LIVE TO LOVE: ARRANGED

Conserving Innocence

Naina looked at that cocoon of steel and the walls that were so elegantly curved and wrapped around to create this big inner space. The whole airport was gleaming with so much bright white lights that creating an illusion of brighter day even in a cold evening of last week of December. That was like a sea of faces moving in an unseen current, flowing like water to their destinations like a wide river down the aisles. There were plasma screens of arrival and departure times on the wall of the airport. People were lined up at the check in desk with suitcases and baggage. The glittery sparkles of amazement beamed like twinkling fireflies in her big curious eyes. Excited like a small kid she was firing on a trail of questions to him and he was trying to answer her queries patiencely.

"Hum yha q khade hai...", standing in the que of check in for almost 15 mins, she asked finally, as there was a long que probably due to upcoming new year holidays, and after security scanning of luggage when they were in que, her patience was giving up and an eagerness of see the plane was taking over.

"Naina... Yha check in karke luggage drop karna hai.. tabhi to boarding pass milega aur seat numbers bhi... Fr hi to plane me jayenge... Bas thoda time lagega, don't worry hamara number aane hi wala hai...",he tried to explain everything in detail.

Though he explained well everything and she understood too, but the excitement was too much for her to handle and holding him on arm she kept tapping her feet and craning her neck to see the number of people ahead of them in que. "Tchh... Ye line aage q nhi badh rahi... Kab aayega hamara number... Kitni slow line hai... ",She was getting frustrated of waiting now and kept blabbering all the time.

For once he looked at her with a sweet smile as like always admired her innocent questions and excitement very much, but soft murmurs and quirky comments from a side didn't go unnoticed from him.

"Seems like its her first trip by air..."

"Seems... Look at her cloths dear... I am sure this LS behenji has never stepped out of her village ever..."

"Yeah.... See how kiddish she is..."

He gritted his teeth and turned to see the source of comments, but just then their number came and she pulled his arm. He looked at her and got busy with the reception lady in the process of check in. But this was very different for him. Never in his whole life he had faced such humiliating words. Her innocent questions, cute excitement and beautiful smile, which were alluring him some moments back suddenly lost all its beauty. The fake humiliating embarrassment seeped in middle blocking the way and blurred his vision. Fake sophistication and judgemental rights took over of that so called civilized husband of that innocent cute bride. Only God knows how that cute girl was gonna bear this frustrated husband of her. And that angry poor soul, little did he know that the comments were not for her, but for the couple standing after three or more persons in que. But looks like somewhere in his subconscious mind he was still apprehensive of her age, background and appearance.

"Yha seats milengi naa.... Kya hume window seats mil sakti hai please....",she was still in her zone only, unknown to the storm brewing inside him and coming towards her.

"Dekhte hai....", he tried to keep himself sane and sober.

It was her hardluck that just some moments before someone had reserved the last window and caused a drop in her bright smile.

"Tchh... Thodi pehle aa jate to mil jati naa window seat... Ab to kuch bhi nhi dikhega...",she started with her blabbering.

"Come on Naina... You are not a kid... Waise bhi itne andhere me tumhe kya dekhna hai window se...",the storm started to take shape. Seems like the hot magma would burst as he was already feeling humiliated and much to his disappointment just got to know that his agent booked them in economy class as there was no availability and now chances were very low for upgradation.