Image credit: Hasini/Lahari
Chapter 03: Jerry McGuire
"So Arnav, how do you find India?" Shyam asked and sipped coffee. Shyam loved drinking fresh filter coffee right after heavy dinner.
Arnav sighed. "You talk as if I am a foreign tourist," he said closing his eyes as coffee entered his system and its aroma surrounded him. Coffee-gasm, he called it.
Shyam barely fazed. "You haven't been here for many years now."
"I was gone only for three years Shyam," Arnav deadpanned.
"Exactly! Three years in your twenties is equivalent to a decade in your fifties." Shyam banged his palm on table. Arnav looked at him blankly while Anjali giggled.
"Whatever. There isn't much of change here. Bookstore I always visited is a lot better now," he said carefully.
Shyam and Anjali looked at each other.
"Arnav, when you were there, did you have any girlfriends?" Shyam asked. Arnav looked aghast at his sister and brother-in-law. His brother-in-law, Shyam, was little flaky though a good man and loved his wife a lot.
"For the thirty third time – no. I didn't have any girlfriends." Arnav sighed. "I hope you stop asking me about that." He pleaded softly.
Anjali and Shyam looked at each other again. "Boyfriends….?" Shyam trailed. Arnav looked up wide eyed. "We aren't being judgmental here Arnav, we are totally cool if you swung the other way and Anjali will re-plan your wedding if that is the case so don't worry about it."
He looked at his sister and her husband carefully. No, they weren't yanking his chain but were completely serious.
He sighed once more. "No, no boyfriends either." He kept his voice neutral.
"What is wrong with you?" Shyam burst out. "We sent you out of this country in hopes that you will stop being a stiff prick and finally have a go at life. What did you do there?"
Arnav looked at his family fondly. "I went there to learn about garment export business, studied and analysed the market, set up offices and streamline operation and work with local governing bodies for smooth business transactions." Arnav said monotonously.
Anjali sighed. Shyam sighed. Arnav for the heck of it sighed longer just to irritate the two of them.
"Arnav, Arnav, Arnav," Shyam said shaking his head. Arnav looked at him. "Your naivet is so cute and you know, it will help you score points with the ladies. But you just wasted precious three years of your life which is…okay useful but really not." He said standing up. "I am going to make few calls and hit bed. Good night." He wished Arnav and left the siblings alone.
"Your husband is a weird, weird man," Arnav said pouring another cup of hot coffee.
Anjali giggled. "He is mine," she said wriggling her eyebrows. Arnav rolled his eyes at that.
"Who was she?" Anjali asked several moments later breaking the silence.
"Who are you talking about?" Arnav was genuinely surprised.
"The girl in bookstore. You seem so into her that you didn't even notice me till I touched your arm," she said raising an eyebrow.
Arnav's cheeks flooded crimson. Anjali smiled inwardly at that. "She was the reason why that silly looking structure made of books collapsed. She ran into the aisle I was in to get away from her crime," Arnav said remembering the girl from bookstore.
"She looked as if she fit right in a manga!" Anjali exclaimed. "Tight jeans, very loose t-shirt, bitten off nails, large glasses and neat French plait."
"What is French plait?" Arnav asked seriously. Anjali threw a grape at him.
"The way she was wearing her hair, that's French plait." Anjali explained. "It was popular in 90s, now not so much. People are more into leaving their hair in open."
"That's Lara Croft hairstyle, by the way." Arnav said remembering the way the girl's long plait moved around like a whip when she shook her head vigorously. "She was cute." He added as an afterthought.
"Did you see her skin? Next time you see her, ask her who her dermatologist is. I refuse to believe that smoothness, softness and glow is possible without help and I can guarantee that she wasn't wearing any makeup. That's what you see in Ponds advertisement Arnav when they show graphically awesome skin on an ordinary working woman." Anjali told him.
"Yes. When I see her next that's exactly what I will ask instead of her name and phone number," Arnav replied drolly. Anjali nodded seriously.
"So…" Anjali trailed dragging the syllable. "Ms Ponds Skin has caught your eyes me sees," she said playfully. When Arnav bit his lip and looked away, the smile fell from Anjali's lips.
"Arnav?" Arnav looked back to his sister and slowly nodded.
"Seriously Chote!" She asked standing up.
"Shyam! Get your ass down here. Chote needs help." Anjali yelled before Arnav could stop her.
"I don't need any help; and that too from you two – no frigging way." Arnav said decidedly.
"What happened?" Shyam asked answering the beckoning call.
