An Ideal Wife (10 page)

Next morning, the apsara whom I’d now christened Payal, reached a top-modelling agency, located on Linking Road at Khar (West). She was dressed to kill in a sexy blood red dress. Her long straight black hair, white smooth skin, hazel green almond-shaped eyes, and delicately shaped nose were a sight straight from heaven (quite literally). Her good height along with perfectly carved out body at right places made her more attractive. The awestruck doorman at the agency forgot to open the door. She smiled at him, gently opened the door herself and entered the premises.

Her beauty preceded her appearance and the appreciation of her beauty passed like a baton from one person’s eyes to another. She just kept replying to those eyes with a smile on her face till she reached the reception area. The receptionist, busy doing some paperwork, didn’t pay any attention to the new visitor.

She looked around the elegantly designed reception area where pictures of many of the top models of the country adorned the walls. She looked at the receptionist again but found her busy working on her desktop.

‘Excuse me,’ Payal said gently.

‘Yes,’ the receptionist spoke without even looking up.

‘I want to become a model with your agency.’

‘Everyone wants to do that here. Have you done some modelling before?’

‘No, but I think I can do it.’

‘I hear this all day, tell me something new.’

‘At least give me a chance.’

‘I hear that too but I know you won’t budge, so give me your portfolio.’

‘I don’t have any.’

‘Are you crazy? Why do you guys even waste your time in this industry? What do you expect someone here is just waiting for you?’

With these words, the receptionist looked up, only to be silenced into utter amazement at what she saw before her eyes. Payal just smiled back like the angel, err apsara, she was.

Without another word, the receptionist handed Payal a registration form. As Payal stood at the reception counter filling up the form, a tall lanky fellow in tight blue jeans and green t-shirt entered.

‘Good morning, sir,’ the receptionist spoke as she rose from her seat.

‘Good morning, please be seated.’

One look at Payal and he was floored.

‘You don’t need to fill this form.’

Payal stopped filling the form and looked at him.

‘Can you please come with me?’ the man continued.

Unsure of the man’s identity, Payal eyes quizzed the receptionist.

‘He is the boss of this agency,’ the girl clarified.

Payal smiled at him.

‘Shall we?’

Boss showed the way and Payal followed him.

Payal’s professionalism and charming personality turned out to be the biggest boon in her career. Within a short span of time she became an extremely popular name in the fashion world. Every fashion designer in India wanted her to be the showstopper of his/her shows. Corporates were also going crazy over her and she signed brand endorsement deals with many top-notch companies. She also got many offers to act in films but she rejected all of them.

As her career graph soared, Sameer also started noticing her but couldn’t find an opportunity to meet her. He tried to cast her for many advertisements for his agency but somehow it never materialised. He even tried to meet her personally by visiting few fashion shows and advertisement shoots but no luck there either.

As time progressed his liking for Payal became an obsession. For the first time in his life he was longing for someone so badly that he started seeing her wherever he went. He found himself wooing her in his dreams.

One day I noticed that Sameer, while enjoying his beer, was completely engrossed in admiring Payal’s photos on the Internet so much so that he didn’t even notice my presence. The sight brought a sweet but cunning smile to my face.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked as I sat next to him on the couch.

‘She is stunningly beautiful, isn’t she?’ Sameer showed some of Payal’s photos to me.

‘I know, I created her,’ I spoke without realising its consequences.

‘What? What do you mean?’

‘Nothing, I was just pulling your leg,’ I said to control the damage.

‘But man, I must say she is gorgeous.’

‘Wanna meet her?’

‘I am trying to do that for last few weeks but no success,’ Sameer lamented.

‘I can help you there,’ I threw the bait.

‘Kyon phenk raha hai?
Joking again, right?’

‘Have I ever joked before?’ I winked at him.

‘You just did that a minute ago.’

‘Okay, your wish,’ I got up and pretended to leave.

‘Wait wait, you can’t just leave me like this.’

‘You don’t even believe me then what’s the point to continue?’

‘Okay I am sorry; tell me when and where can I meet her?’

‘Right here, right now.’

‘
Tu phir chalu ho gaya phenkoo.
’

I smiled, picked up Sameer’s laptop and sat on the couch again. I logged on to www.shaadi.com. You see, just like god, shaadi.com never gives up on you!

‘Not again,’ Sameer spoke in disbelief.

I smiled again, opened Payal’s profile and turned the laptop towards Sameer.

‘Here you go.’

Sameer just could not believe his eyes after seeing Payal’s profile on www.shaadi.com and he rubbed them with his hands many times.

‘Don’t tell me!!! Every man in this country is dying to marry her and she is looking for her soul mate through a matrimonial website?’

‘You still don’t want to create your profile here, right?’ I questioned him even though I knew the answer.

Sameer didn’t even respond and snatched his laptop from my hand and started creating his profile.

I was amazed to see the speed at which he went about the job. I quickly grabbed a beer for Sameer and a glass of wine for myself.

On my return I found that Sameer was still working on the data entry. I quietly put the Amstel Light pint on the centre table. Sameer took a quick sip from it and again got busy in garnishing his profile. Sameer inputted the minutest of the detail possible so as to create a favourable first impression.

‘Would she respond to my connect interest?’ Sameer inquired, as he was about to send the invitation to Payal.

‘There is only one way to find out,’ I smiled.

