....but She left before she conquered...! Or fate or destiny, whatever that means, separated us...separated us for the good, I would love to believe... This time the blogger is telling about a month in my life and I am Vinay...the blogger's new classmate...friends call me Vinu, enemies call me everything else other than Vinu!
Now you might be wondering , what will happen in a month and why is this month so important...trust me, so much can happen in 1 week...a month’s story might be too big for a post in his blog!
Let me take over from Vinay at this point for a moment
(Don’t wonder, I am the so called blogger or Writer, if you are too nice a reader!) for the usual ablutions that I do before every post. What to do, iyers and rituals are like Kamal Haasan movies and kisses, both are complementary! What for I am giving a preface here? last time my readers could be counted in a single hand and this time, a single finger ? (avoid the central finger please!)
Recession is having its impact, even in the World Wide Web! Thank god they dont charge anything for the blog space...if that was the case then beforeandafterfullstop would have met the fate of Lehman Brothers...(now, before and after...what ? FYI, thats the URL of my blog.)
I will spare the readers of a disclaimer, even though I would like to add, this is a work of real-life-inspired fiction....if you find resemblances to vocabulary or phrases
in Chetan Baghat books then it might be because he gets into my nerves at times (I mean, in the literary aspect).
in Chetan Baghat books then it might be because he gets into my nerves at times (I mean, in the literary aspect).
I dedicate this post to my friend who I met 2 months back and changed my life forever…
Vinay Takes over
It’s the day the class began and as I had nothing else to do I have come an hour early! Yes, punctuality is the virtue of the jobless! Hardly 8 in the class, 5 girls and 3 boys (glad to note that... there are few others who are also jobless)...this happens to be the coaching class for bank tests and not the IIM Calicut
The girls, they all were clustered around 2 benches...”why do you have to crowd yourself like this, come and sit with us no?” Yes, trust me, this was what the 3 boys were thinking.
There was this girl with fairly long hair and half a litre coconut oil applied to it and a few tulsi leaves squeezed in between her hair, typical of this part of the world...she looks good.
blogger's intervention again...pardon me for the details about geographical features and cultural significances of the place where the story is unfolding, those are necessary, you know why? ...because I have world wide audience! sorry, world wide readers.
Back to Vinay again
The retina is scanning the next prospect, not so interesting, the next one, even worse...the next one, retina got numbed as if lightening had struck eyes directly...appears to a bit dramatic, I mean the language!
Yes, I was witnessing beauty in its best form...She had waist long hair, skin as fair as that of the model in the soap adds. A congruent face with naughty eyes, shiny white teeth (no, she didn’t smile. I saw it when she opened her mouth to drink water!) perfect features altogether, and her face was so beautiful that my brain lost control of my eyes , they got transfixed...but she is hardly looking at me...I am not that bad a guy in terms of looks and will easily outshine the other two males in the room...but, she is staring at the ceiling, the walls, the black board, the calendar but not at me...oh, seems to be a bit jaada type ? the raised eyebrow of my right eye asked me. (Kindly excuse the slang, there is no perfect word in English to express jaada, because jaada itself is an expression!)
Okay eye candy, will catch you later for sure...
Madam came and gave 1 hour of that welcome-speech-in-IIT kind of lecture describing the nature of the exam, syllabus, institution, course material, discipline that the students had to observe while they are here to study and about the importance of workout session in the after ... by that time the class had grown in strength, all new faces and few interesting faces as well! but none as interesting as the eyeball-transfixer ! Okay this is going to be an interesting ride of 3 months Vinu... (Yes I call my self Vinu, as well).
On the first day there was only this lecture, by the time it ended the class had grown to 20, with few more boys and many more girls…each one had to introduce in front of the class at the end of session….
First one was this girl with specs which would have had a power of +8 (trade mark of a nerd, yeah! it’s the same across the world)!
I am Sapna, Blah Blah Blah
I am Ashwathi, blah blah (it was our half-litre-oil girl)
Few others also gave their intro….
And here comes the show stopper , I was all ears….I am Amruth, Amruth Warrier(I am what ? come again please) done my b.tech in Computer science and I am in search of a bank job, that’s why I am here , the best coaching center in the city which assures a bank job (that’s why everyone is here, atleast for now ! I saw madam’s eyes grow bigger out of the impression which she had created by mentioning the quality of the institute, she is clever!)
I noticed it when she smiled, she has got dimples! My word, this girl is gona spoil my sleep….
After a few….Shyam, Sajith, Nikhil….came my turn… I have done this kind of intro countless number of times and I am quite fluent in English, so this is no big deal… but I was looking at her dimples…and that was a big deal!
