Episode-1
The telephone shrieked breaking the silence of the night.I woke up in bed and sat staring into the darkness.Gradually I gathered my senses and groped around for my watch.The neon gleamed on the face of the clock,it was around 11:30 pm,who could be calling up now?My heart was racing ahead of me, but my feet were playing a game of deceit.They were cold and numb ,I just could not get myself to move.Finally I took control of my senses and stumbled towards the wailing phone.By the time I reached out ,my hands stopped mid air at the sudden silence.Was I dreaming? I thought, as I kept looking at the now peaceful instrument .My mind was working overtime trying to figure out who it could be calling , just another drunk crank caller or a wrong number. Minutes ago ,the ringing phone seemed to me like a nameless devil ,with a green face and red eyes spitting venom at me and now finally it had gone off to sleep .Could be a wrong number I conveniently resolved.
My heart found back its normal pace ,the blood returned to my feet as I swept away the little beads of sweat that had adorned my forehead .My face broke into a Monalisa smile and I turned around to get back to the comforts of my bed .Just then ,I was stopped in my tracks, the caller was back like a crying child .This time without delay I gathered myself and firmly got my hands around the receiver ,its weight kind of took me by surprise .”Hello” ,I said my voice shivery.
“Is that Megha?” ,a gruff voice spoke .I kept juggling around with names to fit that voice, as I answered back ”Yes” .Promptly came the next ”Megha ,this is Rajeev this side ,you may not know me ,but if I may introduce myself, I am Pranav’s friend calling from London” before I could speak, he continued ”I am sorry it may be late in India right now ,but I just got hold of your number and I could’nt wait to speak to you .This is kind of urgent you see ” .Having got my chance,I spoke, my voice full of mixed feelings of anxiety ,confusion and irritation .”I would like to assume it is , because I do not think I know you from Adam’s”.
I will pause the story here to introduce you to Pranav, the lucky man who is committed to be married to me in a month or no lets see ,three weeks time! Pranav was in Delhi , with his family on some last minute marriage planning, as he had told me .But he had not mentioned this friend of his coming into town to join our marriage celebration .So what could he have to do with me ?
Now his best friend calls me at this weird hour all the way from Queens own country. This is interesting, said my inner voice . Filmi keeras (Film buffs) like me find these twists super exciting .Anyway lets get back to the story.
There was a little smile, I would imagine, as Rajeev spoke ,”Megha I am coming to India or Kolkata to be precise on 30th of October, that is tomorrow .The first thing that I want to do is meet you .So could you help me with a suitable time and place”. “Duh!!!Is this guy for real?”,my mind spoke”He wants to fix a date with his friends fiancee’ and he calls up at this hour for this?’ I screamed back,"URGENT ?sure ”I smirked ,"Western culture I tell you ”.After a brief conversation with myself I spoke back to Mr Rajeev ,”I do not understand the urgency Rajeev .Pranav’s birthday is in a few days and I am sure we can meet then? ”.Before he could fumble in a reply ,lightning struck my little imaginative head……oh-no what was I thinking ,Rajeev could be planning a surprise birthday party !!! and in a snap my voice changed shades like a chameleon .”Yipee!”said the little girl in me” I wanted to be a part of this great idea and so no more questions asked ”.Much to Rajeev’s surprise , I hastily rattled off the venue and time of our fateful meeting ,that finally changed the entire sequence of my life .It may sound clichéd but I resolve that man proposes and god disposes.
I woke up in the morning to the smell of my usual cup of steaming tea .I sat up once again blinking at the sunlight ,that sneaked in through the curtains filling the room with a warm light .November was knocking at the door, bringing with it the crispness in the morning air .How I loved this time of the year in Kolkata and this November particularly, would be written in my memory book as a very special one .Soon I would be married ,all dolled up like a bride straight from the bollywood sets .The air would be filled with the smell of a thousand flowers .Lights ,camera ,action and there the family pundit would begin chanting the religious vows .All the imagination made me happily break into a dreamy smile.Just then an earth shattering clanging sound followed by moms agitated voice ,brought me back to reality .It was Malti didi ,as usual hurrying ,her way in the kitchen.
I touched my feet to the cold ground looking for my slippers with the empty cup in my hand .I stretched lazily, almost spilling the left over in the cup over my head .Now that would be some start to a new day. Just then I recalled speaking to myself ”Hello ,you seem to have forgotten last nights phone call ,like a bad dream” .Oh yes ,I was to meet Rajeev today after work .There I was, immediately struck by a, I-Have-Nothing-Decent-To-wear syndrome .This is a common ailment with girls you see. The feeling of being cursed with the worst collection in one's wardrobe .I was soon found with my head stuck in the cupboard and a heap of rejected clothes at my feet . No silly, I was not going to meet my fiancée, I said to myself , but Rajeev was his closest friend after all I added again ,I had to make my first impression ,right ? Thus continued the almost audible, argument in my head and the battle with clothes,hangers et all.
Finally I decided on a dark grey well tailored business suit, on which I had spent almost half of a months salary .But this was’nt a good time to go on a financial guilt trip ,this was the time to purely look impressive .I laid the suit carefully on my ruffled bed and headed for a shower .I stopped and turned to take a last look at what I had decided on wearing and no matter how much you will hate me for this ,but yes, there I was back to where I had begun .Nah….the suit was too formal and this ai’nt an interview after all .For the last time I picked out a lovely white silk shirt and teamed it with a black pencil skirt .”This is it, my new acquisition of a dainty looking pearl set would just do the magic and make me picture perfect in the eyes of this man,who could mentally congratulate Pranav on his choice .Who ever heard of being humble right?? “I do’nt even know Rajeev ,”I almost sqeaked ,”but who cares ”.I growled back ,”I wanted to look and feel good ,and that is that.”
I stepped into my tallest shoes dreading the painful ordeal of spending those hours at work in them. But there again, my small teeny structure did not give me the liberty of wading in anything more reasonable, when it came to comfort. My added height lend me some confidence, as I walked out of the house after having planted a kiss on mamma’s cheeks. As an after thought, I yelled back to her, that I would be late from work and before she could shoot out her series of questions, I was out of her sight, ready to start my day.
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