Promise of Reason

My first short story: comments are most welcome (based on true incident)

She smiled ….. it was more of a giggle, a lone giggle, something when you want to say “yeh pagal ladka bhi nah ” with her one hand covering her face like in those old Madhuri Dixit posters. She smiled and world stopped for whole 5 seconds. Literally for him, metaphorically for you if you have never experienced that feeling, where you are running from polluted city, tall buildings towards a beach or a snow filled mountain but couldn’t just see it and suddenly at a moment it comes in front of you.

He was so happy for next 15 minutes that he forgot to look at that beauty again, drawn in deep happiness, making his mind to take his next step in that not so Delhi-ish part of Delhi, near Anand Vihar bus station, which is more of a UP city than Delhi in rang-roop-chaal-dhaal. It was not the first time in that hot summer day, when he had such jaw dropping experience. Earlier that day when he opened his eyes due to incoming rays of 7′o clock sun, after a 4-5 hours okayish sleep in AC sheetal bus, the first thing that came in front of his eyes was not muddy streets of passing-by Aligarh city or pretty pathetic face of share market trader sitting next to him. It was a creation of God, on which He also must be feeling pride. Not to overstate the facts, as is his habit, he said to himself, “This is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen in his 21 years of life.”

She was not like those “modern models brigade” or that “punjabi make-up ki dukaans” which are very common feature of Delhi. She was like someone you put in a picture and look at it for days, and you would not remember a thing about this damn world. Standing there, she was asking that sleepy trader to shift a bit and give her place on a 3-seater side. In her orange salwar-suit over her snow-white type body, a cute smile on her face, she made the worshiper of beauty clueless and senseless for few seconds. Our protagonist was busy looking at that beauty for next 10 minutes, when that stupid trader started falling over her in his sleep, irritated … she signals protagonist to help her in placing that sleepy head at its place … protagonist, dumbed down by beauty did so, but till then it was a bit late and she moved 4-5 rows back to sit with her bhabhiji.

Now for next 2 hours he turned back to look at her …. total 23 times …. 23rd one was with that giggle …. 23, yes he counted. Everytime he looked, she looked back …. sometimes more that 4 seconds of attraction barrier of eye contact. (if you have a eye contact of more than 4 seconds with a person without any verbal interaction, this means that person likes you, unless you are wearing your shirt upside-down :p). So, at 23rd time, it was almost Delhi in that trip form Kanpur to Delhi of his. The first thing that came to his mind was last night discussion with a friend, who is otherwise an almost perfect person, but a little weird in girl matters. That friend was very much attracted towards a beautiful girl in a mall but could not muster the courage to go upto her and talk, even after constant push by him. Friend told him that it is very difficult to go and talk with such a girl.

So, our protagonist decided to give luck a try and rehearsed some opening lines in his mind. He knew that it is not even 5% probable that traditional girl from UP would talk to him. But, he thought “what the hell, keep the bloody statistics out of picture”. Bus stopped, he got down, waited a few minutes for girl, girl arrived then conversation went as follows:
He: hi
She: (putting her bag on floor and with a big smile) hi
He: Are you from Delhi?
She: No
He: Oh, then Aligarh?
She: No, Vrindavan near Mathura, Delhi just to meet my brother.
He: Really! my home is in Mathura. My father is blah-blah-blah
She: yes, I have heard about him.
He: Where in Vrindavan?
She: blah blah
He: So, what a fortunate coincidence, I met a person from Mathura in Kanpur-Delhi bus
She: (smiles) I saw very first minute you looking at me
He: Oh, sorry for that, if you felt awkward, but you know, you are so beautiful that I could not resist
She: (giggle) oh, you think so.
He: What is your name?
She: so and so
He: I would like to meet you sometime, if it is ok with you, in Delhi, in Mathura, wherever you like.
She: ok.
He: let me give you my phone number
(opens notebook and pen, writes the number, in between her bhabhiji came down from bus)
Bhabhi: (to girl) what is going on?
She: just talking
Bhabhi: why? lets go.
He: excuse me, one minute (tries to give slip with mobile number to her, she extends her hand, but bhabhi grabs that slip)
Bhabhi: what is this?
He: phone number
Bhabhi: why would she call you?
He: I want to meet her.
Bhabhi: why?
He: arre, I liked her, that is why.
Bhabhi: You will see a girl in bus, and start liking her?
He: not fully, but to fully understand and like her, I want to meet her.
Bhabhi: This is no way of talking with girls
He: (irritated) then you tell me, what is the right way.
Bhabhi: (threw away the slip) She does not want to talk/phone you. now you go away
He: she doesn’t look like saying so.
She: (giggle, bhabhi furious)
He: ok, if you want to contact, I have told you my home address, find me, bbye
She: bbye
He, she, and that stupid bhabhi walked away in different direction and the group of around 10-15 onlooker auto-drivers dispersed……