I am B.tech, coming from vadakara…. but why was the class in splits? All want to show me their dimples or what? Oh shit!
I am sorry , I was thinking of something else, I am Vinay , done my b.tech in IT and I hail from Vadakara, it’s a pleasure to be here and meet you all (literally!)
And one more conclusion that followed was- Kerala has more number of B.tech graduates than the number of coconuts, yes, its official now!
The classes were thrice a week from 10 in the morning to 1.30 in the and then work out sessions from 2 to 5, which, practically everyone bunked. One week later, the class now has 42 future bank employees. The classes are going smooth, but my mind is not, its going like those KSRTC buses in our roads, turbulent! And the reason is Ms. Dimples.
Now we know something about each other, friends call her Ammu and her name is a result of some inspiration from the North…. And she is the main reason why I sit for workout in the afternoons…of course, we boys Shyam, Sajith ,Nikhil and me solve problems in maths. As you guessed, I was the best in maths so, I had a reason to stay there- to help them and help my self with some visual ecstasy!
Soon I had her mobile number…and we began messaging, I have done it before with few other girls…but, it seems, this kind of large scale messaging was something new to her… She happens to be quite friendly…not the jaada type which I thought initially…
They soon became friends, quite intimate friends… The key pads of the prehistoric 2100 of Vinay and the 3825 of Amruth were working over time and getting exhausted…messages were quite intense….she was quite surprised and happy about the fact that this guy has become such a nice friend over a weeks time!
They had their first date at the Baskin Robins in the mall…the ice creams melted slowly….her eyes, her lips, her dimples, her long hair, her killer smile….all these kept consuming Vinay as he himself was consuming the Cornetto…she was talking non stop….and then suddenly they saw their classmate checking out some books in the adjoining book stall…
Oh God! What will he think, we are out on date ? and if this reaches the class then I won’t speak to you anymore ! She warned me
Excuse me…aren’t we out on date? and why do we have to brief him about all this…relax Ammu he won’t see us I replied.
Shut up Vinu, I came to have some icecream in the AC because of the heat outside and not on a date with you. Call him anyways and offer him a chair so that he doesn’t get anything wrong about us…. She was quick to point.
Madam, I only have 2 Gandhis (official name of 100 rupee notes in this part of the world) smiling in my pocket and they don’t accept cards here , in anycase I haven’t taken any cards with me now, if mr.booksearcher accepts the chair and finishes few strawberries then I will be serving in the next table once you leave. I had to tell her the truth about my financial capabilities for the evening, financial incapabilities, infact.
I don’t mind it Vinu, in that case I will leave with him for a movie and will return by the time you have served enough to settle the bill… She shrugged her shoulders.
Mr.booksearcher indeed spotted us and I offered him the chair with all the courtesy in this world that he would have suspected that the chair had a broken leg and I wanted him to fall down on sitting in it…he was wise enough to decline the offer and leave…
You are not going with him to the movie ? I asked ms.naughty eyes
I would have, but I want one more icecream. Came the reply. The dimples, deeper this time with that mischievous smile of hers…(No wonder I have started to love you Ammu, I thought)
lot of those love story movies have started to make sense all of a sudden !
Days passed, coaching class is half way through, and as I had guessed, maths brought me many admirers…I was quite famous in the class and among the teachers as well. Mr.booksearcher had a shattered sort of look ever since that day, did I break a heart there? Ammu had got into my nerves long back, now I missed her like anything on the days we didn’t had class, I fealt possessive when other boys went and sat with her and talked and laughed, yes I admit, she was the eye candy irrespective of which ever eye was looking at her but love and possessiveness are first cousins.
First love is so pure, it will change you, you always strive to be a better person than what you are, someone who is more deserving to your partner....you tend to cross the Rubicon when you fall in love, not once but many times !
Messages continued to flow, after 10 years I was writing poems!
I want to feel your breath as long as I breathe
I want to own your dimples as long as I live,
I want to put my hands around you
and watch the sun drowns itself in the blue,
When the locks of your hair brushing my face
While the evening breeze kissing our gaze,
And tell the enchanting sea,
that she is the one who completes me!
that she is the one who completes me!
And the replies that followed were not exactly poems.
SMS lingo had its own charm though!
Idiot…r u nutts ? u crzy frog :-( wer did u steal these 4m ? stop it Vinu, I am feelng awkwrd to read dose.u r crazy :P.
