Dark Forest Chocolate Cake

Mumbai rains, I had heard about it many times over news and from friends that it devastates a lot and suddenly the dream city doesn’t give any kind of dreams anymore, except the havocking rains. And somewhere inside my crazy heart I always wanted to witness the ongoing. God knows why! So guess what? God does listen to any such wish and there I was, July 2009, I was in Mumbai for my summer internship. I was staying at the IIT Mumbai hostel, my office in Chhathrapati-Shivaji-Terminus was some 45 minutes travel in the local trains. Local Trains, the other name for lifeline of Mumbai; because when it stops, Mumbai stops. And I had heard that Mumbai never stops, even in those wee hours. But I wasn’t aware that it does, on those occasions, one of which I was yet to know.

It was a Friday, the last working day of the week and since afternoon Rain God was blessing the city with all his hands. Very much unaware of what mumbaikars do when it starts to rain like this, I stayed late in the office, as usual, and expected the rain to go milder. People had started to move out a lot early today and by the time, maybe 8:00 pm, the office was all empty, when the security guard came and asked me, “Sir, aaj aap idharich rukoge?” (Sir, will you stay here today?)

I looked at him, completely clueless about what he was saying.

Sensing my naive look he said, “Aise barish mein, sab band ho jata hai. Train, bus... sabhi” (In times like these, everything halts, train, bus, everything)

Still not having made the cent-percent of it, I asked, “Kyu?” (Why?)

My question brought a smile to his otherwise rigid face.

“Pani bhar jata hai na saab” he said. (Water clogging Sir)

Okay, so this was one of those few occasions when Mumbai stops. And that night it had not only stopped but had got lost amidst tiny rain droplets that had amassed over relentless pouring for hours to bring this coastline beauty drowning under its might.

“Kuch to milega bhaiya?” I asked, expecting a positive reply. (Will I get something?)

He stayed silent for a while, maybe thinking on what to say and then said, “train to band hai, udhar koi bhi chance nahi, lekin aglee nakee mein bus ya fir auto mil sakta hai. Lekin auto mat lena, risky hota hai aise time par…. Sab jagah pani bhara hai na…. bus milne ka kuch-to chance hai….koi chala raha hoyega to”. (Train is closed, no chance there, but in the next crossroad you may get a bus or an auto. But don’t take an auto, it gets risky in these times, its water clogged everywhere...some chance of getting a bus is there, if somebody is still riding one)

Then I should be moving now, I said to myself. I quickly shut down my computer and started to pack things inside my bag. Seeing me in action he left, switching off the remaining lights.

I signed off in the attendance register kept at the reception and left the building.

The road that connected our building and the group of similar other buildings to the main naaka, from where supposedly I was hoping to get a bus or an auto, was never that silent and shy. It looked like a grown up girl all drenched in water and trying to hide herself from the eyes of the world, the world of then was only me. Trees which were lined up along the road were kind of happily swinging in the wind, which was becoming harsher every minute. River like muddy water gushed through the corners of the road. To avoid it, maybe flowing along with it, I was walking in the middle of the road. There wasn’t any sign of humanity and that ever lively and busy road had turned down to a silent rainforest path, where the only sound you hear is the one you make. I wasn’t carrying any umbrella and covering some 100 mts in that vociferous rain made me all wet. The shower was falling inclined due to the wind and I saw that in the yellow hue of the street lights, which looked brighter than other days. In one corner of the road a street dog was teething onto a wet sack and was pulling it with all his strength, fighting with the current of water which wanted the sack to flow with it. A smile creased on my wet face. Even animals know, maybe better than us, what they really need in hours of extremity. I covered some more distance in the same spree and saw the nakaa where lights were glowing even brighter. I speeded up my steps.

The naaka looked no different, except it was some more lighted as well as water-clogged. A few taxis and autos left haywire by their owners, randomly scattered in leeways of roads, waited and faced the nature’s plight. The naaka was the merger of three similar roads that came from three different directions. The bus stop was on my right, on the other side of the road, over which a dense shadow of the nearby tree made it look dark and gloomy. I thought of moving and taking a shelter under it. While crossing the road I saw a pink umbrella fluttering in the wind and behind it a gleaming blue duppatta, managed from not getting wet. I came on the edge and climbed a step over to reach under the shade. By that time I was totally wet.

