Scene is late 90s. Place is New York.
The day and date: Platinum day of love and the most memorable day of my life.
It was the 4th of July weekend. In US, if you live around the east coast, you get only 3 long weekends - Memorial day, Independence Day and Labor day. 4th of July is the Independence day and 2nd of those long weekends. I was working in this IT Factory of assembled engineers clocking in my "stay in front of the computer" time to clock in maximum hours.
One of my friend called me up from New York and insisted that I should forget about the project deadlines for that weekend and start worrying about the growing wrinkles on my head lines. He mentioned that he and some his group friends would be taking the city tour and asked me to come over for the weekend.
Hey - I was not going to miss a weekend in New York, so I packed my bags, booked a greyhound ticket and off I was to New York, New York.
In Hindi, Murphy's law translates exactly opposite of its real meaning into "Jab Jab jo jo hona hain - tab tab kuch gadbad zaroor hoti hain." On reaching New York about 8pm in the night, I called up my friends number, I found out that his boss called him for a last minute site visit to West Coast, and he had to leave in a rush. All the other group friends had made other plans, so I was left with no place to go.
My friend mentioned that I could use his place to crash and keys were with one of the apartment share mates. From what it seemed, this apartment share mate was a new "fresh of the boat" MBA student.
I was a little reluctant, but the great thing about New York is that if you are in company - nothing like it. If there is no company, it is a very scary place !
Well, where was I going to go that late in night, so I took the subway and landed at the doorsteps of my friend's apartment.
I rang the bell, I heard a voice and suddenly there was LIGHT !!!! I had heard that when love lands on your heart, you hear drum rolls - and so I did !
Yes - said the voice at the other end?
I said - Ummm - We were all going to go for the city tour, but seems things changed last minute. I just got off the phone with my friend and he mentioned I could crash here for the night. I will leave early tomorrow morning, if its ok?
Ok - said the voice, come in please, a little hesitantly.
After about 30 minutes of monologues - I asked, so what are you doing for dinner?
She said - "Notin much" I will probably have salad.
Salad? For Dinner? I asked.
Yes, I love the Salad and the dressings here !
Well, as much as I love food - I am not having Salad or the dressing for dinner, so why dont we head down the street - possibly pick up Chinese food - fried rice, noodles, with lots of chicken - and with salad and dressing on the side.
Ok- she chuckled.
Suddenly - all those mushy songs of the 80s started making sense in full volume.
Damn - what was going on?
We walked down to the Chinese store.
This walk was probably the only time I have found myself deaf. I simply could not hear anything. I was in a vacuum of this sort- all I could see was the other person was moving their lips, but not sure why I could not hear. I knew there was something called as dumbstruck - but never deaf struck !!
Finally - after about 15 mins of walking, we picked our meals and returned back to the apartment.
What happened next is a very long story, but lets just say that "plane of love landed on my airport forever".....all leading to some amazing platinum years........till the time I really had to go out and buy that diamond !!!!
-Pankaj Puroht
Blog entry for Platinum day of love.
The day and date: Platinum day of love and the most memorable day of my life.
It was the 4th of July weekend. In US, if you live around the east coast, you get only 3 long weekends - Memorial day, Independence Day and Labor day. 4th of July is the Independence day and 2nd of those long weekends. I was working in this IT Factory of assembled engineers clocking in my "stay in front of the computer" time to clock in maximum hours.
One of my friend called me up from New York and insisted that I should forget about the project deadlines for that weekend and start worrying about the growing wrinkles on my head lines. He mentioned that he and some his group friends would be taking the city tour and asked me to come over for the weekend.
Hey - I was not going to miss a weekend in New York, so I packed my bags, booked a greyhound ticket and off I was to New York, New York.
In Hindi, Murphy's law translates exactly opposite of its real meaning into "Jab Jab jo jo hona hain - tab tab kuch gadbad zaroor hoti hain." On reaching New York about 8pm in the night, I called up my friends number, I found out that his boss called him for a last minute site visit to West Coast, and he had to leave in a rush. All the other group friends had made other plans, so I was left with no place to go.
My friend mentioned that I could use his place to crash and keys were with one of the apartment share mates. From what it seemed, this apartment share mate was a new "fresh of the boat" MBA student.
I was a little reluctant, but the great thing about New York is that if you are in company - nothing like it. If there is no company, it is a very scary place !
Well, where was I going to go that late in night, so I took the subway and landed at the doorsteps of my friend's apartment.
I rang the bell, I heard a voice and suddenly there was LIGHT !!!! I had heard that when love lands on your heart, you hear drum rolls - and so I did !
Yes - said the voice at the other end?
I said - Ummm - We were all going to go for the city tour, but seems things changed last minute. I just got off the phone with my friend and he mentioned I could crash here for the night. I will leave early tomorrow morning, if its ok?
Ok - said the voice, come in please, a little hesitantly.
After about 30 minutes of monologues - I asked, so what are you doing for dinner?
She said - "Notin much" I will probably have salad.
Salad? For Dinner? I asked.
Yes, I love the Salad and the dressings here !
Well, as much as I love food - I am not having Salad or the dressing for dinner, so why dont we head down the street - possibly pick up Chinese food - fried rice, noodles, with lots of chicken - and with salad and dressing on the side.
Ok- she chuckled.
Suddenly - all those mushy songs of the 80s started making sense in full volume.
Damn - what was going on?
We walked down to the Chinese store.
This walk was probably the only time I have found myself deaf. I simply could not hear anything. I was in a vacuum of this sort- all I could see was the other person was moving their lips, but not sure why I could not hear. I knew there was something called as dumbstruck - but never deaf struck !!
Finally - after about 15 mins of walking, we picked our meals and returned back to the apartment.
What happened next is a very long story, but lets just say that "plane of love landed on my airport forever".....all leading to some amazing platinum years........till the time I really had to go out and buy that diamond !!!!
-Pankaj Puroht
Blog entry for Platinum day of love.
