Short Story – Hey, what’s your name?
Image Credit: Prateek Karandikar (commons.wikimedia.org)
It was a bright sunny day out there (in between noon and evening) and I could feel the hot temperature in my skins. The vehicles were shooting whiz past over the main road which is very nearer to my home. A baby was crying out there some far away, but still audible, the neighbourhood grandma was watching me, and my dog was playing with my sandals. These were the ambient setup around me.
I checked my wrist watch, it was 3 pm and I felt very happy with a little smile in my face. Because it was my time. I completed my B.E degree 5 months ago, and now working in my home. My job schedules are washing clothes, gardening, cutting vegetables (Especially onions made me cry badly) and also to take care of my pet. My working time was 10am to 9pm. Other part time duties were listening music, reading books, playing games in laptop. But in the middle, around 3 to 3.30 it was her time.
Her means the girl whom I don’t know who is she? What is her name?
It was last week I saw her first time on the nearby road while watering my hibiscus plant which has grown tall enough and infested with beautiful white coloured flowers. It was my favourite plant and it would fascinate others easily. By hearing her anklet sound I turned towards her. She was a googly eyed girl in her fit blue uniform, with her hair tied neatly in fashion, chubby face and a pink handbag hanging on her shoulder. Overall, I can guess a girl in her 20’s may be studying some stupid course in any of the colleges around here. She turned towards me while crossing our long gate and heralded a scintillating smile. I was just tantalized and let down the watering pipe down by watching her going. She took a turn into the next street and now I confirmed she is somewhere from the next street.
But I was not interested to go out in search of her and even I did not went outside my home in the last 5 months more than 3 times. I stayed inside the 4 walls like a prisoner for a reason, because moving outside will lead me to meet some people who are ready with a question ‘What are you doing now after B.E?’ I hated to explain them my feelings. So from that fine day I used to stand outside near my gate around 3 – 3.30 like a peeping tom to watch her crossing me. My favourite hibiscus plant was the vantage point where I could get a top notch view of her. She never failed in time and would arrive at any time between 3 – 3.30. Every day she crossed our gate, every day she glanced at me, every day I waited for her and admired about her. As this continued an old grandma of age more than 60 noticed my actions from her home which is opposite of ours. She would scan me like Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘rear window’ protagonist with her razor eyes even at that age. So nowadays I used to accompany my pet during that time and would act like playing with him.
But every day one question would arise in my mind “What would be her name?” and I tried of asking her on many occasions but I failed. The reason is not that I am a misogynist admittedly it was my shyness and how worse it was means I ran away without answering a girl when she proposed me during my final year. I was such kind of foolish with ‘shyness at its peak’ and even unaware of flirting. But today I am ready to stake this action. I was ready to brace any kind of problems as I thought I was not a loafer standing here. When a girl is ready to smile on you every day you should not fear to ask her name.
Again, I checked my watch and now it was 3.17pm. My pet still playing with my sandals and the grandma still watching me. She did not dupe me and arrived in time. With her usual fit blue uniform, tied hairs, chubby face, and pink handbag on shoulders she marched towards me. The only difference was her sandal was in different colour from the usual one which I noticed till yesterday. She would require a walk of 8 foot steps to cross my gate. I was shuffling and brawling with myself to bring out the courage to call her. Now she has her 3rd foot step and I am still struggling there. She turned towards me on her 4th foot step and heralded the usual smile which made me to recede my plan. It was the Hobson’s choice for me at that grim situation. My head started swirling and with that smile my courage is gone. She completed her 8th step which means now she has already crossed me.
I grunted and got down on the floor in shame of my action. I flow in the range, felt very insane about me and thought myself a coward. “How could you lose her you idiot?” I mumbled to myself.
In a jiffy to my surprise once again I heard the creaking noise of her anklet. When I got up it was a total surprise for me as she was standing around the corner. She has just popped in. I fused my eyes like a thief and stood dumb. I did not foresee this dazed situation.
“Hey, what’s your name?” she asked me in a pleasant voice and a saccharine expression on her face.
I was still in shock and my mouth started stammering. To make even worse the situation, I forgot my own name when she asked me. I was searching the name in my blank mind.
“Yaa… I am… I am Arun” (God’s sake, I got my name) I stammered again.
“Ah Arun, please can I get some flowers from that plant?” she pointed my favourite white hibiscus.
I would have uprooted the whole tree for her, but I was cautious about my mother and replied “Sure, sure”.
She started plucking some flowers and uttered “Actually, every day while crossing your home, I would love to watch your lovely hibiscus plant. As you were standing here all time I thought of asking you many times but I could not. Even I don’t know your name. But today I was sure that I should ask you and I did”. Again she smiled.
It was a total shock for me again. Actually, she did not smile at me whenever she crossed my home instead her target was the white hibiscus plant. As I mentioned earlier, it would fascinate others easily. I was miss leaded by her looks. As said in some movie, the girls are like paintings hanging on the walls. From whatever the position you look at it, it looks like seeing you. Even I had the same problem.
“Thanks Arun” she moved by collecting my favourite flowers.
I looked at the flowers and thought what it was more beautiful in this flower than me to get her attention? I sat on the floor near my dog and spotted a flower near me fallen from the hibiscus plant. I took it in hand and brooded for a while.
An idea got sparked. Even now it is not over. Now she knows me, even my name she knows. So I can talk to her tomorrow with these reasons.
“I will collect some flowers, wait for her tomorrow and will ask her name for sure” I thought in mind and got a little smile on my face.
Will I see her tomorrow? If so, will I dare to ask her ‘Hey, what’s your name?’??????.
–END–
