The First Attempt

She was not the most beautiful girl in the company nor was she one in her college. But she was not someone whom you would just ignore and move on. She arrests your attention and warrants a second glance. Something about her was so pleasant, might have been her eyes, not flashy or timid, they had a calmness that was so attractive that you hardly noticed her slightly unkempt hair. Her gait was a dance in itself, there was rhythm in every step and her hands just enhanced the effect with the waves they created in air.

He was a good looking guy. Clean, smart, definitely not the dude type but pretty attractive nevertheless. Tall, almost perfect build though slightly leaning towards the fat side, he was very affable and charming. That day, he had woken up and started to office with lot more enthusiasm than usual. It is just that some days you are lot more positive and for no reason feel happy and eager. It was one such day for him, everything looked perfect, and in such a mood one usually starts noticing things which was never given a serious thought before. Same with him, he suddenly realized that the roads were so well maintained within his office campus and the lawns were lush green and glittering in the early morning dew.

The door to the lobby opened and welcomed him into the deserted room, he was not expecting anyone at this early hour, in the last 2 years when he had been in this office he had rarely met anyone in the morning. He got into the lift humming his favorite tone, just when the lift was about to close, he heard footsteps running towards the lift. Trying to be a good Samaritan he held the door open and waited. There, she entered the lift from the side, turned with her back leaning against the sides of the lift, she stood facing him. Both were breathless for different reasons altogether. She whispered a thank you and got a gentlemanly welcome in return. It is almost like an unwritten rule that cupid is destined to strike when the setting had been so perfect. On hindsight we think everything had been a cue by nature that we are going to experience something that touches a chord somewhere amidst the arteries. And the best part is the moment becomes special with the nature’s own little special effect. A cloudy day with slight drizzle and interiors of a cozy coffee shop playing Rahman’s melodies makes the moment romantic and a special friend or a beautiful girl with you just plays guitar inside you. The effect was similar on him but with a stranger? Why not, all of us were strangers to each other at some point of time?

No one ever forgets the first time they meet a special nobody. The same with him. The moment passed, the day rose and slept followed by many more relatively uneventful days. Just when the initial image blurs slowly, a splash of shower comes down refreshing you and bringing out the child in many. She was there playing with the rain drops falling from the edges of the parking lot shelter. What is this chance meeting of someone you were about to forget called, destiny? It’s magic. The spell had been cast. And so began the journey of a disturbed heart in search for its elixir. The search was short as she walked into his office to join another team. The special nobody now got a name, Renu, thanks to outlook.

Two years of being in the same company should count for nothing if there was no friend in Renu’s team. As it happens there was the guy who had got a lift once to the railway station, and he still gave a smile everytime. Smile is such a beautiful thing; it leaves a small gap open in the relatively nonexistent relationship to breach in, during a dire need. What bigger need than knowing the lineage and horoscope of the most beautiful girl ever to cross your path?

The background checking returned positive with no sign of a well built boy friend or a geeky fiancée. The stage had been set; Rahman started doing his bit, playing ‘Choti si aasha’ in the ipod. Cupid, it seems plans out every little detail and we only have to make sure we do not screw it up. Not every day do the managers decide to organize fun event and make people look more foolish than they already are. But if it means Renu does not have a partner to participate in ‘3 legged race’ and is happy to have him as one, ‘long live the managers’.

The world just got better and grass greener, why do people sit on the cubicle and complain about boring life, while they can always squat on the ground and talk about anything and everything under the shady tree and above the blades of grass. Rahman just got better playing ‘Masakali’ in the FM, he deserves more awards man. Everybody needs to do his bit to recover the economy, if it means shelling out few hundred more on shopping and coffee so be it. It is a sacrifice worth doing for the sake of the country and economy. But the cell phone companies do not seem to be mindful of the fact that people are being sacked all around and are in midst of a recession. How thoughtless of them to give just 300 minutes of free local calls per month and charge 30p after that for every minute. Can one talk for just 3 hours in a day and send only 100 messages in a week? It’s all daylight robbery and the government has to do something about it.

It is not just Shewag who knows nothing about patience but a whole lot of men who seem to have confused it to a disease. Two months, it is said is pretty long time to have waited before proposing to the girl, according to the experts’ i.e the people who have never spoken to a girl before. So he decides to pop the question. After checking for an auspicious time and day, and getting the blessings of all the well wishers and deities in the neighborhood, the plan is firmed up.

The theatre is almost deserted, who goes to a cinema on Wednesday afternoon 2 pm? But sick leave have to be properly used before they expire and what better medication than a SRK movie that had run its quota of 50 days and both of them have seen at least twice, each separately. The movie starts and she starts blurting out almost every dialogue precisely and enjoys SRK’s six pack ab more than the butter popcorn. He has butterflies in his stomach playing hide and seek, Pepsi doesn’t seem to quench the thirst and the lips remain dry even after two cans.

Interval comes and she gets up to go out but he asks her to wait, says there might be some trailer which might be interesting. She reluctantly waits for the trailer to complete. The trailer advertises a movie which has Rahman’s music. He sees it as a divine blessing and gets a bit confident. Then the screen goes black, there is a photo of him and her on the screen with a heart drawn in between. The few jobless people and the other couples in the theatre cheer. He bends on one knee and takes her hand; the screen pops the words, “I love you”, he tells her the same and asks, “Will you be my life partner?”

She is shell shocked and opens her mouth to say something when the nokia mobile says, “Now the time is 7.30 am” and keeps repeating the same over and over again. He turns to see that it is his alarm ringing and his roommate is getting ready to office. “So with whom did you date today? Kareena or Katrina? Any plans of coming to office or is your date not yet over?”, teases his roommate.

He gets out of bed and rushes to bath and gets ready to office. In the office cab his roommate says, “Dude, did you hear there is a new girl joining our team today. I think her name is Renu”. The fm radio plays ‘choti si aasha’. “Dude, why are you smiling?”