Recap: Episode-1, Episode-2, Episode-3, Episode - 4, Episode - 5
1100 to 1300 Hours:
"... Bye then!" I said, with a slight giggle and waved him goodbye. He smiled back and then the cab drove away.
I walked over to a nearby shade to wait for an auto. I had to admit one thing, this guy was funny. Not that I hadn't met funny guys before, he was a bit more smart, with the funny. Too bad that I had to meet him on my last day here. It would have been really nice to know him.
"Madam, yadaki povale?" (Madam, Where to?) A screechy auto driver’s voice cut into my musings. I looked to my left and saw him looking at me expectantly. That was quick. A rarity in this area.
"Coffee Table. DLF yenakala” (Coffee Table. Behind DLF) I asked. And after the usual foreplay of me bargaining for half the fare, him refusing, me acting to walk away, he coming back, cribbing about the petrol rates but finally agreeing, I got into the auto.
I wondered what I would do in the US. I should try bargaining there too, just for the fun of it. God, I am going to miss this about the city.
"Je mennu yaar na mile...” yelled the female singer's voice from his screechy mp3 player. The funky multi-coloured danglers hanging on the rear view mirror swung as though in sync with the music and I remembered my first auto trip in the city. That ear-blasting Himesh Reshammiya song had made me jump in my seat with fear. And needless to say, I was looted with double the fare than the usual in that route which a colleague of mine made me realise later.
These autowallas have a special skill. They can easily pick out the new among the crowd. Besides that, they also have a Dhoom syndrome which makes them zoom away at full speed, cut dangerously and drive like a maniac in big, traffic less roads like this one. I clutched the front rod tightly and held myself steady as he drove at top speed occasionally joining the female singer in her wacky rendition of the hit Salman Khan song.
Thanks to the song and its energy, we reached the coffee shop in sharp ten minutes.
I paid the auto fare and walked into the coffee shop humming...These songs just get stuck in your head, sometimes for days together.
"Where the hell have you been?" yelled Nidesh as I joined my friends on the table in the left corner.
"For once he comes early and look at him blast off on me." I said, rolling my eyes and taking my seat.
"We have offices to attend, Geetu” Ragini said.
"I know. I know the drill. So save your energy. And when the hell will you stop calling me Geetu? I hate that!” I retorted with irritation.
"Oh. Come on Geetika, it's your last day here. We never know when we would again..." Nidesh trailed off dramatically and I gave him an angry glare. Nidesh was a college friend of mine and we incidentally got a job in Hyderabad around the same time. I met Ragini, Zohaib, Priyanka and Naveen through Nidesh and we hung out together often. In fact, after Sam and Amit (not anymore), they were my closest friends in the city. Interestingly, except Zohaib, all of us were non-locals but like Zohaib, the city accepted us without any demands or expectations.
"Achcha, by the way, who was that guy you said you had breakfast date with?" Priyanka was evidently excited.
"Nope....not telling you this time” I said, shaking my head and picking up the menu card.
"Arey, say no. I swear I won't stalk him this time” she pleaded.
"Don't act cute with me Priya. Won't work. Anyways, I don't have his number or anything and we won't even meet again in all probability” I said, glancing down the menu.
"But I might!” Priya almost immediately bit her tongue.
"I know. And that is why you won't get the number” I replied calmly, closing the menu card and looking up for the waiter.
"Priya...when you have a guy like Naveen who loves you so much. Why bother elsewhere?" Nidesh said, tongue in cheek.
"Don't take that loser's name” Priya snapped.
"True that." I replied, remembering the goof up that idiot did with my flight ticket. "Where is he, by the way?" I asked, noticing now that he wasn't there.
"He had a night shift yesterday. He must be sleeping in” replied Priyanka.
"Someone is keeping track", Zohaib murmured and all of us sniggered. Priyanka stuck out her tongue at Zohaib. Zohaib was the sweetest guy in the group and we all loved him dearly. He was this calm, composed and cool guy who had always dealt with problems in a mature way.
The waiter arrived and everyone placed their orders.
After everyone was done with the usual banter, Zohaib leaned forward a little, looked me in the eye and asked, "How are you Geetika?" I knew what he meant.
"OK. I guess. I mean, I wanted this. So no point crying over it now." I replied with a casual shrug.
"That's like our stud." Nidesh said punching me on my shoulder while others just beamed at me. I then realised how fortunate I was to have such friends.
"Ok now, I have to go. I need to login quickly" Nidesh said, after half an hour.
"Me too!" Priyanka added, standing up.
"What's your plan then?" she added to me.
"Umm....I don't know. Maybe I'll head back home and catch up on some sleep” I replied.
"Ok then. I need to head back too. Should I drop you back?" Zohaib offered.
"No, it’s ok. I'll go back myself" I said, with a smile.
"You can drop me though” Ragini said, standing up too.
"Arey Ragini, you are leaving too. I thought you would come with me” I asked.
"I can't re. My mom has a kitty party in the evening and I have to help her in cooking. We’ll catch up in Noida next week. Done thing that, Love!” she said, sounding irritated.
"Ha....kitty party. Enjoy then. I'll get back too." I said, putting my share in the bill and standing up.
All of us came out together.
"Ok. Geetika. Take care and stay in touch. Of course you’ve got to deal with me one last time pretty soon, but I speak for everyone else!” Ragini said, giving me a hug. Everyone joined in and wished me luck, hugged me and Nidesh demanded chocolates from US, like the tradition it already was. Then they went their own ways and. I took my own to the Hitec city bus stop...
