PrELuDe To A KiSS

PRELUDE TO A KISS

She had been in college, pursuing her post-grad over the last 20 months or so. From an orthodox and lower middle class family, her thoughts had always been on finishing the course, applying for a decent job, and taking care of her family. Her dad was employed alright, albeit in a small position in a private company, whose credibility was not that encouraging. Just a couple of months to go, she thought. She would complete her studies and then would be on her own. Though there were quite a few responsibilities on her tender shoulders, she had always dreamt of romance in life, the ideal guy falling for her, loving her tenderly yet emotionally, and wedding her amidst the cacophony of traditional South Indian marriage. But it all seemed to be a distant dream, until things started to change . . . . .

The last 16 months of college life had thrown up several friendships from both sexes. There were new classmates, new college mates and new teachers, too, but there was one guy whom she liked most. She had met him the first time in the canteen about a year ago, and had instantly developed a liking for him. It was not often that she went to the canteen; her mother invariably had her lunch packed in a small box, which was often shared with her classmates during lunch time, or sometimes even much later. Well, the liking grew into agood friendship, mutual that is, although he was a few years elder to her, and was meant to be that way.

Slowly and steadily, she started making more and more visits to the canteen, her compact lunch box in hand, searching for him, waiting for him to come, and chatting with him whenever she saw him. It was March and time for the college function. It was an annual function generally held over a three-day period, and obviously everyone in the college was anticipating it, eager to showcase talent, wardrobes, ear rings, cosmetics, you name it you got it. The event also meant that she could spend more time with him, not just in the canteen, but also at other places in the neighborhood. It also meant that she would get more opportunities to go on aride with him on his bike, which she loved so dearly, probably because of his presence beside her, but more so because she had never been on a bike before, and that too with a guy!

The function was a grand success, and over this three-day period, she felt for the first time a sense of freedom and joy, although she couldn’t quite comprehend what it was all about. Last day of the event L.The valedictory function got delayed due to the late arrival of a dignitary. It was 8 PM and already getting late. She lived quite far off from where her college was, but that wasn’t the real problem. Her dad was quite strict and always expected her to be at home by around 8. She was getting fidgety and, with some reluctance, asked him whether he could drop her at home. He said, “Hey, no probs” and this seemed to calm her down a bit.

Finally, the event was over. A fleeting glance at her watch showed that it was nearing nine. “Oh my God!” she thought. It was already too late for comfort. How would she face her dad? What would he say? How would she face his ire? She was getting so tensed up that she didn’t even notice him stop his bike beside her. “Hey hop on! It’s already late!” She sat behind him on his bike and off he went speeding along the road, eager totake her home ASAP. Fear began to cloud her face. She had seldom been on a bike before, other than with him, but those were entirely different times. She was sitting side on and her knuckles had become white, tryingto latch on to the bike frame as hard as she could. Her thoughts were no longer about home. . .

“You’re going too fast!” she said. He didn’t seem to hear her and she felt as if she would fall off his bike any moment. “Please. Go slowly”, she said, holding his right shoulder now and pressing it hard. “Don’t worry, just hold me tight”, he said but didn’t slow down. For a second, she didn’t know what to do. Then she just hugged him as tightly as she could. Nothing else seemed to be safer at that moment. . . . .

It took her a few seconds to realize that something was happening to her. Her entire body seemed to be in convulsions. The world seemed to be in a dizzy. A spin. Her heart was pumping so fast that she could feel herself against his back. In a flash, she took her hands off him, just at the moment he turned back to look into her eyes. Her eyes were moist. Her lips were dry. Her body was still shuddering. She had been overwhelmed by something, an extraordinary power, an inexplicable feeling she had never experienced before. It was something so emotional she had never felt before. So exciting, so stimulating, so invigorating . . . .