U, Me, aur Reliance - Part III. "The Rendezvous"

A group of balloons hoisted up the evening sky as I looked on down the snake-like path of the park. At a distance, few ragamuffins were intent on getting paid by a threesome of youths. They held on to a pretty girl's legs, and were literally clawing along when she was trying to heave them away. Couples were enjoying their time as they sat on those wooden benches and talked endlessly till nightfall.


"No bench for us.." "Kya kare Pratik?" "Kahaan baithe?"
We were walking together down a park for the first time.
I was just looking for a dry place to sit on the lawn grass, but she asked this question. Why do people like to sit on the benches which are almost covered by the dark shadows of the nearby trees? I wonder, why aren't the benches put under the light?


"Ghaas par nahi baith sakte kya?"
Why did she hesitate to sit on the fine grass? Anyways, we sat on the grass near a yellow light post that, despite glowing boldly from among the casuarina bushes, looked worn out by time. It had stood testimony to many good things, many bad things, and many memorable things too.
We sat down in a fairly lighted area, and both being idiotic talkers, started looking to each other. That was when I looked into her eyes for the first time. It seemed as if her eyes are where, the skies met the sea for the first time. Her eyes were like the twilight, the most romantic time in a day. It seemed as if all the woes ceased to trouble me when I took shelter in her eyes. She was.. just..


"Pratik, Pratik? What are you looking at?"
"No, Nothing.. That kid is looking so cute na.."
I knew she liked small kids, and it was easy to change tracks using her likes.


She was so beautiful, that it would be worth it to recite a few lines from Lord Byron's poetry;
"She walks in beauty, like the night,
Of cloudless climes and starry skies.
And all that's best of dark and bright,
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.."


We talked pretty less, about the weather, about those small kids playing down the park, what she did that day(and what I did), and all nonsensical things like that. Suddenly she looked over her watch and said, "Its time Pratik, we ought to go."
What? It was just a matter of minutes! So less time! "Why?"
"I live in a hostel Pratik. How could I be out so late?"
Damn. Those rules seemed like dancing in my mind and howling, "Got ya..!!" It was so not like I-had-intended-it-to-be.


We started walking down the road towards her hostel. Suddenly she held my hand and pulled me towards her a little as a safari whoozed past us.
"Neither this road is mine nor its yours. So who told you to walk at the middle of the road?" "Oh, sorry. I didn't see the car coming."
"Tum bhi na.."
We kept walking. I kept staring at her. So simple, yet so mysterious, so starightforward, yet so unpredictable; she was like a girl I had never ever seen before.


A few days have passed since. I still remember those small taunts, her pulling me by my hand, her "Tum to kabhi nahi sudhroge!".. Actually, I remember every single thing that has happened with us. Still, when she asks me to speak up about something, I say, "Aisa kuch hua tha kya?"
"Fir se bhool gaye?"
"Oh, sorry again haan..Please say it once again na."
I do this intentionally, because I like it when she says about all those things again and again with a reserved excitement.
I just hope that all these things go on forever. May be time would come to a standstill, and I would keep on looking at her eyes, admiring her, listening to the few words she says; unseen to the outer world. It would be just me and her, it would be only us.