On an Evening in Roma

An Escape from Reality...part-1

1:25pm, 15th August 1940.

University of Rome Campus.

Rome, Italy.

Outside it was another sunny day. The sun was burning high against the silvery white sky.

Anirudh decided to follow Barrister Raggi's suggestion, the first one of course about waiting around Campus...the second one was completely absurd.

The last time he has taken anyone on a date...it was more than a decade ago...back when he was at London...

...Why the hell am I even thinking about it??

Throwing a quick glance at the scorching Sun he ambled along the avenue lined with decorative plants. He walked past some lecture halls, the Science Labs, the gigantic Library building...while passing the Library he thought about taking a quick tour inside but then dismissed the idea...what if he went inside and missed the girl? How will he retrieve his handkerchief then?

He walked past an empty Amphitheater, from there he choose to make a right turn.

After few steps he noticed a group of boys sitting under the shadow of an old Olk tree...staring at the building in front of them with utmost interest. It doesn't take a genius decipher that building must be one of the Girl's Dormitories.

Shaking his head he took another turn...here all the buildings looked almost the same...must be the Dorm area, he concluded.

He wondered which building was housing the Participants. It's a locked down building, so it wouldn't be so hard to find, he'd just have to keep loo-

His thought got cut off when a bag dropped on his feet, from what it appears to be the sky, missing his head only by an inch...

He looked around for its owner but no one was around, so he looked up ...and thanked the haven he did otherwise he wouldn't have seen the boot which came flying out of the 3rd floor bathroom window.

He jumped back a few steps and the boot hit his foot print on the sandy road, where he was standing a moment ago. He decided to move to a safe distance before anything else come flying out of that window...which turns out to be a good decision because a second later the other shoe was dropped.

He leaned against a pine tree on the side of the road with his arms crossed over his chest. His search was over, he recognized the bag, it belong to that girl. Now all he has to do is wait...

He tilted his head to look up at the small window...and there she was ... slipping out of the narrow window of the third floor bathroom and balanced herself on the small ledge.

...this is going to be interesting!!

He uncrossed his right hand and rested it under his chin amusedly.

Extending her arms flat on the wall she carefully put her bare foot one after another on the narrow ledge. Once she reached the end of the ledge she jumped on the second floor balcony with very little noise...

He didn't notice that he was watching the strange girl's clandestine act while holding his breath...It was good twelve feet drop, he was sure she must have sprained or worse broken her leg by now...

His brow furrowed, he was considering alerting the authorities or at least the matron, when he saw her small head over the railing looking around furtively... probably to make sure that she hasn't gained an audience, which she did but she didn't know that...

She jumped over the railing and landed on the ground right on her feet with fluid proficiency.

...Yeh barrister kam circus se bhagi hui jyada lagti he...All right you have been enough of a creep for one day Anirudh Roy Choudhary, now go over there start behaving like a normal human being...