The Meeting

I was there in time. The crowd went crazy by the time I reached the Palace Corner. It was almost evening and weekend just started for all the bureaucrats that Friday evening. I stood there near the BSNL gate, with the cigarette half done. She did not come in time. Well, she told me she might be late, but this wait was killing me from inside. I did not want to wait for her that day. I have waited long hours for her to come online and then to login to YM and say that sweet ‘Hi’ and have never complained; but today, when we were meeting for the first time, I could not wait to meet her in flesh and blood! I never liked pink, but I was browsing through the fleeting crowd and searching only for that color that day. She told she will be wearing pink top and white trousers. I saw at least a thousand girls in pink in the last ten minutes of wait, but none of them mattered. When will she come?

A tap on my right shoulder; I turned 180 degrees around and I was shocked!

I always thought her to be my dream girl. We shared our pictures and I really felt she was the one. Actually, I modified her a great deal to match the idol I dreamt of. And very easily, she got into that virtual mold. With her chatting, emails, text messages and rare phone calls and those jokes and giggles over the phone, she easily crept in the cast I made in my thoughts and dreams. I went through the last five months of knowing her on the internet in a flash – the way we met in Orkut and then we chatted in GTalk and those nudges and those irregular emails took us to a few conversations on the phone and finally we would meet that Friday evening. All felt like a moment – a mere moment!

Another prod – this time, it was more of a shake.

“Hey, do you recognize me?”

“Ee… No! I mean, who are you?”

“Err… Rakib?”

“Ra… Rakib?”

“I’m sorry. I meant, are you Rakib Al Sharif?”

“Rakib Al Sharif?”

“I’m Sahana… Sahana?”

“Sahana? Yes, but…”

“I’m sorry again. Are you Rakib? I came here to meet you.”

“Nn… No! I’m not Rakib. My name is Asif. Asif Mm… Mohammad.”

“Oh! I’m extremely sorry.”

“Ee… it’s alright.”

She turned back. I could see the want in her eyes to meet me, through my tainted glasses. She was also searching all around her – for me – the way I was searching for her all this time! She cross passed me and I tried to smell her for one last time by the passing gust of her, but I smelled nothing! How strange! I could smell her and feel her presence even while we were chatting on the internet, the other night. And that day, when she was as close as ever, I could not feel her at all!

She went ahead and dissolved in the crowd. I turned once more to look for her, but I did not search. I did not see her there again. It was almost dark but I could not think of removing the glasses. I lit one more cigarette with almost trembling hands and walked towards the bus stop.

[That Night, in YM]

Sahana: Hi...

Rakib: Hello
(Last message received: 3 minutes ago)
Sahana: hw r u?
(Last message received: 2 minutes ago)
Sahana: Hello... :) u thr?
Rakib: Hi
Sahana: wt happnd?
Rakib: Feeling tired
Sahana: y? :(
(Last message received: 7 minutes ago)
Sahana: ... ...
(Last message received: 4 minutes ago)
Sahana: r u bz?
Rakib: Nope
Sahana: thn? :'(
(Last message received: 3 minutes ago)
Sahana: tk 2 me...
Sahana: r u thr???
Sahana: H E L L O ................. :X
(Last message received: 12 minutes ago)
Rakib: Yes
Sahana: y dint u cm 2day?
(Last message received: 5 minutes ago)
Sahana: wt happnd? tk 2 me... plz....
Sahana: Rakib.......

(Last message received: a minute ago)
Rakib: I am here
(Last message received: 4 minutes ago)
Sahana: ws tht u?
Rakib: No
(Rakib is Offline.)
Sahana: I wsh v cud spk. ........... Gud bye!... ... ... ... ... :'( :'(
(Rakib is Offline. Message not sent.)