Place: Regimental Plaza, Nashik Road
Time: 6:30 PM
Leo and Chandu are standing in front of Pav-Bhaji center. Leo Negi, 26 and Chandan Singh, 26 are best friends since their graduation days. Both are products of Kendriya Vidyalayas, hence the ridiculous smugness on their face. While Chandu is undergoing his CA training and simultaneously preparing for PO exams, Leo is doing freelancing in content writing and screenwriting. On the relationship front, Chandu is currently single and has just escaped from a riotous marriage proposal while Leo is in a one-sided platonic relationship with a Korean pop-star.
Leo: Samosa Khayega.
Chandu: Nahi re tu hi kha, I am avoiding oily things.
Leo: Tu abhi se 40s ki life ji raha hai. Smoking karta nahi, drinking chhod di aur abhi oily cheezein bhi nahi khata. Kya karega aise jeekar.
Chandu: Tujhse toh lamba jeeunga. Abe chhod na. Tujhe khana hai toh kha, par bakchodi mat kar.
Leo to the Pav-Bhaji wala: Bhai ek samosa-pav dena.
Bhaiyaji: Ye lo, do chahiye na?
Leo: Na na bhaiya ek hi dena, ye lamba jeena chahta hai.
Leo has barely taken a bite, Chandu jolts him.
Chandu: Abe jaldi kha, baju ke juice wali dukaan mein ek mast si bandi aayi hai.
Leo: Sach mein, do second ruk.
He finished the samosa in one. Chandu is baffled by his speed.
Chandu: Tu itni jaldi itni garm cheez kha kaise leta hai.
Leo: Practice my friend, practice. Ye chhod, chal dekhte hain teri mast wali.
Our heroes make bold entry to Raswanti centre. Leo is moving ahead as usual; he scans the crowd of dozens and finds the girl, who could fit in the description of Chandu’s Mast Bandi, sitting on the third table on the right, with her mother. Her face is radiant. She looks at them. There is a vacant table on the left corner, both have to settle there.
Leo: Those eyes man!
Chandu: Maine kaha tha na.
Leo: Kasam se yaar, uski aankhein kamaal ki hain.
The boys are in no hurry to give their usual order of two glasses of sugarcane juice. While a plain Jane type girl sitting with her sister and father across the table is staring at them, they relish their visual sensory systems with the elegance of the girl, owner of the beautiful eyes. Her mother looks strict, the usual upper-middle-class woman, proud of herself.
The girl has her curly hair kept short and wearing a blue baggy T-shirt with black jeans.
Leo: Well dude, waise ye itni khaas bhi nahi lag rahi is angle se.
Chandu: Kya baat kar raha hai, itni mast toh dikh rahi hai.
Leo: I don’t know yaar, par yahan se dekhega toh uska face itna cute nahi lag raha hai. She is good looking, par itni bhi achhi nahi.
Chandu: Nahi re, mujhe toh bahut achhi lag rahi hai.
Leo: Abe dhyan se dekh, uski toh height bhi nahi hai. Tujhe toh heighted ladki chahiye na?
Chandu: Par mere ko chal jayegi.
Leo: Haan tujhe toh waise bhi kaam chalane ki aadat hai.
Chandu: Wo toh hai par is case mein main height factor ko ignore kar sakta hun.
Leo: Aisa kya khaas hai usme?
Chandu: Are uski aankhein dekh, main toh sirf uski aankhon ki wajah se usse shadi kar lun.
Leo: They are just blue, nothing much.
Chandu: Blue ke alawa badi pyari hain yaar, main toh unko ghanto dekh sakta hun.
Leo: Ek baat toh hai bandi sophisticated hai.
Chandu: Kaise?
Leo: The way, she is sipping that juice, her way of carrying herself, pure class I must add.
Chandu: Mere hisaab se voh intelligent aur practical bhi lag rahi hai.
Leo: Phir tera yahan koi chance nahi hai.
Chandu: Wo kaise?
Leo: Mere bhai, agar wo practical and intelligent hui toh tujhe kyun choose karegi, koi better prospect chunegi na.
Chandu: Haan wo toh hai.
The girl and her mother finish their glasses and leave for the cashier counter.
Leo: Khair jane de, waise bhi agle do saal tak tu shaadi karne wala nahi aur mera bhi 5-6 saal tak koi chance nahi.
Chandu: Wo toh hai. By the way, tujhe kaisi lagi?
Leo: 7 out of 10.
Chandu: Seriously 7?
Leo: Yeah.
Chandu: Mera ko 7 chalega, mere expectations jyada nahi hai.
Leo: Haan haan pata hai.
They finish their respective glasses and order for another round.
Leo: Aur bata Gaavde ki shaadi mein koi dikhi ki nahi.
Chandu: Abe yaar kya bolu kya maal-maal ladkiyan aayi thi aur do toh itni sexy thi ki puchhu mat, sab bhookhe nange unhi ko dekh rahe the.
Barely two minutes have passed, Leo has already forgotten about the girl. Chandu pays the bill at the counter while watching the girl with beautiful eyes to leave in the car as her mother drives away. He sighs, with the hope to see her again, or least getting a glimpse of those eyes…again.
-N2S