She felt running out of that house and did not like that place and the people. She was thinking these people are really artificial, these people are in between and could not follow neither of the cultures and trying to speak like an American accent English and could not succeed and they speak our Indian languages brokenly and spoiling the sweetness of the language. Neither of it they could follow…. We can’t blame these people , even in India people are trying to be like this. These people visit India once in a while and spoil the rest of the families in India and they try to copy these people and they also started speaking half English and half their language and forgot about the dressing sense, even on festival days and any occasions kids and even the elders were the jeans and the top. Here in US you can see people coming jeans and top. Her mind was thinking all of these, while her aunt called her “Bharathi, your uncle is here and we shall go now” she said and was asking her when they got in the car “ what were you thinking, I called you at least four times your name and did not respond at all?”
She did not answer, she knew that, it may hurt them if she says what she was thinking, because all of their friends came at the same time and everyone is helping each other at times, her aunt’s daughter, her cousin Rupa is also like them and married an American. Though aunty and uncle did not like it, they had no choice but to get her married to him.
She still was quiet and did not talk to aunt and uncle.
Anitha asked Barathi “did you have a nice evening? We want you to be happy Barathi”
Barathi said “ aunty I am happy without all these outings, why do you think I am not happy?”
Anitha said “no, you seem to be not talking much and not moving with people. Your age girls move with lot of their friends and go out with them, to shopping, to movies. I do not see you ,doing any of these things? And that makes me think that you are missing something or somebody?”
She did not say anything but her mind went back to Bangalore were she lost her whole heart and soul and just the body is with her and being very mechanical like a robot. She was not able to express her feelings to herself and missing him very much.
She wanted him very badly, thinking where are you? Come, back to me, she was crying within herself and no one can hear it.
That was the before lunch hour in her bank she was very busy checking on a client’s paper for the approval. She has to finish it, so her full concentration was in the papers. She had a feeling that somebody is watching her near her table, when she lifted her head, she saw a handsome man standing there staring at her.
He was thinking what a beautiful girl she is? Her eyes are very beautiful and the long hair with a loosely platted with a small piece curl falling on her forehead gives more beauty to her face. Very tall for female and very slim with perfectly featured body and she worn the saree is added beauty to her and very perfect for his taste and he wanted a woman of her in his life.
He was thinking of her standing like a statue and he did not see her lifted her head and watching him the same way as he was.
She looked at him and she could not take her eyes back, he was tall over six feet, his hair was curly and he is medium brown in color very manly, tight body. She has never seen a man so handsome like him.
They heard the phone ringing somewhere near them and they came to their senses.
He sat in the chair and asked her ‘I have a favor to ask you?’ And introduced himself, ‘I am Barath Ram and I have a trading business’ and told his business name and the details about his business.
She asked him ‘how can I help you?
He said what he wanted.
Barathi told him ’right now I am working on my client’s paper, can I do your work tomorrow?’ he said it’s very urgent can you please get the reply from your head office in a day or two?
Barathi said ‘I will do my best’ she was talking to him but she could not see his eyes straight because she was scared to look at him and she never felt like this before. She has met many men in her life, why even in the office.
Can you please reply me by tomorrow? He asked her
She answered ‘it will take two days, I will send your request today and will get the reply in two days.’
‘ok then,’ he said and got up to leave, moved a little and she was feeling sad, she thought that she could have stayed a little longer, while she was thinking he turned and bent closer to her face and said ‘I will see you very soon’ and left from there without turning back to her.
Her eyes followed the way as he left and was looking at the same direction thinking of what he said and the scent of him is still around her and she was still. She wanted to go with him talk to him and be with him.
‘Who are you looking at Barathi’ her friend Ramya asked. She came to her sense and asked her ‘what? What did you ask?’
Ramya thought, what happened to her? She has been looking at the door to the way out and was still, who came here, she was very curious, who was that she was thinking and never seen her like this before.
Bharathi could not work any further. She did not understand what’s in the paper. Ramya was trying to get the answer from her, but could not.
Barathi asked Ramya’ Ramya could you please take these papers and check everything and approve this for me? I have headache and I think I have some important work, I will finish that and take leave for the rest of the day.
Ramya asked her ‘I’ve been asking you who was that headache? You did not answer me yet?’
Barathi said ‘Ramya I have severe headache, not only that I have to take care of this work myself, so do not annoy me anymore’ she said that with a fake annoyance, so that her friend will keep quiet.
Ramya said ‘ok mam I will do as per your order,’ with a polite smile and a pat on her cheek and ‘go home take care of your headache’ she went back to her desk.
Barathi though she was not in her sense what she was doing, thinking of him the way how he looked and the way he was talking to her, she finally finished the letter to the head office for the approval and to send the reply by fax immediately, by tomorrow and she sent the letter by fax to the concerned department and spoke to them on phone to approve it immediately and fax them immediately and she told them the original will follow by courier.
She gave her personal mobile number to contact her, since she will be off from the office for the rest of the day and she took her bag and told the manager that she is off for rest of the day and she left.
She came out and walked from her office. She did not feel like taking an auto to go home. She somehow wanted to get rid of his thought, but could not do it.
To be Continued