“Yup! I am, but these formals aren’t quite comfortable dude! I wonder how people bear these”, Aakash said in an annoyed voice.
“Ok! Leave it, its just a matter of one hour,right??”, I said being factual.
“I’m getting Dad’s Bike. Wait at your entrance door”, he said and hung up the call.
I proceeded to my drawing room and took some books that I had kept for the present purpose. So, everything was tactfully prepared by 10 a.m.
I awaited Aakash at the entrance. As he told, he reached there within five minutes.
“Excellent! “, I screeched. “What a get-up!!”
Aakash giggled for a moment and said “Look Gandhi! Don’t you think we are taking a risk??”
“Yes I do! But, Just imagine what you gain if we succeed in this programme”, I assured him.
“How do I look??”, I asked him with a damn mischievous chuckle.
“Fine ! but,not as shitty as me”
“Don’t worry! All those real ones appear less like me and more like you”, I said gazing at him. Aakash had already kick-started his bike by that time. We were now speeding super-fast ,by the end of the lane. The needle in the speedometer kissed 80Kmph.
“Now! Slow down! All my hard work of two hours gets sucked in a minute, if you drive at this speed”, I shouted right in his ear, loud enough for my ‘vocal’ waves to battle the wind generated by the speedy Bike drive.
As if my dialogue battered his inner Brain , he slowed down instantly.
“Look! Modulate your voice ,to the extreme”, I asserted.
“Yea! I am trying to. But, when I presented my modulated voice in front of my Mom, she asked me whether I had got any hormone problem”, Aakash said having rotated his left eye towards me,the right eye on balancing the accelerator of the Bike.
“Oh! That’s not a problem even. Many of those real ones have awkward voices, as my elder cousins say. Isn’t it??”, I replied.
Aakash didn’t look back. He remained silent. Probably many questions danced in his mind, I assumed.
“Take a left at this Circle..and…yes! that’s the Sivaji statue. Two lanes from here takes us to our destination.
I experienced a sudden shiver in the vehicle. I bent my head in order to have a look at the pillion tire. It was normal. Then, I realized that the owner of that ‘shudder’ was not the vehicle. It was Aakash ,infact. He was getting afraid.
“Don’t get horrified! Ours’ is a witty plan”, I tried to fortify him, slightly though.
Finally, the Bike came to a halt. We stopped in front of an unusually big bunglow having a Greyish-red texture. It had a stone board having carved “Anand Vishwanath Palace” on it.
Aakash immediately turned the Bike 360 degrees counter to the Palace. He looked as If he wanted to whisk away from there.
“Don’t be foolish, Aakash. Why are you getting panicked??”
“What’s the matter with this Bunglow??..are we goanna come out alive??”, he made me encounter with his deadly expression.
Without further talks, I set right my books and spectacles. The Fake moustache of Aakash was a bit, beaten out of place. He adjusted it, looking into his Bike’s rear view mirror. I corrected my Wig. All our formal wears were in condition.
“Looks like I’m unfit for promotion this time too”, Dad impatiently said, removing off his shoes to throw into the balcony.
“What happened dad??”, I asked him worriedly, seeing him almost snivel.
“Mr. Sinha, That cunning bastard submitted a wrong caliber report of mine. How much ever I work for the company, they never let me rise up”, dad cried.
He worked for a private company, which manufactured heavy Automobiles. He had been working there for eleven years devoutedly and dedicatedly, but was awarded only with one promotion till then.
“Now! Don’t get upset, please try to curb the pain..we have been living with all these since many years , right??”, Mom , who already joined the situation, tried to consoled him.
Unable to bear it, I went straight into the room. If a small automobile company could suppress the caliber of a loyal executive, how many frauds are being implemented in this country everyday??...I wasn’t that experienced enough to talk about all those. But Dad’s anguish was genuine.
Feeling bored, I called up Aakash. The dialler tone ended when Aunt came on line.
“Hello! Aunty this is Gandhi..Is Aakash there?”
“Oh! Gandhi beta, How are you??.how are you preparing for the exams??...Aakash..Aakash! Gandhi on phone”, she shouted for Aakash, not patient enough to listen to the answers of her questions.
“Gandhi! What’s up??”, he said as soon as he took over the reciever.
“I would like to meet you in the evening, if you ‘re free”, I said in a low tone.
“You being formal??..stupid asshole, I’ll definitely come!!..by the way, what’s your decision on Keerthi’s offer??”, he straight away dragged me to the point.
“I’ll see you in the evening at 5:30”, I said curtly.
“At?”
“Eastern complex”
“Done”, he said and hung up the call.
I didn’t know the meaning of love, to be frank. I knew only about ‘concern’ which was shown bountifully by my parents. For the first time I felt like knowing about being in love.
******************
“Gandhi! Are you okay??..you feeling a bit low today??”, Aakash inquired me being dubious.
“I’m fine, Why don’t you order something?”, I said attempting to be normal.
We were seated in a Bakery at Eastern Minerva complex. It is situated in Secunderabad, a twin city of hyderabad. The place often looks deluged with people. It is a best place for Bachelors to hangout, though accompanied by their girl friends in some cases. The complex had showrooms of mostly all Brands, paving a sound reason to get crowded.
“Give a fuck about the order, no one is goanna chuck us, for being couple of minutes late in giving it”, Aakash mumbled.
“Okay! Listen, Dad was rejected to get promoted for fifth time, consecutively in two years”, I gave him the reason for my depression.
“Is it that Sinha once again??...Culprit bastard..must be hanged in streets”, Aakash almost shouted getting annoyed.
“Shit happens, sometimes”, I said .
