The Sunflower Girl

Alina.
The sun flower girl...
One who always smiles...

"Three Romali Roti, 1 Chicken Muglai, 1 Pepper Chicken" we were in Tunga Paradise.I had gone with her to Archies for her to buy a gift for a friend who was going onsite. We were eating out together for the first time. The day after I met her on the bus and fished out an introduction. I had noticed her a number of times... Catching company bus in the mornings used to be a circus... And she used to be there in the bus... with that sweet sunflower smile pasted on her lips for ever, that dignified look and with that charming air around her. While gently nibbling on her Roti, she told me about her friends... about how much she cared for them... and how much she was going to miss this friend who was going onsite...

“2 sets of Appam... Chicken Stew... Fried Rice...Mutton Curry” this time The Avenue on our way home. Two days after our first meeting. “Today is my treat” she told me... she told me about her visits to that place with her boyfriend... about how they both liked the place. The ‘prim and proper lady’ started showing me how to handle a fork and knife elegantly, ie, without clanking and all, the way its supposed to be handled by a ‘Victorian Lady’.. :_). Then she went ahead and surprised me by daring me to pick up a fight with the waiters. She told me about all those cracked up crazy things she had done in public places, along with her friends.

“2 Chicken Noodles” Magic Oven at Vasant Vihar. The day when I met her on the return bus.... the day when she was upset... some news about her uncle... she said she was not planning to take her dinner and I dragged her along to the restaurant... we had our dinner together. We sat at Amrapali Arcade for may be the next 3 hours... She went on talking... about her family, her parents, her lil sis, her uncles, her cousins... she went on and on... I was a mute listener... shortest of times taken by friends to open up and be comfortable with each other.

“1 Arabian Heights, 1 Cool Blue” Café Coffee Day at VV. She offered as an explanation “You know, I have finished all the other colors...Blood Orange, Iced Eskimo and such stuff”. I smiled at her item selection logic. At CCD, it always used to be an AH or a Frappe for me. Then she talked about her past... about the silly things in her life... about her schooling... about her being the topper always... about her vacation trips to her grand parents place... her bond with her cousins... how much she missed her lil sis...I listened as usual....

“2 Chicken Noodles” Sai’s Restaurant at VV. That was the day when we had our first fight. In the return bus, she got irritated at some stupid thing I said. She didn’t get down at her stop. She just refused to talk to me or listen to me talking. She just sat there in the moving bus not knowing where it was taking her, or rather both of us. Then after three or four stops, she gave in and smiled again... that sunflower smile... we got down... I was looking for a rick when she told me “Lets walk back...”.... we walked all the way back till Sai’s...on the way she went on talking... about her fights with her friends.. about how bad she used to feel... about her roomies... about how selfish they were.... about her life... about the things she didn’t like and the ones which irritated her.

“1 Tuna 1 foot, 1 Turkey Breast 6 inches and a Classic Tune Salad” at Subway, R-Mall. We had gone for some shopping. “I wonder how you can eat a full foot length Sub and still manage to maintain your lean figure” She exclaimed. I had my lopsided laugh and blurted out “Athletic... sports man...you see”.... She finished her six inches fast and was busy enjoying the salad, when I made that stupid comment “Dont bite off more than what you can...” and her face turned all red... tears and all... she thot I was picking at her weight. I felt apologetic... took sometime and a lot of cajoling to get her back to eating more. I had to repeat many time the fact that she was not overweight, (which in fact was the truth). We went around the mall... may be four or five hours... she checked some cloths...she was not in her usual jolly mood initially... then it was all forgotten and she was smiling again... that sunflower smile...

“Happy Birthday, Dear” She was standing with a big Black Forest cake in her hand. She had called me to her cubicle. She had ordered that cake... all alone... just for me... on my birthday... with my name and all written on it... That was a speechless moment for me. I was kind of embarrassed, pleased, and happy like hell. I didn’t know how to react...I didn’t know how to thank her enough.

“2 Cornettos” from the Kwality Walls’ outlet at VV. We used to munch on cornettos for hours... sitting on the benches outside Amrapali Arcade or the park nearby. The park used to be flooded with couples, who were into a lot of intimate action. I used to enjoy the whole situation... used to give mock commentaries “yea!!! he is going to kiss her now... there he is going...yes...yess... done!” and she used to get irritated or pretended to be irritated. She used to start conversations to distract me... she told me abt how she met her boy friend. How he proposed to her... how she thot on it for weeks... and how she admitted.... may be nostalgic memories played their part on her..;_)

We used to meet.... in and around VV. We used to talk for hours. Or rather, she used to talk and I used to listen. It went on like that... and since this is not a movie script, I can’t end it saying, “Then they both lived happily ever after”. We had our fights... she used to get angry with me for irritating her, for ignoring her, for making her angry. Then there was a lean patch in our relationship. We stopped meeting each other for no apparent reason that I can remember now. Then again, like true friends we started it all over. It was not the same again... but at least it was better than having nothing at all...

“chalte chalte...
mere ye geet yaaad rakhna...
kabhee alvida na kehna”