Chapter 11: Hypnotic venture.
Titli’s sweet lips were making me frenzy every night. I was unable to sleep properly and kept awake. At times I used to take out her dresses and inhaled her smell to make my void soul feel that she was near to me. I missed her very much, every night. The restless sleep made me take an insane decision. I called my boss sick with fever and asked for few days of medical leave.
I packed my bag with bare necessity and started for an unknown journey. I did not know that where I would find her still I went out in search for her. As if I was in a trance, I walked to the bus stand, took a bus and then dropped at the Howrah rail station.
Only when the train passed Gaya, I regained my consciousness that I was going to Kalka. I laughed when I felt that an invisible force made me do all these. I did not where I was going, it was the first time I was out of my realm. I did not had the privilege to goto trip with my family during vacation as my father was always busy. After my mother passed away, there was no one to take me out for vacation.
That was an interesting and nail biting journey for me, wandering in unknown horizon without any proper knowledge as where I would find the person I was looking for. Then I started calculating her itinerary. Titli told me that they would be arrive at Delhi by flight then they would take a car to Shimla and then to Manali. I calculated the number of days she was gone and according to that, she should be in Manali within day or two.
After two days of rigorous train journey and infinite wait, I found myself at Kalka station in the dead night. Nowhere to go no place to stay, I slept at the rail station. In the morning, I boarded a bus to Manali and by evening, I found myself standing on the bank of Beas.
I looked up to the cobalt blue sky and laughed at my insanity. Her eyes, her lips and her smile at last made me to come out of my den out in the open, without her address. The whole place was crowded, everyone has poured there to that hill station to enjoy their vacation. At least I knew that the day I reached Manali was a day prior to their arrival to Manali from Shimla, if there was no change in their plan. For the whole next day, I waited anxiously at the taxi stand waiting for them. However, my ill luck strike me again, they never arrived. My heart was beating very fast as if the steam engine has hit me. It dawned to me that they might be boarding a private taxi and arriving directly to the hotel instead of the stand.
I gave a painful look at the huge crowd of vacationers. They were making merry, shopping and having fun. All in that crowd I was alone and lonely and disgusted. The sun already set behind the west hills leaving an orange tint in the blue sky. The lights started to glow, creating a joyous mood in the mall road. Everybody was busy in shopping or some other activities. I cursed myself for my insanity and started to walk towards the mall road.
Just then I heard a very well know giggle. My heart leapt to my throat, it was Titli’s voice calling her mother to one of the shop. I looked at the direction of the voice and I found my damsel in a merry mood, shopping with her mother. I forgot to take step and stood there still, beholding her beautiful face beaming in happiness. For one second I felt angry that how come she was so happy even without me, then I thought that I was not the only person she loves in this whole world, she has her parents whom she loves also.
I felt a triumphant joy conquering my restless soul and I started to walk towards them. I thought that I would surprise her, as she had no clue that I would act that insane. Again, the luck was not with me. I just took few steps towards them I observed that her father and her brother were coming along. I retraced back and mingled with the crowd keeping a close watch on my damsel. Wherever she went, I went along keeping a safe distance so that no one notices me. I was looking for an opportune moment to take her by surprise but that moment kept evading from me. Each passing second seemed to be a year; she was so near yet so far.
The moment did arrive after a long tiring anxiety. I had my nails chewed by then. They went inside a restaurant to have dinner and I followed them along. I sat on a table keeping a safe distance from them and I ensure that whenever she looks up my eyes would meet hers. The again came the moment of waiting as when my damsel’s lotus eyes would unfurl and she would glance at me. She did, for a fraction of second her eyes went through my face and she then lowered her face. I fisted hard on the table, as I knew very well that she would not even thought in her wild dreams that I would be there seating just few tables away from her.
She paused for a moment, I kept looking at her face, her face turned red, very cautiously she looked at me. Her eyes popped out of her socket, she bit her lower lips to contain her amazement. From her face, I was able to make out that she was unable to believe as what she was seeing in front of her. I gestured her to keep mum. Her eyes were beaming with bliss. She shook her head in excitement and kept on conversing with her parents. I noticed that she was stealing frequent glances at me and her face was elated as when our eyes met.
