Redemption...

It's 0915hrs on the clock...and the start of a brand new day.

After having skimmed through the morning papers, I make my way towards my room, with a mug of hot coffee in my hands. I switch on the Hi-Fi and play one of the mp3s titled "Classics". In minutes I'm seated comfortably in one of the two bean bags in my room.

Soon the words - "Have I told you lately that I love you..." fills the air. There is something special about love songs, just like books. They evoke bitter-sweet memories of a place, an event, a person...

In my case, it was the last one. Listening to that song, brought vivid images of "her" before my eyes.

The place: Cafe Coffee Day, Sahara Mall, Gurgaon
Time :1625hrs
Day: 6th March, 2006

I had been waiting for almost 20 minutes now. My patience was running thin but when you have to deal with girls, you have get used to it. Especially, if the girl is beautiful, well you get the idea, don't you? They make sure that you are made to wait. In my case, the wait was excruciating.

Minutes later, I saw a familiar face entering through the door, and after a cursory glance spanning the entire length and breadth of the coffee shop, she slowly makes her way towards me with a certain degree of poise and grace. She was dressed with panache, and as she came towards me, I stood up and smiled.

"Hi. You are late.", I said.

She gave me one of her best smiles before making herself comfortable at the table. Damn her! Atleast she could have apologised for turning up late. Ah! Whom am I kidding?

"Whats wrong with you? Why do you have that sullen expression?Surely you didn't expect me to apologise to you, did you?"

I winced. First they kill you by making you wait and then they cut you into pieces by seeing right through you.

"Ah, well. Just cut it out, ya. What would you like to have? The usual?"

She replied in the affirmative. I went to the counter and placed an order for two Irish coffees.

"Quite a nice place, don't you think?", I said.

"Yes, perfect!...let me play a song on the Q-Jam."

Two minutes later, Rod Stewart's soothing song "Have I told you lately that I love you" filled every inch of air in that coffee shop.

"You sure know how to set the mood, don' you?", I asked.

"Well, somebody has to take the initiative!"

I could not help but to laugh at this. The coffee soon arrived, and I could feel myself relax.
There is something about a woman. She is one person who can add colour to your life. She makes you feel complete.

When I looked up, I saw her looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. I could almost feel her reading my thoughts.

" You are thinking about me, are'nt you?"

"What? Thinking about you? You have to be kidding." I lied with a tone giving everything away.

She looked at me and in a grave voice said "Let me ask you a question. What is the difference between us and the number of other young couples in this coffee shop?"

"The fact that we are officially not dating each other, while in case of every other couple, that is probably not so", I replied, looking squarely at her eyes.

For a moment, she appeared lost, but soon she regained her composure and with a sad expression said, " You never even made an effort to understand me, did you?"

I looked away from her and said to myself, "Did I say something wrong?" Well, there was some truth in what I said. We had been going around for quite sometime now, but something remained amiss. I had asked her out on our 3rd date together but she had been non-commital, saying she had some "other priorities".

Dammit! Maybe, a part of me never understood her. She had always been an enigma to me, there always seemed to be something sinister beneath her smiles, her expressions. A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets, how deep, that is something I had never fathomed and probably never will.Surely, deep enough to drown me in it.

"You did'nt answer me?"

That brought me out of my deep reverie. I without looking at her asked, "Don't you think's there's a deep void in our relationship?"

At first I thought, she did not hear me, but soon with a deep breath she replied tersely, " Probably you and I need some time to think it all over. Let's call it quits for now. You and I know that we are not ready for this. Don't you pretend otherwise.It's good for you and good for me. Life is too short, do not waste it."

Time seemed to have frozen and a chill had set in.

The track changed, now playing "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. The hot mug of coffee had now gone cold.

BUZZ!!!

I got up from my bean bag to answer the door bell. As I opened the door, I saw a familiar face beaming at me.

"Hi, You are late."

"Surely you don't expect me to apologise to you, do you?"

I smiled to myself.


LIFE IS TOO SHORT. DO NOT WASTE IT.