Intentions can never be explained in times of monotone. Yes, that was one such time. Rain was the monotone and my intentions were unclear. But I wanted to see and explore my surroundings. So while shoving hands over my wet hair, I tried to catch a view of the one behind the umbrella. I saw curls and locks of waist length hair, mostly drenched. Of course it was a girl, I said to myself.

I turned my head and started looking on the other side of the road. But it wasn’t long I could keep looking that way. I turned my head again and this time I tried to see her face.

And it seems she also was interested to look at her hapless counterpart. Our eyes met and there was a massive thunderbolt. I had seen such things in movies but never knew it happened in real life too. And suddenly the havocking rain and the bad climate started to look something different. Maybe it was one of those times when things happen and you just have to be there, witnessing each of it. It was she who first unlocked the sight. I followed. For the next couple of minutes I didn’t see in that direction and knew she wasn’t either. Some moments passed and times returned to the normal. The rain again started feeling cold and the wind got harsher, and till now there wasn’t any sign of a bus.

“Is there any bus expected?” I heard a faint voice, so faint that it could have been my flirting ears, and it almost got mixed with the sound of the rain drops. A moment later I heard it again, “Excuse me!” but it was louder this time. I turned.

“Yes? Are you saying something to me?” I sounded like those perfect gentlemen who never unknowingly jumps on remarks that are thrown near them. And the next moment I realized I have goofed up myself.

In response, she looked around, as if saying, do you see any other living creature around to whom I can ask about a bus. Without making it look obvious I quickly jumped on the reply and said, “Yeah, I hope so” and returned a smile in spite of being proven the silly one. She smiled back in a very natural way.

Ok, wait, that wasn’t something natural, it was different, generally girls, and specially the beautiful ones, makes faces after making a point on something and then almost with a jerk turn their heads off. I wonder why they never get a sprain in their neck. I tried it once and for the next 3 days my neck was aching like anything. I needed to see her closely; maybe I got interested to know whether she really smiled back or made some face. But how, was the question. Should I approach her with the half eaten biscuit packet lying inside my bag? Well I would have done that if I was some years younger. Generally boys take time to attain maturity. Growing up is like a bonus package that many a times don’t arrive for some unlucky ones.

I kept thinking and looking on the falling rain drops on the street and suddenly a genius idea struck me. Just when I was about to turn my head I heard the same voice again, “Excuse me!” this time very clearly and distinctively.

I turned back. She was standing a foot next to me. It almost startled me and I shifted a step backwards.

“Yes” I replied with full curiosity in my voice.

“Where are you up to?” she asked. And for a moment it felt I heard ‘what’ instead of ‘where’? Correcting myself on what my ears really heard and not what my stray machinery of thought process prompted me to, I replied, “Vikhroli”.

“Ohh, I am also going that way only” she replied with a timid sparkle in her eyes.

And for the first time I saw her closely.

In the halogen hue of the street lamp her oval face shone like a stone amidst dusty rocks, not dusty but wet, few strands of her hair disengaged and dangled over her forehead in a magical way, thanks to the harsh weather, and those pair of brown eyes in the yellow light looked browner.

I wished the moment could have stopped, really, not in some literal way, but much like the ‘statue’ game which kids play and saying a word ‘statue’, everybody goes statue!

Anyway, staring further could have really sent some weird signals and so to break the jinx I said, “Ohh really!”

She kept looking towards me expecting I would continue with something but then hearing nothing she said, “Not very often you see Mumbai like this, isn’t it, even in the heavy rains people are still out there?”

“Yes, it’s always like some battlefield” I jumped on the reply like a monkey over a banana and then thought, what did I actually say? Battlefield? From where did that come, and why?

“So… how do we plan to go?” she inquired.

Wait! What did she say? I actually didn’t hear anything after the word ‘we’. And that was enough for me; I could have stood there for rest of the night just to hear that word. Oh! It sounded so delicate. But then I suddenly realized I shouldn’t be overwhelmed because it shows from your eyes. I had heard my friends say that girls generally repel from guys who easily give signals that they are falling for them. And here I was not only falling but was toppling over at the same time.

Suddenly in that pause I realized that she had asked something and to which I haven’t replied yet.

