Deepsy.. Beautiful 👏
Here is an attempt from my side to make the day special-er for my special reader. This is totally out of imagination and for fun. Hope you'll like it!!
The Proposal
"Chikkamma (Mausi/Aunty/Chithi/Pinni)... I won't give.. this is my car!!"
The helpless ladies watched horrified at the three year old crying loud and running away from them. "I warned you a three year old is a horrible company to a shop. But why'll you listen to me," a charming girl, the most irritated of the two admonished.
"Uff.. I'm the Lecturer here but sadly I end up receiving lectures all the time..", rolling eyes, the most adorable of the two, snapped back. "Stop lamenting over spilled milk and catch him!!" With that, they ran behind the storm while other visitors stared aghast at the marathon of Sari-clad, jewelry decked girls. It's a family wedding that evening and the girls were sent to a nearby gift shop for last moment shortage of gifts. They had five thousand in hand, the budgeted amount, not a penny more, neither cards. They're almost done with paying the bill of Rs4825 when the cute lad's eyes fell on his favorite toy - a remote car. To their dismay, the toy valued beyond the change they're left with and any amount of bargaining with the storekeeper didn't mete their need. Thence they tried distracting, alluring the boy with other toys, yet.. the three old stayed as stubborn as he could be.
"Stupid of me to not get my bag," the pretty lady patted head. "Had I had cards, they'd have saved us from this situation," seeing the boy uncontrollably cry, she felt truly bad. "Chikkamma... car.. uuu", he wriggled in her arms as the other lady tried to snatch the toy from him. "175 rupees.. a shortage of just 175 rupees made my ladla cry this much..." melted and sad.. she hugged him tight.
"God... how tightly he's holding," failing to snatch from his solid grip, the other girl panted. "Dolly.. leave it..let me think of a solution", unable to be a silent viewer of the cutie's sobs, the lecturer set on to calm him down first. "I'll buy that car for you chotu.. stop crying my baby.. This is yours. Dolly akka will not take from you.. I'll beat her if she takes..". The other lady, Dolly, rolled eyes in exasperation. "How'll you buy meri Maa? We have only half the amount and no time to go to venue and come back.. the groom's family will be there any minute."
"Don't rush.. let me think..", cajoling the boy, she looked around to see for any known faces that'd help them, but she found none. Then her eyes fell on the donation box at cash counter; her eyes shone with an idea. "Hold him," she passed on the boy and rushed in. "What're you doing?" baffled, Dolly followed.
"Wait and watch..", she surfed through the shelves for needed material to implement her idea. Three minutes later, what shaped up in her hands is a kid's piggy bank that transformed into a donation box. "Tell me one good name that sounds like a charity organization!!" Pasting a label to the box, she asked. "Hmm.. CARE?" intrigued by her cousin's plan, Dolly suggested.
"No.. something more impacting.."
"Hmm.. HOPE.. or Aasha in Hindi?"
"Great..," the lady stole a marker. "How about Ashajyoti..", she added another word to make the name complete. "Ashajyoti.. full of hopes..", the girls giggled. "I'm now hopeful our trick would work," they winked at each other. "You be here, I'll try our luck!!" the beautiful one darted out to exit, while the salesgirl a silent witness of at their act laughed amused.
"Come on.. come on.. ", she anxiously waited for someone to turn up. "Wow.. BMW!! We're lucky," seeing the exquisite sedan stop before the shop she gleamed elated. A man in casuals, coolers, checking his phone ascended the stairs. Mustering courage for the inexperienced awkward act, she skeptically stopped him. "Excuse me sir!!" And his attention was disturbed.
"Hi sir.. ", she let out an abashed smile before proceeding and his eyes behind the coolers narrowed. "I'm a volunteer for Ashajyoti foundation, a kid's charity organization. We're seeking donations..", she continued explaining but his mind stopped perceiving.
