Love at First Sight

It was love at first sight. As soon as I had set my eyes on her across the road in Janpath, I knew she was the one. I had only caught a glimpse as she stopped, but that fleeting instance was enough to win me over. The uncle with her asked around for directions, and thus I could sense they were new to this area. I had definitely come across her before, but when? And why was the guy right in front of me blocking my view at this precise moment?

“Hello Sir, try these magical slippers to boost your height. Guaranteed results in 5 days”

Yeah right. All I want now is for random roadside vendors to mock my built. Concentrate. She was back in sight, and the way she carried herself with such poise and elegance brought a sense of royalty to her being. That wide grin managed to radiate happiness all around, and her mellifluous sound cut through the crowd’s incessant chatter. But where had I seen that face earlier? There was a slight drizzle, and her eyelashes just couldn’t stop fluttering. And gosh, those deep twinkling eyes! I could spend my entire life gazing into them! I longed to get closer, and started moving towards her. Just as I tried to register whether or not that was a smile in my direction, I got a call:

“Good Morning Sir, I am calling from Mental Insurance for Nincompoops and Dolts (MIND). We are launching a new scheme to insure your memory. So if you start forgetting things periodically, you get paid. Isn't that great?”

“I'm sorry, what did you say your name was? You see, I don't think I'm eligible anymore”

But it was too late. She was gone. I ran in her direction, only to start panting heavily. I began cursing myself for retaliating that a paunch is a sign of a contented person whenever mom suggested I hit the gym. Ah, later. “Bhaiya, give me a Extra-cheese double paneer tikka burger”. Munching on the light snack while retracing my steps, I just couldn’t get her out of my mind. But how would I find her? I didn’t know her name, her address, her number. In fact, I didn’t even know whether she existed or not. It could have been a dream after all, a figment of my imagination. But could the resemblance that I couldn’t for the life of me remember be another dream, a dream within a dream?

Mental note: Stop watching mindless movies like Inception.

I went up to the policeman who had given the directions, and described her. Though he frowned at my nonchalance, he affirmed that she was for real. Now I just had to find her. But in such a big city with absolutely no clue, how could I? It would be like searching for an honest politician. Impossible, I was sure, and began to trudge along. I don't know since when, but of late, Pele’s soul has a peculiar tradition of possessing me whenever I am racking my brains with no light at the end of the tunnel, which is more frequent these days due to the sorry state of affairs of our electricity sector. I started writhing in pain almost as soon as I started kicking around aimlessly. I had struck gold. Or rather, a mini-boulder. But lying next to it was my key to meeting her – the uncle’s driving license. He must have dropped it while taking out his wallet to give alms to the beggar. Ah, just my day! Now the spring was back in my step, but it was obviously not enough to propel me to her home.

So I hired the nearest autorickshaw to her place in South-ex. Turning its mirror in my direction to make sure that I was looking presentable, I thought of ways to make that perfect first impression on her. The ride was way quicker than I thought; trust Delhi’s roads to be de-congested just the day you need some extra time. Her house was easy to locate because everyone in the locality knew about the palatial bungalow. A security guard beckoned me as I went up to the gate, and informed his master inside. I craned my neck to find her standing in the courtyard, fresh from a shower. Now it struck me – I had seen her earlier in Landmark, a big bookstore in the nearby mall. Her skin was glowing, and when I went up and exclaimed how beautiful she looked, I could swear she blushed.

Uncle himself came down and told me how worried he had been after misplacing his license. He thanked me and asked if he could do anything for me. Now was my chance, and I would regret it if I missed it. Pointing in her direction, I mustered up enough courage to say “Uncle, can I take her out?”

He looked at her and back at me to think for a moment, before saying “Sure Beta, but she needs to leave for college in another half an hour, so do come back before that.” Taking the keys, I thanked him profusely for trusting me. I just couldn’t believe my luck – I was getting a chance to drive the extremely cute Saturn Sky, one of the most desirable cars featured in last month’s Top Gear issue. Just wait till my brother hears of this!