11 Hours

by Daniel Paul Singh

  “Then, don’t ask me how I found your mobile number.” It looked like she was in a serious mood.

  “Alright… Alright… Why are you still awake? Not getting sleep?” I continued the conversation.

  “Was thinking of you all day and not getting any sleep.” she added a sarcastic smiley.

  “Lucky me! What did you think of me?” I decided not to take anything that she said at face value.

  “Duh… I work in shifts. My work got over at 10.30 PM. I came home late. We completed our family prayer a while ago, and I am lying in bed. So, thought of replying to you.”

  “Nice to know that I am the person you think of before going to bed.” I flirted.

  “I am used to watching horror movies before I sleep” she replied.

  “And these days, are you content with seeing yourself in the mirror, before you sleep?” I shot back.

  “You know what? I shouldn’t have messaged you. Good night!”

  Clearly, she was upset.

  “I am sorry. That was crass. Really sorry... Please talk to me for some time.”

  “Why talk to you and about what?”

  “Anything under the sun!”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I am on my way to my hometown.”

  “Oh! But, why on a Tuesday night?” she inquired.

  “I have to sign in some document for selling our ancestral property.”

  “Alright. Can I ask you something? If you don’t mind…”

  “You don’t have to be this formal with me, Diana.”

  “Will try. Don’t you have any work at your office? You are always online in Whatsapp. Who were you chatting with all day?” She dropped the bomb!

  “Were you stalking me all day?” I sent an eye-winking smiley.

  “Answer my question. Who were you talking to all day?”

  “Not with anyone in particular. I would just be online and talk to anyone I ping or who pings me.” I sent the smiley that shows all the teeth.

  “Then, there are a few things that I must change post my marriage.”

  “Marriage!??” I sent a ‘shock’ smiley.

  “I said MY marriage… and that need not necessarily be with you.”

  “Err... What!??”

  “Go. Sleep now.”

  “Why are you being so mean to me?” I was slightly upset.

  “I don’t want to talk to you before anything is finalized.”

  “Are you angry with me?”

  “No. Why will I ever be mad at you?” She sent a heart smiley along with it.

  Heart smiley!

  I was flying above the clouds - a heart smiley from my ‘probable’ fiancée.

  “Oh my God! You just sent me a heart smiley?”

  “I know what I sent.”

  “Thank you!” I sent back a ‘heart in the eyes’ smiley.

  “Okay, good night. Travel safe. Now, don’t text me. Don’t message me until I do.”

  “Done Deal!”

  “Flirt” read her last message. That was uncalled for and I felt uneasy. Calling me that for the second time made me uncomfortable and thinking about it made me angry.

  Though I enjoyed our first chat conversation, it wasn’t something I could cherish. Diana sounded harsh, strict and arrogant at times, so unlike the ‘silent girl’ image she had at office and home. I wasn’t sure if she would suit my easy-going, fun loving nature and it evoked further doubts as to whether the two of us would be compatible with each other at all!

  I read the conversations all over again. Frankly, I didn’t like it. If she were trying to be sarcastic, she had definitely gone overboard and so had I. Our first conversation needn’t have gone that way. It could have been a lot more warm and polite, I felt. I was all the more confused if she was the girl for me. I decided to delete the conversation and also her from my life. I deleted the conversation first.

  Two weeks went without a word with her.

  Our next conversation happened when her parents came to visit our house. It was the 22nd of August 2014. The elders talked about the prospect of marriage, as I sat down casually, listening to every praise they poured on me, addressing me as a good, obedient, caring boy. I was flying. I came back to my senses when they started discussing the marriage date. Wait, what? Marriage? Not so soon, not with her!

  I wasn’t sure how my parents were already convinced. I was even more doubtful how her parents were in agreement as well! I felt spineless, in fact, boneless too, when our parents decided to get us married within two months. I hadn’t even registered her face well so far! Two months? I wouldn’t even get to know her favorite soap nor soup by then.

