Lyrics Two

“....un pechu un paarvai

nagarthidum pagalai iravai,

pirinthaalum inainthaalum

uyir kootin sari paathi unadhey,

un inbam un thumbam enadhey

en mudhalodu mudivaanaai...”

Loaded the luggage in the boot and I occupied the front seat. At first I dint notice the rear seats but when I turned,

“Surprise!” shouted Ria.

“But.. you.. Ahmed said..” I was surprised to see her.

“I just wanted to give you a surprise. You are the one who love’s surprises.”

Time passed swiftly. It must have been an hour by now. Ahmed was driving steadily at a good speed. She slept off after few minutes and I was just admiring her in sleep. I would just stay there looking at her for a lifetime. But as I looked at her everything in my sight started to become brighter and brighter and a sudden screech took me away from her.

I opened my eyes and sat up straight to look at a line of traffic behind our car and a truck standing right in front of our car. Both Ahmed and our driver were out of the vehicle blasting at the truck driver.

I wasn’t able to sleep again. A few minutes later we made a stop.

“Looks like you have been missing her badly.” asked Ahmed as he had the first sip of coffee.

It took me by surprise. “Oh what? Ya ya. It has been a long time since I have seen her.”

“You were blabbering something in your sleep. Thought so, it must be her. Don’t worry, just couple of hours more.”

He was always like this. It has been more than 6years, he hasn’t changed. Always with that edge of care over me.

6 yrs, 6months and 29days ago

“All the best. If you need anything call me. Your mom is too much worried about you being here for the vacation. At least go home for the weekend, alright.” Ahmed did his part in place of my mom.

“It’s as if you have become my mom man. Just start. I’ll be fine and I spoke with my dad, he’ll take care of mom.”

“See ya.” Off went Ahmed.

Karthi was waiting for me at the parking lot along with Ravi. I was surprised to see Ravi there, I didn’t know that he too has joined the vacation classes.

“Dude, we are damn late the very first day. GREAT! What an impression to make!” said Karthi in a very frustrated tone.

“Relax man. It’s just the first day. Let us see how many of them show up for the class.”

As I parked my vehicle in the parking lot and turned, Karthi was almost running. Then I noticed a Scooty PEP. I laughed at myself “As if every scooty is her’s.”

We were at the entrance of the computer lab panting. A few heads were dumped into the monitor and at the far end of the lab was our classroom, with a meager strength of around 15 including us the session started. I was just looking around the lab and the guys who were working. Then I turned to Karthi and said, “Machi, I think I have gone mad. Even the girls here look like her da.”

He was busy taking notes but Ravi heard me and looked around the perimeter.

“You are not mad dude. It is her.”

It was really her. I was flying high but also was wondering why was she down here during vacation. So, sent out some quick texts and got some information.

“So she is down her doing some project. Good” that’s nice to hear. My job is quite easy now. I don’t need to go hunting for her house.

We had lab sessions in the afternoon. I came back soon after lunch because I had to find a seat which gives me a nice view of her. Karthi was shocked to see me there so early. It was more than an hour since our session has started still no sign of her.

“Has she left for the day?” I was asking myself.

“Maybe” Karthi responded as he tried to crack down his first C program.

Ravi was in half sleep while rest of the batch was trying to do something. Since it was the first day, lab session didn’t last for more than an hour. It was just 3PM, Ravi pestered me for a movie and I had to give in. We had a show at 4PM in Satyam but I couldn’t concentrate on the movie. All that was running in my mind was “Is she working only in the morning, how to approach her, how should I start a conversation” and so on.

_

Today we were on time or rather I got ready quickly to just see her. But no one was working in the lab today. The very sight of deserted computers disappointed me.

“What could have happened to her? Will she come again? I better start to hunt for her home.”

There was no sign of her till noon. So, I left hoping not to return for the day.

_

“Dude, where are you?”

I was in deep sleep, for it took me few seconds to recognize it was Karthi.

“Where the hell will I be and what time is it?”

“Its dinner time, Ravi has left long ago and so can you come to pick me up?”

“You are at college!! You suck man. I will be there in 5”

“I will be at the parking”

I was there in about 10minutes but he was not there. There was no other go, I had to wait.

“Rahul?” the sheer sound of my name terrified me. I started to examine the surrounding thinking who would that be, it definitely wasn’t Karthi because it was a sweet female voice.

“Rahul, Is that you?”

“Divi?”

“Ya”

“What are doing here at this time? Is there a problem Divi?”

“Ya. My friend’s vehicle broke down. I saw you coming in, thought you could help us out?”

“Sure.”

We had to walk out of the campus and few meters down the road. It was completely dark and all I could make out was a dark figure struggling with her scooter.

“Ria, this is Rahul”

Did she really say Ria or I heard it so? I tried to make out her face from the lights of the ongoing traffic. It was really her.

“Hey Divi, you haven’t mentioned about her anytime?”

“Because she joined here this semester only. She has moved in from Pune and now can you help us out here?”

After few minutes of struggle and some manipulation stuff, I finally got it running.

“Thank You” that’s all she spoke. It was enough for me to keep going. I bid adieu to them and was jumping with happiness, inside me. But that’s when I realized “KARTHI!!!”

Now

“Dey. Call for you.”

“Me? Who’s it?”

“Figure it yourself.”

“Hello”

“Duuuude!! How are you man?” the style of his ‘Doode’ self explains who it is, its Karthi.

“Machan, its just been 24hrs since we had a chat man.”

“But that’s online man. It never even close to how we speak in person.”

“Dey nadu raathiri mokka podatha da. Didn’t you sleep? Its 3 in the morning man. Isn’t Priya bothered about it?”

“She is in Chennai.”

“Where are you?”

“Waiting for you” •