Chance!
Everybody needs one. One life you know. But it is only you who can make the
most out of it or miss that one chance.
And
that day destiny had given me that one chance.
It
was raining heavily and I was waiting for an auto, fully drenched. I saw one;
before my voice could reach him I heard someone in the softest tone anyone
could ever hear. I turned my face towards that resounding voice and it was
‘her’.
I
expressed my helplessness towards her and anger towards the autowala that
overheard my radio quality voice against her extra buttery voice. I watched her
eloping into the auto and it left the place all muddy and of course me
drenching like heaven- ohh I mean hell.
From
somewhere, after a few seconds I heard that same unforgettable voice once
again. I turned my face towards that now-known lovely voice. It was her peeking
out of the auto keeping that one strand of her hair back to her ear. The earlobe
had pearl earring in it. It was all so adorable about her, the voice, that
shiny strand of hair, that pearl earring. I had to come out of my imagination
whence I heard her saying-
She-
“It’s raining. (as if do not know)
You can share the auto if you want. (Yeah, yeah ‘dear chance grabber’. Do I
have any other option left with me? I envy her that she got into the same auto
that could be mine if she had not appeared from nowhere.)
I
nodded my head in assertion. Moved towards the auto and adjusted my sogginess
into it.
Few
minutes passed. Nobody said a word. Silence was broken by that autowala who, I guess,
was in his mid-thirties when he played that song- ‘abki sajan saavan mein…aag lagi hai…’ I am not sure if he was but
we both were in a bit awkward situation listening to that sensual song.
(Should I say a hello or introduce myself)-
I thought
She-
You see this rain, how beautiful and enchanting it is.
(I
was like, yeah it is…very. Nodded my head saying a child-like yes.)
She-
By the way I am Manasvi, my friends call me.
Me-
And parents? (What do they call you dear chance grabber, I call you this.)
She-
Manu. And you?
Me-
Snehil, everyone call me Snehil only. I don’t have a nick name. You cannot
shorten an already short name, you know. (I tried putting a smile on my face
after all this rain and rain)
Ignoring
my last bad joke-
She-
What does it mean?
Me-
What?
She-
Your name (stupid). What does it
mean?
Me-
Full of love. (I imagined, what would you call a person fully soaked into water
and checked my branded leather shoes which was then looking one brought from
some road side shop. I got no clue, left the silly thought in the air.)
She-
Really? (She mysteriously looked amazed. Was it the meaning of my name, the
situations we were into or me?)
Me-
Yes. (I preferred ‘meaning of my name’ was the reason which she might have
found interesting while I found hers more fresh and suiting to her persona.)
I
might not figure out much about her in those few amazing moments but I can bet
she is going to be the best human being I would ever meet in my life.
I
glanced at her, she was again looking out to the rainy rain which was not
proven to be as gentle as its droplets, to me but to her I wish.
I
was shivering; she sensed it and offered me a pink water bottle that she took
out from her all pink leather bag. (I wondered this obsession that our dear
ladies show towards pink color. Obsession or their love or its loveliness.
There might be some resemblance between pink color and ladies, for sure.)
I
opened the lid of the bottle and took one gulp of water from it. It was hot water;
I had to take a breath for the second gulp. It relaxed me somewhat. (Why you drink hot water, you are so beautiful
unlike this rain today and need no extra fat cut; I wanted to ask)
She-
What? Did you say something?
Me-
Me? No, not at all. (And bit my lips how
in the world she got that I wanted to ask her something?)
She-
O’, I felt like you asked something. (She smiled, the same rose bud smile
covering her lips.)
Me-
(Yes, I wanted to see this smile) I asked in my head.
Meantime,
auto was close to my place. And I did not want to get down today. But I had to
as it reached there in seconds before I could think anything else.
I
paid my share to autowala and turned towards my building.
She-
Excuse me. (I felt her voice and moved my head towards it. It was her wanted
me to excuse her for something.)
Me-
Yepp?
She-
You can call me Manu. See you.
(And she waived her hand for a goodbye. I did the same. We both smiled.)
One
life. One chance.
-Snehil Srivastava
Picture credit: www.edmontonjournal.com
(Note- No part of this post may be published, reproduced or stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.)
© Snehil Srivastava
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