Parineeta

The Meet!

My meeting was almost over as i checked my watch for the umpteenth time in the whole duration.
"mr. Malhotra.. You look distracted.. Is everything okay?"mr. Kapoor finally asked me out of curiosity. I knew he had been noticing my restlessness for quite a while.
"umm! Yaah ! Actually someone's waiting for me back home! Had promised her dinner and i don't want to ditch her!"i said as i saw him smile a bit. Wrong ideas about my baby.. I'll smack your old face!
"hnm.. Girlfriend!"he said sheepishly and i roled my eyes at him.
"more important than a girlfriend.. My daughter!"i said and he straightened as he checked me from tip to toe!
"daughter?"he repeated and i nodded.
"aren't you too young for a daughter.. I mean.. I thought you were still single.."he said.
"nope.. Not single!"i smirked.
"but you're just 25! A daughter! Never heard of your wife!"he said.
"coz she isn't with me.."i said softly.
"ooh sorry to hear that!"he looked and i connected with what he might be thinking.
"ooh no.. Its not what you think! Just that she is upset with me... And that's why isn't staying with me.. But she'll come back soon!" i saud more like convincing myself.
"ohkay.."he stopped.
"soo I'll take your leave.. The deals signed.. You'll get the papers tomorrow!"i said as i got up at exact seven.
I moved out of the meeting without letting any chance to be stopped. A few unstable steps through the crowd and i reached the lobby of the building. God knows why was it so crowded out here. I checked my phone and there were no calls as yet and i could reach back soon.
I was thinking of what all could i get Medha for dinner when i tumbled into someone.
"aouch!!"i heard a girl shriek. "are you blind! In kambakht firangiyo ki toh.. Aankhe hai ya button!" i was zapped. This voice, i knew, i had heard before but the tone didn't sound so familiar.
I couldn't see her face as she was sitting down checking on her heels which i guess had broken.. Because of me.. No but then fine i wasn't looking but she was!
" oh hello.. Aankhe toh tumhare paas bhi thi.. Yaa tumhari bhi button thi.. Tum dekh kar nhi chal sakti thi.."i snapped back.
"aahaha.. Ek toh chori upar se seena zori!"her tone and her words reminded me of Navya but i knew that Madhubala couldn't be here in New York. Cabir wouldn't have allowed all the entertainment of his life to go so easily.
I still couldn't see her face. And by the way of her talking i could say that i didn't even want to know who she was but this certain curiosity to recognize a known Indian in this foreign country increased in me as i felt a kind of connection with this girl in front of me.
"chori kya?"i looked down confused at her usage of words that i surely couldn't pick but the advantage was that i could stretch a conversation with her.. No i wasn't wanting to betray Nandini or ditch Medha for the night. Just that i wanted to know who this lady was.
"kya kya? Ek toh sandals todh di upar se muhavre bhi nhi aate.. Chalo vaise in angrezo ke beech kisi ko hindi aati hai vhi bhot badi baat hai.."she said as she stood up with her sandals in her hand, trying to fix one while the other hung in her other hand. Her fell on her face and i felt irritated. Kya hindi serials ki tarah parde mei chhupi hai.. Shakal dikhaegi toh dikha nhi toh mai chala!
The 'not so me' version of me was coming out as i heard her tapori, to be more specific the delhiite tone.
"btw itni jaldi mei apni konsi girlfriend se milne jaa rhe the tum!" she said as she finally faced me leaving her sandals. I was dumbstruck would be an understatement to explain my emotions. I looked at her and she looked at me. The moment freeze and then suddenly her eyes changed emotions. Those like she wanted to punch me hard.
"bevda kahi ka!"she muttered as if in a trance or remembering something.
"soha!"i ignored her statement though i had a strong argument against that too.. But... Let it be!
"devdas Malhotra !"she repeated Rolling her eyes and in minutes we both burst out laughing.
"what the hell is this! Where's that classy Soha khurana.. The one i had met that day!"i said trying to stop laughing.
"Delhi mei 6 mahine bitane ka result hai!tumse milne ke kuch din baad i shifted to delhi and then New York.. Phir idhar i met a new friend, my current best friend.. I stay with her.. Vaise tum yaha kya kar rhe ho.."she said.
"ek meeting ke liye aaya tha! Abhi kuchh din yhi pe hu.."i said.
"ooh jo pehle apne dad ko meets mei disturb karta tha vo ab khud meetings attend karne laga hai! Change haa? Btw i heard about your music launch! Congrats!"
"uuhh! Thanx!"i said disinterestedly.
"itna thamda thank you!"she asked.
"i left music.. This album was my first and last!"i told her and she looked at me shocked.
"but why!"
"lost the reason to live! Lost life!i said philosophically.
"yaar tum aashiqo ka na yhi panga hai! Ek meri bestie! Uska ek saal pehle break uo hua tha.. Aaj tak devdas hai... Vaise toh dikhaegi badi cool hai.. College ki President hai.. Kisi ki baato ka koi fark nhi padta.. Boyfriend ko miss ni karti move on kar chuki hai par.. Kya karu best friend hun.. Vo jo nhi bhi kehti hai vo bhi jaanti hu.. Uski aankho se uske dil ka haal bata sakti hun.. Aur tum.. Tumhe usse pehle se jaanti hu.. Toh batao.. Girlfriend chhorh gyi ya biwi! Mai naam dono ke bhul gyi par chhorho.. Naam ka kya hai!"she had turned a complete chatterbox.
"dono!"i said and chuckled.
"gum kiske jaane ka zada hai!"she
asked.
"tum toh mujhe jaanti ho tum batao!"
"jaha tak i know you Malhotra.. Tumhe dukh.biwi ke jaane ka hai.. Tab bhi toh tum usse divorce dena nhi chahte the!"she said and i nodded.
"sharp memory! Vaise tum itni jaldi mei jaa kaha rhi thi!"
"arey vo meri bestie aur mai yha party ke liye aaye the.. Phir she didn't like staying here.. Toh hum ghar jaa rhe the when i remembered ki mai apna clutch bhul gyi thi yha.. Though uska friend le aata but i didn't wanna take chance.. So i came back ab vo ghar gyi to keep the dinner ready till i reach home.. Vaise bhi bhot bhuk lagi hai!"she explained.
"party! Just 7:45!"i exclaimed. In India parties meant those which started at nine and ended till four in the morning. Six 'o' clock toh bacho ki birthday party hoti hai.. And they've already left the party in the middle.!
"yha party 6 bje start hoti hai and it goes on till five or six in the morning!"she paused. "anyways why don't you join us for dinner.. Ninu would love to meet you! Like minds attract you know! Aur broken hearts toh bilkul..."
"naah..Some other time maybe.. I've to reach home early! I'm already late!" i saod checking my watch.
"new girlfriend in NY already!"she smirked and i realized that i was actually very late. Medha was going to be really angry.
"not girlfriend! My daughter! I've promised her dinner tonight see you later!"i said planning to rush out as soon as possible.
"daughter but..."before she could continue i made for myself.
"explain it to you later!"i shouted as i dropped my card in her hands before i ran out hurriedly. I was glad i had someone known who could i guess help me get some information about Nandini if at all she was here in NY.