Right after my college i got a job offer in a MNC in
Bangalore. It was just like many other MNCs in
the
same building. The company occupied one floor with about 5 halls.
There were about 100 cubicles in my hall. Each one of them was alike.
Everything was just like i imagined in my college days.
BORING !
But the cubicle in front of mine was a special one. It was
occupied by a girl, and instead of a shirt-trouser-tie, she was wearing a blue
“churidaar”. My heart skipped a beat and
i went straight to business. In the first hour of my first day at work, I did
not do anything closely related to work but chatted about the girl to all the
boys i knew in my hall and after this one hour passed, i went right up to her
cubicle and asked the magical question, “Can i have your stapler?” . After this
there was virtually no
looking back for me. I would find myself at her desk
after every hour or so and in the first day alone i was able to talk to her for
a gross 45 minutes.
After a day well spent, while returning home i was thinking
about her, but i could not remember her name. DAMN ! In that gross period of 45
minutes i never asked her name. Feeling stupid, i reached home and slept after
having a beer and watching TV. But tomorrow. It was filled with hope.
The next day i was among the very first employees to enter
the hall. I remembered my college days when i was generally the last one to
arrive for the morning lecture. A lot had changed but a lot remained the same
too. Well as for the task left incomplete yesterday, i was not going to make
any blunders today. I did some work for about an hour. Then i combed my hair
with my fingers and again went to that temple where a goddess was typing
furiously at a keyboard. I stood at a distance and kept looking at her for
sometime and then i asked the magical question once again. Yes yes... i asked
her for her stapler again. She looked at me for a moment and then we both
started laughing. Her name was Anoushka and
I decided that I would call her Anu, with love of course. She was from
Delhi and as i was also from north India we started to talk about the problems
we were facing in Bangalore. We exchanged numbers and chatted about college
etc. This conversation went on for about 30 minutes after which i decided i
should go and do what my company was paying for. The first thing i did on
reaching my cubicle was send her an email asking if she would have lunch with
me.
She replied, “not today.”.
I replied, “then lets have lunch TONIGHT”.
She replied, “you are funny and we can have coffee after
office”.
And as the cliché goes, “ a lot can happen over a coffee”.
We had coffee that
evening and a lot did happen. Being the
talkative north Indians we just went on and on and on. We chatted about
everything from movie-gossip to our strong dislike of k-serials to our favorite
cuisines, favorite books, music and all utter nonsense one talks about on
pseudo-first dates. I also got the chance to drop her home.
We became good friends and were very regular with our
stapler-coffee-lunch-dinner routine on weekdays. Initially our weekends were
reserved for exploring Bangalore and areas around it but later on we settled
for shopping or leisurely walks.
On one such weekend, we decided to spend one whole day
together. We saw a movie, did some shopping, had lunch at a fancy restaurant
and saw another movie. It was already late evening when we came out of the
cinema. We started walking towards Cubbon park from M.G. Road. I started
humming an old Hindi movie song. We sat on a bench and she placed her head on
my shoulder. About one year had passed since we first went for a coffee date
and this was the first time she had done this. I felt my shoulder being wet ed
by her tears. I was unable to sing anymore. I looked in her eyes and we both
had the same thing inour minds.
She needed someone badly.
I needed someone badly.
After that evening we became even more close. The time we
spent together increased. The time we spent talking on phone at night
increased. We both rented apartments in the same building. Went to office, came
back together and so many other things.
And one fine evening while having an ice-cream after dinner
we decided, we should get married.
That very night she called her dad and asked him to look for
a boy for her as she was now ready to get settled. I too called my mom and
asked her to not to look for any girl (if she is looking). I did not want to
settle yet.
Love was yet to
happen.
Now five years later she is happily married and settled in
America and i am still looking for a girl who would put her shoulder on my head
and make me stop singing.