Yes - Part 1

Breathing in a tensed whiff of the panic stricken air, Ajay sat there, impatiently on the not so comfortable waiting area chair, waiting for his turn. There was a high decibel cacophony of worried people marching like hoofed horses around, all scared and nervous just like him, but not one of them had the storm of thoughts like he did. It was his first job interview and he needed the job desperately but just moments before the ‘moment of truth’ all he could think about was a day eight months back.

Inky sky donned by clouds ready to pour anytime and him, standing under the banyan tree that had been his companion for years now, not sure of whether he was trying to save himself from inevitable rain or the probable mighty sun that might defeat the clouds and take back and rule the afternoon sky again. But none of that mattered because he talked to the tree endlessly to kill time so that he could have courage to do what he wanted to do at the right moment. He had been waiting for this moment for months now. He thought of doing it during the last vacation but guess he needed six more months of prepping time. And just when he was babbling away to glory he saw her, his Mishka. Looking at her small childish face, ever smiling eyes always made his heart flutter and made his day. He still could think of a thousand reason of why he loved her every time he saw her but could never remember what made him fall head over heels for her in the first place but over the years their love grew and just grew. Mishka asked her elder sister to go ahead and she would join her later. He knew his most crucial thirty minutes of the day have started and he had to make the best of it.

Mishka talked about her 12^th board chemistry paper that she had just appeared for and he kept smiling all the time. She was intelligent but never a great scorer. She loved making fun of the elite students of her class and today was no different but for Ajay it was. She went on and on, cribbing about a question she had answered correctly in the first place but changed it when it could have made a difference and he thought about what answer she would have for his question. “Ajay you are going back tonight, right?” He remembered her morphed with laughter, cracking voice and these words crystal clear. There were a hundred questions underlying that one and he could hear them all screaming silently in her glittery gaze. ‘Yes’, he had said and his voice was drowned in the quiet shatter of her heart that she meticulously covered with a smile and a teasing “great”. This was it, he had to do it, and he was running out of time. As a cool rainy zephyr brushed her hair he held out the piece of paper he was holding dearly to his heart for hours. Mishka joked, “Dude, I just gave and exam and you want me to study again”, but his heart was beating at 150 beats per minute threatening to jump out at any moment. “Just read it, it’s just like all the letters I write to you but for this one I wanted to see your reaction too.” Couple of minutes passed, he could hear the symphony of leaves rustling, birds chirping autos and cycles passing by even the Banyan tree laughing but he yearned just for her voice. Her face tensed, and sweat dripping down his forehead. “Ajay” “Mr. Ajay Sharma” you have been called inside.