It was a bright Sunday evening when Niki tried hard opening her eyes to glace at the time. She reached out to the clock on the side of the bed at an arms distance and saw it was 1:00 pm. She decided this was going to be one of her lazy Sundays. She tossed and turned in her bed as her slender fingers pulled back the blanket on her. It was 3:00 pm by the time she got off the bed. She had decided to go and eat Pani Puri with her best friend Shweta in the evening. “Cut down on the pani puri” she remembered her dad's voice. A wide line formed on her lips as the face of the old man flashed in front of her. ”Old Man” is how she called her father lovingly.
6 ft tall and a disciplined runner, her father Mr. Natarajan was still living the life of an army general. He woke up at 4 am every day for over the last many years she had known him. He said his prayers in the morning and his routine was clockwork.
She got back to her bed and found her phone nowhere in the vicinity. Last night had been a party night and she had no remembrance of how she got home. 30 minutes into the search, the house turned into a mess, but the phone was nowhere.
“Did Niki call yet? It’s 4:00 pm and I am sure she is up” said Natrajan to his wife Sita. Sita was one of those Indian mothers who believed in visiting the temple and praying for the god of her family. She just got back from the temple after praying god to help her find the right boy for her daughter Niki.
“Your Daughter only calls you. She remembers mom only when the next batch of snacks and pickles have to be couriered to her.” said Sita with a playful smile.
Natrajan picked up the phone and dialed Niki only to hear a hoarse unfamiliar male voice saying “Hello”.
“Who the hell are you? Where is my daughter?” said a visibly shaken Natrajan.
“Sir, my name is Nikhil and I found this phone at the pub yesterday. I was waiting for the owner of this phone to call me back.” Said Nikhil.
Even before Natarajan could answer, the phone went dead. Nikhil stared at the phone for one whole minute and put the phone on charge.
Nikhil was a software Engineer. He was from the city of palaces, Jaipur and his job brought him to Bangalore. 6ft. 2in tall, and a fitness enthusiast Nikhil had a drool-worthy appearance. He had his way with people and was always known for building strong lasting relationships.
As the phone sprung to life it broke the silence in Nikhil’s apartment. But what took Nikhil by awe was the picture that was flashing on the mobile screen right then.
“SG?” he said as he picked up the call.
“Niki! Is that you?” she said.
Nikhil disconnected the call and he was staring at the phone in his hand wondering why he disconnected the call. How was she related to the owner of this phone? Was she also in the pub yesterday? The SG he knew had time only for OT (Operation Theater) and she practically made hospital her home over the years.
SG – aka Shweta Gupta is a doctor and a neurosurgeon to be precise. She had a reputation of being a nerd and having a hand full of close friends. She also happened to be Nikhil – Nikhil Gupta’s younger sister.
Nikhil heard his phone ring and knew who was calling him. As he answered the call, he said “SG first listen to me”.
“I was at a pub last night. On the table next to me was a beautiful girl and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her beauty was intoxicating, and she was as rare as a jewel. I had to step out as dad called me and by the time I was back I saw the group leaving. All that I noticed was a mobile left on the table. I picked it up and rushed to the exit only to see her leaving in a cab. I have been waiting for the owner of the phone to call me back. Her father called and as I was conversing, the phone died. As it sprung to life, you called, and I was shocked.” Said Nikhil.
“Idiot, this is my friend Niki’s phone. Her dad called me, and he said a nice guy called Nikhil answered the call, but the phone was not reachable post that. As he couldn’t talk to Niki, I came to her and we spoke to her parents. We have been dialing her number for the nice guy to answer the call. I was surprised to hear your voice as you answered the call.” Said Shweta.
Nikhil sighed and said, “Tell me where are you, I will get the phone to you.”
“We are going out to eat pani puri at 6:00 pm. Come to Jayanagar BDA complex join us for pani puri by 6:00 pm.” Said Shweta.
Nikhil got into the cab. He knew he had a good 30 minutes before he reaches the Jayanagar BDA complex. He lowered his cab window to enjoy Bengaluru’s evening breeze. As he thought of eating pani puri with his sister he was reminded of a memory.
One evening after football practice, when Nikhil was returning home with his friends, he saw his sister and another girl in their school uniforms next to a gollgappa stall two lanes before his house. As he reached there, Shweta his sister said “Aaj ke gollgape bhai ke treat” and the girls continued to eat. Suddenly, Shweta said “Niki meet Niki.”
As she saw the confused expressions on her brother’s and her friend’s faces, she said “Nikita meet Nikhil”. Because of her father’s job, Nikita moved throughout the country. She studied her 9th and 10th Standard from Kendra Vidyalaya, Jaipur. She was Shweta’s only best friend. Nikhil admired the silent Nikita who was quiet and soft-spoken compared to his sister who was younger than him by two years but ordered around like an older sibling. Occasionally he did hear about Nikita at home but never meet her.
Nikhil reached Jayanagar BDA complex. The complex had bright colors of light and was filled with the hustle and bustle of people who were shopping for various needs. The air was filled with the fragrances of fresh flowers and incandescent from the puja shops on the ground floor of the complex. Nikhil made his way to Shop no. 65 on the left-wing of the complex. Raj Chats & fast food was at a 5-step distance and he saw two girls enjoying pani puri and eating them like there is no tomorrow.
One of them was dressed in a white salwar and had the aura of an angle. The soft breeze pushed her knee-length black lush hair like ripples on a seashore. While his conscious mind was busy comparing images from last night to the person in front of his eyes, his subconscious mind retrieved a name from its database. “Nikita Natarajan” he said.
As Nikhil was rooted to his spot, he suddenly heard Shweta shout “Bhai, come here”. She then looked at Niki and said” Aaj ke gollgape bhai ke treat” and as Nikhil got closer to them, Shweta said “Niki meet Niki”!
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