A Coffee at Dawn

Chapter 2: This is where it started!

By now people had left, I could see only a few here and there. May be they were beating similar thoughts as to what I was or may be even worse. Life puts you to a fix quite a couple of times but people strive to stand up. The struggle, the pain faced masks the happiness and takes quite an amount of ones strength. How do I set things right? How do I contact her? I just wanted a chance.
            I still had not given up on Aryan. I wanted to try and get to know from him. He was my friend, and he would help me out. wouldn't he? These thoughts were just not stopping and a positive feel to console myself had not gone. Gearing up myself i gave another try. This time I didn't give him a call. I knew he would disconnect again. Instead I sent him a text message.
           " Aryan, I presume that you know what has happened to Aarti, even if u don't know anything, I still want to know the scene behind that text u sent. I really need to know. I tried giving you a call, but that didn't work out. Please let me know. Aarti is important to me and so is this relation. I hope you understand buddy. "
            I sent the message and saw that it did get delivered. It was 11.45 now and beach was looking no pleasant. The waves seemed increasing, the sound grew louder and the breeze getting colder. I had not received any reply from him. I somewhere did expect this. I knew that he wouldn't reply. Neither did the coffee I had ordered 15mins back come. Everything seemed not fine. Actually yes! The one who was the most important to me had decided not to stay by my side. How could things be fine. Sitting by the beach, I felt that the waves were also very strong indicating something not good. Sitting over there I was only getting connected to the atmosphere and the previous days just started to roll by.
             Sliding down the chair slightly, so that my head could rest, I started to gaze at the horizon far off. Couldn't mark the difference of beach and the sky. It seemed as though the darkness out there personified the one inside me. I could see the stars up glittering brightly. I felt they depicted those moments of happiness I had in my life. I just realised that I had gone way too philosophical which I was completely not.
            Still keeping the stare constant I felt my previous years at Bangalore roll in front of me. Those years where I built myself to what I am now, those years where my family had got extended with friends included, precisely that day where I met this girl who I didn't know would make me so philosophical in a night.
            
2006 :
           I was 18, and now I had a license of my own. I could roam the streets on my Yamaha without having to worry about paying the cops unnecessarily. I didn't have to escape or opt for an alternative root because of a cop at the end of a road.
           "Mayank do not step out the house without cleaning your room!" my mom yelled from the kitchen as she saw me getting ready to leave. The only time I used to spend while getting ready was to comb my hair.Yes I was obsessed about it, you may say. I had just finished my 12th exams and all of my entrance exams. My mom just had my days sick by making me write those many exams. For a descent student I was, I would manage to get into a descent college. There was no necessity for these many exams. I knew I wouldn't fare well in them. But still wrote it for her sake. My dad was cool when it came to studies. He didn't question me much. I guess my mom took all the dad's part also and that is why she was behind me that badly. 
             I wanted to go out for a movie with friends and I wanted money for that. If I hadn't completed the work mom asked me to do, movie would never happen for me. My mom knew how to extract work from me. Clever lady I tell you!
          I had an alternative through which I could still not do the work but still go for the movie. Mr Samrat Sharma, my younger brother whom I used to call Sam, was 2years younger to me. A clever chap and a headache at times. "Sam, I want you to see me now" I had to yell as his traces were no where in vision.
Fortunate I was to see him as soon as I gave him a call.
           I told him what mom had asked me to do and tried bribing him with few game CDs. An irritating character he was, right after I completed what I had to tel him, he shouted it out and informed mom that I was trying to get the work done through him.
          My eyes quinched at it out of rage and one punch landed on his stomach. I screwed myself for even trying to get it done by him. Ass he was!
          Having no other option I cleaned my room set the unwanted things beside the table for disposal and went to the kitchen. " Mom now that the work is done, get me cash and do not pile up anyother work I am already late." I demanded. She gave me a smile nd held my cheeks and tried messing my hair. Embarrassing that was and I tried dodging her hand, so that my hair was not spoilt. She knows I don't like it and stil tries to do it. I got the money and took my bike and left to Nishanth's place. I knew I was late, all thanks to the cleaning I had to do. Two of my other friends had already come and I knew I would be belted for sure.
          " Ha!! finaly here comes the moron!" said Aryan clapping his hands and behaving as though for a change I had arrived on time. At times I know I ve been the reason for many plans to go a flop. It's just that I can't arrive on time. But that didn't need so much of sarcasm by Aryan. I mean it happens. I nudged it and went into the room to see Nishi sitting with his laptop.
       "Guys let's make a move. We can still catch up with the show. I mean its not that late also." I tried to convince. "The tickets are not available" a cold answer came from Tanmay. A sense of guilt was filling in but this was usual to me. You could say shameless I was and not worried about it. But since we couldn't watch the movie, I too was not that happy.
           "Well let's not waste the day guys, if not the movie its fine, we will head to Ameoba and still have fun" said Nishi. " Now that's my man. See we should be like that. Nishi ur the man " I told with a big smile and a wink.
" Not that easy idiot, because of you the movie got cancelled and here is your punishment. your treating us for lunch" Nishi said that and gave a hi-fi to Tanmay and all burst into laughter. I rolled my eyes and said
" till date it was always me who used to pay and feed you morons" and laughed and ran out as they all came chasing behind.

