3
“Wrong Number, Right Spark”
Sameer was
also attracted to her, her simplicity. Very soon, he found himself going towards
her, hoping to make conversation at least, if not get her to the dance floor.
“Hey, I’m
Sameer. Is this your first time here? I haven’t seen you around a lot.” His
voice was confident, as usual, and he waited for his charm to do the work, but
she ignored him and did not look interested in answering a stranger. Sameer
was a little disappointed. There weren’t many girls out there who had ignored
him like this, and he so desperately wanted to speak to her.
Then, he
tried the offensive. “Will you dance with me?”
“No, thank
you,” she finally replied.
“Why?”
“What do you
mean, why? Can’t you see I am not interested in talking to you? Leave me
alone.”
“All I
asked is for a dance.”
“Okay, here
are your answers. Don’t bother me after that. I won’t dance with you because I
prefer watching others dance. And no, it’s not my first time here, but I’ve
come back to the city after a long time. Anything else?”
“No. Thank
you.”
Neither
said anything for some time. Then Sameer, unable to control himself, started
the conversation again.
“Who are
you here with?”
“No one.
I’ve come here alone. Is that a problem?”
“I’m just
trying to make conversation. You need not be so cold. I’m Sameer, by the way.”
He stretched out a friendly hand.
After much
reluctance, she took it. “Hello Sameer, I’m Anjali. Look, it’s just that I
really don’t feel like talking right now. It’d be best if you leave me alone.”
It was an irritating look, and he got his hints loud and clear. He made one
last dive. “You have a cell phone?”
“You are
never getting my number.”
“I don’t
want it either. I just need to make a quick call. My phone’s out.”
She looked
at his face to see if he was lying. Instinct told her he was, but it was
unlike her to not help someone who needed it. She gave him her phone.
Sameer quickly called himself from her phone and returned it. He thought it was a good
joke and smiled widely as he told her, “There you go. That was easy. Call me.”
But humour
was not on her mind. Visibly angry, she retorted, “Enough is enough. I have
tolerated you for long enough. You think I don’t know your type? You see a
single girl, and all you care about is getting in her pants. Just leave me
alone.” Saying this, she walked out. Sameer was a little disappointed, but he
returned to the dance floor. No cocky girl could ruin the fun of a good dance.
Anjali, on
the other hand, went to the lawn for some air and was sitting there when Sonia
came looking for her.
“I was a
little restless and needed some fresh air. Let’s go home.”
Once they
got in the car, Sonia noticed that Anjali was unusually quiet.
“What
happened?” Anjali told her all about Sameer and how it had soured her mood.
“But I
think that was cute and smart.”
“How can
you think so, Sonia? I thought it was simply rude and uncouth.”
*************
The next
morning, Kailash woke up at five in the clear, cold morning of Indian winter.
He switched his alarm off and went to his daughter’s room. Anjali was already
up and ready, and the duo set out for their morning walk within minutes. The
garden was still dark, and the fog was dense. But there was still a scatter of
people, already up and running for the day to come. Old uncles and aunties were
doing some yoga, and younger aunties were trying to lose weight. Guys hung around
the public gym and took turns at the weights.
Kailash, a
retired Colonel, had settled in Mumbai post-retirement, but his habits remained
as disciplined as ever. His exercise routine changed, but not its regularity.
And now, with his daughter joining him, the time became even more precious.
Anjali had
roamed a dozen cities, changing schools, uniforms, and friends with every
different posting of her father. She wished to pursue fashion designing, and
Mumbai worked well for her, with its many opportunities. Mrs. Colonel was a
homemaker; she was conservative too and no matter what city they lived in, her
only concern was Anjali’s marriage and had already begun consulting with the
family pundit. ‘;
There is a
magic in routine too. One of them is finding friends. Take the same train
everyday, and you will soon be going to the movies with your ‘train friends’.
Walk at the same time in the same garden for a few years, and you will find a
friend here too.
