
She knew she would perhaps be suspended or even fired from the job for
getting romantically involved with her student but she was ready to face
this for Alex.

“Alex, I am standing outside the gate. Where will you meet me? Here or
inside?”
“Come in, Zelena, I am already here waiting for you. I love you.” Alex
said.

“Love you too.” Zelena went in. To her surprise, the gate keeper didn’t
stop her for lack of a date. She knew he would have been instructed to
allow her entry alone also by Alex.

Zelena reached the hall decorated beautifully. Everyone inside was with a
date so she felt quite out of place. She searched for Alex but couldn’t find
him. She knew he was here somewhere perhaps preparing for a big
surprise for her. So she found herself a sofa in a quiet corner.

“Good evening, professor.” A student came to him, “Your favorite student

has sent you a present.”

“Excuse me; I didn’t get you.”

“Alex has sent you a present, professor; perhaps he’s too shy to face
you.”

Zelena thanked the student and accepted the present. She couldn’t help
but smile knowing that Alex was shy to face her after all their
relationships and intimacy too.

“Miss Taylor, where’s your date?” her colleague came and asked her.

“He should be here any moment.” Zelena smiled, “You enjoying this
prom?”

“Yeah, a lot. Everything is perfect, you know. This student Alex is really
very good in managing things. I don’t know what he is doing in science
rather than business and commerce?”

“Luck, may be.” Zelena kept the fact to herself that she was referring to
her luck as if Alex would be in commerce; she would never have met him.

“Okay enjoy then. My wife is waiting for me.” the colleague left.

“Ladies and gentleman, now let us welcome the student behind this
rocking arrangement. We know, if not for him, this prom wouldn’t have
been a perfect one. And one more thing, guys, we all perhaps have got to
be envy of him too for he has got the most beautiful and smart date, he
calls her his perfect date.” Announced a student, Jackson.
Zelena felt Goosebumps on her hands. Any moment, Alex would be
announcing her name, she knew. As she was walking towards the stage,
she felt as if she was walking down the aisle for getting married.

“So ladies and gentleman, here comes our Alex and his girl friend,
Alisha.”

Zelena was thunderstruck. She didn’t know how it could possibly be. She
knew there was some mistake from the announcer’s side. Alex, come tell
them the truth, she said in her mind.

But the very next instant, she came to know there was no mistake from
the announcer’s side. Alex came walking with a beautiful girl on the
stage as the audience gave them a rocking applause.

“Thanks, thanks a lot, everybody. This is my girl friend, Alisha, you have
heard about her from our dear Jackson. So guys, what are we waiting
for? Let’s have fun.” Alex spoke to them and then saw Zelena standing
down there with her angry eyes on him.

“Okay one minute, guys, I need to tell something and this perhaps is the
best occasion. Maam, can we have you on stage please?” Alex smiled

Zelena went to the stage hoping that he will admit their affair and this
whole Alicia thing was just a prank.

“Guys, in the presence of you all, I want to thank our professor Taylor for
the genuine help she rendered me throughout the year. Thanks a lot,
maam.” Alex said, “By the way, where’s your date, maam? This is a
couple’s party, singles are not allowed in here, it’s already pretty late and
entry is closed too by now.”

“What is this?” Zelena was definitely in a rage.

“It’s okay, professor, if he couldn’t make it. You are our professor, we
won’t ask you to leave for just a lack of date.”

“You better watch yourself.”

“Come on guys, now let’s enjoy the prom.” Alex ignored his professor and
left the stage with his pretty and hot prom date.

Zelena couldn’t understand what was going on. She had imagined being
the centre of everybody tonight and now she was standing all alone on a
stage when everybody else was dancing on the floor. She decided to ask
Alex what the reason behind this deceit was.

“Alex, I need to talk to you for a moment.” She went to him.

“Oh sure, professor, I am anytime at your service.” Alex asked generously

and then kissed Alisha, “Excuse me, I’ll be back in a moment.”

“What’s all this? And who’s she?” Zelena asked him taking him in the
corner.

“She’s my girlfriend, professor, didn’t you hear me before?”

“Then why did you play with me, my feelings? Why did you impose
yourself as my lover before me?”

“I just gave you back what you deserved, professor. Don’t you like to play
with other’s feelings?”

“What do you mean? So all this was a well framed lie, nothing more than
it?” Zelena asked with tears in her eyes.

“Not everything, professor. You know I told you that it’s your perfection
that made me perfect, I was speaking the truth then. I was never and
still aren’t perfect. It was just your perfection that compelled me to
become perfect or else you would have never dated me, would you? And
secondly when I sang the song “Everything I do, I do it for you” I was
damn honest.”

“What’s your point?”

“Life move in a circle, whatever you give, gets back to you. And this is
what you deserve after what you gave.”

“What are you saying?”

