Altitude

Get Together

Three months after Mia had met Arjun at the base camp of Mount Everest, they met again by chance. She doubted if at all it was a coincidence. 'The Rocker's Summit' - a climber's organization met once every three months, thrice a year outside their obsessive abode, and once in the dining hall of camp 1.

A quite boring get-together that talked about advanced equipment in mountaineering and such. Mia always wanted to skip by making obvious odd excuses.

One time she said, "Well, sorry dad. I'm craving milk actually. I'm planning to go to grandma's." Both grandmothers had been gone to Kailash for some time then.

Then the other time it was too weird when she said, "Dad, I've to use my brain to read this book while I hold it upside down..." Mia even demonstrated that.

For the last winter meet, before she met Arjun, her ostentatious reply was, "I have a date with Rodger... Sorry I can't go with you..."

Dhruv would post a fake invitation to the congregate just to listen to her amusing justifications and how confident she was in her plain white lies. Year after year, she became funny and strong that some times he couldn't say she was just joking.

That time Mia's father played 'senti' card, pouting like a child. Mithran couldn't accompany him as he usually did,  for some unavoidable reasons as he stated it.

"Only I'll go roam there without a family like an orphan. It's all my fate...!" Both the mother and daughter weren't paying attention to him.

Subsequently, Mia accepted as she couldn't stand his drama. "I'd rather enjoy that torture," she said, knotting her eyebrows and snarling at Dhruv.

On the day of the meet, Dhruv cleaned up well, wearing a suit for the occasion, while Mia was still in pajamas. Looking at her, "It's a party... You should wear something pretty!"

Gesturing him to shut up, she strode upstairs and took her time, until Dhruv could take no more. However, when she appeared he had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream. Dhruv might not have known she possessed girly stuff, as she was a tomboy all along.

The ethnic wears never suited her so did any other traditional outfits, she knew or she thought so. A simple t-shirt and a jean was her attire no matter where she went. Villagers used to eye her as if she had jumped in from another planet. It didn't affect her fashion sense in any way whenever she visited her late grandmothers.

That day changed her perspective on her habit. It was not in her nature to stare in the mirror for long. However, getting a glimpse of herself was like an obsession. 'What a typical South Indian girl!' she murmured under her breath. The elegant rose gold churidar clutched to her physique, showing off her curves. The ear drops added as a mature feature to her baby round face. The neck was left unattended, showcasing the collarbone.

"Pretty! She's ready to be married..." Chandhrika beat Dhruv in commenting.

"What the..." The daughter and her favorite parent sang the choir.

Holding Dhruv's hand, "Let's run away before she gets to a matrimonial broker, " Mia dragged him out.

At the party, a lot of familiar faces showed up. Only a mere amount around her age though. 'Right, fun lovers won't show up here!'

"It's no fun!" Mia mumbled, looking around while her father enjoyed the company of his old buddies.

Dhruv Abhimanyu was famous among the climbers. His official name on the mountain became RockJock Rider as his experience and skills matched no other. His friendly nature, helping mind, pure heart, and happy smiling face attracted even men to his list. Sometimes jealousy burned in her as she'd be always called RockJock Rider's daughter and never be known for her own talents.

On expressing her thoughts, her father would comfort her with, "Someday you'll be much more than what I'm. Don't forget that, weeny spidey." Even the prattle names had the Himalayan touch.

Sipping on and playing with a drink, she sat alone at a corner table. Someone walked past and took a chair next to her's. The straw drew an illusion doodle on the red drink, swiveling it to form a mini cyclone inside the curved walls. Boredom was incorrigible that she didn't want to look up to know who sat next to her.

The person knocked on the table to gain her attention. It was a meek response. Lifting her head once, she again dropped it towards what she was doing. The acknowledgment was nowhere in the vicinity.

"For a cry baby, this is too much, " Arjun Tej provoked her, indicating the jealous episode happened in the base camp while he carried her on his back.

"Ohh so you know... Now get lost and don't bother me. I'm meditating." Her eyes never sought his face while she talked.

"I intend to enjoy my peace here..." He smiled, slapping the table gently, vibrating the contents on it.

"Whatever..." She settled again on her glass.

Silence became expensive with Arjun in the province, "Arrears? A long list?" An unusual way of questioning a college student but then he might have thought she was an engineer like 70% of the Indian graduates.

"Oh! You're in that herd? I should've known..." She fired back.

"Fine. I'll accept my defeat. Tell me what you do." It seemed like he wanted to know more about her.

Mia decided to give him the satisfaction, "That's it? It's rather easy. Well, I'm a biologist!" Pride puffed her chest and filled her facial expressions too.

"You don't look like one..." He studied her face.

Snorting, "Should I wear a white coat and huge specs that would slip often?"

"That'd be fun..." He said with a straight face.

"I heard you don't talk much. But I think you never stop talking..." It was her turn to initiate as she hung her head back down.

"That's maybe cos I like you?" The serious tone indicated that he might be telling the truth.

The victory was on her side in the fight against turning her head to glance at him. She was taken aback and hesitated only for a moment.  "Everyone likes me..."

"Then what about you? Someone told me you are too picky in people. From what I see you're arguing very well..."

This time, her control was lost. Involuntarily she turned like she was some puppet moving along with his string. Mia was quiet. That was the question she asked herself several times. Her eyes searched answer in his. He was good at concealing the obvious answers. His expression betrayed nothing.

"Ahh Mithra... You're here?" A familiar voice called, saving her from Arjun's piercing blades, yet, she wanted to dodge that other bombshell even before turning towards the person.

"Mithra? I thought your name was Mia.." He quickly asked before the other person could reach her.

She was in a hurry, "They kept confusing our names - mine and my bros. Mia is my pet-name-turned-official... Why am I even explaining that to you?" She rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air as if she was stating 'unbelievable' with her actions and strode off. 

As she ran away, Mia kept looking back, pretending to watch the other person but actually intentionally peering at him. Sharp-witted guy caught on and smiled sweetly.

Even the boring one had turned to an eventful interesting 'get together' after all.