On that
pleasant morning, an old friend was awaiting Kailash. As he walked into
the park with his daughter, he saw one of his best friends from college, Jay
Dev. Work had pushed them apart, but this was a happy surprise.
“Oh my god, Jay, it’s you. It has been so long, you look just as young as ever.”
“And you are just as fit.” The friends were overwhelmed to meet. Anjali stood aside, waiting
for her introduction. The two friends
sat down, trying to catch up on lost years in those few moments.
“JD, meet
Anjali, my daughter. Anjali, he’s a college friend of mine, Jay Dev. We go way
back.”
While they
caught up with each other, their family, and their children, Anjali continued
with her exercise. This chance meeting soon turned into a daily routine, and the
three would meet every day in the garden.
Anjali had
her own little routine – feeding the pigeons. No matter what, she would never
forget her little birds, her friends, and while the two friends talked to each
other, she spoke to her little birds and shared her life with them.
4
JD’s only
son turned out to be Sameer, the rich kid who had never known a day’s hard work in
his life. Born with a golden spoon, he had not seen a day’s work in his life.
His good looks and his money got him everywhere he needed to be – into clubs and
bars. Yes, he had been asked to join the business. But for him, a serious life
always lay in the future, never in the present. This irked his father, who had
never been allowed the laxity his son enjoyed, and he hoped for some discipline.
On one such morning, his wife bore the brunt of this irritation.
“Where’s
your son?” he asked.
“Your son
is sleeping,” Usha said carelessly.
“Still?”
“Yes. Why
are you so angry?”
“How can I
not be? He’s done with his study, he doesn’t want to study further, and doesn’t
want to work. He cannot expect to be served breakfast in bed all his life. Your
love has spoiled him.”
“Don’t put
this on me.” Usha was a protective mother, and shared her son’s views that now
was not the time to get serious. JD was stressed, though, and wanted Sameer to
understand his point of view.
“Usha, he
listens to you. Will you please talk to him?”
“I will.
Now, be moving, you’re late.”
Like any other mother, Usha was overprotective of her son. Sameer, who had
been conceived after eight years of marriage, was the apple of her eye, the guy
who completed both her and her marriage. In India, not having a kid for that
long raises both questions and advice. She had put up with a lot of taunts, a
lot of talk of her inability to conceive, and advice for her husband to remarry.
But JD stuck by her side, and then Sameer came along, his little eyes shining as
brightly as their new phase.
Hours after her husband left,
Usha’s son woke up, and she went to make him his food. She sat with him as he ate
his parathas, trying to gauge his mood before she brought up the topic. “You know,
your father seemed very upset today.”
“Why? Did you send him without
breakfast?”
His giggle was a good indication.
“Not
exactly. He’s upset with you. He really wants you to be involved in his
business now.”
“Mom, a
cement factory is no place for a 21-year-old to be. I will work, just not yet.
Once you work, you become boring. Look at him.” He laughed, but his mother
didn’t join him. “Ma, see, just give me some time, okay? I have work now, I’m
going.”
************
Mumbai
It
is many things – a city of dreams, a capital, the center of many firsts. It has
a rich history, an admirable spirit, a warmth. Mumbai stands on seven islands, that
lucky number in the magical world. And there is magic in this city, too. But it
is also noisy, and chaotic, congested, and crowded – polluted and stinking in its
traffic jams of buses and cars and trains and rickshaws.
Sameer
hated traffic, especially when he was driving. He was about to honk once more when his eyes followed the two girls on the sidewalk. He tried to call out, but
no one heard him over the honking. So he parked his car and followed them into
the mall and into the first shop they entered.
“What are
you doing here? Have you been stalking me?” Anjali was shocked to see him
there.
“Your
fragrance drew me here,” he smiled.
“What are
you, a dog?” Now Anjali was smiling.
“Wo…wo…wo
…wooooo…” Sameer began to mock bark.
Meanwhile,
Sonia was making a mental checklist of Sameer’s personality, who she suspected
was the guy from the club.
