It was late evening and the dinner was just over. The chatter has not subsided at all in a corner of the restaurant. The food was supposed to be very good in this restaurant. Aptly named as" Copper Chimney", a part of the big hotel "Golden Gate Inn" in the garden city Bangalore in South India. There was only one girl in the group of twelve. .
Even before the dinner started, the gang was sitting in the lobby, waiting for few late comers. Matt was late and when he found that a seat was vacant next to Melissa, he was happy. He greeted everybody and sat next to her. He joined the gabby chatters. But actually he was looking at Melissa all the time. The perfume from her was mind blowing as usual. Matt had a crush on her. Not that she was very attractive. But the basic instinct said so. She was not aware of it.
At the end of dinner they parted ways. As Matt was going in the direction of her house in Banashankari, she agreed to go in his car or else she had to call a cab at that late hour.
On the South Main road, there was a big traffic blockade. So Matt got down from the car and approached a cop. She also got down. The cop said on seeing them " Sir Madam, you can take the left turn at the previous traffic light and go around three blocks and reach the main road again". On hearing the cop addressing so, the first bubble of happiness started floating his mind.
They got into the car and did as the cop told them and reached her home. She asked Matt to come in, but he declined.
After reaching home, Matt cursed himself that he should have accepted her invitation. For he knew that her husband George was out of town and she will be alone at her home all by herself. He thought of going back to her home, saying that he forgot something at her place. Then he realized that he had not been inside her house at all, to use this ploy to get back to her house. Thinking about it over and over again, he fell asleep.
When he woke up next morning he started humming
Friends are like gems
Gems shine with luster
There ain't place for lust
Good friendship is forever
Have a relationship best
For it relies on trust.
Rocks, rivers and ravines
Trees covering the hills
The land that one tills
Ev'rything is given us
Keep it that way
For it is on trust.
He believed us
Gave things in a week
So we keep in trust
everything at its best
Till we go to the dust
And pass it on to next.
5/29/02