“You remember Chris, Chris Brown, your class mate, I am his younger
brother. He was madly in love with you but you denied his love saying
that he wasn’t the perfect guy for you and insulted him in front of
everyone. You know what he was so heart grieved that he committed
suicide. All the time when you thought I was perfect, I only used the
information he had written about you in his diary. So what do you
wanna say now, professor maam?”
Zelena had tears in her eyes and she couldn’t speak for the next 2-3
minutes. It seemed to her that she was in her wildest and strangest
dreams. Finally she regained herself.

“This was your REVENGE against me then, I suppose. And you also think
I forgot him?”

“Of course, didn’t you?”

“Not at all, and for you kind information, Mr. Brown, I can never forget
him. In fact, I knew you were his brother since the first class I took of
yours. The only thing I didn’t know was that you too were like him.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“You know what I knew Chris liked me a lot and I was happy that a guy
really adored me and liked me for who I am; not just my beauty and
body. And I was waiting eagerly for the moment when he proposed me for
the prom. But before this, something happened that made me change my
mind.”

“Like what?”

“You know it was the last day before prom and Chris still didn’t ask me
out. So I decided that perhaps he’s too shy to ask me out and so I
decided to make the first move. Somebody told me that he was on the
terrace and so I went to meet him there. He was standing there with his
friend, I saw. And you know what he was doing there? He was sharing
his brilliant plan to date-rape me with his friend.” Zelena couldn’t utter a
word after that.

“You are lying, aren’t you? I knew my brother pretty well to know that he
couldn’t do this, not even think about it.”

“Even I used to think the same about him, Mr. Brown, but we both were
wrong. I saw him talk to his friends with my own eyes and I couldn’t take
it. The boy I thought loved me truly was such a bastard! I ran away from
there and shut myself in the bathroom. Then I decided I will deny going
out with him. And also decided that if he asked me the reason, I wouldn’t
give him the real reason or he will feel humiliated and insulted in front of
me and may be others also will come to know about this. So I gave him
an altogether different explanation. I told him that he wasn’t my kind of
guy, he wasn’t perfect. How can he even think that the most brilliant
student in the campus will agree to date the most stupid person out
there? And that was it. So now you know the truth, Alex. What’s your
take on me now?”

“I don’t believe you. This is all so wrong, a lie.”

“I knew what you must be feeling about all this, Alex, but I cannot really
help this. This is the truth. I knew you were his brother for your eyes are
exactly like his and your last name is too Brown. And that’s why I helped
you throughout the year. I just wanted to help somebody who was the
brother of a guy whom I had liked very much at a time. And that’s why I
agreed to be your prom date thinking that it will be wrong if you being so
good fail to find a date for the prom.”

“This is so… I don’t know what to say, I am so sorry about all this. I am
sorry for what I did. I am really so sorry that I hurt you believing you are
at fault. But I am also sorry what my brother did or intended for you.”

“Good bye Alex, for ever. Now that I know what your real intentions
behind dating me were, I can’t stand you. I hope your revenge has been
fulfilled. You have really hurt me, my feelings.”

“Sorry, professor, I am really sorry. I hope we can make good friends at

least.”

“Sorry, Mr. Brown, that’s not possible. And one more thing, don’t worry
about your evaluation and result. Be rest assured I won’t let anything
that happened between us come in between my work, my honesty and
my duty.”

Zelena left with tears in her eyes. Even Alex had tears in his eyes by now.
He blamed himself for doing wrong to a lady out of misunderstanding
and misconception. For many moments, he kept standing there and then
didn’t know want to do.

“So Zelena, are you okay?” later on that night, Zelena’s best friend asked
her for Zelena came to her for moral and emotional support.

“I am, but it was all going on so perfectly well and then suddenly he tells
me that was all just revenge. I broke up and there was nothing else I
could do for it. I lost the only perfect person I found for myself.”

“It’s okay. I am sure you will get somebody better than him.”

“No, I won’t get any such person and I know it.”

“I never knew you still remember Chris and you were even aware that
Alex was his brother.”

“Not at all. Chris was a forgotten chapter in the book of my life.”

“Then why did you lie to Alex?”

“What else was there I could do? He was insulting me like anything and I
couldn’t simply stand there accepting the blame. So I told him that his
brother was a bastard and that was why I refused him. Actually you do
know that he was a good guy, but not perfect and suitable for someone
so smart and beautiful like me, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“So I lied to him. Speaking of me, I have accepted long before that being
perfect is very difficult in this world, but finding someone perfect
matching your perfection is impossible.” Zelena took a deep sigh.

“His revenge, bull shit. He has yet to learn that I am the teacher of the
university where he is a mere student. So now that he played with my
feelings and hurt me, at present he would be moaning somewhere for
what he did to me. He must be blaming his dead brother that he lost a
perfect girlfriend like me just because of his brother’s deeds. He would
repent his whole life for this and would be perhaps never able to forget
me. This is REVENGE.”