Phone Number

The early morning sun rays kissed her good morning, and she woke up with a smile. Something told her it was going to be a beautiful day. She finished her early morning tasks and offered prayers and thanks to her Lord. Her mum and dad had called promptly in the morning to ask how the meeting went, whether she has taken a decision about Milan, what food she had ordered, her mother hoped she had worn a ‘decent’ dress and asked her again if she made a good impression on him. Frankly, Asha had no clue how to answer to all these queries. She said that they had a good time together, had lunch and an interesting conversation on their way back.

Her mother sounded excited when she told her that Milan had come to drop her back home. She could almost imagine her mom’s eyebrows arching up in excitement. It was then that her mom asked her, “So, did you like him?”

Now that, was a difficult question. She liked him, yes. But what her mom wanted to know was not whether she liked him or not, she wanted to know if she had decided to tie the knot with him. How could she tell her mom that she had a good feeling about this guy, but she wanted some more time to think, how could she make her mom understand that his dreams are American, whereas she wants to take up the offer with Bharat Jagaran, the newspaper that she dreamed of working with, as a hindi correspondent. Mothers have a way of knowing what bothers their children; Asha was relieved when her mom hung up after saying that she can take some more time and think over it.

The phone rang again, while it was still in her hand. The screen flashed a number. She picked up the call, half guessing who it might be.

“Hi there, good morning!” a kind voice from the other end spoke.

“Good morning to you too” she smiled and replied.

He hadn’t even spoken his name, yet she had understood who she was speaking to. She’d not only come to recognize his gentle voice in just a few hours, she was also pretty confident that he would have smiled in response to her good morning, without asking who it was on the other end.

Last night, before logging out, she had keyed in her mobile number and without allowing herself whether she should or shouldn’t, had pressed ‘enter’, and quickly followed it up with two more lines, “my number- call me in case there is something. Good night.” She had logged out without even waiting for his answer.

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Girls in India are caught in the drift when they reach a particular age. They suddenly face a dilemma as to what to focus on in their life, whether to make a career and ensure a living or to get married and secure their life. Girls who remain single after the so called marriageable age are frowned upon by the society and are considered a burden for their families.

Throughout the month of April, thanks to the AtoZ Challenge, I am trying to portray the life of Asha, a common Indian girl with dreams and aspirations. Everyday we focus on one alphabet starting from A on April 1st till Z on April 30th. Stick with me till the end of the journey and do tell me what you think of my writing and my Asha.

A - An Arranged Marriage

B - Bridal Dreams

C - Cherubs From Heaven

D - Rusty Dusty Delhi

E - Ernakulam

F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé

G - Gratifying Rendezvous

H - Hospitality Crash Course

I - I Love You??!!

J - Journalism's Joy

K - Krishna

L - Love, Longing & Life