It was a typical May afternoon at Dharamsala that day, a bit hot with mercury in early thirties. Except for the noise of buses and their shouting conductors at bus stand, everything else seemed to be setting its equation right with the nature. Behind stood the mighty Dhauladhars, with their snow capped peaks towering over the beautiful valley of kangra. The valley, with dhauladhars as its vigilante, was calm as ever, brimming with life.This valley is known all over the world for its pleasant weather, scenic beauty, youthful rivulets, amazing painters, pristine temples, tea gardens, authentic chinese food, fresh weed and Dalai Lama. When sun bakes up the plains in summers, valley is full with all kinds of tourists from everywhere.
So, i was sitting at HRTC's canteen at Dharamsala bus stand, having lunch with ronnie. We're going to Chandigarh, 150 miles away, where both of us worked and boy, going away from home from such a beautiful place, it sucked big time. I often wondered why our government couldn't create enough jobs at our place, why on earth we had to be so far away from our homes.
okay!!, I'm going to get our tickets from counter, you finish your meal and meet me downstairs, said ronnie.
Okay, get a window seat....i said.
10 minutes later, i was boarding the bus. Unfortunately,due to holidays season, neither of us got a window seat.
its gonna be a stale afternoon, i thought.
we put our bags inside and sat on ours seats. Ours was the second last ones, adjacent to the emergency door.
Here is number 42 and 43, said a female voice from behind.
I turned around to have a look at the speaker. It was a girl, around 5'7'' in height with lean built, small eyes and a very beautiful face. She was wearing light blue jeans and a yellow T shirt. Her other friend was short and stout. From their language, they appeared locals, probably students studying somewhere else.
Bus started. Rons was still cringing about not having the window seat.
When will this bus reach Chandigarh? a voice asked me from behind.
"around 6 hours", i said, turning back.
at that time,i again looked at her. She really had a beautiful face, so beautiful that i wasn't able to keep myself away from staring at her continuously like a painter studying a painting.She was busy arranging play list on her cell while suddenly out of nowhere, she looked at my side and caught m red handed staring at her. Our eyes met and a mild electric shock ran through my whole body. Hurriedly i turned around and pretended to look other way. I was bowled by then by her. There was something about her , about that face, about those eyes. Felt like it was love at first sight, mine three hundredth forty third one.
Rons was busy with his ipod and i was restless., busy making plans to initiate a conversation with her. i turned back again. She was listening songs on her cell now. Goddd!! i truly madly deeply lover her. i Thought of asking rons for help but feared he will start making fun first, referencing my earlier antics.
I employed every neuron in the brain at full throttle,but really nothing was coming to my mind.
An hour passed like this. After lots of consideration, i decided to say a simple "hi". Collecting strength, i turned back again, held my hand hi enough to say "hi" in the most girly way, but fate had something else to offer. There she was, sleeping, with earphones on, leaning against the window. Air from outside was striking against her face, making her air falling helter skelter on her face. She seemed magical. God can be cruel sometimes.
I was getting mad now,wondering what if she had already someone called someone special. That thought saddened me. Like this four hours passed. Bus stopped at roadside eatery for tea. we got down.
So, any luck with the long lady at back seat?... asked rons
what girl?? with a fake puzzled look
Ha Ha....do you think you can fool your uncle with this kid... you know which girl i am talkin about.
How can you know.... you were listening to your ipod whole time, i said
dude, i wasn't listening with my eyes, anyway leave it, why you haven't talked to her yet, i think she's also into you.
How?
she keeps looking hereafter every ten seconds. she is talkin to her friend but her eyes are really looking here, she'll be easy, just go and say "hi".
but, there are so many people here, what if something goes wrong... i said.
how will something go wrong??? you ain't rapin her mate... no one kills for saying hi...don't think too much, it ain't rocket science, just go and say "hi", said rons in a single breath.
i took a deep breath gathered my courage..... hurry you dumb, stand up and go there.. rons was furius by now.
well, i stood and started towards their table. She glanced at my side, felt like she also knew what i had in mind. I looked at that face again, felt better but luck had other plans. Just as i was about ten meters away from her able, conductor whistled.
Damn....i murmured.
rons was holding his head with his hands.
