Some more airport musing: “A twist in the tale?” ‘Window or aisle?’, the girl at the counter asked me sweetly. ‘Aisle please’, I smiled back. I collected my boarding pass and as I proceeded for security check, I saw a bronze haired beauty entering the airport. Tall, lithe, figure hugging jeans and knee high boots, she was a sight to behold and left a trail of gaping males in her wake. Some people are truly blessed, I told myself. Lucky would be the guy who…. and my thoughts wandered. Leaving the action scene, I completed my security check and took a seat close to my boarding gate. I was returning to my workplace Trichy, a not so happening city in Tamil Nadu. Boarding was still some time away and so I turned on my mp3 player, choose a favorite album and closed my eyes to enjoy the songs. The album came to an end and when I opened my eyes, I found the “beauty” sitting right across me! I looked at her and then around me. Several pair of eyes were pouring over her, some shamelessly and some discreetly. I could understand their situation and myself was no better off. Soon my boarding announcement was made. I was to board with the second lot. After the first batch had left, I proceeded for my boarding. Now the story gets interesting. I found that “she” too was in my flight! But to Trichy? What for?? My statistical background told me that there was a 1.5% chance of me seating next to her in the small ATR aircraft, provided she had chosen a window seat. After disembarking from the coach, I stood at the end of the line. Once inside the aircraft, my eyes wandered over the seat numbers. When I found my seat, guess what? Bingo! I was the lucky guy! Miss gorgeous was fiddling with the AC vents w/o any luck. I casually told her that the AC wouldn’t be on till the aircraft moved (that’s how most ATRs operate). She nodded gravely. Once airborne, I tried to strike a casual conversation. ‘Visiting India?’, my opening gambit! ‘Yeas, I ee from Toorkey’, she replied in bad English and an even worse accent. ‘Business in Trichy?’ I prodded further. ‘No no no. I ee um viziting frieends’, she replied. Turks in Trichy, odd? She told me that she would be spending a few days in Trichy with her friends. I found her carrying an Indian film magazine. That intrigued me. ‘You interested in Indian films’, I gently enquired and what followed thereafter really surprised me. She was incredibly well informed about Indian films, actors and the latest Bollywood buzz as well. More surprisingly, she spoke a smattering of Hindi also. I was a bit mystified. Something was not adding up. Turks in Trichy and Hindi films! Mine was an hour flight and this was certainly among the shortest hours of my life. Soon it was time to land and once on ground we parted ways. As I stood at a distance, waiting for my luggage, I could see her picking up a small leather bag from the belt and proceeding towards the gate. For few days stay, she was travelling very light indeed! Hello, my wife would be exceeding baggage allowance for that many days’ stay. Shaking off a lurking doubt, I collected my suitcase and I paid a quick visit to the loo. When I was out, I was among the last remaining passengers to emerge. My driver was waiting dutifully for me. As he carted away my trolley, I saw “her” speaking animatedly to her mobile. She was obviously having difficulty in communicating. I walked over and offered to help. I took her oversized Samsung Galaxy mobile and spoke to the waiting chauffeur at the other end. He soon emerged carrying a placard: “Sirenya. Hotel Sangam”. She then bade me hasty goodbye which I found albeit unappreciative. The next day was busy day for me in the office. Later in the evening after I had taken my dinner and was sitting in the verandah, I found myself wondering about my encounter with Sirenya. She was certainly lying about her visit, I felt that strongly. There are no Turks in Trichy and hardly any foreigners either. But what gave her away was the small leather case she was carrying for a supposedly few days stay! There was only one way to find out. I dialed the hotel number and asked for her. Five star hotels are very discreet about their guests and it was only after I had divulged a few personal details that the receptionist agreed to respond. ‘Just a moment please’ and the receptionist put me on hold. After a while he was back. ‘I am sorry sir, Miss Sirenya checked out today evening’. My mind was racing fast. Quickly I asked, ‘So the audition for the film is over then’. ‘Yes, sir’ the receptionist replied back.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 15:44:05 +0000
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