So, wn did I promis u dat I ‘ll make u feel gud alwys? Atleast show sme rspct to d literature, its original. I said
Shut up stupid…. :D
Texting continued even between Mock tests held in class
Hey, my idiot, choo cheriuosss? :P
The vibrator made me lift my head which was immersed in the Quants paper
Ammu! Mock test is gng on! wl u pls xcus me for 2 hours I couldn’t but reply
I c fumes 4m ur
Cme nd pour sme watr in my head dn, u wnt alow me to top d clas, wil u? I asked
If u becme toper dn more gals r gona line up to get sums dne, I dnt wnt dat :( She had a genuine excuse there
Getng posesiv ms.chubby cheeks? I couldn’t resist asking
Y? only u guys cn b posesiv o wat, get on wth d papr nw, u sweet idiot :P Was her reply
Bottom line is - Girls use words like stupid, idiot, shut up, nutts when they appreciate something and want to hide it from others!
Airtel and Idea-our respective service providers were also having the time of their lives ! We alone would recharge for 3 figures every week plus the free messages meant our handsets also never experienced rest!
I was having the time of my life, not quite sure about her though, I thought its time I found it out…
That evening there was none in the class other than me and Ammu. I was sitting next to her and working on some data sufficiency problem. I never believed in prefaces like our blogger.…
Ammu, I think we are close enough to talk about this, the fact is I am in love with you, I want to know whats in your mind before I say anything else…think about it…will text you She was a bit shocked, may be she expected a preface! And I left her for the day.
At night I kept on texting and no reply came, this was imminent !
Hey, my cutie pie, busy, eh?
Oh c’’mon Ammu , say smthng, ur idiot is waiting :( If I hav hurt u, I am sory , I dint mean it but I hd 2 tel u 1 day. Mis u tons.
And finally came the reply
Stop it Vinu, don’t dramatize it too much.
Oh c’’mon Ammu , say smthng, ur idiot is waiting :( If I hav hurt u, I am sory , I dint mean it but I hd 2 tel u 1 day. Mis u tons.
And finally came the reply
Stop it Vinu, don’t dramatize it too much.
Abt wat u z earlier, l’ me ask Vinu,
if at all I say yes to ur Q, wat r u gona do 2 convinc ur parnts,
u z dey r ortodox ppl & wnt accpt a gal of ur choic.
And my parnts too, dey wnt accpt sm1 outside d caste and dey r lukng to get me marrid away soon. So, lets be frnz.
u z dey r ortodox ppl & wnt accpt a gal of ur choic.
And my parnts too, dey wnt accpt sm1 outside d caste and dey r lukng to get me marrid away soon. So, lets be frnz.
Now I had to reply to her Question and I avoided the text lingo to make it more serious looking!
In that case, I will work like anything and get the IAS(yes, I had plans to write the civil service!) and then prostrate before my parents and tell them, please fulfill this one wish of mine, I cant live without this girl….now, they cant turn down the request of an assistant collector! But this will take atleast 2 years. What say?
I wll b hvng a kid by dat tym :D I 4got 2 tel u, a guy is cmng 2 c me ths Saturdy. She replied
Ammu ths isn’t funny :X I was loosing my temper
Vinu, I am nt jokng, he hapns 2 b dad's colegues son, v r of d same caste nd v hav seen each othr b4. he luks gud.:)
Oh, yes. thn go n marry him and name ur
I dnt thnk u deserv such an honour, I wil mak u my gmail pwd :D ur
Ammu, am feelng sleepy. Lets hit the sack, wil talk abt it tmw.gn.
So Vinu, wn u leaving 4 kanur 4 d intvw?
She ended it with a sweetdreams sweetheart.
Next day noon Amruth took Vinay to a surprise treat at Al Bake , they had faluda and in between he pinched on her cheeks….now, don’t expect more , this is Calicut and here the girls behave like touch-me-nots.
I need to mention here that Vinay belongs to a backward caste and Amruth happens to be from the Warrier community, which is quite high! So this itself is a scary enough reason for the families to reject each other and Vinay doesn’t believe in eloping or disowning his parents, as he is the only son and he had to take care of them when its time. Amruth doesn’t want her to be the reason for a problem in Vinay’s family and Amruth cant counter her parents either as the warriers of last generation are still adamant about preserving the race, to top it all, Vinay is yet to find a handsome enough job and Amruth's parents want to pack her off soon as she has a younger sister waiting in the wings. Might sound funny but these are all strong enough reasons, in this part of the world, to prevent love from blossoming and attaining the climax called marriage.
Inside Al Bake.
