Part 02
Episode 01 – We Meet Again
Until here: Nayanika has lost her father. She and her mother are slowly trying to get back to normal life. Pranay has turned into a drug addict again, the news about his breakup irks him. Meanwhile Leila is busy with her professional life trying hard to forget happened.
Nayanika was waiting for Anagha at Goldlife Cafe in Eastend Street. She was meeting her after a really long time. It was half past five. The weather was cool; and grey clouds floated in the east like the great waves of an ocean. She could sense something idyllic in the air. She was seated in the table outside the restaurant. A strong wind blew at once and her hair fluttered. Her beautiful large almond eyes looked even more charming with half drooped eyelids. But her pretty face appeared quite distracted. “It might start pouring from the sky anytime now” she thought as she pushed back her flying tresses. She worried about her mother, ” Hello mom, Anagha said she wanted to meet me. So I am waiting for her at the cafe. I may come home late. The weather is unpredictable. That is why I called you. Don’t panic”said Nayanika to Shalini on call. “Its ok dear, take care, don’t try to come home if it starts raining. Stop at the restaurant and then come safely. Don’t hurry, its ok I wont panic” her mother replied. Nayanika felt a bit relived.
She started contemplating about her and Anagha’s friendship. They had been best friends since high school. Nayanika still remembered the day she met Anagha. Anagha’s father had been transferred to Dawn City and their family was completely new to this city. Her mother accompanied Anagha on her first day to school. Nayanika’s distinct voice and bright smile had caught her mother’s attention. She had introduced Anagha to her and asked to help her out for the day. But they chose to become friends for life since that day. Anagha’s free spirit and open mindedness earned Nayanika’s appreciation. She felt she could share any secret of her soul with Anagha. Anagha was more of a sister than friend to Nayanika.
Just then Nayanika’s phone started ringing. It was Anagha’s call, “hello Nayanika, I am stuck in the traffic here at Westend Street but I’ll make it to the Cafe, wait for me, please” said Anagha. Before Nayanika could answer big blobs of rain started pitter pattering. She hated getting soaked in the rain. She rushed inside the Cafe with her phone still in hands, she could hear Anagha shouting “hello, hello” on the other side. She was thinking of going home as it had started raining and she knew it would be long enough for an evening rain to stop. She thought of saying the same to Anagha but changed her mind, anyhow she had told her mother, so she said “Make it fast you idiot” and hung up.
She sat in a table next to the Cafe’s window and watched the rain which had begun performing in full swing. Suddenly she felt a strong feeling overcome her. She didn’t anticipate anyone except her friend but strangely she felt someone else was coming, someone whose presence she knew, someone who is supposedly close to her heart. She wondered who it could be. She had this feeling all throughout the evening but she had failed to make any sense of it. She was perplexed. At the very instant, a man in a black hoodie and black sun glasses walked inside brushing the rain drops off his clothes. He went and sat two tables across Nayanika. A pungent odour of cigar and other unknown substance reached her nostrils as he passed. “What a weirdo, sunglasses and smoke”, she thought and turned her face to other side without bothering. The man also started looking around carelessly, he noticed the girl sitting near the window. He felt he had seen her somewhere. He tried looking at her face. He thought he knew her. He waited for her to turn around and so did she. In a flash he remembered, yes, she was the same girl whom he met in his flight journey four months ago. She gave a book, I had read it. Yes, I remember what was her name…what was her name…naya, naya….ha Nayanika. A pleasant smile came over his face gradually. He recalled that day in the airplane, when she had entered clueless holding her ticket and luggage. A strange comfort and peace filled his heart.
