..you break it..you bought it..

“How do I look”, I wore a dark blue t-shirt and looked into the mirror. We were going to meet Nidhi and rest of our friends yesterday evening.

Kuhoo did not respond. It was difficult to understand whether that silence was deliberate or she meant ‘how does that matter’?

I tried again. “Do you think this t-shirt looks good”?

“Yes”. Kuhoo gave a half-a-second look and resumed with her work.

It was too short a response. I was expecting more. “I think black will look better”.

“Wear black then”, and this time she didn't even look at me.

Normally I keep quiet after that. But good sense did not prevail. And yesterday like one of those rare in year days, I attempted to tease her.

"You know there are lots of girls there".

"Yes. Bhaiya". She smiled.

I retaliated,“They call me bhaiya to show their affection, don't you see that"?

“I do”. But sometimes even her affirmative words sound like 'don't fool yourself'.

Indeed the problem is, most of the girls call me bhaiya. Don't I look 'dangerous' enough? The bigger problem is they are not like those 'behan ji' type girls; so my treating them as behan will also be so incorrect. But for some strange reasons Kuhoo doesn’t see any threat, and that makes it, my biggest problem.

We came out of our flat talking.

“OK. Leave those girls. They are lots of Korean, Chinese and Iranian girls in this apartment those give me that long look”.

“So haven’t they asked you to join them at the swimming pool yet”? This insult was deliberate. And she knows I am bit uncomfortable bathing in public and then I can’t swim.

The issue is, the longer I continue the fight the more miserably I lose. As we entered into the lift, we saw a Chinese (or may be Korean) girl. And I continued to my peril. “See that girl ? She smiles whenever she sees me”.

Hardly had I completed, the girl actually smiled and said hello.

I shrugged my neck as if I am used to of such greetings. Gosh she sounded friendly, but to me, she appeared lovelier than ever before.

Then I made an extra effort to show acquaintance, “We are going to meet our friends”. She smiled again as we came out of the lift.

The girl walked ahead of us, stopped and then turned back, “Have a lovely evening, uncle”.