another monday morning in my life

Another normal Monday morning at college. I was as usual, sitting in the cycle stand as we called it [wonder why, as no one was using bicycles to college anymore, guess it is considered “uncool”] as that was the place all of us ended up when we bunked classes. Actually recovering from the hangover from some strangers treat, the head was aching a little too much to attend any class. Sitting and doing the normal things, either hunting for a junior to rag the shit out of him or hoping, from out of no where, a beautiful chick blesses our college. Please note that I have no liking to poultry or anything, but again, the usage of “chick” as an alias for a pretty girl is considered “cool” and who wouldn’t want to be “cool” in college?
Actually there was something planned for the week end in my life. It usually is not, and so was kinda excited about it. There was going to be a reunion of some old friends from school. It was actually a 10th standard reunion and I had attend that particular school only till 2nd. I was like a special invitee for the occasion. Was very eager to attend it, cos my first love was from that particular school. This chick and I were class monitors of sorts and I had even at one point of time given her half my eraser cos she didn’t have one. And how I broke that eraser?? I bit it into two halves.
That on the back of my head, and the bloody hang over taking its toll, me and a couple of guys decided that we had to have liquids to get over it, the hang over I mean. So we decided to skip lunch and go to this place which was famous for cold coffees. So famous that it was called cold coffee, though it had a weird muslim name. This place was about 12 kilometers from college and with one bike, the 3 of us made our long journey to this place evading the cops in the afternoon sun. terrible ride I tell you.
Finally we got there and ordered the cold coffees we had come for. And as usual, lit up our cigarettes and started our usual college talk. While I was in the middle of my second fag [ used fag to sound “cool”] I noticed another group that had come to the same place. They were sitting in the adjacent table[ I cant say table as it usually is a circle of chairs there without tables] and one of them was staring at me. Now this was pretty unusual, cos I am not usually used to pretty babes looking at me. I think these girls have some set of rules on whom to talk to and who to go out with and all. Cant believe they discriminate guys on the basis of their looks and the looks of his bike. I have never done injustice, looked at every girl with the same amount of intensity, same about of love.
But now I was getting tensed that some female, that too a pretty one was looking at me. Was very scary infact. Was there something on my face? Was my shirt torn? Was my fly open? These are the things that popped in my head. Being nervous, I slowly but surely checked my fly and asked my friends if anything was wrong with me. Confirming that I was normal [as in how ever abnormal I usually am] I complained to them about this chick. Now it was big news that a chick was looking at ME, so even they looked and I guess that made her conscious. She just turned away and never looked back at me. Was sad in a way but was relieved. Thank god no one was looking at me again.
It was 7’o clock on the Saturday morning. I don’t think I had ever seen a watch at that hour, unless a clock appeared in my dreams. But that day I was up, all set for the party. And before I left home I had one thing I had to do. There happened to be an old cell phone handset at home. It was not being used by anyone at that time. Now, at a point of time when cell phones were not very popular, it would help my luck if I had a cell phone. I just had to fool my parents into giving that phone to me. And it was not very difficult to do that. Actually, after 19 years of staying with them, you eventually know them too well, and its easy to get it your way, especially if it has some thing to do with modern day gadgets. I just had to tell them that the battery in the phone would die if it was not charged regularly and since I had saved enough money, I would buy a sim card and use it. They readily agreed. Wonder why they didn’t think of the fact that all these days, the cell used to stink in the cupboard without getting charged and all of a sudden I got to know its presence and had asked for it. Anyway, I knew no questions would come in this front, and even if it did, it was easy to dodge them.
Now I was all set for the party. It was in the evening, and I got into the only pair of denims I had. Not that my father was financially uncompetitive to buy me more but I have always hated shopping and so I have never gone out and bought myself another pair. And for a guy, one pair of jeans was more than sufficient. The older and dirtier it got, the better it looked, even better if it tore at a few places. Then wore that cool sweat shirt I had got form one of the relatives from the US. Dark blue shirt which bore in large red letters “pro penn classic”.
Now, as I had told you, I was like a special guest at this party. That was cos, everyone else there knew each other for more than 10 years. I had been a part of their lives only for the first 2 years of their social life. So, it was kinda suffocating at first. Only person I knew there, who had actually found out that I was form that school had nominated himself as the master of the ceremony. So he was generally on the stage. Slowly but steadily I started talking to people, or actually it was the other way round. I am basically a shy person and talking to strangers I am not good at, and if this stranger happens to be a female, chick, no chick, irrespective, I go blank. Anyway, I had made a little progress, was talking to couple of people, and was getting more and more comfortable. I was a little more confidant than usual cos now I had an electronic gadget in my had as well, I was cool.
Anyway, one chick caught my attention. She was damn good looking I must admit. There was something about her, either it was her looks or it was that I had seen her somewhere. Having seen her somewhere was out of the way for me, so it definitely had to be the looks. God was she pretty!!! Now of the people I had made friends in the party, I got pretty close to one female and now had to get introduced to the goddess. We started moving towards her, when we found she was sitting alone in a corner when suddenly the MC of the day announced some crazy party game. I was so f$#%^@ frustrated and irritated that given a choice, I would have liked all of them to freeze and only me and my goddess to be there in the room.
Well game it was for the time being. Such a looser I am that I lost to a girl in the first round and went and sat in the corner. Was actually enjoying this game that was happening. Looked around a couple of times for my goddess but she was no where in sight. Last I had seen her was when she took her cell phone and exited the room.
Slowly but surely I was too engrossed in the game that was being played. It is nice to see people smiling and not worrying about the rest of the world once in a while. Too lost in the game I was when I heard a faint voice.
“Excuse me…”
The train of thoughts was interrupted suddenly. I turned around. There she was standing, the goddess.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I had no words for what she said. I just shook my head, mouth wide open and eyes not blinking. I guess she took that as a yes. She sat beside me. She then started introducing herself. She said that we were classmates when we were young. I didn’t remember having seen her, cos if I did, I would have never forgotten her ever. I didn’t hear much of what she said. All I could gather was her name. I was too lost looking at her.
“You were at cold coffee on Monday weren’t you?”
Now how did she know this, I wondered. “Yes I was, but how do you know?”
“Were you not smoking there?”
“Yes, but …”
“You know smoking is bad for health don’t you?”
Well everyone knows that smoking is bad. It ever says so on the carton. I didn’t have an answer to such redundant questions.
“Aaaaa yes, I am trying to quit, but how do you….”
Quit I knew I never would. But I didn’t have anything else to say. But before I could finish, she added to her psychic statements….
“And were you and your friends if I can call them that staring at a couple of girls sitting at the next table there?”
I most definitely was staring at that chick, but my friends, I don’t remember. I don’t think so actually. Now how can you answer this question.
“Well, actually….a a ….”“Well actually that girl you were staring at is me. You guys with those cigarettes looked so cheap you know” she declared.
That hit me real bad. Here right in front of me was an angel, talking to me which in itself was pretty big. And now she called me cheap cos I stare at girls and I smoke. I didn’t know what to do. I wished at that instant that I would have a spontaneous human combustion right away. Or I would vanish into thin air. But all that would not happen. I had to get out of this awkward situation by myself, sans miracles.
“But I told you no, I am trying to quit” I said “what is your cell number?”
Wonder where that come from but it did come. And I thought my cheeks were in for a treat, from the soft well painted hands of the goddess. How stupid could I get, here was a chick who was insulting me and I ignore all this and ask her number. I felt like slapping myself.
“988………” she said, “give me a missed call”
Now what was surprising.