Arranged marriage – The first meeting

After a lot of coercion from my parents, I finally, reluctantly, decided to meet a girl. This meeting has opened me into a new world. What happened was weird but … (lets not reveal the suspense) But it made me realize that arranged marriages are indeed fun, specially before finding ‘the ONE’. I felt it would make an interesting collection of memories, something that one could introspect later and laugh about it. I wouldn’t know how the following meetings would go ahead, whether it would be as interesting as the first one, but what the heck, let me begin.

Meeting 1 – S. M. (working as something in some shipping company)
The meeting was pre-decided by the parents. They had already matched the horoscopes. It showed 8/10 on the mark scale. That was great news because I never ever had got anything above 5/10 in my education life. So I felt proud of the marks.

We were to meet at Café Coffee Day. It seems a lot brews over coffee, so it seemed like the ideal place to meet. So the venue was decided to be in CCD at Hiranandani. I reached a bit early as there was not much traffic as much as I had expected. So I ordered for a Latte.

A girl walked in, and she looked around. She saw me and then walked towards me. OK. I told myself, you need to make this conversation simple. She came to the table and asked me – So you are P? The voice had a bit of arrogance. It seemed like she hated me before she met me. Had my reputation preceded me even before I met her?

Are you P? she asked resting her palm on the table and her other fist on the waist, her waist.

My parent’s fault, I said, I couldn’t get to decide my name, so I am stuck with P. I hope you don’t have a problem with that.

No… she replied looking away, sitting down.

What would you like to have?

Coffee, she replied looking away towards the road. The road was dark, so I couldn’t understand what was making her so distracted.

Well, obviously, coffee, its cafe coffee day right! But which coffee? You don’t expect them to serve pani puri! I tried to lighten her up and put her at it ease.

She gave me back a stern look, correction, a piercing look. She murdered me with her eyes. Café Latte, she said.

Café Latte it is, I told the waiter, who smiled as if he knew we were boyfriend girlfriend who had had a fight and I was the guy who was trying to make up with her. How romantic!

So… she stared at me… Ask me your typical question!
Folding her hands as if i was an interviewer and she, the interviewee!

‘Show me your teeth?’ I wanted to ask her. I honestly wished she had less effort in smiling! But I did not.

Why don’t you walk? I told her. Walk! I thought to myself. I wanted to say, why don’t you talk! But that were the words that came out! Why don’t you walk!! And before I could correct her, she got up!

I was shocked, and she started walking. I was amused.

She walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and sat in a rickshaw and I never saw her again!

The waiter came with the Latte. I smiled, had another mug of Latte, and left!