Bus started again. we're sitting on our seats. Rons pinched me, telling me to say hi to her again.
dude, you got only two hours window now, do something or you gonna blow it up the same way you did with that last gal with short hair....rons was saying
don't mention that...you are making me uncomfortable now...i pleaded.
no! i'm not...just making sure you don't make same mistakes again...he said
i slowly turned again. She also looked at my side, ours eyes met again. i felt uncomfortable again and again turned back.Go, she was killing me with those stares. Time was passing by, rons was continuously mumbling something about me being a coward and i was deplorable.
Soon Chandigarh came. i still did nothing. By now i was having a philosopher's outlook, telling rons that maybe its was like that only, maybe god wished like that only, maybe gods did it for some good.
But actually both of us knew that i was lying. Thought of never seeing her again saddened me. i was silent with a gloomy face on my shoulders, while rons was collecting our bags.
we got down.
walk fast now, you tragedy king, otherwise you'll loose the last bus also now..said rons.
From domestic bus stand, we had to take a local place, unfortunately which was leaving in five minutes. Pacing up, i looked back, she was going towards the interstate bus counters. Maybe they were going to canteen. A sigh escaped my mouth.
we got on our local bus.i was looking outside, watching some kids play in the park nearby.
Don't worry, its always tough to get a girl's number like that.... rons said.
i was silent again.
yaar..its a long life..these pretty faces keep popping up in life..you'll get someone eventually.
dunno yar... i think she was the one... i wanna fall in love once..i said.
if you think she was the one, then she can still catch her...get your ass up and start moving, she'll be out there somewhere....rons said with a saint's ascent.
dunno why i couldn't say hi to her..... i said with a low voice.
because you are a nut....you live as if you have to get character certificate from everyone .Dude no one gives a damn about what you do, there are a billion people out there, no one has time for others, and she's still here, you can still get her.
i closed my eyes. Her face flashed somewhere inside my brain. i really loved her
okay!, i said, lets get her then.
By now, bus had started moving. seeing us coming towards the door, conductor gave us a menacing look. maybe he was also tired after whole day's work.
wrong bus uncle..said me and jumped out of the moving bus and ran after the inter state bus stand.
Rons was behind me.
its like a fuckin yash chopra film..he said breathing fastly.
yaaa..kind off..i smiled.
we're scanning every counter there like sniffer dogs of a bomb squad, but she was nowhere to be seen. But still i was positive, believing that gods couldn't be so harsh.
Okay!! what if she says "no" for her number...i asked rons in a lighter vein.
then i would say that she's a cultured family girl who doesn't entertains loafers like you.
wow, i said..and what if she said yes...
well..in that case..she can be a slut....
whattt..... a slut...no..she isn't a slut... i disapproved instantly.
dude..if a girl gives her number to every tom , dick and harry like that in the first place, then i wouldn't be having a high opinion of her.... said rons.
buddy..whats wrong with you..girls can be good natured too..fond of making friends.....you surely need to improve your mentality towards like the fairer sex.....i said
i dunno..just saying what everyone says and whats practical.... he winked.
There's nothin practical in this moron...its due to blots like you that females suffer so much here. Its people like you, who make this world unsafe for women....
what..now its all my fault..rons said laughingly..dude you are literally raping this girl with your eyes since times immortal and now even after she is gone, you are still chasing her like dogs and telling
me that my mentality is wrong.
what...i'm not raping her you fool....mine case is different....i'm not like that...
ya ya....if we do then its rape and if you do then its sex...rons said with his hands up in the air.
now don't borrow philosophies here....you know what i felt for her....i said.
well...stop criticizing me and search yours princess....he said thumping his fist on my back.
we searched every nook and corner of bus stand...three times but she was nowhere to be seen.
i was really feeling bad.
Don't worry boy, everything happens for good....rons patted my back.
what's good i it now..i said a bit bitterness in my tone...
well atleast i can't say now that she's a slut with certainity...
i ran after the scoundrel...got him, and punched him hard.
ha ha...now you are channeling your desperation through me....rons said..no issues buddy....its no more a bollywood film... be practical..you should have said earlier...but anyway love = loss.
and how's that?? i asked him...
well...for a start, you lost the girl first, suffered mental agony, and then you lost the last local also...
money is not a problem..i said...
it should be..it buys happiness... rons said
and how are you gonna buy happiness with money...
well i would have added a hundred more to the one fifty, which we are going to pay for auto now, and would have banged a girl instead.... he said, frowning his eyebrows...
that's happiness for you...i shrugged my shoulders with a broad smile on my face..
yaaa..it works pretty fine for me....he said with eyes opened to the fullest.
and really at two fifty rupees....damn neat...why don't you do it with goats...you'll get happiness for free....like a cherry on top..i said laughing wildly.
hmm..now the romeo is laughin...he winked..
we reached auto stand. Moon was shining above...i was still in her hangover, but thanks to rons jokes, i was feeling better now...well.. what to do..i sighed..some other day...some other time...i murmured and got inside the auto.
