My author friend has agreed that he would introduce me to his
mysterious friend on that evening. I was like a small kid who had allowed by
his mom to buy and eat any number of chocolates from the costliest and
obviously exclusive chocolate outlet. One thing I knew was that the evening
would be different. Hearing a lot from my friend, I had a fair idea about the
character of the guy I would be interacting very soon. My friend had told me
that Sidharath had agreed to come on one condition that he would unfold one
mystery about him a day and I should not question him (Losers and half nuts
like Sidharth makes people agree on certain wild, unreasonable conditions
before meeting a complete stranger, I thought). That Condition was double okay
with me since meeting a character like Sidharath and listening to him seemed
most important.
Both of us, me and my author friend was waiting for Sidharth to join
us at the Café Coffee Day in Forum mall Bangalore at around 5.30 in the
evening. As always Forum was full of young couples, college students, window
shoppers and many such categories of the society. Had we not ordered our mini
Cappuccinos and settled ourselves on the empty couches of CCD, the floor manager
would have asked us to leave long back seeing us scanning each and every hot
chick checking inside CCD as if we were expecting someone to show up. We only
knew we were.
Finally against the odds my
eyes were glued onto a guy. Not that I am a gay or something. He looked
misplaced in that crowd. He wore a loose full sleeve faded green shirt and
faded blue denim. His slippers only widened my already opened mouth. He must
have sleep deprived for months I thought. In fact he was heading where we both
were sitting. Seeing him coming, my author friend stood up and shouted and gave
him a half hug, ‘Sidharth we have been waiting for you since 5.30 and you are
almost 20 minutes late, whats up mate?, Meet my friend Kishore and he looked at
me and continued as if we were the only customers at CCD Forum outlet in that
peak hour, Kishore, Sidharth!
I was taken aback with that sort of introduction. Sidharth’s facial expression
told he too was. My author friend was in a hurry as if his girlfriend was
roaming in the mall without knowing the whereabouts of her better half. It was
so quick that, none of us could even blink an eye. I shook hands with Sidharth
and that handshake was the weakest one I had ever got from a guy in my whole life.
His hand was dead cold. At least I felt so. Sidharth’s gazed down. I and my
author friend has looked at each other; confused!
I was confused how to initiate a conversation. My author friend
started his casual conversation with Sidharth. I knew I should be framing the
conversation in such a way that Sidharth could open up and chat casually. I had
to excuse both of them and went to the counter to order 3 large
cappuccinos. None of us preferred an unpleasant
atmosphere. I noted the huge grin on the face of the floor manager this time.
He might have seen me checking the price of the sandwiches as well, I thought. When
I reached at the table Sidharth looked at me and asked ‘How much interested are
you in hearing about my life?’ I told him passing his cup of cappuccino that my
interest towards his life is actually from the bottom of my heart and is not
just like listening to other’s misery and laughing at it. Sidharth seemed a
little nervous and said firmly, ‘I don’t need anybody’s sympathy’. I choked
hearing the same but luckily managed to keep my cappuccino inside that gigantic
cup, on which it was written ‘Café Coffee Day- A lot can happen over Coffee’
Sidharath exhaled a deep breath and looked convinced at my sincerity
in hearing his passage of life.
He continued: It all went wrong since we started meeting in the early
hours of the dawn just 8 months ago.
Sidharth’s mentioning of early hours of dawn and yet to disclose
female character made me pull my couch towards him.
He continued:
I met Rwitika eight months ago near Christ College at about 6 in
the morning. She was on her jogging dress. It was quit intentional from my part that, I
chose the footpath near Christ College Bangalore for jogging. It served me two
ways. I would not miss any hot-beauty conscious girl who comes out early in
the morning for jogging and after finishing mine I always preferred a strong
tea served from a nearby bakery. I had seen her running at my direction from a
good 30 meters away. Though I was gasping, I tried my level best to hold my breath
when we crossed. Automatically a smile came on my face. I could not resist
smiling at her. She was that gorgeous. I was sure she had seen me smiling at
her. Her face expressionless! She would have seen enough stupid guys smiling at
her like that, I thought.
