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The evening was cold and breezy. It was unusually cold even for a winter in Bangalore. Or so did I feel. I felt numb as I was walking down the alley leading to the main road. I realized the numbness was not entirely due to the coldness of the weather. It was coming from within me. I was nervous – like the nervousness of a boy who is about to recite his well rehearsed poem in front of his class. I knew I had to do it today. I should not miss this chance. I double checked my zebra striped sweat shirt and felt the trump card in the inside pocket with my left hand. It was safe. It was my resume towards boyfriend-ship. A request letter for promotion from ‘friend’ to ‘boyfriend’ and more. My anxiousness was slowly beginning to overcome my normal self. I prayed that I should not behave stupidly. “Will she accept? Or will this be the last day I would ever meet her?” A thousand thoughts flashed upon my mind. The prospect of rejection and its implication was hard to swallow. “I should do it now. Nothing will happen” I re-assured myself, heaving a sigh of relief. In another 5 minutes I would reach the coffee shop – Café Coffee Day. For a zillionth time I rehearsed how I should act upon seeing her.
After reaching an intersection on the road, I raced forward dodging the pedestrians and finding my way through the uneven footpath which had shops of road-side shoe repairmen, paani poori boys and petty cigarette shops every 20 feet. Of course, I didn't have the time to take notice of these. Only one thing was preoccupying my mind. I briefly considered I could have taken my bike and even picked her up as well to the coffee shop. “She would have found out soon with the kind of nervousness you exhibit right now. Just go now” snapped a part in me. Finally I reached the shop, entered into the shop with the red Café Coffee Day board greeting me overhead. “She hasn't come yet”, my heart was racing. I did not order anything and decided to wait till she comes. I glanced through the menu without paying much attention – Black Coffee, Café Latte, Cappuccino, Irish coffee. In a couple of minutes, an auto arrived parking in front of the entrance. She alighted down the auto. My heart almost burst in anxiety and nervousness. I once again touched the trump card. She was wearing a pink salwar and was looking like an angel.
She saw me and came towards me smiling. “What’s up? Why did you call me here, in the cold? We just met a few hours back! Did you suddenly make any Nobel prize deserving scientific discovery?” she quipped, showing her false annoyance at being there and also making clear that she was absolutely happy to meet me again on the same day. “That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard”, I would have said on any other day. This was not the day to take any chances. Suddenly I felt a lump in my throat. I mustered a few words out of thin air, “Nothing, can we order a coffee?” She laughed and said, “Oh, so it’s for a coffee, is it?” Oh come on, what is it with girls. They tease you even when they know something and push you back to the wall. She pulled her chair near me and for a brief moment her crossed leg with flat sandals came in contact with my jean. She plucked the menu from my side. I tried to bring up my courage and tried to act normal. “I want a hot samosa and a hot Cappuccino”, she declared. “Same for me” I said sheepishly. “ OK, you order”, she said. I went to the counter and placed the order as nobody was around to take orders. While I was there, I looked at her again. “She is my everything, Oh god, please make her accept”. Another touch to the trump card. When I returned to the table, I got a feeling that she noticed or found something. She was looking away at the busy road. “Ordered” I said. “Hmm” was the answer still looking away. I said, “What?” “Nothing” came the answer. “ what have I done” I thought. There was an uneasy silence for 5 minutes. But it felt like an eternity to me.
“I need to tell you something” I begun. She slightly turned pushing her hair aside, and giving a posture as if she is listening. She looked beautiful. “Damn! Focus and get to the point” I said to myself. All the rehearsal I made has completely gone blank. “ OK, let me do it my spontaneous way” I thought.
“The other day we ate pani poori that was so delicious, remember?” I said.
“When? We have had it several times now. You and me” she replied sounding confused.
“No, last week or something. You liked it very much and wanted to have it all your life. Then you said you will marry someone who makes pani pooris, right?”
“Ya, what of it”
“ OK, do you still stand by it?”
