Her reply was ready. But she preferred to dilly-dally and make him anxious.So she looked into the cappuchino, then looked at the window, played with her hair, tapped the table, picked up the spoon, and then threw it in the cup.
He had known her long enough to end her sentences. So, he was quite surprised when she said,"I'd like to go join the convent."
"Convent?," he said, as if she had slapped him, "What are you St Theresa of the Child Jesus?"
"No," she replied, as if she wanted to slap him all the more.
"You must be St Agatha then. Or Lucy?"
"No."
"Paris Hilton then?"
"I'm no fan of Paris Hilton."
"Britney Spears then?"
"Not her either."
"Oh yes I forgot. Besides Britney is busy getting a divorce. So who else? Who else? Shakira?"
"Do her videos ever feature anything other than scandal?"
"Bipasha Basu?"
"I don't see your point."
"Just as I don't see why you want to join a convent."
"There comes a time-"
"Oh yes, there come many times."
"-when a woman feels she is better off serving the One Unseen than the ones seen."
"Yes, but not at 30."
"I am not 30."
"Okay young lady, why don't you blindfold yourself and serve the ones seen then?"
"And you think I haven't done that?"
"Not that well, I'll say."
"Oh I don't blame you for saying that. You are blind anyway."
"See, I told you you haven't blindfolded yourself well."
"Yes mister. You play blind man's bluff better than I. I can depend on you for that."
"So you did play blind man's bluff too?"
"A sanitised version of what you indulged in."
"That's being quite a woman."
"I am - after all - a woman mister. Just as you are a bloody man."
"Well, so since you've been quite a woman, you think the sisters'll let you in?"
"You're quite a man. You know the answer to that."
"No."
"Wrong answer."
"Come on. Just because it's not working between us is not a reason to wear white petticoats and sing in Latin."
"I like to sing."
"Not at 5 in the morning!"
"I'll learn."
"Yes indeed you will milady. You still are learning to make it on time at 12 noon."
"Shut up."
"Oh come on. Try to be reasonable."
"I am being."
"Well you are confusing irrationality with reason."
"Why do you bother?"
"Tell me something: Do you actually know what a convent is? Perhaps, you're mistaking the Women's hostel to be that."
"I studied in one."
"Studying in a convent is completely different from living in one."
"How?"
"What you mean how? You cannot stand your mother. Imagine twenty such mothers . Besides, you'll have to wear the same white petticoat everyday."
"It's known as a habit."
"I don't think you'll like that habit. You'll have to break many of yours too."
"You sound like my mother."
"For once she's right."
"She's always wrong. You said so."
"Not now."
"There are exceptions to the rule but that rule does not apply to her."
"She has seen the world. She knows what you'll miss."
"Yes. She wants me to miss what she missed."
"Good Lord! How on Earth am I to make you understand!"
"Tell me something: why do you bother so much?"
"What do you mean why do I bother?"
"Yes, give me a reason."
"Why... why I bother?"
"Yes, why? It's after all my life, isn't it? You said that the other day."
"Well, I bother because .. because..."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
That line ran out of his mouth and hung precariously on the table. He did not want to take it back. That he was sure about. So he sat up straight, flung his elbow over the arm of the chair, and looked at where his words had gone.
She did not know what to do. They were words she wanted to hear. Yet, she was unsure how to handle them. She did not want them to land up in the cappuchino though and she definitely did not want them to melt away. So she did what she knew she had to do: She smiled. She sat up straight then and picked the spoon from the cup.
"Marry me then," she said, "I'll close the convent and come back."
"I'll marry you but you needn't go to the convent and come back!"
"Oh in my head stupid. I'm already a nun there. Right now, I see myself talking to Mother Superior."
"Okay, tell Mother your time has come. You must leave."
"But I love singing at 5."
"IST? Pacific Timing? am or pm?"
"Okay now I cannot take it anymore. I must leave."
"Yes, indeed! May I?" And he went down on knee.
"I am still at the convent gate."
"Oh stop it. Just accept my hand."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"Yes, I am proposing. I hope you know what you're supposed to do now."
"Oh this is my first time you know."
"Come on; place your hand in my palm."
"Like this?"
"Yes. And now help me get up. My leg's caught up."
"You're such a cartoon. You know I have yet to say Yes."
"There you've said it now. Now help me get up."
So she smiled, shook her head and helped him to his feet. He smiled then, took her hand in his, and slung her bag on his shoulder.
