Blind Date

We sat opposite to each other. He just settled himself on an edge of the bed as I pulled out blue colored arm-back rest revolving chair we use with PC desk. My brother left and now we were just two of us in my room.


Only few minutes back, I had just done first CHAI-SERVICE of my life. I dressed up as traditionally as I can-which was difficult give my latest feather cut and tonnes of attitude on face. Though it was blue and pink salwaar-chudi, but Pa had a problem with sleeves, or absence of it. Anyways, my mother was happy that by chance I had done cleanup and eye brows just a day back. As if I had taken that extra pain of threading to get a desired curve only for the eyes of Jimmy.

Doesn’t it sound like a dog-name? That was I told my Pa. But what is in a name?? He was potential groom. Son of a rich dad. An Engineer, who was living alone. Elder sister, who got married two years back. ``Oh Comeon! What more a girl would ask for?’’, was reaction of Pa.

Ok. So there I served tea to Jimmy, his mother, his father and his sister. While I was trying to get a look of the `boy’, I could felt all eyes on me. Oh! Isn’t that I always wanted be. Center of attention. But when I was centre of attention, I was really not enjoying.

``Beta, show our house to Jimmy’’, said Pa after everyone finished the tea. ``Sure’’, I said. I managed to simile too. And I was surprised that I smiled. I realized, all that was not too bad also.

``So u work with India Times’’, came the first bouncer from Jimmy. I couldn’t stop but to give a strong gaze. Next moment my eyes were questioning him. ``What the hell India Times is?’’. Suddenly I realized I was feeling all normal and confident.

Well was that normal for the situation? All shyness and nervousness a girl is supposed to feel when appearing for an interview for arrange marriage was absent. ``Who cares’’. To me situation appeared like I am on a blind date. I and this guy, with a future in mind, meeting each other. We had only exchanged profile before this meet. We are inside a room. We are alone. And in next half an hour or so we would try to know each other. A perfect blind date. Only that not a website or an agency, but its arranged by parents. ``Chai services not that bad for girls’’, I said to myself.

``Well, no no. That’s not the paper I work for. In fact, no one works for that paper. There is no such paper’’, I said with a proud feeling as I had just added to his knowledge of newspapers.

``So what you have to do’’, seemed he got further confused. ``I run to collect news, then file it and send it. That’s it’’, I tried to explain job of a reporter. But by now I was clear that he knew nothing about media. In fact, it seemed he had never taken any English daily in hand. And, he also tried to make his stand clear. ``I am planning to get settled in Gulf. I see a very good future for chemical engineer there’’.

``Woha’’, I had a sigh of relief. Two questions and I was sure that `we were not for each other’. Not that I have a problem with arrange marriage. My problem is how to decide Yes or No. And, in this case, I had my answer. A warm smile stayed on my face. There was a silence for a while.

``Don’t you wanna ask anything’’, I could see that my smile made him uncomfortable.

``Do you think woman should continue to work after marriage?’’, I asked.
He replied, `` I think blah blah blah blah blah----------------‘, that was all I could hear. May beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee that was what I chose to hear. What ever was his answer, I had no concern.

My next question was kind of one that we regularly come across in job interviews. ``Where do u c urself five years down the line’’

``Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah’’.

The blah-blah continued for about half an hour. I was ready to end it any moment and at the same time would have not mind to carry it forward for next 2 hours. But then there were no questions.

``Shall we go down’’, Jimmy asked. ``Oh!Yes’’, I was still smiling.

I could not like Jimmy, and I guess feeling was mutual. But I am very thankful to him. He took pain to visit my place to meet me and I realized how interesting blind dates can be. And, since then, much to my Pa’s surprise, I have never said no to get ready for blind dates.