When sipping the morning tea from
the bakery, I tried scanning the images of each and every girl I might have met
ever since I started jogging on the same footpath. None came out and the CPU
inside me had to register her as a new entry. But somewhere inside me someone
told that the girl I met a while ago was special and I had to make an effort to
make her mine. I was at my 2 BHK flat near Madiwala by 7 and started my routine
meditation. But unlike everyday my mind was still on that footpath following a
pair of Nike shoe she wore. Then only I have noticed that my subconscious mind
had even spotted the shoes she wore. Her round face, dark black eyes, Shoulder
length brownish hair, lovely lips and even the smell of her perfume, which I felt
when she crossed me, thrilled my nostrils. One by one, her features started
disturbing my mind. Her structure picture perfect!
I could no longer concentrate
and stopped meditating for that day and prepared to leave to office before the
company bus showing up at the gate. Though I was not done any meditation my
mind was cherishing on an unknown pleasure and unlike every day I was at the
gate before the bus reached. My colleagues surprised and driver Ramayya who
always gave me a dirty look amused. Inside the bus after settling down I prayed
to god for the first time in my career to give maximum traffic jams for Ramayya
to negotiate with before reaching the Infosis campus so that I could listen to
my favorite melodies, thinking about the unknown girl I had met a couple of
hours before. When you are in love, you pray for something and get exact
opposite of what you prayed for. That particular morning Ramayya was happy that he could make us
reach in the campus before time!
When it was night before I set alarm to wake up at 5.00 in the morning I gave my second
application to God. It was just to shrink the night. I turned many turns on my
bed and might have slept between 2 and 3 in the morning. Image of the girl
which has got registered hours back seemed working!
She was breathtakingly gorgeous and I should speak to her when I meet
her next time, a quick resolution passed without having a second thought.
Next day I was very early at the same spot where I met her yesterday.
I kept waiting. It was unusual for me to not look at the girls jogging on that footpath.
On that day I had just come to see her and to talk to her. Nothing else and no
one else mattered. I kept waiting. My eyes had identified that pair of Nike
shoe from a good distance and she was such a treat for my eyes. Everything
blurred for a second when both of my eyes got wet. I quickly wiped them off and
remained clueless when I thought the reason behind the moisture. She might have
wondered at my posture, looking at her like a statue, mouth wide open. Had she
noticed me last day she would be thinking Oh, the same mad guy, I thought. She
came running and the same automatic smile came on my face. She looked puzzled;
her expression told.
Excuse me, I said. She stopped and gave me a look. I was really pissed
off by that time. Yeah, May I know you? She said.
Err…Umm...well no. I am Sidharth I said after clearing my throat. It
was hard to pretend that my lips were not shivering. I went on, It would be really
great if we could sit over tea at the bakery out there, pointing the bakery.
She looked confused. Her black eyeballs asked million questions and pierced my
heart so deep that I almost felt taking her in my arms telling the whole world
that, ‘Finally Sidharth has decided to fall in love with this cute little
angel’. Her childish-innocent face was such a cute thing to watch. Please… I
almost begged.
Well… Okay she said but clearly nervous
When she came to know that I was working with Infosis she let pass a
relieving sigh (I don’t know why) and seemed comfortable. She said she was Rwitika
and she is doing her MBA from Christ College. She was actually from Hyderabad.
We finished our tea and strolled on that footpath. From that day till we got
separated we didn’t jog. We just walked. As time went along we just walked hand
in hand. I never thought destiny had a cruel face as such. It was just fate which
separated us. She still lives in my heart.
I guess CCD is about to close. Guys we should be going now, Sidharth
Said. Then only I realized where I was. I was with Sidharth and his cute girlfriend. He brought me back to reality and I was curious to know what happened
to them.
My author friend stood up and said ‘Chalo guys we should be moving
now’. Sidharth you take care buddy, see you.
Sidharth said the same to him and turned to me. Nice meeting you
Kishore.
I was dumb for awhile. He
pointed to me the sign board where it was written ‘a lot can happen over
coffee’ and said, in my case it happened over tea!
He left us in a hurry. I stood
up, agape!
But I was pretty sure that a lot more will happen over coffee at Café
Coffee Day before I leave the garden city. I had to blame myself for taking
Sidharth as a loser and an insane person. If it was all about destiny as
Sidharth had said what a guy like him would do, I wondered.
Thanks for your time
Sharath Muthirakkal
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