I watched her beautiful lips move, stuck in awe, staring at her. She kept talking to me as I heard her most beautiful voice as her lips moved trying to make words. It dawned upon me that this girl was trying to communicate while I was conveniently lost in her beauty. I tried to focus, trying to make sense of the lip movements and the sounds emanating from her mouth. I could clearly see that she was exasperated trying to get through to my thick skull.

I could hear her say now very clearly,”Helloooo?!, she said waving her hands.Doo Y-o-u Sp-e-ak Ee-n-g-l-eesh?”, she said pointing a finger at me, accusingly.

I realized that the girl had given up the thought that I understood her, or maybe she thought I was mute. I tried to speak to dispel her fears but could utter only a mere squeak, embarrassingly. I cleared my throat, coughing to find my lost voice.

“Yes, I do” I answered affirmatively. “I’m sorry I was lost in my thoughts,” I tried to explain.

“Finally”, she said, relieved. “I’ve been trying to find my way through this fog to the nearest grocery store but I think I’ve been moving around in circles. Could you please tell me which way to go?”, she asked imploringly.

I looked at her, surprised at first, and then smiled, “I am going the same way too. You can tag along if you like?”, I offered hesitantly.

She was relieved, having found an able ally to guide her through this mist. “That would be great. I don’t think I would’ve made it even with directions. The fog is so thick.”

I was equally relieved having gotten her approval and pointed her in the direction we should be walking as I looked up her and smiled as we started making our way through the fog. I couldn’t help but thank the gods for providing the company of a beautiful girl on this wonderful morning. I was intent on saying something interesting and making a good first impression but I could hardly think of anything interesting. Her beauty had rendered me incoherent and unable to think.

Finally, mustering some courage, I asked her “Are you new around here?” She looked back at me astonished.

“It’s just that I don’t usually meet girls losing their way in the fog everyday,” I added, trying to explain the reason behind my question.

“Oh yes, I am visiting a friend. I have been here only couple of days,” she confirmed. “The fog is not really helping, I must’ve missed a turn or something and the whole place is like a maze. I thought I knew where I was going until I saw myself pass the same sign twice. I was totally lost,” she tried to explain her problem.

I smiled again, “Yeah, it is really difficult for someone new to go around here. The streets are really small and almost all of them look similar. It’s really easy to be lost if you are not careful.”

I just couldn’t help but smile, as she walked gracefully next to me. We were walking so close, I could smell her perfume. I wondered if I smelled as good as her. I wanted to keep the conversation going and keep her interested.

“Is this your first time here? Or have you been here before?”, I asked.

“Yes. It is my first time here,” she replied.

“Do you like it? It is a really beautiful small country place and the weather is always so pleasant. Today is just an exception though, I said, looking at the fog

“I haven’t been to a lot of places really but the drive from the airport was really good. I am planning to go out this weekend when I am not so busy.”

We reached close to the grocery store as I was getting ready to tell her about the places she should visit. I realized later maybe it was a good thing I didn’t, it would’ve been awfully boring. I was sad that it was such a short trip to the store. She looked relieved that we finally made it there. She looked at me and thanked me profusely as we made our way to the entrance of the store.

I looked at her and asked, “Do you want a cart for your groceries?”, wanting to tag along.

She said, “No. I only want some ice cream.”

“Ah! Right there, in that aisle, I think.” I pointed to her in the direction of the ice-cream aisle and walked past her looking for orange juice. I quickly looked for orange juice with pulp but was unable to find any.

Darn it! I cursed as I searched everywhere. Pulp! Pulp! Pulp! Pulp! I kept repeating in my head as I looked for it. I finally found one lying in the corner of the shelf. Found you, sucker, I said to myself delighted and rushed to the ice-cream aisle slowing down as I reached the aisle. I walked past the selection of ice cream, with one hand in my pocket, trying to look cool and the other carrying the orange juice, as I kept searching for the girl through the corner of my eye. I looked up noticing that she was nowhere to be seen, cursing under my breath. I looked around frantically wondering if she had already left.

I was only gone for a few minutes, I thought. She couldn’t have left so quickly. I shouldn’t have spent so much time looking for pulpy orange juice, Should’ve got whatever was there-I continued to curse myself as I kept searching thinking of all the possibilities in my head moving across the store. I found a hint of red peering through a stack of books in front of a counter. I rushed there as I found the angel waiting to pay her bill. I stood behind her breathing a sigh of relief.

“Hi again, I said, Got everything you need?”, I asked politely opening my wallet getting ready to pay.

“Yes.” She held up the ice-cream like a trophy she won.

I quickly paid for my juice as she waited. I picked my bag up and walked out with her as I noticed that the sun was rising and the fog was clearing. I was hoping to walk her home and I stood there disappointed.

Looks like you can find your own way home now, I said, surveying the landscape.

“Yes. I think I can and I have to go that way”, she said, pointing to opposite direction we came from.

“Ah! How did you end up there if you started that way?” I wondered out loud.

“I have no idea. I told you I was lost.” She sad laughing.

“I bet you walked right through this place,” I said mockingly.

“I am sure I didn’t,” she said, mildly amused, almost sticking her tongue out.

She waved in a really cute way as she started to walk away from me.

“Oh, by the way,” I stopped her, “What is your name?”

“Archana. And yours?”