So, i was sitting at HRTC's canteen at Dharamsala bus stand, having lunch with ronnie. We're going to Chandigarh, 150 miles away, where both of us worked and boy, going away from home from such a beautiful place, it sucked big time. I often wondered why our government couldn't create enough jobs at our place, why on earth we had to be so far away from our homes.
okay!!, I'm going to get our tickets from counter, you finish your meal and meet me downstairs, said ronnie.
Okay, get a window seat....i said.
10 minutes later, i was boarding the bus. Unfortunately,due to holidays season, neither of us got a window seat.
its gonna be a stale afternoon, i thought.
we put our bags inside and sat on ours seats. Ours was the second last ones, adjacent to the emergency door.
Here is number 42 and 43, said a female voice from behind.
I turned around to have a look at the speaker. It was a girl, around 5'7'' in height with lean built, small eyes and a very beautiful face. She was wearing light blue jeans and a yellow T shirt. Her other friend was short and stout. From their language, they appeared locals, probably students studying somewhere else.
Bus started. Rons was still cringing about not having the window seat.
When will this bus reach Chandigarh? a voice asked me from behind.
"around 6 hours", i said, turning back.
at that time,i again looked at her. She really had a beautiful face, so beautiful that i wasn't able to keep myself away from staring at her continuously like a painter studying a painting.She was busy arranging play list on her cell while suddenly out of nowhere, she looked at my side and caught m red handed staring at her. Our eyes met and a mild electric shock ran through my whole body. Hurriedly i turned around and pretended to look other way. I was bowled by then by her. There was something about her , about that face, about those eyes. Felt like it was love at first sight, mine three hundredth forty third one.
Rons was busy with his ipod and i was restless., busy making plans to initiate a conversation with her. i turned back again. She was listening songs on her cell now. Goddd!! i truly madly deeply lover her. i Thought of asking rons for help but feared he will start making fun first, referencing my earlier antics.
I employed every neuron in the brain at full throttle,but really nothing was coming to my mind.
An hour passed like this. After lots of consideration, i decided to say a simple "hi". Collecting strength, i turned back again, held my hand hi enough to say "hi" in the most girly way, but fate had something else to offer. There she was, sleeping, with earphones on, leaning against the window. Air from outside was striking against her face, making her air falling helter skelter on her face. She seemed magical. God can be cruel sometimes.
I was getting mad now,wondering what if she had already someone called someone special. That thought saddened me. Like this four hours passed. Bus stopped at roadside eatery for tea. we got down.
So, any luck with the long lady at back seat?... asked rons
what girl?? with a fake puzzled look
Ha Ha....do you think you can fool your uncle with this kid... you know which girl i am talkin about.
How can you know.... you were listening to your ipod whole time, i said
dude, i wasn't listening with my eyes, anyway leave it, why you haven't talked to her yet, i think she's also into you.
How?
she keeps looking hereafter every ten seconds. she is talkin to her friend but her eyes are really looking here, she'll be easy, just go and say "hi".
but, there are so many people here, what if something goes wrong... i said.
how will something go wrong??? you ain't rapin her mate... no one kills for saying hi...don't think too much, it ain't rocket science, just go and say "hi", said rons in a single breath.
i took a deep breath gathered my courage..... hurry you dumb, stand up and go there.. rons was furius by now.
well, i stood and started towards their table. She glanced at my side, felt like she also knew what i had in mind. I looked at that face again, felt better but luck had other plans. Just as i was about ten meters away from her able, conductor whistled.
Damn....i murmured.
rons was holding his head with his hands.
Bus started again. we're sitting on our seats. Rons pinched me, telling me to say hi to her again.
dude, you got only two hours window now, do something or you gonna blow it up the same way you did with that last gal with short hair....rons was saying
don't mention that...you are making me uncomfortable now...i pleaded.
no! i'm not...just making sure you don't make same mistakes again...he said
i slowly turned again. She also looked at my side, ours eyes met again. i felt uncomfortable again and again turned back.Go, she was killing me with those stares. Time was passing by, rons was continuously mumbling something about me being a coward and i was deplorable.
