As she was wading through the traffic, Zoya thought “God
damn it, Hyderabad was a hell incarnate with her father imposing his will over
all the members of the household and she felt like a muse locked inside the
house. Pune is akin to a fresh whiff of air providing leeway in meeting and
befriending oodles of new people from the management institute and getting
exposed to novel ideas. After a long time she was visiting a modern cafeteria
strutting in the busy streets of the otherwise drab city” Her though process
was interrupted by the sudden explosion of the vehicle honking and she cursed
“Damn, the Indian traffic is so chaotic and people do not possess an iota of
civic sense, the huge incredible India” After crossing the street, she viewed
the burly bricks of the café coffee day and the artistic door enmeshed with a
swiveled ancient design. Zoya was impressed by its outward ambience, radiating
flashes of brilliance all around and captivating the imagination of the people
by its essence. Zoya was enthralled while
opening the door since the relishing aroma of the coffee pervading through her
nostrils reminded of the deep trenches of Rwanda from where the pure coffee
beans are sourced to create some of the most delicious and glossy beverages.
For her, it was the maiden experience to visit the café on her own and so Zoya
was quite flummoxed, she was even intimidated “Oh hell bells, what a sumptuous
atmosphere with the soulful music playing in the background. The wooden table
and the cushy chairs with lustrous light flickering above provided an awesome
experience to the customer created a loyal fan following of the youth in the
city”. She saw a couple cozying up on the chairs placed behind one of those
humungous tastefully designed pillars in the white colors Suddenly she heard
the voice of Rajesh “ Hi Zoya, Good evening, How do you do? I would like you to
introduce to my friend Vayu” As soon as she cocked her head around, Zoya was
stunned “hell bells, here is my heartthrob, Gosh, I have been searching for you
honey everywhere, you were omnipresent in my dream world, however couldn’t find
you in the realm of the surroundings”. Vayu was zapped with the sudden
disclosure and was looking for an escape; the marine guy must have throttled
scores of enemies in his career but was not able to withhold his forte against
the gleaming eyes of Zoya whom he met in the train. He thought “Good Lord, I
never thought of affronting the girl again but she appeared before me in flesh
and blood tickling the sensory nerves of my brain and I am feeling weak in my
knees” An adrenaline rush made him discombobulate and he was devoid of words
lost in his won world of dreams. Suddenly his Mexican wave of thought was
broken by an all absorbing salutation from zoya“Hello, Mr Vayu” He acknowledged
her greetings and responded “Nice to meet you “and sat down. He again went into
the travails of the time when they met together “It was one of the best
journeys I ever had, a pretty girl by my side cuddling up to the shoulders and
we sharing our thoughts about the numerous tourist attractions around the
world. I still remember hair black hair flowing wild against the swashbuckling
speed of the train, creating a pyramid of love in my heart. Her infectious
glances and casual arguments with me stupefied my belief in love at first sight
which I felt for the girl” The sudden voice of rajesh acted as a tormenting
agent to bring Vayu back from his figments of the past realities in which he
was submerged “ What do you want to have on the menu my friend”. He sifted through
the thick pages of the menu book, all the time glancing at the glowing eyes of
the zoya who was seamlessly staring at her with a sense of romanticism that it
was difficult to fathom.” A sizzler with any of the cold beverages on offer and
probably some ounces of mozzarella would do”. Vayu announced and glanced
hopefully at zoya but her order was diametrically opposite to what he blabbered
“A Cappuccino with chocolate cookies
and couple of sandwiches would do” She opined. Rajesh with a commanding voice
seemed to besmirch the waiter and called him, with an astute politeness he
tiptoed to the table and said in an exemplary pleasant tone “What can I do for
you sir” Although, vayu didn’t like the tone in Rajesh’s voice however he let
it go when he placed the order, the marine thought “Rajesh is trying to
verbally box the poor waiter into a corner” therefore to make him feel good
vayu winked at the individual signaling to take the banter sportingly. Whilst
the commotion was taking place, zoya kept on looking at the person whom she
called stranger, his big eyes and thick lips reminiscing of the memorable trip
from Hyderabad to Pune, the cute skirmishes which left a lingering memory in
his brain. Rajesh smelled something fishy so he asked “Do you Guys have met each
other before, I don’t know why I feel the sense of déjà vu”. It was an absolute
shocker for zoya , however she was unrelenting and did not want to let go of
the chances to tease vayu, his name she wasn’t able to decipher in the train
even after discussing everything under the sun. She fired a volley of questions
“Rajesh, tell me what do your esteem friend vayu do for a living and isn’t he
bored by our company” It was an oft repeated question however, an initiation to
kick start the conversation. It was the turn of the marine to respond “I am in
Indian navy and guard the frontiers of the mother land. Good god we are still
in the peace time and not facing wars” he grinned. Zoya analyzed him with
starry eyes and rajesh seemed to be an impediment to both of them, nevertheless
he continued “Vayu, Our friend Zoya is a very good student of finance and in a
very short time she has made a huge impression on the professors” “Really, is
it true mam” There was a mocking tone in his voice which the girl didn’t like and
she retorted in a complaining tone “Rajesh, at least your friend should have
the courtesy of self appreciation”. Vayu severely apologized “Zoya I am really
sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you…..”Anyways after some time, the waiter came
with the order and the whole table was decorated like a newly wedded bride.