"Arnav has a crush. Could be infatuation even. Or love at first sight," Anjali said.
"Is a girl?"
"Yes."
"Thank God."
"Shyam!" "Shyam!" The siblings shouted.
"What? Am just saying…Anyway, what do you need?" He asked his wife.
"I want you two to butt out of my business." Arnav said but was ignored as usual.
"The girl Arnav loves has awesome skin." Anjali told her husband. "She gave me a nasty look when I slipped my arm into his," she added thumbing at her brother.
"She saw you as a potential threat?" Shyam asked with widened eyes.
"How the hell did you notice all this? You were there for like…twenty seconds or so." Arnav was simply lost in the madness.
"It's a girl thing Arnav, you don't understand." Shyam spared him a look. He turned to his wife. "If she saw you as a threat then inside she must be cursing you." Shyam smiled.
"I think so too." Anjali looked happy for a person whose look-alike doll may be getting stuck by pins right now.
"I told her that I visit the bookstore every Saturday. She seemed…intrigued." Arnav said slowly.
"We will all go to bookstore next Saturday to see the girl who has caught our Chote's eyes." Shyam declared.
"All?" Arnav repeated.
"Yea, you, us, Naani, NK, Akash…"
Arnav sighed. This was going to end badly, he knew it.
*****
"You look like shit," Akash noted kindly.
Akash was Arnav's best friend and cousin by relation. They were born few months apart and though Arnav was older, they maintained a great camaraderie. He had spent most part of Sunday reading the purchases he had made previous night. He had slept for very few hours the previous night making his eyes look smaller and the dark edges gave him a disturbed look. He decided to visit Akash in evening before he went totally bonkers sitting at home alone.
"I feel like shit." He said and flopped on sofa. "I couldn't sleep properly last night." He groaned and covered his eyes with his forearm.
"Ms Ponds Skin kept you awake?" Akash asked biting his inner cheeks. Arnav sat up straight and stared at him. Akash was laughing at him silently.
"I am going to murder those two." Arnav groaned again and slumped. Akash burst out laughing. Arnav glared at her cousin. "It's not funny," he mumbled.
"Come with me," Akash said pushing Arnav from sofa.
"Can't we just sit here and enjoy Sunday evening with fine scotch and a nice action movie?" Arnav asked hopefully.
"Nope. We are going out to dinner to my friend's house." Akash said enigmatically.
"Who is this friend?" Arnav asked stubbornly catching sofa's hand rest as Akash pulled him with all his might.
"I met her few weeks ago in a cocktail party. Apparently her roommate has cooked food for an army and my friend wanted me to drop by with a friend or two and help her finish it." Akash said.
"Your friend thinks you are equivalent to an army?" Arnav asked sounding ridiculous.
"Me thinks she just wants me in her house," Akash sniggered.
"Then go. Why should I suffer with you?"
"I need a wingman which conveniently happens to be you. I can't take NK because he keeps talking non-stop grabbing everyone's attention with his fake accent and I don't get time with the lady."
"And I am better because…" Arnav trailed still not letting go of the arm rest.
"You sit and brood in a corner and while girls think it's awesome and cool after fifteen minutes they get bored out of their heels and leave you alone. That gives me all the time in the world to talk to my friend," Akash explained.
"You are using me as a tool." Arnav grumbled.
"I am using you as an accessory, not a tool." Akash corrected.
"Like that helps," Arnav said and stopped struggling. "Fine, I'll go." He said resigned. Akash beamed at him.
"Why is your friend's roommate cooking so much in the first place?" Arnav asked sliding into the car.
"Apparently the poor thing went through a bad break-up and this is one of her coping mechanism." Akash explained.
When Arnav didn't respond, Akash nudged him. "Are you going to meet Ms Ponds Skin again?"
For the first time in twenty six hours, Arnav decided to be honest.
"I am looking forward to it, actually."
Note: Jerry McGuire is one of the few Tom Cruise's movie I enjoy. I adore the kid in this movie [Renee's son] and the general feel good nature makes it all the more worthwhile. I don't really watch a lot of chick-flicks or rom-coms but I do indulge myself in slow movies which can offer only feel good factor and nothing else.The recent feel good movie which I really enjoyed a lot is a Japanese one. It's a slow romantic movie which sets its own pace in narration and moves along nicely. Link below if you wish to see :=)
Kimi Ni Todoke [Eng: From Me to You]
Hindi TV Shows
Kumkum Bhagya
Cricket
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