Aakash went to order, at the counter. The counter-guy looked like a Baloon manufacturer, who had got ultra chubby cheeks, probably by blowing air into balloons with his mouth, before opting this profession.
I meanwhile, revolved my head in all directions to have a glance at the surroundings. As it was a weekend-evening, many girls turned up. As always, its nice to watch beautiful girls busy in their shopping, unless we have to pay for it.
“Hold your scan!! First settle my matter”, Aakash interrupted my gaze.
He brought two Burgers, one chicken and another vegetarian. I took the veg. one.
“Now! Tell me what have you decided about your friend??”, he demanded. “Are you going to aid him or banish him like an AIDS patient??”
“I made some time to think about your affair, yesterday. I need to know about her mentality”, I said having a slight gander at a girl In Black shirt, on the first floor.
“What will you do with her mentality??..interviewing to recruit in your company or what?”, he said barely being sarcastical, though he tried to.
“I first want to know about these ‘Chances’ concept, so that we can deal with it easily”, I said.
“But , how can we judge her mentality??..school has already ended. Where should we meet her ??”
“Possibly , in her house”, I said with a majestic voice.
Aakash widened his eyes as If he was asked to act for an underwear commercial, in Eastern complex.
“Looks like you’re trying to fucking end my life”, he screamed.
“Not until I set you up with Keerthi”, I said not caring his sentence.
“How can we go to her home??..theirs’ is a strict family, to my knowledge”, Aakash said doubtfully.
“I’ve made some plans”,I said and moved forward to choose another item to eat, from the menu.
I made a serious eye contact with him. He looked into my eyes. Yes! My expectation was wrong . Something else happened.
“What?”
“She didn’t reject me”, He said.
“What !”, I growled almost unable to believe. If one sentimental dialogue uttered by me could change her decision, then I could declare myself as another Baba, who shall be worshipped by several people.
“Can you please elaborate…don’t throw me into suspense”, I said enthusiastically.
“ I went to meet her in that room. She was seated on a bench”, Aakash said.
“Then I stopped near her bench and folded my hands to listen to what she says”
“Moron! Why did you fold your hands??..is she a principal or what?”, I said unable to digest his blunder.
“Dude! You were the one who asked me to be stiff “
I controlled my giggle and felt partially sad for him.
“Stiffness doesn’t refer to fold your hands and salute to her…you could have marched even”, I scowled sarcastically.
“Dude! Don’t interrupt..”, he exclaimed.
“She then turned to me and signalled to sit beside her. I gathered enough courage and placed my ‘Marasmus’ body on the bench, five inches away from hers’”
“Holy shit! That’s awsome..ah what happened next??”, I said.
“You know what! Gandhi, I can still feel the cozy air that existed around her body..the aroma of her…wow!!!..”, Aakash closed his eyes dramatically and changed his posture to Lord Vishnu’s and continued describing.
“Wow! What a feeling..you must experience this atleast once in life”
I particularly didn’t feel anything like that. Aakash’s head was directed towards three rooms , out of which two were Washrooms and the rest was a store room. Even If any aroma existed on him, it would have definitely vanished out by the ‘aroma’ of the washrooms.
“Stop describing your feelings! I had been listening to them from many days..come to the point asshole”, I roared.
“Ah! Then listen to the conversation between us:
Keerthi: Is today your birthday?
Aakash: Yes! Keerthi, I was coming to…talk to you..but
Keerthi: Gandhi told me..don’t worry! Do you really like me??
Aakash: (underwent a sudden feeling of fear and franticness)..Yea! I do
Keerthi: I had been watching you since few years, Aakash! I thought of asking you to get away from my life many times..but I understood that..
Aakash: (Already tear glands started ejecting tears which reached the eyeballs)
Keerthi: I understood that your love is true!
Aakash:( shook the bench out of joy and was ready to dance)
Keerthi: Aakash don’t get too excited. I just said that your love is true. That’s not everything.
Aakash: (reset the bench and resigned his dance)..then what else should I consider??
Keerthi: The most important thing!!! My feelings on you.
Aakash: So, you have zero feelings on me??
Keerthi: to be frank, I have only fifteen percent feelings on you…which even can’t turn our relation into friendship!
Aakash: I have 200% feelings on you, so 200+15(your feelings)/2 = more than 100%. So, we can get into a relation( stupid logics!!)
Keerthi: (laughed) See! this idiotic mentality is making me think of you sometimes, atleast. I can give you an offer, utilize it if you want to get into a relaion with me.
Aakash: Offer???? Any festive season or what??
Keerthi: Stupid! Listen…this is the last day of our school, we cant meet afterwards..can you sense that??
Aakash: (sadly) yea
Keerthi: I’ll give you ten chances. So, from these , if you can make me fall for you..then ours will be a relation.
Aakash:(remembers a latest game show with same no. of chances,on the t.v)..So, where should I meet you?.. will you inform me???
Keerthi: That’s your lookout. I’ll start informing you from the fourth chance. Until then, keep trying your luck.
Aakash: Are you serious??...??..
Keerthi: A very Happy Birthday, Aakash!!
Aakash: Can you come to Bakers ‘q’??
Keerthi: Left by that time.
Aakash: (Wtf is this Girl??)”
“Shit!! This is nothing but deep shit!!”, I shouted drastically, unable to catch her point in the insane offer.
“But, I’m going to try my luck out”, Aakash said firmly.
“Good luck! N don’t expect me to be a part of this outrageous act”
“You must be with me!!..otherwise I’m goanna drop”, he said out of anger..his eyes conveying an impeccable request to me.
“ I need some time”, I said slowly trying to give him a hope.
“Everyone needs time..Keerthi..you…my father…I’m the only jobless bastard!!”, saying this he pushed me and proceeded into one of those three rooms.
