Déjà vu
Translated By Priya Arun
Part 5
The name displayed on my phone was enough to wipe
away the slightest hint of sleep in my eyes. I grabbed the phone, sat up in a
hurry but answered the phone with a pretense of coolness, “Yes Shraddha!”
“Are you in love with me?”
Now, that was something I hadn’t expected from her. I didn’t know what
to say. Before I could realise, I had blurted out a ‘yes’. Woah! That was quite
fast. There wasn’t any response. I kept calling out, there was complete
silence. I knew she hadn’t hung up. I then heard a crackly voice, “Let’s meet
tomorrow evening at Nungambakkam... Coffee Day,” she said before hanging
up.
I was thrilled to bits. My heart was in my mouth. Tomorrow
evening...that was a good fifteen-plus hours away. What would I do until then?
I couldn’t go back to sleep after the phone call.
I did go to work but couldn’t really get much done. Her name was booming
in my head with complete stereophonic effects. Her lovely curls, her over-sized
earrings made dreamy appearances in my mind. I couldn’t wait till the evening.
I landed there way before the fixed time.
Found a nice corner table and looked around. The place was packed with
young people—large groups and couples. Cuss words flowed around the boys as
easily as coffee. Did I hear someone say “Oh fuck”, really loud? The
girls laughed louder, yet there was a finesse in the way these people ate and
drank. Some of them went out for a smoke. There was an uninhibited, public
display of camaraderie and affection between the boys and the girls—warm hugs
and back-slaps. That was the first time I’d been to that place and I was
transported into a whole new world. I browsed through the menu. Man! 50 bucks
for a cup of coffee? I discreetly checked my wallet. I had 300 bucks with me.
My cellphone beeped with a text.”Are you in CD?”. I replied in the
affirmative. Within minutes she appeared there, looking gorgeous as ever, in
figure-hugging jeans and a loose fitting tee. The giant loops had given way to
tiny ear-studs this time. In a seeming victory against the wild curls, she had
managed to bunch them all up. (Wonder how she really does that.) With a snarky
sounding ‘Hi!’ she came towards me and filled my space mercilessly with her
mint fragrance, as she sat down in front of me.
She pored over the menu as if it were a research paper on coffee, while
at it, I caught her snatching a glance of me now and then. I didn’t know what
to say. I have never been so tongue-tied. I asked “What shall we have?”
“Cappuccino?” she replied. “I think you should get one for yourself too.
It’s really good here.” She didn’t wait for my response and placed an order for
two cups of cappuccino. Aha! She was bossy! But I didn’t seem to mind much. I
rather seemed to like the attitude...it conveyed a sense of belonging, perhaps?
She started drinking the coffee as soon as it arrived. “Have you ever had
cappuccino before?” she asked. I kept looking into the cup. The froth on the
mug had a lovely heart-shaped pattern. I didn’t want to stir the coffee up and
upset the pattern. She peeped into my cup and sniggered, “Getting all
mushy-feely is it?”
She continued, “I know these things. Only those who claim to be in love
feel sentimental about these silly things. Are you in love with me? Oh yes, you
already said you did. But tell me, how did you manage to do that so soon?
Especially after our first meeting ended the way it did? If we were characters
in a movie, yes, we’d both be madly in love by now. But you know what...Indian
men only want to get physical with girls. And especially if a
decent-looking girl like me is a little friendly, all that the men think of is
taking it to the next level. They think love is all about getting intimate. As
if just one night together would solve the great mystery of love once and forever,”
she said with a sarcastic giggle.
“Umm..look, I really like you. But I don’t think it’s romantic at all. I
don’t want to avoid you just because you are in love with me. The moment I have
the same feelings of love towards you, we will be a couple. But until then,
let’s just be friends. Okay?”
I looked at her in disbelief. What the hell was she saying? One night
stands, is that what men thought of? “Look Shraddha. Your beliefs might hold
good for the people in your USA. But such things don’t happen here. There are
men who wait for their woman all their lives. They will do anything for that
woman. You might not understand these feelings now. You can’t even imagine the
power of true love. I don’t need a lifetime. Even a day is sufficient to prove
how much I love you. I don’t know about you but I’m very sure about my feelings
for you. Fine, for now, let’s be friends like you suggested. But then I will
continue to be in love with you. You can’t stop me.”
“Great! Sounds like a deal! Yes, if I end up feeling even the slightest
tinge of romance, you will be the first to know about it. Until then, friends,”
she said and quickly asked, “Will you please drop me in Annanagar?”
So, we went. She casually held on to my shoulders. It felt good but I
ensured a decent amount of distance between us. She started talking about
herself during the ride. She said she’d lost her mother at a young age, that
she grew up with her father and her older brother, that they own a
pharmaceutical firm in the US and that she lived alone in Chennai. She also
spoke at great length about her love for cinema, Kamal Hassan, Manirathnam and
went on with a long list of her likes! It felt nice to see her that excited
about so many things. And a couple of times, In her excitement, I found her coming
really close to me and speaking into my ear! It felt magical to feel her that
close to me, her lovely curls brushing against my cheek. I don’t remember me
being so quiet ever.
As we reached the round-about, she asked me to stop and pointed towards
an apartment. “F-4, that’s where I live,” she said, hopping off the bike.
“Fine, let’s catch up tomorrow.” Without warning, she pulled me close and
planted a quick, tight kiss on my cheek and rushed into the apartment building.
She turned back, flashed a huge smile and waved me goodbye. That little imp!
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3 comments:
குருவே..! மீண்டும் ஒரு காதல் கதை.. பழைய தமிழ் படத்தின் தழுவலா? பிரதாப் மற்றும் ராதிகா நடித்த படம்,
மீண்டும் ஒரு காதல் கதையின் ஆங்கில வடிவம்... அருமை.
நன்றி குரு.. உங்கள் படத்தை தியேட்டரில் பார்த்தேன். எந்த ஆபாசமும் இல்லாத குடும்பத்தோடு பார்க்கவேண்டிய நல்ல படம். நான் குடும்பத்தோடு பார்த்த ஒரே படம் நன்றி.
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