Destined

Priya Sood

Priya

"A date?" Priya wasn't sure if she heard her siblings correctly, but their smug expressions were proof enough. She rolled her eyes at them and said, " And what makes you think I'm gonna agree to go on a date?" Sara and Sandy looked at each other and sighed. Their sister was one impossible human being. Being difficult ran in her blood. Akshay, their cousin replied, " Because we asked you nicely?" It was more of a question than a statement. Priya snorted at his reply and said, " Definitely not. You know very well why I don't do dates". Sara dragged her to the back of the café. Priya crossed her arms and gave her a disapproving glance. " No amount of coaxing or flattery is gonna make me give in to go on a date," she said. Sara smacked her arm and said, " Don't be difficult, Priya. Mom's worried about you. If not for us, at least go for her". Priya looked conflicted at Sara's statement. She did not want to disappoint her mother, but a date was a big no for her. Not because she was afraid of being judged or rejected, but because it lead to nowhere and it was an absolute waste of time and money. Priya sighed unhappily and said, " Fine, but this is the last date I'm going on. Next time, even if Mom is involved, I'm not giving in to your unreasonable demands".

Sara let out a shout of joy and delivered the news to Sandy and Akshay. When Priya approached them, they had huge smiles plastered on their faces. Priya rolled her eyes at their antics. She busied herself behind the counter, taking orders from customers and handing them over to the delivery staff.

At 7 pm, Priya went home reluctantly to change into a decent outfit. She took a shower and dried her hair. She wore a simple long black Kurti and loose denim jeans. Her face was devoid of any makeup except for a lip balm. She gathered her hair in a ponytail at the base of her head. She grabbed her raincoat and umbrella from the balcony as it was pouring outside. She hated the rains. All it did was stir up bitter memories of the past. She could easily make an excuse and back out of the date, but her sisters wouldn't be swayed easily. She grabbed her handbag and put on her gumboots. She was just about to leave when her mother appeared before her with a prayer plate (commonly known as 'puja ki thali' in Hindi). Priya ate the sweet offered by her mother, took her blessings and left for the date.

Sara had sent her the address of the restaurant. Priya made a face knowing full well that it was a high-class restaurant. "What an absolute waste of money," she murmured to herself. Priya put on her raincoat and used the umbrella to shield herself from the rain. Despite the intense pouring, she decided to walk instead of hailing an auto-rickshaw.

Priya was completely drenched by the time she reached the intended restaurant. She took off her raincoat and stuffed it in a polythene bag. She dumped the bag and umbrella inside a bucket near the reception. She frowned at her drenched clothes. She cursed the rain gods on her way to the restroom. She dried herself with the blow dryer but that barely helped her clothes. She huffed in annoyance and exited the ladies' room, not caring if she looked presentable. People threw weird glances in her direction, but that didn't deter her from walking with an air of confidence. Fortunately, her handbag and its contents escaped the wrath of the rain. She looked at the time, it was 7:50, she'd reached 10 minutes early. She'd requested the manager for a table for two. He was polite enough to not ogle at her outfit. He lead her toward the reserved table. She fidgeted with her phone whilst waiting for her 'date' to arrive. Fashionably or not, Priya disliked people who were not punctual. She'd waited for almost twenty-five minutes and was beginning to get impatient. It would be highly impolite if she started with dinner, so she waited.

At around 7:40 pm, a man in his mid-thirties approached her table. He was dressed in a baby pink shirt and faded blue jeans, paired with formal brown shoes. " I am extremely sorry for arriving late, I was stuck in traffic" he apologised. She replied, " It's all right. Mumbai traffic is always bad during this time". He glanced at Priya's state of attire and frowned, but masked his disapproval quickly. But Priya was quite an expert at reading people's expressions and she didn't miss the frown that crossed his face. It wasn't the first time someone had judged her outfit, she was used to it. And honestly, she didn't care what anyone thought about her choice of clothes. She dressed for herself and not for others.

The man seated himself opposite her and said, " You must be Priya Sood. I'm Nikhil Khanna, your sister, Sara had texted me". Priya nodded her head in an affirmative. An awkward silence hung in the air. Ice-breaking was certainly not Priya's area of expertise. He cleared his throat in an attempt to diminish the silence and asked, " So, what do you do?" Priya replied, " I'm a college professor. I've completed my Masters in English Literature. And I manage my sister, Sara Di's bakery as well". He didn't seem mighty impressed with her profession and Priya had caught on to that. ' What's with every male expecting a woman to either be a housewife or a secretary to a rich CEO' Priya murmured to herself. Nikhil's phone rang at that instant and he excused himself to receive it. Priya decided to use the restroom to freshen up as she felt extremely drowsy. She saw Nikhil just outside the men's room, which was adjacent to the ladies room. His back was facing her, so he didn't see her approach. " -the most terrible date of my life. Did you check her background before setting me up?" There was a brief pause before he spoke up again, " She has zero dressing sense. She would've might as well show up in rags". There was a slight pause again and he said, " Damn it, Karthik, she's a professor and she manages some shitty bakery. I've no interest in her and I'm leaving right away. I don't care if it's polite or not".

Priya returned to her table, undeterred by his words. If anything, she was glad to leave so soon. But she did want to teach him a lesson. She took out a 500 rupee note and scribbled something on a piece of paper. She grabbed the tissue holder and kept it over the cash and the note. She grabbed her handbag and exited the restaurant, making sure to avoid him. She retrieved her raincoat and umbrella from the reception. Fortunately, the rain had died down to a drizzle. She stuffed the polythene bag containing the transparent raincoat in her handbag. She was too exhausted to walk home, so she hailed an auto-rickshaw instead.

Nikhil Khanna made his way back to the table. He'd already thought of a convenient excuse. Upon reaching the table, he found it to be empty. Even her belongings weren't present. Assuming her to be using the restroom, he seated himself on the chair, when his eyes fell on the note below the tissue holder. He took out the 500 rupee note and the piece of paper. He unfolded the paper to receive the shock of this life. It read: 'Dessert's on me, asshole!'