Monday, 18/05/2009 ... in Coimbatore, India

That morning, the 24-year-old radiant, elegant, sensuous and breathtakingly gorgeous Priya walked up the stairs to the platform in the train station. Fair complexioned, tall and svelte, wearing a turquoise coloured salwar suit, she was an epitome of beauty every passer-by would stop to stare. A former beauty queen in college; that was Priya.

"Yeah, I've come to the train station to receive him now. The train is here already; I'll talk to you later, alright? Bye, Udhay," said Priya with an exuberant smile, before cutting the call, and lowering her mobile phone from her ear. She walked down the platform, looking into each compartment in the train, through the compartment windows.

Finally, she spotted a familiar guitar, propped up against the wall in a compartment. She smiled and entered the train, through the nearest door.

Her best friend, the medium complexioned 25-year-old, cool, trendy, fine and charming Ajay, was wearing a navy blue coloured tee with khaki shorts. He was the only one still sleeping on his bunk, while all the other passengers had already descended from the train. She decided to annoy him, and sprinkled some water, from his water bottle, on him. He blinked and then frowned a bit, looking up at her.

"Good morning! The train already reached long time ago!" called Priya, pretending to be angry.

Ajay wiped his face on her shawl before standing up, exclaiming with a grin, "Morning! Even the train may not be punctual, but you are. So, I was confident you would come and wake me up!"

"I thought you would have changed and become at least a little more responsible after staying in Mumbai these past few years," said Priya.

"We shouldn't change the best qualities that we have, right?" asked Ajay, smirking.

"I'll kill you," teased Priya.

"Hey, Killer, you informed Mom and Dad, right?" asked Ajay anxiously.

"Handling that situation is not as easy as playing a guitar, AJ!" she said, grabbing his bag and descending from the train. Killer and AJ were Priya's and Ajay's nicknames respectively which they had affectionately called each other since childhood.

"Tell me if you haven't informed home, Killer, I'll return to Mumbai in this same train!" warned Ajay.

"I'm Priya, man!" she said with a wink, "Don't try to escape from here! Everyone already knows that you're back!"

Dejected, Ajay descended from the train, hanging his guitar over his shoulder, as Priya walked off ahead, carrying his bag.

***

Half an hour later, Ajay and Priya were solemnly facing Ajay's father, Kishan, who was having breakfast before going to work. Kishan had been bickering about Ajay for the past ten minutes.

"What did we ask him to do? And what has he done? We asked him to choose what he wanted to study. He chose business. So we registered him into the business administration course in Mumbai. After he went there, he decided that music is a much better course and transferred into the music course, that too without even bothering to ask, or at least inform us about it. After completing his degree, he decided to come back home. What did he think? We would all be very happy to know that he's at least got a degree in music?" Kishan paused.

"Priya, why are you standing here with him looking so upset? I'm not scolding you, I'm talking about him. Even he doesn't look as upset as you do. I should have sent him to London with you, and made him study an MBA in that university with you. Even if he couldn't get the scholarship to that university like you got, at least he would have studied well with your influence and coaching. Anyway, it's getting late. Come and have breakfast, Priya dear. Don't you have to go today?"

"No, Uncle, I cancelled class today, because Ajay's come," said Priya.

Ajay glanced at Priya, confused. Priya had already graduated with an MBA from the Imperial College London. Then, what was she talking about classes again?

"Why? He's not such a great person for you to cancel your class just because he's here!" said Kishan.

Priya remained silent, while Ajay studied the pattern of the tiles on the floor.

"Enough, dear, you've been scolding him since he reached home. Let him be now," said Ajay's mother, Sarita.

"Does music even lead to a career? What should I say if anyone asks me what my son is doing? Nothing! If he had listened to us and studied business like Priya did, he would have gotten a good job here, with a high salary and attained financial security for his life," said Kishan.

"Yes, Dad, I know my life would be good if I had studied as you said. But if I do what I wish, it'll be better than that. Dad, there has to be talent and interest in what we do if we want to be happy and do well in life. Education and experience are necessary, but that alone is not enough," said Ajay.

