Ego

“Excuse me, please…!” I turned my face, by listening someone’s voice, calling me from back, while I was rushing out after finishing one interview…

“Yes” -I said.

“Are you Suchismita, from IGIT?” a middle aged man asked me.

“Oh my God… I cant believe…Alok, is it you?” suddenly I spoke out without taking a break, immediate after I recognized that person was Alok, my batch mate, the branch topper while pursuing engineering together…“You have changed a lot, Man….have become a completely Papa kind of man… where is your that Shahrukh Khan’s look…?!” I said

“You cant believe… how happy I am, by seeing you… even though, I had heard from Deepa about your transformation, but now only I can believe by seeing you… you are looking too gorgeous!!! By the way, how come you are here in Kurla…I mean to say in Mumbai? I had heard that you were in Bangalore…!” Alok asked me…

“I am still that shy and quiet girl… its just everyone’s perception is changed…. Yes, I do stay in Bangalore, have come here just to appear an interview with Wockhardt” I said.

“Oh ok. So, is the interview over, how was the interview?” He asked me…

“It was good, they will let me know later…as usual” I said and laughed

“But, you know Suchi… you have changed a lot… I was looking at you since last 15 mins… but was not able to gather the courage to talk to you, thinking that how will you respond. Anyway, you had never spoken with any guy when we were in college” he said…

“Yeah…. that’s true, but we were kids during that time… now we have grown up… so, why I wont recognize and talk to you…!” I replied back while giving a smile.

“Anyway, whats your plan for today…? When are you returning back to Bangalore?” He asked

“I have my flight tomorrow at 7am, so I have to start from my hotel @5 am. Besides that, there is nothing, I will be in my room” I said…

“If you don’t mind, can we have a coffee together? Its already 5PM now.” he said

“Sure…” I replied back.

With this… we just went to the nearby Coffee Café.

“Do you know… Suchi, we are meeting after 12 years” he said while pulling the chair back for me to sit….

“Yes, and these 12 years seem to be like 12 days… the time passed away so soon…” I said…

“Have you remembered the day when only we two were declared to not able to fill the form to appear first semester’s exam and that to because of PC Singh Sir…” he said

“Its not P.C. Singh…my dear….its K.C. Singh Sir…the H.O.D of Mechanical Engg and we were not able to fill up the form because of attendance shortage in the Mechanical Workshop…” I said…

“Oh…yes. But he was more horrible than our K.C. Pattnaik Sir…” Alok said…

“K.C. Pattnaik..who is that? I asked surprisingly…

“Our H.O.D…! you forgot…?” he said

“I feel, you have completely lost your memory….he is not K. C. Pattnaik… he is K.C. Patra Sir…how can you forget the name of our H.O.D…?” I said…

 “Those days of class bunking before the internal and semester exams…getting scared of Patel Sir’s classes, getting lost in the beauty of Monika madam in her classes, lover birds visit to ladies’ hostel, college campus temple, primary dispensary, telephone booth and the all-time lover’s point the river side…” he said…

“Yes, I have remembered… but all are the kachra of your guys’ minds… we girls had never done these…” I said…

 “Oh is it…? You girls are the root cause of all these kachra” he said…

“Okay, leave it… have you remembered all of our girls’ laugh when Satya used to enter inside the room…” I asked

“Oh my God… he was a terrible joker…. he is in Texas now. But, I have remembered the day when you had given me a big Swiss chocolate bar in the class room… you don’t know how much I was teased by all of my batch mates…everyone started feeling jealous of me… Really you can’t believe, but you were something different among all other girls, very calm, quite and plumpy, far from girls’ latka and jhatka, but you always stole the show… we guys didn’t have courage to talk to you” Alok said…

"And i had given you that chocolate after listening from Swati that you also want to have one Swiss chocolate which my father had brought from Switzerland and i had distributed those among we girls..." I just smiled and said .

“By the way, what do you want to have?” He asked

“Nothing… Cold water… if possible… I don’t take tea or coffee” I said

“Ohh… still you are a Horlicks baby?” Alok asked surprisingly while ordering

for cold coffee for him and water for me…

“Yeah..” I just smiled

“And…so…how is everyone at your home… Uncle, Aunty and your sis… Oh sit… I just forgot to ask about your family… How is your husband and kids?” he said…

“Yeah, everyone is fine…” I said

“Bhabiji is very beautiful and sweet… I had seen your family photo in Facebook… a cute family with 2 kids… see I know so much about you… so didn’t ask how many kids do you have and how old are they and blah blah…” I said

“Oh really… but do you have Facebook account… I had searched a lot, but didn’t get you” he said…

“I have a secret account… only to see others but not to be visible to others…” I said

“Suchi… you are really very charming.” he said

“Bhaiya, isme charming ki kya baat hai… I just see others and don’t like to be seen by others, because I hate all those show off posts in Facebook” I said

“But, you didn’t tell me about your family.” He said.

“I am single.” I said

“What are you saying?" Alok suddenly took out the coffee mug while saying this

“Bhaiya, muchhe poch lo… usme coffee lag gaya hai” I said while offering him a piece of tissue paper and smiled…

“It was a dissolved marriage… so I am single.” I said

“Don’t kid with me” Alok said.

“Thik hai Bhaiya…as you accept” I said reluctantly…

“Hey… ye kya Bhaiya, Bhaiya laga rakhi hai… I am not your brother… right” he said

“Okay, Boss, accepted… done” I said.

“But…how! And why?” he said

“We were not compatible to each other… that’s it… done… over. Isme itni surprise ki kya baat hai” I said.

“I would never let any guy to get marry you, if you would be this much of smart and outspoken during that time. I would like to see you always happy” he said.

“I am always happy, in fact I am much more happy now.” I said after not able to accept his statement…” “Because I am in true love now…for the first time, I am in love with someone who meets all of my criteria…my dream man…”

“Are you serious…?” he asked

“Yes, very much… this time I am mature, I can take my own decision instead of accepting blindly that of my parents…“ I said…

“Who is he…?” Alok asked being surprised…

“Someone…. who recognizes me truly… instead of going on my dress up…. he says that those guys were really foolish who could not know and rejected me…”

“You are still very egoistic.... Lets move out…. its already 6 pm.” he said

“Thank you…” I said while giving a broad smile…

“What do you mean…?” Alok said

“No… nothing, I just thanked you….” I said…

Guys cannot accept the independence of a girl with whom they sit even for a coffee… even though they forget that they are the father of 2 kids….and we girls should know how to handle them in a right way!!!