With an initial hesitation everybody hogged onto the snacks, Rajesh was quite
eager as if it was his maiden experience while Zoya was clumsy and her mind was
focused on obtaining the contact number of vayu so that she could contact him
as he had created a void in her heart which she was eager to fulfill. After 30
minutes, as they were sipping on to the hot coffee, rajesh asked a question and
it struck zoya like a bolt from the blue “Hey Girl did you like the army man”
Little did he knew that she was already head over heels in love with him but to
fill the ambience with ambiguity she remained composed and said “He is fine,
quite an extrovert person” Vayu was elated because he heard a positive feedback
from Zoya after all the showdown he had with her in the train. The talks veered
towards the college life and the marine enquired how zoya was finding the new
city of Pune, she replied “ It is quite opposite to what Hyderabad was like ,
cool and clean as compared to the dusty hot place and there is an increasing
amount of freedom, probably because I live with my Uncle with a broad
attitude”. Abruptly, vayu dished out his
mobile number to Zoya “Pretty lady since you are away from home in the city of
Pune, so if any help you can call me on the following number”. Rajesh was
astounded and watched him with suspicious eyes “Hey dude, are u proposing her
“. Vayu cut him out “No, I am just initiating a friendship dear, although I am
sure you must be thinking otherwise” Zoya disguised as if it was a normal
procedure, but in the inner core of heart she was extremely happy and said
“Well, MR Vayu , I don’t need your number , nevertheless if any need arises I
will definitely give you a call” and sported a fishy smile. Zoya glanced at the
watch and got up “ Sorry folks , I am getting late, its already 6 o clock and
my uncle would be moving heaven and earth to find me” The eyes of vayu bore a
painful look with slight droopiness, he requested “ Can’t you stay for some
more time” She wanted to but couldn’t, the anguish in her voice said it all,
zoya enumerated “ maybe next time , God willing”, she turned back and walked
off the café. She thought “Inshallah,
the whole day was full of pleasant surprises, the individual whom I had been
looking like a person possessed, met me in the café and he happened to be my
best friend’s friend. A sense of elation infected my brain and I was genuinely
happy for the today’s event” When Zoya returned home by 6:30 P.M, her uncle was
little anxious but not overtly worried since she had abide by the time like a
disciplined kid or else a prompt reporting would have been sent to Hyderabad of
her escapades. As she entered the room her cousin sister rolled her eyes
mischievously “Hey, So how was the meeting, did you like the ambience and whom
did you see”. Zoya looked at her for a while and started “Hey if I tell, you a
secret promise that you won’t leak it out” The younger one got all interested
and she crossed her legs, closed the book she was reading and listened to what
zoya said intently “Well dear, remember, When I was coming from Hyderabad to
pune , I met an exceedingly handsome young man” Younger sister was all ears and
she enthusiastically asked “ So take the cat out of the bag dear , I am waiting
“. With baited breath Zoya told “When I went to meet my friend in café coffee
day, I saw him and he turned out to be one of the friends of my batch mate. To
be honest never expected him to be there”. The cousin sister was over the moon;
probably she was also visualizing a dreamy encounter somewhere across the
lines. Zoya stirred her from the trance and asked “Tell me wont you spill the
beans babe” she was adamant that everything was fine and asked the name of the
stranger. Zoya confirmed “His name is vayu” he sister was shocked “Are you
crazy di, he is a Hindu, nobody would accept him in the family” Zoya was
absolutely sure that there would be ruckus, however she told her “Come on he is
just a friend who met on the train” But lots of things were unsaid and one of
them was that Zoya was deeply mesmerized by the stranger who had come like a
tornado in her life. After a hectic discussion with her cousin, she slept on
the cozy comfort bed engrossed in the dreams of vayu, she saw how his strong
muscular arms cuddled her into his tight embrace evoking love and affection to
the hilt. She thought “I wish, we could ever meet alone one and one to express
ourselves freely from all the bondage attached to us like the umbilical cords
and restraining our feelings”.
