Finally, it was a dream comes true for me. I am falling short of words to describe the anxiety and the gaiety I was feeling at that moment of time. I was eager to touch her and to feel her because she was mine that night.
“It’s quarter past eleven and I feel we should have the dinner now, so what’s your call?” I said breaking the mysterious silence which was prevailing since Shikha left us alone.
“Yeah sure”, an expected terse reply came from her. I started moving, mistakenly forgotten that fact that she can’t walk all alone. By the time I turned back she had lifted her hand bashfully, to be held by me. Unhesitating I caressed her hand and felt the silken soft touch of her palm. Her palm over mine with hardly any space left between the two, with my fingers closing over the darker side of her hand. With that we moved towards the dining area.
It was quite cold by that time and people were having dinner while hobnobbing with each other. There was an arrangement of the bonfire for the guests at different locations in the garden. Near to the dining area I saw the one and nobody was standing near to it. So I thought of sitting there while dining with her.
I said “Dhristi sit here for some time till I get a dinner plate for you. And do tell me if you have any favorites in the dinner”.
She smiled on my question. “Did I sound silly”, I thought for a moment. But no, she was chuckling on my innocence. Neither she was used to such courteous questions nor did she want herself to be the object of pathos for others.
She said “I can come with you. If you don’t mind”.
“Ok”, I said. We took the ceramic plates from the stack and started serving ourselves. She was finding it difficult but I helped her. I just held her hand from the wrist and assisted her to pick her favorite dishes. She was asking me the names of dishes and every time I was answering to her, feeding to the inquisitiveness of this beautiful lady. I also took some food in my plate. I was very hungry and the beer we had some hours before had stimulated my appetite by theb.
We finally sat down near the bonfire again on the beautifully crafted wooden chairs. The radiating heat of the ambers was warming my body and so was her warmth to my soul. The moments were flowing like those of a beautifully scripted dream and we were the mere actors, the florist and the photographer.
To explore her further and to satiate my curiosity I posted a question to her to which she felt little hesitant and turned dispirited.
I said “What happened to your parents Dhristi? Can you share with me If you don’t mind”.
“They died in a bus accident when I was too young. I was with them at that moment. I somehow survived and lost my eyes”. A silent tear rolled down through her eyes onto her cheeks. And for me it was difficult to digest the fact that she was not blind by birth but mishap made her life miserable. “Oh I am sorry Dhristi. I am really sorry for that” I stammered and said.
What on oaf I was. I posted a wrong question on my first date ever and made her cry. Truly speaking I had no prior experience of handling such sophisticated situation. But Dhristi was a mature and different girl. In fact way different from others. She quickly controlled her rolling tears and said “It’s ok Abhigyan”.
She said, quickly reconciling the situation “What do you do Abhigyan and where do you live”?
I hadn’t expected such a prompt question after I bungled the things and that’s how she portrayed here maturity and equanimity.
“I am fine art photographer and I stay at Bangalore”, I replied.
“Bangalore, Yeah I had heard about the city. But it’s too far from this place”, she said.
“Yups, It is. I come to north once in three months to visit my parents. And sometimes once in a month if at all my work permits”, I said.
There was an impulse in me when I was talking to her while looking at her ruddy face. I wanted to ask her “Does she knew how beautiful she is?” And the next moment I posted the question to her.
“Dhristi, Don’t take it otherwise, but I wanted to know that do have any clue how beautiful you are?”, I said capriciously.
God, It took the enormous courage to say those words to her. I was an unknown to her and I have said something which could spoil everything from now. I was not certain that how she was going to behave now onwards. A little worried I was but finally decided to take a gauntlet. Now the ball was in her court. And I was waiting anxiously to know her reply.
She smiled on my words and felt a bit reluctant to express herself. “I am done with the dinner what about you Abhigyan” she said as if she had not heard my words.
“Yeah Yeah its over for me too”, I said after hastily putting the last piece of sweet in my mouth.
“Give me the plate I will just keep it” I said and took it from her.
12.00 Midnight, Near Bonfire with Florist, June 3, 2008…..
Happy Birthday Abhi….
I heard those voices coming from behind. I turned back this was Manish and Anshul.
“Oh Thanks Guys” I said. I forgot that it was my 27th Birthday and these guys still remember it. Sammer and Shristi also came to wish me up. All the guests had already left by then and just the relatives were present in the garden.
“Happy birthday dude”, said Sammer. “Thanks Buddy”. I said
‘You got the advance gift I guess” said Manish humorously. “Ab Aur Ki Chiyeda Ennu”, Anshul acceded in Punjabi. Everybody burst out laughing. Dhristi was quietly standing there listening to us, a bit muddled. She came forward and said “Happy Birthday Abhigyan”.
“Oh thanks Dhristi”, I said…
Everybody was looking at my face when I uttered those words. A mummer came from Anshul “Thanks Dhristi hunnnn “and they all chuckled again. She was still alien to fact that I am in an impassionate love with this ravishing blonde.
12.45 am, At Mandap
“Mandap”, this structure is an integral part of Hindu wedding ceremony. Sameer’s wedding mandap was beautifully decorated with the specially crafted flowers. Most of them were roses of all shades along with lilies. It was a canopy erected on the ground and supported by four wooden pillars and all of them were adorned with the most beautiful flowers of this region. Under the canopy was seated the Brahmin who was supposed to perform the ritual ceremony.
Sameer and Shristi were seated next to the Brahmin and in front of them was the sacred fire which was going to be the clean and pure witness of their love. Anyhow at that moment for me it was huge relief from the spine chilling cold as I was seated in front of Sameer and Shristi and just behind his parents. Those aromatic lilies appealed deeply to my senses and observed that Dhristi was missing once again. My eyes grew impatient as I could not able to locate that piquant face. I stood up and asked Shikha who was standing near me, “Hey do you know where she is?”
She puckered her forehead and then said “I guess she is sitting upstairs, may be alone since we forgot to bring her here”.
“Oh that’s bad, fine I will get her”. And I ran to bring her. I clambered up the stairs in haste just to avoid wasting much time. I inspected all the rooms before looking in the last one, the one of a bride. I knocked on the door and opened it up.
Thanks to god I found her. She was sitting there as this place was alien to her for navigating all alone.
I took a deep breath and said “Hey Dhristi you are here. We were looking for you. Let’s go down as the ceremony is going to start”
She stood up as I uttered those words and walked towards me. However, her leingha got stuck in one of those protruding nails of sofa. I saw this and ran towards her to prevent her falling. I said quickly “Hey Dhristi ! Be there your leingha got stuck”
I held her hand firmly as she felt a jerk while moving. She careened and leaned away from me. I enwrapped my left hand along her waist to help her out. Fortunately I managed. All this happened in a flash of time and I could able to find out only at that time that I was standing closest to this beautiful lady. My face was at bare minimal distance from hers and I could able to feel the warmth of her breath. There was a hint of newly found intimacy in her gesture and it felt good to be near her. She was breathing deeply and I could able to count her every new breath. Though those eyes were not lustrous but still they kept low in a gesture of intimacy. I moved closer and caressed her along the waist, this time to move her closer. The time was still and I was losing control on my senses. God! This girl was driving me crazy. I was looking at his face and those unwrinkled lips. The moment didn’t last for long and she drew back.
I loosened the grip immediately and tried to gain control of the lost senses. I immediately engaged myself in unlacing the part of the cloth stuck in the nail.
“Fine it’s done, let’s go” I uttered.
“Yeah”, she grinned sheepishly.
