Raj..Raj....Raj
We both were looking at a boat far away from the shore, but we could easily see the tri-colour flag deep in the ocean, mounted to the ship. I felt the flag reflected our emotions, both of us wanted to say something, but were finding it difficult to express it. Some sea breeze came as if the waves transported it for me; she looked at me at the same time, her hair-fringes engulfed some part of her face. Some of her hair got caught between her lips, I wanted to lock this flabbergasted moment, gosh, a perfect moment of pause. I could see her eyes glinted a firelight and were playing hide-n seek through those engulfed hair. I felt as if the world should take a pause for sometime so that my penchant could personally uncover her hair back to their position with my hand, which covered her face. Alma could easily sense the black magic created on me by the curly black weavers. I am sure the mercury in any thermometer would have been hovering around minus values.
Alma continued, ‘I never felt Raj carried a malevolent feeling for me. Truly speaking, I started liking Raj for his truthfulness, helpfulness and genuine behavior. I don’t know whether it was love, but yes I liked him. I missed him a lot when he left India.’ For me it was apathy, but I felt she was bold enough to speak the unpalatable truth. It was difficult for me to listen further and need of the hour was to know the correct difference between ‘Love and Like’.
We both again became silent. I wanted to leave the place, as there was nothing for me in her plate. I was about to say ‘Can we leave?’, but before I could say anything she continued ‘My life again blossomed with happiness when I communicated with you on my project work.’ I was catapulted back from an almost lost battle. I sat more firmly, relaxed with shoulders bit more confident and raised atleast by an inch upward. I slowly looked at her face from my left to her right while she was talking. I felt a spark. She moved her fingers to-and-fro through my fragly-wagly beard and came a bit near to me. In next few seconds the distance between us diminished to zero centimeters while she was talking. It was my first ever kiss, a kiss on my lips, which lasted for almost 30 seconds. My jugular vein got frozen for next minute. The Earth rotates from the west towards east, but no one can feel this rotation, I felt this rotation in those 30 seconds when I closed my eyes.
It was 6:30 PM. Alma said, lets leave. The waves became more furious than earlier, rather buzzing like a set alarm-clock. I tried to snooze it by saying to her, 10 more minutes can we wait. She said ‘ok’, These 10 minutes got over so fast, before I could start any topic, Alma said, “Mom would bother if she doesn’t find me at home.” We left.
Returning back home, I was very happy. I was still feeling the tenderness of her lips.
Next day, I asked her to meet, at a very known place to all mumbaikars....Mumbai’s favorite meeting point, after local train platform. Here, you will find many unknown faces searching for unknown person[just knowing by name and voice], the famous area outside McDonalds Restaurant at Andheri West. At that location even I was feeling lost, so I adjusted and stood just away from that so called ‘searching crowd’. A bus passed just in front of me, it threw all the possible dust and dirt the road had on me, I closed my eyes and gave swift curve to my head towards my right side, and my mad brain played a song for me, ‘roop suhana lagta hai, chand poorana lagta hai, tere aage o’ jaanam’, I got my answer, she must be very much near to me.
The moment the bus left from my sight I saw her, beautifully dressed in tight jeans, tight white T-Shirt properly tucked in, with a jeans shrug, with a perfect multicolor goggle, reflecting her perfect multicolored nature for today. Looking at her I felt as if I took a bite of a nasty-indian-green-chilly. She was looking very spicy. I wanted to take her somewhere else, but she said, she was hungry. Hungry at 12:00 noon? Alma pushed me inside the restaurant, my pocket was not ready for this, I applied all the possible breaks I could apply to my legs, without letting her know. We moved inside the restaurant, we both were standing at the order-counter, she ordered bunch of things. I was worried about the thick-fat bill that I would have pay for this gigantic order. She said ‘Do you want anything more?’ I said, ‘Have we ordered for today only or tomorrow also?’ She took it as a joke, and gave a smile, but I was really serious. I gave the order, and was waiting for that bill-gong to burn my empty pocket. The person at the billing counter, said, 250 Rs Sir. I coughed, as I heard that amount, it was more than my monthly train-pass. I just had 100 Rs in my pocket, an embarrassing moment for me in front of a lady. I slid my hand inside my back-pocket of my pant to search for my wallet. The moment I looked up, I saw a debit-card first time in my life that too so closely in Alma’s hand. I said ‘Hey let me pay, what are you doing, it doesn’t look good. She said its okay, no problem, next time you pay. I said second time to her, no its completely wrong, I called you, let me pay. She was about to take her hand back, I stopped myself, and said, ‘If you are feeling bad then you can pay now, but next time I will pay, okay?’ She nodded with an affirmative answer . ‘Huushshh’, I breathed a sigh of relief. Bought our order, she spoke less, while eating, probably giving justice to right thing at right time. I heard somewhere that beautiful girls eat less, she proved it wrong with a demo. We continued meeting for next 10 days at various locations.
