He was good looking! In fact I
lie, he was very good looking! His eyes bright and alive, jaws chiseled and
nose sharp. Pitch black and wavy hair, suitably long gave him the perfect “born
to model” face. Add to it the fact that he was well built with the muscles
threatening to rip apart the linen he was wearing. And despite the fact he was
sitting I was quite sure he would measure up enough to match the inevitable ‘Tall,
dark and handsome’ cliché! And to top it all was the smile as he played with
my niece! Enough to shame Adonis and make him burn in the fires of jealousy! Happy smile, cheerful smile, warm smile, smile
which made his eyes glow. A smile which, without the attendant warmth would
have reduced this charming person to a mere Casanova!
 |
| More than a handsome hunk! |
The next 48 hours were like a
million years as I awaited the inevitable phone call inviting us over to his
house as is the practice. I pretended to
go through the daily chores while always within hearing distance of the phone.
And finally it did ping! A message,
from him! His family had found another girl for him with a larger dowry and he didn’t want to break
their hearts it said!
-------------IIIIIIIII----------------------
She was good looking! In fact I
lie, she was very good looking! Her eyes bright and alive, jaws chiseled and
nose sharp. Pitch black and wavy hair, suitably long gave her the perfect “born
to model” face. Add to it the fact that she was built well, with just the right
combination of bones and flesh, slim yet blessed with the right curves at the
right places. And despite the fact she was draped in a pattu podavai, I was
quite sure she would measure up enough to match the inevitable ‘Tall, dusky and lissome’
cliché! And to top it all was that smile as she played with her niece! Enough
to shame Eve and make her burn in the fires of jealousy! Happy smile, cheerful smile, warm smile, smile
which made her eyes glow. A smile which, without the attendant warmth would
have reduced this charming person to a mere Nymph!
 |
| Not just a Nymph! |
As we exchanged our first glance,
Cupid struck me, struck me hard. And my manly gutfeel told me correctly that
Cupid had struck her too, equally hard! Electric when our hands brushed against
each other as she extended the filter kaapi and
I subtly tried to grab at more than just the tumbler! We were allowed a brief
exchange of words in the adjacent room amidst the din that arose from the
drawing room where the parents were busy discussing what parents generally do during
match making ceremonies! And I came to know that she was more than just a piece
of beauty. An engineer and a successful one at that, employed with a leading MNC
in Bangalore with ‘kai niraya sambalam’ to
boot. But what took her breath away were my words after the mundane
introduction. My declaration that I had taken a vow never to take dowry at my
wedding! Words failed her, her eyes confused
me. And with that I walked out of the room, sanguine I had read her eyes right!
The next 48 hours were like a
million years as I awaited the inevitable phone call accepting our invitation
to visit our house as is the practice. I
pretended to go through the daily chores while always within hearing distance
of the phone. And finally it did ping!
A message, from her! She didn’t want to get married to a loser who
refused dowry it said!
---------------------IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII------------------------
PS: Please comment which of the
two stories you found reflecting the reality more!
Glossary:
Filter Kaapi: South
Indian Coffee
Kai niraya sambalam
: Handsome Salary
Pattu Podavai : Silk Saree
Pattu Podavai : Silk Saree
