Then and now

I grab my favourite cup of hot black tea that marks a beginning to the morning everyday .Its an early start for a weekend and I take it a chance to enjoy the cool November air. The slow breeze hits my face, draining the warmth off my steaming tea rapidly. As I quickly gulp it down, I hear the familiar footsteps of my son follow behind. Waiting for him to appear beside me in the balcony, I watch the flower and vegetable vendors screaming their lungs out advertising their products.

"Morning,daddy.",he smiles, his eyes fresh from a deep sleep and his smile cute as his mother's.

"Good morning." I wonder if he hears me. I tilt my eyeballs and watch him busy with his cup of coffee and his phone. I quickly glance at the screen and find a heart pumping in one of his WhatsApp chats. I closely watch his smile broaden and soon in reflex, he becomes self-conscious and relaxes his joy. My fifteen year old boy is going through the peaks of his teens, I realize. I walk back to my usual spot on the wooden chair and let the superb climate ease my sore muscles. I stretch out my legs and catch a glimpse of my son watching me from the corner of his eyes every now and then and enjoying his moments of pleasure when he thinks he is not watched.

I smile within myself as I recall my own teens, all the way back twenty-eight years from now. I was just seventeen then, handsome and young with my heart so naive about the concept of love. I still remember those days like it happened yesterday. The memories and feelings so crystal clear. I close my eyes as those images flash in front of me and let my mind travel all the way back to those times.

It was a warm summer morning, the river shimmering under the natural brightness. I walked along with my friends pushing the bicycle beside me, watching the glorious river as we walked by it.Like the introvert I have always been, I walked in the corner and let my friends enjoy their moments of fun. And that is when I first saw her, my first love. The exact moment still makes my heart skip a beat. Her long, neatly plaited hair danced to her walks as she swayed her hips gently in elegance. The maroon saree she wore complimented her complexion and her long earrings moved in rhythm with her hair.

I felt my heart race in excitement, my senses became so oblivious to the surroundings. My eyes followed her every move and my mind raced with frames of picture perfect romantic moments.

"Jai!!!!!!",my friend shook me hard till I was back to my senses. Realizing that my usual 'OH', nods and giggles were missing, they decided to check on me only to find that I was a walking corpse. Maybe it looked that way, but that was the first time I ever felt so lively and flushed with excitement. I quickly became aware of my surroundings and looked at her as she laughed so flawlessly. She tapped one of her friends' shoulder, her fingers barely grazing her body. I felt the goose bumps creep up my spine as her laughter echoed in my ears. Can someone be so perfect, I thought.

"Daddy?", Rahul interrupts my relentless flow of memories.

When he is sure he has my complete attention, he continues, "My friends are coming over,remember?"I totally forgot about it but I manage a nod of remembrance.

"Oh daddy, I know you don't remember. Just wanted to give you that reminder you constantly need.", he giggles. I grin at how well my son knows me.Kids are smarter these days.

"So, who are all coming? Santosh...Arjun..."I try harder to recollect his best friends' names.

"Ya.That entire gang of ours and even a few girls. You know,Shylaja...the girl with two ponytails you used to be fond of?" I think for a while and nod frantically as the picture of the tiny, sweet girl shoots in front of me.

"And....",he blushes a bit and thinks so hard before blurting it out. "One of the new girls in school,daddy.Her name is Sandhya and we call her Sandy. Brainy and sweet she is."I nod slowly and let him continue without breaking the flow of father-son talks that we rarely have.