  I fervently opposed such a swift marriage. I wanted to postpone it by at least six months so that I could spend enough time with Diana and understand her. Our parents’ didn’t heed to my demands. Moreover, her parents were even more particular to conduct the marriage within the next few available dates. I called her and explained the situation, but there wasn’t much that she could do either. Our engagement and marriage dates got fixed right then. My fate was sealed.

  Her parents left after an hour, and I turned to my mom.

  “Mom! Please don’t do this. I haven’t even talked to her properly as yet. I need to spend more time with her. Don’t decide anything in a hurry before that. I am not sure if both of us would be compatible with each other. She might not be my type”

  “What type? Robin all that will be taken care of.” my mom assured me, and true to her words, informed my concerns to her parents too. Thus, the date for our ‘official first date’ was decided and we agreed to meet on August 29th at KFC, Anna Nagar for lunch.

  August 29th 2014:

  She was late for our date, and I hated the wait. As she got down from the auto, I went near the door of KFC and opened it for her [inspired from various ‘first impression’ lessons I had learnt]. I asked her to place the order (ladies’ first) and then we took our food to the first floor. We took a corner seat and started to chat as we ate.

  She was being a silent listener. She didn’t talk except for a few nods, bites and ‘hmmms’. She gave an impression that the chicken in front of her was the most important thing in the world at that moment. Anything that I said, fell on deaf ears. As she continued to give her meal that undivided attention, I decided to surprise her by gifting a key chain. She took it so casually as if it was the bill that had just arrived, glanced at it, kept it aside and continued to eat.

  Without showing my disappointment, I gifted another small memorabilia, after ten minutes. She smiled and finally took her concentration off the chicken. The smile was momentary, but the hogging continued. I should have known better, I thought. Then, I gave her a big bar of “Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk”, and her expression totally changed.

  “You should have given me this first.” she said and began to open it hurriedly to eat. I anxiously gazed at her lest she was going to lick it the way they show it in the ad.

  I gave her three more small gifts that I had bought to woo her, one by one every ten minutes. Gradually, to my relief, she began to enjoy the gifts more than the food, and more than… you guessed it, ME!

  Once we finished our meal, I asked her to go and wash her hands as I prepared to present my final gift for the day.

  I looked around and saw a few couples busily attacking their plates. I slowly took the rose bouquet from my bag. I thought for a moment whether I should propose like a hero by going down on my knee, but then, I dismissed that thought immediately. I felt KFC was inappropriate for such a brave act and decided to place the bouquet on her seat.

  She came back nonchalantly after a minute and was about to take her place when she saw the bouquet. She was bemused. Her eyes glistened with joy and out came a drop of tear! Her happiness was visible in every inch of her body, but she tried her best to conceal it. There was a slight shiver in her move, she was getting emotional. I wanted to hug her; I know she wanted it as well. Then I looked at her and our eyes hugged each other. It wa
s divine.

  After several calls from her mother, she reluctantly decided to go home carrying back the memories of her chicken, the bouquet and her man. In her eyes, I saw the woman who would be mine forever very soon!

  That night, we chatted the longest. It felt like a never-ending night. She opened up to me about her dreams, her desires, her fears and her apprehensions. I could sense that she entrusted herself completely to me. I genuinely started to feel that she was the one for me, my lady.

  “I am extremely happy. So are my parents! My mom told my dad, ‘We are married for so many years. Have you got me a single gift till now? Look at him. Even during their first meeting, he has gifted her so many things’.” she texted me gleefully.

  “Ha ha ha... Thanks, baby! This is just the beginning. You wait and watch! There are much more such surprises ahead in store for you.”

  “Eeee... I am waiting! I agreed to marry you within ten minutes of seeing you, I thought it will take a life time to love you, but guess I am already falling for you” she texted.

  “That’s nice to know. By the way, I wanted to ask you something. Do you wear modern clothes at all, like jean and stuff? ” I questioned.