Soon Chandigarh came. i still did nothing. By now i was having a philosopher's outlook, telling rons that maybe its was like that only, maybe god wished like that only, maybe gods did it for some good.
But actually both of us knew that i was lying. Thought of never seeing her again saddened me. i was silent with a gloomy face on my shoulders, while rons was collecting our bags.
we got down.
walk fast now, you tragedy king, otherwise you'll loose the last bus also now..said rons.
From domestic bus stand, we had to take a local place, unfortunately which was leaving in five minutes. Pacing up, i looked back, she was going towards the interstate bus counters. Maybe they were going to canteen. A sigh escaped my mouth.
we got on our local bus.i was looking outside, watching some kids play in the park nearby.
Don't worry, its always tough to get a girl's number like that.... rons said.
i was silent again.
yaar..its a long life..these pretty faces keep popping up in life..you'll get someone eventually.
dunno yar... i think she was the one... i wanna fall in love once..i said.
if you think she was the one, then she can still catch her...get your ass up and start moving, she'll be out there somewhere....rons said with a saint's ascent.
dunno why i couldn't say hi to her..... i said with a low voice.
because you are a nut....you live as if you have to get character certificate from everyone .Dude no one gives a damn about what you do, there are a billion people out there, no one has time for others, and she's still here, you can still get her.
i closed my eyes. Her face flashed somewhere inside my brain. i really loved her
okay!, i said, lets get her then.
By now, bus had started moving. seeing us coming towards the door, conductor gave us a menacing look. maybe he was also tired after whole day's work.
wrong bus uncle..said me and jumped out of the moving bus and ran after the inter state bus stand.
Rons was behind me.
its like a fuckin yash chopra film..he said breathing fastly.
yaaa..kind off..i smiled.
we're scanning every counter there like sniffer dogs of a bomb squad, but she was nowhere to be seen. But still i was positive, believing that gods couldn't be so harsh.
Okay!! what if she says "no" for her number...i asked rons in a lighter vein.
then i would say that she's a cultured family girl who doesn't entertains loafers like you.
wow, i said..and what if she said yes...
well..in that case..she can be a slut....
whattt..... a slut...no..she isn't a slut... i disapproved instantly.
dude..if a girl gives her number to every tom , dick and harry like that in the first place, then i wouldn't be having a high opinion of her.... said rons.
buddy..whats wrong with you..girls can be good natured too..fond of making friends.....you surely need to improve your mentality towards like the fairer sex.....i said
i dunno..just saying what everyone says and whats practical.... he winked.
There's nothin practical in this moron...its due to blots like you that females suffer so much here. Its people like you, who make this world unsafe for women....
what..now its all my fault..rons said laughingly..dude you are literally raping this girl with your eyes since times immortal and now even after she is gone, you are still chasing her like dogs and telling
me that my mentality is wrong.
what...i'm not raping her you fool....mine case is different....i'm not like that...
ya ya....if we do then its rape and if you do then its sex...rons said with his hands up in the air.
now don't borrow philosophies here....you know what i felt for her....i said.
well...stop criticizing me and search yours princess....he said thumping his fist on my back.
we searched every nook and corner of bus stand...three times but she was nowhere to be seen.
i was really feeling bad.
Don't worry boy, everything happens for good....rons patted my back.
what's good i it now..i said a bit bitterness in my tone...
well atleast i can't say now that she's a slut with certainity...
i ran after the scoundrel...got him, and punched him hard.
ha ha...now you are channeling your desperation through me....rons said..no issues buddy....its no more a bollywood film... be practical..you should have said earlier...but anyway love = loss.
and how's that?? i asked him...
well...for a start, you lost the girl first, suffered mental agony, and then you lost the last local also...
money is not a problem..i said...
it should be..it buys happiness... rons said
happiness can't be bought with money..i interrupted him...
money can buy anything...he saidand how are you gonna buy happiness with money...
well i would have added a hundred more to the one fifty, which we are going to pay for auto now, and would have banged a girl instead.... he said, frowning his eyebrows...
that's happiness for you...i shrugged my shoulders with a broad smile on my face..
yaaa..it works pretty fine for me....he said with eyes opened to the fullest.
and really at two fifty rupees....damn neat...why don't you do it with goats...you'll get happiness for free....like a cherry on top..i said laughing wildly.
hmm..now the romeo is laughin...he winked..
we reached auto stand. Moon was shining above...i was still in her hangover, but thanks to rons jokes, i was feeling better now...well.. what to do..i sighed..some other day...some other time...i murmured and got inside the auto.
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