A Midsummer's Love Tale

A Midsummer's Love Tale - Chapter Four - The Prank

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                                A Midsummer's Love Tale  

                                       CHAPTER FOUR

                                           THE PRANK

The next day without Alina was totally unbearable for me and I was feeling completely lost.

 The whole night had been spent tossing and turning piecing together the events just taken place; it was as if she had me possessed. It was simply Alina and me, dancing on the floor, holding each other tight. Nothing else mattered.

So if this was love, surely I didn’t want it to end, it was too delightful and delectable an emotion.

In my anxiety to meet her, I had gotten ready in a jiffy, and by 10 o’clock morning, I was at the gates of the Club, which usually started filling up around 10.30 a.m. Some diehard visitors started to line up at 10 o’clock as I had done; although my reasons for doing so were completely at variance from the rest of the crowd, or so I hoped.

People came to this Club for cards,clubbing, drinking, meeting old friends, socialising and some came  for sailing on colourful yachts among other things.

I had only come to meet HER….

It was still early so there was no option but to wait for her to make an appearance. Only she could provide the 'healing touch' to me.....

She didn’t however come down to the Boat Club, and my eyes kept darting to and fro to the entrance of the club, searching out Alina in every entrant who came from outside, as if beseaching them, 'where was SHE……!'

Sitting up in the Club lobby gave me an aerial view of fresh arrivals. I realized it was almost lunchtime, and I had scanned practically every visitor coming in. I could now no longer bear it and walked up to the receptionist who was sitting at the entrance counter.

‘Excuse me Miss, could you cross check if there is an entry for Miss Alina Patwardhan?’ I asked the girl, trying very hard not to sound desperate as she checked the register.

‘Is she a member of the Club Sir?’ she asked me.

‘Well wouldn’t be aware of that,met her last night. I mean got to talk to her just last night’ I blurted out sheepishly.

The receptionist gave me a hard look as if sizing up my intentions, while recognizing my nervousness, and went about checking the register.

‘Alina… Alina … hmmm. Sorry Sir, but there’s no entry by this name. No wait…wait, there is an Alina…..Alina Kapoor.’ She smiled giving me a triumphant ‘gotcha kind of looks.’

I leapt up at the mention of her name but then my face fell again, ‘Heck no she’s Alina Patwardhan, not Alina Kapoor.’

While we were engaged in this debate Mehak, her cousin with whom Alina was staying in Naini walked in; but SHE…..my love, was not with her.

Mehak had come alone....

My heart sank, and I had this uncontrollable urge to run across to her cousin, grab her by the shoulders and ask her, ‘Why have you come alone? Where is Alina’?

However, I controlled my inane desire to question Mehak and waited for her to settle down.

I finally got my chance after about 15 minutes of waiting. In fact it was Mehak who walked across to where I was sitting in a corner, looking glum, downcast and depressed.