A walk to remember

“The journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
So does the journey of a lifetime!

It all started with that walk, at least for me.

It was the month of June, 24th June to be precise. The year was 2007. He dropped in to Bangalore for a quick visit (that is how I perceived till then.) You can't do much with much with your friends on an unplanned weekend. The options are pretty much the same - movies, shopping, museums/places to see in the city or just sit in the cafe and talk/gossip. If it is not a girl, the option of shopping gets almost cancelled unless of course you have something specific in mind. We had the whole day in hand - sitting in the cafe for the whole day - doesn’t make much sense. I was new in the city, didn't have much idea of where to go. So we opted for the first option - movie. It was a Sunday and actually I had already watched a movie the day before (with him) – “The Fantastic Four”. But still, a movie was the preferred choice. I had reasons -

• I hadn’t seen a movie (other than on comp/TV) for a long time.
• I was still a broke (it was my first month of job) and he was paying.
• I was saved from one of the most dreaded activity - talking about me! Its not that I am bad at conversation, I just don't prefer initiating.
• One movie would mean at least 3 hours taken care of. Then there is the time in the queue and the transport time (with the traffic). So I don't have to worry what to do the whole day!

But I wasn't that lucky actually. We didn't get tickets. I was hopeful considering the last day's luck. (I got to know later it had more to do with his 'skills' than luck) So we came out of the complex and started considering our options once again. If you ask me, at that precise moment I was wondering if there was a way I could just go home. I knew what was coming - the cafe thing! Oh no!

"Let's take a walk" - I blurted out. "May be we can walk home." It wasn’t a small distance. And I actually didn’t consider that ever. But it was a spontaneous action to evade sitting and talking. Walking is much more fun. He was reluctant. He considered for a few moments and asked if I was sure that I wanted to do that. I was persistent. It was probably his disbelief that made him agree. He was sure I wouldn't last even fifteen minutes. I was in my sports shoes; his footwear was actually unfavorable for such a task. I hadn't noticed. He could have told me. He didn’t. To my surprise we started. Yes, to my surprise! Although it was my suggestion, I was hoping he would disagree and try to convince me that it was a foolish idea. It was actually. Even I knew. But I still wanted to do it because it was so spontaneous and out of the normal things to do.

We didn't know the way. In fact I didn’t know and he wasn’t expected to know because it was his first visit to the city. So we walked randomly. He asked directions sometimes in the local dialect (he knew that because it was a part of his work). And we ended up walking in the worst parts of the city. You know the slum-kind of areas that are hidden from public view but still exist, those parts. We talked while walking. I was enjoying the conversation mostly so much that I failed to notice the surrounding areas. Or I noticed but they failed to make any impression. Occasionally he looked at me. Or may be he did it always, I noticed it occasionally. It is difficult to notice if you prefer not to look directly. I enjoyed his fleeting glances. Sometimes he will ask "Are you sure you still want to walk?" and I would reply back "Sure. I am fine. Are you ok?" He would say "of course". He wouldn’t say "Let’s take an auto" even if he wanted. Something to do with male ego I guess. I wouldn't budge, he wouldn't budge. So we walked. And we walked for a little more than three hours until we reached a main road and I found a place to sit. He said 'let's take an auto' and we did.

I enjoyed the walk, although probably it wasn't the kind that one enjoyed. Walking through the slum areas, past the drains, the dumping grounds, dodging the piles of garbage is not one of the activities one enjoys. I did not enjoy because of these rather I enjoyed in spite of all these. I enjoyed because of the company, because I was doing something spontaneous without any worries of what will happen (after a long time), because I was happy (and surprised) to see him agree to a foolish idea for my sake (or so I think), because I was enjoying his fleeting glances without looking directly at him and because it was fun to see him walk with me (it was my idea) even when it had turned out such a bad idea.

In fact it was only after the walk that I became comfortable in his presence, laughed and talked to him without inhibitions. In the end of the day when we parted, he said he wouldn't forget the walk, that it was a 'walk to remember'. I smiled knowing that for me it was much more than just a walk...

Happy birthday sweetheart. :)

And... it rained

I glanced at the watch once again. It was getting late. I walked to the window, placed my face against the glass, cupped my eyes with hands and stared outside. The sky had darkened to another shade. The trees ruffled wildly. I couldn't hear it from this side of the glass but I could already make out the sounds in my mind. It almost felt like I was daring the clouds to rain before I left. Any other day, I would have left long ago. What was I waiting for today? I stepped back and looked at the watch again. There was no way I could finish the meeting before the phone rang. The phone was not important. It was a routine call that meant to remind me that I ought to leave. I walked to the cubicle of the concerned person with whom I had the meeting. He wasn't there, so I left a message for him about rescheduling the discussion, packed my bag and walked off.

May be if it were not a Friday, I would have left my laptop and walked back home without worrying about the dark clouds but Fridays are different. I signed out and reached to open the main glass door. A cold gust of wind struck my face and for a moment it took my breath away. It is on one of these days that I am glad that I decided to walk down to office everyday. The traffic was at its peak. The main road in front of my office was roaring with life or rather honking with life. The lights of the vehicles danced against the darkness that the clouds had enveloped the city in. The Leela continued to stand majestically above all the hustle bustle on the other side of the road. It was difficult to catch every aspect of one single moment. What did I miss, I had no idea. I looked up at the dark sky. There was nothing ominous about it but rather a feeling of celebration filled my heart. The wind was still blowing wildly and noisily - the noise rising with the roaring traffic. It was almost like they were competing against each other.

I took my usual way and walked down the foot-path. The familiar waft of freshly fried bhaajjis and roasted peanuts hit my stomach. They stood there everyday, but the weather today made it impossible for me to ignore them. Too lazy to open my backpack and find my wallet, I satisfied myself with the smells alone and continued to walk. When I reached the over-bridge, I looked down at the stretch of dancing lights on the road. I had always been awed by the sight. Stretching beyond the horizon the lights always looked like a parade of colorful stars, or may be reflection of the sky. But not today. Today the stars were not visible and so this stream of lights spoke for itself. I was still awed as I walked down the stairs and reached the familiar lane that reached the place that I called my home for now.

The sky growled once, and I looked up at the sky. It wouldn't be long. I increased my pace to reach my gate just as the first drop of rain fell on my face. Once beneath the roof of my room, I opened the windows to welcome the long awaited rain. The sound of the rain and the smell of the freshly wet ground intoxicated me. I looked out of the window. The flowers had already opened up to drink thier fill, the grass had soaked up to turn green and the leaves were dancing to the beats of the rain. What was it about first rain that I loved -  it was too difficult to make one choice.

Give me rain, the sweet intoxication of the first shower of rain... and it will fill all my senses.