“I hate this…” Ruby grumbled again, sighing.
Piu rolled her eyes, and answered, “One week from now, you’ll be thanking me for this. And, as you know, I am a whiskey girl…” and winked at her.
Piu’s fingers tapped away on the keyboard of Ruby’s laptop, as she set up Ruby’s profile on a popular online dating site. Even as she watched her best friend being the stubborn force of nature as she is, Ruby couldn’t help but feel that all of Piu’s efforts were wasted on her. She was not an online dating type person, period.
It had been almost a year since her break up with Shravan, her first boyfriend, her first true love. And even now, she knew she had not gotten over him yet. Piu knew this fact. And Ruby knew that Piu hated this. For some reason unfathomable to Ruby, Piu had never like Shravan, even in the beginning of their college days. Although Piu had explained her reason of dislike to Ruby a thousand times already, “He’s gutless. He has no mind of his own. His mother owns him, body and soul. You don’t want someone like him in your life. Look, it’s one thing to be a good son, and a completely different thing to be a 27-year-old baby who is unable to decide when to go to the loo by himself…”
Ruby knew. She agreed with Piu, her best friend of almost 8 years now. But the heart wants what the heart wants. And her heart still wanted Shravan. But she did not say it out loud anymore. She knew Piu was trying to help her out of her agony, and she was going to give this online dating a try…
A few weeks later…
PING!
Ruby snatched her phone just as Piu made a grab for it. Piu stared at her – a wicked, knowing, all-too-familiar grin twitching one corner of her lips up.
“What?” Ruby said, self-consciously, putting her phone on silent.
Piu continued to stare at her, and then when Ruby did not answer, Piu shook her head with mock sorrow, “Now I know how parents feel when their child hides something from them. You smartass, I introduced you to this world, and now you’re hiding things from me? Who is it? How many guys have you talked with till now? And why does your phone keep beeping and vibrating? Did you start chatting—”
Ruby cut her off, knowing the direction Piu was headed, “Stop right there. You and your twisted brain…”
Piu laughed, unruffled, “Come on!!! Tell me… Please?”
Ruby sighed, mentally cursing herself for forgetting to put her phone on silent before, and said, “Well, if you must know, Mom, yes, I have talked to a few guys. Most of them are as creepy as I had expected… I really don’t understand how some people continue this for long, that too willingly…”
Piu resisted the urge to roll her eyes again, and said, “Stop blabbering to change the subject. You said most were creepy. SO, not all, right? Who are the exceptions?”
Ruby couldn’t suppress her smile any longer, looking at the eager expression on Piu’s face. She said, “Not exceptions… exception. Just one. His name is Karthik, if you must know.”
Piu squealed in delight and hugged Ruby for a short moment, before yelling, “See? Didn’t I tell you will find someone worth talking to? One who would be able to distract you from that moron Shravan? So? Who is this Karthik? Does he live close by? OOOOHHH!!! Are you two going to meet soon? And what does he…?”
As Piu prattled on with her questions, Ruby smiled again, thinking of Karthik, and the strangest way that fate worked. She knew she was not a casual dating type girl, and Karthik seemed to be exactly like her; they shared several similar interests and hobbies. But, of course, nothing came easy for her.
“Karthik is a great guy. He is 29. We’ve talked to each other, and also saw each other on video calls a few times. We are so alike in interests. He is so caring and gentle. He is from Kolkata too. And he is so cute…” Ruby said.
“Woah woah woah woah!!! Hold up! It’s been only 3 and a half weeks since I set you up, and you’re telling me you’ve already almost fallen for a guy?”
“I might have…” Ruby said, pursing her lips and shrugging, “He is really great yaar Piu. You’ll definitely like this one.”
“Wow!” Piu exclaimed, “Am I the perfect matchmaker or what?”
Ruby laughed and showed her pictures of Karthik in his crisp uniform, with his colleagues and friends at a party, and others. She also showed her some snippets of her conversation with the guy. Piu could see that he really was a genuine guy. She could find no trace of creepy or fake vibes that she was adept at sensing from any guy’s words. And then there was Ruby’s face as solid evidence. Ruby was an introvert, but very perceptive. Piu knew that Ruby could not be fooled too easily, nor was she a person to like a total stranger out of the blue. So, if she had developed feelings for this guy, then he must truly deserve it.
Along with all this, she also sensed something else in her bestie’s face, “Hey, what’s up?”
Ruby was not surprised that Piu had grasped at her unspoken hint, “Well, there is just one tiny problem. He works in the Merchant Navy, and comes to India only once a year.”
“Piu was taken aback, but tried to grasp at straws, “Okay… But hey, you guys can still meet when he comes over and…”
Ruby interrupted her again, “And, his family has already arranged his marriage to some girl, forcing him to agree with emotional blackmailing…”
Piu sighed. Ruby continued, “You know, I was just thinking… how there are mismatches, like Shravan and me; and then there are missed matches, like Karthik and me…”
Written by Poonam Chatterjee.
Week 7, February 2021