Early morning sunshine is a dream come true for the human
beings, with the rays falling like the unique droplets on the plants and trees
in the surrounding ambience glistening them with the knowledge of light. Zoya
woke up stretching her limbs, it appeared to be a long night but she was happy
that her wait was finally over. Suddenly a though crossed her mind “Hey I am in
the possession of his unique mobile number, might be will call him and fix up
the meeting somewhere. The aforesaid procedure required gumption and which I am
lacking of, so it’s better to continue the existence in a cocooned shell”
Thought zoya.
A sense of revulsion came to the fore whilst she was
attending the classes; zoya’s cognitive behavior was being influenced by the
memory of vayu who was incessantly popping up in her thought. The fire akin to
an all conquering storm had engulfed the thoughts of the love birds, vayu was
persistently thinking about the sweet girl Zoya after his meeting at the café
coffee day. He envisaged “Ohh the girl has bugged my heart to the core, can’t
comprehend how to forget her. Her hazel brown eyes with dimple smile
exasperated me and attracted my benevolence. I wish to meet her again, god
willing”. Vayu rolled over on his cushy bed alongside rajesh who was snoring
away to glory and his mind steadfastly waded away into dreams of girl and her
wild appearance.
Zoya couldn’t hold on to the
desire of snapping all the communication with the marine as she thought he was
the essence of her life and suddenly out of the blue she dialed the phone
number. The voice at the other end instilled a sense of enthusiasm and
excitement in her “Hello” She said, the voice at the other side confirmed “Hi,
May I know who is calling” “It’s me zoya,” she responded in her
uncharacteristic tone, Vayu was thrilled, he never expected the call from her
end and he could hear his heartbeat humming in the ears. He queried “How are
you Zoya and did you miss me” The question was quite straightforward but the
conservative upbringing of zoya compelled her to restrain the feelings
“Absolutely not and I am fine” She informed with a spunk and traditional denial
that foreordained the initial ardency of vayu back to earth, but he was not
letting her go so peppered her with bazooka of questions “So what’s your plan for the weekend and are
you free for a date ” Zoya was not letting her guard down and replied in a non
candid tone “ Well vayu! The semester exams are soon in the offing and I might
not be free for the whole month, moreover my uncle is a master in espionage, he
might now allow me to step outside of the house without rhyme or reason”. Vayu
was aghast, he thought “I am in the same city where the cynosure of my lives,
but the society is ready to write the obituary of my love, even when I have not
met her alone” The tremendous pain of melancholy was driving him nuts, so with
a despicable tone that imbibed cynicism he replied “Well if you are free then
buzz me please” and disconnected the call. Zoya was perplexed, she was in
dilemma whether to call him on date, it was a risky proposition because she had
never met somebody in the past and a guy, it was absolutely an unholy grail that
was not to be touched, but the mind again veered in his direction and
unknowingly her hand punched in his numbers, the ring tone bellied up
incessantly, vayu picked up the call, Zoya spoke hurriedly “ Listen I want to
meet you, if possible “ There was no hesitation or indecisiveness in her voice and he
reciprocated “ Off course sweet heart, I had to endure some of the most
unbearable moments without you. So where you would like to meet me”. Zoya was
in a fix, she mumbled “Next weekend, the zenith restaurant”. “All right my
sweet pudding, I will wait for you” The sugary coated words were uttered by
vayu and zoya blushed thinking of his touch, even the thought of the closeness
fired her up and her ear lobes transformed into the hot flapjack.
