Metro Diaries - Something to Someone

Clear blue skies filled with fluffy clouds catch my eye as I serenade in a field of yellow poppy tickling my feet. Suddenly a romantic tune being strummed on a guitar fills the air and I start looking for its source here and there. Standing far away in one corner I see the silhouette of a boy, dressed in jeans and leather jacket with a hat with what seems like a guitar in his hand. Excited, I start running towards him, not caring about where my feet are landing or which direction is my hair flaying. Just when I am about to tap his shoulder I see myself being pulled back. I try to pull myself harder and run only to be pulled back with a thud. I wake up lying on the floor to realize I was dreaming!

This was the most recurrent dream I always had as a teenager. Strange? Well that is my other name. Trying to picture me as someone beautiful, delicate, funny, classy, and intelligent with drop dead gorgeous looks? Please don’t for I am none of the above. I am simple average looking girl with very normal looks. Beauty happens to be my Siamese twin who was lost at the time of birth, never to be found again. And about my funniness, the amount of laughs I gather on my jokes are equivalent to the greys in my hair. According to my father intelligence is something I had left far behind when I decided to pursue my studies in mass communication rather than try becoming a doctor or an engineer. In short the lesser I talk about my qualities the better.

I was a movie buff and thrived on them from a very young age. By the time I was 10 years old I was already living in a rosy dream world which was full of filmy possibilities. Beauty that inspired Gulzar kinda poetry, Sholay type undying friendship, candy floss Yash Chopra romance and a Rajshree style wedding into a Karan Johar-ised family – was a perfect recipe of life for me! Needless to say with the passage of time, I realized how wrong I was. For as I grew up I saw my looks never changed drastically. I still had the same fat nose, smiling at me weirdly just above two crooked lines I called my lips. My hair was always unruly falling all over the place, could hardly be called gracious. And the least said about my best friend the better – all I can say I might as well not have any best friend rather than have her as one!!!

Source: Google Images

Every night I tried so hard to look pretty and go to sleep only to wake up looking so horrendous I could barely stand my own reflection. How can I expect someone to fall for me by just getting a glimpse of me from the balcony! ell, a fall could be guaranteed anyways on a glimpse for the shock would have been too much to bear for that person. And **sigh**Having a set of pot bellied Uncles and cannot-shake-anything-except-my-head aunties for relatives does guarantee you enjoyment in all occasions provided you held a competition for Mr. & Mrs. Unmovable.

Now this one thing about love was something I was still very hopeful about and prayed each day to happen to me. But like it is said, it was like a butterfly. The more I chased it the more it ran away from me. Perhaps it just wanted me to sit down and wait for it! Finally one day nostalgia decided to take me back in time when once it had come knocking and I did not recognize it.

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Flashback

At an age when he should be humming Miles to go before I sleep all that his heart could think of was “Mujhe neend na aaye…”

Mayank Sharma was a cute looking curly haired boy with big wondering eyes, studying in class 6. Studious, intelligent, hard working, topper etc were all used to describe him till that fateful day when it all changed and it was never ever the same. The day when perhaps for the first time he had heard his heart beat loudly.

Just like every year the schools re-opened on 15^th June this year too and Mayank loved it for he got to be with his friends. That day he got up early unlike his usual lazy vacation days and rushed to school on time. Just when the class teacher was about to begin the first period a sweet voice interrupted her, “Excuse me, May I come in Ma’am? “ He turned to look at the source to see a very pretty girl standing there at the door. Seemed like a new comer, he thought as she entered the classroom. The teacher spent a couple of minutes talking to her in soft hushed tones and then turned around to introduce her to the class. “Class, she is Kaiya and has just joined our school. Please welcome her to our class. “The teacher told as Mayank continued to gape at the newcomer with a silly smile struck on his face.

Imagine his delight when teacher sent her to sit exactly next to him. His joy knew no bounds. The smile on his face just got wider and he moved around swiftly trying to make space for her. For the first time he found his school uniform look pretty rather than dull and boring. Kaiya, that’s what the teacher had said her name was right? Two cute pigtails tied with matching bows, beautiful smile; oh… she had a dimple too. Mayank’s imagination continued spooling till it was time for the break.

In the coming few days somehow he had managed to not only befriend her but also convinced her to let him hold her hand throughout the class. For Kaiya, when he said Pleaseeee with those cute brown eyes lighting up it was impossible to say no. Though she did not understand why he did that! Everyday religiously he kissed her hand before leaving for home and bade her bye with a heavy heart only to come running to school the next day. Till the day it all ended with a his dad’s transfer.

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As you must have guessed by now Kaiya was me. I never understood love then, but perhaps I never understood it even now. Only thing I remember was the care he had for me. I don’t remember doing anything for him but I remember all that he used to do for me. The way he would ensure no one poked fun at me, the way he looked at me with compassionate eyes, tilt his head sideways just to make me smile anytime I frowned. In short I could easily say if a tear were to roll out of my eyes he would be the first one to hold it. Today when I see couples around having instant make-ups and break-ups I wonder if love has lost its meaning. And yes sometimes I do wonder where he is… and does he remember me? For I do remember him everyday only for the reason for he defined self less love for me! He made me somebody from anybody for I knew I was something to somone.