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.
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 -
Cheers,
nagappstheblogger!!!
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 -
Cheers,
nagappstheblogger!!!
nice.. looking frwd to the next episodes .. between the blue santro, mom dropping kid , coimbatore , brought up in chennai all remind me of someone I know.. lol.. I bet ur next episode will talk abt karthik, his sister, cricket..
ReplyDeleteThis episode read better than the first, thanks to more details. But what's compromising is it just sounded all too familiar. It'd 've looked better, if you came up with a situation that isn't commonplace. Seemed all too convenient for the protagonists to strike up a chat. It's reading more like a screenplay than a story.
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