After sometime, she whispered something in her mother’s ears and then went for restroom. I was dumbfounded as what to do now, that was not a foreign land that I could get into women restroom. She came out of the restroom and then gently walked past my table. Each step she was taking towards my table,I was smiling at her and was anxious to touch her hand badly. Just when she neared my table, she stumbled and I held her hand to support her. She gave me an bewildered look and whispered, “You are mad. I love you.” Then she pushed a napkin in my hand and went away to join her family for dinner.
I unfolded the napkin; the impression of her lipstick was there. I brought that piece of paper to my lips and kissed the impression gently. She noticed my action with the corner of her eye and blushed. I was unable to contain my excitement. I have found a billion stars within my reach. She asked me to meet at an ice cream shop outside her hotel. My famished heart was satiated by the kiss of her lips. I walked out of the restaurant and waited for them at a distance. They came out after sometime and took their taxi to their hotel. I followed them in another taxi. I was able to hear the sound of my pounding heart in fear of being caught red-handed and in joy of meeting my beautiful butterfly.
I waited anxiously in front of the ice cream shop; the time was not passing. I fisted in the air and paced up and down to kill time yet I found that the minute hand was crawling painfully on my wristwatch. In the anxious thirty minutes, I might have puffed half a dozen of cigarettes.
I did not know at which room they were staying. I looked up the hotel; most of the rooms were lit, most of the balconies were having couples cavorting. My eager eyes were searching for a balcony where I could find my butterfly. I walked at some distance from the shop at a shady place.
After long anxious moments I observed that Titli was coming towards me with long strides as if she was flying in the air. I walked to her with my arms open; she jumped at me and hugged me with all her strength. I pressed my lips on her head and forgot to say anything to her. She kept her arms around me for some time and then gently looked up to my face.
She shook her head in sheer shock and said to me, “So I have loved a total insane.”
I kissed her forehead, “May be that’s something that we have to relish.”
She was still unable to come to terms that I was standing in front of her, so she pinched me and said, “How come you thought of this?”
I smiled and answered, “I don’t know, only after the train crossed Gaya, I regained my conscious mind. And I am here in blood and flesh in front of you.”
We started walking towards the icecream shop hand in hand. She asked me, “Can I scream?”
Softly I scolded her, “WHAT? NO. Are you mad.”
She jumped and twirled like a barbie doll, “You know, I did not believe my eyes, the first time I saw at restaurant. The when I came to senses I had goose bumps all over my body. I shook there. My mom asked me whether I was feeling ok or not. I am so happy to find you here that I was going to burst in that restaurant. I want to scream out loud that my Adi is with me.”
I shut her lips with my hand, “Don’t be mad, Titli. What have you told to your parents?”
“Ah! Don’t worry, my dad don’t know about you and mom won’t believe in thousand years that you can come here. I made an excuse of ice-cream.” She was bursting out in sheer bliss, “Man you are insane and you have made me like you also.” She asked me, “So what is your next course of plan?”
I answered, “I am here just to follow your steps so my plan will go according to Mufasa’s plan.”
She laughed, “Mufasa’s plan. My dad is not so stern, he is lovely.”
I joked at her, “Ok, ok. At least I called him a lion as he behaves else I would have called him names.”
My words made her bit angry, she looked at me with squint brows, “He is my dad. You have to ask for my hand from him.”
I teased her in the same tone, “Come on, I will tame Mufasa, don’t worry. By the way, where tomorrow?”
She said to me while licking a chocolate cone, “Rohtang pass, we would be reaching there by morning by seven or eight. Be sure you are there and don’t play smart this time. Because if this time you get caught then I don’t have any excuse to save our ass.”
I nodded my head and said, “I will be there, honey don’t you worry about.”
She threw her arms around me and hugged me so tightly that I felt choked. I took her face between my palms and looked amorously in her eyes.