“What is this stupid question?”
“Answer me please, yes or no?”
“Go to hell”
“This is not going as planned”, I thought. The samosas and the coffee arrived, distracting the conversation for a moment much to my relief. She stirred her coffee and added a sugar cube. Starting to stir again, she asked
“What has happened to you?”.
“I thought I will open a pani poori shop”
“What?”
With a rush of blood and gathering all the courage in the world, I pulled out my final trump card, THE TRUMP CARD I mean. No, it was not a ring. It was a simple greeting card. I slowly raised my arms and gestured her to take it. She did not react with surprise. It felt as if she was expecting it. She coughed a false cough and stared at me.
“I thought I will open a pani poori shop, and may be make pani pooris for you life long, that is, only if you accept”, the last few words uttered at almost unheard decibels.
That was the worst ever proposal ever made, I thought to myself. “Pani poori! what did I just say, I am a total idiot”
I expected her to stand up and leave that very moment. But to my surprise, she smiled. Then started laughing and in fact started laughing out loud, I mean the real lol way.
Then she began opening my card. She looked through it casually as if reading a newspaper. The card had just one message. And it was not required to open it to deduce the message. I was getting nervous even more now. The worst thing for a student in the school days is to have his paper evaluated by his teacher right in front of him. I felt much the same way, looking at her with horror stricken face. I didn't know what to do at that brief moment and started drinking the coffee. It was so hot but in the middle of it all, I drank a whole big sip. “ Aah!!” I shouted in pain as the coffee burnt my lips and tongue. She was startled by my shouting, as were the few others in the nearby tables. She helped me take a glass of water and gave a re-assuring pat on my back. “Well, not everything has gone wrong” I thought.
She then said, “Thanks for the card, I was expecting it all the same. From the moment you called me for coffee, I knew something fishy was going through your mind. I would like to think about it for another day or two. Now be a good boy and finish your coffee a bit slowly” she smiled and stood up. “Shall I drop you?” I too stood up instinctively. “How, dumbo. You came by walk. Will you carry me on your back?” she laughed. “With pleasure, my princess” I said. She blushed and at that moment, I felt love in her eyes. The same feeling I felt in me towards her. As she was walking away, I felt as if she was disappearing into my heart. To stay there. Forever. This was the best moment in my life. I sat down and started drinking the Cappuccino. It felt like I was flying, high up in the air touching the clouds and going beyond. “Cappuccino, you are giving me a high, like no other thing would ever give.”
After reaching an intersection on the road, I raced forward dodging the pedestrians and finding my way through the uneven footpath which had shops of road-side shoe repairmen, paani poori boys and petty cigarette shops every 20 feet. Of course, I didn't have the time to take notice of these. Only one thing was preoccupying my mind. I briefly considered I could have taken my bike and even picked her up as well to the coffee shop. “She would have found out soon with the kind of nervousness you exhibit right now. Just go now” snapped a part in me. Finally I reached the shop, entered into the shop with the red Café Coffee Day board greeting me overhead. “She hasn't come yet”, my heart was racing. I did not order anything and decided to wait till she comes. I glanced through the menu without paying much attention – Black Coffee, Café Latte, Cappuccino, Irish coffee. In a couple of minutes, an auto arrived parking in front of the entrance. She alighted down the auto. My heart almost burst in anxiety and nervousness. I once again touched the trump card. She was wearing a pink salwar and was looking like an angel.
