Posted on: Oct 31, '08
THE 5'OCLOCK MORNING SMILE !!
Those were the days for Ashish when you no more know what is happening around you ! Everything seems to be gliding , floating , and you are on top of everything ! Gliding and floating ! So was Ashish ! The whole world was a beautiful dream , soft 'n sweet !
Yes he was madly in love . The cupid had struck at the right spot ! She was non other than his three month old fiancee ! Ha! Ha! Ha ! not that she was three month's old but since their engagement three dreamy and lovelorn months had elapsed !
Those were the good old days of exchange of letters , and occasional trunk calls ! No mobile or internet !
Trunk calls were very cumbersome affair . It was very difficult to get the line and if by sheer magic or good luck you get the line , talking was another miserable proposition ! What love and affection can you show if you have to shout on the line , the whole world around you listening attentively ??? So Ashish and Shalini had no choice but to write write & write ! Write they did . Everyday letters were exchanged !
If on a day when they did not have anything to write , the letter would read "Nothing to say love ..." and the rest of the page would be blank ! But they had to write !
In short their days were filled with the sweet memories of each other and the expectations of a bright and blissful life together !
Ashish was going to have three to four days continous holidays! It was but natural that he would have liked to spend these days with Shalini ! But this time he thought to spring a surprise on her . He planned to go there un-announced ! He just wanted to see the expression on Shalini's face when she would see him standing outside the door , when she never expected to see him ! The mere thought sent shivers in him , he felt so amused !
But did he ever know that before he could spring a surprise on her , he would also be subjected to quite a few surprises himself ??
Next day Ashish reached the station bubbling with the mischievous anticipation of surprised look on Shalini' s face !
Suddenly there was some announcement in the public address system . Ashish was all ears ! The first surprise !
All the trains going in that direction were cancelled. There was a major derailment somewhere in between !
It was the first jolt to his mission surprise Shalini ! What to do ? The next alternative was the bus !
He immediately left the station for the bus-stand , which was nearby ! Since there was no train that day , there was huge rush for the one and only one bus going there ! Ashish also stood in the long queue ! It moved at a snails speed ! Once he thought to drop the idea altogether , but then what about the surprised look on Shalini's face ? No I will go come whatever may !
He was standing in the scorching sun ! Only then he could realise of what hard stuff Majnu or Ranjha were made of ! They could undergo so much misery and pain without any hope of getting their beloveds , but he could at least get his Shalini , see her , it was only a question of reaching there ! Lagey raho !
Ashish was in the queue now for more than one hour , no lunch , he was hungry , but the " surprised look "gave him all the strength to fight the odds !
The second surprise !
As he was nearing the booking window , and was so hopeful to get the ticket, the bus was also cancelled , some major breakdown with the only bus running in that route !
He felt like jumping into a well !! Like a defeated warrior he gave up , and was ready to go back .
As he was thinking to go back , he saw some five or six people standing around a taxi . One of them approached him and asked him if he will also join them , they can share the taxi . There was no other way for Ashish than to join them ! The taxi was such , you could hardly call it a car ! At best a box on wheels ! But then the charm of "the surprise look " was always at the back of his mind !
They were six of them .All of them got into the rickety taxi , and the taxi started for the "surprise" journey .After they crossed the city limits , they stopped near a dhaba and had a good fill of their stomache ! It was already approaching evening . In all the humbug of the day Ashish didnt feel the passage of time !
The taxi's condition could best be described by one single fact , all its body parts made a lot of sound except of course the HORN !! WEll anyway the journey continued . But the sound the car made was enough to make any other vehicle or pedestrian not only give the side
but to stop and have a dismayed look at the vehicle !
Suddenly after they had traversed some distance , Ashish felt a fierce surge of air entering the taxi . What he saw made him aghast with horror ! The side door had flung open !! The car was stopped ,obviously it could not be repaired there , so the door was closed and tied with the front door, one end of the rope tied round the inside door handle of the defective door ! Ashish noticed ,this disasterous incident had its own advantage , the noise level of the taxi further increased !
The journey started again . There were more surprises in store that day , but they were all trivial , as compared to what Ashish faced already ! Like , when there was a bout of rain for some time , the wiper wouldnt work , making visibilty almost nil ! But the driver was very much used to these conditions and knew the road well , it didnt perturb him in the least bit ! The journey went on !
Ashish was tired so much that when he fell asleep he didn't know ! He woke up only when his fellow passengers shook him ! They had already entered the city limits !
It was dawn ! Cool breeze hit his face , all the tiredness was gone .
Ashish's joy knew no bounds ! At last he could make it !
He got down at the taxi stand . Got a rickshaw , which was another surprise but a pleasant one ! To get a rickshaw so early in the morning !!
By the time he reached Shalini's house it was already 5 in the morning ! He only prayed that Shalini should come herself to open the door !
He pressed the call bell , and waited , heart beating fast , mind praying for her to come ! He heard the footsteps
inside and then unlatching of the door . The door was first opened slightly and then it was wide open , there she was standing in front of him !
Was there surprise on her face ? Much more than that ! It was all a mixture of dismay , happiness , pleasant anticipations of things to come , admiration !Everything compressed in one big wide smile !
For a second Ashish just went on looking at her , then he moved forward , held her in his arms and kissed her
pasionately , all his love , desire and of course the frustrations of the day , poured into the kiss !
"Shalini you dont know how much I deserve this " !!
He didnt leave her , ,went inside holding her and kissing her more passionately, made her sit on the sofa beside him , and his lips travelled all over her , neck , cheeks , back , everywhere . She also wanted it so much .
But then her mother woke up .
"Shalu who's there ?"
She pushed him softly , and separated herself with a mischievous smile on her face , and went inside !!!
Will Ashish ever forget this 5 o 'clock in the morning smile of Shalini ??????
Tags: surprise, love, engagement, rickety taxi
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