Scene IV

October, during which the season reminds me of my college days, the time when I started learning to play guitar, the time when dreams were many, the time when friends mattered the most, and the time when I met my best friend, hmm..it changed my life.

A season, which is so glorious, so green all around, and the stars in the sky twinkling flamingly, where I see the moon, so beautiful, reflecting the lights of her beloved sun. Those were the days of mystical adventure, which sometimes mark stigmatic toms, which hides, seeking to be picked and mocked for a fresh refinement.

Time passes with the weather, which cooks its delicious flan, but it certainly matters the taste with the individuals, which is sometimes left as a dream, or sometimes as memories to bind all the emotions..

Those college days certainly brought a glistering taste, with the radiance of the evening color, reflecting the moments of joy and glomming despairs, blowing a wind of fragrance to a charity of hopes and languor, left alone the breeze that blew during this time, oo so young and so calm, exposing the persistence of its existence which is so eternal.

A time moving along with me with its memories, which is non other than mine, surrounded by the beauty of its own expressions and so colourful, that reflects the light of our sole. All left behind with despair, but still clinging on me, as it has made me fell more young, and mocking me to cycle each phase of life and singing along with it.

Today is Sunday, a very lazy late afternoon indeed, certainly made lot of plans earlier with friends, but did not understand where to say-go, as morning was spent pleasantly watching 'spiderman" on my laptop. My room is a timid one, with light cabbage green varnish tinted on the walls. The afternoon rays, made the colour more brighter.

My room is mostly empty, with few important things spilt under the reach of my arms, and my guitar hanging on the wall just like a bindi on the forehead of a married woman, appealing curiously, wanting to hear me fiddle with my guitar in solitaire. But at the back of my mind something was clapping, I don't know what, but it was something very important.

With a lot of abbrebriation and numbers scrolling in my mind, about today's day and the date, I walked to and fro across the floor of the kitchen scratching my head, with the milk boiling for coffee. I fiddled with the mobile, which I had kept switched off the whole morning.

Oo..my god!! so many missed calls, and mostly from my best friend. I started charging the mobile so that I could make a long call to her with a cup of coffee. The smell of the boiled milk diverted my puzzled mind. Left besides I thought of preparing a good coffee.

I scooped a spoonful of fresh crushed coffee beans and flattened it into the milk, with then adding two spoonful of sugar, with the mp3 player jingling the song of K.K.-'Pal' in the main hall, and there it goes with the doorbell ringing.

"Ya who's there", I murmured. Surprisingly no response did I get, wasn't much bothered, but then I was more curious about the coffee. I heard the second time the bell ring-much late, until the time that I poured the hot coffee in the big Nescafe cup, with some more left over in the kettle. "ya coming" responding as if I am singing, I reached to open the door.

When I opened the door to my utter surprise there she was standing..it was her, my best friend-my guitar teacher. My eyes and my mouth wide open in utter surprise and in amazement I forgot to greet her too, with the mug in the right hand fuming the hot coffee.

She never looked so beautiful before, with her hairs tied, and wearing a neat-ironed light green kurta (she knew that I like green), and a faded whitish-blue jeans, she wore a normal attire, but she was looking beautiful today, and her skin was glowing with her cheeks pink, and the same light faint perfume of rose that she put, it was all like a gift that awaited since yesterday. Then she asked me "wont u invite ur fren inside", I uttered, "oo..indeed, hey..come inside".

She stepped inside smelling the coffee fumes, which had spread across the room with her eyes closed, where I could glance her across my shoulder, still holding coffee at one hand and the door at the other. "wont u serve me some coffee", she stated. "oo..sure" I said, inviting her to be seated.

I rushed inside the kitchen, which somewhat helped me hold onto my senses. I came back then holding two mugs of coffee in both my hand. And there she was glued to the guitar, pulling the last thin 6th string, running her little finger across the blade and making a stinging sound, as if wanted to wish me something.

She knows that I have a very bad habit of forgetting numbers. I handed her the coffee mug and before I could compliment her that she was looking beautiful, she knew what I was about to say and instead said, "I have bought 2 tickets for parineeta, lets go and watch it", I said "hey I wanted to see it too, it would be fun, but first finish the coffee, before it goes cold".. "hmm..good..ok" was her reply.