  “Of course, why are you asking?”

  “Coming from an orthodox family, I was wondering whether you had such modern traits. Even today you wore a chudidhar to KFC”

  “What makes you think ‘modernity’ lies in the clothes one wears?” She was agitated.

  I didn’t know what to reply. I had wanted my wife to be modern while having her roots firm in our traditions. Somewhere in my mind, ‘modernity’ was strongly associated with one’s attire, and that reply of hers was a slap on that thought.

  I wanted to change the topic immediately.

  “You look splendid in your Whatsapp DP, with you sitting on that wall and sipping your coffee and your hair tied in an improper bun. I especially like that bun. It’s really cute.”

  “That’s a nice way to change the topic. Anyways, thanks. Mom clicked it, and that’s my favourite mug. Wait, did I read it right, did you like the bun or the bum?”

  “B U N... bun” I said, not realizing that her bum is what I would fall in love with, forever.

  “So, how do you want me to call you?” She continued.

  “Anything you wish.”

  “Would monkey be fine?”

  “If the donkey is okay, the monkey has no problem.”

  “Duh… You told you are a writer, right?”

  “Yes... and you are an artist! I think we will make a perfect combo. You can write paintings for me and I can draw poems for you”

  “Ha ha ha, yes we will. But before that, there is something you have to do for me after our marriage, and you will have to do it every night.” she sent a text with an eye-winking smiley.

  With quite a few kinky thoughts in my mind, I excitedly asked, “Ahem… Like what baby?”

  Her response took me by surprise, and I wasn’t really sure if I could do what she asked - EVERY single night, for the rest of our lives.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  Chapter 4 The Surprise Oct 20 th 2016

  11 PM

  The night was still young and fresh. It still had a long way to go to

  see the light of day. Galarena’s receptionist didn’t call me back, neither did Diana nor any of her managers. I kept glancing at the empty road and my mobile every few seconds. I became more and more troubled as several unsettling thoughts started playing in ‘repeat mode’ in my mind. I was unable to keep calm any longer. The watchman saw me and inferred that something had gone terribly wrong. I started walking impatiently like a cub; anxious, jittery and quite disturbed by then.

  I knew in my mind that I had crossed the threshold limit for waiting for her and realized I shouldn’t be wasting any minute further.

  I rushed back home, changed clothes, took my bike key, purse and mobile, locked the door and came down to the parking area. My Hero Honda shine was waiting for me. I kick started the bike and drove straight into the incessant stretch of OMR road, never realizing that it was going to be one long forgettable, endless, sleepless night.

  August 29th 2014: It was late into the night, but I was still texting Diana - our first chat which lasted that long.

  I was all ears to hear what she wanted me to do to her every single night.

  “You claim to be a writer, don’t you?” she texted me.

  “I do. Yes, and I actually do write, you know!” I replied back.

  “Then, you have to tell me a story every single night, right before we sleep, all our life. That’s what I want you to do”

  “A story? Is that all? This is what you want me to do every night?” I was disappointed.

  “Why, what did you imagine?”

  “I imagined a hell lot of things, forget it”

  “What did you imagine, tell me!”

  “Nothing leave it”

  “No, tell me now”

  “Come on, it’s nothing!”

  “If you don’t tell me, I won’t text you”

  “Girls, I tell u! Well, I thought you would want me to do something kinky or have sex with you in a different position every day or something like that” I texted.

  “Jeez. How grosss!”

  “Gross??”

  “I mean, sex every single night? Is that even possible?”

  “I watch porn every single night and I, ahem, so yeah must be possible”

  “Jesus Christ!! Every day!!! You watch porn EVERYDAY?? Dude, seriously, don’t do it. It’s a sin!!”

  “So according to you sex is sacred and porn is sin?”

  “Sex with your partner is fine, not porn”

  “I am watching people having sex with their own partners”

  “How do you know they are partners?” she asked.

  “How do you know they are not?” I shot back.

  “You are sick” she was pissed off.

