Is this Love...

Can a person fall in Love without seeing, knowing or talking to someone? Actually Can someone be infatuated without seeing, knowing or talking ?

I was at Akola after my 12th exam to learn Computers. Akola used to be my next favorite place (after Kolhapur i.e.) during those days. The main reason amongst others is the Gang of Friends at Akola. Actually they are all my nieces and nephews and their cousins. But only a 2-4 years younger to me. These people know what, how and when of FUN to its fullest.

The Gang as I like to call ‘em had summer vacations from their schools and used to meet at one of the houses to spend the day playing games, watching movies and above all teasing each other. They knew & understood me quite well but couldn’t figure out what would tickle me. So then the Doctor amongst them - Varsha (who went on to do BDS in later years) came up with an idea. An idea that would change my perspective of Love for ever...

“What do you think is best part of liking someone?” asked Summit, the eldest of them.
“I didn’t get what you want to say” I sensed something fishy going on in the Gang.
“You know as in if you like someone, what is the best part of it?” Kishore joined in.
“Well knowing the fact that there is someone who you consider to be different from others and for whom you have a special liking is the best part in itself…..” I tried to give an equally confusing answer to that weird looking question.
“Do you like someone?” That was bait. If I said yes, I would be pressed for a name and that will be headline of tomorrow’s newspaper. But I told the truth.

“Oh! Common you must me liking someone” Pooja chirped. She was supposed to be the youngest of them. Actually Mitali was the youngest, but she was too young to join this conversation.
“Sorry Friends, I haven’t found someone special yet.”
“Well, we found someone who can go well with you” said Varsha, the mind behind all this.
“Yeah, Who?” I knew this was just the Gang at fun. But still.
“You know the girl that stays next door to our house, the one you called didi the other day and she was upset and said she was just your age…..”
“Yes, so ?” Oh no, not her.
“Well, she has a friend called Geeta, who often visits her. They both play badminton outside, actually we have played with Geeta often….”
“So?” a part of me was getting excited. But I knew that the Gang was cooking something, so I better be cautious.
“Well, we think you will surely like her, you know she is just your type, I mean she is fun loving, she is a ranker, she is…..”
“OK. I get it ! Thanks but no thanks guys, I am not interested. Carom anyone?” I was quite interested actually, but I told myself, there is no Geeta, this is the Gang closing in to find something to tease me.

“Yeah, I do have a friend called Geeta, she does often come here to my house. You know her?” It was the friendly neighborhood to the rescue.
“No. Actually the gang were talking that she plays badminton and all, nothing specific."

Well Geeta exists. Does the Gang really think I will like Geeta? Was she really my type? Have I found the Dream Girl? Hold on … I haven’t found her yet. I have just heard about her.

The next few days were long and weary. I kept thinking about her (mainly coz I didn’t had anything else to think). “Oh you missed her by just a few minutes…” “We played badminton, the whole day, while you were at work…” “Take us all for a movie and we will arrange a meeting…” The Gang kept on bugging me about her. I was obsessed with this Girl.

I had to meet her once before I leave. So I pulled in all I had, talked to varsha and then to her neighbor. She agreed to call Geeta.

“Hello Geeta, you don’t know me, my name is. . . .” It took a lot to ask her to meet me.
“Well I can’t come right now, but by tomorrow morning the earliest…”
“Too late, I am leaving for Kolhapur in a couple of hours…. Well may be next time. See you.”

As the train slowly pulled out of Akola station… I kept telling myself to get Geeta out of the system, I don’t love her, I have not even met her; it is just another infatuation or . . .

Is this Love ?

“Hey sleepy or what?” Amit said.

The hands on my Titan Quartz were smiling at 10 mins for 2 am.

“Happy Friendship Day”
“Same to you man.”

This was the second consecutive year Amit and I were on the Z bridge post midnight 31st Aug. Well what a unique way to begin the Friendship Day (day was a few hours away though) than to be with your best friend.

“Chalo, let’s get some sleep, we got to hit the road early tommrow.”  I reminded Amit.

We were going to Lavasa.

The day began with the first of every month ritual. Gellato Ice-cream on Karve Road offers a new favour of month Ice-cream at discounted rates on 1st of every month. So If I happen to be in Pune on 1st , a couple of ice-creams are on for sure. Amit went in to get the ice-creams while I waited on the Bike. The road was very slowly coming to life as it was Sunday and the morning had just began. Amit came back and we were busy with our cups.I was expecting my mobile to ring. I wish she would call.

“How about one more?”
“You think I will ever say no for Ice-cream”

As we were into the second round, amit pointed to the road and said “Look at that car. Man, what a Beauty!”  I turned around but didn’t catch the glimpse of the beauty amit was talking about. I was awestruck by some other Beauty.

“You missed it, boss where were you looking.”
“Nothing Lets go.”

We came to the Paud road over bridge and took the road out of Pune to Lavasa. The bike ride was once in a lifetime experience. It rained on and off. Most of people headed for Lavasa were in Cars, and most of them envied us for sure. The First street you get as you enter the gates of Lavasa is called the Waterfall Street and it was indeed a waterfall street owing to the rainy season and the hilly region, we lost count after 18 waterfalls, along the road. After spending a good time admiring nature, architecture and clicking 100s of pics we went to “Ekant Resort” to eat a bit.