Titli’s sweet lips were making me frenzy every night. I was unable to sleep properly and kept awake. At times I used to take out her dresses and inhaled her smell to make my void soul feel that she was near to me. I missed her very much, every night. The restless sleep made me take an insane decision. I called my boss sick with fever and asked for few days of medical leave.
I packed my bag with bare necessity and started for an unknown journey. I did not know that where I would find her still I went out in search for her. As if I was in a trance, I walked to the bus stand, took a bus and then dropped at the Howrah rail station.
Only when the train passed Gaya, I regained my consciousness that I was going to Kalka. I laughed when I felt that an invisible force made me do all these. I did not where I was going, it was the first time I was out of my realm. I did not had the privilege to goto trip with my family during vacation as my father was always busy. After my mother passed away, there was no one to take me out for vacation.
That was an interesting and nail biting journey for me, wandering in unknown horizon without any proper knowledge as where I would find the person I was looking for. Then I started calculating her itinerary. Titli told me that they would be arrive at Delhi by flight then they would take a car to Shimla and then to Manali. I calculated the number of days she was gone and according to that, she should be in Manali within day or two.
After two days of rigorous train journey and infinite wait, I found myself at Kalka station in the dead night. Nowhere to go no place to stay, I slept at the rail station. In the morning, I boarded a bus to Manali and by evening, I found myself standing on the bank of Beas.
I looked up to the cobalt blue sky and laughed at my insanity. Her eyes, her lips and her smile at last made me to come out of my den out in the open, without her address. The whole place was crowded, everyone has poured there to that hill station to enjoy their vacation. At least I knew that the day I reached Manali was a day prior to their arrival to Manali from Shimla, if there was no change in their plan. For the whole next day, I waited anxiously at the taxi stand waiting for them. However, my ill luck strike me again, they never arrived. My heart was beating very fast as if the steam engine has hit me. It dawned to me that they might be boarding a private taxi and arriving directly to the hotel instead of the stand.
I gave a painful look at the huge crowd of vacationers. They were making merry, shopping and having fun. All in that crowd I was alone and lonely and disgusted. The sun already set behind the west hills leaving an orange tint in the blue sky. The lights started to glow, creating a joyous mood in the mall road. Everybody was busy in shopping or some other activities. I cursed myself for my insanity and started to walk towards the mall road.
Just then I heard a very well know giggle. My heart leapt to my throat, it was Titli’s voice calling her mother to one of the shop. I looked at the direction of the voice and I found my damsel in a merry mood, shopping with her mother. I forgot to take step and stood there still, beholding her beautiful face beaming in happiness. For one second I felt angry that how come she was so happy even without me, then I thought that I was not the only person she loves in this whole world, she has her parents whom she loves also.
I felt a triumphant joy conquering my restless soul and I started to walk towards them. I thought that I would surprise her, as she had no clue that I would act that insane. Again, the luck was not with me. I just took few steps towards them I observed that her father and her brother were coming along. I retraced back and mingled with the crowd keeping a close watch on my damsel. Wherever she went, I went along keeping a safe distance so that no one notices me. I was looking for an opportune moment to take her by surprise but that moment kept evading from me. Each passing second seemed to be a year; she was so near yet so far.
The moment did arrive after a long tiring anxiety. I had my nails chewed by then. They went inside a restaurant to have dinner and I followed them along. I sat on a table keeping a safe distance from them and I ensure that whenever she looks up my eyes would meet hers. The again came the moment of waiting as when my damsel’s lotus eyes would unfurl and she would glance at me. She did, for a fraction of second her eyes went through my face and she then lowered her face. I fisted hard on the table, as I knew very well that she would not even thought in her wild dreams that I would be there seating just few tables away from her.
She paused for a moment, I kept looking at her face, her face turned red, very cautiously she looked at me. Her eyes popped out of her socket, she bit her lower lips to contain her amazement. From her face, I was able to make out that she was unable to believe as what she was seeing in front of her. I gestured her to keep mum. Her eyes were beaming with bliss. She shook her head in excitement and kept on conversing with her parents. I noticed that she was stealing frequent glances at me and her face was elated as when our eyes met.
