So, this little OS is for all the romantics out there (you know who you are!) who enjoy the rain, the smell of fresh Earth, and mood music like this. (Makes me homesick for the monsoons, that video does!) But before you read on, feast your eyes on this beautiful work of art by Leonid Afrenov called Alley by the Lake. I based part of this OS on the scene depicted in the painting.
OS: A Walk in the Rain
"Where are you going?" he snarled at her.
"No..Nowhe…None of your business," she said, squaring her jaw.
"Khushi, it's late. It's raining. Come home with me. Now," said Arnav warningly.
"No, I won't. I'll go home by myself," she replied with the stubbornness characteristic of Khushi Kumari Gupta. She looked up doubtfully at the dark, night sky. Giant raindrops were beginning to pelt down. She had no umbrella, no rain coat and exactly 14Rs. in her purse. She had no idea how she was going to get home. Pride and pride alone made her turn her nose up at his offer.
"I'll manage!" she said quietly.
"Fine. Suit yourself," he said, turning on his heel. He hadn't walked 5 steps when he heard her the sound of her anklets ringing behind him.
"Fine. I'll go with you!" she said huffily. He shifted the umbrella slightly so it covered her head partly.
"I'm still getting wet," she said grabbing at the umbrella and yanking it over her head more thoroughly. He pulled it back over his head.
"My umbrella! My head takes precedence! Gottit?" he asked roughly. She was annoying him to breaking point today. It had started with re-decorating "her half" of "their" room. Down to the loud wind chime and the shirtless Salman Khan poster. At least if he shut his eyes he could avoid the topless Peter Pan of Bollywood. There was no way he could shut his ears to the offensive noise that wind chime made. The bells clanged together quite violently with the lightest breeze creating a sound that was as revolting to his ears as Salman Khan was to his eyes. He shot a sideways glance at her. She wasn't looking at him. As usual, in typical Khushi Kumari Gupta style she was focused on something quite different from 30 seconds ago. She had the attention span of a 2 year old, he mused.
She was looking into the rain that had intensified into a heavy drizzle now. She had that slight smile on her face. Not that impish wide grin she sported when she was up to some mischief like tricking him into drinking Bhang. No. It was that tiny smile that barely lifted the corners of her lips, but shone fully in her eyes. He'd seen it peek out once in a way. When she fried Jalebis. When she talked to her sister while they both worked side by side in the kitchen. When she sang off-key while playing with Laxmi. He liked that smile, he decided. It was everything she was, and wasn't. Coy, hopeful, sunny, contained, loved, loving, innocent. He looked away as she shot him a puzzled glance. He'd been staring, he realized embarrassedly.
"What?" she asked.
"What what?" he said.
"Is there something on my nose? Why were you staring at me like that?"
"I wasn't staring. Don't flatter yourself. And walk faster. Car is still 2km away," he muttered.
"Why were you out walking?" she asked suddenly.
"Huh?" he looked at her blankly, a slight flush creeping up his cheek.
"Why were you out walking?" she asked again. "You never walk anywhere. You always take the car. Why is Arnav Singh Raizada out walking? That too when it's raining?" she persisted.
"No reason," he muttered almost under his breath, quickening his step.
"Wait a minute," she stopped walking, and he was forced to stop as well. "You never do anything without a reason either. There's always a reason. And it's usually logical. So, what is it?" she asked, eyes twinkling at his obvious discomfiture.
"Nothing. I like the occasional walk," he said. "Now, can we move on?" he said.
"You like the occasional walk?" she asked, eyebrows shooting up. "Let me get this straight. You were out walking for pleasure. In the rain. Rather, in the anticipation of rain. Arnav Singh Raizada likes walks in the rain. This is priceless," she said, proceeding to laugh to her hearts' content. He stood there fuming for a few seconds. Then he walked away, leaving her to get wet in the rain. She ran behind him and caught up in about 3 seconds.
"Oh, come on. So you like walking in the rain. There are worse offenses than being a closet romantic," said Khushi, tucking her head underneath the canopy of the umbrella.
"Shut up Khushi!"
"Are you embarrassed that I know your little secret Arniekins? Arnav Singh Raizada, cold businessman, ruthless, hard, unkind, overbearing, dominating.."
"Enough with the compliments already," he bit out.
"Is a romantic soul who likes rainy walks. Do you always go by yourself, or do you like to take the woman of the moment along with you?" she asked mischievously.
