The woman with red toe nails

Sharat was standing in front of the mirror tying his tie for the "Meeting". There was a frown on his face, he remembered the conversation he had with his mother.

 

"But ma, I don't even know her, forget about knowing her, am just settling in my life, I still need to reach many goals before I think about marriage". Oh how he tried to explain her his situation.

 

"But Sharat, she is a nice girl from a very good, orthodox family. And more over you don't have to decide immediately, atleast meet her once. Now don't give excuses on meeting her also, am not hearing another pip from you. Believe me she is a good, orthodox girl, you will like her, she is just like you." His mother had laid the ultimatum.

 

 He umphed and uffed to get his frustration out. "orthodox girl" he thought. That is the reason he doesnt want to meet her. He finished tying his tie and looked himself at the mirror, looked at the image of a decent, orthodox, boring banker he was looking.

 

 He removed his tie in anger and thought "If meeting that girl is not an option for me, then I will go as ME, not as this person in the mirror". He changed his clothes into a T-shirt and jeans. Now he looked the Rockstar Banker that he was.

 

 

Sharat evaluated himself, he was a very passionate man, who loved his music and guitar, passionate about photography, loved his banking job (though many seemed to think that is impossible), a big foodie. He thought "She is nothing like me, she is orthodox". He smiled and remembered when his friends used to tell him that he will be the first among them to fall in love. But honestly he never had time to fall in love yet and most surprisingly for a guy he thought one day he will meet his one true love.

 

Ok done, now he looks like the Sharat he is.

 

Sharat informed his mom that he is leaving now, and as soon as his mother saw him, she exclaimed "Sharat what kind of a joke are you playing, change your dress into formal and meet her, what will she think if she sees you like this"

 

 Sharat very coolly replied "Ma, this is what I am, either I go like this or I wont go at all. You pick". Finally his mom agreed.

 

Sharat was meeting Sunaina at a roof top restaurant. As their families had already met, only meeting of the boy and girl remained. He waited at the table overlooking the city traffic, imagining how she would be. He was thinking "Ofcourse she will come wearing a nice, grand salwar kameez. God forbid if she wears a Kanchivaram saree, he will leave immediately without a hello. And ofcourse she will be all shy and not looking at his face also. God where did mom push him this time, how will he even get to know her in one meeting. And how will he talk to her if she is all shy and blushing all the time".

 

He was getting angrier by minute, so he took a deep breath to cool himself and then he saw her, wearing a simple white salwar kameez, long hair, big eyes decorated with kohl suiting her name, wearing jumkas and bangles, the whole set up as he thought. But there was a spark in the way she moved, she searched. He remembered he was holding his breath and let it out slowly and then she spotted him, she came near and asked "Mr.Sharat??"

 

Sharat just nodded his head and remembered that he was not smiling or talking anything. He immediately got up and smiled saying "Yes, hi, Sunaina right, Please sit"

 

She smiled back and sat opposite to him. Both were silent for some time, he then remembered he should offer her coffee, he asked "Coffee??". She nodded in agreement.

 

Sharat was confused with his reaction. She had dressed up as he imagined, which should have irritated him, but here he was sitting in front of her and gawking at her. He berated himself for losing his control and acting like a dumbstruck fool. But he was dumbstruck, but why????

 

She was beautiful but not Miss Universe kinds, nice features, beautiful hands with long fingers, no nail polish he noticed, lots of bangles, big jumkas. But other than that beautiful eyes filled with shyness and curiosity, blushing cheeks, pert nose, excellent set of lips. Ah there is a pair of kissable lips he thought.

 

Sharat was shocked at his thinking, he jerked himself to reality, he never thought like this about women, that was not his style.

 

Coffee arrived and gradually they started talking, about their lives, hobbies etc.,. When Sharat was explaining to her in a very excited tone about his guitar, he knocked his spoon off the table and when he bent to pick it up, he saw her feet. Beautiful feet with payal and accessories. And then he saw those beautifully pedicured toes and red nail paint on them, it sent a tingle down his spine and he was surprised with the reaction.

 

He got up and noticed that her fingernails was not polished with that fiery red colour. He was confused for a minute. He thought Sunaina was from a conservative family, maybe from a family where wearing nail polish was frowned upon, she didnt colour her fingernails, she didnt even have long fingernails as other girls. Then why only her feet is coloured in that beautiful red colour and then it occured to him. He slowly smiled in realisation. Sitting in front of him was a woman with hidden passion for life, a small rebel in her orthodox outfit. A woman who respected her parents so obeys their way of life, but passionate enough to maintain her own personality. A simple girl with a complex mind. A Vanilla icecream with red cherry on top.

 

After he came this conclusion, he started to listen to her more keenly, listening closely about her interests, noticing the voice changing to husky when she talked about something she really liked, the way she got all dramatic when she tried to explain a point she believed in, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her dreams.

 

Sharat came home whistling, smiling and with hand on his heart, went straight to his mom and told her to start the arrangments for the marriage. He came back to his room and took up his guitar thinking, Oh he is going to marry her, the woman with red toe nails and started playing "Lady in Red".

 

Video courtesy : Youtube