Waiting for long?

“Should I go and ask that girl why is she waiting?” he asked me with a mischievous smile.

“kabir? You know what? Do whatever you want to” I acted as if I was angry. This was the only trick he knew when he sensed that I was angry.  In a second I forgot why I was angry and I started to recall that day. The day we met.

Sixth months back…..

As I quarreled with my mom I stood under the shade of the bus stop waited for Mr. “good boy” to come and pick me up. I didn’t even know him. He was a complete stranger for me and she literally forced me to go and meet him. She knew that I hated arranged marriages and I had no intention to meet the guy but I was standing under the summer sun and arguing with my mom.

“If the boy is so good then why don’t you marry him yourself?” I hanged up the phone as I told her.

I wondered will the man come. According to my mom he knew me he saw my picture. Of course I had his picture too but I was too arrogant to even look at his photo and now I know what the consequence is. People were passing by me and I was looking blackly at them as if he would come and at least apologize for being nearly one hour late.

I looked at my phone I had 4 missed calls from my mom but I didn’t care to call her back. As I, again searched for a good looking guy. A man came. He was wearing a black shirt, handsome indeed, and in a Harley Davidson.

“Waiting for long Angana?” he asked me.

“What do you expect? I am punctual unlike some people.” I thought that was really rude. That was the first line I said when I met him. I saw my mom was calling and I was sure enough that she wanted me to say that I will marry the boy she chose for me. So I ignored her call again.

“So? Where should we go?” he asked me.

“Anywhere you want to take me to” I said to him, and regretted that I was over sweet.

We had our lunch full of silence and mysteries. He was a good guy, and a gentleman but I was not ready to marry him just because my mom told me.

I liked him. He dropped me home and we exchanged our phone numbers. As I opened the door my mom was sitting idle in the dining table. As she saw me, she quickly came to me and asked me was I okay. Obviously I was fine, more than just fine.

“I am so sorry dear, where were you? He could not make it today.” My mom told.

“What do you mean? Kabir came and we had our lunch I was with him the whole day.” I explained her.

“Who is kabir? I am talking about kunal.” She asked me surprisingly.

It was clear to me. I met someone else named kabir, and got confused by the name kunal and thought he was the boy my mom chose for me.

Present day……

I was going to smile as he started to laugh.

“Yes, I was such a flirt, in fact I am such a flirt till date” Kabir laughingly told.

“Isn’t it pure luck that you saw me that day, and asked me why was I waiting. From that little misunderstanding you became my life Kabir. You love me a lot right?” I asked him.

“Yes dear, a lot” he told me as he kissed my hands.

I saw my mom coming, I wanted to marry kabir, I was dating him for six months and I wanted my mom to meet him.

“Hi, kabir, you were just so right about her.” She came and told him.

I was surprised rather shocked, my mom never met kabir yet she knew him. They both broke off laughing. I was sitting like a dumb fool watching them and finding the identity of my fiancée.

“How can you be so cute?” he asked me.

“Please kabir what’s going on” I asked him.

“Waiting for long Angana?” he asked me again and kept looking at me.

I have never felt any more insulted and stupid than this. Now I know why my mom told me that she don’t have the picture of kunal anymore when I asked her about it. Kunal was an imaginary figure. Kabir was the guy I found for myself which was only I thought, he was guy my mom found for me and did a little bit of drama for my sake. As I held kabir’s hand I murmured, “ I love you mom”.

Like she was

            I would have never been any more happier than being late to my office, everyday. Until that day came, the day I passed her, I tried to be punctual to my office every day since I met her on the day when I was almost an hour late I started being punctually late to my office for ‘almost an hour’. She made me punctual but at the same time I was late every day to my office. Even after those threats from my boss I felt good, and enough strong to be late for another day. A simple look at her, made me realise myself. She completed me as if.

      Late as usual, I took a turn which was no unusual thing for me but taking the turn on that day on that hour of the day on that minute of the hour and on that second of the minute made me see her for the first time. I could not believe or I didn't know that how was she so beautiful. She was a fairy waiting on the roads on a sunny day. Every day after that, I went to see her on the same time at the same place. I admired her and prayed for the Red lights to be Red as long as it can, and in the meanwhile I admired her. She was someone I know, someone I have loved for years. Finally one day she looked at me, maybe she noticed that I admire her everyday and that day she looked at me. I waved her my hand and she waved me back cheerfully.

         Every single day I wanted to talk to her and hug her and show that I loved her so much and I won’t ever leave her for the world. Something inside me told me not to do so. I fought with that something and finally I convinced myself. I would not deny that I was scared, she doesn't even know me and I was buying chocolates for her. I read somewhere that all girls loved chocolates so I dropped my idea for something else. For me chocolates were risk free gift to give.

    I was a bit early today, I was standing there, it was 3 hours late for my office and I noticed that I was still standing in the same place and I finished the chocolate. I decided to go to my house. It was not for my boss that I was going to my house (he rarely told me something these days, which was because I worked hard even though I was late everyday) but I was tensed for her.  She was not there for me for the first time, the day I wanted to meet her, the day that was planned by me and the date fixed from days.

        She was not there the second day, neither she was there on the third day. Days passed by and I waited for her. Just once to meet her was all I wanted. My life became restless without her my days became numb. There was no excitement in work nor there any while going to work. I was not late these days; my boss was so happy that he offered me a raise. My life was back to square one.

         I saw her, and I was sure that it was not a hallucination. Today, there was no Red light and as I swiftly passed the place I saw her standing. I stopped the car and got off it. I saw that the bus came and she was going to get on it. I started to run, my sunglasses went off I did not care to pick it up she was much more dear to me. I pushed so many and fell on people but I did not stop running. As she was going to get up on her school bus I screamed out loud, ‘WAIT’. She looked at me and got off the bus, I don’t have chocolates to offer, and just love was there to offer, true and unlimited love. I took her on my arms and hugged her. “I love you”, was all I could say.

“I missed you daddy, can we now meet regularly?” she asked me with much excitement.

I was not sure how to give the answer, the order was of the high court that I cannot meet her without the permission of Maya my ex wife. 10 years went by, I never met my daughter. I saw her last when she was just 1 years and 1 day, inside the courtroom as I struggled for getting a hug from my daughter against the policemen.

I saw Maya behind me. I had no choice but to leave.