Monday, April 03, 2006
Park Street is lazy on weekday afternoons, a lot like a diva waiting for her big performance on Saturday night. Taking things slow, taking things easy.
The muri-wallah was setting up his square tin box, people milled around a man selling tea. A couple walked down the footpath, college kids...with satchels hanging across their side. Young lovers between days as a student.
It was a month and a half since I met Swastika, pretty par for the course really - in a bong sort of way.
Common family friend kicked everything off - boy in his late 20's, girl in her final year of college. The word "Shombondho" * flew around for a bit, and then that passed. And the buzz word now was "Beeye" *. To be honest I liked her, terminally pretty, lovely eyes. She listened, more than she spoke.
We were introduced at a party. We spoke for awhile. It was "virtual privacy", at least a dozen eyes made a mental inventory of our every move.
On the way back home, my parents popped the question - so what do you feel? At a crossing, waiting for the lights to turn green, I said "Yeah...all right, go ahead".
As I look back now, I cannot believe - the moment in life when destiny asked of me - whether I intended to commit myself to a woman for ever more?
My answer was a staid, "Yeah...all right, go ahead". No cantons of love, no expostulations, no drama, no flurry of emotions just a "Yeah...all right, go ahead".
We went out the following weekend - took her out to meet my buddies. As usual we talked of school and drank scotch. She smiled, made conversation on and off. She wore a flattering black dress, her hair framing her face. The sparkle in her eyes when her lips broke into a smile.
On the way back to drop her home - asked her if she was happy? In retrospect a superfluous question - did I expect an answer to the contrary? More importantly could I handle one?
On the way back home that night, it struck me for the first time - So buddy this is it, you are getting married.
I looked at my watch, she must be coming soon. Three girls walked out of the college gate. She wasn't one of them. The phone rang - people always want a bit of you - on the only afternoon you decide to take off in years.
It was warm for November. I lit a cigarette.
The last time I met her was six months ago in Bangalore. We had dinner, I saw glimpses of her. Bits and pieces of the past, that hadn't gone away. Dinner was over by ten. I dropped her home. She didn't ask me to come upstairs. Neither did I ask if I could. Maybe there wasn't enough left anymore, maybe our egos were still larger than the night. Maybe she had other plans. Maybe we were just sticking to the script.
I let my cigarette drop. I wanted the phone to ring now. I picked it up from the dashboard. Should I call? Should I just text? I let my fingers run along the fancy touch dial.
I looked up, and I saw Swastika. She walked out of the college gate and towards the car parked down the street. I leant across and opened the door on the passenger side.
"Hi", she said as she sat down and reached behind to find the seat belt extension.
"Hi". Waited. "Ready to Go?".
"Yeah", she smiled.
* Shombondho - A proposal for Marriage
* Beeye - Wedding
Labels: Fiction, Moments and Memories
3 Comments:
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If this is fiction, it's brilliant, and if autobiography, it's even better.
Congratulations! -
The rS!
Yeah its fiction. Which I suppose, is both a good and bad thing
Take Care! Cheers! :-) -
Brilliant.
Raagini
RS said... On Monday, April 03, 2006 4:30:00 pm
Rohan said... On Tuesday, April 04, 2006 11:14:00 am
said... On Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:52:00 pm
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