Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Ready, "steady", go!!

So there she was, sipping an iced beer on a sultry Monday afternoon. More Mondays like this are definitely needed, she thought to herself. Across her, this guy sipped on some cold coffee and buried his nose further into his book. She rued not bringing a book along, but she had intended for conversation. So she made do with the flat screen in front of her showing the same news on one of those billion blink and miss news channels. It could only hold her interest for so long. Her eyes scanned the place. She tried to ignore the lovers at the table far across the room engaged in a rather obvious spat. The old gentleman who had actually managed to prop his feet on the couch and looked ready to catch forty winks was also interesting, but what really captivated her was this gentleman sitting across her, reading.

Her attempts at watching him went unnoticed in the crowd and his own interest in his book. She decided that she liked his nose best. Sharp without the Pinocchio factor and steady. She knew that "steady" didn't really describe a nose, but in his case it just seemed so apt. His nose was steady! The nostrils steadily flaring and subsiding with each breath, calm, composed and well..steady!!

She looked at the book in his hand. Shantaram!!! Hmm, nice book. Classic enough to be caught reading in public and intriguing enough to genuinely be reading it. Plus his reading speed had landed him at respectable depth into the book and he seemed to be really reading the book. This gentleman was interesting!!

Another swig and she realized how nice the beer felt. Nothing makes you appreciate beer more than having one on a hot, sticky Monday afternoon. She glanced at the guy again. He was having cold coffee and some biryani!! Chicken she guessed. Nice combo, but why wasn't he having beer? Why would anyone not have beer today? Well, maybe he was driving later, maybe he couldn't stop at one, maybe he was an alcoholic who had been off the wagon after rehab. But, she knew she was letting her imagination get the better of her. He didn't seem to be any of those things.

His hair looked a lil off, but it was acceptable for a Monday afternoon. After all, she was not the picture of composure herself. but his hair looked like he needed a cut. Wavy, not curly, wavy. She couldn't stand men with curly hair. It really turned her off, but wavy hair was nice. In fact now that she thinks of it, everything about that guy seemed nice.

The beer coupled with the intensive gazing session was making her drowsy and the world seemed like such a nice place. However, a loud crash in the background brought her back and she turned to see that the lover's spat in the corner had acquired a whole new dimension altogether. The lady had slammed her mug causing the tray to tilt and bring the and saucer crashing to the ground. The lady picked up her bag and stormed out, while the guy just sat there looking completely embarrassed.

She figured the fun was over and turned around to study the object of her interest, only to find him standing right next to her with his hand outstretched saying, "Lets go love, they've announced our flight."

Together, they were steady!