Love is Blind

by Vijay K Kerji

   

  Niranjan had become familiar with the routes and General Electric client work place was towards Route One South.

   

  “I think I have seen the Market Fair Mall from the outside, while going to the Quaker Bridge Mall along with you, few weeks ago. It’s on the right side of the Route One South,” Niranjan said.

   

  “Yes you are right. Barnes and Noble book store is the main attraction of the Market Fair Mall,” Venkatesh said while he changed the lane to pass a moving car ahead.

   

  Niranjan discussed about other outlets present in Market Fair while Venkatesh steered his car towards the right to enter into the parking area of the Mall. He parked his car in one of the available parking slot and both walked towards the main entrance. They turned left and walked towards the main entrance of the Barnes and Noble book store.

   

  ######

   

  Niranjan felt astonished by looking at such a big book store with large collection of books. He looked at the store which was spread across a half acre space with many bookshelves stacked with books. Entire area is divided into many sections and each section represented a specific genre.

   

  He walked towards the Star Bucks coffee shop in the middle of the book store where many Americans had beverages while reading a book. He saw Venkatesh walking towards the technical book section and picking a book from the shelf. He spent few minutes with him and walked towards a section of romance and thriller genre. He saw many novels stacked up and glanced at few of them. He picked up a novel and started reading it by taking a seat in a sofa nearby.

   

  While Niranjan was engrossed in reading the novel for about half an hour, he was interrupted by Venkatesh.

   

  “What are you reading with so much interest?” Venkatesh asked while he approached Niranjan.

   

  “Yes, quite an interesting novel,” Niranjan said and showed the front cover of the novel.

   

  “You can buy if it interests you,” Venkatesh said. He stared at Niranjan.

   

  ‘Yes, I will,’ Niranjan said and looked at the book cover.

   

  They both walked towards the billing counter near the entrance. Niranjan paid for the book using his credit card and collected the book from the sales girl at the counter. He walked out of the store towards the other outlets of the Mall.

   

  Niranjan saw TGI Friday’s restaurant towards his right with people entering and leaving through its entrance. He stopped walking for a while and said, “It is almost dinner time, and if you are interested, we can dine here”.

   

  “Sure, I am feeling hungry,’ Venkatesh said while he looked at Niranjan.

   

  Niranjan walked inside the restaurant and waited beside the lobby for the waiter to appear to escort them to a table. The restaurant was crowded with the visitors having party on the Friday night. Niranjan saw few Americans having good time with their partner seated in the pub which was nestled within the restaurant.

   

  ######

   

  Jennifer parked her Beetle near the TGI Friday’s at the Market Fair Mall and walked towards the main entrance of the Mall to enter into the restaurant along with her friend Andrea. She stepped inside and stood beside Niranjan and waited for a waitress to come.

   

  Jennifer looked at a fair, handsome and a tall person of an Indian or Mexican origin looking at her with a smile on his face. She felt embarrassed at the way he stared at her with his eyes fixed on her.

   

  Meanwhile a waitress approached towards them and asked, “For how many people?”

   

  Jennifer was not sure who came first to the lobby and she looked at Niranjan and said, “I think you guys were already here before us”.

   

  “It’s all right, you can go ahead, we will wait for the next table” Niranjan said, and showed his courtesies.

   

  “Okay, thanks,” Jennifer said and followed the waitress with Andrea.

   

  They walked towards the inside hall where people were having the dinner with their partners. She followed the waitress towards an empty table.

   

  “You can occupy this,” the waitress said and walked back.

   

  “Okay, Thank you so much,” Jennifer said.

   

  She made herself comfortable in front of Andrea. The warm temperature and subdued lighting comforted her soul. Company of Andrea made her feel homely. Jovial environment pervaded around the hall which soothed her mind.

   

  The waitress came back to her table and asked, “What would you like to have?”

   

  Jennifer glanced at the menu and said, “I like to have a Coconut Colada Rita for drinks”.

   

  “I like to have the same drink,” Andrea said.

   

  “What can I get you for the dinner,” the waitress asked.

   

  Jennifer thought for a while and said, “We would like to have Parmesan Crusted Chicken with extra cheese”.

   

  The waitress scribbled the order and walked towards the next table.

   

  ######

   

  Niranjan waited for a waitress to escort them and few minutes later, he was escorted to a hall inside along with Venkatesh. Niranjan made himself comfortable at the table facing the hall while Venkatesh seated in front of him. Niranjan saw Jennifer seated at the next table facing him. He gazed at her once. Her glowing beautiful face with sparkly eyes pleased his heart. Beautiful smile on her face comforted his mind.

   

  The waitress walked back towards their table and asked, “What would you like to have, gentlemen?”

   

  Venkatesh flipped the menu and said, “Two Margaritas on the rocks please”.

   

  “What can I get you for the dinner?”

   

  “Bean Enchiladas with extra cheese,” Venkatesh said. The waitress scribbled the order and walked back.

   

  Niranjan intermittently gazed at Jennifer who engrossed in conversation with Andrea in style.