"Look, he did what he wanted, and now, he's trying to teach us what to do. He doesn't care about his future at all," said Kishan, before walking off to take his coat and suitcase to leave for work.

Ajay nudged Priya to go forward and coax his father before he left.

Priya shook her head in disapproval with his tactic of always getting her to talk to his father and persuade him to agree to something or the other that Ajay wanted.

"Nothing like that, Uncle. Music also brings good career nowadays," Priya defended Ajay.

"You always support your friend. Won't you ever agree to anything this Uncle says?" asked Kishan.

"Uncle, please relax. I understand there is a reason in your anger. And I know Ajay should have at least informed and asked you and Aunt before transferring from the MBA course to the Music course. But just think for a while. He has already learnt music without your knowledge. Now, we can't do anything since there's no point in looking back again. I trust Ajay and his talent. Until he's settled in life, I'll take total responsibility for him. Trust me, Uncle, I guarantee you he'll definitely succeed in life," assured Priya.

"Do as you wish, I have nothing to say," said Kishan, before leaving home for work.

"Thank me," said Priya to Ajay, as soon as Kishan had left.

"Go away! I hate you!" said Ajay, "One week ago, I told you to tell Dad everything, and soften him up so he won't be too mad when I come. And you didn't say a word till yesterday, so he's still mad today!" grumbled Ajay.

"I'll kill you! Uncle is your father; it's your responsibility to tell him, not mine! At least I told him yesterday, right? Be happy about that," said Priya.

"Ajay, Priya, enough! Ajay, go have your shower and come. Then I'll serve breakfast for the two of you," said Sarita.

"You're the best mom in the world!" said Ajay, before going upstairs to shower.

***

Tuesday, 19/05/2009 ... in Coimbatore, India

Ajay woke up late that morning, to find only Sarita and Priya's mother, Amrita, at home.

"Mom, where's Priya?" asked Ajay, while having breakfast.

"She's gone for her class, dear," said Sarita.

"Class? What class?" asked Ajay, confused.

"Didn't she tell you about her dance classes?" asked Amrita.

"Nope," said Ajay, with a shrug.

"Oh, well, I don't blame her. Look at the time, it's almost time for her class to end, and you're only having breakfast now," said Sarita.

"For God's sake, what class is she having? I thought we're both done with school, college, university and everything related to classes!" sighed Ajay.

"She's having dance classes for some kids in the neighbourhood park, opposite our house," replied Amrita.

"Finally, she's doing something not related to studies and business," said Ajay.

Ajay quickly had his breakfast and rushed to the park opposite their house, wearing a forest green coloured tee with dark brown coloured trousers, to see Priya after her dance class. He smiled as he watched Priya, wearing a light yellow coloured salwar suit instructing young girls some dance steps in the small roofed open-air hut in the corner of the park, the same place where she had always practiced her dancing while he had played his guitar when they had been kids.

Ajay noticed a young girl, who seemed to be around six years old, wearing an orange coloured skirt and blouse, sitting on a bench, outside the hut.

As Ajay waited outside the hut, the young girl, asked, "Are you Ajay?"

"Yes," he answered.

"You always come late, right?" asked the young girl.

"What?" demanded Ajay.

"There is some music audition later," she said, handing him a flyer.

Ajay studied the flyer. It was about a music audition, held in an auditorium, a few streets away, at 11.30 a.m. that morning. Ajay hastily checked the time in his watch; it was already two minutes to 11 a.m. He started pacing up and down nervously, as he was not sure what he would have to perform in the audition.

"Miss Priya asked you not to walk to and fro," said the young girl.

Ajay sighed and seated himself on the bench beside her. Still deep in thought, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and was about to light it, when the young girl interrupted him again.

"Cigarettes are not allowed here!" warned the young girl.

Ajay grinned, realizing that Priya knew him too well, and asked, "Did your Miss tell you this as well?"

"Common sense! She hates cigarettes and smokers! You're her best friend, right? Don't you at least know that? She'll kill you if she sees you smoking here," exclaimed the girl.

