A Dutiful Son!

I thought she was beautiful. She was slim, had a wheatish complexion, sharp eyes, pointed chin, etc. etc. I’m sure you get the picture. In short, if there’s one word that described her perfectly, it was ‘Chikni’. One look at her, and I knew immediately that she was the one. I had had my eyes on her for a long time. I couldn’t let her go. I had been waiting for this moment for what seemed ages now.

She came out jogging straight towards me. I was relieved. It smoothened my anxiety a little. Things seemed a little easier now. But as she came closer to me, suddenly, I panicked. This was going to be the moment of truth. But what if she just ran past me? What if she ignored me completely? All of a sudden she stopped, right before me. I could hear her breathing. She looked at me in the eyes. I looked at hers. She seemed annoyed. It was almost as if I had accosted her. She turned immediately and broke into a run.

I ran after her. She turned at the first available turn. I followed her. She was running really fast now. But I knew I had to follow her. What I hadn’t been able to do for the past so many days had to be done now. I knew it. It was now or never. She had short steps, I had long strides. But I was surprised at the speed she generated. Was it even worthwhile? I asked myself, panting a little now.

Five minutes and many turns later, I was sweating. It was hard work. I was tired, but she was still running at full steam trying her best to avoid me. It hurt my ego no end. But I continued to battle. At last, my chance came. Dead end. Bingo! She turned around. She looked apprehensive; in fact, scared would actually be a better word. My heart fluttered too. What was a fraction of a second, looked like an eternity. I looked into her eyes and she into mine. And then, it happened!!...

BAM! The ‘Jhaadu’ in my hand did its work instinctively. One second she was under the broom, trying to break away again. The next second she was in the dustpan (strategically placed in my left hand) and in the next second, she was flying out of the window. I had achieved what I was trying to achieve for the past 3 days. Like a proud soldier, I went up to my mother and informed her of my successful mission. “The lizard in the kitchen is there no more!!”