My First Date ! ! !

Finally I got a chance to ask her out !!! I was on a two-day visit to her city for some silly work I could have done without and when I got an invitation from her parents that I stay at their place What more could I wish !!!. First day I completed my work…The second I kept for myself….

Her father was in office, mother busy in kitchen and after finally convincing her younger brother that it is perfectly okay if he goes to play with locality kids leaving me I suddenly proclaimed that I wished to roam around the city. And after convincing relevant people that I was an alien to the city and need her as a guide, We set out !!! Otherwise a boy asking a girl out was considered bad manners and westernization and lack of ethics and What not!!!

First thing we boarded a bus and got down at a place she declared as Kashmir street. I dint care. What mattered was the time with her but she was so busy tryin to be a good guide naming every tiny place we passed !!! When will she understand??? When I say???

Time passed !!! I got help from my sense of humour…Laughed at right places. Gave proper exclamation marks... And so happy was I to see her laugh at some of my quotes…. And slowly we moved out of that tourist-guide relationship !!! More time passed !!! We did a bit of a shopping. The sun set…It was getting dark !!! I was thinking a hundred things….Did I make a mark on her? Somehow our attitude towards each other changed..we could talk to each other better !!!

Suddenly she started stammering !!!

“Zahid, I….”

I gave a nod to continue….

“Zahid, I….” she stammered !!!

That’s it I thought !!! she is going to say those 3 words !!! I was ready with a ‘me too !!!’ on the tip of my tongue…I will say me too…yeah

“Zahid I am hungry !!!”

“Me too”, I blurted out before stopping myself

“where shall we eat?”

Huh ? And I thought I would be busy huggin her by now

“You are the guide” I said

“Tandoori corner” She suggested !!!

“Great”, I said as if I had been eating there since ages

And while we sat down in those face each other chairs in a dim light restaurant with salt, pepper and two kinds of ketchup in between and soft music in background ….. I felt that it would be the best way to propose her. I was saying "do it zahid do it" to myself when she started stammerin…

“Zahid, I…”

This time I was so busy imagining that I din notice i had a ‘me too’ on my tongue tip

“Yeah say”

She repeated those words again and finally said, “Zahid, I will go wash my hands“

“Me too” I blurted out.

“Then who will look after the bags” she said like a grandma

“I meant after you return” I managed Phew !!!

I hit myself under the table for being such a idiot.

We enjoyed our food !!! laughed and blah blahed all through !! And while the food was comin to an end she said

She : I had a great time today

Me : You were a very good guide

She : You were a better tourist….You liked the place?

Me : I like it very much (and then mumbled ‘love you very much too’)

She din hear that or did she…She was stammerin again and it was different this time… I knew….The very way she pronounced I knew it had to be this ..

“Zahid, I…”

I gave that nod again….

“Zahid, I think…”

That’s it she thinks she loves me…..She isnt sure..she thinks.I gave another nod

And a few stammers later “Zahid, I think we should go home”

“Me too !!! “ I blurted out

“I think you din like my company as much” she said back

Oh God !!! what did I do ??? That was a boy who could never say…. And if she had read my eyes while I left her that night She would have known…If only she would have asked herself why this idiot says ‘me too’ so much…. If only She would read this piece of my literature !!!!

Or perhaps if only I would have thought why she needed to stammer at all the wrong places !!!