Free I Too Had a Love Story by Ravinder Singh Page B

foot on the bed and jumped back on the ground to my right, in slow motion. The only difference being, my landing was not successful and I broke the glass of water placed beside the TV.
    Shattered glass on the floor. And silence …
    Standing alone, in front of the mirror I scolded my reflection, ‘See what you have done?’
    The very next moment, my reflection smiled and murmured, ‘
naya pyaar hai, naya imtihaan
.’
    I was out of control, wondering how I could tell the world that I was the happiest man on the planet at that moment. The feelings within me were straining to come out. And I don’t know whether I was failing to handle them, or celebrating them in the best possible way.
    Finally, I grabbed my cell again to give her a call and tell her, ‘You are damn beautiful. You are so perfect … I am so lucky …’ I went on and on, and she heard all that with a smile.
    She was still in that cab and I could hear giggling voices around her. All she said was, ‘And vice versa. I have so much to say, but just can’t. You know
na.
’
    We talked for a very short while and then I ordered my dinner which arrived in another ten minutes. By 10.30, I had eaten and the bellboy came to my room to collect the dinner plates and bowls.
    ‘How was the food, sir?’ he asked.
    Did I really notice the taste? Forget the taste, did I even know what dishes I had eaten? All I could think of was her face, the way it appeared when I pulled her in my arms, her eyes and her fragrance which still persisted in my breath.
    But I answered, ‘Oh yes, it was good.’
    He gathered the plates and left my room.
    By 11.30, I still couldn’t sleep, though I was tired. I was hung over on something so different, for the first time. I was celebrating the spirit of being in love. Everything around me appeared beautiful because the only thing running through my mind was beautiful.
    She too was going through something similar, I learnt when she called me at last. And we talked for a long time, candidly: confessing our fears; describing the thoughts flowing in our mind when we saw each other at the airport, when I sat on the front seat, leaving her behind, when I locked the door of my room from inside once Neeru and Girish had left, when I pulled her in my arms; our happiness, the euphoria in which we still were. I don’t remember when, exactly, we slept …
    The next morning, I was waiting for Girish. Khushi had called me up to tell me that Girish would be coming to Delhi for somework and would pick me up on his way back to Faridabad. There, for the first time, I’d meet Khushi’s family—except for her dad who was in Punjab, taking part in some religious event at a
gurudwara
there.
    While I waited for him, I spent my time doing some peculiar things. Standing in front of the mirror, I practiced lines which I might have to say in front of her family in different situations. I wanted my facial expressions and body language to make a good impression on her family. So, I rehearsed some common lines:
    ‘No, no, my parents won’t have any issues if she carries on with her career after marriage. In fact, I am marrying her because she is a career-oriented girl.’ (With a brilliant use of the hands.)
    ‘I’m not sure if we’ll move north so soon but, yes, the plans are there.’ (With confidence.)
    ‘Oh yes, I can cook. In my work-related trips abroad I learnt that, you know. It might not be as delicious as what she can prepare, but it serves its purpose.’ (With a smile.)
    And so on.
    It was 10 a.m. To kill some more time, I moved out to the lounge. I was nervous again as I left my room. The nervousness of facing so many new people at once. In the lounge, I glanced through the newspaper and had a cup of tea, which was my only breakfast. I wasn’t feeling hungry at all, but excited and thrilled.
    A few minutes later, my cellphone beeped. It was an SMS from her.
Girish wl b dere by 10.15.
B ready and Gud Luk. A few
hrs from now u’ll b among
ur would