U, Me, aur Reliance

With due apologies to my best buddies with whom I talked all through that night, I put forth my first real (albeit, a little funny) experience of what I thought must be a juicy slapstick long late night talk over the phone. Well, you guys check out for yourself.


"Good Morning, Sweet Dreams!!!"


This was how our 5 & a 1/2 hours late night telephonic conversation was going to end.
It might have even ended before about 2 hours.
But, "Ae let’s not go to sleep right now, we must watch the sun rising!"


As Fate had its own way, my brain had to conjure up more bizzare lines to withstand all the crazy stuff put forward by them.
"Chalo lets play Rapid Fire," she said.
"Pratik, are you asleep again?"
"No, no, let’s start. Don't worry, I would definitely sing."


If only I had little more practice, I thought. All those years of being a spoilsport in my school came to my mind as she had already started singing. No more bragging about my being so lame at these games, so better skip this. I had not had a single chance of winning the game, anyways.


"So, how did your day go?” was my usual start-up formula that night. (I know this age-old method is little offbeat but in some cases, actually a few prized ones, it kind of works.)
“It was okay. I didn’t get to sleep at all, and didn’t even study a bit. We were gossiping with our fellow hostellers about…” And it went on.


"Tell me about yourself, Pratik."
"Pratik?"
Why did everyone who talked with me asked me to describe myself? I mean, isn't a 5 hour talk enough to know the usual facts like Rashee and all?
"Yeah, you start, I will follow. You know, I talk a little less." Damn. Again that repulsive statement came off my stupid mouth. Why was I being so stupid, after all?
"Pratik?"
"Ok, let me start first." And she finished reciting her biggest slambook comments ever in a single breath.
"Pratik? Did you get bored?"
Bored? Had it been possible, I would have dug down the deepest abyss in this city and get underneath there. It was awful, man.
Fate had its own way, as usual. My heart enjoyed (or, at least tried to enjoy), a long talk with a newly found friend.
"No, not at all," I like to hear someone gibbering at the other end because I am stupid even to let out my usual thoughts.
"It’s good to hear you talk so freely with me in one of our first conversations itself."
"Yeah, I only talk this much with persons I know somewhat, I never talk a bit with persons I don't know."  Whatever.


"Pratik! You fell asleep again!!"
How I wish I had really fallen asleep that time. But this was not to be. Not that night.
"Are baba I am listening to your talks. Don't worry."
"Okay then, let’s do one thing. Pratik..."
Lo, I was like a man who held the red cloth and teased the bull. Only, in my case, I was not allowed to run.
"...Pratik, Can I ask you something?"
Shoot. "If you would be married to a girl just like me, then how would your married life be?" Now what kind of question was that?
"What?"
"You just say, you have my promise."
What? A Promise for giving answer to a hen-in-the-den question like this? The red cloth seemed like blazing red flames around my body, and the bull seemed like a big monster with flaring nostrils, teeth like dagger, and horns like the swords of royal knights.


I had to go down, as usual.
"Actually, I take the case as I know the girl a good deal, as I know you. So, our marriage would be quite a successful deal with lot of love and respect for each other."
I had given the perfect answer. Did I have any other choice?


It had been more than 5 hours now. I started to say something, but stopped. Not that my mind was dragging me to the bed, but the phone's battery died out.(It might had been freaked out by the epic conversation!!!)
Somehow I switched it on, this time to say Bye Bye, and we said it too. It took only a little more than 10 minutes to say that.
It ended. The record chat ended at last. I was, well, relieved.
That day had ended. A new day was in the reckoning. A new beginning was in the wings.


Next day, late night. Sometime between 12 and 12.30 pm.
"Hello Pratik.”
“Hi, Wassup?”
“Nothing. Just called as such. Chalo na lets play Rapid Fire..."