Episode 3: ‘The fine line between to be and not’

Viji had Karthick’s image running on her head all day. More so then, as it was time for the bus trip back home. Perhaps that was why she ended up taking the seat that she took in the bus. Viji couldn't decide what Karthick meant to her by then. So, she let things be as they were. Time is the best judge, she thought.

Amid all these thoughts, Karthick just crossed her to take the seat in front of her. She couldn't believe what Karthick was doing. She turned nervous with him very nearby.

No matter how nervous girls are they manage to never show any signs of it. Viji began talking incessantly with Nithya, her friend sitting beside her on the two-seater. That is how girls usually react when consumed by the situation.

That was when Karthick decided to turn up with his introduction.

‘This is Karthick; Guess you have heard me alright’, Karthick repeated.

Viji was pleasantly taken aback and hadn’t reacted until Karthick spoke the second time.

‘Hi, it’s Viji. Nice to know you.’ Viji greeted in a mellow voice with a smile.

Karthick turned numb in joy for a second or two. He had actually heard her talk!

‘I am a third year student. I study Electrical & Electronics’ Karthick had to say something to fill the silence.

‘Oh good...I just joined today. Electronics and I are miles apart. I have taken textile technology’ Viji spoke little considering how much her eyes did.

‘Textile Technology, I understand, must be interesting.’ Karthick just wanted to keep the chat going.

‘Yes, far better than how interesting Electronics must be, I presume.’ Viji for the first time let her smile unveil her milky white teeth. Karthick just felt heaven in as close as inches away.

The next couple of seconds went by quiet. Karthick was visibly lost in the beam of light Viji’s smile let out.

He quickly had to cover up with a question.

‘So, how do you like our college?’ Karthick was playing his part as her senior.

‘I just hope it is good. I should be here for 4 years, now that I have made a choice.’ said Viji, putting back the strands of hair that fell on her face.

Nithya was left out amidst all this. She had to pitch in herself, ‘Hi...This is Nithya, Viji’s friend.’

‘Hello’ said Karthick and carried on his talk with Viji. Viji didn’t bother to drag Nithya into the conversation either.   

‘How badly I want a change of seat now’ Nithya murmured to herself.

‘I don’t think ragging should be an issue in our college; even if so I shall see to that you have no problem...’ actually the fact was Karthick was speaking non-sense just for the sake of talking something.

Karthick couldn't make out what Viji's thoughts were. He was just pleased Viji's replies weren't only one to two words, because that is usually a please-stop-this-non-sense sort of indicative from girls. 

Karthick gathered guts from Viji's demeanour, 'Actually I am beating around the bush here. I introduced myself to you just because I had one thing to say. And that is, you look beautiful!!!'

Viji was jumping up and down though she didn't actually move a muscle. Her eyes were totally engulfed in joy. She wished she heard that once again.

'Oh! Thank you.' Viji said very little given how much she felt elated. Girls normally are very good at playing down their emotions. 

Nithya regretted she had to sit through all this, 'Oh gosh! What more melodrama should I encounter for today?' she told herself. People who are out of that infatuating bubble would feel it all too exaggerated.

'In fact, did you notice me looking at you in the morning? If you didn't, you know that now.' Karthick emphatically declared.

'Actually, I did notice that. It was so obvious' chirped her reply with a shy face.

'Was it so obvious?!' grinned Karthick. 'I thought I did it secretly. I am...I am sorry had I disturbed you doing so.' 

'That's alright. But I never thought you would come up and talk to me today . Even if that happened, I never imagined you would confess to what happened in the morning.'

'That's me. I wanted to say what I felt. That can't be wrong, can it?' karthick said.

Nithya sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to take in anymore of this. She moved to a seat 2 rows back immediately after the seat was vacated.

Viji and Karthick thanked Nithya non-verbally nodding to each other with a sheepish look.

'I appreciate that. Not many would have been so genuine.' Viji couldn't hold back a compliment. 

