Where Parallels Meet

Chapter 5

En route to you

All dolled up in formals for the interview, I left the room for the 14th floor of the same building where the interview was to be held.

It was smooth from my end of the table, but then again, that didn't mean much; all I could do was hope, while I enjoyed the leftover of my holiday.

I had planned to take a tour to the Anna centenary library that day, help myself to some south Indian fooood.

Somebody had asked me to not have dosa just yet, for some reason, so I limited myself to rava idli and upma, paired with Sāmbhar, in the hotel room itself. It tasted lighter than its counterparts in Punjab, and indeed I wouldn't put myself through the labor of choosing the better. It was as delectable as it had smelled, and drove me to a long, restful nap once I finished up.

"Room service." Somebody cleared their voice with a knock on the door. I realized I was awake only when the knock didn't wake me up. After a brief attempt of taming down my hair, I opened the door a chink, but he "Yo"(ed) me with his airy laughter, making me open the door completely and grin like a dreamy maniac.

"So you took a trip to be lazy?" he asked looking around the haggard condition of both the room and the resident. Something akin to admiration? Amusement? What was it? passed over his features for a short second as he briefly noticed I had been sleeping in a shirt and pants, before he sighed, playfully ruffling my hair with his fingers, which was somehow very annoying, yet weirdly welcomed.

"You disturbed my sleep to ask me this?" I pulled out the chair from the corner, and sat cross legged on it, while he plopped at the foot of the bed.

"How long do we have?" he asked with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

"I'm headed back at 12:45am on 16th, which is, Monday". I told him. He looked at me in disbelief for a second.

"You mean, we have just today, tomorrow, and the day after?"

"Well yeah, if you go by the Indian standard time." I shrugged.

His face fell for a minute before he playfully shook his head and said "Give you umm....11 minutes. Get ready. Anything casual is good."

"What the hell?" I meant it. "Hey, 10 minutes, 42 seconds. Hurry!" he waved at me. Looking at his wrist watch.

I rushed into the bathroom, and changed into black skinny jeans and a white tee, since the temperature looked quite friendly. Brushing up my hair, I tied them in a longish feathery ponytail, since I had them wrapped up all day yesterday and buckled shut my wrist watch, before pocketing the sun glasses, and finally, I emerged out of the dressing room, only to catch him look scrutinizingly at me, and then laugh as if I had come out wearing a red cape. "Rombo nalla irkuh!" he said still chuckling. I had no clue what that meant.

"You just cursed me, didn't you?" I asked picking up my phone and wallet.

"No, I just said you look weird." He chuckled lightly, before I gave him a thumbs up "Gracias!"

. . .

"I'm not asking you where we're headed." I said hopelessly after I hopped on behind him.

"Home." He said casually. As if that was the most obvious thing on earth.

I half cracked up, and half choked on the laughter. "Good one!"

"Huh? No, I'm serious." He said it so casually I felt like banging my head on a wall.

"Anna, li..." I began. "Don't you Anna me now." He said jerkily. "So, anyway, what are you telling your folks?" I asked him, though that was just half of my problem.