After the call was disconnected,
she heard the sound of her aunt “Zoya please come here and help me complete the
daily household chores, I feel older by the day and the arthritis pain
especially annihilates my whole enthusiasm”. Upon call she immediately hurried
into the kitchen and helped her to create the recipe for spicy noodles as the
snacks. When she came into the sitting room, the aunt asked her “How are your
studies going on Zoya” She replied with nervousness galore” It’s tough aunt,
lots of subjects and scores of presentations to make, but I am trying my best
to perform up to the highest standards demanded by Abbu” She looked at him with
admiring eyes “yes, We too have great expectations from you sweet kid, May
allah bless you with huge success”. Although she got a pat on her back, zoya
was engrossed in the impending weekend meeting with vayu and making her plans
to create alibis that would help her to get some breathing space from the ever
pervasive eyes of her relatives.
The next day when zoya was
attending the lecture, rajesh came up to him and said “Hey girl, now days you
look forlorn and lost. What happened? Are you ill or smitten by some diseases”
he flickered his eyes with a playful suspicion, but zoya brushed aside his
concerns “Cut the crap dude, It’s the end of semester tension which has gripped
my senses and the performance anxiety is hanging like a ottoman sword on my
neck” She was successful to hide the pangs of disquiet under the façade of the
academics, however was thinking on her feet on how to meet vayu. The professor
of economics entered the class and opened a chapter to reiterate the concepts
but suddenly Zoya thought “What the hell, is he teaching Hebrew or latin” and
suddenly she realized that her heart throb had invaded the senses to the hilt. Days flew quickly like a projectile bird into
the horizon moving at a scintillating pace and meanwhile the lady luck smiled
on the girl because one day uncle told her “Zoya, me and aunt are going to
Hyderabad to meet your parents and we would be off for a week, so I expect you
girls to behave responsibly, all right” There was an unmistakable tinge of
warning in his voice, zoya shivered from inside however was enthralled due to
the prospect of meeting with Vayu.
The guardians left on Friday and
zoya had to take her younger sister in confidence because she was privy to the
meeting between her and the marine. She exhibited a wicked response “Di, do
enumerate the juicy details of the encounter with the handsome stud” Zoya
sported a benevolent look “What the hell are you talking, he is just a friend
and nothing more than that” Her younger cousin was not in mood to relent “You
know my sweet di, aspersing is a day light robbery honey “and winked her eyes,
zoya felt a pang of guilt popping in her
head, but she preferred it not to dominate her psyche. She thought about the
wardrobe “OH my god, I haven’t gone shopping for a long time and should I adorn
shabby clothes, I would feel like a bumble bee swarming alongside a handsome
hunk” After endless sifting through the dresses, she found an embroidered traditional
ethic wear with impeccable salwaar and kurti beautifully entwined in bright
colors. She thought “Very soon I will be in the arms of my knight in shining
armor, cuddling him in my arms”. On Saturday she told her sister “My dear sweet
chotu(as she was affectionately called) I am venturing out to meet my friend,
Please watch my back honey bun, If any phone call comes, please vindicate me of
the wrong doings if any, I count on you sweet heart” She pegged her hands
on zoyas shoulders “ Oh my baby sis,
don’t worry , I will do utmost not to divulge the detaisl, You go and enjoy
your time all right” Zoya kissed on her cheeks and headed straight for the door
out into the streets. The chauffer ran behind her “Madam, would you prefer the
sedan for travelling to the intended destination” she stared at her with the
glaring eyes “Absolutely Not, I am perfectly fine and today I won’t need a
drive, just trying to walk for a little exercise” She tried to be extremely
polite and courteous and walked with brisk steps down the road. At a distance
she saw a auto and boarded it “ bhaiya, would you take me to the zenith
restaurant” she bellowed, the auto guy appeared to be mean and shrewd business
man, he immediately responded “ Not less than 50 Rs madam” “ What the hell ?
Don’t you have a meter, it’s less than 40 I suppose” She tried to contradict
but he was adamant, she looked around, however couldn’t find the requisite
auto, therefore decided to go with the flow accompanied by lots of grumbling.
