A Lover & His Lass

Colty thinks while staring at Mme: (For the sake of propriety, I've deleted the scandalous first lines) "I can see your waxed-smooth bare arms and shaved legs, with the socks so folded that they might as well not be there. I like the way a crooked smile plays on your cheeks, as you check your inbox folder, probably reading that sweet li'l love message for the 16th time today. I am charmed, I am hooked. And so are the men who walk past you...and turn around to throw a second, lusty glance your way. You don't cringe, you dont feel "violated". You pretend that they don't exist. Or you kill them in your thoughts. Fine. But hey listen! What about me? Come on...what about my insolent stare? Ah, now you see me! What do I do? Let's play the staring game as we both play the waiting game too, hunh? Ok. A few seconds is all it takes. I am outstared. You win, madame (Mme, short for madame....that was how she got her name, by which we call her still..Mme to this day insists after the christening by Colty, he had somehow charmed her into forgetting some pedestrian name given by her parents! Damn Colty for making her forget her own name...Of course, it's always his fault...!)! Some faint movements disturb her serene lips - is that some song inspired by me or is she cursing me?! I reluctantly turn away my "male gaze" away from you. You are very young (she proved him wrong), innocent (she proved him wrong again)and I am assuming conveniently, you are..."

Delete, delete, delete...I conveniently delete Colty's irreverent thoughts!


Mme's version as she outstares Colty: "My hair caught a few drops of the Norwester and my skin felt them too. And suddenly, it poured. I liked the way the rain wet me. I kept walking, revelling in the scent of wet earth (which word can capture this evanescent yet unmistakable fragrance that awakens in you something so equally undefinable?), relishing the disapproving glances shot at me by people who had taken shelter, rejoicing over the beautiful afternoon, receiving this gift-wrapped weather with gratitude. I stood at the bus stand, watching a moron at the other side watching me...And then the rain distracted me again..I forgot all about the idiot and concentrated on the rain...Here come my thoughts again....Some benevolent god, I felt, in his sudden whim has decided to rain benediction on me. I felt purified, cleansed of whatever dust might have clung to me, rejuvenated as if a new lease of life had been granted. But instead of murmuring a prayer, I sang a love song!


As we saw, Mme dismissed Colty in a couple of sentences, having decided even those seconds she spent on him were not worth the minutes she spent composing her thoughts on the rain...But Mme conceded the love song was indeed inspired by Colty, whom she had noticed the previous 9 days on that precise spot...It was then we understood why Colty missed office for more than a week, and the cryptic excuse he had SMSed our boss :"Unable to attend office because of a nagging heartache..." The three dots in the SMS, Colty had said to us later, highlighted the unknown depths he seemed to be slowly heading for.