It was a beautiful day of Mid -July . The romantic monsoon had just descended; rejuvenating the thirsty land of New Delhi with the elixir of its first shower.
I am a poetic person . I love monsoon. The light drizzling was ressurecting the dormant poet within me.
I was sitting in my garden under a small shade with a cup of the reputed Darjeeling tea in my hands . I could see all the office goers ,running at high pace with umbrellas on top of their heads. Their faces were enough to say that they were strictly not in the mood to enjoy the romantic monsoon ...rather in that moment probably monsoon was the most annoying of the nature's creations for them .
I just realised that it was a matter of perspective. The same monsoon , for some like me was poetical and mesmerising and for some it was prosaic and annoying.
The rain is the nature's way of going careless and free. It is the nature breaking all bondages and boundaries and just letting everything go.
A sip into my Darjeeling tea rejuvenated me deep within my soul.
Honking of a car-horn broke the chain of my thoughts and pulled me out into reality . I looked around to find the source of the sound.
A small four seater had been parked in front of the entrance of the house just adjacent to mine. The door opened and I saw a shoe rested on the concrete street. A man came out without any umbrella. He looked up at the sky ...the rain drops fell on his face. He had spectacles. He quickly removed them and shoved them into his pockets.
That was the moment when I saw him for the very first time.
I felt an unknown click inside me as I saw that beautiful face of him . With spects gone , his big eyes were naked . They were no more in the hidding of those spectacles .
In that moment , the poet inside me came back again. His eyes were like fishes.
In Sanskrit , there is a term for such kind of beauty--- Meenakshi ( 'Meen' means 'fish' and 'Akshi' means 'eyes ' and so Meenakshi is a person who has eyes as beautiful as the shape of fish. )
I did not know his name . I did not know where he worked . What I saw was only him . Just him. And his beautiful eyes.
He went to the back of the car to pull out his bags from the dickey.
I just looked at his body . Though the rain ruined the day for many but for me , it probably made my ...life. The rain drops on his white baggy Tshirt made it to take the shape of his beautiful body .
His slim yet sturdy hands which were left bare were complementing his shirt's transparent beauty. The wet baggy Tshirt was not talented enough to hide the beauty of his body from me. My eyes were talented more to see his beauty through it.
I tried to look into his eyes, to take a glimpse of the soul that was hidden behind those eyes, but I could not. I was quite far away . I thought of watering the flowers of the garden to get a close look at him ....not realising how stupid it would look to water flowers in rain. He was busy unpacking his belongings to get inside the empty house beside my house which probably he had rented or may have bought.
He did not see me . He was too busy to look around .
I sighed in my mind.
May be I was watching a bright star from a distance which I would never be able to touch.
Or may be he was the one whom I was waiting for all these years. The click which I felt just now...was that of no meaning....it should be.....
It is believed that if one wanted something with all their mind ....the whole universe positively conspires to bring that to them .
May be he was that one . The one who was conspired by the universe to come to me.
He pulled out all his belongings and were heading inside. The luggages looked very heavy . I thought of offering some help. Just trying to grab the opportunity to see him a little closer.
I moved out of my house and stood near his car.
"Hi ....you must be the new resident of this house. Well , I am your neighbour. I stay there ( I pointed towards my house) . If you needed, I can offer some help. " said I .
He looked at me ....
Oh God...those eyes.....the personification of Meenakshi ....I fell for those eyes already...poor me!!!
"Yah...I was actually looking for someone who could help....it's so kind of you to offer..." said He.
Oh ...God ...that voice ...that beautiful voice. It felt that voice was familiar to me for a long ...long time. That voice pulled my soul towards him .
I blinked my eyes...then compelled myself to form words .
"Can I pull up these bags for you???" asked I.
"Looking at your build ...I think you should pull up the lighter ones...I don't want my neighbour to have a sprain in the wrists because of carrying my bags on the very first day of our meet...." said He grinning jovially.
I chuckled a little at his words. He seemed a fun loving person . I pulled up the bags which I thought could be light .
He opened the door of the house with his keys and we entered inside the house. The house was recently cleaned, perhaps the last owner had done that for this new one.
The house was spacious and the plan was just like mine .
I pulled the lighter luggages and kept them at one corner of the drawing room . It was a furnished house with old furnitures decorating its various spaces. Though the house was clean yet the air of the house reeked of memories. Memories of the past which the house has experienced since the time it was built.....may be.
I looked around and then thought of pulling the heaviest looking bag which He casually left at the doorstep.
I gave it a yank holding the straps but it was too big for me. It did not even move with my pull.
"Hahahaha....." came the sound from my back. I saw that He was laughing hard holding his stomach .
He came near to me and said " I told you to pick up only those bags that could be pulled by you ....here ...give it to me.."
He placed his hands on mine and gently shoved my hands away from the bag .
Oh...that touch ....that touch was so familiar ....as if I have known that touch for ages...but I was seeing him probably for the first time.
I took away my hands .
He took the bag on his shoulders and took it inside to keep it in the bedroom.
I just looked at his back with dreamy eyes and sighed .
May be this gem was not to adorn me...or may be He was .
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