“Yes….maybe some bus… or we may also take some auto…if you like…”, very skillfully I included the word ‘we’ into my reply giving a hint that I have accepted the ‘we’ thing.

“Hmm…..but don’t you think there’s a bit shortage of that today” she mocked and a quirk but remarkable smile formed across the corner of her lips.

Yeah, becoming dumb before the damsels on this earth is the most fulfilling thing that can be done because the rewards you get in return has no comparisons. Some of us do it intentionally but then the magic is lost and just then I had the fortune of some natural bliss.

“Yes true. So do we have any options other than waiting?” I said in a bit firm and manly voice and sounding kind of confident for the first time. To this she went silent and returned a smile. Girls know this very well, whenever in double minds or with no answer they use this as a tool to grant them some time to think upon. A man when does this, looks nothing but a freak!

By that time rain was falling stronger and chances of any bus coming got fainter, and so I did wished. For the next couple of minutes we stood silently, side by side, waiting and hearing the rain drops clatter on the mortar asbestos roof of the bus stop.

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea if we go and sit inside one of those auto-rickshaws?” I asked. She stared at me for a while, maybe telling through her eyes, I know why you are asking that, you pervert! Sensing this I made a face like I didn’t say anything.

“Yes, let’s go” she replied.

“What” I said almost in a surprising tone.

“Are you asking me or are you saying that” she said with again that same grin. Well, enough, it wasn’t funny anymore. Enough of being the stupid one!

I took few seconds and then replied, “Whatever, but what matters now is we should go and take shelter in one of those auto-rickshaws”.

I stamped back and said the rest in my thoughts, I am going even if you are not coming.

To this she got a bit repelled, as her eyes told. Maybe the dumb one she was expecting me to be, I turned out to be something else. She didn’t say a word back and started to walk with me towards one of those stranded auto-rickshaws, which maybe were waiting for us only.

We figured out one which was a bit less drowned under the flowing river like water. She first got inside it. I followed. It was definitely more cozy than standing at the bus stop getting continuously wet and also maybe because the distance between us reduced. I could feel and smell the soft aroma of lavender through her wet clothes, which she was pressing to squeeze out the extra water. She released her hair-clip and the locks of wet hair dropped loose on her shoulder. Some of those droplets landed on my face as well. She got busy doing something or the other with her clothes and hair and I got busy doing just one thing. It wasn’t long before she understood that I was ogling her.

“Excuse me!” she said and I knew why she said that.

I replied “What?” like the five year old when asked about nuclear fusion.

“What are you looking at?” her voice a bit stronger this time.

“Nothing” I gave the usual answer in the usual tone.

To this it looked as if she got the answer. She turned some degrees away from me to hide from my eyes and started the process again.

Well, these are the unsaid moments which say a lot and the best thing about it is you know why you are enjoying that.

After some time when she got settled she said, “This is one of the worst nights I could ever have.”

“Why? What’s wrong with the night?” I asked.

“Can’t you see what’s wrong? It’s 10 in the night, it’s raining like crazy and we are sitting inside a damp auto-rickshaw with almost no hope of getting back to our home.”

“Oh yes, that’s very much wrong, yes”

“So what were you thinking?”

“Nothing”

“See let me tell you one thing. I know when you boys say that word-nothing. It actually means a lot which probably you are not saying because you think she might not understand or maybe because you are afraid”

“Afraid? Of what?”

“Of us definitely”

“Why?”

“Maybe because you think that she may hit you back”

“Hit me back? Sorry, for what?”

“For saying the thing which you shouldn’t say”

“So that’s why we don’t say”

She got silent, thought for a moment and then muttered, “hmmm…yes, maybe”

“So what’s your point”, I asked.

“Nothing, just leave it”

“Now see, who’s saying the word?”

She laughed and for the first time it felt that girls really become more beautiful when they laugh. Something else felt too, but I didn’t pay much attention to that.

“So what is that you do, I mean, apart from saving beautiful girls from the havocking rains?” she asked and giggled.

I thought for a moment as to why she said that ‘saving’ thing, but then couldn’t make out more.

“I am doing my mba internship. What about you?”

“I am an interaction designer.”

“Interact what?”

“A designer to be precise”

“Yes but what is that interaction about?”