She saw me and came towards me smiling. “What’s up? Why did you call me here, in the cold? We just met a few hours back! Did you suddenly make any Nobel prize deserving scientific discovery?” she quipped, showing her false annoyance at being there and also making clear that she was absolutely happy to meet me again on the same day. “That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard”, I would have said on any other day. This was not the day to take any chances. Suddenly I felt a lump in my throat. I mustered a few words out of thin air, “Nothing, can we order a coffee?” She laughed and said, “Oh, so it’s for a coffee, is it?” Oh come on, what is it with girls. They tease you even when they know something and push you back to the wall. She pulled her chair near me and for a brief moment her crossed leg with flat sandals came in contact with my jean. She plucked the menu from my side. I tried to bring up my courage and tried to act normal. “I want a hot samosa and a hot Cappuccino”, she declared. “Same for me” I said sheepishly. “ OK, you order”, she said. I went to the counter and placed the order as nobody was around to take orders. While I was there, I looked at her again. “She is my everything, Oh god, please make her accept”. Another touch to the trump card. When I returned to the table, I got a feeling that she noticed or found something. She was looking away at the busy road. “Ordered” I said. “Hmm” was the answer still looking away. I said, “What?” “Nothing” came the answer. “ what have I done” I thought. There was an uneasy silence for 5 minutes. But it felt like an eternity to me.
“I need to tell you something” I begun. She slightly turned pushing her hair aside, and giving a posture as if she is listening. She looked beautiful. “Damn! Focus and get to the point” I said to myself. All the rehearsal I made has completely gone blank. “ OK, let me do it my spontaneous way” I thought.
“The other day we ate pani poori that was so delicious, remember?” I said.
“When? We have had it several times now. You and me” she replied sounding confused.
“No, last week or something. You liked it very much and wanted to have it all your life. Then you said you will marry someone who makes pani pooris, right?”
“Ya, what of it”
“ OK, do you still stand by it?”
“What is this stupid question?”
“Answer me please, yes or no?”
“Go to hell”
“This is not going as planned”, I thought. The samosas and the coffee arrived, distracting the conversation for a moment much to my relief. She stirred her coffee and added a sugar cube. Starting to stir again, she asked
“What has happened to you?”.
“I thought I will open a pani poori shop”
“What?”
With a rush of blood and gathering all the courage in the world, I pulled out my final trump card, THE TRUMP CARD I mean. No, it was not a ring. It was a simple greeting card. I slowly raised my arms and gestured her to take it. She did not react with surprise. It felt as if she was expecting it. She coughed a false cough and stared at me.
“I thought I will open a pani poori shop, and may be make pani pooris for you life long, that is, only if you accept”, the last few words uttered at almost unheard decibels.
That was the worst ever proposal ever made, I thought to myself. “Pani poori! what did I just say, I am a total idiot”
I expected her to stand up and leave that very moment. But to my surprise, she smiled. Then started laughing and in fact started laughing out loud, I mean the real lol way.
Then she began opening my card. She looked through it casually as if reading a newspaper. The card had just one message. And it was not required to open it to deduce the message. I was getting nervous even more now. The worst thing for a student in the school days is to have his paper evaluated by his teacher right in front of him. I felt much the same way, looking at her with horror stricken face. I didn't know what to do at that brief moment and started drinking the coffee. It was so hot but in the middle of it all, I drank a whole big sip. “ Aah!!” I shouted in pain as the coffee burnt my lips and tongue. She was startled by my shouting, as were the few others in the nearby tables. She helped me take a glass of water and gave a re-assuring pat on my back. “Well, not everything has gone wrong” I thought.
She then said, “Thanks for the card, I was expecting it all the same. From the moment you called me for coffee, I knew something fishy was going through your mind. I would like to think about it for another day or two. Now be a good boy and finish your coffee a bit slowly” she smiled and stood up. “Shall I drop you?” I too stood up instinctively. “How, dumbo. You came by walk. Will you carry me on your back?” she laughed. “With pleasure, my princess” I said. She blushed and at that moment, I felt love in her eyes. The same feeling I felt in me towards her. As she was walking away, I felt as if she was disappearing into my heart. To stay there. Forever. This was the best moment in my life. I sat down and started drinking the Cappuccino. It felt like I was flying, high up in the air touching the clouds and going beyond. “Cappuccino, you are giving me a high, like no other thing would ever give.”