So true... He was too familiar with Priya's favourite short-liner, 'I'll kill you!'... Ajay thought with a laugh, before asking, "Hey, chatterbox! What's your name?"

"Rithika, but call me, Ritu!" said the young girl.

"What are you doing out here without joining your dance class, Ritu?" asked Ajay.

"I also came late like you, that's why!" said little Ritu, before skipping away, as Priya ended her class, and all the other little girls came running out.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Priya and Ajay were walking down the streets towards the auditorium for the music audition.

"AJ, check whether strings are okay or not," said Priya, deep in thought.

Ajay checked his guitar and nodded quickly, also deep in thought.

"You have the plectrum, right?" she asked again.

He nodded again, fed up of her questions.

"What tune are you going to play? Play what you think they will like, okay?" warned Priya.

"Will you please stop your non-stop lecture? I'm sure there aren't many musicians in this Coimbatore. I'll definitely get selected in this audition itself," assured Ajay in confidence.

When they entered the auditorium, they were alarmed. The auditorium was filled with more than a fifty people, carrying musical instruments like guitars, violins, flutes and many others.

"You said there won't be many musicians here. Then who are all these people?" gasped Priya.

"If there were only a few people here, there won't be any fun. If I get selected from among all these people, then they'll know how talented I am," Ajay said, nudging her elbow forward.

Priya accidentally tripped over something in that crowd as Ajay nudged her forward.

"Are you blind? Can't you see where you're going?" a man barked from behind her.

Priya looked back, upset, as she realised she had tripped over the man's guitar.

"Don't you dare blame her! Does anyone leave their guitars on the floor to be trampled on?" shouted Ajay back, in her defence.

"You get out of the way, man!" said the man, shoving Ajay away, as the man headed towards Priya.

"Hey, watch it!" said Ajay, pushing the man back.

"AJ, don't!" called out Priya, but her voice was lost in the crowd, as the man and his friends were having a heated argument with Ajay.

"Stop this now! What's going on in here? We are having a music audition here, not a debate!" roared one of the organisers of the audition, pointing at Ajay and the man he had been arguing with, "Now please get out of here, you two!"

***

A while later, Priya and Ajay were walking home in silence, feeling very gloomy. Ajay took out a cigarette and lighted it.

"Won't you ever stop?" snapped Priya, throwing the cigarette in his hand away.

"Are you angry about this or that?" asked Ajay, frowning.

"Both of them. It was my mistake there earlier. I tripped over his guitar. It was my responsibility to say sorry and pay him any damages caused to his guitar. And you ... you had to start a fight, didn't you? You simply caused nuisance there. You've to be composed in such a situation in life!" sighed Priya.

"I can't take things easily in your matter!" uttered Ajay.

"I thought you would get selected in this first audition and impress your Dad," said Priya dreamily, ignoring his statement.

"Why are you so worried as if I lost a chance to play before A.R. Rahman?" asked Ajay.

"It doesn't matter whether it's a chance to play before A.R. Rahman or any other music composer. The fact is you've lost an opportunity."

"I don't want an opportunity to prove myself as a musician. Just a competition is enough for people to notice my talent, then sponsors will come, and my life will be secured."

"You'll never earn anything in life with this mentality," groaned Priya, walking off ahead of him.

Instead of following her, Ajay started playing a tune on his guitar. It was the tune of a song Priya had really liked when they had been studying in high school together. During their high school years, he would always play the tunes of all the songs they liked, with his guitar. However, this was the only tune he hadn't been able to play then. Later, when he had been studying in university in Mumbai, he had finally mastered the tune, just to present it for Priya when they got back from university, because it had been her favourite song.

Priya stopped and turned back, elated.

"Oh my God! AJ! You're playing this tune?" she cried in disbelief, running towards him.

Ecstatic, she hugged him briefly.

"I finally got this tune when I was in Mumbai. I wanted to play it for you after coming here, but you're so busy with your dance classes and all, so I didn't get time until now," said Ajay.