   

  “Did you visit this place before?” Venkatesh asked while he kept his hands on the table.

   

  “Well, Once I visited with colleagues and we had a working lunch over here. Frank hosted the lunch on that day,” Niranjan said.

   

  “Okay, you visited during the day time,” Venkatesh said.

   

  “Yeah, and the ambience here looks excellent during night,” Niranjan said while he looked around the hall.

   

  Meanwhile, the waitress walked towards their table with Margarita on the rocks and said, “Enjoy your drinks and have a nice time”. She placed the glasses on the table and walked back.

   

  “Thank you,” Niranjan said.

   

  He lifted the glass and cheered to Venkatesh. Sweet and delicious taste of Margarita quenched his dry throat.

   

  “It tastes good, mix of sweet and sour lemonade,” Niranjan said.

   

  “Yeah, I like it. It is my favourite drink here,” Venkatesh said while he sipped the Margarita.

   

  Niranjan spent next fifteen minutes in the discussion and gazed at Jennifer occasionally. He completed his glass of Margarita and waited for the waitress to order the second Margarita.

   

  “I am done and you please go ahead,” Venkatesh said while he sipped the remaining drink.

   

  The waitress walked near the table and Niranjan waved his hand to her.

   

  She came closer and a
sked, “Yes, do you need anything else?”

   

  “Get me one more glass of Margarita on the rocks please,” Niranjan said.

   

  “All right, I will get one for you,” she said while she scribbled the order.

   

  Margarita relaxed Niranjan's soul and warmed his body. Jennifer in the front table thrilled his mind. He controlled his urge to go to her table and speak with her. He made a clicking sound of annoyance.

   

  Let me meet her outside the restaurant once dining is over.

   

  Soon after, waitress served them with two bean enchiladas. Both enjoyed their dinner, speaking with each other. They waited for the waitress to give the bill while Niranjan saw Jennifer walking out of the hall along with her friend.

   

  ######

   

  Jennifer stepped out of the restaurant along with Andrea and breathed a fresh air outside. Delicious and hot diner at the restaurant satisfied her taste buds. She slipped her hand into her pocket and took out her silver enamelled cigarette case. She took two cigarettes from the case and offered one to Andrea. Andrea lit the cigarettes and they puffed on it for few seconds to taste its aroma.

   

  While they enjoyed smoking, Jennifer saw Niranjan standing near the entrance of the restaurant with his gaze fixed at her. She ran her eyes thoughtfully over him for a while.

   

  What makes him to look at me like that? I think he is attracted towards me. Let me see what his intentions are.

   

  Soon after, she saw Niranjan tiptoeing towards her which made her hairs stand on end. Her eyes locked into his eyes. She saw a smile on his cool face which relieved her tense heart.

   

  Oh, my heart almost missed a beat. He looks very cool and let’s see what he is up to.

   

  “Hi, I’m Niranjan. Hope you both enjoyed dining here.” His voice was soft in tone and queer in quality.

   

  Jennifer paused for few seconds and said, “Yes we did.”

   

  “Do you mind telling your name?” Niranjan asked with earnest.

   

  I think he is smarter than what I presumed. He looks cool though. Let me not dishearten him.

   

  Jennifer paused a moment before replying. “I am Jennifer Coleman and she is my friend Andrea.”

   

  “Oh, it is nice to meet you both,” Niranjan said. He opened his wallet, took out few visiting cards and offered one to her. Jennifer took it and glanced at it.

   

  He seems to be a white collar worker here. Let me know more about him.

   

  “Oh, you are a techie working for General Electric," Jennifer said while she twirled the visiting card with her fingers.

   

  “Yes you are right. I joined them a month ago,” Niranjan said with soft tone.

   

  “Where are you putting up?” Jennifer asked.

   

  “Princeton, Deer Creek apartments with my colleague,” Niranjan said. He formed an intense gaze towards her.

   

  They shivered when the cold wind came whistling down the Mall.

   

  I think his intentions are not bad and he just wanted to speak with me.

   

  “All right, nice meeting you, we need to go now,” Jennifer said and kept Niranjan's visiting card inside her wallet.

   

  Niranjan shot a slightly annoyed glance at her and said, “Okay, we will meet later.”

  He waved his hand while they walked towards the parking area. Jennifer glanced at the rear mirror of her car and saw Niranjan still looking at them. She pulled her car out of the parking slot and drove towards the route one North.

   

  ######

   

  Niranjan walked back towards Venkatesh who stood away while he met Jennifer.

   

  “Sorry, I kept you waited. I spoke with her for more than I initially thought,” Niranjan said while approaching him.

   

  “It is Okay, did she respond well to your queries?” Venkatesh said and walked towards his car.

   

  “Ah, well, she did. But she was in a hurry to go. I gave her my visiting card,” Niranjan said while he walked along with Venkatesh in the parking area.

   

  “Okay, well, let’s go. It is getting late,” Venkatesh said and opened his car door.

   

  “Okay,” Niranjan said while he sat in the car.

