Ek Kaidi aur Ek Hasina

For the entire week I was busy with work. I did not even have time to sip my coffee in peace. This was the busiest week of my entire career. Though the weekend gave some relief from work but today was Monday and tomorrow was the date for releasing the product. I was occupied with work, and things were not moving in right direction and in such critical situation I was swarmed by people who called me last on my last birthday. Just within the first hour of my office I had attended five and missed six calls and in parallel I was chatting with five other friends.

My cell phone rang and it was a call from an unknown number so I hung up. Again it rang displaying 9540611889 calling. I was too frustrated to take any further actions, I let it ring until it became a missed call. These BPO folks would not let you live in peace. It rang back and as I did not have luxury time to deviate my attention again and again, so I picked the call up to shout and ask him to stop harassing me. "Hiiiii" a girl screamed loud enough to make me deaf momentarily. A gal’s voice over phone reduces the level of mercury in mind. With soft voice I asked the caller’s name. Instead of giving a straight reply I heard "Do not you remember me?" In the moment of heat I asked myself “Who is this girl? Why did she call me? Why cannot she answer me straight? Did I ever promise a girl to remember her every second of my life?” Mercury was rising in outer and inner spaces but instead of showing my emotions I told her "Dude, if you want to have question/answer session, call me in the night. Right now I have much priority questions to answer". I was just about to cut the call, I heard “hey! this is Kamini”.

Kamini, I do not remember any Kamini, did we ever meet? I wanted to leave the CCD encounter behind but her name flashed the black day back to my mind. Kamini, speaking over the phone, was fluent in English so I dismissed my assumption. But she cleared my doubt and confirmed I was talking to Kamini ( Kareena Kapoor - Chameli > Kamini@CCD >Rakhi Sawant). "Arre Baap re." Did not I tell you about giving her my number to stay in touch (You know KIT)? In a slice of second, I started finding the reasons behind this call. Does she want to discuss date and time? Does she want to negotiate on price? Does she want to blackmail me? Did someone take our photos together? (I was still unmarried and my photo on walls will reach my village before me) These thoughts made me uneasy and instead losing my temper I managed to say "Hey, kaisi ho tum". Call ended with a promise to meet at Barista and My working spirit ended abnormally on the very moment I hung up the call. I dreamt myself on deathbed with no family around (Nagar Nigam folks were completing my last rites with following words - Logon ko shauk karne ho to khule mein nahi karne chahiye bechare ki shadi tak nahi hue ek chote se shauk ke chakkar mein).

I finished my work as soon as possible and reached Barista. She was wearing pink top on light blue jeans. There was little Kajal in her eyes, lips did not have any lipstick, nose did not have any stupid ring and there was very little makeup on her face. Precisely she was looking gorgeous and I was lost in her beauty.

In conversation she told that her real name was Shalini and she was pursuing her MA from Delhi University. I thought this girl had indulged in dirty business to fulfil her teenage desires. Anyway I was still unclear about the agenda of the meeting so a thought of trap was not allowing me enjoy her company.

Looking at my peculiar behaviour she figured out my intentions of not staying there for a longer time. She took my hands in her hands and told me that she started liking (I wonder - Another trap will surface soon) me after the meeting at CCD. According to her, I was innocent (in another words idiot/stupid/childish) enough to sit with a sex worker ( ;) I dint know until the waiter announced the news of sharing a table with a hooker otherwise it was out of question) in a public place. 

I inquired "Since when was she in this business?" She told that the day of our meeting was her first but last day. Then I asked the reason to choose such muddy business. She described her poverty and told that quick money was required to save her brother from the prison (WTF - Here comes the reason of liking me just in a meeting). The word prison started dancing in-front of my eyes. I could visualize her brother(like Sunny pa ji in hindi movies) holding the bars of cage and shouting “Koi mujhe yahan se nikalo.”

I was stunned, scared, terrified and startled. I never talked to guy who had a record of public fighting and here I was sitting next to a prostitute whose brother had been acquitted for one or more serious crimes. She told that her brother has been acquitted for Hit and Run case. She told that her brother's master, who was drunk and driving, has falsely implicated the crime on her brother. My mind was trying to figure out my involvement. What does she want from me? How can I help? Is she misunderstanding me with an advocate? Does she need money for trial?.

Instead of showing my impatient, I asked if I could be helpful. She said "I just wanted to meet and tell you about us and situation under which circumstances I accepted the muddy path. I will try to figure out the way to bring my brother back home." As an emotionless person, Instead of stretching my helping hand farther, I took the opportunity to run away from the situation so I finished my coffee and left her alone with her grief.

Again I forgot to mention, today was my birthday and My birthday gift was a kiss on my cheeks.

PS: If you do not know Kamini yet, Click here to meet her.

Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.