  “You told modernity is not in the attire”

  “And according to you, modernity is in not wearing an attire and fucking another guy?”

  I was taken aback by her usage of the F word.

  “You used the F word”

  “I use it if I am angry”

  “Don’t use it anymore. I don’t want my kids’ mum to be using such words in front of them”

  “Already talking about kids?”

  “You are my wife already” I sent a heart smiley.

  "Dear hubby, alright, I won’t use the F word going forward. But promise me that you will tell a story every night”

  “Just the story again?” I was disappointed, again.

  “You are crazy, well… listen, then along with the story every night, I want you to kiss me good night and say that you love me, every single night” she sent it with a smiley.

  Men make many promises on the spur of the moment, sometimes not knowing whether they could keep them up, and at times knowing very well, they can’t. This was one such promise, understandably, of the latter possibility.

  “Of course darling, sure would do. I would just not say love you, but would also make love to you.” I sent a heart smiley along with the reply.

  “I love you so much, dear!” she messaged back. That was the first time she had told “I love you” to me. I reciprocated. She then replied with a ‘Brinjal’ smiley. I was wondering and asked her what it was.

  “Keep thinking and when you find it, well, never mind” she responded.

  And then it dawned on me.

  “And Rob, don’t watch too much of porn and don’t give too much work to my little man even before marriage, wait for me”

  “Sure darling and he is not a little man” I texted back.

  After that, our Whatsapp chats continued every other night. We came to know a lot about each other through our daily conversations. She liked fantasy – mermaids, fairies and Tinker Bell, whereas I heard about Tinker Bell for the first time. I loved cricket, football, yoga and writing, while she had no clue about Michael Bevan
, my favourite cricketer. We were completely polar opposites by taste.

  “Tell me a story now and put me to sleep.” she texted me one random night.

  I wasn’t prepared, nevertheless, decided to narrate a story on the go.

  “Let me tell you a story based on reality. Okay?” I started

  “Alright.”

  “So, there was this guy called Robin, who was to be engaged to a beautiful angel named Diana. They met and instantly took a liking to each other.”

  “Hmm... Instantly? No, it took some time for me, to be honest” she texted back.

  “Do not interrupt my flow. So, Robin decided to surprise Diana and went to her office one day. He went to her bay and carried her from her desk in his arms, like the baby she is for him. As all her coworkers kept looking in awe, he kissed her and announced to all of them that he loved her madly and is going to marry her.”

  “That is the dumbest story ever written baby” she immediately responded with an eye-winking smiley.

  “What in the world! Why? Isn’t it romantic?” I was frustrated.

  “A little romance is there, but no logic at all. Just for your information, there is no way you could come to my office. Forget about entering my bay; you can’t even enter our reception area! ha!”

  “Really? Like Seriously?” I was honestly surprised.

  “It’s a bank, Rob. Outsiders are not allowed. Uhh, mom is coming to my room; I will talk to you tomorrow. Good night, sweet dreams, love you.” she texted me and dozed off.

  The sense of satisfaction one attains in accomplishing things, which people claim as impossible, is immensely gratifying. Love definitely gives us the necessary push as I decided to do the impossible.

  A few Days Later: Diana texted me that she was feeling bored at the office. I had completed my tasks for the day as well. The thought of visiting her office suddenly flashed in my mind. I yielded to my temptation.

  My office was in Thoraipakkam, and hers at Ambattur. I bought a doll for her and sped my bike towards her office. It was a one and a half hour drive. I reached India Land Tech Park and parked my bike. I looked at the towering buildings. There were two phases - Phase A and Phase B. I remembered having seen the buildings in a few Tamil movies.

  I was asked to get an entry pass by the security. I obliged and started to fill in the form he handed over to me. I entered my purpose of visit as “Client Engagement”, and the person whom I had come to meet as “Lavanya”, the manager of Diana. I wanted to safeguard Diana from trouble if at all anything ensued later due to my visit.