Nayanika saw him staring at her. “How rude” she thought but then she too realised that his face seemed familiar. “Have I met him?” she meditated. Pranay waved at her just in time. Her heart sank in a different kind of excitement. That kind of excitement where you identify a person and your heart increases it’s pace, there are goosebumps on your hand, and every nerve in your body beats a new rythm. “Is that superstar Mr. Lovestruck? Could it be him?” she gasped. Pranay walked to her table and sat opposite to her. “Hi, Ms Nayanika, how are you?” he spoke so casually as though they both had known each other forever. For a second he was surprised too, he thought “how come I speak naturally to this random girl?” “I am fine Pranay, what are you doing here in Dawn City, I thought you stayed in Hope City” she replied undeterred by her amusement. Pranay understood that she didn’t know about his personal life; that’s better he concluded. “Oh I spend time in both the cities, by the way what are you doing alone in this cafe, everytime I meet you, you are by yourself” he said with a little laugh. “Oh ..well I was actually waiting for my friend. It’s coincidence that you happen to encounter me alone. And this is only the second time we are meeting.” Nayanika replied looking at his face, a bit of that feverish tension vanished between them. They were at ease with each other now. ” That’s right, what are you doing now, writing any new book huh?” “No I am searching for a job right now. I haven’t started anything productive about book writing” she said. “What kind of a job?” ” Uh…I have applied for sub editor posts in a few magazines and newspapers.” ” Oh such a boring job ain’t it?” he asked with a bit of contempt. ” No, I don’t find it boring, it’s something I enjoy” ” Oh, how about I offered you a new and thrilling job?” “Even so I would choose this less thrilling job” ” Nevermind I am still going to tell you what the job is. I want you to manage my portfolio for my new album “Heartbreak”. New singles release, media presence, social media advertising for the album, video shoots for the songs, interviews and TV shows just everything. And I will pay you, 25% of the profit this album makes. Deal?” “This is ridicuolous, I thought you had a manager for all this. How could you possible think that I would agree to this? And I have no idea of managing things. I studied literature not management. I respect you for your talent Mr. Pranay but this is just too much.” said Nayanika totally baffled. “I read your book Nayanika the way you directed the protagonist’s course of life throughout the novel is absolutely excellent. If someone can manifest their thoughts successfully on paper, I think they will be able to do it in real life as well. I am a superstar and I can contact any talent agency to manage my work, but if I am asking you, some random girl, then you must possess something special right? Take your time.Think about it. This is my personal contact number. I won’t mind if you refuse but don’t forget. Bye.”
He wrote his number on the tissue paper, smiled at her bewitchingly and went to the shop front and bought a Café Latte and Dutch Truffle Cake. He left the cafe without even turning back to look at her once.
The weather was clear now, the outpour from the sky had reduced to mere drizzling. There was a bluish grey light reflecting the city. Nayanika’s state of mind was in sync with the weather. She sat there dumbstruck, slowly processing the words a man had spoken to her few minutes ago. He told ‘he liked her way of directing the things, really? nobody gave me that compliment before’ she surmised.”Hello miss, How can I help you?” asked Anagha in the voice of a decent waitress. She had come in and seen Nayanika completely lost so she tried to cheer her up. Nayanika woke up from her deliberation looked at her friend, with a long drawn smile she said ” Buy me the treat, idiot, how long did you take. Sitdown.” They ordered two espresso. “By the way I am sorry about your father. He was not a compassionate man though. He never realised that he had a gem like daughter” “Yes, I am sorry about him too” said Nayanika with a sad sigh. They talked for half an hour and then Nayanika told about Pranay. She had narrated to her about their first meet in the flight, but the friends had just forgotten it after sometime.
” Well, what have you thought about his offer?” “Surely, I am not going Anagha, of course I love his music , his talent, but that doesn’t mean he can offer me anything like this” “Hmm….you said he appreciated your skills, and I will tell you there are only few people who will recognise your genuine ability. Pranay has done it. I say why don’t you give it a shot huh? Anyway it’s just a span of six months or so” Nayanika didn’t reply. “Come, let’s go home now” said Anagha. She paid the bill. They bid goodbye and parted ways to go home. “Call me once you reach home” shouted Anagha as she got into the taxi.
Anagha stood alone on the footpath under the vast bluish grey sky with the wind whistling in her ears and the night setting in cold….
To be continued….
Words from within... 