"When did charity volunteers started asking donations in Silk Saree and kgs of jewelry?" he looked doubtful but the lady before him appeared rich, educated and well-bred - a girl too pretty to think of as a cheater. "How much?" The girl looked strange, the place she's standing looked strange, the box in her hand looked strange, yet he yielded to her request, for, he already developed an imperceptible soft corner for the gentility in her eyes.
"One hundred and seventy five..", she immediately said taking him again by surprise. "What sort of a number is that?" his suspicion grew. "Our target is 10k per day and we're short of only Rs175 sir.. so..", she instantaneously cooked up answering his unasked doubts.
"Ok..", without any ado, he offered two hundred notes. Biting back the laugh that threatened to give away her act, she accepted. "Your address please," unlocking her phone, she asked. "My partner left for the day with the receipt book. We'll send you a receipt to your address."
"That's ok", he moved ahead unbothered. "No.. not ok," she curtly stopped him. "I'm accountable to the trust. Without address ..we can't accept!!" Skeptically staring her, he dryly said. "#143, Langfor Gardens!!"
"Thank you..", she returned the balance of twenty five rupees and smiled.
~~~
"Oh my God!!" holding Chotu tight to not let her laughter loosen the grip, Dolly hopped on back seat of Scooty. The erstwhile sobbing kid is now happy and busy with his fascinated toy. "I knew you're smart.. but didn't know this smart Akka."
"Necessity is the mother of invention," the street-smart girl winked back. "We've to return his money tomorrow, let's go after the morning pooja."
"Uffoo.. He lives in the richest locality - Langford Gardens, has a BMW... this 175 is nothing for him Akka.. forget it," Dolly carelessly said. "He may live in Langford Gardens or on Moon.. it shouldn't matter. That 175 is not mine and I've no interest in stuff that is not mine. What we needed is a temporary adjustment, I can't live in guilt of cheating," the smart, yet sincere girl rebuked.
~~~
"Sir.. those girls tricked you," the salesgirl who witnessed the entire act, revealed. "They didn't have enough money to buy a toy.. so they cheated in name of donation," to have the attention of the handsome man, she said excited. "See.. they left the box here, in case you don't believe me."
"Damn!!" he swore under breath for getting tricked. Somehow, he couldn't digest the envisage of the pretty girl being a cheater. "Appearances are deceptive.. Rich dressing and cheap thinking", he fumed within. Still.. deep inside, his intuition asserted she isn't a cheater.. for.. she asked for exactly 175 and returned the change as if she's not interested in excess.
Four hours later
"Sir.. thank you so much for coming. Uncle he's our boss," the groom introduced HIM to his soon-to-be-father-in-law. After exchanging courtesies and gifts, the elderly man invited HIM for dinner. Though his initial plan was to leave soon after gifting the groom, he had to oblige to his employee's requests and headed to the dining.
"hich.. hich..", seeing his hiccups, one of the employees rushed for water but before he returned, the boss heard a sweet voice from left. "Please take.." a dainty form is smiling to him with a glass of water. "hich.." his hiccups promptly stopped as the lady before him shocked to the core. "Please take..", she repeated almost thrashing the glass into his hand and turned to leave.
"Same sari.. same ornaments.. same girl.." he looked on puzzled. "Didn't she recognize me?" his gaze squinted at the retracting lady. Who's he? Seems familiar?" stopping on track, she turned back.
"Geetu...", she was called before she could get a proper glimpse of him. Ignoring her hunch, she moved ahead. "I've to get hold of her and teach a lesson!!" he looked on determined.
~~~
"Someone is staring at me.. who?" though engrossed in talking to her relatives, the lady could feel the heat. She looked around and spotted the same gracious young man, whom she offered water, keenly glaring at her. "These men na..", she swore under breath , ignored him and tried concentrating on her talks.
One.. two.. three.. four.. five
With every minute her discomfort increased, she couldn't endure anymore. "I'll be right back," she excused and got up. She could feel his gaze following her.. in no time she disappeared looking for her brother or father. Finding them busy, she decided to take it upon her.
