(There comes a time in life when you should not wait for something to happen, you go out and make it happen)
I am an impatient being and willing to be patient for things which are very close to my heart. (Two PhDs could not survive my impatience, had to drop out twice :), the company has, so you get the idea!!). Anything less than extraordinary is a waste of my lifetime.
Coming back to the journalist 'mohtarma', I was getting impatient, as i had a perfect excuse to ask her out (the confusion about dating/meeting will be cleared in future posts, so hang in there!) but she appeared to be busy all the time. (Actually being busy is a part of her Geminian charm, the mind is continuously occupied, not necessarily she is ;))
Started stalking her when she was online, chatting and fixing meetings (Dude, i should get some balls and ask a woman out, but i have my own list of excuses :() After some false starts, could actually convince her to meet for coffee. So that was it, our first meeting without work being the focus, but could not term it a date, as it was not explicitly spelled out (Professionals, can clarify the intricacies of dating to me, please, through comments)
So it was a Meeting at Barista, South Ex-II (socha ki hum bhi in coffee bars ki sale badha de, abtak to panch rupaye wali chai hi peeta tha, jia sarai ki ;) ) I was very confident that i can reach south ex in twenty minutes flat from IIT D, but thanks to my khatara car and the notorious Delhi traffic, took me cool 35 minutes to be there. To be honest, i started late. When would i stop doing that. She was already waiting and slightly angry also (by then my impression of being a late lateef has been set, which stands till date!), I was slightly nervous but that's cool. I realized then that this woman is not as fair as i am (i know i am sounding very vain, but i have this deep rooted complex that i am very fair looking guy ;)). Again a misconception, but surely she looked tired and distraught (like a damsel in distress :)). May be its the Delhi heat, her travelling, her constantly working Gemini mind or some other stuff... God knows, i didn't know it then.
This meeting again was centred around technology and her story. Its good to have intelligent conversations but I wanted to add personal dimensions and whats better way of extending conversations than 'observing and talking'. I could not stop noticing one thing.. Yaar kitna khaati hai!! Unlike girls, ek poori club sandwich ki plate chat kar gayi!! :0
On a serious note, this woman was all about observation. You can spend hours with her talking, as she has a viewpoint on all issues. She is well read, intelligent and 'deceptively attentive'... Her nonchalant independence is also heart warming. There are women who are independent but make a big issue of it, other are simply too traditional... she is somewhere at the intersection :)
One note worthy incident was when i took her hand to flaunt my astro knowlegde ( i know , this is a cliched trick, to touch a girl ;))...well very soft hands. I tried to get some information whether she is single or seeing someone.. but only got the feeling that she is having some trouble in her relationship or there is some disturbing past.. well who does not have one.. :-|
There was an incident centred around water. Out of something inconsequential, i drank water from her glass. Pat came a smart comment: "tumhe AIDS to nahin" (which was by design, as i later found out, to catch people off-guard) but in a split second i replied: AIDS happens through a different sort of fluid exchange. She was startled..(Rani, isse kehte hain nehle pe delha:D, ;))
After talking some sense and quite a lot non-sense, it was time to leave. And i offered to drop her home, which was actually a PG, in a my old and dilapidated car (I should stop fretting about it and buy a new one!!). She was very direct in complementing me that i observe and say things. She comes across as someone who is very sure of herself, the way she carries herself with dignity and does not make opinions, unlike me. I think i am quick to make opinions, draw conclusions, and sometimes over-analyze things!!!
I smoked in her company (which is very close to smoking nirvana, sharing a cigarette is actually smoking nirvana!!! :)), drove her back.. and left with a smile on my face, feeling content that i have met some one with whom i can connect across a wide spectrum of ideas...and that made me expectant... :) Parting wisdom.. beware of expectations, expectations reduce the joy of living..... :)