“Jagadish”

“Aha! Jagadish,” she said nodding, “Have a nice day Jagadish.”

“You too, Archana,” I said, as she walked away from me.

I watched her back as the distance between us started grew. A lump formed in my throat knowing this could be the last time I see this angel. I watched her hair move to the wind as she made her way ahead. I felt like a part of me was being ripped from my body as she continued walking away. I stood there wondering if she would turn around but I did not want to wait that long. I mustered all the courage I could and shouted her name out loud. She stopped in her tracks and turned around and asked, “What now?”

“Umm.. Can I walk you home?” I shouted again as I walked closer to her.

A beautiful smile spread across her lips as she replied, “I thought you would never ask.”

�

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It was cold winter morning. He was lying half naked on the bed with the bed sheet covering his bare torso. There was a serene smile playing on his lips. You could tell he was dreaming, dreaming of a girl. She was not a dream girl like in the movies dancing in scantily clad clothes. She was a lot different than that. He believed that she was his guardian angel. She comforted him every time he was troubled. He never shared his problems with anyone. He was a closed book to everyone else. He didn’t like to be seen as a sorry soul. Everybody was busy with their own lives anyway, so nobody bothered to make him talk. And that morning, he was lying in her lap while she patted his head gently. He was feeling better already. She had kissed his troubles away, like always. His angel always made him feel better. Except that his head was suddenly full of a ringing noise.

It was his alarm clock, which had rendered its services to him for months now. Waking him up every morning at the time he asks it to. All it required was little winding. A faithful servant it had been. His hand stretched, involuntarily, trying to reach for the snooze button. It had become a reflex action by now. He was so accustomed to hitting the snooze button that, he could do it without even having the sense of being awake. He started to position the clock far from the bed, once he realized what was happening. The hand kept searching for the snooze button, which was consequently, too far away to reach. He had to wake up now and he knew that the damned alarm wouldn’t let him sleep or anyone of the final year students next to his room who didn’t wake up until it was past lunch time.

He finally woke up and hit the alarm silent. His head was clearing up now. He was smiling again thinking of his dream. He knew things are going to better today and he took his brush to start the ritual of getting ready to classes. All the while, he couldn’t stop wondering what was the meaning of the dream. But he could sense something good was gonna happen. Its been ages since he woke up with such a clear head afterall. He was the only one awake in the wing. It was only 630am after all. The BOGS wouldn’t be full until another hour.. sometimes even upto afternoon.

He pulled his favorite shirt out of the closet where he had kept it, neatly ironed, over a month ago, as if saving it for an occasion. He didn’t know what occasion it was gonna be today but he wanted to wear it. He wanted to look good for no reason. He rushed off to the freshie wing to douse himself with some perfume. After hunting through the entire wing for the best brand of deodorant, he was happy with Brut. It wasn’t very strong like Axe or Denim. Now he was feeling good. He put all the notebooks (which never served their purpose in class), into his hardly used, dusty bag. He slammed it against the wall to rid it of the dust and dusted the rest of it with his hands. He shoved the books into the bag and was ready to go.

It was only 7 am, and an unusually foggy morning for Chennai. He could see wisps of vapour coming out of his nostrils and mouth each time be exhaled. He had loved doing that as a kid, when he imagined himself in the place of his favorite hero from a movie, puffing away at a cigarette (Not that he enjoyed smoking, he was asthmatic as a child and allergic to cigarette smoke.) It was too early for the class but he wanted to walk amidst the fog. It gave him a feeling of walking into unknown territory, marking an unchartered course; he was thrilled by the unknown because you never know where it would take you or what it would do to you. He descended the stairs expectantly. He didn’t know what he was expecting to happen, but he knew something was going to happen today. Something that might change his whole miserable life. He kept wondering, if it was what his Guardian angel told him in his dream. He didn’t know; he wouldn’t know unless he went out there and found out.

He stood near the entrance to the hostel, gazing around, waiting for something to happen.Looking around, he found no one except a lone security guard, fast asleep. He waited. Restlessly. Fiddled around with a Tamil magazine that featured a pot bellied actress on the cover. Ten minutes later, he was still waiting, now disappointedly. It was just a dream, he told himself. Nothing happens like it does in a dream. He descended the stairs near the entrance walking sullenly towards the department. Frustrated, he kicked stones around, marching through the fog as if it were non existent. He then found bigger stones, to practice his non existent footer skills on. He had stopped thinking about the dream. He was himself now; he wanted to turn away and go back to sleep. On the other hand, he was already awake and so wanted to go to the class.

Going about on the road he knew too well, with the fog not impeding his progress, he continued kicking those stones around until he kicked one too hard. He watched it disappear into the fog and he followed its apparent direction. Suddenly, he found himself looking at a pair of feet, wearing the most beautiful sandals, walk out of the fog. Out came a girl, wearing a white chudidhar and red dupatta. She had a mesmerising smile on her face and for a moment, the world stopped still for him, and he was stuck in the moment with her. And suddenly, the world was on fast forward when he heard the sweetest voice say hello to him. And it took him awhile to realize that the girl had indeed walked all the way upto him and said hello when he was stuck in the moment.

(To Be Continued…..)
Note: My apologies to the readers for the late post. My broadband had given me trouble for the past couple of days and it took me awhile to compose this master piece. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as archana did .

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