Cross Roads

She was in a hurry. The movie was at 6 and it was already 5:45. She was still half an hour away, stuck in traffic in Bandra. Linking Road is so full of life always. On a leisurely day, one could spend hours on this road -shopping, coffee at Barista or just a walk down the street to eat at McDonalds. But when you are in a rush, everything slows down to the point of irritation. The car ahead becomes your enemy. She heard the sound of an ambulance passing by, blowing its horn, trying to make its way, meandering through the Fords, the Hondas and the Suzukis. She glanced back and made way for the white matador, conflicted by her own urgency in reaching on time.
Today was to be the happiest day of her life. Anuj had proposed her last week. She liked him, no doubt. Still she wanted more time to think about it. Her parents were asking her to get married soon. After all, she was 26 now, quite a marriageable age for an Indian girl. She was up for it as well, reasonably financially settled, working in an Investment Bank. She had known Anuj for 3 years now. She remembered the first time they had coffee together. That was in their college cafeteria. They became close friends and by the end of 2 years, she knew there was something between the two of them. Anuj had always been an introvert and it took him 3 years to propose to her. And finally it happened in the most romantic of settings. The pavement overlooking the beach on Band Stand. Right in front of the house of Shahrukh Khan, the biggest crush of her life, the undisputed king of romance. It was a sullen moment and both sat together for 2 hours not saying anything. Anuj, having said everything. And she, not wanting to say anything. Not just yet.

She could still see the ambulance at a distance. It was right in front of the traffic at the SV Road –Linking Road junction. The red light still flashing by. She quietly prayed for the soul inside the vehicle. And her thoughts went back to Anuj. In that instant she knew she was doing the right thing. That she indeed loved him and could spend the rest of her life with him.
It was already 6. She knew he would be mad at her. “Why can’t you be on time for a movie? “ – he will say. She won’t tell him of course that she wanted to look her best today and that had taken all the extra minutes. She knew Anuj had been anxious all this week. He was eagerly waiting for this day, (as if) his existence hanging precariously on her answer. She had secretly relished and enjoyed it. She remembered her friend from school who would always tell her – “ Keep the boy waiting. Never commit too fast”. She had heeded to that advice all her life. She mumbled a quiet word of thanks to her friend, smiled and tuned round the lane that would take her to G7 Cinema Halls. More traffic. She could just barely turn into and got stuck right at the corner with a whole load of traffic in front of her. She glanced towards her right and could still see a white van, blazing into the road front of her, making way to the nearby hospital, casualty ward perhaps.
She decided to call Anuj and tell him that she has reached. Maybe ask him to buy a popcorn, a big one .She just loved popcorns.
The call went answered. Maybe he was stuck in traffic too, unable to take her call Or maybe the phone was in his pocket. Or maybe it was on silent mode. But why will he put it on silent. They were not inside the theatre yet.
The traffic slowly moved in front of her. She pressed the accelerator of her new Esteem to complete the left turn, giving her just enough time for a final glance to her right , on to the main road , and she saw for the final time , a white trail disappearing into the oblivions of an unknown world.
Her mind went back to Anuj. Why was he not returning her call?