“Sorry sir, all the tables are reserved.” The attendant at the restaurant was as polite as a person can possibly be.

We headed back for Pune. Just passing the check post for lavasa, we came across a small snack corner. We went in and ordered Misal Pav. As the misal came we were indulged into it completely as the hot snack provided huge comfort in the chilly rainy air. Just then my phone rang.

“Hello” The voice on the other end was music to my ears.

I signaled amit that I was going out and rushed for the door.

“Hello, how is this?”  I already knew who it was… Yippy! But still... ehm.
“This is Divyanshi, we met yesterday on the bus…”
“Yes of course, I was looking forward to your call.” I was dying to get your call….
“Happy Friendship Day”
“Same to you Dear.”
“So, where are you now?”
“Just Came out from Lavasa. Nice Place.” Sad I am not with you….
“Never been there. And by the way, the Black T-shirt looks nice on you.”
“You too look cute in Blue.” She did see me at Gellato.
“Hey you did see me. I thought you were too busy with your Ice cream.”
“I thought you didn’t see me, else you would have stopped for a moment”
“I was with my parents, that was my father driving the car.”
“Listen, I will be leaving back for Kolhapur today evening, I was wondering maybe we could meet” Please say yes… please…please….please….
“hmm, may be. This is my number, give me a call when you reach back to pune, let see.”
“Sure.” Was that a yes....?
“Ok. Take care.”
“You too.”

Amit inquired about the call and this time as well I didn’t tell him anything. Well let me first be sure what this all is and then I will tell him. Or may be in less than a day of meeting her, I knew what  it is….

Is this love ?

27 Years 7 Months and 13 days … I calculated sitting at the all so famous ‘Z bridge’. The clock ticked at 10 passed 1 am and Amit and I were just enjoying a quite moment.

This is a default schedule that we have kind of adopted over the period since he shifted to Pune from Kolhapur. I reach Pune by evening (well 8 – 10 pm to be precise), we have some light snack or a full three course dinner. Then we hit the road, traveling without destination, we roam all over Pune on his bike till such time that we get bored of roaming. Then we head to our idle and ideal destination, the ‘Z bridge’. This otherwise frequented and couple friendly place is completely deserted by such hour. This roaming about, the talks and silence on the bridge make up for all that we could not talk about and all that we felt since last time we met.

I didn’t tell anything to amit about her. The sole reason being that I was not clear and sure myself. If it was just an infatuation, well then Amit has seen and known all my crushes in our early friendship days. And now we both had grown big enough to discuss philosophy, life, space research, nanotronics and like, instead of the Crushes, Bikes and Cars. However he is my best friend and knows every corner of my heart.

 “So what was the special smile all about ,what are you thinking?” Amit again asked.
“I am just reflecting back on my life so far and wondering whether I can fall in Love ?”
“Hehe looks like someone’s entered your life.” Amit chuckled.
“Not exactly. You know in the last 10,087 days I have at least 1087 moments worth remembering, but somehow all those memories suddenly look like another life”
“Woah! Looks like someone’s entered your life.” This time he was not laughing.
Silence.

Flashback –
School farewell day. All of us were dressed our best for our last day at school. We had finished our 10th standard exams a day before and were all in for some celebrations. Pinky looked pretty in blue. I thought she looked the best of the 27 girls in my batch. I was all head over heels as she rose to collect her rose from the principal. “Wow, so pretty.”

After the program all of us were enjoying the snacks and the kinda last school chats, we might never meet all of our schoolmates in one place. I went near and pinky, she was busy giggling over some joke.

“You are…er.. looking pretty.” I somehow managed.
“What ?” either she didn’t get it or wanted to hear it once again.
“Well I said you are looking nice.”
“Nice. Well thank you.”
“I might sound odd, but looks like I am gonna miss you”
“Ya and I will miss everybody but you.”
“Huh!”
“Oh common, you are talking as if this is our graduating night and I am off to US tomorrow. We will be meeting often.”
“Yes and many of us will attend the junior college together as well.”
“See now you are talking sense.”

We talked for a while, assembled for some group pictures and then bid goodbye’s to each others. I loved the way Pinky smiled when she said ‘See you’.

I have known her for all my schooling years, talked to her 1000s of times, never got this feel. Hey I think I am starting to like that girl. I think I am in love with her.

Wait what am I thinking? This can’t be love. Can it be?

“It’s just an infatuation. Welcome to the Teens son !” my father smiled as I told him about my thoughts.

Well. I knew this was not love for one thing, I didn’t get the feeling my walkman played when I put on my favorite song about first meeting with your love.

Here’s the song, hit the play button only if you have the whole 7mins 32secs to listen, coz you will not be able to stop it once it gets to your heart. 

Cut two – Z bridge

Although a few things look similiar with the song, but still  the song didn’t play full on the Bus today (or yesterday coz it was well past midnight). Well this is not the ideal Love at first sight kind of meeting but then what is it ?

Is this Love?