“And???” my sister asked.

“And what??? That was it! Tata, Good Bye!” I replied!

“You mean to say you do not know her name, you did not ask anything to get in touch with her???” I could make out that she had one eyebrow raised although we were sitting in the dark. It was one of those nights that we cousins have when we catch up with each other, spending the night chatting away the happenings or in this case mis-happenings of our lives. Her brother who stretched himself on the floor was laughing quietly.

“Well..You know what???” I said

“Seriously what kind of a loser are you? You meet this girl in your travels,  and in the few minutes of talk you had you find her cool and interesting and you make no efforts to get in touch with her. Why the hell are you so shy? She would have refused to give her contact details at the worst. Its like when you told her about the guy at the museum who thought she was a nutcase  “I am not going to be  in this town tomorrow, so doesn’t matter what he thinks”. That totally floored you, right???. Should have used the same funda”

“You know me… By the way being shy and all is cool you know. It creates a certain kind of enigma and mystique about my personality which is…”I responded.

“Bullshit!” She cut me off as she walked to the kitchen “Keep those stupid ideas to yourself…” It was 3 in the morning and we were hungry.

“Man!!” my brother followed her, laughing, to help.

And I got off from the bean bag that I was sitting on, stretched myself and lay on the floor while letting my mind wander about those few moments with “That Girl”

“That Girl” had walked in to one of the section of Lakhota Palace Museum where I was clicking a few pics. And we kept on bumping into each other after in a few other sections after that.  After a couple of times this happened, I began to fear if she was stalking me. She left and came back after a while and said “Excuse me. Do you know how can I go to the Marine life sanctuary here”

She is really determined to stalk me I thought. I was intending to go to the Marine Life Sanctuary near Jamnagar  the next day but had no idea how to get there and here was this female intending to follow me there as well. But how the hell did she know what I was thinking. I told her I had no idea  and was trying to find out myself and whatever I knew was from Googling for it and she should try the same.

“I have done that, but its not very clear on how exactly I should get there and what are the timings and all. I just thought that you were local here and you’d know. Anyways, thanks!” She said

“No! I am not a local. I am just travelling here” I said

“Oh! Where are you from?”  (Man! Does she want to follow me back home as well)

“Bombay”

“And you just came to Jamnagar to travel or…??” (None of your business, lady)

“Ah, Well, I am actually travelling across Gujarat, actually India on my motorbike so its a long journey” I said with a swagger and but not daring to look at her all the while. ( Yeah! I am in to cool awesome stuff. What are you into woman??? Stalking guys cool awesome guys?? That’s not cool, alright!!!)

“Oh! Thats nice! Well, All the best for your trip! Bye”

“Yeah! Thanks” She had left.

A few minutes after that I left the museum and saw here just outside. She smiled. I  forced a smile back. She was trying to enter a section outside the  museum which was restricted. They had put up a few barrels and a few bamboos sticks to form a makeshift blockade from people entering that part. She found her way across the blockade to check out the restricted section but returned quickly.(Seems to be a rebel) I got busy clicking a few more pictures. All the while observing her from a corner of my eye. I don’t know why I was doing that. I rarely do such things.

She got into a jog and ran into a bunch of pigeons that had gathered nearby and when they flew she stood with her arms outstretched. She held the light pole and leaned away from it  and twirled around. And then she walked balancing herself on the ledge of the bridge that connected the museum situated in middle of lake to the mainland. Smiling and happy  being there and with herself. (Typical Bollywood of 60s -70s anyone?? )

It was these very actions that made one of staff at the museum who was observing her too, remark to me in Gujarati “Aaa chokri mane to chakram lage che” I could not help laughing out at this comment. It mean that he felt this girl was a nutcase which elicited the response that I talked about above when I told her.

“She must be something really my friend for you to ogle at her so long” a friend of mine remarked when I told him about this incident. Yes she was something but it was definitely not the looks. She was not a jaw dropping beauty or smokingly sexy. More of the “take home to your mom” types rather. Pretty.

I was on my way out and she was as well so we got talking again. She was from Bangalore (I was right! That real slight but typical south Indian voice and accent) She told me with a sarcastic voice that she was in Jamnagar for a “big fat Indian wedding”,(Seems to hate weddings! Nice!). Recommended to me that I should go to Dwarka where she spent the last couple of days. She represented India at Commonwealth, was a classical dancer, a yoga teacher, a naturo-therapist and many other things. (Oh! So even she is into cool awesome stuff).

We had got out of the museum. She stretched here hand for and handshake “Well it was nice meeting to you and talking to you! All the best for your trip” I shook it and muttered a thanks.

It was circular lake and we walked into opposite directions. I was hoping that I bump here into again as I walk around the lake but alas…

“If you had even got her name probably Facebook-ed her and who knows…. at least you would not have to lie here smiling to yourself” said my sister as she returned with bowls of Maggi

“Ah Facebook!!! That reminds me there was this one time….” Iwas about to start narrating another story.

“Please!!! Not another of your loser stories” she interrupted. And that was the end of it.

Last updated by Venkat Ganesh at May 6, 2022.