Near Miss!

NEAR MISS. That was what it was called in aviation. Just saved by whiskers. The car screeched to a halt. The auto-rickshaw driver ahead was showering a volley of cuss, Palash tried to wave him off.

Palash pressed the accelerator and swerved the car around the auto lending a deaf ear to his yells. The fault was his, Palash knew that well but here in this city you are never at fault, always it has to be the other. Besides the other here is an auto-rickshaw driver so it doesn’t count really. But why was he so lost, that he almost had rammed into the auto?

Palash bit his lips hard, surely Shraddha wasn’t the only girl in the world. But she just seemed the one damn it!! The anger swelled inside again as he tried hard to gain composure. Why not me?  He was the topper and definitely the better looking. Was he exaggerating? Not at all! Tall and fit he definitely could give anyone a tough fight!!

Four months of training together gave him enough time to woo her which he did the best he could. He knew she was impressed or at least he thought so.  Not that she was the prettiest girl around, yet being in the same profession he had a feeling she would be good for him. They did have chemistry and when they were posted in the same city their bond only strengthened. Why… he always helped her pull through all the assignments and interviews. The boys were jealous of her as she had all his attention and all his tips; she was doing almost as well. While on the job they continued dating and it was obvious very soon that they would tie the knot. He knew it would be a bit tough convincing his parents and extended family but that was nothing he could not get through. He had met her family and he knew they just waited for them to get together.

So, what was it…? He wasn’t fully unaware of the laid back shabby pseudo-intellectual Neeraj getting close to Shraddha, yet no way he could take them seriously. He had expressed his displeasure to her at his advances…but seriously!! He did feel left out when they laughed their hearts out at jokes, he couldn’t get hang of. And finally, today with his first promotion he was in the perfect mood to fix the date with her. She had rejected politely, he was stupefied, to say the least. He had tried to reason, plead…. do you need more time…? She had nodded in the negative firmly. He had lost his patience finally.

‘Tell me who is it’ he had fumed, ‘How dare you?’

Finally, he left in fury…. ‘ I don’t care less’

Alone in the car, he felt lost, cheated, and mad. ‘Women!!!’  

But how could he lose to Neeraj…? Neeraj of all the people. Or was it Shraddha who lost him?

Anger seethed through him; self-pity swayed him.

The beeping cell phone caught his eyes. ‘Maa’

He parked the car sideways and switched on the speaker.

‘Beta….this match is excellent! I have sent you, her photo. You will love her!’   Maa went on…’Are you coming down this weekend? We want to finalize!’

He checked the photo, and a breeziness filled his heart past the gloom and despair. The picture caught his eyes, pretty Shraddha would come nowhere close. Huh rejecting him…and look what he got now!

Suddenly he made up his mind. ‘Yes Maa, I will. Next weekend’.

He put on the music as he started the vehicle, humming the latest tune playing on the radio.

‘Ah! Near miss all right! You never know in life! And honestly, did he ever love Shraddha…? She was just a viable prospect with both of them working together, not a looker but she was okayish and presentable. Anyways why rack brains about her? This near miss put him on track, Palash smiled humming…He was out of her league, way out…He breathed relief!

Soma Bhattacharjee