Anyone home?

The holiday season is here and this is probably the first time in two decades that I don't have "plans". So being "planless" leads to one thing and another .....

Proceed at your own risk...

The sun shining on his profile, a light breeze tossing his hair about, the light stubble, a casual shirt over a well-worn pair of jeans …There was something vaguely familiar about his face that made me want to take another good look at him. It was only later; when he mentioned it did I realize what I thought was a short glance was a five-minute stare.

The next day I saw him again….or rather I made sure I did…I went to the same bus stop even though my bike had been serviced promptly and was back in good condition.. I told my dad that I needed to save on fuel…(he couldn’t care less) and was a good half-hour early for the college bus…. he went to the same college as I did, was from the same neighbourhood and I didn’t even know …gosh! How much has life changed me over the years?! Before I realized it, memories of Kamalesh caught me like a whirlpool and tears found their way up to my eyes….The tears dried up the moment I sensed their presence, the way it has always been – as though the pain was beyond what they could convey.

Kesh, (that’s how I insisted on addressing him egged on by his embarrassment) was an ant-thesis of yours truly; always the patient, serene and composed guy, the kind who would think twice before saying anything that would be considered offensive; I was a high-energy package, eager to explode at the slightest provocation. But destiny made sure that we crossed our paths ….in a railway booking counter, exactly three years back….

“Where the heck is my pen? It was right here!” I pounced on poor unsuspecting Jo who chose to ignore me and tried to borrow one from a visually-handicapped guy right before us in the line. Before I could point out the insensitivity of her gesture, the teenager conjured up a pen seemingly from thin air. I was still taking in his sportive attitude and muttered a word of thanks when I noticed a tall guy ahead of us in the line wearing a navy blue shirt, give Jo and me a once-over. I raised an eyebrow in return and tried to focus on filling the forms. After what seemed like eons, we headed out of the cramped building when I noticed the guy with the navy-blue shirt walk up to us with a smile. I was all set to snub him when I realized he wanted his pen back.”Oh! I’m so sorry! Uh..do you care for a coffee?” I felt like kicking myself for being so presumptuous but quickly recovered when I saw him blush deep red and the sun chose that precise moment to douse his handsome face with its golden rays. “Love at first sight”? ugg…how clichéd can that get? So I decided to call it love at second sight and harassed Kesh with sms after sms, phone call after call before he finally gave in and we had our first coffee date. There was so much that I wanted to tell him, so much more that I wanted to know about him, that the idea of a half-hour date seemed highly ridiculous. He came in promptly at 5, the time we had agreed upon and flashed his dimpled smile that reached up all the way to his eyes – hazel-colored ones that spoke volumes. I could barely find my voice when the waiter came to take our orders ….

A loud blaring horn sounded and I came back to the present with a jolt, my eyes scanning the crowd for him as though by reflex. He was with a group of girls, one of whom I knew to be a fresher. An irrelevant piece of information crossed my mind - he is probably three years younger….but the eyes haunted me and I boarded the bus, to find a seat right beside him, at the very end of the bus. He gave me a shy smile – that reached up to his eyes….I shut mine unable to shake away the piercing pain that tore through my heart and the whole world seemed to dissolve…..when I opened them, he was looking at me with concern written all over his face. Instinctively, I reached out to ease the lines on his forehead and look into his eyes – if he was taken aback, he did a rather commendable job of concealing it. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked, still smiling. I recoiled with a shudder when he winked and continued without skipping a beat “nor do I, ‘cause this is the second time we are seeing each other”. I got up to leave, when he caught me by surprise a third time. “Kesh used to talk a lot about your smile, and am trying hard to see that, you know?! By the way, are you still in need of a pen?” This time I knew it with all my heart as I sat down to look into his eyes….my Kesh’s eyes…..