Chapter Text
,,And this is how we end the lecture on the work of black holes. Anyone have any questions?’’ Asked a bored Indian, equally bored students, furtively playing with a pencil or staring at the phone screen if their seats were out of the professor's sight. Only one of them seemed tireless in the late evening hours and, as always, raised his hand, shifting nervously in his chair.
,,Yes, Charlie?’’ Baljeet propped himself up on the table, trying as much as possible to let the student know that he was fed up with this lecture and, like all students, would prefer to be outside the college building. Charlie, however, was a tiny ball of energy - he never got discouraged by Professor Tjinder's allusions, and his ideas and questions seemed to be endless. He was a black-haired, short, always impeccably dressed boy with big brown eyes and fair skin. If he were to be honest, Baljeet saw himself and his old acquaintance, Flynn Fletcher. What distinguished the nerd was the large braces on his teeth and his incredible love for the subject of astronomy, about which he knew almost everything.
,,I have a question as to the point where, suppose, a man would be sucked through a black hole. Could, theoretically, at such a moment he could move to another world? Are there black holes so small that they cannot endanger humans? Could it be so big as to suck in the entire universe?’’
,,The only black hole you've experienced is that of your old mother" one student laughed, and there was unrestrained chuckles among the rest. Tears brightened in the nerd's eyes for a moment, and the young professor reluctantly rose from his desk.
,,If you are so wise, Mr. Whiter, for the next lesson you will write an entire essay about black holes, and not the human ones.’’
The chuckles stopped. Everyone knew that the professor was as young as they were, but he was nevertheless famous for his austerity and undisturbed peace. Few people passed him on, but his lectures were eagerly attended. Apparently, even those who failed to pass, left with more knowledge than students after the fifth year. ,,Mr. Tjinder, I ..." said the confused, blonde-haired bully, probably just realizing what trouble he was in.
,,Professor, as already. Fifteen pages. In, um ...’’ Baljeet thought about it, playing with the lock on his black, elegant briefcase ,,In two days? Quite a long time.’’
,,But Professor, it is impossible!’’ The rogue embarrassed, looking uncertainly around the room as if looking for any support from his colleagues. But they all looked away in unison. Baljeet smiled slightly. He was getting some satisfaction from the power he could now possess over the tormentor, not the other way around.
,,End of lecture. I think we've all exhausted enough knowledge from this. ” The thin man sighed carelessly, then got up from his desk and began packing documents into his briefcase. In one moment, the crowd of students spilled out like a flock of sheep from the classroom. Putting on a stylish brown coat, Baljeet, however, noticed out of the corner of his eye that there was still a concerned little Charlie at his desk.
,,Thank you professor ..." he said in a whisper, and he lowered his head uncertainly, as if the floor was the most interesting thing in the world for him right now.
,,You have nothing to thank me for, Charlie’’ saying that, Baljeet headed to the exit of the room together with the black-haired one, to finally lock it up - People who are so poorly brought up should be punished, I know something about that.
,,Yes...?’’ the young man raised his head, and in his eyes you could easily see hope ,,Professor ... did you have such situations too?’’ He asked as they walked up the stairs to the ground floor together.
,,Yes. Even more often than you can imagine’’ the Indian smiled kindly at him.
,,And what did the Professor do?’’ Charlie persisted, even as young Tjinder handed over the keys to the older, perpetually unhappy janitor. This question embarrassed the man a little, but he kept playing.
,,Well ... Cases are different. Sometimes people tease, because they seek attention by hurting others, and sometimes ...’’ he sighed and broke the thread, seeing the downpour outside the window and looking for a folding umbrella in his briefcase ,,Mr. Whiter, unfortunately, belongs to those mentioned by me’’
,,I see ... I'll be on my way to the bus. Have a nice evening, Professor.” Charlie nodded slightly, and Baljeet just realized that he hadn't had time to answer his lecture questions, but it was too late. Young Tjinder sighed and walked confidently towards the streets of the old town. The downpour stopped a bit so he could walk more slowly without risking getting wet. The streets of the New York district, usually bustling with life, now practically did not represent a single living soul. There was only a splash of rain which was relaxing to some extent for the man. He liked the seclusion and appreciated moments like this - he was only alone with his thoughts back then. Especially now that he had something important to think about.
Charlie and the situation from the lecture perfectly reminded him of the times of sweet childhood, when he and Phineas and Ferb played in their garden, experiencing some adventures and building new inventions together. He usually had a lot of fun all summer, and even on school days he had to come up with something interesting together. Charlie had something in his eye that young Flynn did. Hope and eternal optimism despite the bad situations he faced. This in turn reminded him of himself. He never got discouraged by anything, even when ...
Buford.
He wanted to avoid the subject, so he silently rated himself for having started it.
