01.  Barath and Rathi - VJ G

An evening of the fall, slight cold with a slight windy and it was wonderful evening; she was at her aunt’s friend’s party, where she always hates parties like this.

She was very beautiful, not  suitable to the atmosphere.

She was forced to come to the party, and now she was watching all the teenage girls, talking about their boyfriends and some are talking about the new movie releases and some talking about their parents forcing them to follow Indian culture and speak, in their Indian languages.

 “You know my mom she goes to temple every week and she forces me to go with her. There she meets up with her friends and they all boast around about  their children,” my daughter always likes Indian food and dresses. She is very obedient and will always like to hear about Indian culture and she loves to follow…,….. “     

“Who was that the other girl asked?”

“You know that Jaysee aunty, that Shruthi’s mom ”,  “the other girl asked. “ oh!  Jayasree aunty,”

“I know she always talk about her daughter, her daughter, will act before her mom and behind her back, she is very different and you know she has an American boyfriend…” as they were talking,  Sachin entered the house and passed by a room, where he saw a beautiful woman, sitting like an Indian angel with a simple Indian saree and she looked a real, south Indian woman plated her hair loosely and do not have any artificial makeup like the ladies here do and could not take back his eyes from her,  a woman near him came to welcome him but she saw him , not taking back his eyes off, from that woman and she just touched his shoulders and asked him “what’s the matter?” he just shook  his head with shy smile and said ‘nothing, just was wondering who this woman is,  She looks very simple and beautiful,”

The woman who is hosting the party, her name is sakthi  said,  “she is the niece of Anitha aunty”

“Oh! , Is she new to the country?”

“No, she has been here for a while now” the woman said.

“what’s her name aunty?” sakthi understood the curiosity of sachin and she ragged him, asked if he has any interest in her and said her name is “Bharathi,”

"Feel at home , the drinks and the snacks are served in the other room, all the men and women are in the room

Sachin went inside ,  where all men and women were assembled and some were talking, some were gossiping, while drinking and eating snacks and chatting.

He said, hi to everyone he knew and saw Anitha aunty, talking to Kalpana aunty, he went near them and said “hi Anitha aunty, hi kalpana aunty how are you two doing?” he asked them and was talking something  general and asked her “ where is uncle?,  I didn’t see him, when I entered the room,”

Anitha said, “he must be here somewhere,’

“ I did not see him” sachin said and asked Anitha aunty,

“oh, aunty I saw your niece, is that your niece in the living?”

“Yes she is”

“Oh she is beautiful,looks, very Indian” said sachin.

“yes,” Anitha said.  

Sachin asked her “Do you mind if I talk to her?,”

“No, but I don’t know if she will talk to you freely , do not mistake her if she doesn’t, ” said Anitha.

“Well, I will take care of it aunty, don’t worry” he said and took a glass of soft drinks and went to Bharathi, in the living,

She was still looking at the girls, but her mind was thinking of her past in Bangalore…

She heard someone saying “Hello, how are you?”

She turned her head and looked at the man who was standing right there and was talking to her..  she, could not gather, what was he saying? she asked “excuse me?” he said “hello I am sachin, how are you?”

She answered  “ I am fine,” and kept quite,

He again asked her “are you visiting this country, how long have you been here?”

She delayed a bit to answer and said “no I am working here, I am here past one year” just answered his questions, she did not want any further conversation with him, but he doesn’t seems stopping.

He asked her “oh, where are you working?” “ she said “in the city.” Just the answers, of course he expected it but still not giving up

“Where in the city, Are you a software?” asked Sachin, she said “no I am working in an International bank in  Manhatten” though she wanted to be soft and polite she sounded little harsh, where she was cursing herself for that.

He did not stop talking to her, he further asked the name of the bank and the area and then he said my work is also close to that and he told her his company name and he asked her if they meet for the lunch the following Monday? But she refused. My lunch timings are different everyday based on her work load and won’t be able to get out of the office till the end of the day.

Then he asked her “so how about if I see you in the evening, so we can go together home?” she said “my work time is not fixed and get out late from the work and I do not know the time when I get out every day and will not be able to join you and I am sorry” she said and got up to see where her aunt is.

She told sachin ”it’s nice meeting you ,and I got to go now” and she moved out of that place.

She went to her aunt and asked “shall we move aunty? I have some work, if you still have to stay back, you do so, I will take a cab “

“no, wait, let me look for your uncle and she moved from there, everyone eyes were on her, and slowly murmuring each other.