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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Numbers

One day at the beach
2 second eye contact
3 semi-witty attempts to start a conversation
4 involuntary spasms while asking her out
5 hours talking on a park bench
6 red Rosebuds
7 km. stroll along the seashore
8 on 10 on the happiness scale - holding hands for the first time
9 sleepless hours
10 egoistic thoughts of pretending hard to get
11 treacherous steps to her doorway
12 skipped heart beats
13 seconds of lip contact
14 minutes exchanging awkward apologies
15 whacky reasons why we could still be friends
16 classes of Analytical Philosophy together as 'friends'
17 coffees on-the-go, discussing existentialism
18 minutes of unconsciousness
19 drops of tears
20 days of recluse
21 mile drive to hospital
22x22 inch glass window of the ICU
21 endless hours in surgery
20 silent prayers
19 hours of nervous pacing and nail biting finally pays off
18 anxious breaths before her first words
17 day stay at the hospital
16 favorite songs on the Mix CD
15 Pizza nights with Chicken Soup for the Soul
14 different kinds of sea shells
13 freckles resembling a constellation
12 hours of Stanley Kubrick special
11 unpleasant side-effects of radiation
10 on 10 on the happiness scale - the person you love comes back from the brink of death
9 fleeting minutes of arms wrapped around each other
8 days of sunshine and rainbows on the Galapagos
7 hours on our toes with Nickelback at The O2
6 pints of slurred speech, impaired balance and euphoria at the Oktoberfest
5 floors of making out in the elevator
4 padlocks on the Ponte Vecchio
3 course meal at Pierre Gagnaire
2 free souls in the rarified atmosphere
Six and a half billion souls on this planet, all you need is One

.......When words are hard to come by, you take refuge in numbers.


Eyes

"Eyes. Black, brown, hazel, green and my personal favorite – blue. I could look at the bright yellow sun longer than I could look into the eyes of any beautiful girl. I cannot begin to explain how much I disliked this incompetency of mine, especially when it came to her. Ash! The first time I saw her, I couldn't take my eyes off her. I had never seen anyone walk the Physics lab hallway with that kind of grace. White Punjabi suit and Jeans never looked so beautiful on anyone before. Her chestnut skin was perfectly complemented with her long brown silky hair that swirled gently in the breeze. Her face portrayed a strange mix of perplexity and confidence simultaneously. My eyes were glued on her and I was registering each and every move of hers with the strictest attention to detail. It wasn't until she was inches from me that our eyes met. It was a nano-second eye contact which was followed by some cold sweating."

Sara had a smile on her face and she was looking intently at me. I couldn't say if she was amused or touched. I was kind of uncomfortable after the rather descriptive monologue about my first serious crush and I could not look at Sara. We were at a local Barista café. We were sitting a 2-seater table at the corner, right next to a transparent glass wall. It was the usual Barista, buzzing with a crowd within the age group of 15 to 25.

'Go on..' Sara asserted with curiosity.

'Nah..' I was being coy like a 7 year old girl.

'So, how long did you guys go out?' inquired Sara.

'Umm… like for 0 days. I didn't even have the nerves to talk to her, forget asking her out.' I replied with a hint of smile, trying to hide my obvious discomfort. I mean how stupid could I be, describing my first serious crush in such detail to someone I hoped to date soon.

'Really?' asked Sara with surprise.

'Why would that sound surprising to you?' I asked inquisitively.

'It's just that, it seemed that you really liked her. I mean the way you described her, it was as if that moment was burnt on your brain.'

I couldn't help but giggle at her comment. She too burst out laughing.

'Either you liked her crazy or you have your way with words.'

'When you develop an infatuation for someone, you tend to gauge that person with the best things you can think of. Then it's just a matter of giving your thoughts a language.'

'You sure it was just an infatuation?'

'Yeah. I am pretty sure it was.'

Sara smiled. We both had a few sips of coffee. Sara seemed lost, staring at the traffic outside the glass walls.

'I wish someone would notice and describe me that way.' She chuckled. 'Was that too self-centered?'

I looked at her, straight into her eyes this time.

"You are beautiful and not in a contemporary way. I mean, your beauty is like abstraction, it really can't be compared with anyone or anything. Your eyes are dark black, with a brownish tinge near the center, giving them a vortex like quality. Whenever I look into them, they take me places. Places I love. When you move, your black lustrous hair moves along and your slender neckline is visible and your hands sway, and all this happens in such unison that it feels like a figure skater performing at the tunes of a symphony orchestra. When you speak, you exude the kind of confidence that could change the world and what's really great is that you speak your mind without an ounce of selfishness. Sometimes your words sound like unheard lyrics."

Sara was staring right back at me, speechless. The couple at the other table had overheard my little confession and they too were staring at us.

'Now you got me blushing' she said grabbing a paper napkin and spilling the remaining coffee in her cup in the process. She was obviously a little nervous with my unexpected flurry of remarks.

'I was just trying to fulfill your wish. I hope I did a good job.'

I was surprised with myself and the sudden commotion of confidence in me.

'That.. That was very impressive. Thank you.'