Selenophilia

“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland.

 

The heavy rain worried Ravi.  For past 1 hour, since he arrived at the bus stop, the only thought that has been crossing his mind, “How will she come?” He had almost dialled her number to cancel the date when he felt a familiar pat, rather a slap on his back. There she was – Indu, a tomboy in a girl’s suit.

“What took you so long?” asked Ravi, more out of concern than exasperation. Before Indu could reply, an empty taxi arrived. “To Fairlie” Ravi instructed the driver as he rushed Indu into the taxi.

“Won’t bus be cheaper?” she asked.

Once seated inside, Ravi replied “See, the taxi will help me save time, time that can be spent on priceless moments. In simple words, time equals money.”  His geekiness often got to her.

“Okay, okay. As you wish sir!” she said “Now keep quiet for a moment and let me enjoy the romantic weather!” She rolled down the taxi window to feel the cool breeze on her face.

The rain had subsided by then. Ravi took a moment to look at Indu. She was wearing an ethnic dress – a light blue colored kurti and deep pink leggings. She let her long black hair fall freely on her back. And her beautiful brown eyes were perfectly complemented by kajal, or eyeliner perhaps. He was a bit surprised to notice the paint on her fingernails – she hardly ever used a polish.

“I love this damp smell you know” Ravi declared, taking in a drag of the ambrosial odour, given off by the green grounds of Maidan moist with rain water, as the taxi cruised over Red Road, past the Victoria Memorial.

“Damp?! Pagle gechis? (Have you gone mad?).” Indu had amost screamed. “It’s not damp ok. It’s a beautiful smell and it’s called Petrikor?”

“Petri…what?”

“P-E-T-R-I-K-O-R.  Spelled P E T R I C H O R.”

“So it should be pronounced Petrichor,” Ravi teased, “C H O, as in Chocolate.”

“Ohho! Not PETRICHOR!!!”

The wishful beggar who had appeared at her side of the taxi window scrambled with fear. After all he didn’t want to be branded a “Chor” (thief).

The taxi came to a halt at Fairlie. Ravi led Indu along a footpath and crossed a pair of railway tracks. He was amused by the look of bewilderment at her face. She had never been to this part of Kolkata. He stole a quick glance at his watch as he made way for a small booth at the end of the lane. The clock displayed:

20/06/2015 7:02 PM.

“Plenty of time for a ride”, thought Ravi.

Indu was wondering what Ravi was up to. Normally she wouldn’t let some guy take her to an unknown place. She looked around the dark lane, illuminated only by the light from a small booth ahead. Why did she trust him? She had no idea, or rather she did not want to contemplate and ruin the evening. She was enjoying his company. Clad in black shirt with the full sleeves rolled the usual way and deep blue jeans, he looked handsome. Did he purposefully wear the shirt since she had complimented him last Friday? She made a mental note to ask him.

“I bought two tickets. Follow me ma’am.”

As they walked past the booth, Indu was thrilled by what she saw. She had not expected to find the Ganges River flowing just beyond the booth. She could not wait to board the ferry waiting at the end of the lane and sail on seemingly serene water of the Ganges and as soon as they did, she rushed to stand by the starboard side of the vessel. She looked at the dark water and wished that she could not see the land at the other side – she wanted to pretend she was at the sea, all alone, may be with just one other person.

Seeing Indu’s reaction, Ravi recalled his emotions when he first rode the ferry as a child – it was scary and exciting. However, harsh circumstances had taken away most of his childhood, forcing him to be a man at a boy’s age. But he wished he could relive those lost years. May be that is why he had planned this evening.

“It’s not fair!” Indu called out to Ravi. As Ravi walked towards her, she pointed at the sky. It was dark and one could make out the faded crescent structure behind the ominous clouds.

“Ah! You miss the Moon” said Ravi, “you truly are a Selenophile!”

“Hmm!”

Moon or no moon, Ganges at evening below the Howrah bridge has a special romantic feeling about it, the kind of romance that poets made their muse, the kind that compelled Ravi and Indu, one named after the Sun and the other meaning the Moon, standing beside each other, to share a moment of silence, staring ahead into the peaceful Ganges, with their arms rested over the side rails of the ferry. No one could tell what was going on in their minds – perhaps they were thinking about each other, perhaps not.

“So where are we headed to next?” asked Indu.

“I thought you always wanted to visit the Vidyasagar Setu.” replied Ravi, “Look!”

As the ferry sailed with the Ganges, the majestic suspension bridge came into view. They continued to sail till the ferry anchored at a dock almost below the structure.