After sometime, she whispered something in her mother’s ears and then went for restroom. I was dumbfounded as what to do now, that was not a foreign land that I could get into women restroom. She came out of the restroom and then gently walked past my table. Each step she was taking towards my table,I was smiling at her and was anxious to touch her hand badly. Just when she neared my table, she stumbled and I held her hand to support her. She gave me an bewildered look and whispered, “You are mad. I love you.” Then she pushed a napkin in my hand and went away to join her family for dinner.
I unfolded the napkin; the impression of her lipstick was there. I brought that piece of paper to my lips and kissed the impression gently. She noticed my action with the corner of her eye and blushed. I was unable to contain my excitement. I have found a billion stars within my reach. She asked me to meet at an ice cream shop outside her hotel. My famished heart was satiated by the kiss of her lips. I walked out of the restaurant and waited for them at a distance. They came out after sometime and took their taxi to their hotel. I followed them in another taxi. I was able to hear the sound of my pounding heart in fear of being caught red-handed and in joy of meeting my beautiful butterfly.
I waited anxiously in front of the ice cream shop; the time was not passing. I fisted in the air and paced up and down to kill time yet I found that the minute hand was crawling painfully on my wristwatch. In the anxious thirty minutes, I might have puffed half a dozen of cigarettes.
I did not know at which room they were staying. I looked up the hotel; most of the rooms were lit, most of the balconies were having couples cavorting. My eager eyes were searching for a balcony where I could find my butterfly. I walked at some distance from the shop at a shady place.
After long anxious moments I observed that Titli was coming towards me with long strides as if she was flying in the air. I walked to her with my arms open; she jumped at me and hugged me with all her strength. I pressed my lips on her head and forgot to say anything to her. She kept her arms around me for some time and then gently looked up to my face.
She shook her head in sheer shock and said to me, “So I have loved a total insane.”
I kissed her forehead, “May be that’s something that we have to relish.”
She was still unable to come to terms that I was standing in front of her, so she pinched me and said, “How come you thought of this?”
I smiled and answered, “I don’t know, only after the train crossed Gaya, I regained my conscious mind. And I am here in blood and flesh in front of you.”
We started walking towards the icecream shop hand in hand. She asked me, “Can I scream?”
Softly I scolded her, “WHAT? NO. Are you mad.”
She jumped and twirled like a barbie doll, “You know, I did not believe my eyes, the first time I saw at restaurant. The when I came to senses I had goose bumps all over my body. I shook there. My mom asked me whether I was feeling ok or not. I am so happy to find you here that I was going to burst in that restaurant. I want to scream out loud that my Adi is with me.”
I shut her lips with my hand, “Don’t be mad, Titli. What have you told to your parents?”
“Ah! Don’t worry, my dad don’t know about you and mom won’t believe in thousand years that you can come here. I made an excuse of ice-cream.” She was bursting out in sheer bliss, “Man you are insane and you have made me like you also.” She asked me, “So what is your next course of plan?”
I answered, “I am here just to follow your steps so my plan will go according to Mufasa’s plan.”
She laughed, “Mufasa’s plan. My dad is not so stern, he is lovely.”
I joked at her, “Ok, ok. At least I called him a lion as he behaves else I would have called him names.”
My words made her bit angry, she looked at me with squint brows, “He is my dad. You have to ask for my hand from him.”
I teased her in the same tone, “Come on, I will tame Mufasa, don’t worry. By the way, where tomorrow?”
She said to me while licking a chocolate cone, “Rohtang pass, we would be reaching there by morning by seven or eight. Be sure you are there and don’t play smart this time. Because if this time you get caught then I don’t have any excuse to save our ass.”
I nodded my head and said, “I will be there, honey don’t you worry about.”
She threw her arms around me and hugged me so tightly that I felt choked. I took her face between my palms and looked amorously in her eyes.