Post # 4. Dilemma, Drama and……. Dumbstruck ! #atozchallenge

The pep-talk session organized for the kids was a success. Fr Varghese had a way with his words, and he oozed positivity when he spoke. One couldn’t help liking him. He engaged the kids in a clever way, making them learn new things through games and plays. At the end of it, they wanted more events of the kind.

Dr Mathews appreciated Shreyasi for having played a good role in making the event successful.

Shreyasi was happy that she had found a friend and a confidant in Fr. Varghese, who smiled every time he saw her. She spoke to him over the phone when she found time.

Days were withering away, and monotony had begun to set in. There were days when Shreyasi was crazy enough to feel that that she would like to stop time. As the clocks ticked, she was getting more and more restless.

She knew he was here ; she wanted to meet him. True, she’d come quite close once, but she hadn’t been prepared then. Now that the fact had sunk in,  she wanted to come face to face with him. Then again, she wasn’t sure how she’d face it if it happened.

Not that she didn’t know how to reach him. She knew that the key to meeting him was with Fr Varghese. But she wanted to do it alone. 

She was wary of going out alone. Or even with Roshni. Always jittery, she was constantly worried that he would see her on the road, or in a mall, or while she ate at Mumbai Masti with Roshni, or worse, when she went to the Church to meet Fr Varghese.

Somehow, she was at peace when she worked, because most of the time she was inside her room in the Healthcare centre, and attended to only two patients at a time. No one was allowed to come in other than the patients.

Once or twice she fancied she’d seen him again, and was grateful that she’d made a mistake.

Two weeks sped by, and on a Friday, Roshni asked her to accompany her to Dubai Mall.

“ Our store is reopening post renovation. Come na, we’ll go. I’ll get a good staff discount also. Let us buy something,” she said. She worked for Al Arij,  an Arab Company, a  retail chain that dealt in Perfumes, Cosmetics, Accessories and other luxury goods of international brands.

“ No re. I’ll stay home. Read something,cook dinner,” Shreyasi said.

“Come on, Shreya. It’s a rare chance. Guess who’s coming for the event there ?  Gwyneth Paltrow. Hollyyyyywoood,” Roshni emphasized on the last word.

“ No dear. You go. Enjoy. I’m better at home,” Shreyasi replied, taking her book and sitting on the sofa.

“ You are coming. Theek hai na ? Come. Get ready. I won’t go alone,” Roshni made a face and sat opposite to her, waiting for her to act.

Shreyasi waited for a minute, and gave up. She couldn’t say ‘No’ to Roshni, and in five minutes, they were out of the home, heading to Dubai Mall.

There was quite a crowd at the showroom,  and the actress left after the Opening event. Roshni was busy checking out some new Dolce and Gabbana Perfumes,  and Shreyasi wandered to Dorothy Perkins, the fashion store for women. She just wanted something to keep her amused till Roshni finished her purchases and Selfie sessions with her colleagues.

And then she saw him.

Dressed in a plain white shirt over deep blue jeans, head tilted to the right side, hands in his pockets, he was walking confidently.

Towards her.

She froze on her feet, not knowing which way to turn. He had seen her, and she knew there was no escape.

He came near her,  paused for a second, checking her out from top to bottom.

She felt herself flinch under his gaze. Or, was she blushing ?  She couldn’t say.

She was dumbstruck. Shocked to her bones.

After what seemed an eternity, he spoke.

“You’re pretty much the same. Time hasn’t brought any change in you. Just the same pretty girl with big blue eyes.  And delicious lips.”

That was it. A short, crisp statement, and he was gone.  

She regained her composure to see him walk into the men’s restroom at the far end of the corridor.

Dazed, she traced her way back to the Al Arij showroom where Roshni was finishing her purchases.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of the unexpected meeting.

Don’t kill me with your gaze,

For me it’s still a craze….

Days have gone by at a rapid pace

And I’ve not yet come out of the maze

Destiny brings me to you,

To paint our lives  in a different hue

Do you know what it’s going to be ?

At the end, it’s just you and me !

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This post has been written for the A to Z Challenge 2015.