2012 :
            The waiter placed the coffee on the table and apologized for the delay. Lost in thoughts I had forgotten about the order I had made. I just nodded and saw rhe waiter leave the table. Now infront of me was this huge beach with tides dancing as per their wish. A cup of hot coffee. I added only two cubes of sugar to avoid it to be too sweet. My phone still had not buzzed. Aryan had still not replied. Aarti was conquering every corner of me. The year 2006 was the most memorable one in my life. On stirring the coffee well, took a sip which was relaxing. the bitterness of the coffee was what I liked the most. Taking few more sips my mind drifted to that evening where we returned from Ameoba.

2006:
         As per the deal, I did take the gluttons for lunch. They seemed to have been starving since months and ate almost everything. I get cornered everytime. Next we headed to Church street. This place can never bore  people. Girls can never feel tired of this because of the various stores available for them to shop. And guys have a visual treat watching them do that. 
          We reached the place and roamed the streets a little here and there for obvious reasons. Finally entered Amoeba for some fun. This was my chance to claim the money I had spent on these idiots. Since we were up for bowling and I was pretty confident said that the winner gets treated by the others. The game was on. Spares after spares, strikes after strikes and frames after frames. It was over.
           Ha ha! I had cleanly bowled the other three. It was my chance to take the revenge. We were walking down the street to the parking discussing about the game and I was trying to ponder over my victory which did make them get angry. Out of joy I happened to jump and boxed the air which was slightly filmy, but that was only to irritate them.
        Following this act of mine, I heard a gang of girls laugh. Now was that at me? Did they see my filmy side and laugh at it. I settled after the jump to notice that it was a gang of 5pretty girls who were standing near our bikes. As I landed down, cool wind blew and my eyes fell on one girl in that gang who had placed her hand on the handle of my bike. Her gentle fingers had circled the steel bar. I shifted my eyes from her hand up to see her long straight black hair cover her face. Her face was covered partly by the hair and all I could see was her hand and her thin slender physique.
            No they were not laughing at me. Felt a relief. They had not even noticed us. I felt happy that the girl I noticed didn't see my foolish side. We all headed towards the bike. Seeing us march towards the bike, the girls made their move. I saw her fingers leave my handle, I saw her bending to have a look at herself in the right mirror of my bike. As I moved forward she just stood up and moved aside. For the first ever time I had felt something strange looking at some one.
         As I took my bike out, I boarded it and set the mirror to face her so that I could sew her face. Wearing my helmet and staring into the mirror, I had forgotten the three monkeys around me who were planning the next pit stop. In all this, I felt a blow on my head and it was Tanmay. He just made me realise that I was constantly into the mirror. I realised we had to make a move. Sad to have not seen her face, I started the bike and moved gradually to notice that she did turn. But for my bad luck I could see her very faintly.
       Who was she? why did I want to see her? Why was it feeling gud? With all these thoughts I just moved in with my guys to the eat out for my feast!

________________________________________________________

      My note : here is the second one. hope u like it. read it, cast your vote and comment. ignore the errors. I will improve with time. thank u :)