Poetic Sensibility

27- Wagers And Brainwaves

        Samay and Rishi had stayed behind after the session was over. Samay was positive he wasn't the only one who had wondered why exactly had Romi asked Kabir to produce an alternate last stanza for his poem. What was going on in her mind when she had made the suggestion? He saw her raise her eyebrows just a fraction when she saw that he and Rishi weren't going to leave any time soon and then busied herself in preparing coffee. 

"So," Samay began, turning to Rishi, "You owe me a big barrel of beer at Irish."

Rishi gave a mock grimace and replied, "He had to be such a timid mouse about it." No doubt he was referring to Kabir.

        Romi joined them and inquired as to what they were talking about. Samay told her about the wager and then everything that had transpired between Kabir and Sarah.

"Oh come now. It was clearly going to be Sarah," she remarked, looking at Rishi.

"Right," Rishi replied sarcastically, "it was too much to expect Kabir to be a gentleman and ask her."

"I think you're mistaking a gentle disposition with a gentleman. Kabir can get quite wild when he wants to," Samay replied. He had been subjected to endless examples of that from Sarah.

"I did not know that," Romi confessed.

"Oh yeah," Rishi grinned. "He's pretty passionate about certain things."

"His poem seems to suggest so," Romi replied.

        Samay thought this was a good time to bring up her suggestion and what had been the reason behind it when suddenly the doorbell rang. He bit back a groan as Romi got up to answer it. It's as if fate was hell bent on keeping him from knowing her any better than he had when he first met her. Belatedly, he noticed that the tray had been laden with 4 cups instead of 3. Romi had been expecting someone. And then to his utter horror, his eyes fell on Keshav who sauntered in and took a seat at the table.

"So you just finished one of your things?" he asked Romi who had just resumed her seat.

        Keshav gave a polite nod to him and Rishi. Samay did not return the nod. He knew he was being borderline impolite and unfair but something just didn't agree when it came to Keshav. Somehow, this person sitting opposite him seemed completely different to the one Romi talked about in her blog. And he just couldn't reconcile the two very different personalities. Maybe Keshav was one of those people who grew on you over time. Giving a mental shrug, he forced himself to concentrate on the conversation.

"About storms," Romi was saying, "and how an idle mind is perfect for a storm to brew." 

        Samay realized that they were talking about Kabir's poem and this was another really good opportunity to bring up the suggestion but he didn't want to have that conversation with an audience.

"Sounds exactly like your kind of thing," Keshav replied. Samay wondered what he meant by that. "So are you ready for the planning?" Keshav asked Romi.

"In a bit," Romi replied. He could sense that all of a sudden, she was ill at ease. 

"Planning what? World domination?" Rishi teased.

"Nothing so sinister," Keshav replied with an easy smile. "Just a trip for this summer."

        This immediately drew Samay's attention. Oh now they would talk about those famous trips he had read about on her blog.

"It's almost ritualistic," Keshav was saying. "We try to take a trip together every year."

Rishi raised his eyebrows all the way up to the ceiling. "Just the two of you alone?"

Keshav immediately understood what he was implying and chuckled. "Occasionally. Otherwise there is always another friend or cousin accompanying us. We are the two fixtures. The others vary."

"Oh. This is interesting," Rishi replied. "Where are you planning to go this year?" Samay was observing Romi whose face was a blank mask.

"We haven't been able to decide," Keshav replied easily. As her friend, he probably knew what was going on under that blank exterior but he gave no indication of that knowledge. "I'm very keen on an overseas holiday as this is the only time I can take an extended leave from work. Perhaps a road trip in America. Romi, on the other hand, really wants to go for this white water rafting camp at Rishikesh."

Finally, Romi spoke, "A fortnight is not enough for a road trip across America."

"An extended leave according to you is a fortnight?" Samay asked Keshav. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of respect for him. The man seemed pretty dedicated to his job if he wasn't willing to stretch a holiday with his best mate.

"I do have a lot of work to finish," Keshav replied dryly.

"Exactly," Romi replied. "So we can do the Americas later. Why won't you just capitulate?"

"Never!" Keshav replied with a grin that was so infectious that Samay couldn't help smiling back it him. Huh. Looked like he was warming up to Keshav after all. Romi, on the other hand, gave him a look of severe consternation.

"Okay okay," Keshav was trying to placate her. Man, she had that disappointed-teacher-look pat down. "How about a compromise? Let's go to Paris. A fortnight is good enough for Paris."

Romi snorted. She actually snorted. It was so funny and cute, Samay couldn't help but smile. "Raaaaiiight!" she drawled. "The city of lovers. With you? So that I am touring all on my own while you go about making little French conquests? No. Way."

"You talk as if I will completely abandon you!" Keshav pretended to look hurt. And he failed. He just had that impish look about him that drew out the stern teacher in Romi.

"Oh, won't you?" Romi replied. Keshav winked at her and Romi tutted satisfactorily. Samay realized he was quite enjoying this exchange between the two and glanced at Rishi, who was looking majorly entertained himself.

"Okay, but we will be accompanied by one of your cousins or something so you won't be left alone while I learn some French arts!" Keshav defended. "Just ask one cousin won't you?"

"Can't," Romi bit out. "Ria has a WWVOF thing and the Sheth cousins are doing a family trip. The other side won't come because most of them have exams or other evaluations." She was looking quite put out with this.

        Keshav looked quite defeated too. He was probably really looking forward to... umm.. Frenching-it-up, Samay thought. And suddenly, Keshav got up from his seat and paced around the room. He then turned sharply to Romi with a big smile as if he had just had a brainwave. Which he did, because then he said:

"Let's ask your poetry group."