“And this is Prinsep Ghat” announced Ravi.

Upon disembarking the vessel, Ravi guided Indu down a beautifully paved stairway which ended at the river. They stopped at the last step and looked at one of the marvels of Kolkata from below. The bridge appeared beautifully dressed in a blend of blue and pink lights. Ravi looked at Indu, who herself was clad in ethnic blue and pink. She seemed to be captivated by something else. Ravi followed her tranquil gaze to the sky, which was surprisingly clear, nothing but the crescent shaped moon and a bright star beside it.

Ravi recalled the first time they saw the star together. She had corrected him in her broken Bengali “Jaa Taa! Ota Venus hochhe! (That’s Venus!) A planet! Not a star!”

Ravi broke the silence, “It’s getting late. We should take a taxi now.”

They walked back up the stairs and past a white pillared building on grass covered ground. Soon, they were racing over the AJC Bose Road in a taxi and finally reached Indu’s apartment.

“Thank you,” Indu told Ravi who walked her to the entrance, “Had an amazing day today!”

“So did I” said Ravi with his typical half smile. “Anyways, I need to leave, now. It’s getting late.”

Ravi waved his hand to bid her farewell. Indu waved back and entered her home. Ravi walked back to the parked taxi and once the taxi started, Ravi began recalling the moments he spent that day and before he knew, he dozed off to sleep.

 

The human sub-consciousness is adept at creating illusions, and an exhausted mind can easily fall prey to its tricks. With his back rested on the rear seat of the taxi and his eyes closed, Ravi seemed to have drifted off to a different world. He heard a buzzing sound somewhere beside his ear and soon he felt he was being drenched in cold rain. Afterwards, he found himself rushing into a crowded bus and then walking down a long, glass walled corridor. He entered the first door on his right side and as he walked further, he noticed a girl, sitting in front of a computer, looking busy. She seemed familiar. He wanted, rather he wished he could talk to her but hesitated when her phone began to ring. Moments later he was in a room filled with people, the girl was amongst them. Someone cracked a joke, others laughed. He tasted something sweet entering his mouth. Then he noticed the slice of cake in his hand. Eventually, he was walking down the same corridor, as if his world was moving backwards and finally he was lying on a bed. There came a honking sound from the distance while checked his smartphone.

CLOCK: 20/06/2015 11:20 PM 

The screen had the WhatsApp profile page of the same girl on. Her last seen status was displayed:

(last seen today 20/06/2015 at 1:45 AM).

The honking sound became louder and someone was calling out to him.

Ravi opened his eyes and found that the taxi driver had been honking at him. Paying all the charges he entered his home. Quickly changing, and lying on his bed, he checked his smartphone.

CLOCK: 20/06/2015 11.30 PM 

He opened his WhatsApp account.

Indu (last seen today 20/06/2015 at 1:45 AM)

 

[20/06/2015 11:30 PM] Ravi:

Hey! :)

 

[20/06/2015 11:31 PM] Indu (online):

Hi!! :)  :)

 

[20/06/2015 11:31 PM] Ravi:

So was the evening okay?

 

[20/06/2015 11:40 PM] Indu (online):

Okay? It was superb! Enchanting! Thank you again! :D

 

[20/06/2015 11:41 PM] Ravi:

Haha! :D :D

 

[20/06/2015 11:50 PM] Ravi:

By the way, I had the weirdest dream in the taxi. I saw I was working with you for some company. It seemed we were just colleagues and not good friends. Then there was a party and I think I remember a cake. But what felt scary was that it felt as if I didn’t know you and you didn’t know me. Plus you had a boyfriend! LOL!

 

[21/06/2015 12:00 AM] Ravi:

It was the worst nightmare I ever had, us not hanging out like the way we do. Weird…

 

CLOCK: 21/06/2015 12:00 AM

Indu (last seen yesterday 20/06/2015 at 11:45 PM)

 

Ravi kept staring at the screen, hoping she would come online. But his exhaustion got the better of him so he shut his eyes.

Ravi woke up to a buzzing sound beside his ear. He switched off the alarm and went to the washroom. After he was done with his routine cold shower, he started to dress for his office when he noticed a notification on his phone. It was one unread WhatsApp message:

CLOCK: 21/06/2015 7:15 AM

[20/06/2015 1:45 AM] Indu (last seen yesterday 20/06/2015 at 1:45 AM):

Good Night Sir … See you in office … And Happy Birthday Again :)

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