A Decent Proposal

As my last post has been silently declared a first day ‘box office hit’, I received an offline chat from one of my friends. It ran like this, 

“WHY DON’T YOU WRITE ABOUT 

YOUR UNLUCKY BUT HIGHLY ENTHUSIASTIC 

AND SINCERE FRIEND?”

It was from my friend who was with me during the trip to Alappuzha houseboats. Apart from his sincerity, enthusiasm or unluckiness, what makes him one of my best friends is the fact that we have got some common nuts loose. It is true that I used to write about my close ones, and ‘Alwa and Jagan Jugg’ was a result of my sister’s request to write about her. Now, I am also planning to write the second part of ‘Love Messenger’, as Renu the Blogger demanded it in the comment section of my last post.

“What will I write about you, when you are my friend?” I mailed him.

“Write about me. We have so much college memories, right?” he replied.

“But, see, I want some sudden inspiration to write about a person or an incident,” I tried to explain.

“Ok, when you come next time home, meet me at the city. I hope that I can give you something inspiring,” he said.

So that was fixed. After a few months long interval, I visited my native place and went to the closest city.

“Ah, the city has become developed further. New buildings, new youth, fresh faces,” while walking towards the vegetarian restaurant in the newly built posh looking shopping mall, I attempted to bring nostalgia to my mind imitating some classic characters in vain.

Waiting at the restaurant, which was packed with many handsome teenage boys, I ordered my favourite chilli paratta. While eating the poorly prepared chilli paratta, I watched a teenage girl stepping out from the family room to the hall where we were sitting. Seeing many young boys there in the room, she hesitated a little, turned her face smilingly to look her parents who were after her, gained some more confidence from their return smiles, and walked past the boys haughtily. 

When the supplier approached me with his politeness to check whether I wanted something more, I started to teach him like a veteran glutton,

“See, it is not like this that you should make a chilli paratta. Be careful while...,” I started and at the same time my mobile phone blasted with Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and I saw on my mobile display a blinking ‘X-EN-Tric calling’. I saw my friend standing at the door looking for me.

After the formal greetings and wishes, he asked about new occurrences in my life. When I asked his, he persuaded me to tell mine first as he has something very auspicious to tell me. I said about my boastful adventures I had on my journey to there and he patiently listened to everything I said. 

After my words, he declared that he was going to call a girl right then and would propose her on phone. I went silent.

I witnessed him pulling out the phone from its sheath, dialling a number and asking over the phone in a sweet voice,

“Hello are you there?”

“......................”

“Oh, is that so? Are you with your friends right now?”

“.....................”

“Ok, let me tell you one thing frankly. If you don’t like this, please forget it. Okay?” 

“Oh, please tell me without creating suspense” (it was my guess as her reply).

“Let me propose you? Can I marry you?

“Oh, what are you asking? How horrible? Have you ever thought about its consequences?” I guessed.

“See, both of us are matured now. I think now that I have enough money to lead a happy life with you,” he cleared his stand.

“But, what about others? Won’t your parents object it?” I guessed like this.

“Ah, my parents won’t object any of my decisions. As far as my mother is concerned, she is ready to accept whoever I like as her daughter in law”, he said.

“But what if our parents think about caste? We are from two distinct castes, right?’ she might have asked like this. 

“Forget caste. Of my four grandparents, only three were Nairs...,” he said. The fourth one was a Brahmin, I knew. 

He continued,“...see, I don’t want an immediate reply. Take your time and think about it well. Please give me an answer within the next week. If, you like it, say yes. If you don’t like it, you need not to say no. Just say nothing. I will take your silence as your non-willingness. And behave me the same in the office in the coming days also. Even if you reject my proposal, please crack jokes at me in the office as usual”

After switching off the phone, he smiled at me. “How is my courage? Won’t you appreciate me?”

Shaking his hands, I said, “Thanks for giving me a subject to write upon!”

“What? So are you going to write about my proposal?” he asked breathless.

“Obviously,” was my reply.

“Ok...well...if you write about it, write that my eyes were bright while I proposed her. Write that I was all the time smiling while talking to her. And also add that your friend is a good looking tall guy with confidence and optimism. Won’t you?”

“Yeah, sure, I will do it,” I said.

Dear friends, and here is one more post from me for the readers to guess the end. I don’t know the future of my last post (Love Messenger) which had a twist of suspense at the end. But, in the case of this post, I can assure you that there will be a second part as she had to answer his proposal within one week. So, obviously (To be Continued)

PS: Read the combined second part of The Love Messenger and this post Here.