“Hmmm… It’s like when you are designing a website you should know how to make it interactive so that it is easily picked up as well as liked at the same time by its users”

“Yeah, I get it, you are a web designer”

“No No, web-designing is something else. It’s more on the non-technical side of designing. I gave the example of a website because it’s easy to understand but now that you are not getting it…” she giggled and continued, “it’s like designing any product should have the pre-information of how it is going to be used, in more technical terms you say that how it is interacting with the users.”

“Okay, I think I am getting it now” I said and almost convincingly nodded my head but more over laden with the question that why did she giggle and that too twice.

“Okay can I ask you something?” I said.

She went silent as if I was going to propose her or something and I could see her eyes getting a bit bigger.

“Don’t worry”, I giggled, this was my turn, “I just want to ask why you giggled?”

The question released her tensed eyebrows a bit and she said, “That’s like natural, can’t help it.”

“Can’t help what? Giggling on the person who saved you in a night like this”

“Saved me? Hello Mr mba, what did you do to save me?”

“I mean, I don’t know maybe you needed a company, or maybe like...” I was stretching my words in search of a convincing answer, “okay, but this is only what you said some moments ago right?”

To this she again laughed and that same feeling returned, this time pretty strong. To avoid it I turned my face on the other side.

By this time the rain had got milder and our hopes of getting a bus again started to rise.

“I am feeling hungry. Aren’t you?” she asked.

I didn’t know what to answer and then remembered I had half a packet biscuit lying in my bag.

“I have some biscuits with me if you like” I said.

“Well, taking biscuits from a stranger is not wise but then it’s better to trust a stranger than die with hunger” she replied with a prominent grin.

I laughed and started searching the packet inside my bag. Just when I got hold of it I heard a horn.

“Hey do you hear that, I think some bus is coming. I knew it would, the rain has got milder” she said like a chirping bird.

“Yes, I hear that” I said in a somber mood.

We got out of the auto-rickshaw and quickly made our way to the bus stop. The vehicle horned again and now we could see the two headlights from a distance. It approached some more and we saw it was not a bus but some private vehicle, much like a suv.

“Hey. Not a bus!” she exclaimed.

The car stopped in front of us.

“Where”, the driver yelled from the car.

We both peeped inside. It was full of men and women of different age and different backgrounds.

“Vikhroli” she replied.

The driver shouted dejectedly, “Get inside soon. I must be a fool that I am still driving in this season. C’mmon get inside fast, I don’t have much time”

“But where, there’s no place at all” I said.

“Make place and get inside, otherwise I am leaving. One of them will get down at dadar” he pointed to a half aged man who nodded in confirmation.

We again peeped inside, there was definitely no place for two of us, if somehow managed at most one could get in.

I looked at her; she was desperately trying to find a place inside the car. I knew this was hard for her to stay outside her house for a night and that too in a night like this, unlike me, for whom the auto-rickshaw was enough.

“You go ahead. I’ll wait for a bus or some other vehicle” I said.

“Not doing. We both are going together” she replied.

“We both cannot. See there’s no place at all. At the most you only can fit in. you go ahead.”

“Are you sure?” she asked and I saw in her eyes, maybe somewhere in them she wanted me to say no, don’t go away, I’ll take care of you for the rest of the night.

“Yes. Sure” I replied.

“What! Are you people coming in or not?” the driver’s voice was becoming scratchy.

“Yes wait” I said.

She got inside and made place for her in the rear seat of the car. She looked at me, I smiled but she didn’t smile back. The car started.

The car moved away and I stood there watching it go. Suddenly I realized something. I clinched my fist in desperation. Should I run and call her back and ask for her mobile number. No it definitely wouldn’t look sane. So what should I do? Should I just let her go like that? I saw the watch, the last one hour was definitely something that wouldn’t come every day and in the end I really turned out to be a fool. At-least I should have taken her e-mail id.

The rain had again started back in its usual spree and so was it raining inside me.

I looked back. The auto-rickshaw was still standing at its place but it didn’t look the same as it was a few minutes before and moreover, now I didn’t feel like going inside it. Now I also want to leave, maybe one more vehicle should come and I’ll accommodate myself in it. Now I don’t have to make place for someone else. It’s only me that I have to carry. So I can carry that. Now even the biscuit packet doesn’t needs to be shared with anybody else nor do I have to sound interesting all the times. I can be what I am.

