"V"ivacious

It felt like any other Saturday except for the fact that there was something special in the offing. After a few busy weeks,the plan to meet "V" was to materialize.
I address her as "V" since her parents like mine did not believe in the principle of KISS ("keeping it short n sweet") while naming her. The location for our rendezvous this time was conveniently chosen as R-City, an amazingly large mall very well-known in the eastern suburb environs of Ghatkopar which is equidistant from our respective homes. I dint mind it one bit - "V" was spot-on in her choice of locations.

As luck would have it, the scheduled time of 3.30 pm could not be honoured by both of us. I made my way into the mall quite obscenely decorated with flashy designs which resembled stockings with color all around and flags fluttering at the entrance. Perspiration poured out just like water from over-flooded reservoirs & it covered my forehead each time I wiped it clean; No! it wasnt the thought of meeting "V" that made me perspire but the summer was taking full toll of me.
Having reached there by 4 and unable to find her, I felt a mini sense of victory thinking I had reached earlier than her. I dialled her number only to hear from her that she has reached a good 10-minutes ago and in one of the floors upstairs scouting for potential shopping hot-spots.

She dint mind my late attendance as she was busy indulging herself in the feminine hobby of "checking" out the costliest dresses on the 1st floor. She instantly located me through the unusually sparse Saturday crowd while still on the call. She had a earphone dangling out from a ear which begged for more music.
Today she had worn a lovely grey T with a black "over-dress" and black pants which made her look slimmer though I dint admit. Her hair fell neat on her shoulders. "V" flashed her 100-watt 'welcome mister' smile which could have brought the crowd to a grinding halt if not for their frenzied window-shoppping. We dint stop too.

We made our way up to the food-court as I checked out the heavily-decked men's suitings stores, electronic shops, fun & gaming zones, till we reached upstairs. There's something about "V" which serves as the source of stamina for her to talk endlessly unless interrupted, unmindful of where we are. Today she sounded really fresh despite the sveltering heat outside. Maybe a transfer of energy-levels from her to me could restore some equality, I thought.

I could sense that a part of her wanted to rush to the ladies' garment section given a chance since she had only half-checked it thanks to my sudden call. "V" ranted, rather apologetically, about how shopping for her sister (Read " shopping with her sister") was still unfinished business as per her. Its official: Girls cant resist splurging which they seldom admit.

Her thoughts snapped once we reached the food-court which was housed in a very large area on the toop-floor which also has the multiplex. We spotted a small table bang in the centre of the food-court. "V" is a die-hard sucker for filter-coffee thanks to her typical south-indian (tamil)upbringing in Mumbai. My dislike for coffee, quite a known fact by now,dint bother her; we sat down with 2 refreshing cups of masala chai and lots of talk.
"V" had started off on her rich agenda of topics and shot point-blank as usual. No, it wasnt about our MBA class pursuits. We had long got over class mock-tests, CAT/XAT/SNAP scores, percantiles, after-class sessions and other such pains in life. In-fact one of this very pains was the reason we had reached till this very point. "V" is a girl smart & sharp enough to handle almost anything in life except for her math abilities which is a perennial weakness and a big pain for her.

I have often wondered if only there was an extra section of witty remarks/sarcastic humour in each of these exams, she would top them all hands-down. Nevertheless, unlike most females , she made no bones of her weaknesses.She was happy about my B-school calls and I couldnt help thinking that a day with her would prepare me well for all possible GDs & PIs.

Chairs around us changes, people came and went, people at the counters changed but we remained deep-rooted in our seats. Time n again, V would push her hair back from her face and scan the entire food-court for any potential irritants ( her office colleagues, friends who stay closeby) to be absolutely sure there eas no eavesdropping.
"V's" free-flowing ability to talk and talk non-stop at length & speed, describing every minute/miniscule detail of time (till seconds),place,person (physical descriptions included), emotion and her ever-expanding memory can put a Pentium-5 microprocessor to shame.
Some of our engrossing talks centred around:

. Her mother's recent efforts to fatten her up and repeated comments on her waistlines from every quarter in her family. My jokes on her maintaining a supposed "size zero" frame were met with the same retorts of " I wont listen to anybody" as she mused over her cup of masala tea wshing for it to become invisible.

. One of her Chembur office managers whom she had just spotted a few tables away digging into a big sandwich. Not surprisingly she had "kind" words for her.

. Her favourite red dress which got oil-soaked accidentally which meant 400 bucks down the drain. (I expressed my desire for a kitchen cleaning cloth which attracted a stare and some sarcasm from her.)

. Her bestest friend "K" & "K's" boyfriend whom I had, by now, picturized as a person on the "to-be-met" list.

. Her dear cousins whom we have conveniently re-chirstened as "Katrina" & "Akki" respectively.

. Her new black bag which instantly attracted my attention even though I am no critic on women's accessories.

. Her dad (Took a major chunk of our time. Her tea had gone cold. Mine empty)

. Her work. (she audits people)

. IPL (Surprise, surprise?? Not a bit..she sees it for Rohit Sharma though my offers to buy his posters for her room were met with strong rejections.)

. Refreshing good old memories of the past 5 months (No, it wasnt doubt-clearing sessions on quadratic equations)

After almost 4 hrs which passed by unnoticed, we were thoroughly exhausted; she from the talking & I from the listening.
One of "V's" fervent complaints is that most people dont listen, they just hear. Point taken Sir. I did perform my duties well today. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for the achievement.

Proof of the listening?? You just read it , mate !!


Regards


Vish