"Where're you so angrily going?" her mother stopped.
"To ask him why he's ogling at me. Papa and Bhaiyya are busy," she pointed to the man with his back facing them. "God," her mother gasped. This is what she prayed for not to happen - whenever a guy indecently gawked at her, she informed her father or brother and the trio made sure the guy ran off in shame and terror. "This is wedding hall Geetu.. For God's sake don't make a scene here, spare him."
"You want me to spare a man who ogles at your daughter, and God knows what all filthy imagination runs in his mind?" she looked disgusted. "If I don't see that's different, but here he's outright disturbing me. He's a guest here and let me teach him the etiquette of a guest, you move.." she mightily advanced pulling off her mother.
"Uffo.. you spoilt child.. you're not going anywhere.. I should blame your father for this", the mother blocked her way.
"I AM GOING and you're not stopping... Doddamma.. ", she called to her mother's elder sister. "Take mom with you, the groom's mother is asking for something. I didn't get it," without waiting she stormed ahead, her heart racing up for the encounter.
"Excuse me!!" the voice from behind made HIM turn back. The girl he's searching for is right before him intently glaring at him with arms folded. "Yes.." he moved aside from the group.
"Do you want to MARRY ME?" keeping her voice low, yet firm, she seriously asked.
"WHAT??" taken aback by the absurd question, his eyes narrowed.
"I thought you do," she snapped. "..as you have been staring at me without a blink since you stepped into this hall."
"How gutsy!!" he smirked. "First cheating and then confronting!!"
"I'm staring at you to discern the real YOU behind this cultivated dressing," he retarded composed. "A few hours ago, I was made to re-believe the fact that Appearances are deceptive."
"What?" at that unexpected response, her nose scrunched. "I don't get a word of yours!!"
"You don't?" his brow furrowed in mockery. "Or are you pretending that you don't? Didn't I see how fine an actress you are?"
"Who's he?" her grey cells focused. "Looks both known and unknown"
"Who are you?" she asked. "Do you know me before?"
"Not until I was cheated for Rs175.." he disclosed and her eyes widened. "Is it he?" she looked wondered. "How the hell didn't I recognize him?" she did a quick scan. Shucks.. I saw him in coolers that obscured half his face, so no wonder I couldn't recognize!!
"Was it you at shop?" she asked in confirmation.
"YES!!" he asserted and she stayed silent. How awkward the entire situation turned into in a minute? She gasped.
"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you..", she started with an apology but he cut her short.
"May be 175 is too short an amount to remember me!!"
"Huh?" offended, she glimpsed at him with brimming self esteem. "Two minutes.. just two minutes.." she said and left while he watched on with a smile.
"Here.. take your money," As she said, she returned exactly in two minutes with two hundred notes. ".. and stop looking at me like a cheater!!"
"Wasn't that cheating?" accepting the notes, he kinked a brow. "Then what is it?"
"Temporary adjustment," she retarded. "No cheater would insist on address and return change. Believe it or not, tomorrow you'd have got your money, an apology and an explanation delivered in a cover to your home."
"Hard to believe..", he smirked. "But.. I will!!"
"Thank you.. ", she let out a heartfelt smile. "And extremely sorry for tricking you. I had to that for my three year old niece. Hope you understand!!"
"Its ok.." he coolly smiled.
"Thanks again. Are you here on groom's side?" she curiously asked.
"Yes!!"
"That's a strange coincidence to see you again, so soon. Glad you believed me. Ok.. bye!!" she smiled and turned to leave when his voice stopped her. "I'll be here for ten more minutes..", he announced out of blue and she looked like so what?
"Is it ok if I gawk at you...", his audacity jolted her to the core. ".. WITH THE INTENTION OF MARRIAGE?" he completed and her mouth wide opened. He advanced a step and whispered to her ear. "Think of it.. Ms.Geeta!!" with a mischievous grin, he joined his team leaving the incensed lady behind.
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Edited by hemakeerti - 10 years ago
Cricket
