Rain Dance

‘Finally the monsoon is here.’

If you have ever stayed in any part of northern India, you can relate to each and every emotion associated with this one phrase. For those who haven’t, in simple words, imagine yourself as a turkey, right out of a heated oven, and put under a running tap. And when the tap is closed, there will be a sense of relief and joy in your heart, for having come out of the torturous heat. Yet you would be bewildered with steam coming out of your ears, with this sudden shift from hot to cold environments.

I guess I was also in a similar condition. Bewildered with the changes around me, not knowing how to react, steam coming out of my ears, and filling my nostrils, forming a vicious circle.

It all started two days back. We had an unusually light day in office. A review meet, where almost half the staff was to be present, was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute. Since all of us had aligned our work and schedules to accommodate the meeting, it left us jobless for those couple of hours. And thus a group of friends decided to move out and catch up over a glass of beer.

It was not a meeting of love-stricken young couples, nor was it a get together of long lost friends. And thus there was no need for the weather to get so romantic. But it did. With light drizzles filling the fresh air, and a lovely breeze touching the softest corners of hearts. The intoxicants did their bit. And unknowingly the conversations drifted to the topics of love and romance.

As they say, men will be men. Each of us started bragging about our romantic adventures and expeditions. From surprise candle-light dinners to rings in Champaign glasses, almost all text-book tricks were discussed and events were recounted.

God has blessed the male fraternity with a great skill called conditional memory. While our counterparts struggle with managing a lot of junk in the head, due to excess of data present. We, the blessed souls, have the easy access to delete button. Push of a button and the event is erased from the temporary memory, moved to the archives for future use if any. Another push and everything is permanently erased.
 

But it was not be. I am sure the error happened under the strong influence of spirits. No, as always I refuse to accept I was on a high. But it was a mere slip of memory that I forgot to press the delete button. And hence the day’s events left a mark on my male ego. While my friends were busy bragging, I realized that I had not achieved any of these feats in recent past. Thus I was in a compelling need to brush up my chivalry skills.

And it happened again today. As soon as I woke up today morning, the droplets of love falling from skies above forced me to open my eyes to reality. Time was slipping from my hand like grains of sand. It was the time to act. There was an urgency in the air. It was now or never.

And so I got up with a jerk. With my mind racing, almost on a mission, I took out my favorite red shirt. It had to be red. No other color would serve the purpose. I admired the result in the mirror. And left home without a word with anyone.

I could hardly focus on work thorough-out the day. Towards the evening, I called up my favorite restaurant and booked a table for two. I remembered to mention the words, corner table with dim lights. I also told them to reserve a vintage wine of my favorite flavor. Then I called up the nearby bakery shop, and ordered a chocolate cake, another of my favorites, to be delivered at the restaurant. Then I left a message at home that I would be late from office today. Having done all this, I was quite pleased with my thoroughness.

Finally, with trembling hands, I picked up my phone, and messaged an invite for dinner at 8. Okay, I agree that a personal call would have been more appropriate. But I also accept I was nervous. Rejection is difficult to handle. And I was in no mood to entertain it.

Within a minute of my sending the message, my phone rang. It was a message from her. She had accepted my invitation. My heart missed a beat, and then started beating very fast. This was my lucky day. One the response had come so fast, usually not a trait of the fairer sex. Then it hadn’t come accompanied by a list of questions on why, who, and what…. It was a plain simple yes, almost a rarity. All of this reminded me of Paulo Cohelo’s conspiring universe. And I was happy since the universe was conspiring in my favor.

Since I had decided to work hard on my chivalry skills, I reached at the meeting spots, ten minutes ahead of the time. Another thing I had not done in a very long time. Even though I was clueless on what is to be done while waiting for one’s date to arrive, I decided to take a chance. And in absence of any fresh wave of creativity, I started checking my office mails, and responding to them.

I don’t know how long I would have waited. I was too busy to take notice. And then I saw her. She was coming towards me. She was wearing the same black top I had gifted her a few months ago. I can’t remember the occasion, but it suited her well. Her lovely hair dancing with the breeze. And that lovely smile on her face. The smile which made me go weak in my knees when I had first seen it. The smile, that almost made me fall in love. The smile, my favorite thing about her. The smile, I was wanting to spend my evening with.

And then it happened. I don’t know how. I don’t know when. But time froze. She had almost reached at an arm’s length. Talking to me in an exciting tone. Trying to show me something she had just purchased on her way. But I couldn’t hear her voice. I couldn’t understand anything.  I was staring at her, the mother of my two year old. And right behind her, was my two year old, chirping gaily in the arms of her grand-mother, ie my mother. Laughing at her antics, standing there were my father, sister & brother-in-law. At this point my wife lovingly shook me, and asked why I wasn’t listening? And why I wasn’t noticing the nursery rhyme book, with so many pictures, that she had picked up on her way.  

At night the city witnessed some hail-storm, with heavy showers.