I got up to a phenomenal day, the sun was bright and there was a cool breeze, just the right temperature, blowing across the northern heartland. Last night there had been a party, a regular Friday night jaunt, at Anjali's, friends had been invited from across the city, she had many friends and it made me real happy to see her relating to her friends again, talking and chatting, holding the males in total rapture as she sang a tune known only to the myna, "damn I kind of like this bird," its simplicity defies the logic of a multi-coloured chatter parrot, "though didn't I spot a long tailed bird today in the morning," actually a couple of them and they were flying at real slow speed, hopping from tree to tree. I wasn't new to the party scene, "damn though I preferred my privacy," I thought as I quickly moved to the bar hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous party boy in Anjali's scene, he was there sipping a bland vodka along with a few lady friends. Anand was famous in the Delhi circuit, he had money, could speak well and made friends easy, I moved in to the entourage and made eye contact with one of the ladies who was hovering around Anand, "Didn't I see you at the F-Bar last Saturday ?" She winked back, "Yes you did," and we started chatting, I guess you could say she needed my conversation to grab Anand's attention and I needed it for the same reason.
Anand gave me a once over and I smiled back at him, and proffered a hand, he took it up and gave me a firm handshake. He was a handsome one, this dude, "and I had seen many in my lifetime," and it was said about him that he could charm the feathers off anyone, and I had left mine at home, "to be on the safer side," I always did that at parties, left my ego at home and came to them in a surreal state of mind, "wasn't much of drinker," though I too could talk and wanted to know Anand better. For one, he was Anjali's friend from long time back and two, he had a reputation I wanted to check out, Anjali had told me how they had known each others for almost 7 years and she liked him for his quick wits, said he was almost the same as her in personality, honest to the core and direct with friends when needed. He started off with me and asked me whether I was enjoying the party, "parties were just an occasion to watch people," and I inwardly smiled and thought, did he think I was speaking to him so I could get an introduction to the other beautiful ladies in his entourage, so I decided to put his mind to rest.
"I am Anjali's friend," I told him quietly and that she had asked me to take special care of him, he moved away from the escorting ladies and asked the bartender to get me a drink, a Bloody Mary, I took the glass from the bar tender and stared down at the red concoction. So why had I wanted to talk to Anand, did I want to find out more about him or rather his relation with Anjali, "damn this could be construed as jealousy," and yet I still wanted to find out, the first sip of the vodka cleared up my mind, it was probably wasn't jealousy, it was plain curiosity that had led me to him, "and damn for somebody not jealous you sure are inquisitive," my mind snapped back at me, I quietened it down by sipping another of the red concoction and then looked at Anand, direct and straight in the eye, he was disconcerted for a brief moment, then quickly caught his breath and regained composure and pointed to the dance floor, suggesting that he had arranged the DJ and did I like the music ? I wasn't listening to too much of it, it was more beat than lyrics, the dance kind of music.
"So how long have you known Anjali," he asked me, and I was stunned, he had asked the question that I had been intending to ask him, I dilly dallied with a number and then gave him an acceptable figure, I had wanted to find out more about Anand's perspective rather than give him mine, after all I was here for him. After 30 minutes of talk, Anand turned out to be just what he had professed and what the world saw him as, a moneyed man with enough girls around him, "he'd put a harem to shame," he talked blatantly about his new car and the amount of money he had made and how he intended to spend it. He was honest, I gave him that, but my thoughts turned to how his money, his girls and his life could ever crisscross, I was distant removed from his world, I had my cafes and bars to go to, books to read and questions of life on my mind, "we were poles apart," but he made an interesting character to read and his honesty was an advantage. We played mental poker for another 10 minutes and then parted on a, "promise to meet again," note. I looked around for Anjali and found her staring at me with a dim smile on her lips as if to appreciate the effort.
Hommie, Never Underestimate The Power of Love.
Anand gave me a once over and I smiled back at him, and proffered a hand, he took it up and gave me a firm handshake. He was a handsome one, this dude, "and I had seen many in my lifetime," and it was said about him that he could charm the feathers off anyone, and I had left mine at home, "to be on the safer side," I always did that at parties, left my ego at home and came to them in a surreal state of mind, "wasn't much of drinker," though I too could talk and wanted to know Anand better. For one, he was Anjali's friend from long time back and two, he had a reputation I wanted to check out, Anjali had told me how they had known each others for almost 7 years and she liked him for his quick wits, said he was almost the same as her in personality, honest to the core and direct with friends when needed. He started off with me and asked me whether I was enjoying the party, "parties were just an occasion to watch people," and I inwardly smiled and thought, did he think I was speaking to him so I could get an introduction to the other beautiful ladies in his entourage, so I decided to put his mind to rest.
"I am Anjali's friend," I told him quietly and that she had asked me to take special care of him, he moved away from the escorting ladies and asked the bartender to get me a drink, a Bloody Mary, I took the glass from the bar tender and stared down at the red concoction. So why had I wanted to talk to Anand, did I want to find out more about him or rather his relation with Anjali, "damn this could be construed as jealousy," and yet I still wanted to find out, the first sip of the vodka cleared up my mind, it was probably wasn't jealousy, it was plain curiosity that had led me to him, "and damn for somebody not jealous you sure are inquisitive," my mind snapped back at me, I quietened it down by sipping another of the red concoction and then looked at Anand, direct and straight in the eye, he was disconcerted for a brief moment, then quickly caught his breath and regained composure and pointed to the dance floor, suggesting that he had arranged the DJ and did I like the music ? I wasn't listening to too much of it, it was more beat than lyrics, the dance kind of music.
"So how long have you known Anjali," he asked me, and I was stunned, he had asked the question that I had been intending to ask him, I dilly dallied with a number and then gave him an acceptable figure, I had wanted to find out more about Anand's perspective rather than give him mine, after all I was here for him. After 30 minutes of talk, Anand turned out to be just what he had professed and what the world saw him as, a moneyed man with enough girls around him, "he'd put a harem to shame," he talked blatantly about his new car and the amount of money he had made and how he intended to spend it. He was honest, I gave him that, but my thoughts turned to how his money, his girls and his life could ever crisscross, I was distant removed from his world, I had my cafes and bars to go to, books to read and questions of life on my mind, "we were poles apart," but he made an interesting character to read and his honesty was an advantage. We played mental poker for another 10 minutes and then parted on a, "promise to meet again," note. I looked around for Anjali and found her staring at me with a dim smile on her lips as if to appreciate the effort.
Hommie, Never Underestimate The Power of Love.
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