I want to "MarryYouAnna"-A Short Story

Shree was feeling really fresh and vibrant since he woke up early on that eventful day.His coaching classes for French were starting that day and had hence he got up at five fifteen.Unused to waking up so early in his past hree years at the hostel,he had never really savoured the joys of sunrise.Twas the tenth of October and the weather was heavenly.The faintly cold wind that was blowing and the partly grey skies were hinting at the possibility of rain but were not threatening enough to keep poeple indoors.

The thought that comes to every 20 year old's mind when he drives his bike in such a pleasant atmosphere with the wind in his hair ,came to Shree too"How wonderful twud have been if I had someone special with whom I could share this moment of bliss".The thought just added to the overall joy of the moment.

He uncharacteristically arrived about 10 minutes before time.The whole class room and the office was empty, there was only one peon who opened the classroom and disappeared .He stood humming in the corridoor facing the road......................As he just strolled the length of the corridoor and turned back, he saw a girl parking her Kinetic with her back towards him.All he could do was stare at her lustrous hair which was dark hue of brown.Twas as if microseconds were passing by in slow motion.Then she turned and that was the moment.He inadvertantly let out a gasp .Her face was angelic.As she walked across the road to climb the stairs he did not even bat his eyelids.He was feeling the same way a wildlife photographer would feel at seeing a viriginal rain forest.He could not but help remembering a line from American Beauty -"Sometimes i feel there is so much beauty in this world that i just cannot take it"

Within a flash she was walking towards him ...He braced himself .....Something inside him was shouting "Carpe Diem"............

"Are you in the new 6 to 8 a. m batch".

Shree:"Yes"

"Could you please show me the classroom"

Shree:"Sure"......They walk in a single file( the corridor was small).As they face the door ....

Shree:"Im Shree ...Shridharan Menon...."

"..I am Anna ....Marianne Thomas"

They move in and she places her books beside his.They move out in to the corridoor and exchange academic ,geographic and irrelevant information about each other.She was an Arts student doing her final year in a prominent college in the city.She was pleasantly surprised to hear that an engineer who is about to graduate should be interested in French.He should have been preparing to go to the U.S as is the wont of most engineers ,she said smiling gently.They were hardly a couple of minutes into the conversation that other students start coming in.They soon move in and are seated beside each other in the class.The lecture starts and Shree cant seem to take his mind of Anna.

All he wanted to do was look at her.Her sparkling eyes and that mischevious smile that was flirtatious and innocent at the same time.His mind was dreaming in fast forward about all the possibilities, about what he would or rather should say next.He was thinking of lonely roads lined with trees somewhere in Europe .She would be walking and he would walking backwards facing her and singing to her.Could she be "The One".He wanted to know everything about her..

Anna was thinking of Shree too.He was about five feet nine ,wheatish ,had reasonable good looks ,a disarming smile and a charming disposition.Twud be interesting to know him.

They go through the motions in the class oblivious of most things except the changing weather outside.The clouds had slowly changed from a benign grey to an ominous black.The class ends at 8 p.m and it starts pouring down.Both of them look at each other in way they themselves cant comprehend.

Unobtrusively ..it was as if it was choroeographed.. they move into a cosy corner in the corridoor and watch the rain.It rains for about half an hour.. and they talk.It seems as if the Gods had conspired to get them together.They talk everything from life to , books to future plans and family.In a moment of silence they realise that the rain has stopped and they have to get back.


As they part and go they respective ways they feel the same .Like life has all of a sudden opened up something new for them.A whole new world inside them.It rains the whole day and neither of them attend their classes.Shree could have attened his lectures, his classroom is just a few blocks away from his hostel.But he decides that the weather is for lying on the bed ..all doors and window opened ..listening to music and dreaming about..........Anna .

Life goes on like dream .They meet daily for the next few weeks and the more they know each other the more they feel that they are right for each other.Over innumerable Cafe Mocha's they see shades of themsleves in each other .There was so much shared in their heads that nothing left to be said about their feelings for each other.

One evening as he drops her home at around 8 .pm.She asks him to come in as her parents are not at home.She shows him her room and goes about showing photographs of her parents and friends.they are sitting on the bed . As she gets saying she will get him something to drink ,he holds her hand.He stands draws her close to him and looks into says "I love you....more than love i respect you ...as a person ....".She sees truth in his eyes.....He sees beauty in hers...And as their lips move towards each other their eyelids close slowly and softly.The touch of their lips is magical.After the first touch, his lips linger on hers for a moment.Slowly they his hands move around her waist and they lips say to each other what their hearts have been longing to.

He draws his lips gently away fom hers after a kiss which seemed to last for an eternity and memories from their first meeting to this point ,flash before their eyes.

He says" I want to marry you Anna".

She looks at him and smiles .A smile that obviated the need for words.He smiles back.Time freezes .Her smile freezes. Tis like things have come to stand still.Imagine rain drops freezing midway.........

He is smiling... He is sweating.....Beads of sweat gather around his neck.The sun is shining onto his face through the curtain.His eyes open,blinking trying to avoid the sunlight.He loooks at the wall clock .Its three in the afternoon.He wakes up.

Its Thursday.He had slept at five in the evening on Tuesday.He takes bath and then has something to eat.

Tis Friday evening and he has nothing much to do.The top drawer on his shelf that he avoided for since waking up Thursday, was calling him.He opens it and takes out a pouch.He takes some stuff and carefully stuffs it into a cigarette from which he has emptied the tobacco.As he takes takes the first puff he remembers his friend asking him"Why do you dope".He had just smiled and walked away.

How would he explain why???.............He takes another puff...He says to himself while smiling gently"I want to 'marryyouanna' " ...... "i want to marijuana"...He slowly flops onto his bed.....since he started doping, life alternated between Utopia in his dreams where he always found love.....and moments of mundane reality .

He is slowly sinking into Utopia. He is standing at a bus stop and then he sees her crossing the road.....Twas as if time froze...........Her cuter than cute face and short smooth hair .......were too hard not to notice..She walks towards him and says "Has the 8.30 bus left?"