Girls offer compliments only when pushed to their limits of admiration. If you manage to pull one out of them, you can be sure you deserve the compliment totally. Karthick very much did. Truth alone labels a person as good.

The bus was soon approaching Karthick's stop. His day was already made. He had said all that he wanted to. He had time for a few closing lines.

'So...I am so glad I got to know you. I wish you have a wonderful 4 years of college. And, this will be a day I remember.' Karthick ended. 
The last line on that being a day to remember implied more than what it actually meant, atleast to Viji.

Viji offered a smile in return, to go with a wave of the hand to mean bye. 

Its boys who let out such loose lines that give-away their exact feeling. Girls are so measured in what they talk. Hardly can others make out what is going through their minds from their talks. Girls teach us many things in life. This is one important lesson to be learnt from them.

On retrospection through his walk back home, Karthick couldn't read too much in-between the lines during his conversation with Viji. Karthick was left wondering what Viji's feeling for him was.  

Viji sat by the window on the bus after Karthick left and smirked on and off. She called up Nithya, made her sit beside her, apologised and made up with her. 

'So, you guys...what is going on?' Nithya asked.
'I don't quite know.' Viji giggled. 
'Smells like something is brewing!' Nithya said and stood up to leave. 


          -End of Episode 3-

Cheers,
nagappstheblogger!!!
    

Brewing up some Romance! - Episode 2

Episode 2: 'Seeing eye-to-eye'

It was a windy July morning in Coimbatore. One of the best things about Coimbatore is its mornings; pleasant, calm and serene.

Karthick, 22, had an eye for the beauty of the ambience around him. His residence was in a posh locality. He enjoyed his regular early morning dip in the swimming pool near his house. Though he was brought up in Chennai, Coimbatore was special to him because of all this.

He was in the 3rd year of his Engineering Course. He used to take the college bus for college daily. It was a 40 min drive from his residence to the college. He had to be waiting at his bus stop on or before 7. 40 am. Getting ready and being on time for his bus was the most difficult thing for him to achieve.

That day was no different.

His mother would drive their sky blue colour Santro to drop him from their house to the bus stop daily; It was 7. 42 am already and they hadn't started from home yet; he was terribly late that day. His mother now had to follow the bus, over take it and reach the next stop before the bus could arrive to make Karthick board the bus. She was used to doing that over the last three years and by then had become an expert at overtaking buses.

Karthick reached the bus after two stops than usual, got down from the car and ran for the bus to board it before it could move on. With his adrenaline pumping, he huffed and puffed into the bus as he waved bye to his mother.

The seating arrangement in college buses is very interesting generally. In some cases, boys are given the seats at back half and girls at the front half. In other cases, the vice versa applies. The professors and lecturers travelling form the middle of the sandwich usually.

In Karthick's college bus, it was the second case. Boys had to be near the front end, and girls were at the back end where the only door to the bus was. The logic, which Karthick understood later, was that boys when near the door could tease girls when they get in and get out of the bus. Wonder why the contrary didn't logically appeal to the world as much. Girls can be naughtier than boys as a matter of fact.

So Karthick walked through the girls section of seats and reached the boys area of the bus. He couldn't find any seats to sit down, thanks to his late coming . He found a pole for support and stood by. His hands searched the flap inside his bag and took out his headset. He tuned into songs that suited the weather that day.

There was some fresh colour in the bus. He couldn't help but turn his head around the girls section. Boys are boys.

At the last seat of the bus in the left extreme corner, there was this girl draped in an elegant white chudidhar. Her face was glowing against the beam of light falling in through the window. Her eyes were deep and sharp. Her hair was signing in tune with the breeze entering the moving bus. Her smile was in short spells, creating its own small audience leaving them spell bound.

Karthick couldn't do anything but keep his eyes on her. The music on his ears started to make no sense. She turned her head left; he did as well. She turned right; he did as well. Karthick had turned into a key operated toy by then.

Girls are girls; they notice guys glancing at them even from kilometres long, thanks to their special powers and gossipy friends.