Silver Beach was my favorite because of the fantastic location and we used to wrap the whole discussion in just 5 Rs peanuts or maximum 10 Rs bhel. That day, Alma was looking bit worried. She said, ‘I want to say something to you'. I swiftly opened my closed eyes. I said to her, tell me Alma, what you want to say? I thought the moment has arrived and she will propose me, the bubbly feeling got goose-bumps on me. I allowed her to take charge. 'I don’t know what it is, but I have really started liking you and I don’t want to miss you any more', she said. Don’t want to miss means?, I am here only, we can meet regularly. She took deep breath and looked down, I said 'What happened?' 'Why mixed emotions?', even I like you a lot as a friend.
'Varun, after dad's death, mom has become very lonely, though they were divorced, but they knew that they both were made for each other. The vacuum created by this incident in mom's heart has made her restless and made her unable to concentrate on her work. Recently Wockind Technologies Ltd. have acquired my moms company and they have retained her position in the company but have asked her to join their UK branch in few days. I couldn’t understand the seriousness of what she was talking, I said ' So its good, what's the issue.' 'Alma’s face showed irritation of my frivolous comment, as if I spoilt the blasphemy of the situation, Varun you are not understanding, even I will have to move to UK if she goes.' My heart shattered and broke like a mirror in seconds. I don’t know how to solve this puzzle, the puzzle of my just started love-line, my life-line. I felt like an egg, which if breaks from inside, a life starts and if it breaks from outside, a life ends. Mine broke from outside, to forget the cutest girl of my life. God the Savior, what game are you playing? What shall I do now, we both observed complete two minute silence, as if we were mourning for a loss a grief-stricken of hope.
I don’t know what to say. But just to console her and my current mental status, I said with a materialistic smile on my face 'So for how many days are you going with your mom?' Alma replied, 'Atleast six years, but not concrete mom said. The company is thinking of fast vertical growth and expansion of company business, to overcome acquisition cost as fast as possible.' It was difficult to understand the technical terms, what her mother has dumped into her ears. The sweet hangover created by the few-days back kiss, got purblind.
I said, 'So how and when will we meet? ' she did not reply. After thinking for a while she said, she will call me on my residence number. This brought a smile on our faces. I said okay, but promise me you will study hard and we will meet once you are back in India. She said 'Sure.' It was difficult to digest life without Alma for couple of years, what if she forgets me. My heart sinked but there was no remedy for it.
I was continuously looking at her, just to store how much my brain could grasp her as if she was leaving the next day. We got up and left the lovely beach on a not so-happy note. I dropped her at her residence and I headed ahead to my house.
We continued talking over the phone almost for a month. I didn’t know how the month passed away. Suddenly she did not call me for three days, passing a day without talking to her is very difficult. One evening she called me, she seemed to be in too much hurry. I said 'What happened, any issue?' She replied, 'Varun I was busy helping mummy in packing so could not call you. Mom said we have to leave within two days.' There was nothing in my hand to stop it.
She flew away. I did not ask her to which location in UK she was going. In few days Alma called me from UK, due to time difference and huge call tariff rates we spoke in terms of seconds-meter. I felt good after her call. I used to wait for her call. As days passed by, the call frequency became less and less. From once a week to once a month. 'Could be, she must be busy in her academics?’
Continued in next release, click below links for all releases till now:
Did she really loved me....? Part-1
Did she really loved me....? Part-2
Did she really loved me....? Part-3
Did she really loved me....? Part-4
Did she really loved me....? Part-5
Did she really loved me....? Part-6
Did she really loved me....? Part-7
Did she really loved me....? Part-8
Did she really loved me....? Part-9
Did she really loved me....? Part-10
Did she really loved me....? Part-11
Did she really loved me....? Part-12
Did she really loved me....? Part-13
Did she really loved me....? Part-14
Did she really loved me....? Part-15[The End]
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