The summer this year looked like it was taking a revenge of some sorts on the previous winters. The winters had been mercilessly chilling. But it is generally the summers which literally gets on to the nerves. And that too it was mid-May in Delhi. A sweat invoking lazy Saturday morning wasted in the table rounds of the BSNL office. At the last desk the information I got was that the concerned officer Mr. Pandey ji, had decided to take a leave on that day and escape to the exotic locales of Manali; implying, I shall have to come back and try again on next Saturday.
Standing at the bus stop, was another event on its own. The heat had rendered very less people stupid enough to venture out in that hot summer day. So, even the number of buses plying had dwindled to bare minimum. I glanced over my watch for one final time. It was almost quarter to two. Damn!!
The sight of the bus taking a turn in the corner of the street came like a relief to my heat stricken eyes. The bus slowed just a couple of steps from me, just enough so that I can get on to it and I alighted the bus. Soon, I registered a place for me on the bus to stand, and took my handkerchief out and dabbed it on my face. Even the hot breeze through the windows felt good against my moist, sweaty skin. The bus was not exactly crowded, but there were no seats available. I double checked to ascertain myself.
“Rohit!!”
Heard a voice call my name. Felt like the voice came from inside the bus. Well couldn't have come from outside anyway. I turned half way around and focused on the direction of the voice. The source was from a seat near to where I was standing; a pretty lady, right about my age, looking at me with those inquisitive smile glowing on her face. I quickly scanned my surroundings and made sure I was the only “Rohit” nearby.
“Rohit, Class 10 Section C?”, she enquired one more time.
“Akriti?”, I blurted out, my memory accessing some archived information.
Yes, I remember that smile, those pretty beautiful eyes. Wow she looked so pretty and beautiful. But then that she always has been. I still remember the amount of attention she used to get even during the school days. She was a year younger to me. But I still remember how boys of our high school section used to pass by her classroom during the lunch break, just to get a glimpse of her.
“Hey!!”, she interrupting my thoughts, “Where have you been all these years? No one seems to know a thing about you!!”
Wow, had she enquired about me?
“Well, me? An inch away from completely wasting my life. After my HSLC, we moved here, as my dad had got transferred. Got a certificate now that claims I have engineering in Computer Science. Have a seat in a building which a lot of people will swear to be office. That’s pretty much it about me. How come you here?”, I replied, in a very matter-of-factly way.
“You and your sarcasms”, she laughed. “I am pursuing my interior design course. A friend of a friend of some relative had referred to my dad about this place. So, here I am.”
“Nice.”
She smiled, and said, “You have grown well. No more the lean guy of our school, ehh?”
“Ha! Ha! Well talk about you. You look prettier than ever.”, I said. “Your eyes have become more attractive.”. I was honest.
“And you still are the sweetest”.
“Hey, I need to get down at the next stop”, suddenly assembling whatever left over senses I had in me. “Give me a call sometime, 782-65-27-182”.
I had to repeat it one more time. But I didn't mind, cause she was typing it in her cell phone and I followed her finger tips, till the digits got imprisoned in her cell phone.
I got up. “Bye”, I said after giving her a hopeful look.
“Bye!!”
The bus this time stopped as if to give the meeting a dramatic exit.
I got down. She was looking in my direction. I made a symbol with my hands hovering over my ear, signalling her to call me. She simply smiled and waved at me.
How stupid must I have looked with that signal. But I didn't have to feel it for much long. The bus just geared up and sped away.
I was just left with a happy face. The lazy hot Saturday didn't seem much of a punishment now. And I walked back to my home alone.
Standing at the bus stop, was another event on its own. The heat had rendered very less people stupid enough to venture out in that hot summer day. So, even the number of buses plying had dwindled to bare minimum. I glanced over my watch for one final time. It was almost quarter to two. Damn!!
The sight of the bus taking a turn in the corner of the street came like a relief to my heat stricken eyes. The bus slowed just a couple of steps from me, just enough so that I can get on to it and I alighted the bus. Soon, I registered a place for me on the bus to stand, and took my handkerchief out and dabbed it on my face. Even the hot breeze through the windows felt good against my moist, sweaty skin. The bus was not exactly crowded, but there were no seats available. I double checked to ascertain myself.
“Rohit!!”
Heard a voice call my name. Felt like the voice came from inside the bus. Well couldn't have come from outside anyway. I turned half way around and focused on the direction of the voice. The source was from a seat near to where I was standing; a pretty lady, right about my age, looking at me with those inquisitive smile glowing on her face. I quickly scanned my surroundings and made sure I was the only “Rohit” nearby.
“Rohit, Class 10 Section C?”, she enquired one more time.
“Akriti?”, I blurted out, my memory accessing some archived information.
Yes, I remember that smile, those pretty beautiful eyes. Wow she looked so pretty and beautiful. But then that she always has been. I still remember the amount of attention she used to get even during the school days. She was a year younger to me. But I still remember how boys of our high school section used to pass by her classroom during the lunch break, just to get a glimpse of her.
“Hey!!”, she interrupting my thoughts, “Where have you been all these years? No one seems to know a thing about you!!”
Wow, had she enquired about me?
“Well, me? An inch away from completely wasting my life. After my HSLC, we moved here, as my dad had got transferred. Got a certificate now that claims I have engineering in Computer Science. Have a seat in a building which a lot of people will swear to be office. That’s pretty much it about me. How come you here?”, I replied, in a very matter-of-factly way.
“You and your sarcasms”, she laughed. “I am pursuing my interior design course. A friend of a friend of some relative had referred to my dad about this place. So, here I am.”
“Nice.”
She smiled, and said, “You have grown well. No more the lean guy of our school, ehh?”
“Ha! Ha! Well talk about you. You look prettier than ever.”, I said. “Your eyes have become more attractive.”. I was honest.
“And you still are the sweetest”.
“Hey, I need to get down at the next stop”, suddenly assembling whatever left over senses I had in me. “Give me a call sometime, 782-65-27-182”.
I had to repeat it one more time. But I didn't mind, cause she was typing it in her cell phone and I followed her finger tips, till the digits got imprisoned in her cell phone.
I got up. “Bye”, I said after giving her a hopeful look.
“Bye!!”
The bus this time stopped as if to give the meeting a dramatic exit.
I got down. She was looking in my direction. I made a symbol with my hands hovering over my ear, signalling her to call me. She simply smiled and waved at me.
How stupid must I have looked with that signal. But I didn't have to feel it for much long. The bus just geared up and sped away.
I was just left with a happy face. The lazy hot Saturday didn't seem much of a punishment now. And I walked back to my home alone.
