Timeless Reflections!

1 January 2008.
00.00am

I walked across the room to the wall where hung the calender. Crossing off the 31st of December, I stood in deep thought.Its January 1st already! The one day that could change my world upside down. Anticipation flooded my senses and I felt butterflies play a symphony in my tummy. Sitting on my bed, My hands cupped in prayer, I closed my eyes and meditated. In the muted silence of the night, the only other sounds were the occasional vehicles on the road and the buzz of mosquitoes. I tried to shut my eyes close and sleep. But in vain. Restless, I got out of my bed and decided to checklist the items for the day.

The pink salwar kameez, all pressed without even a single crease, lay on the hanger, safe. I opened the clutch purse and counted the cash once again. 5 grand and some odd change. The lipstick and compact had cost me a bundle. Yet, I needed them for the day and had picked it up with no guilt pangs. I put them back into the purse and decided to sleep. Switching off the lights, I hit the bed.

07.00am

I don't know when I slipped into sleep last night. Now the time showed 7am. I rushed in for a shower. Slipping into the new salwar suit, I felt pretty. Admiring myself in the mirror I smiled. "Not bad, not bad at all" At 5 feet 8 inches, I stood taller than most Indian women. With a fair skin and long curly hair, I have always managed to turn heads where ever I go. Once again, the knot in my stomach churned and I blushed red in excitement. The time sped by as I fixed my curls and dabbed on some make up.

10.00am

I yelled a goodbye to my mom and walked out of our apartment. The traffic was terrible as usual. There are times when I wished I were rich, just to be able to afford a helicopter to avoid the hurdles of Mumbai traffic. But then as the saying goes, If wishes were horses....! I waited for a rickshaw for a while. And finally found one. I hopped in, with no time to spare.

"Bhaiyya, Orchid Hotel, Nehru Road. Zara tez chalana, thodi jaldi me hu"

"Humphhhhh"

I sat back, the nervousness reaching up to a state of paranoia. It was to be our first meeting. I met Rakesh on the internet around 6 months back. He is basically from Delhi. But after his graduation he left for the US, where he completed his post graduation at Arizona University and is currently working as a software engineer in the US. And that's exactly what I was planning to do. I planned to get into Arizona University for my Masters. My parents would never approve nor could they afford to send me to the US for studies. And I hated being poor, for this reason and a hell lot more. Anyways, the job at the BPO had given me a source of income. And I had somehow managed to give my GRE and the score being decent enough would fetch me a seat abroad. But applying to universities had been a pain, for the cash requirements were too much for me to handle. But thanks to Rakesh, I could apply to quite a few universities. Coming to Rakesh, I sure hoped he looks handsome and smart. The anxiety seemed to rise with each passing moment!

10.45am

"Orchid"

I awoke from my reverie. "Kitna hua?"

"Thees rupaiyya"

I paid the cash and walked in through the gates. Its the first time I've ever set my foot at Orchid. I felt nervous and very much out of place. I walked into the restaurant, and with the help of the manager I found the table reserved for us. I sat down, a nervous wreck, expecting my Prince Charming to come any moment and sweep me off my feet. I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned back.

Freeze!!!

The whole scene froze before my eyes. I found a dark, pudgy man with a receding hairline and cleft lips. My hands trembled, my eyes failed to focus. I passed out, I gather.

11.30am

My head really ached, and I felt all dizzy. The room felt oddly strange and I managed to sit up on the bed. Rakesh was sitting next to me, holding my hands in his. I felt sick, nauseous.

"Kya hua jaan? You alright now?"

"ummm... Nothing ... I just have a nasty headache"

"Don't worry darling. I'll get you an aspirin. You rest up. I'll be right back"

I watched the beefy man walk out of the room. I felt disgusted, and hurt.The disappointment crept in and I felt anger at myself rising. All I wanted to do was leave. I stood up still feeling dizzy, grabbed my purse and slipped into my sandals and was about to move about, when I found an envelope on the table, addressed to me. I opened it and found my visa processed, and there were the scholarship sanction and the admission letter from Arizona university.I felt weak all off the sudden. Torn between anger and desire, I sat down on the couch.

"Ah! Spoilsport! You spoiled my surprise. Anyways, Congrats sweetheart! You are flying to the US. Here's your aspirin."

I gulped down the tablet and looked at him and smiled weakly.

"Thanks a lot Rakesh", I managed to quip.

"Come on Neeta, this is the least I could do for you. Now smile baby, US is at your calling. "

I felt his hands on my shoulder once again. I felt the weight of the envelope pulling me down. He forced me to face him and I felt his cleft lips close down on mine.The nausea returned once again, and I felt the bile rise. Yet my eyes strayed onto the envelope and I never freed myself from him.

Everything turned smokey all off a sudden. I felt his hands all over me. I felt the weight of his body over me, pushing me down and hurting me. Then I felt no more. Everything happened in a haze and I kept replaying the Envelope in my mind...The Envelope...The Envelope...And I felt him shudder and go limp, over me. I closed my eyes shut. It was cold, all off a sudden.

After a while I heard his snores and I pushed his hand away from me. I slipped out of bed and held the envelope in my hand. Sitting on the couch, with a blanket over me, I looked out of the window...

...America, here I come, I whispered to no one...!