MERI JAAN: MERA NOKIA 6600/18/148/21jun/new thread - Page 5

PART 3

I was waiting for Bro to arrive, that day also I was waiting for my Bro when I saw him for the first time

2005-06

I was sitting by the window waiting for my bro; he had promised that he will bring a pink mobile cover for my Nokia 6600.

I was getting impatient, I decided to go out and wait for him at the main gate.

I went there and hanged myself on the gate. After some time I leaned to look at the lane to see if he was somewhere near, all I saw was a tall male figure carrying a T-scale and a sheet folder coming in my direction. He looked around 20 or so, he looked tired and smiled at me, I was a little embarrassed, and he might be use to the fact that the girls checked him out, he was quite handsome.

"Hi, you live here"

I just nodded unable to say anything

"You must be Major Handa's daughter"

I looked at him meekly

"You have taken admission in architecture"

I nodded

"Your college is quite far from here, maybe 20 kms"

I again nodded

"Can't you speak?"

I did not say anything but ran inside

"Hey slowly, I won't hurt you"

I was by now too embarrassed, I looked at myself, I was wearing a frock, can you imagine, a frock, I mean a handsome guy just talked to me and I was looking like kid, I immediately opened my two pigtails and combed my hair and made a ponytail. I decided to no more wear these stupid frocks that too ones with frill and all.

My mood was only elevated after I got that pink cover for my Nokia 6600, my jaan

2012

I just smiled remembering my stupid entices, how I was desperate to impress him. I also had cursed myself for not speaking a single word that day. I was like, tongue tied, imagine a hot guy came near you and just talked casually with you. Who will not die to talk to him?

2005-06

My mother invited our neighbor for the jagraata, she also invited him.

I wanted to look nice and a little big, I wore a magenta salwaar suit, and big danglers in my ears, I also adorned matching bangles. I stood in front of the mirror and took my photo with my Nokia 6600

My mother was happy that I finally wanted to dress in Indian style, she so much hated my frocks and Bermudas.

He came in quite late, I wanted to ask him, why he was late? But how could I?

I secretly took his photo with my jaan

My bro approached him,

"Hi, you are quite late. Everything OK"

"Hi, I was late returning from office, and don't mind but my only interest is in dinner at present"

"I like your frankness and straight to the point talks, the dinner is a buffet, and it has already been served, why don't you start" he paused and then "Chutki, take him for the buffet"

I readily came forward and showed him the way to the terrace

He followed me, I was silent, I did not know what to say.

"You look good in this attire"

I looked at him and smiled

"But these danglers are very loud, you should have worn something small and of matching color"

I nodded and looked down as if he was my teacher and I have forgotten to do my HW

"Even at your age you should wear fewer bangles, a simple Kangan and a wrist watch would have been good"

I just nodded

"Hey, don't mind, I meant no offences, it's your choice as to how you dress up"

I did not say anything just showed him the buffet tables and left.

I went to my room, removed those danglers, I was already repenting the decision as they were very heavy and my ears were itching. Same was with my bangles; I was not comfortable with them. I replaced them with a matching Kangan in my right wrist and wrist watch in my left.

I again took my photograph. Meri jaan, what would have I done without it?

I came out after some time and looked for him.

I saw him eating and talking with one of the invitees.

I looked at him, he raised his head and looked at me.

He scanned me from top to bottom and smiled. It seemed that he approved of me now.

I was happy.

The jagraata will go the whole night, but people started leaving, at around 11 pm he too took leave, I was sitting in a corner near the drinking water stall, checking him out.

He after saying bye to all, came near the stall and took a glass of water and leaned down to fill it and looked at me.

"You should also have tried those chiming anklets, they would suit you, and you can always wear them in some party"

I did not say anything, he smiled at me and handed me that glass filled with water.

His touch was electric.

"Drink it! Your mouth always dries when I talk to you"

He left; I did not know how he knew that my mouth dried every time he talked to me.

The whole night I looked at the snaps I have taken, in every pic he seemed to be looking in the direction of the camera, did he know that I was taking his pics?

Whatever my Nokia 6600 brought him close to my heart. I even kissed him so many times that my jaan was all sticky.

SHRUTI

2012

Those were the days, I spend almost every waking hour looking at his picture. How totally stumped I was. I used to take his photos every time possible. By the end of the week I had about 50 snaps. I dare not copy them to the desktop I shared with my bro.

