The birthday gift

  
  This blog post has been listed in the Editor's choice on Blogjunta.com for June 2011.


The clock struck 12. I was waiting for that to happen since the last 1 hour. I wished myself, ' So finally it is the day you have been waiting since the last 3 months - June 3rd. Yes! It was Varsha's birthday.

The New Year, my birthday and birthday of  Varsha were always special for me. Often her birthday was the day for which I would set targets to turn a new leaf. 

This time the target was to lose 3 kgs by June 3^rd. Of course these would usually remain mere resolutions and I remained my usual chubby self.

I checked my watch at least a dozen times in the last 1 hour. And when it struck 12, I was relieved.  But then I had a new thought in my mind now. 

When and how do I wish her?  I can call her as she is in a different city- Pune. But then every other friend would call. So I decided I wouldn’t.

 ‘May be I should keep her waiting for my call’, my heart told me.

‘You think she even cares for that’ my brain warned me.

And yeah it was just not about the wish, it was about the gift- The photo scrapbook that contained all her best photos.  I wanted to see how she would react once she got the gift.

I thought it was awesome. I knew she would feel the same. But then she wouldn’t just admit. Like every other girl, she was afraid that I would consider a smile from her as ‘Yes! She likes me too’.

Well, I am not particularly great in understanding and predicting human (read girl) behavior. It’s just that I the snapshot of when-she-snapped- me-moment last year when I gave her the birthday gift is still fresh and clear in my mind. 

But then this is another year and we were not in the same city. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. The die-hard optimist in me was kicking and alive.

I slept at around 2 am imagining and rehearsing how the next day would be. I did not know her house address and didn’t want to ask her as that would give her a clue. I had couriered the gift and a cake to her office address. 

She would see the gift and call me all excited. I wanted to talk as if I didn’t remember her birthday. You know ‘the cool smart ass’ kinds ;)

But I wasn’t one. I was a silly billy. I woke up at 8 am the next day and the first thing I did was to check the courier status online if the gift had reached her. The delivery time was 1:00 pm. 

‘So wait till lunch time’, I told myself.

I was at work but then I was in no mood to work. The blue dart page was being refreshed every 5 minutes and my eyes looked at my mobile every 10 minutes. Ah… The wait!

It was 1 p.m. Yay! The gift would have reached her. I looked at my mobile phone again. If there was some kind of electromagnetic rays which my emotions could generate, my phone would probably search her number and call her.

But alas! This was life and not a Rajnikanth Robot movie! I went for my lunch. I ate without talking much. My colleagues found it weird that I did not utter a single word although the food was pathetic.  

Well, there was only the heart running the WAIT function  in my system. All the other parts were on a ‘CHALTA HAIN’ mode.

The wait continued post lunch. After the longest afternoon of my life, I decided that I would call her. It was 6 pm. 

Probably, the courier hadn’t reached her or maybe she was waiting for me to call as it was her birthday. I finally called her.

My heart- Happy Birthday to you, Varsha sweetheart in the background

Me: Hey

Varsha: Hi

My heart: Just a ‘hi’? Isn’t today your birthday? Get a life, Varsha.

Me: How are you? What’s up?

Varsha: Nothing much. You tell me. What are you doing?

Me: Nothing. I was very busy all day. Shit loads of work. Just got free. So thought I would  call you.

My heart: Work? His foot ! I wish I (the heart) could tell you how overworked I am in the last 18 hours

Varsha: Nice. How’s your work?

Me: Yeah it’s good.

My heart: Both of you will kill me. You dumbo! She is unmoved and you act unmoved. Why don’t you tell her how upset you are that she is so unperturbed despite you not wishing her after 16 hours of June 3^rd. Mind, please don’t interfere. Mouth, please co-ordinate.

Varsha: Cool.

Me: Happy Birthday!

My heart: Thank God! He said it at last.  I would have burst if he held it any longer.

Varsha: Thank you so much.

Me: Weren’t you expecting me to wish you the moment I called you?

My heart: Why will she? You thought she would appear out of the phone to hug you. Sudhar ja and relieve me of all these tension.

Varsha: Oh...come on.  I am ok with friends not remembering my birthday. I am no celebrity!

My heart: Celebrity? You are the mix of Angelina Jolie and Katrina Kaif for him!  But dude, why she isn’t talking anything about the gift. Did she get it at all?

Me: So how was work today?

Varsha: Oh! I didn’t go to work today.

My heart: That explains it. Why does it always happen to him?

Me: Oh.. But why? So are you going tomorrow?

My heart: The hope I say!!!

Varsha: Oh sorry! I forgot to tell you. I quit that job, left Pune and moved to Gurgaon. I will be going to work from next Monday

I didn’t know what to say.

My heart: I m broke. I won’t work for the next 2 months now. System shut down.