And suddenly the phone began to ring. Flashing the name of Sushant.

She was quite enjoying the walk through the campus with the soft breeze of the nigh. And of course Sangeeta. But her mind wandered to the sarcasms hurled at her for not picking up phones and she submitted to the call of duty.

“Sushant, hello. What’s going on?” she began to speak into the phone and slowly started to walk beside Sangeeta who was now sporting a very pale expression.

She could hear him go on and on about his engagement plans and also the girl in question who was apparently very pretty. Once in a while she turned to give a smile to Sangeeta. Sangeeta returned it with an equally confused look.

“I am alright. Yes of course I miss you. I miss home. But this is different. This is something new and honestly I am enjoying it as well,” Radha spoke quite seriously.

Sushant didn’t say much after that. He sounded a bit disappointed. After the formal niceties got over the call ended.

“This Sushant is he an ex-flame?” Sangeeta asked as soon as the phone was hung up.

Radha again found herself at the silent end of the conversation. Was he an ex-flame? Define flame, someone you like? Someone who likes you? Or a mutual thing?

“I liked him. And somewhere I wished it turned out to be something of a forever kind. Well, now he is engaged to a girl and the story has pretty much received its befitting end,” Radha replied in a tone which somewhere announced the premature end to the topic.

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“Mother, this is something I don’t want to do. I am serious. Soon you will wish you hadn’t done this. And yes of course I will be the first one to tell him how you are forcing me into this,” Radha screamed into the phone. This was one of those rare moments when someone she loved so much had finally managed to work up her angry side.

“Is there some issue?” Sangeeta who was peacefully having lunch on the other chair asked in her most serene tone.

“She has sent a boy to meet me. And well he is supposed to be some hot shot human being who she believes is just about perfect!” Radha’s volume went up a notch higher this time.

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Radha picked up her simplest suit and braided her tight into a plait. She smoked the lower end of her eyes with kohl and with one last look into the mirror left her room. He was waiting outside the campus for her. The man her mother felt was just about perfect.

Six feet one inch. His eyes were deep set in the sockets. His crooked grin gave him a boyish look but then the broad shoulders coupled with a steep stoop of the back presented the mature side. He was thirty three, mother had told her. And his well kempt hair spoke about his profession as an accountant. The love of his life perhaps was definitely a calculator.

“And you must be Radha, you are prettier than that photograph they showed me,” he began to speak in his deep throated voice. The only thing that made her take proper notice of him. The voice did somewhere soften her otherwise rebellious stand.

“And you are Shikhar, the man my mother feels is just about perfect for me,” she spoke in a mocking tone. It was only seconds later that she realised how much of her contempt was reflected in tone. But his grin got wider and for some strange reason Radha became more comfortable.

She turned around, Sangeeta was still standing at the campus gate. Radha had asked her to stay there because she had planned to make up an excuse and not go out with the “perfect man”. But something told her she could at least go out for a coffee, it would be harmless.

Radha waved at Sangeeta and smiled wide in a way to communicate that she could go ahead with her “women in writing” class without Radha accompanying.

For a moment Radha thought she saw a darker emotion on Sangeeta’s face but then next moment the smile returned and she turned her back to proceed inside.

to be contd. at “Your life needs clarity”- Part 11

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This is day 11 at:





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