Oh yes, they did not stand there smiling at each other. They walked out of the cafe and managed to live happily till a year before the divorce.
He had known her long enough to end her sentences. So, he was quite surprised when she said,"I'd like to go join the convent."
"Convent?," he said, as if she had slapped him, "What are you St Theresa of the Child Jesus?"
"No," she replied, as if she wanted to slap him all the more.
"You must be St Agatha then. Or Lucy?"
"No."
"Paris Hilton then?"
"I'm no fan of Paris Hilton."
"Britney Spears then?"
"Not her either."
"Oh yes I forgot. Besides Britney is busy getting a divorce. So who else? Who else? Shakira?"
"Do her videos ever feature anything other than scandal?"
"Bipasha Basu?"
"I don't see your point."
"Just as I don't see why you want to join a convent."
"There comes a time-"
"Oh yes, there come many times."
"-when a woman feels she is better off serving the One Unseen than the ones seen."
"Yes, but not at 30."
"I am not 30."
"Okay young lady, why don't you blindfold yourself and serve the ones seen then?"
"And you think I haven't done that?"
"Not that well, I'll say."
"Oh I don't blame you for saying that. You are blind anyway."
"See, I told you you haven't blindfolded yourself well."
"Yes mister. You play blind man's bluff better than I. I can depend on you for that."
"So you did play blind man's bluff too?"
"A sanitised version of what you indulged in."
"That's being quite a woman."
"I am - after all - a woman mister. Just as you are a bloody man."
"Well, so since you've been quite a woman, you think the sisters'll let you in?"
"You're quite a man. You know the answer to that."
"No."
"Wrong answer."
"Come on. Just because it's not working between us is not a reason to wear white petticoats and sing in Latin."
"I like to sing."
"Not at 5 in the morning!"
"I'll learn."
"Yes indeed you will milady. You still are learning to make it on time at 12 noon."
"Shut up."
"Oh come on. Try to be reasonable."
"I am being."
"Well you are confusing irrationality with reason."
"Why do you bother?"
"Tell me something: Do you actually know what a convent is? Perhaps, you're mistaking the Women's hostel to be that."
"I studied in one."
"Studying in a convent is completely different from living in one."
"How?"
"What you mean how? You cannot stand your mother. Imagine twenty such mothers . Besides, you'll have to wear the same white petticoat everyday."
"It's known as a habit."
"I don't think you'll like that habit. You'll have to break many of yours too."
"You sound like my mother."
"For once she's right."
"She's always wrong. You said so."
"Not now."
"There are exceptions to the rule but that rule does not apply to her."
"She has seen the world. She knows what you'll miss."
"Yes. She wants me to miss what she missed."
"Good Lord! How on Earth am I to make you understand!"
"Tell me something: why do you bother so much?"
"What do you mean why do I bother?"
"Yes, give me a reason."
"Why... why I bother?"
"Yes, why? It's after all my life, isn't it? You said that the other day."
"Well, I bother because .. because..."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
That line ran out of his mouth and hung precariously on the table. He did not want to take it back. That he was sure about. So he sat up straight, flung his elbow over the arm of the chair, and looked at where his words had gone.
She did not know what to do. They were words she wanted to hear. Yet, she was unsure how to handle them. She did not want them to land up in the cappuchino though and she definitely did not want them to melt away. So she did what she knew she had to do: She smiled. She sat up straight then and picked the spoon from the cup.
"Marry me then," she said, "I'll close the convent and come back."
"I'll marry you but you needn't go to the convent and come back!"
"Oh in my head stupid. I'm already a nun there. Right now, I see myself talking to Mother Superior."
"Okay, tell Mother your time has come. You must leave."
"But I love singing at 5."
"IST? Pacific Timing? am or pm?"
"Okay now I cannot take it anymore. I must leave."
"Yes, indeed! May I?" And he went down on knee.
"I am still at the convent gate."
"Oh stop it. Just accept my hand."
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"Yes, I am proposing. I hope you know what you're supposed to do now."
"Oh this is my first time you know."
"Come on; place your hand in my palm."
"Like this?"
"Yes. And now help me get up. My leg's caught up."
"You're such a cartoon. You know I have yet to say Yes."
"There you've said it now. Now help me get up."
So she smiled, shook her head and helped him to his feet. He smiled then, took her hand in his, and slung her bag on his shoulder.
Oh yes, they did not stand there smiling at each other. They walked out of the cafe and managed to live happily till a year before the divorce.
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