Tum Pukar Lo

As soon as he stepped out of the cockpit, a pair of kohl-rimmed, smoldering eyes caught him unawares. The three minutes that he spent inside the lavatory were spent in contemplation, whether or not to have a look at the owner of those eyes? In the end he decided to steal a surreptitious glance.

As if on a cue, she looked up and held his gaze for that split second during which he checked himself and stepped inside the cockpit.

She stood beside the carousel waiting for her luggage. He took swift strides towards her, dragging his travel case behind him.

‘Waiting for the luggage?’

She turned to witness the warmest of smiles adorning a handsome face and a suave personality.

‘Yes’. She didn’t know what else to say.

‘Hope you had a comfortable flight?’ he asked with a mischievous glint.

‘Of course!’ Once again she was at a loss of words not quite apprehending the orientation of this abrupt conversation.

‘Is someone there to pick you up?’

The directness of the question was awkward. ‘I’ll get a cab,’ she quipped.

‘In that case, may I interest you in a cup of coffee?’ He himself was taken aback at the sound of words coming out of his lips.

She pulled the crimson suitcase off the carousel and put it on the floor.

‘Alright. I think I have time for a coffee,’ she replied. As it is, no one was waiting for her and she had nowhere to reach.

‘As you already know, I’m a pilot. May I, if you don’t mind, know what you do?’ he asked once they were comfortably seated in a cozy corner of the café.

‘I was a paediatrician once. Now I’m an author,’ she said sitting back in her chair.

‘What is it? What are you looking at?’ she asked nervously as she felt the heat of his penetrative gaze on her face.

‘You are so beautiful!’

She knew he was flirting with her and yet she didn’t seem to mind at all. Surprised at her own surrender, she looked at him for the first time. Long, slender fingers at the end of strong hands, long sturdy legs, a reasonably good-looking visage, he was handsome after all.

Time flew at the speed of the flight they had been on. Before they knew, they had been chatting for over two hours, like two old friends catching up on the in-between years.

‘I must go now. It was nice to meet you,’ she said at last.

‘Nice to meet you too. Let’s try to stay in touch,’ he said. Though he made no effort to exchange numbers or make commitment for the next meeting.

A sudden realization dawned upon her as she turned to leave. Had he called her once, she would have gladly stayed a while longer. Her parched soul would have been soothed some more with the harmless showers of his flirtatious smile.

Somewhere in the background Hemant Kumar crooned, ‘Tum pukar lo…tumhara intezar hai…’

Dr Sonika Sethi