Wait

I got down from the bus ..picked up a rose...red of course...decided to walk upto the tank...it was 7.15PM and we were supposed to meet at 7.30PM...I had a luxury of covering a distance of 5 minutes in 15....

A day back , around this time , I was waiting for her to get down from auto at the street next to her home...she came...entered the lane and walked towards her home...i sprinted across from the other side of the street..into a lane that would join exactly at their home...hoping she hadn’t reached already....huff...she hadn`t...by a margin of a few steps!!...I caught hold of her hand and took her to the other side of the next house...

hi!!....

a little startled by the suddenness...hi!!...she said...

Sorry for this...wanted to meet you .... I paused for a split second just to check her reactions, just to find the little glitz of interest in what I was about to say...i couldn`t be sure if I saw it...

I have got a job....and I am leaving day after tomorrow....

Ok..accha...wow!! that`s great!! 

...there was such a mild touch of ingenuity that I wondered if the wow reaction was indeed a wow..or it was pretimed, just to cut short the moments...making me happy of her acknowledging it...with the whiff like...ok, fine, can I go?  There was a moment of lull and I expected her to ask some thing..maybe...where it was?...what was it? ...there was nothing...

Will you meet me before I leave?

...oh yes...ammm...okay!! ...tomorrow evening at 7.30...okay..!!?

okay...

I rushed home floating...woo...!! I impressed her!! Did I? I think so...and she loves me...!! Does she? Oh yes!! Sure?...yes, of course...my own little demons were ignored in my small moment of flight.

The age old filmy scenes rolled out ...while the big eyed day dreamer in me took a centrestage... I will go out to build a career and will keep in touch ...we will love each other deeply...I will come home on leaves and share with her, my stories...my experiences , she will wait to hear those , eagerly, she will miss me ... we`ll marry... a flightful bagfull of wonderdays and ...and...oh god!!...she`ll be mine...we`ll have a home...and...and... BAAANGGGG!! What!!? Well, that was the bathroom door being hit by my sister.... oh god..!! See..you broke my entire life`s plans...and instead of saying sorry...you are yelling at me!!?? What`s happening...nobody understands!!

I reached in time, well , before time for a change and looked around...just hoping to see her waiting too...ha!!...waiting!!...girls!! too much man!! The panshop red lips looked at me...had he seen umpteen waiting folks like me today?...did I look different from the rest? Was my hair green or my pants pink..!!?? no...then why!!??? I am leaving by tomorrow morning 6AM train , need to pack , today is  Bilu`s bday and there is a dinner at Manti`s, chicken chaap and rumaali...wow!!..they don’t even know that I`m leaving tomorrow, they`ll study ..while I`ll be on this job...lucky me!! I am their hero!! Too much in a short span...but seeing her was important...taking her hand in mine was important...she was important...everything else could wait...I`ll find time for everything else..she must be on her way...may be not getting an auto...or is she walking? Yes , may be. May be, she`s picking up something for me, oh yes,that`ll be nice , I will keep whatever she brings with me always, thinking of her. We met here last month, she came on a cycle, and I on by bike...okay...hero cycle...my bike...i know how to ride it with two hands free...would keep my bag with books on the front...leave my hands...open the bag chain...take out the hidden four square and the matches...then style bhai...oh style bhai...!! I light up the stick with my hands free with the match in one stroke...while the bike is on move...pure genius man...pure genius..!! Amir Khan in the scene from the movie..akele hum..coming on to the bridge...hands free and shoving his hairs with two hands...oh...!! ultimate!! U rock man!! I too can...this bridge beside the tank...I have done it so many times...each time hoping that she passes by to look with a shock and awe in her eyes...ha!! the world looked ...except her....

It`s 8 now...was she busy with her tuitions? May be?  Will she come....err...not sure...ok another 15 minutes and then I`ll leave.

It`s 8.30 now and I just dumped the roses into her verandah in angst...didn`t she remember? Didn’t she say she`ll meet me? Didn’t she love me? Does she know how I wanted to see her? Maybe she knows all and that`s the reason for not coming. Good bye. Good luck...

- Story composed by Digbijay Bandyopadhyay for Kolom