I pondered about my perfect life, as I sat down on a bench at the bus stop. I could see the iconic Cyber Towers on the horizon, something that had always filled me with awe for some weird reason.
I knew I would have to wait long because the buses in this route were few at this time of the day. So I took out my phone and started playing, Fruit Ninja. Not the Candy Crush girl. I was smashing/chopping/dicing the fruits like an effing Ninja, achieving achievements at every level, when I noticed a guy walking into the bus stop and leaning against a pole to my right. He then started to look here and there, his eyes more often than not, stopping on me. He tried to make it look casual and incidental but failed miserably. "Subtlety is not everyone's cup of tea, sweetie." I thought grinning to myself, looking at him from the corner of my eyes. I put my phone back in my pocket and fully concentrated on this guy and his miserable antics. I had just decided to scare him off by yelling at him unexpectedly, but right then I noticed a green colour Ford Figo stopping right on the other side of the road. An automatic smile of surprise crept up my face as I saw him getting down and crossing the road towards me.
"Hello!! ", I shouted into what seemed like the oblivion. I could knock on the wooden door, but there was a long Ganesha carved out on it. I mean where would I knock then. On Ganesha's crown? Ring the doorbell, right? I never did that - I practically hated door bells. After a few moments someone answered the door. Definitely not pinni. Some grumpy lady.
" Evaru kavali ?" ( Whom do you want?). Translator started in my mind. Obviously I knew the words, but had a hard time placing the meanings. Evaru=What/When/Who, and what the hell is Kavali. Before I could resort to sign language, Pinni appeared in the room. I called her out.
" Did you get lost somewhere? You got pretty late! " she said opening the door, and ushering off the disgruntled looking maid.
" No no...we took the left before this left.. Is Vikky home? " I asked scanning a proper home after quite some time.
" Vikky... She... Sarele... She has a lot of friends, so obviously roaming somewhere in the city... You look tired ra" she said asking me to sit down, and went into the kitchen.
" Yeah well the traveling and all, and.. Babai?" I asked, though pretty much knowing that he would have left for office.
"He left early ra. I mean, his Vijayawada mama is in Care hospital, a mild stroke and he had to visit him.. Even I'm going there in an hour.. He's close to us, so.. " she handed me a glass of water. Which I gulped down.
" Oh is it. Cool.. I mean I'll be leaving in an hour too..." I said, sitting more comfortably on the sofa now.
" Arey no no, you stay here. I'll be back by 2 or 230, Take some rest or watch TV. We'll have lunch together "
" I don't watch TV Pinni, remember? It's not that, I've booked the cab to roam around the city so... I'll come for dinner I think "
" It's Guthi Vankai today. I made especially for... "
" Aww, Pinni, you didn't have to do.."
" Vikky. She likes it.. "
" Ohhh..OK. Oops. Ha-ha "
And I stood up to put the glass back in the kitchen. It was one of my homes, afterall. Vikky and I had practically grown up together in Delhi, until they had to shift to Hyderabad. That was 5 years back. And here I was again, by my choice. Maybe having there guys here had my choice clear when I wanted to leave Delhi. Something told me that it wasn't the only reason...
" Acha, Coffee or tea ? " Pinni asked.
" No nothing. I had some awful coffee early in the morning "
" Awful coffee? Which hotel? I knew that area has no good food at all " she began her rant. Not in a bad way though. More of the adorable kind. Vikky probably inherited its purest form.
" At my flat. There was this girl who.. "
" Wait a minute, a girl at the flat. Already making friends are we? "
" Well she's cool. The tenant actually. I mean she was going to move today, but didn't happen. So yeah "
" So she made you coffee? "
" No I mean, she.... Yeah.. She made me coffee " I said yawning for a bit. As I was about to continue my story, she got a call. She swiftly talked in Telugu obviously. I could make out that the call was from my babai. The talk seemed serious. After the call got over she turned to me
" Everything OK, Pinni?" I asked.
" Yeah well your babai's mama had a stroke again.... And your babai has this presentation at office, .... So he asked me to go to Care hospital immediately and stay there.. " she said and got to work.
" Yeah Yeah.. Sure Pinni... Let's go.. I've got the cab as it is "
" No no, not necessary. The mama's son, Ankur is going to drive me there. He is already near by, You know Ankur right? The tall boy.. With the spectacles right? " she said arranging her purse with essentials.
" Pinni? Is that really relevant here? "
" It's not. Anyway, you take a nap here, stay or whatever etc. It's upto you. Acha, do one thing,... Have this key, in case you want to go out and stuff " she said plucking out a key from a bunch she had.
" But...But... Do you have a key? "
" Don't worry, we have three duplicates. One with babai, one with vikky and this is mine... I'll take a key from babai when I get to the hospital.. OK?" she spoke hurriedly. Judging by the looks of it, the stroke was pretty serious. She quickly called someone and left the house.
After she had left, all there was to do for me to roam around the house aimlessly, and finally crash on the bed. I called up Yousuf and told him that I'd come down an hour later. It was a quick nap time.
Seconds turned to minutes and then to an hour. And the timer went off precisely as scheduled. I got up, freshened up and voila, before long I was on the road again. Me, Yousuf and Ford Figo. And we headed to Hitec city. Right at the turn on the left towards the bus stop, I found out that life had a plan for me, today.
“Rendezvous with Geetika Raghuraman, again”, I let out an unmindful chuckle.
Chai Bisket’s Story Series – Double Ka Meetha (Part – 6)