Buford terrified Baljeet at first. He tormented him and teased him forever in everything, at almost every step. As a result, his grades in school deteriorated, and as a child he began to grow into fear and paranoia. However, when he met Phineas and Ferb, the situation drastically changed. Phineas, even with a smile on his face, showed him that he can sometimes read Buford like an open book. The little redhead is very close to Baljeet. One day, he suggested that he avoid Buford for one week. He even built a special device for him - the Invisible. This allowed Baljeet to vanish from his tormentor at any time. The Indian listened to his friend, and after a week he was surprised to discover that Buford was completely devastated after school, and every day after school politely asked Ms. Tjinder about Baljeet, checking to see if he was home. Baljeet found out that Buford needed him.
When he returned to school after a week of "absences," he noticed a significant change in Buford's behavior. His only form of teasing became wedgies - which, for some unknown reason, he liked best - in addition, he often confided in Baljeet, began to treat him with more and more respect, and a few days later invited him to spend the night. Baljeet was afraid it was just a temporary scam, but ... The mountain of meat and fat finally opened to him. Their friendship was strengthened by the fact that they discovered that they loved old seventies sitcoms together, so every Friday they arranged to watch one classic, usually at Buford's. It wasn't long before Baljeet and Buford became friends, and the obese allowed himself more and more, like carrying Baljeet everywhere with him under his arm or on his back (the body size of the young Tjinder definitely allowed that). As the events unfolded, Baljeet felt more and more at ease in the presence of the brown-haired man, and over time he gathered the courage to even annoy him and argue about his own opinion on some issues. They became best friends, even better than Baljeet and Phineas before. They were inseparable.
But one day something ... broke.
Young Tjinder sniffed the crisp evening air, then began impatiently searching for a bunch of apartment keys in his briefcase. He was slowly entering a district of the slightly wealthier center, where he owned an apartment, and there were definitely more people here.
He remembered that day and this conversation very well. End of vacation. The sky was pink, and he and Buford were sitting on a cement fence near Baljeet's house. They were both fifteen. Him in a blue T-shirt and white shorts, and Buford in a neglected, slightly ragged tracksuit and a loose-fitting black sweatshirt with a skull motif. They both ate ice cream and talked about everything and nothing, but the dark-haired boy knew well that he had to confess it to Buford in the end.
,,Then ... where are you going to school?’’ Buff began with a little hesitant voice, as if knowing full well he was stepping onto thin ice. The Indian pushed the ringlets behind his ear and looked at his former tormentor.
,,Well ... They accepted me to a very prestigious school.’’
,,Yes?’’
,,Exactly.’’
,,Is it far away?’’ The boy did not even notice how his friend surreptitiously approached him and brushed his small hand with his thick fingers. Baljeet, as if resting his head completely naturally on his shoulder.
,,Stanford University ..." the shorter boy whispered, almost silently.
There was an awkward silence for a moment, interrupted by a frenzy - It was Buford who took his hand from Baljeet's.
,,So you'll be studying at the University? And it's almost the best in the whole globe? You're just gonna leave me ...?’’ in the voice of the plump boy you could hear the regret, which in a new sense was tearing the heart of the frail Indian into small pieces.
,,It's not like that, Buford ... It's my dream to study there. I just win contests, you know that, I quickly skipped a few classes ...’’
Shit! The keys were found, but they turned out to be from the cloakroom. He will have to call the dean immediately and explain why his keys to the apartment were at the nice lady's cloakroom in the office. Damn it.
,,But ... Baljeet ... I ...’’
,,I'll be calling, I promise! And I will write’’ the kid smiled radiantly, trying to make a good face for a bad game. Everyone knew that at that moment, whether or not they wanted to, their paths were dividing in opposite directions. Buford got up and looked only sadly at Baljeet, who felt something piercing his heart.
,,It's ... See you next vacation ... I guess?’’
,,Buford, I'm moving to Stanford. I'm not going back to Danville anymore ...’’
,,So go there and don't upset me anymore !!!’’ Suddenly dark blue eyes shouted at him, then with a determined step he walked away towards his house, dropping the ice cream in the middle of the sidewalk. Baljeet felt tears welling up in his eyes. He had no idea Buford was just around the corner doing the same...
,,Baljeet?’’ a female voice from the intercom effectively took the Indian out of his thoughts.
,,Why aren't you coming in ...?’’
,,Ginger, honey, would you let me in? I gave the cloakroom room the wrong keys...’’
The brown-eyed man heard a click in the moment he was already in the stairwell. As he walked towards the elevator, he tried not to modernize what private lecture to follow for losing the keys. Oh, it won't be easy, definitely. Ginger was annoying at times.
Entering an open apartment, already know that something is wrong. The atmosphere was definitely thick. He closed the door quietly behind him, then took off his coat, carefully placing it on the hanger. Light out of time off. Baljeet quickly slipped into the bathroom and sighed calmly. He had at least some time to release the action strategy.