2005-06

It was a week since jagraata, I was hanging around the colony garden just to catch his one glimpse. He has not come out the whole day. Today was Sunday otherwise I would have seen him at early hours jogging. On Sundays he did not exercise I think.

I was sitting on a bench which faced his room. I took out my jaan and looked at his pictures, I started sorting them out and a small slide show, showing his daily activities.

1^st pic was him treading down the staircase in his track suit, next was his jogging around, then the one where he did his meditation in the same garden here, the next showed him walking to the office with his equipments. I just wondered why he not had a bike.

I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder and without looking back I knew it belonged to him.

"So someone is playing detective around me"

I felt like the earth would open and I would get buried in it.

"What if I tell your bro what you have been doing?"

I remained quite.

"Or should I ask your mother to take that damn mobile of yours from you"

I gave him a shocked look, I was very angry, I was already feeling bad and the thought of parting with my jaan made me angry.

"Or"

Before he could say anything I said "this is my jaan"

He gave me a confused look, "who is your jaan?"

"My Nokia 6600, it is my jaan. Don't suggest my Maa to take it from me" I pleaded

"So you love this small phone"

I simply nodded

"You love it so much that you actually even tried talking to me to save it" he rolled on laughing his head out.

Everyone there looked at him and then at me

I started feeling helpless.

One of the kids came and shrugged him, "Bhaiya, are you ok? Why are you laughing?"

He wiped his eyes, which by now were dripping, "here Chutki just told me a joke"

"Oh, she is funny, always playing with her Mobile, sorry sorry her Jaan" the kid said as a matter of fact.

I did not like the way he made a joke out of my jaan

I stomped from there, pledging never to come near him and deciding to delete all his photos from my jaan.

But by the time I reached my room, I forgot everything and just remembered that I actually talked to him, I actually made a conversation with him.

In the evening the activity hall in our colony played a movie for the residents.

We always went there, it was fun.

Today's movie was Hulchul, a 2004 super hit comedy.

At sharp 5:45 pm I took my seat next to my mother, my father was sitting with his colleagues and bro with his fiance.

At sharp 6:00 the lights went off and the movie started.

I felt someone occupied the seat next to me, I looked who the person was and I was paralyzed

He was none other than he himself

I could not breath; he was sitting so close to me

"Breath!" he whispered

I was again conscious

I stared blankly at the screen, nothing went inside my mind, I could neither listen nor see, I could only feel his presence, his breath, and his accidental touches.

While a song was playing, whispered again "so you did not delete my photos"

I gave him a shocked look, he was a devil, he was looking at the screen and not me, for a second I thought I was hallucinating but the very next second he looked at me "you could not delete them"

I wanted to hide somewhere

"Coward"

I glared at him, I am not coward

"Don't give me this looks, I know you are afraid to talk to me"

I just sat there mum unable to understand what to say.

During the interval he changed his seat, I did not like it

Next day, as usual I sat there watching him descend the stairs, I thought I was well hidden.

He came near me and pulled me out

I was startled

"Grow up, Geet, why are you wasting time spying at me. Tell me, do you ever study"

I was nervous now. It is true since the day I have seen him, I have not studied, in theses last 2 weeks I have practically neither read a word from any text book or drawn a line on any sheet.

"Your internals are due next week, do you even know the syllabus?"

I just looked down as if searching the grounds for something.

"Look at me Geet"

I looked up

"I know you have had a serious crush on me, but for that should you avoid everything else"

I kept quite

"Geet, I will go from here in 6 months, and then what will you do? I am not here to stay. I am here just for my 6 months training. By the time you will complete your 2^nd sem I will be gone"

I did not say anything

"You just don't speak up, Geet you have only these years to study, to fall for someone should not be your preference, you have the whole life to spy the guys, but at present concentrate on your studies"

When I did not say anything he sighed and left feeling defeated

I stood there for the whole hour; he returned from his jogging and was heading to the garden for meditation.

"You still here, go else as always you will miss your first class" he said sarcastically

"Will you help me cover up for the internal exams?" I asked him

"What?" I could tell from his voice that he has not expected this from me.

"please"

"OK just now go to your college, get notes from someone, try to complete your sheet works their itself and in the evening at 6 pm come to my place, but only if your mother and Bro permit, OK"

"Thank you"

He headed to the garden and I went to get ready for college

SHRUTI