After lots of push –ups evident on the streets in the form of pot holes, she
reached the restaurant that seemed to be a small and cozy nest for the people
looking to enjoy the candle light dinner. She asked the driver to pull over the
auto rickshaw as she caught side of the spectacular restaurant. Zoya forgot to pay the bill and walked off as
of in a daze when a horrendous vociferous shout from the driver stopped her
dead in the tracks “Madam where is my money” “Oh shucks “she admonished herself
as an afterthought and shoved 50rs in his greasy palm knowing extremely well
that he was overcharging, but as they say “All rules are broken in the game of
love”
Zenith was poles apart from café
coffee day in design and built because it was for the love birds who were
excessively pulverized by the crowded ambience of the city. Apart from the comfort and the solace it was
the meeting point of the two people on Saturday who were coalescing after an
extremely long hiatus. Zoya pushed open the door and walked into the restaurant
and saw the handsome face of Vayu, with his big eyes staring at her with awe
and admiration. He stood up and acknowledged her arrival “HI zoya, how do you
do?” She felt distinctly uncomfortable by his overtures in public but replied
“I am fine” he requested her to sit across the table in the super comfortable
sofas; in fact the place was a lounge providing impeccable benefits to the
users. As she seated, zoya felt the romantic ambience mesmerizing her senses
and with Vayus presence the impact had multiplied many times. He started “Zoya,
since I saw you in the train, and have been thinking about you like a
godforsaken lover. The way we interacted has been embedded inside my heart and
is tormenting me with no respite. Did you remember an iota of conversation we
had Zoya?” There were huge expectations in his voice and she didn’t disillusion
him but reiterated “I had been similarly thinking of you vayu all the time and
admonished myself for being a nerd that I didn’t take your number as well as
name” He laughed sardonically, may be vayu was tired with the waiting game he
had to play. After a pause “Would you like something to hog on before we can
prolong our discussion” She was not against, with the realization that nobody
was at home to badger her incessantly for moving out. She asked him “vayu, Lets
order steamed spring rolls and some cold
beverages” he glanced at her with cocked eyes and queried “ Are you sure, you don’t need main meal, Its probably 2 P.M
lunch time” he glanced at the watch. Zoya vehemently denied “ No, It would be
fine” She was mindful of the fact that her sister would have prepared meal at
home reinstating the fact that she wanted to keep the meeting short and simple,
but fate had something else in store for her. Zoya asked “ How is your mother
vayu, is she keeping well” he smiled “ Off course dear she is the bed rock of
my destiny and single handedly raised me unlike dad who just disappeared after
filing for the divorce, but to be honest I have no qualms with his actions,
moreover I feel independent and enhanced
inner strength within myself” She felt sorry for him, however she had been
exposed to the dictatorial regime of her father and somewhere zoya thought she
lost creative thinking due to her father. She was sitting across the stranger
and their eyes met, zoya noticed” OMG, his eyes are so expressive and
absolutely black with and enticing texture that captivated my heart to the
hilt”. Soon the waiter came up with the orders and the serene music of latest
Bollywood film was playing in the playground.
Zoya was feelings shy to start with the snacks, but vayu encouraged her
to have the food items meanwhile he hogged on full throttle “All right dear, if
you are bounded by formalities, I would say come on lets finish it off quickly”
The amateurish tone in his voice forced her to burst into laughter and the ice
was broken between them, her hair were falling on her sharp nose at the front ,
vayu immediately touched her cheek to reset the position of the fabulous
strings of beauty and zoya blushed. Her heart beat started racing “Oh my god, I
was yearning for his touch, Where were you babe, I missed you so much, ached
for your voice gelling into my heart like an ever soluble compound
reverberating through the soul” She thought but was suddenly brought back to
life by vayu “Hey Zoya, how are your studies and did any guy made a pass at
you” She was infuriated at his inquisitiveness “Are you nuts? I am not involved
with any one of those eligible bachelors who are aplomb in the college campus,
I have focused single mindedly on you” vayu tried to assuage her “Oh come on
babe, it was just banter, and you know we are an inseparable duo” She looked at
him lovingly “I know dear, we are too precious for each other and would never
let you go away from my life”.
The waiter came up again to the
table and asked “Any more orders sir?” Before vayu could utter a word Zoya told
“No absolutely not, bring on the bill” She then