Ammu : Vinu, its true that I like you as a friend , I love reading your messages, you make me happy, you are a nice guy to be with, I know that you love me but the situation is that we shouldn’t allow this to grow, we cant fight against the odds, its too heavy and we have too little time. You will soon find a better girl than me, don’t worry.
Vinu: Oh stop it Ammu. I am not in a cute-girl-hunt, I don’t want another cute girl, I want the one with these dimples.
Ammu: I should leave now Vinu, need to catch the 2.10 bus. Day after they are coming to see me. Will let you know about the updates. You will be just fine Vinu, this is just a passage in life, don’t get too emotional about it.
And that was what I was precisely experiencing…emotions which came out as a lump in the throat, oh God, I am gona miss these dimples, these naughty eyes, the long hair, the lovely smile and this beautiful mind so soon….do something Vinu. I fealt the numbness which I had on seeing her the first time, but this time my whole body was numb. I left for home in the evening train.
Perhaps this is the end of it, if I talk to my parents about it now, they might even pack me to Bangalore or Chennai for the same old call center job, as of now I didn’t had any job, so I was kind of defenseless and how am I gona battle with her parents who thinks caste was there even before god was born! And what excuse is she gona tell her parents if at all she had to put off the approaching engagement? Yes, what she said is right, the odds are too heavy and we had too little time…
let things happen, I will remain numb….
You shameless looser, you coward, you are too frightened even to try, now you have hurt your love also My conscience couldn’t forgive me….
Next day she messaged….
Vinu, don’t loose composure. They came and saw me, its fixed, Engagement on coming Saturday, they wanted it to be soon :(
Hearty Congrats Ammu, may you live happily with him forever with enough progeny out of which 1 be a daughter as lovely as her mother. God alone knows how I managed to type it.
No need to b dis 4mal u idiot :D
Vinu pls dnt feel bad, I knw u r in pain but v cnt help it,
in the next life I am urs :) Her reply only increased my pain.
Vinu pls dnt feel bad, I knw u r in pain but v cnt help it,
in the next life I am urs :) Her reply only increased my pain.
Its okay dear, I think I will survive this. So, he luks Gud ? u lykd hm? I had no idea how I would survive this.
Yeah, he luks gud, not as gud as u though, but I will adjust :P Came her reply.
I tried to get myself distracted, what if I goto kannur and take up the job now itself , why should I wait for the exam to be over, the exam will be, in anycase, on Sunday…perhaps I should leave…again,all of sudden, lot of those movies are making sense together .But different kind of sense this time !
Messages had not dried up…but the romance part was missing, I was trying my best not to be emotional in my messages…but
Hey honey, cn I cal u honey nymre, or sm1 els has acquird d rights?
Vinu,dnt b so dramtic, u hv d rights, but sm1 els also hav a part of it
I dnt wnt partial rights, let hm take it in ful I meant it actually.
Vinu, u wil remain my frnd 4evr, I wnt 4gt u in my lyf, u r 1 of dose decent guys I hav evr cme across.u r a nice guy 2 b wth. luv u.
I read her reply without too many emotions troubling me. Perhaps the numbness has become static these days!
Thnx Amruth, thnx 4 d complmnts…That’s height of formality!
I got the job meanwhile. Her engagement was over. She had his ring on her ring finger when we met for her treat the next weekend. Oh yes, this is why people have that finger itself…Wedding was supposed to be in a months time. I am still in tumult. All I can do is wish her
Deerga sumangali bhava:
Her Marriage was nearing by and I was loosing all the strength that I thought I had
acquired….Oh God, do something please….will You?
acquired….Oh God, do something please….will You?
She came, She saw but She left before she conquered...!
But the story doesn’t end there. God, infact heard Vinay!
Me, the blogger will finish it…
As part of a pre marriage enquiry (to put it lightly) done by the groom’s parents it came to be known that Amruth was indeed adopted by her parents when she was 3 months old from somewhere in North India and her caste isn’t what it actually is….cant be sure about her religion, forget caste ! The only thing her donor requested was to keep her name as Amruth, to which the prospective parents agreed.
This was something unacceptable to those old Warrier minds on the groom’s side and they dropped the proposal, their son would have dropped dead on hearing this, but who cares!
Amruth was in a state of disbelief for few days but gradually accepted it…
Amruth was in a state of disbelief for few days but gradually accepted it…
The 2100 shivers again, it’s the vibrator.
Ammu wants Vinu now…. read the message
Will you give me your Dimples? …read Vinu’s reply….
Have it, they are yours...read Ammu’s reply
Vinu couldn’t reply as he had to battle tears!
...and She indeed conquered!
I am exhausted, readers, this took some effort...now flood me with comments :)
