If I Had A Love Story - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Yellow ambient light filled the reception hall creating a warm atmosphere around. It took a bit of time for everyone to settle. We were five in the room trying to split territories among us. Outside, in the corridor were the cries of our HOD asking us to get ready soon. The first person to bathe had to experiment with the tap knobs to find the correct combination for hot water. Every once in a while, there would be somebody knocking the door checking upon us if we were ready. After eighteen knocks and two hours later, we were finally ready. As we went out, I whispered to Ajith. He glared at me and assented only after I pleaded. We got into the bus.

"Hey! Can you sit there please?" Ajith asked the girl sitting next to Diya pointing at the empty seat at the front. The girl got up and I took her seat. My eyes thanked him. Diya was wearing a sandal yellow dress with intricate geometric patterns, the one I liked the most because she looked like a fragrant rich creamy rose wrapped exquisitely in lush yellow fibres. I too was wearing a similar coloured shirt and that was the conversation initiator. I tried not to look at her more often than needed as we talked. It was one of the days that her beauty had the power of overwhelming and distracting me. We talked until the wind sung her to sleep.

 I woke her up as we reached the company. I took a notepad and a pen with me, not that I would use them, just because everyone had one. It was painful and tiring journey past several auto splicers, paper reels, printing machines, laminators, dryers and other machines. The ink's odour filled the vicinity which some really enjoyed. We were pretty exhausted after hours of continuous walking around the company. Finally we were escorted into a huge well lit conference room. I stared and started examining the best products of the company showcased in a corner till they called for lunch. The company had sponsored our lunch as a gesture of goodwill (The food was good and everyone was hungry).

After distributing the food to everyone, I took mine and saw houseful. I hoped to eat standing. I went to a corner opened my food carefully. I took notice of the contents and gulped down the Gulab Jamun in one go. I looked down to see another one in my plate and realised that Diya had kept hers. She had given up her seat to Ajith who was also distributing food with me and came to give me company (I don't know if he does this intentionally but anyway always helps me). I asked her again whether she wanted the Gulab Jamun again before swallowing it. I took a piece of my chapati, dumped it with panner and offered her a mouth. When she turned it down, I stuffed a mouthful just like she used to do to me. Afterwards, she fed me from her plate and I fed her from mine (The food tasted like heaven). After filling our stomachs we took a group photo and bid adieu to the company.

The next stop was Gokarnanatheshwara temple dedicated to Gokarnanatha, a form of Lord Shiva. After paying respects to the deity, we went through different pathways past several murals and inscriptions on the wall, most of which were in Kannada that I couldn't read. Just outside the temple stood a large tree and I sat under its shade in meditation trying to comprehend the existence of this universe and me. After the failed attempt to reach spiritual enlightenment, I decided to continue on my journey in the material world instead.

After a few hours, we landed in a beach in Udupi. There was a long line of shops that we had to cross to get to the beach. One of our staffs tossed a tennis ball at me and we played with it till we reached the beach. Don't be deceived by his age, for someone of his age he was fit as a fiddle. He wore a t-shirt with coolers and sneakers and if not for his white hair he could be easily mistaken for somebody of our age.

The sun was just sinking down the horizon. The air was chill laden with moisture. There were kids and people playing in the water. Then there was a Gandhiji statue in front of which some of us were taking selfies. I wanted to ask him if he ever wanted an umbrella to protect him from the sun and rain but later figured that he had enough trouble with his walking stick. Then my eyes met Diya standing by looking at the setting sun. Her creamy cheeks glowed as the orangish rays of the dipping sun hit her face. Her gleaming eyes made the sun feel that it wasn’t burning bright. Her hair glimmered like a lake in moonlight. A poem occurred to me then.

I saw a mermaid at the beach

Peaches and cream

Basking in the evening sun,

Just like the girl in my dream

She smiles,

My heart ails

To hold her hand

And enjoy the scenic beauty

I thought dreams were reel

But mermaids, they are real!

I went up to her and recited it. She smiled. She was poetry, a beautiful one. She took my hand, slid her fingers into mine. We stood there holding hands in silence hearing the sounds of waves crashing into our feet leaving behind sand and sea shells.