Viji was no different. That was how she first took notice of Karthick. That was how Karthick and Viji saw eye-to-eye.

Viji liked the fact that she was getting attention. Any girl would be lying if they say otherwise. She found Karthick to be charming. His eager eyes, trimmed hair and dark eye brows were partly responsible for her pounding heart-beat then. The present-yet-absent moustache and beard combined well to give him a boyish-manly figure. His white wrist watch and white head-sets went well-noticed by Viji. Girls tend to notice apparels and add-ons first more than anything else. Karthick wore the customary boy dress, a rugged blue jean and quasi-formal shirt. There was nothing special in it, but Viji felt a strange sense of warmth about it.

Karthick wondered if Viji made out about him looking at her. Karthick questioned God why boys didn't have the privilege of super-sensory powers like girls did.

The college seemed to have moved a lot closer that day, as the bus journey turned very short for the two. But for others, the 40 min strenuous ride came to an end as the bus reached the college place.

Viji, had a look around the college she was to study in even as she kept one eye on Karthick as he began to move to his block. College was never the same again for Karthick. His previous two years in the college meant no sense, eversince the girl he saw on the bus.

8 long boring class hours went by; Karthick couldn't wait for the evening trip back home. Viji felt a connection with the college. She met new people and had a happening day in the classroom.

The bell rang at 4.30. That was all for the day. It was exciting times again.

Karthick picked up a cup of machine-made coffee from the cafeteria near the bus station. He sipped in with anxiety waiting for her to arrive. A few of his friends gave him company as they normally do but he tried to avoid them. Sometimes friends can be a pain.

Karthick recollected his morning bus journey. He very well knew that the feeling he had for the girl he saw was an age bound thing. It was just the pleasure of admiring beauty.

As mature as he was in deciphering that feeling, Karthick was a confident chap and a strong character. He treated women with great regard. His actions were definitive in most cases. He had a good sense of humour about his talk. He didn't want to be dogging behind the girl. That wasn't his nature. He believed in being direct. He wished to talk to her, get introduced and convey that she looked beautiful.

He had planned for all that to happen that evening in the bus!

It was time to get into the bus. Viji entered and took the seat right at the middle of the bus, which incidentally happened to be the first row of the seats allocated for girls just behind the last row allotted for boys. It was a two-seater. She had a friend sitting beside her. Karthick entered the bus. He had to seize the opportunity that Viji presented him by opting for the immediate row to the boys. Karthick rushed to take the seat right before Viji's row. Karthick thanked his lucky starts, for there were no lecturers in the vicinity that evening on the bus.

Karthick, given the confident person he is, turned fidgety. No matter how rigid a man is, a pleasant-looking girl can do wonders by actually doing nothing. He opened his window; and closed it. He opened his bag; and closed it. He ran his hand between his hairs; pushed his watch back and forth and fidgeted around;

He made his mind up, then opened his water bottle; had a sip; gasped; turned his head abruptly and said, 'Hi, this is Karthick. How about you', to Viji.


            - End of Episode 2 -

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nagappstheblogger!!!

Brewing up some romance! - Episode 1

Preface:

It has been over 2 years since I started to write. From aimless amateurish writing to making it a serious hobby, it has been an interesting metamorphosis. One important pit stop in this journey is this attempt to write a story in a series of episodes. I had this thought as a distant plan once upon a time; I now believe I am all set for it with ample time in hand before I start my management masters later this year.

‘Brewing up some romance’ is intended to be a simple light-hearted love story; I wish to communicate the way I see love and romance; the way I would want to feel love in my life. I thought for a first attempt at writing stories this genre would be the ideal start given that all life I have been inspired by love in some form or the other. I know translating the feeling of love to words would not be a child’s play. I only have the honesty of thought to accomplish this precarious task. Let us see how it goes. Hope all of you like it.  

Episode 1: ‘The four-letter word’

 It was 8 in the evening. The family was in full attendance for dinner on the dinner table. It was a practice for the family to have food together. Cook Palani had everything ready in order to start.