   

  Venkatesh steered his car towards the Deer Creek apartment along the Route One North.

  ######

   

  The weather was cold in that winter night with moderate wind outside. Route One North was well lit with yellow lights and was bustled with traffic. Jennifer drove her Beetle back home with Andrea after dining at TGI Fridays. She turned her car radio to FM Smooth Jazz station, and Dave Koz’s interesting tracks were being played.

   

  “The guy who spoke with you at TGI Friday’s appears to be new to this place,”

  Andrea said and broke the silence which had pervaded.

   

  “Yeah, I think so. He looked cool though,” Jennifer said while she looked at Andrea for a while.

   

  “He gave his visiting card, and let’ look at it,” Andrea said. She opened the wallet and glanced at it.

   

  “He works for GE at Princeton, as a Software Engineer,” Andrea said.

   

  “These Techies from India are very smart. My friend at Cranford hung out with a techie for some time before he went to California,” Jennifer said. They both guffawed.

   

  “His telephone number is printed on the card; you can call back him if you are interested in him,” Andrea said while she chuckled.

   

  “Well, I don’t take interests in such matters,” Jennifer said reluctantly.

   

  “I think he is attracted to you,’ Andrea said.

   

  “Well, may be, and I am least bothered,” Jennifer said, and steered her car towards the exit and joined a street which led to New Brunswick

  Chapter 8 Work Place Challenges

  We must be our own before we can be another's - Ralph Waldo Emerson

   

  Semi dark clouds enveloped the sky, with gusty winds down the Deer Creek Apartment. It was the winter season and had snowed several times. The harsh cold outside kept the residents indoors on that Sunday afternoon. Niranjan sat by the desk in front of the computer, and browsed the internet. He responded to the emails from his parents and friends. He saw Venkatesh busy reading technical papers related to his project inside the hall.

   

  Niranjan was lost in the past event which had happened in the Market Fair Mall on the Friday night. He was immersed in the memory of his conversation with Jennifer outside the restaurant. He was a bit melancholic that he did not have any means to contact her hereafter.

   

  Monday morning, he woke early and got ready himself. He was mentally prepared to embrace the busy work week ahead. Frank, his manager at GE, had sent a meeting request on previous Thursday and Niranjan had accepted it. The agenda was related to the latest technology in three dimensional programming.

   

  He reached his desk at quarter past nine and noticed some employees were already in. He turned on his computer and glanced at new emails. He quickly replied to the essential ones, and since the meeting was scheduled at 9:30 AM, he stepped out of his desk and walked towards the meeting hall.

   

  Niranjan saw his colleague Sing Ming already inside and he sat beside her by the table. Soon after, Frank entered into the hall along with Daniel and Harris.

   

&nb
sp; Sing Ming worked in Frank’s group and she was from China and a permanent resident of the USA. She was lean and short, and wore glasses. She worked as a software programmer and joined the group for the current project. Daniel and Harris were employees of the General Electric and worked with Frank as senior Software Engineers since last two years.

   

  “Good Morning,” Frank said. He sat by the table, adjacent to Niranjan.

   

  “Good morning,” Niranjan said. Sing Ming also conveyed her greetings.

   

  “I hope all of you had a pleasant weekend. The weather was cold, however,” Frank said. He looked at Sing Ming and Niranjan.

   

  Niranjan paused for a moment before replying, “I had been to a nearby Mall with my friend Venkatesh and we had a good time together”.

   

  Sing Ming said she had been to a movie with her husband. Harris had been to Blooming Dale Mall for shopping and Daniel stayed at home with his family.

   

  “It’s good to know that you enjoyed your weekend. Let’s complete an important task this week and enjoy the weekend delight once again”. He paused for a moment to make sure all are listening and hastened once more into speech.

   

  “This week, we need to discover a new way of implementing the three dimensional scenes. We have used the traditional method of 3D scene rendering these days. But I want it to be changed to a new technology,” Frank said. His voice was clear and courteous.

   

  Frank and his group members had a detailed discussion about the subject. Niranjan posed several questions to clear his doubts while Harris and Daniel actively participated in the debate. Sing Ming raised a few questions related to the programming.

   

  Frank shifted his glance towards Niranjan. A twinkle in Niranjan’s eyes led him to unburden himself since Niranjan had overcome such challenges in the past.

   

  “The technology we discussed really intrigues me. I have confidence that you will come out with a solution. Use your little grey cells of the mind and you will get it. It is going to be a great value adds to the project if you can solve the problem, otherwise delays, annoyances and a million one inconveniences,” Frank said. He tried to motivate his team members.

   

  Niranjan pondered for few moments and said, “I have come across the technique you have mentioned while reading one of the technical blog posts. I will try my best to see how it can be implemented in our project.” His voice was filled with the confidence.

   

  “Please go ahead, I have faith in you,” Frank said. He smiled fairly.

   

  Frank adjourned the meeting and everyone walked towards the cafeteria with him. Niranjan had a discussion with colleagues while having coffee and everyone dispersed to their desk soon after.