Note – A tale of Love and Lies is a short story I wrote few years back.
I was too engrossed in my work the whole night. In addition, the last-minute code changes introduced lots of effort in terms of documentation and designing because I had to stay awake the entire night. The following day, I woke up to the sound of a phone call, but it got disconnected when I could receive it.
“I’m at da airport waiting for fr u. cm fast, Sondu!” Rubbing my eyes, I read the text sent by Enayat.
“Oh, Shit!” I tried calling her, but her phone was not reachable. It was already 10 am. Enayat had a flight in 2 hours.
I smacked my forehead and quickly left for the airport. It was 15 km away from my office. I rode my bike towards the Linking road, observing an ocean of vehicles stranded on the sodden road. It had rained the previous night heavily. Then, my eyes came across a tea stall. It was where I met Enayat for the first time. How could I forget it? It rekindled all the beautiful memories.
5th July 2010 was a different day. The Linking road was deserted, and no one was in sight for miles. It was Bharat bandh. I parked my bike near a tea stall next to the bus stop. As I ordered a cutting chai, I saw a girl walking toward me. My flirtatious eyes never failed to locate pretty girls, and with roads so deserted, her anxiousness was unmistakable.
” Did bus number 201 leave?” She nervously asked me.
“No,” I replied.
“I mean, I don’t know,” I said to which she made a straight face.
She looked simple, and everything from her clothes to her manner of walking was ordinary. She exhibited an elegant sense of simplicity with her keen brows that arched her shiny eyes. Her stupendous dark eyes, the most riveting part of her face, had million untold dreams. Nervousness had muffled her smile.
I stood there sipping chai and calmly said, “Hey, aren’t you aware of the strike?”
“All schools and colleges are shut today,” I said, assuming she was a college student.
“How could it be?” She paused and said brusquely, “I have my Surgery papers today.”
“Why don’t you confirm with your friends?” I suggested.
“I did,” she said, “it seems they have already reached.”
I saw a tiny nose pin adorned her nose at a closer glance. I wondered if simplicity, modesty, and elegance was a combination so appealing, or was it my heart which had sensed its defeat that I already found her beautiful.
“If you want, I can drop you,” I said, still trying to read her face.
“Can you?” She finally paid attention to me.
“Sure, why not! By the way, I am Virat Sethi,” I introduced myself.
“Enayat,” she said, brushing away the strands that reached her eyes.
“So, where do we go now?” I asked as she sat on the back seat of my bike.
“Parel,” she said quickly.
“Which college?” I curiously asked her.
“KEM.” She said with a sense of urgency rising in her voice.
“Which year?” I inquired, ignoring it.
“Would you mind starting your bike now?” She bluntly replied, putting an end to my impending conversation.
I started my bike with an embarrassed smile and said, “Don’t worry, Enayat, we will reach in time.”
She was memorizing her answers as I rode my bike.
We reached KEM in 20 minutes.
“Thank you so much,” she said and entered the college premises.
“Hey, Enayat,” I shouted.
“Yes?” she turned quickly to ask.
“I wonder when people look beautiful without a smile; wouldn’t they look more beautiful when they smile?” I winked at her.
She shook her head and smiled vibrantly. The smile swirled my heart and made it dance in joy. But, at that moment, I never realized that this smile was the one that was going to change my life forever.
“Good luck with your exam,” I wished her and left for my office.
That night I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Little did I know that a small conversation would make me meet the best person in my life and lead me into a relationship that would teach me long-lasting lessons for life! Her smile flashed in front of my eyes. I had a rising urge to meet her again. Although meeting her was an accident, I was not really sure if I would be able to befriend her easily. But then, I had mastered the art of befriending girls, so I had complete faith in my abilities and crashed into my bed with dreams in my eyes that night.