"I don't seem to be alone at the moment," he said harshly before he could check himself.
"Would you rather be alone?" she asked quietly.
"Does it matter?" he asked heavily.
"Would I ask if it didn't matter?" she replied.
"I don't know. You ask a lot of questions Khushi Kumari Gupta," he said. "Don't say it," he warned as he saw her open her mouth to add the "Singh Raizada" to the end, as she liked to do, just to annoy him.
"Why don't you like me to say it?" she asked.
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
"Why don't you try answering at least one of them. Or do I have to win a bet every time to get you to answer a question," she grinned.
"You know, I've forgotten the question," he said, sighing. He kicked a stray pebble into a tiny puddle, splashing his shoes with muddy water.
"Would you rather be alone?" she asked, not bothering to skirt around the issue anymore. She was tired of their cat and mouse games. It was exhausting. And honestly, it wasn't very fun.
"No. I would rather not be alone," he responded candidly. He saw that tiny smile flash in her eyes, the one he liked, before she dropped her lids demurely.
"OK," she said, tucking her arm into his elbow. She didn't say anything else. And neither did he. They walked along quietly for the next 5 minutes or so. They were walking past a small lake now. Lights from houses on its opposite shore glistened on the surface, lighting up the water in patches. The lights quivered as the water lapped away in tiny wavelets. Arnav looked at the water, inky black in the night. And the occasional flame of light, providing relief from complete darkness. And then he looked at Khushi. He smiled lightly to himself.
Khushi looked at the lamps on the other side of the alley. Each bright yellow bulb lighting up the tree around it. Brown bark burned dark red, leaves almost golden and their shadows in silent puddles a bright yellow. As far as her eye could see, there was a row of lamps burning bright. She smiled widely to herself, and tucked her arm more securely into his.
"Do you like that smell, you know right after it rains?" he asked after many minutes of silence.
"You mean the smell of the wet Earth?" she asked, wide-eyed.
"No, I mean the smell of dog poo melting in the rain water!" he said exasperatedly. Trust Khushi Kumari Gupta to ruin a moment, he griped inwardly.
"I love it, the wet Earth, not the dog poo," she replied sincerely. "You know what else I like about the rain?" she asked.
"What?"
"You know the petrol from the cars, it mixes with the rain water in puddles, and creates this rainbow. I love that. When I was a kid, I would flick the oil lightly and the rainbow would move. I loved it," she said.
"Khushi, oil doesn't mix with water. It lays on top of the water. Actually the oil creates a film on the surface of the water, and the reason you see a rainbow of sorts is because of the refraction of light at the air-oil interface and the oil-water interface," he said professorially. Khushi rolled her eyes in the darkness. Trust ASR to ruin a moment, she mused.
"Ever had ice-cream in the rain?" he asked.
"Yes. I absolutely love it. You?" she asked, looking up at the smiling stranger next to her.
"Once every year or so I break my no sweets rule and have an ice-cream. When it rains," he said.
"You wanna?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he replied. They found a tiny cubby hole of an ice-cream store tucked away in that quiet alley. She got a Chocolate ripple cone and he got a Butterscotch in a cup. They walked out into the rain. She held the umbrella this time, licking her ice-cream cone was easier than eating out of a cup.
"Why do you have to complicate everything?" she complained. "If you'd gotten a cone it would have been much easier. You can eat with one hand."
"Man! I can do nothing right. Not even eat an ice-cream the way I like it!" he said wonderingly. He shook his head but said nothing as he continued shoveling ice-cream into his mouth. As it happened he finished way before her. She had ice-cream trickling down her wrists in a sticky mess by the time she was even three-quarters done with it.
"Why are you such a messy eater Khushi? God!" said Arnav, closing his eyes at the picture she made. Hair partially wet and plastered to her forehead in an entirely unattractive way. Brown streaks of melted chocolate ice-cream trickling down her arm in rivulets.
"Man! I can do nothing right. Not even eat an ice-cream the way I like it!" she said, returning the favor. He grinned boyishly at her comment.
"Here, wash your hands in the rain," he said, when she finished, holding the umbrella for her. They resumed their walk after she was done. They were in the Raizada Creations parking lot and at his car within 3 minutes.
"Ready to go?" he asked, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her.
"Yes. Let's go home," she said.
Cheesy, no? But its OK..Vidhya is positively goggle-eyed from writing boring facts..so cheese is a wonderful change.
Cheers!
Vidhya
Cricket
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
