“You know, I wanted to take you somewhere, but it would have been better tomorrow” Arjun spoke
“hmm” I mumbled. Arjun looked at me puzzled
“Where?” I asked quickly before we started another fight.
I wasn’t sure if I was drunk and hence I didn’t show much enthusiasm or that I really didn’t care where he wanted to take me to.
“There is a lake near my home”
I though of telling him that I knew that and there is nothing so special about the lake near his house. It is just like any other lake. A lake is a lake. But I was too tired to talk.
“My father used to take us there when we were little on Vinayaka Chathurthi”
“Ok” I spoke
“You want to go there?”
“Sure”
The ride from Koramangala to Jayanagar was uneventful if you didn’t count the fact that we were almost hit by a bus. As usual it was the fault of the bus driver who never went to a driving school and learned proper driving.
Dissociation must have been in full swing. or was it a combination of alcohol induced adrenaline rush? What ever it was, nothing affected me. It was as though the real Nina and the one sitting behind Arjun were separated by some invisible wall.
Eventually Arjun parked the bike by the side of a house we both got off.
chal” Arjun lead the way.
There were children playing cricket in the street.
I noticed the group of women talking and walking briskly.
There was an old man wearing shorts walking next to his wife who was holding a leash and I couldn’t figure out if it was a Pomeranian or some other breed.
I remembered Amma always wanted a dog.
Perhaps when I pass MBBS and earn some money.
I noticed the bright sodium vapour lamp and the grass by the side of the lake
There was something about the green colour of the grass under the yellow s light. It looks as though someone had painted the grass with a very light golden paint. The last time I noticed the yellow gold tinged green grass was when I was 12 years old and I had taken my sisters to the park in Kottayam. We waited for the crowd to leave, so I could go on the swing. Children over 10 weren’t allowed to go on the swing. We played till I noticed that it was very dark and we were the only people in the park.
There was only light on in the park near the main gate and there was hardly any light near the play ground. I should have been petrified of being alone in a park with my younger sisters. But as I held my sisters hand and started to walk towards the main gate, I noticed the grass under the yellow street light. It felt as though I was in some magical wonderland. A wonderland created just for me and my sisters. I was even sure there were fairies hiding inside the flowers and watching us.
I had my sisters and they had me and I knew nothing untoward will happen to us.
“You seem to be deep in thought” Arjun spoke.
“nah” I lied
“want to sit down?”
“yeah”
Arjun took off his jacket and placed it on the floor and we both tried to sit on the jacket.
“You are fat” Arjun spoke
“Not as fat as you” I replied
“funny!”
“Is funny your word of the day”
“Why?”
“This is the second time you used the word funny today”
“funny” Arjun said again
“get lost”
Arjun didn’t reply. We watched the lake in silence.
“You see those lights there?” Arjun pointed across the lake
“hmm”
“there is a road there”
“hmm”
“My father used to bring us here after immersing the Ganesha in the water. We sit here and watch the processions coming down the road. My mother would make the modak and we all sit here, eat the modak and watch the lights from the procession. You know how beautiful it is? you can hear the sound of the drums and see the lights and feel the magic in the air. It is so magical”
I turned to look at Arjun.
I had never known him to feel anything magical.
There were so many things I wanted to do in my life. But in that list of things to do I had never thought, never imagined, never expected a kiss.
A Kiss to seal a magic moment.

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