Priya punched his shoulder playfully, and said, "Be happy, I only have dance classes, and I'm not working full time. When I came back from London, I was actually planning to apply for a job here. But Uncle, Aunty and Mom didn't let me! They said I'm already 24; it's time for me to get married. Tell Udhay to come here as soon as possible, so they can get us married. I asked Udhay, and he said he'll try to come in a month or two. I won't get a temporary job for a month or two, so I decided to have dance classes instead, until our wedding, or at least until he comes."

"The great successful and prosperous businessman in London, Mr Udhay! I really must thank him for saying he'll come in a month or two, and making you decide not to get a job!" said Ajay with a grin.

Priya grinned, and continued walking home, while whistling the tune Ajay had just played.

"Hey, Killer, Wait a minute! There's another tune I composed in college. It was a smashing hit in college! All my friends loved it! Do you want to hear it?" asked Ajay.

Priya stopped, turned around, and said, "Of course! But wait, let's go home first. I'm sure you wouldn't want to play it here. People would stare," she said, noticing many passers-by on the road.

As Priya continued walking off, Ajay grinned, and started playing the tune on his guitar right away.

By the time, Priya turned around, catching on to the beautiful tune, people were already gathering around Ajay. Priya smiled, still listening to the tune, while waiting at the sidewalk, for Ajay.

Trapped in the swarm of people marvelling his tune, Ajay started searching for Priya among the people surrounding him, while continuing to play the tune on his guitar.

Wondering where Priya had disappeared abruptly, Ajay turned around looking for her until his guitar accidentally caught onto the shawl of another girl, who was walking by without noticing him or the crowd.

The girl spun around upon realising that her shawl had tangled onto something. The moment she turned, time froze for Ajay. She was chubby and medium complexioned; her cheeks glowed pink with the reflection of the pink coloured salwar suit she was wearing. She was cute and beautiful, even if not as strikingly as Priya.

The tune Ajay had been playing ceased, as he disentangled her shawl from his guitar.

The girl smiled, and asked, "Ajay? It's me, Isha!"

Ajay frowned a bit.

"Don't you remember me?" asked Isha, looking dejected.

Ajay shook his head, puzzled how Isha already knew him.

Isha started scanning the passers-by as the crowd dispersed and spotted Priya a metre away, talking to someone else.

"If you are Ajay, then she is definitely Priya," Isha said with a smile.

At that moment, Priya noticed Isha, and walked over towards her and Ajay.

"Hey, Isha!" Priya exclaimed, before turning to Ajay and saying, "She was our classmate in college, don't you remember her?"

"She has become so pretty that I didn't recognise her," said Ajay, still in a daze. Why was Priya's memory power so strong? She could always remember anything and everything.

"Where have you been, Isha?" asked Priya, as Isha looked like she was feeling awkward after hearing Ajay's statement.

"After college, my father got transferred to Delhi, so I continued my studies there," said Isha, "We just shifted back here again last year end. How about you? What do you do?"

"I'm having dance classes for some of the kids here," said Priya.

"Oh, okay, it was nice meeting you. I've got to go now. See you around," said Isha, turning to go.

"Nice meeting you too." said Priya, with a smile.

"Oh, why are you in such a hurry to leave? It's a long time since we've met. Why don't we go have a coffee there?" asked Ajay, gesturing towards a café nearby.

"I'm sorry, I have a few errands to catch up on right now. Perhaps we'll meet another time?" asked Isha.

Ajay looked disappointed.

"She's saying she has to go, right? Let her go," murmured Priya to Ajay softly, nudging him at the elbow, before turning to Isha, back in her jovial tune, "Okay, see you around!"

"See you later," said Ajay courteously. Ajay kept gazing in the direction Isha had rushed.

"Shall we go home now, sir? I'm hungry and I haven't had my mid-morning coffee yet. I usually have it as soon as I get home after my dance class," said Priya, waving her hand in front of Ajay's face, restlessly.

"Why did you send her away?" grumbled Ajay.

"I'll kill you! Come, let's go home," said Priya, sprinting down the lane that led to their home. Ajay sluggishly followed her. 

To be continued...