When we Met!!

(Fiction)

14^th of February, the Valentine’s Day. Usually people spend this day with their beloved partners on a romantic date and those who are single, propose to the ones they love. But I wasn’t doing either of it. Neither I had a girlfriend nor was I going to propose anyone because on a Sunday morning, like a jackass, I was at an examination centre, going to give an exam for a stupid government job.

What made it even more stupid was that I didn’t want the job. I was a talented student pursuing BBA but an argument with my overly strict dad made me make a bet. Like most parents my dad considered me good for nothing. Not even for a clerical government job. The hero that I believed myself to be, I bet that I can get it anytime. Dad took it seriously and applied on my behalf.

So there I was, on the Valentine’s Day at a government school to give an exam for a government job. The crowd was exceptionally bad. What kind of people do you expect to apply for a clerical job at a government office? There were people from all neighbouring villages of Delhi. Boys were more men and girls were more women. There wasn’t a single person who was even close to the age I was.

I was disgusted to say the least. I felt damn sleepy. Who gets up at 8 in the morning on a Sunday? Looser like me. I was crossing the road towards the main gate, half asleep, rubbing my eyes when I almost crashed into a speeding bike. My first reaction was some Hindi expletives which all Delhi-ites are good at. But then I saw his bulging biceps and turned to more appropriate words ‘I am sorry’.

Little did I notice the pillion till she got down. The first look I had of her was of her behind which was unexplainably sexy. But I didn’t expect much beauty from her because firstly I had a bad morning and secondly, boys have a myth that girls who look so perfect from behind are duds from the front. I still waited for her to turn around, while she removed the black scarf that covered half her face.

She turned around and I was awestruck. To say that she was beautiful would be an understatement. She was stupendously gorgeous. Perfect features she had, two beautiful eyes, a beautiful nose, luscious lips and two perfect, ok leave that. She had it all. Her fairness made the morning turn blissful. Actually, the people around made her look even more pretty. It was as if Katrina Kaif had turned up on the sets of a Kollywood movie.

Suddenly the morning felt good. The air had a beautiful fragrance. Now my heart felt more like it was Valentine’s Day. But it asked my mind why a girl as pretty as her turned up for this kind of job. From her branded denims she didn’t look one from financial backwardness. One thing was sure, she can make the whole office turn up every day, just for a glimpse of her.

I wanted to get close to her, talk to her but the guy beside him with over grown biceps and ever expanding chest kept away all people from even taking a look at her. He was her brother I could make out because of the same eyes and face structure with a lot of facial hair. If you have a sister like her you need to have that kind of body. He did scare the shit out of me every time I thought of getting close to her. But when it comes to pretty girls, I never back down. I walked up to her with my heart in my mouth.

“Excuse me...hi...a...a...do you...a...a...have a pencil” I managed to utter. Her brother gave a fierce look as if I had asked his sister for a one-night stand.

She gave me a pencil with a pretty smile and I started marking a few things on my admit card. She realized that she too had missed to mark the same and I helped her with it. I read her name on her admit card ‘Neha Khatri’. Dammit even her name smells of danger, I said to myself. We got into discussions about the admit card and turned from complete strangers to a little known.

The gate keeper announced for everybody to enter the premises and to keep their phones outside. As I was the only one who had turned up alone, I had no one trustworthy enough to keep my cell phone with, except for Neha that is. This was another chance to get closer to her or at least ask for her phone number. I requested her to keep my phone with her brother, who again looked at me with suspicion. I still gave him a smile. I asked Neha for her cell number in case I come out early, which was most likely to happen. I wrote down the number on my wrist and covered it with my sleeves.

We were allotted different classrooms but in the fifteen minutes that we got to talk in the non-presence of her Hulk-Hogan like bro I was able to charm her. There was something that clicked between us. I made her smile, I made her laugh and I was able to impress. I found out that she too was a victim of an overly strict mother. She had dropped a year after 12^th and was preparing for law entrance exams.

The exam was about to start when we rushed to our separate class rooms. The question paper had a wide range of stupid, brainless and useless questions. I was done with it pretty soon and rushed out in case Neha too was out. She wasn’t. She wasn’t that dumb, I believed. After 30 minutes, the three hour exam was over and everybody came out smiling.

I scrolled the crowd for Neha, but she wasn’t there. I waited more, thinking that she maybe waiting for me inside but another fifteen minutes passed without her sight. I checked the premises thoroughly but she was nowhere to be seen. I went where her brother had parked the bike but neither the bike was there nor her brother. I rushed to a PCO and called the number that she had given me but it wasn’t available. I tried twice but it didn’t connect. My throat choked. She had eloped that too along with my phone.

The phone though was an old one it still was pretty expensive. It had all my contacts and personal pictures. What scared me more was how would I tell dad that I trusted a completely unknown person just because she was damn pretty and had great behind. That was no reason to hand someone a phone worth ten thousand bugs. Even without a girlfriend, my Valentine’s Day was turning into a nightmare. Girls can screw any day of the year even if they are not your girlfriend. They are blessed with such supernatural power of beauty.

Finally after much thinking I called up dad and told him everything. I expected him to lash out at me. But instead he gave me another shock. He told me that the girl’s brother, yes the same Hulk-Hogan guy had called up dad from my cell phone and told him that by mistake they had turned up at the wrong centre. His sister didn’t cross-check the first four digits of the roll number. I can have that effect on girls, you see. Her centre was a little far and that he would be coming back to me to return the phones. Damn I was so relieved.

I anxiously waited for them. They came a few minutes later. Neha was sitting pillion with her face covered with a black scarf. Only her eyes were visible. She handed me the phone and winked. Fireworks exploded in my heart. I thanked Hulk-Hogan and they zoomed off. An hour later I got a text from her.

“Hey...m rly sry 4 d trouble...it was a pleasure meeting you...Neha”

I replied “Hey...dnt b sry...maybe it was our destiny...it was god’s conspiracy to make us meet...”

The chat continued. Slowly with time we turned from friends to good friends. She broke up with her school time boyfriend after we kissed in the rain. Since then we are together, very much in love. I still continue to charm her and she continues to mesmerize me with her beauty, inner beauty to be preciseJJ