Looks, check. Good body,
check. A natural charm, check. Now she approved of him, and with it, Anjali
was free to go out with him.
“Stop following me, Mr. dog.”
Something about Sameer
irritated Anjali at the mere sight of him.
Sonia tried to introduce herself before Anjali did something stupid, but
before she could say anything, she was dragged into another store. He followed
them there, too.
“So Sonia, right. Well, I must
say your friend is a tough one.”
Anjali left from there too,
before Sonia befriended Sameer.
“Will you stop being nice to
him, Sonia?”
“But he’s cute and seems nice.
Why don’t you at least speak to him?”
“If I see him once more, I’m
calling for help. He can’t stalk me like this.”
Just then, Sameer appeared once
again. This time, he ignored Anjali and walked straight to Sonia. “Oh hey, we
meet again. How is the shopping coming along?”
Sonia spoke to him well, but
Anjali had turned her back on them and was clearly furious. Sonia whispered,
“Jogger’s Park, six a.m. That’s the right mood to catch her in.” The two left.
************
The next
day, Sameer walked in with much enthusiasm and anticipation, with his walking
gear in place. The park was already filled with the usual bunch of morning
people. He began a slow walk, his eyes constantly searching for Anjali. And
just when he was doubting Sonia’s information, he bumped into none other than
his father.
“What are
you doing here?” JD refused to believe his eyes. Right until yesterday, he had
not known his son to wake up before noon and here he was, six hours ahead of
schedule.
“What?
Don’t you keep saying how good morning walks are?”
“But you
never listen to me. What brings you here?”
“Well,
better late than never. I am here and that’s what matters.” Sameer didn’t want
to get caught up with his father right now; he needed to look for Anjali.
“Why are
you in such a good mood?”
“Even I’m
looking for the reason. Let me know if you find her…I mean, if you find it.
Need to warm up now. Bye.”
Sameer
continued with his search for Anjali, while JD, still perplexed, waited for
Kailash. Just then, he heard a scream. He walked toward the bend at the end of
the pathway and saw Kailash, his foot firmly stuck in the pothole. JD called
for Sameer, and the two managed to pull Kailash out, not without injury. The
roads were worse than ever now, and the two men could not stop talking about
the worsening condition of the city infrastructure and the corruption of the
civic body. “Kailash, don’t worry, my son will drive you to the hospital and
back home. You be careful and rest the leg out.”
“Oh. Thank
you. God bless you, son.”
Sameer, a
little disappointed that he had to give up his search.
They
reached the private hospital in the area, where the doctor took an X-ray and
detected a hairline fracture. The Colonel was advised to have a week of bed rest and
bandaged up.
Sameer
drove the Colonel to his house in Malad. Mrs. Colonel answered the door, and
the three walked in to sit down. Just then, Anjali walked in. “What happened, Papa?”
Sameer
could not believe his eyes. Neither could Anjali. They stared at each other
uncomfortably for a few moments. Sameer did a little whoop in his head. After
all, his waking up early had not been a waste, and neither had the search in the
park.
“Nothing
beta, my leg got stuck in a pothole. Sameer here, he’s my friend JD’s son. He
drove me home. Sameer, meet my daughter Anjali. Anjali, get some tea.”
“No, uncle,
that’s all right. I must leave now.”
“No, you
cannot, that simply won’t do. Anjali, make it quick.”
Tea was a
formal affair, where JD did most of the asking, Sameer most of the answering, and Mrs. Colonel and Anjali, most of the keeping quiet. Anjali then walked
Sameer to the door. “Thank you for today. I think I judged you too soon. I am
sorry for the other day.”
“I am not
as rowdy as you make me out to be. Have dinner with me, and we can call it
even. I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow.”
“I haven’t
said yes yet.”
“I will
come at the said hour. You decide.”
“Well, you
may not be a creepy stalker. But you are definitely crazy.”
“You made
me crazy,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
To be continued.....................
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