‘Prayers first’, Balan said as he sat, before anyone could start.

‘Needless to say, dad! It has become a habit. I have done my prayers. God wants me to eat now’, 19 year old Vijayalakshmi (Viji), Balan’s only daughter replied.

‘So...Idlys and chapattis for today!’, cook Palani opened the dishes.

Ten minutes went by concentrating on food without a word uttered. Balan’s wife Geetha peeked at every plate other than hers’ to see to that Viji didn’t under eat and her husband didn’t over eat. Balan was irked with the attention his plate was getting. He decided to break the silence around the table so that he could get some respite from his over-caring wife.

‘Palani, how is your wife doing now?’, Balan floated a question. Knowing Palani and his chatty nature, his job to divert attention was done hands down.

‘She should be fine. She is not with me now. She has fled with her new found love, Nair. I wish she is happy now’, Palani replied with a touch of regret and lots of warmth for his wife.

‘That is nothing I should be disheartened about. She left me not because she didn’t like me; she left because she liked somebody else’, Palani was calm and collected.

Viji, just at the end of her teens, was all ears to Palani. She couldn’t miss noticing the sincerity of love in Palani’s eyes for his wife given what had happened.

‘Nair is a good man. He must be taking care of my wife very well’, Palani went on, his tone far from lamenting.

‘They were working together in a company. I think they should have fallen in love then’, Palani’s monologue seemed it had no end.

The thing about the characteristics of people who occupy a low profile in the society, who generally are without an audience, is that they speak their hearts and souls out in a hint of a chance offered to them. They search for affection in everyone. They move with no egos.

Palani was one such. His descriptive nature comes from his loneliness and the want for affection. Each of us has been a Palani at times. How often have we felt lonely even with so many relatives and friends around?

Viji was confused with the fact that Palani showed no hate for his wife after the incident. Balan couldn’t accept the fact either while Geetha was already in admiration for Palani’s resilience and purity of love.

‘Love can be blind sometimes. But not this time; Nair looks very smart; way better than I do. I have seen him once. It must be for his beauty that my wife fell for’, Palani even managed to smile when saying this.

Viji couldn’t find even an iota of frustration or anger in Palani, very much to her surprise. She rather found him to be happy for his wife.

‘Don’t you feel angry for what she did anna?’, Viji couldn’t refrain from asking.

‘Why should I? She chose the one she liked. How could that make me angry?’, Palani said as he moved to serve a chapatti to Balan.

‘This beauty thing is a trap. When you go behind it, you would end up bored of it one day. She will then come back one day’, he sounded a touch philosophical.

Geetha chipped in with the most obvious question, ‘Would you, in that case, take her back?’

‘Why not! What wrong has she done?’, Palani said dismissing the question as if it was a stupid one.

Viji was getting a lesson what the four-letter word actually meant. She, the teenager, influenced by movies and fictional stories couldn’t have understood love the right way. For movies, serials and drama do nothing more than exaggerate or trivialize love in equal measure.

She understood cinematic absurdities like cutting one’s veins or tattooing the name of the lover on the body can’t be the epitome of showing one’s love. She now knew love was not what she actually thought it was; or for that matter what most of us think it is.  

Balan could strike a chord with Palani now and was happy Viji was hearing all this right at the brink of her prospective love life.

Dinner was done. It was time for bed. Viji’s thoughts couldn’t move any further from Palani anna for that night.          

4 weeks later:

Viji had just joined college in her hometown Coimbatore. She was hoping college to be a dream time of 4 years for her. She was anxious and all set for her first day at college. Her home was 50 minutes away from college and preferred to use the college bus to commute between home and college. 

One fine morning on the college bus, Viji met Karthick.

-          End of Episode 1  -

  

 Credits- Episode1 : An Inspiration from K. Balachander’s Kai Alavu Manasu.  

Cheers,

nagappstheblogger!!!