Sameer smiled back and hit the send button. He kept looking at the screen in a freeze-frame manner. I knew Sameer would be interested in meeting Payal but I was pleasantly surprised at Sameer’s response. I could easily sense that my days in Mrityulok were numbered.

After staying there for a few more minutes, I decided to leave Sameer alone so I went to another room with a huge smile on my face, thinking that the fish was about to get caught in my meticulously woven net.

In anticipation of her response Sameer couldn’t sleep the whole night and kept strolling in his house gulping as many as a dozen pints. On the other hand, I was sleeping like a baby after spending many sleepless nights due to the promise.

Sameer was so anxious even in the morning that he carried his iPhone to the bathroom. While taking a shower he was elated to see an email from the matrimonial website informing him that Payal has accepted his invitation. Over enthused, he barged out of the bathroom without clothes and started dancing.

‘She replied, she replied,’ and started singing
‘Aaj Mein Upar Aasman Neeche, Aaj Mein Aage Zamana Hai Pichhe.
’

I came out of the room hearing Sameer’s jubilant voice, but quite unprepared for the naked dance.

‘Sameer! Sameer!’ I shouted.

Sameer just kept dancing. I shouted his name again.

‘What?’ Sameer replied but kept dancing.

He paid no attention to me or my shouting.

After a while, he announced, ‘You know, she replied.’

I didn’t say anything.

‘By the way, why were you shouting ‘Sameer Sameer’?
Aisee kya aag lagi hai.’

I shook my head in disbelief and moved away on one side revealing a full-size mirror right behind me. Sameer eyes popped out after seeing himself completely naked in the mirror.

‘What?
Kya hai aisa mere pass jo tere pass nahin hai?’
Sameer immediately covered his embarrassment and slowly walked back to the bathroom.

I smiled, shook my head once again and went back to my nap.

Sameer, this time with a towel wrapped around his waist, came back to the living room and immediately logged on to www.shaadi.com. To his surprise, he found Payal was online too. They both started chatting through Shaadi chat. Half an hour later, Sameer ran to my room and kissed me on my cheeks.

‘What an Idea Paaji, awesome…Payal and I just chatted for some time and we have decided to meet this Sunday,’ Sameer shouted throwing me off the bed.

9

Courtship and marriage

S
ameer scored a boundary on the first ball of the match. The minute he knew Payal was an outdoorsy person, he proposed Della Adventure, an adventure park, at Lonavala (about 90 km from Mumbai on the way to Pune) for their first date. Way to go, homeboy!

His strike rate was eye-popping, hit after hit after hit as they spent over eight exhaustive yet exhilarating hours at the place. There was nothing that they did not do—Zorbing, Paintball, ATV Rides, Motocross Dirt Bikes and Mountain Biking.

The two got along like a house on fire. And with each new date, their bonding grew stronger. Within days it was like ‘Hey Payal, you free?’, ‘Hey Sameer, come over for a movie!’ They spent every single free minute with each other. These meetings had a magical effect on Sameer who, thankfully, came back to his old ways of helping others in need.

His friends were extremely happy to see the old Sameer back in form whereas Jimmy was getting jealous, not because he was about to lose the bet but because of the gorgeous girl in Sameer’s arms.

One day Sameer and Payal were enjoying their dinner at a famous seafood restaurant, Gajalee, in Juhu.

‘Let’s do something fun this Sunday,’ Sameer said as he popped a piece of Tandoori Lobster in his mouth.

‘Awesome, what would you prefer?’ Payal asked, cutting through Spicy Prawn Pickle with her knife.

‘Anything,’ Sameer replied casually, his mouth still full of lobster.

And it seemed good food was giving Payal some good ideas. ‘How about rock climbing?’ she suggested.

Sameer was stunned at the suggestion and even the drool worthy lobster piece got stuck in his throat.

‘Oh shit, how do I tell her that I am afraid of heights?’
he gulped.

Payal, who was still busy with her prawn cutting, looked up and realised Sameer had lost a bit of colour.

‘Sameer, are you okay?’

‘I was just thinking where to go for rock climbing,’ Sameer covered his dilemma rather well.

Payal once again dug into her dish. Sameer on the other hand chewed the lobster very slowly and started thinking about places one could go rock climbing. He knew it was going to be tough for him but he still wanted to make it a fun, interesting and unforgettable day for both of them. He came up with a place, which blended his love for sea with her love for rocks very well.

‘How about Manori Rocks?’

‘Manori Rocks? Where is it?’

‘It’s near Manori Beach, which is little over an hour’s drive from here.’

‘Cool!’

The plan was set with a click of lobster claw and prawn tail.

Throughout the week Sameer kept thinking about ways to conquer his fear of heights. He even tried his hand at artificial rock walls in some malls but it didn’t help him either. On the fateful Sunday he got up early and kept walking inside his apartment with a grim look. I was getting nervous seeing him in this state but decided not to ask him anything.

Not sure what happened Sameer made a few phone calls, which brought a huge smile to his face, before leaving his house. He raced, picked Payal from her apartment at 7 Bungalows in Andheri (West) and drove an hour to reach their destination.

Payal was amazed to see the beauty and calmness of Manori Rocks, which were not too far from the bustling crowds of Mumbai. Apart from the sound of sea and wind, the only other sound she could hear was her own heartbeat.

A team member of the adventure sports company, a client of Sameer’s, welcomed them and explained the day’s itinerary. After a light breakfast he gave them a quick tutorial on all the aspects of rock climbing.