The first sip of the coffee made her say "hmm..too good!!", with her lips smacking the taste, I couldn't help myself adore her and say, "hey u are looking stunning today", she hastily said, "oo..its too old now, say something new", putting the mud on the floor, she took hold of a book titled 'the Impressionist-by hari kunzru', "hows this novel?", she asked, "just started with it, its all about a journey, an adventure of a kashimri-brahmin boy, who later-on realizes he has no community of his own, and whose journey encounters him with black and white each day, until he realizes his true identity", I answered. "just a frantic work of Indian literature by hari kunzru, that's all, which tracks during the reign of British rule and the rich hindu culture..at what time the movie starts" I asked. "at 4 p.m." she said, keeping her eyes glued to the back cover of the novel, "o then I should get ready then".

I took a last sip, and stood up. For me getting ready is very lazy, wearing the same jeans, washing my face with water, and wetting my hair, that does it all. But my t-shirt should be fresh. Her faint voice from the other room called "are you ready", "yep I am", I answered coming out of my dressing room. She stood up leaving the novel back on the table where it was. I took hold of my bike's key and we stepped outside. My room left behind all alone with the guitar.

Walking down the stair case, she said, "today is a very special day, if you could remember", that was something which stopped my pace, "what!! come again", it all left me in the same enigma as earlier before having the coffee. "ha, ok, never mind, must be something good, I can't remember", I said. She was smiling at me, and said "never mind you will remember soon".

My bike speaking to the wind, and her routine of blabbing started, which was faint to my ears, to which I guessingly answered either a yes or a no, until we reached Inox (a multiplex cinema hall in Pune). The crowds of so many young people made me feel more younger, and her presence added to its cheers.

It was fun. We walked across till the entrance of the hall as if we were walking in a garden of emollient. The movie had a gala beginning and fimbriating both of us till the end, oo..such a sweet movie it is, alas so romantic and so finely characterized.

We had the same opinion about the movie, the same song, which sung, 'piya bole, haule haule', singing while we stepped outside.

It was first sign of evening, with the faint resonance of the moon in the sky, with the sun on the other corner, also faint but colorful which made the moon as if shy and hiding in the sky till his presence, with the soft wind blowing and the birds singing for them.

With my lady now removing her hair band, dispersing her hairs, flaring to add music to the wind, and she smelling the air. Is this her habit, but it's good for the lungs though, untimely a yoga exercise, to get some joules of fresh air. But she knew that I will now take her for some pastries, but I was a bit surprised that she did not insist instead for an ice cream.. Mar-Zo-Rin is the usual stop where we usually share the best pastries and cake .

A clean shop just right for two of us, we took the corner table, where the site of the road was visible right across the grill on the first floor where we were sitting, through which we could see the buzy M.G.Road outside.

She with her hair loose and me with my legs crossed under the table with the right arm hanging on the chair, was remembering one of the song of 'Bryan Adams- back to U..' sitting and gazing at her, with my left arm on the table and my palm resting on my cheeks.

She had something to say, this is what I felt, but I think it was at least a surprise for me. Then I had to order something, instead she insisted it's her treat today, and then she ordered one middle-sized banana cake dipped in chocolate, to be sliced into two, and two strawberry milk flavoured juice.

When the menu arrived, I plashed and sat upright, with now both my elbows on the table, and she copied mine. Then she said, "surjit, close your eyes..and make a wish"-"ha..but what for"- I asked, "jus do what I say", she called. I closed my eyes and wished for my best friend's happiness and to bring peace in this world.

Just then a sprang of something ran across my scribbled mind, were we had been here on the same date last year, having the same menu, at the same time, but it was my birthday that day, hey, wait, then she said, "surjit, Happy Bir..",.."hey its my birthday today". "ya happy birthday, may all your dreams and wishes come true".

Oo..it was such a fool of me, I didn't even remember my birthday, neither did I remember her birthday too a couple of months back. My forehead bent down with a heavy heart ashamed, and with all the effort I looked up with a dizzy eye and thanked her for making such a wonderful day for me. She said, "its ok, I just wanted to see how delighted you get, so it was a hugh surprise for me too, and what ever, your lack of remembering numbers made me treasure the surprise" she grinned.

Then we, picking up the melting cakes across through each other's arms and smudged it in our mouths, smacking the cake at the same time, it never tasted so wonderful, then our eyes caught outside the evening road framed across the grill, resting our faces on our left hand palms, enjoying the sun light sprinkle an acute amalgamation of all three primary (yellow, green and blue) colours sprinkled outside in the air, and we munching the delicious cake with the milk flavoured strawberry juice.

To be continued;