N and V - Part 1

Nithya looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. It was 10 minutes to '8'. It has become a routine of sorts to wait for Varun. Nosy shopkeepers kept looking at their clocks and at Nithya interchangeably. Nithya couldn’t help but feel conscious of the fact that those curious cats in the name of shop keepers were curiously observing her everyday ‘waiting’ routine.

But Varun had always been like this since the time they met. She had bumped into him at a friend’s house and had taken an instant liking for him. Though Varun had pretended to ignore her and her friendly banters, he had fallen head over heels in love with her over time. Very often they had indulged in debates as to who is more romantic based on how quickly he/she fell in love with each other. Nithya had been the first to propose to him over Yahoo chat and he had accepted. She had a different set of plans until she met him and meeting him and falling in love with him had changed her career plans and life totally.

They hailed from different cities and from different communities but such trivialities were not a Berlin Wall for them and they felt bounded by a more powerful religion called LOVE.

She still remembered the first time they met after she had proposed her love to him and he had accepted. He had asked her to meet at the current meeting place ‘A few meters from a busy bus stop’ on Wallace Road was what he had mentioned. She had no clue to the city and to the road as she had just relocated from her home to be just near him. On the other hand he was familiar with the place for he had been living there for the past 2 years and knew the roads like the back of his hand. As she paced herself up and down on the pavement, looking at her watch, a fruit shop caught her attention and she hurried to the same and helped herself to a healthy dose of pomegranate juice. Normally a very fast drinker, she tried her best to consume it slowly to prolong the wait but then she gulped it down and proceeded to the D place. She looked at her watch. It was 10 minutes to 7.30. She did not have a mobile and neither did he as they had both decided to shop them together.

Tears flew down her cheek. Had he played a joke on her? Did he not like her leave alone love her? She then looked at her watch and decided to catch an Auto to head back to the Paying Guest House when all of a sudden; from nowhere Varun came and shook hands with her. As she tried to collect her thoughts, coy and emotions, he laughed hard and said ‘Neetu, poor you…you have been waiting for a long time, didn’t you? But you should not have gulped the juice in one go. You should have enjoyed the juice. This shop is really famous for fresh juices. Let me give you a tour of this road sometime’. 

Nithya went mad with rage as she wondered (How the hell did he know all this and “Neetu?”  Only Appa called her like that and she liked to hear it only from him?’) and she could not help but ask him to which he replied ‘I came to the bus stop much earlier than you. For the past ½ hour, I have been hiding behind and looking at you. You are beautiful. Do you know that?’ 

Nithya did not know whether to feel angry or happy but she chose to be quiet and asked him ‘Now what?’ to which he pointed at a restaurant and said ‘Come, let’s eat. I am famished. You must be hungry yourself. A juice can’t arrest hunger pangs and besides I like my gal to be a fuller figure. Ha! Ha!’ She followed him quietly to the roof top restaurant and looked at him in the eye. 

(to be continued…)