Jaspal Bhatti - May you Rest In Laughter




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Look into my eyes - Part I


There was something so pure about them,  that they could touch anyone's soul. As I looked at those eyes, she noticed me. The smile on her face vanished, and beads of sweat appeared on the forehead. The train doors closed, but those eyes remained fixated at me.

A few seconds had passed, I was still trying to convince myself that what I saw was true, when my phone rang.

"I want to talk to you"

"Be at the City Center in 10 mins, alone", I said.

That was the next station for me. Didn't have to work too hard to get out, the crowd pushed me straight to the center of the platform. That's what the life of an average professional in a metropolis is like.

---

As I waited for her, my mind went back to the time I first saw her. It was almost 2 years back, my first day at the job. I had felt a sudden push followed by the sound of stuff falling. "Ouch" I turned back. There was this pretty lady collecting papers which had fallen out of a file. As I bent to help her, she apologised. Her gaze turned to me, that was it. Didn't see her for a long time after that.

Two months later, I saw her. Walking towards me with my boss.

"Hi J, this is Anita. She'll be assisting you on the project and will take over when you get your promotion later this year!"

"Hi, I'm Joe, everyone calls me J here!"

"Hi, nice to meet you!"

We exchanged pleasantries, then as we chatted I came to know she went on a leave after finishing her last project, to get married.

About 3 months passed, we had developed a nice friendship. One of these days I saw her talking to her husband on the phone. Could not make out what she was saying. She was looking at a distance, but not looking at anything. She was in a different world, totally engrossed in that conversation. Anyone could make out the love in her eyes.

Since a long time I was wondering what I would want my life partner to be like, that was it. Love, straight from the soul. I just wanted a person who could love me that much.

---

A few more months passed. Time brought us closer and we became very good friends. I had also become friends with her husband and we met a number of times on weekends for lunch and dinner. Another month or so, and my promotion was made official. I was to take charge of one of the offices in another city. Didn't meet her after that, though we spoke frequently.

---

"Please don't tell anyone"

I didn't reply. Just moved to the exit of the station, as she followed me. I looked around. It was dusk time. The lights in the city center market had been switched on. I looked around for signs of an area where we could get away from the madding crowd to be able to talk freely. I cared for her too much, to talk about it in public.

I noticed an arrow pointing to a park. Started walking in that direction as she followed me. No words had been exchanged for almost ten minutes now. I guess, this is what trust is about. You just follow the person knowing that it could only be good for you. We reached the park, it was almost empty, only the guard and a couple of people roaming about. We walked to a bench where no one could see or, hopefully, hear us.

"Who was he?"