Ginger appeared in his life not long after he left for Stanford. It turned out that she moved here with her parents when her older sister was studying, her father found a stable, better-paying job. She was the same age as Baljeet, and she was still in high school. On the whole, the Hindu was glad to have a stranger overview in finding her. You could say that thanks to the Japanese, he didn't feel lonely. They walked downtown together after school and often came to the cafe for delicious donuts, laughing and remembering the old days of their childhood. The black-haired girl was very pleasant to talk to - young, intelligent and, as it turned out, a lot of common topics with her future boyfriend.
Time inevitably passed. But it was friendship. By the time.
Until his own parents turned against him and, together with Ginger's parents, devised a satanic plan to bind them together, which, out of spite, split.
What was his surprise when he suddenly found out from Ginger herself that she really had a little something for him. And that "little" was actually deeply hidden for some years. At that point Baljeet felt a bit like Phineas when he discovered that Isabella loved him.
Back then, Baljeet thought that it just had to be that way. This is the way things are. Ginger was not ugly, on the contrary - she was a very pretty, almost mature girl. Her beauty could easily be envied by her gender independence. With little thought, he agreed to walk, and their friendship grew even stronger. They felt good in each other's company and could also talk to each other about everything.
After Baljeet graduated from college, at the urging of their parents, they moved to New York with Ginger. First shy kisses, then awkward first sex - it just all just went its own way, blocky. Baljeet found a stable job at the local university - besides, with his academic achievements it was not particularly difficult. The Japanese woman, who was still studying, contributed to the rent from her scholarship.
When he called his friends and told them about him, he usually didn’t call the discussion in admiration. Phineas, who traveled in Sweden, was impressed, and they asked him to build a machine to study a particular type of element.
,,But I envy you! You have a stable job, a nice girl and a guaranteed future ... I have to wander the world, they still want something from me somewhere ... Izabela is not too happy about this fact’’
,,Mgphm-yes?’’ The Indian asked, currently brushing his teeth and trying to somehow switch Phineas to speaker.
,,We haven't been talking to each other lately ... You know, I'm still busy. You're lucky Ginger is next to you. Have you called Ferb yet?’’
,,Yezs" Baljeet muttered, spitting water from his mouth into the sink, then wiped his mouth with a towel. ,,But you know, Ferb is Ferb." His silence could mean anything.
,,All Ferb," the redhead laughed into the receiver. ,,I'll pass the message on to Izabela. How's Buford?’’
After that awkward question, Baljeet felt a chill on his spine. He was a little afraid that the redhead would ask about it eventually.
,,I haven't had contact with him in ... five years?’’ He swallowed hard, trying to cover his nervous voice as much as possible.
There was a long silence in the receiver, then he heard Phineas' firm voice:
,,Call him.’’
,,Just? After not speaking five years ...? And what will I tell him? That it is wonderful for me to live? It's a definite acquaintance, Phineas, you know well...’’
,,I know. But you should anyway. If only for pure politeness.’’
,,How did he change the number?’’
,,I'll call myself and find out.’’
,,No...! Okay ... I'll handle it myself. But don't call him for me, okay?’’
,,You promise?’’
,,I promise.’’
That day, two months ago, he lied to a friend. He hadn't called, hadn't even thought of calling Buford. He always put that thought off for later. Not now.
Not now...
On his way out of the bathroom, Baljeet entered the kitchen to warm up the dinner Ginger had left for him. Staring thoughtfully at the microwave light, he remembered the e-mail he was about to send to Charlie. After eating the steak with potatoes, however, he still couldn't think. He changed into pajamas and entered a rather richly furnished bedroom to see Ginger lying in bed, reading a book with glasses, it was probably an affair. Baljeet settled down beside her without a word and stared at the phone.
,,Then you will explain to me why you mistook the keys to the room with ours?’’ The girl smiled privately, slowly taking off her glasses ,,Usually it doesn't happen to you. But lately ... you're kind of distracted.’’
,,I don't know what you mean" said Baljeet, staring at the screen, wondering how to reply Charlie to such existential questions. The young woman touched his shoulder gently, and Baljeet felt a warm shiver.
,,I see. For more or less the last two months, everything is falling out of your hands. First you forgot to do your shopping, which never happens to you, then you park your car out of nowhere, now it's ...’’
"Ginger, I love you, but I really don't feel like talking like that right now. I’m tired today’’ the Indian put down the phone and after a while to lie down on the opposite side.
,,But Baljeet ... you can always tell me, do you know that?’’
No, I can't, thought brown-eyed, covering himself more with the duvet. Ginger, having found out about the source of the problem, would almost immediately order him to call Buford, and then there would be no way out.
,,It's just that these college jerks keep annoying me, that's all.’’
He couldn't see her, but in his mind's eye he saw her worried look. She sighed, then turned to the other side of the bed as well.
,,When the time is right, you can tell me. I will listen to you as always. I always listened."
Baljeet squeezed his eyes shut in anger, No, I can't, he told himself.
I can't see him again.