But is this fun? No it isn’t.

The car was appearing puny by now and was almost about to disappear round the bend. And why doesn’t the car speed away, I asked myself? It was visible still and something was hurting inside me. Seriously man, why isn’t the car moving. Hey wait! Is the car moving at all? I squinted to see well. Yes, the car had stopped. But there was no other passenger waiting to get inside. So what happened?

And then what I saw I can definitely say as one of the happiest moments of my life. That blue duppatta! Oh my God, she was getting down. But why? Never mind, it’s not a time to question, I should rush, maybe run. Yes, No. The car speeded away just after dropping her. She started proceeding towards me. I really don’t know whether I was running or walking, just somehow I wanted to reach her quickly. I guess the same was for her because I saw her steps speeding up in the last 50 yards.

“Hey, what happened?” I asked from quite a distance before I actually reached her.

“Why are you running?” naughtily she asked.

“Am I? Forget it. Tell me what happened?” I asked.

“Just thought that it won’t be a wise decision to miss those biscuits, as even if I reach home, which is actually a PG where I stay, the dinner time is over now, so I have to starve myself till the morning” she said in a breadth.

And then stealing her eyes from me she said, “Do you mind that?”

I didn’t know what to answer.

I said, “Ok.”

“Just an OK?” she asked.

I again didn’t know what to answer; maybe my dumbness was at its peak.

“You are a dumbo” she said. Her words felt like liquid chocolate dripping on a dark forest chocolate cake and for the first time, which I never knew before, the word dumb could also sound so good.

“Auto-rickshaw?” I asked.

“Mmm..hmmm” she replied.

“C’mmon now! I really meant that thing about the biscuit” she said while we again adjusted ourselves inside the auto-rickshaw.

“Ohh yes” I said and opened the zip of my bag.

“There you go” I offered her the half opened packet and she grabbed it immediately.

“Hmm…pineapple and cream and Good-day, my favourite” she exclaimed while giving her first bite. Seeing her relish the biscuit like some Italian pasta I too got somewhat hungry.

“Can I have one?” I asked.

“Let me think” she said mockingly and then took out one and pushed it inside my half open mouth.

“It’s unusual but I still don’t know your name by now” I said while chewing my biscuit. It tasted sweeter.

And just when she was about to reply there was again a massive thunderbolt. This time it startled her completely, the biscuit packed shook from her hand to pop one or two out of it and she completely crawled near me. Her face was hardly some centimeters away from mine. I looked into her eyes, she tried to smile but something made her smile to become an untouched innocence, which through her eyes she manifested like an unspoken feeling of relentless charm. The feeling that I had been avoiding twice, then returned and then not paying attention to it or turning my face away from it or doing anything else was just not possible. Like a magical spell my lips neared hers and she closed her eyes. She tasted like the pineapple and the cream and the dark forest chocolate cake and something else too, something that I just cannot describe.

“Hello….Hello bhaiya! Uthiyee bhaisahab” (Hello..Hello brother. Get up bro..) a strange and unusual voice got me up from my dream. I opened my eyes slowly and wishing that what I saw shouldn’t be a dream. I was lying on the rear seat of an auto-rickshaw like a crippled child somehow adjusting myself to fit my legs inside it. I looked up and saw a five foot bearded man with the uniform of an auto-rickshaw driver standing outside and with many a question in his eyes. I sprang up and got outside.

“Kya bhaiya? Kaisi rahi raat?” (What Bro..how was the night) he asked and without waiting for my answer he got inside on the driver seat. I stood there speechless with disheveled hair, round eyes and a muddled face to see the auto-rickshaw mix with the rest of similar others.

Minutes later I was having a chai (tea) at the nearby hotel and was still puzzled.

“Kitna hua?” (How much) I asked after finishing two cutting chai’s and feeling a bit fresh.

“dus”(ten) the tea vendor replied.

I placed my fingers inside my shirt pocket to get a ten rupee note and along with it came out a small note. I didn’t recognize the note. What was that?

Well, I saw it and in a moment like one of those thunderbolts my eyes shone. On it was scribbled a ten digit number and beneath it was written, “Give me a call dumbo.”