Free Seven Shades of Grey by Vivek Mehra Page B

name was I to visualize any one of them? Insanity, now staring at me with longing eyes firmly entrenched in the familiar form of my wife, was adamant. And I gave into her persistence closing my eyes for a bit.
    Nothing happened!
    The drummers hit the bass run Vikram run…
    Before I could listen to them, as if on cue to give me strength I felt the warmth of a hand , the one that belonged to insanity-in-the-shape-of-Dolly, on top of my own. It squeezed gently, reassuring me that I could do it, whatever it was. The touch was electric.
    The drummers stopped, the knees gained a new lease of life, and I felt lighter, almost like a feather. Images started forming in my mind, the cafeteria disappeared as I found myself inside the main hall, scores of faces became blurred and one seemed to glow, almost like it was ablaze. I saw a face clearly.
    ‘There is a woman in there. She is wearing a white blouse and jeans, about 5’ 5” tall. She called out to her son. That is all I can see . ’
    My eyes opened, the drummers had stopped. Insanity-in-the-shape-of-Dolly was up and running in a flash. Before I could stop her, the doors leading to the main hall were opened by her sprinting frame and she disappeared inside. Insanity swallowed by the entertainment center, and the drummers started warming up again.
    I puffed on my cigarette. Why had Dolly asked me to do this? Why did this woman stand out among all the others that were there? Run Vikram run … the beat started again, softly at first. In sixty seconds, before I had time to sip some more coffee and calm the butterflies and stop the drummers, the previously closed doors opened and threw Dolly out, a short woman with her. It was not the woman I had envisioned. I got up to greet them both. The butterflies decided to take one more flight, the drummers firmly into their umpteenth encore.
    ‘Vikram meet Bindu,’ said Insanity, back from the entertainment center that had swallowed her a little while ago.
    The drumbeats reached the length of my right arm, the one I extended to Insanity’s companion and one that kept pace with the frantic beat inside and watched as ‘Hi Bindu’ escaped my lips.
    ‘Hi Vikram,’ she replied. Bindu was about five feet tall with shoulder-length hair and a pleasant face. It was done! I had actually met a chat friend in the flesh. The words typed on a computer now came with a face, the ID revealed its owner and the thrill reached its crescendo, ready to make its descent to tranquility. The drummers were slowing down.
    I did not know what to say. Once again Dolly came to my rescue.
    ‘Your husband is not here, Bindu?’ she inquired.
    ‘No, he is out of town on some work,’ was the prompt reply.
    I had to say something here. I turned to Dolly.
    ‘How did you find her?’ I asked.
    ‘The woman you mentioned turned out to be Bindu’s sister-in-law. When I asked her if she was Bindu she merely pointed Bindu out to me. So I walked up to her and asked her if she was Bindu and here she is.’
    ‘Why didn’t you come to hunt for me, Vikram?’ asked Bindu.
    ‘I was scared,’ was all I could blurt out, drummers starting another roll.
    The woman that I now knew as Bindu’s sister-in-law came out of the center with three children tagging along, four strangers in the sea of humanity that inhabited Bombay, with their identities now revealed. I looked up and Bindu too saw them.
    ‘I must leave now,’ she said.
    ‘Why don’t you all join us for a cup of tea?’ Dolly said.
    ‘Maybe next time, Dolly. I have my sister-in-law with me and I don’t know what I would say to her,’ said Bindu.
    ‘It’s OK, we will invite her too,’ Dolly chipped in.
    ‘I think we will leave it for the next time. I really must go now. It was really nice to meet you both.’
    ‘Same here, Bindu,’ I said.
    ‘Yes it was really nice, although very short,’ said Dolly.
    ‘Bye, guys,’ replied Bindu and left to join her family.
    The drummers were still there pounding away,