It was a pleasant Saturday. I was persuading her for going out. She has quite a conservative family. S o, you can imagine that she could not agree. But after long persuasion, she agreed to go for a date together, but not actually go for it. I must tell before I forget, we were talking on the phone all this while.
I immediately set out for her house on my old Enfield. Sometimes I feel I love my Enfield more than her. As usual, I need not have to wait for her. She was all ready. I had asked her to cook some light food for our date. And she already knew that we were going for a picnic much more than a date.
We set out together. She set with both legs on one side. That’s not how girlfriends sit, but I pacified my heart by realizing that better halves do sit like that. It was a joyful ride. Being a weekend, the traffic was on the lesser side. We reached. The ride seemed to be so short, but for sure, was enjoyable. As soon as we reached, to my delight, she looked very happy. We had come to a large park. It was surrounded by trees on three sides and was bound by a water body on the fourth. The landscape was lovely. Human high undulations and no inch left uncovered by grass. It was green, cool and nicely cut grass. She was still jumping out of happiness. Even I was happy. And even happier, to see her so happy.
It was around 5 O’clock in the evening. I asked her to take out the food from the basket. We spread a cloth under a large peepal tree and begun devouring the tasty food. I never knew that she cooked so well. She was much pleased to know it.
Now, children had started to pour in. The swings were no longer empty. A place which was so secluded and peaceful turned into a cheerful play ground. Noises, shouts, cheers, laughs and cries. Apparently disturbing, were in fact tranquilising. Children playfully rolling down the hillocks. Parents running after their children, playing catch.
Now we were tending to get bored. But she got the sight of something which was going to be tiring- Boats. Now she wants to go boating. Even I do. So, let’s go. Get a boat. Set assail. The water body was pleasant. It was not connected to the river flowing in the West. Hence, much still and calm as compared to the turbulent river. There was a small island in the water body. I felt like having a house on that. She was much more lost in the lotuses around. The lotuses were big and white. There were a few swans in the water body.
She asked me to stop for a while to click some photographs of the flowers and swans. Though we both were aware that our fatigue has made us to stop. We went around the island and came back. Now, it was late into the evening. The boatman also seemed a bit annoyed as we were taking much time to return.
The sun was setting. She had started to worry. Remember her conservative family. But she hid her worries in her smiles. We lay on one of the hillocks and watched the sun setting. The sun turned slowly from yellow to orange to red. Its reflection on the river water was wonderful. At a point the line between the real and the unreal was lost.
Time to part was nearing. What a fool I am. I did not bring any gift for her. But she did. It was a pair of key rings which together formed a heart. She kept me one and she kept the other. It was beautiful. I was more than happy to receive it. I realised that she knew I would forget to bring anything. She herself brought something for us.
Now she was much worried. Her dad had already called her twice. She wanted to reach home real quick. We set out. But tragedy struck. Tyre punctured. Now she was all the more worried. This was when I reminded her, “Come on! It’s just an imaginary date. We are still on the phone.”
It never crossed us that we were only talking. She said good bye and went to resume the household with her mom. And I resumed imagining My Date- For which I never set out.
