“Sir,
you want to go to office?”
“No,
the work has been completed yesterday. I’ve got the whole day off. Mr
Bajpayee, the MD has allowed me to keep the car and you for the whole day to
myself.”
“Yes,
I was instructed to take you wherever you want. Where do you want to go Sir?
Lalbagh, ISKCON temple, Bannerghata National Park, …”
“No.
Am not going to those places. Take me to the Forum mall in Kormangala.”
“Sure
sir. You want to meet anyone there?”
“Maybe,
or search for something. Let’s go.”
“Chalo
Sir. When is your flight btw?”
“It’s
tonight at 7pm.”
“Ok
Sir. We have enough time.”
“Welcome
to CCD in Forum mall, Sir. What can I get for you?”
“Umm,
get me a regular coffee please”
“Ok Sir, please be seated.”
“Did
you meet your friend in Forum Mall, Sir?”
“No,
not really. I did not go there to meet anyone”
“Oh
right, you said you’d be searching for something.”
“Umm,
yes. Couldn’t find it.”
“Ok,
so where do you want to go now?”
“Thippasandra”
“You
know Thippasandra!!! Had you been in Bangalore before?”
“I
stayed here for 3 years Suresh.”
“Wow
Sir, I thought you are a Delhite”
“Nope,
my initial location was in Bangalore.”
“When
did you leave Bangalore?”
“4
years back.”
“You
got transferred?”
“Ah,
not really, I changed the company.”
“Oh,
do you like it in Delhi Sir? I heard the climate is not as good as here.”
“Are
you from Bangalore?”
“Mysore,
Sir.”
“No.
I don’t like Delhi at all. In fact, I never believed I’d get settled in Delhi.”
“Then,
why did you leave, Sir? Didn’t you find any other good company here?”
“Not
that Suresh. It was not possible for me to stay in Bangalore any longer.”
“Oh.
Ok.”
“Excuse
me, which is the way to Thippasandra post office?”
“To
your right, Sir.”
“Thank
you, and one more thing. There used to be a Annapurna Ladies PG here. Does it
still exist?”
“Yes,
take the road just opposite to the Post Office. You’ll find a four storied
green building.”
“Thanks”
“I
guess you did not find what you were searching for Sir.”
“No.”
“Where
do we go now?”
“Indiranagar, 12th main.”
“Mr
Ramchandran?”
“Yes.”
“Can
you recognize me?”
“Ah,
oh yes. You must be Mr Banerjee. Worked at IBM”
“Right,
I was your tenant 4 years back.”
“I
remember. Come in. How are you?”
“Am
good. How are you Mr Ramachandran? How’re your wife and son?”
“My
wife passed away last year. My son is still in US. San Jose. He bought a house
there. Did you know of my grandchild?”
“Ah,
am sorry to hear of Mrs Ramachandran. What happened to her? I knew about your
grandchild. He was born just before I left.”
“Right.
Anuradha had a heart attack. Never knew it could happen to her. She was so fit. Used
to walk every morning in the park.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway,
are you moving back to Bangalore?”
“Nope,
am here just for the day for some work.”
“Ah.
I see. Nice to see you again.”
“Nice
to see you. Can I please take a tour of the house where I stayed?”
“You
see, it’s Thursday. Am sure, the current tenants are at work now and have
locked the door. It’s unethical for me to open the house in their absence.
Sorry, Mr Banerjee.”
“Goodbye
Sir. When you visit Bangalore again, let me know. Here’s our cab service card
with my name and number.”
“Thanks
Suresh. You have been really helpful.”
“Have
a safe trip Sir.”
As
soon as I took my seat, numbered 5A, in the Spicejet non-stop flight to Indira
Gandhi International Airport, I got the smell. The smell I had been searching
for throughout the city today. The smell, which used to attract me four years
back and the smell, which has haunted me for the past four years. I looked at
my co-passenger’s seat. There was a copy of Dan Brown’s Inferno lying there.
Yes, the smell was emanating from the book. I bent down and inhaled. It’s the
same smell. My heart started beating faster. My palms were dry. Is it? Will it
be? Would we fly together? What should I say? “Hi, how are you?” Would I be
ignored?
A
twenty-something girl with colored hair and a “Pink Floyd” T shirt took the
seat. She picked up the book, smiled at me forcing me to return the courteous
smile and started reading. I buckled myself up and closed my eyes. It’d be wise
to concentrate only on my olfactory perception.
