The one that got away!

Sometime in mid October 2005

It was just another day in my life...nothing extraordinary had happened till then and I certainly did not expect that to change. After spending a good 6 hrs of the day trying to get some research done I decided to give my poor brain a break and work out my body instead. So off I went to the swimming pool to do my usual laps (After great thought I decided to refrain from mentioning the usual number of laps that I swim cuz I am not sure whether the said number would be impressive or insulting!) So there I was in the pool ‘doing my thing’ when I notice this chic 2 lanes away. Now it’s quite normal for me to check out all the chics at the pool...but I was checking this girl out also because
A) She was a kick-ass swimmer...you could look at her swimming and say stuff like “Is that a shark? Is that a speedboat? NO! Its super-swimmer-chic” or something like that...AND
B) She seemed to be checking me out!
Now before I proceed any further I want all of you out there who are smirking to wipe the stupid expression off your face. Yeah...some girls find me hot...or not (as you shall find out)! But at that point I was convinced she was checking me out. Every time she was doing the fro part of a to-and-fro lap using a float-board, I could see her looking at me. And this happened quite a lot. Why was this girl checking me out so much…the question plagued me for a full 1 minute and then I remembered something!

Now take a break from this story and imagine that you and I are in a room standing around a circular table with a large circular bowl filled with a clear silvery liquid. I am holding a wand and I touch my head with it. Out from my head clinging to the tip of the wand come out silvery threads of thoughts which I empty out into the bowl. Yes...you are right...we are looking at a 'pensieve' and I want you to bury your face into this bowl with me so that you can relive the flashback I had during that time at the pool. (In case you are not a Harry Potter fan, then all you need to know is that I remembered something else looking that girl at the pool and I am jumping into it right now)

Sometime in mid February 2005

I had just finished 'doing my thing' and was walking out of the recreation center when this random girl I don’t recognize walks right in front of me and says

Random Girl: Oh...you are done?
Me: Excuse me?
RG: You done swimming for the day?
Puzzled Me: Uhhh...yeah...just finished...Uhh...you going now?
RG: Yeah...I see you swimming all the time.
Still Puzzled Me Oh! (smiles stupidly not knowing what else to do)
RG: Alright...Ill cya arnd.
Now thinking ‘WTF’ Me: Yeah...cya!

And then she was gone. Now all this happened in a matter of a few seconds and since things like this don’t happen on a day to day basis I was quite unprepared. The worst part is that I don’t remember her face. Even now I don’t even have the slightest clue as to how she looks. We probably must have crossed paths numerous times later but never once did I manage to recognize her...MAAAYBE UNTIL NOW!

As I say this you see silvery threads circling all around your face and with a bright cool flash you are out of the 'pensieve' and back to the present situation poolside


The same sometime in mid October 2005

So here I was, thinking that maybe it’s the same girl and that’s the reason she seemed so interested in me. Although I had set out to rest my brain it refused to do so and did some logical analysis for me...
->Probability of cute chic checking you out with so much interest: 1%
->Probability that she is a possessive stalker: 50%
->Probability that this stops you in anyway whatsoever: 0.001%
->Logical conclusion: Go talk to her!

Whom am I to say no to my brain. So I waited for her to finish swimming. She got out of the pool and made way to her towel. I got out and followed her to pick up my towel (Im no pervert! Everyone keeps their towels in the same place here). As she was rinsing herself I approached her and said Hi.

And I smiled...
a not very confident “Hey...how have you been...its been a while” smile
but a subtle “Do I know you? If so smile back and start talking else take it as a polite southern hospitality thingie and continue rinsing”.

And she smiled back...
a not very open “Oh my gaawd...its you...the hot guy Ive been waiting forever to talk to but after that disastrous first meeting I was scared of being thought as a freak but now that you have said hi Im going to take you back to my place and make you do things to me that would condemn us both from heaven forever”
But a very subtle “Huh...why is this freak saying hi to me while I’m rinsing myself!Im sure he is an engineering graduate student...they often tend to be so desperate and socially stunted. I better smile back politely and get the hell out of here before he tries to hit on me”

And then she left!

And I still don’t know if this was the same girl from before!

Cruel world: 1
Ro: 0