“How are you?” Nidhin asked Abhigyan, as he sensed that Kriti was not in a position to talk as yet.
“I…i…am… fine… please be seated.” Abhigyan was offended by Kriti’s non- answering behaviour and on that Nidhin’s intervention.
“So… umm… you have read my posts??” He asked Nidhin.
“Ya.. some of them..” Nidhin answered in a sulking voice.
“Which one do you like the most… i mean of all you have read… which one is your favourite?”
(Why are all these writers so concerned about the ‘favourite’) Nidhin thought. He was scanning some topics to talk about and avoid the current discussion, when Kriti said,
“I liked that ‘In Conversations With Abhigyan’… where you tried to talk to yourself… and where you tried to actually understand yourself.”
“Hmm… thanks..” Abhigyan said with a little smile.
“I am sorry… maybe I was rude back then… when I didn’t answered… but you see I was kind of shocked or maybe awestruck…” Kriti explained.
“It’s okay… what would you have?” He asked both of them.
They placed their orders and the waiter informed that it would take 10-15 minutes to come. Now, all the three were thinking about the things they can talk.
“How was your day?” Kriti tried to break the ice.
“Oh… don’t ask… office and then the boss… but you know what, since the day Nidhin called and asked to meet.. I have been really happy… I mean you yourself are a writer must be knowing that feeling, that joy, when someone compliments your work and wants to see you when they are in your town.”
Kriti gave a confused look. She had no idea what it feels to be a writer… but she could not show that emotion right now.
“Ya… I kind of do…” She just stretched that answer in these words.
“By the way… you have come to Bangalore for some work… what is it about?”
“Umm… we are here to work on a project… we have to make a project and for that we need to do empirical study.. so for that purpose… tell us more about yourself.. what do you do… and you know…” Nidhin tried to divert the discussion and bring in Abhigyan as the topic of discussion.
“Oh.. great… see this is the most difficult question… who am I… when someone asks this… it’s like… Oh My God… who am I… what should i tell and what not…”
“You are right… this is the most difficult question but for some, to answer this question is very important… sometimes this question brings someone to unknown places… sometimes this question forces a person to meet new people… sometimes it’s not about introspection… sometimes for some people, the answer to this question becomes the aim of life..” Kriti said.
“Waah… and now I can relate you to the Kriti whose writings I have read…” Abhigyan said smiling.
“You do?” Kriti asked excitedly.
“Umm…ya…” Abhigyan felt something wrong with the girl’s behaviour.
The food came by that time.
“So… who all is in your family?” Nidhin again tried to start a conversation.
“Oh… I have my family base in Uttar Pradesh… I am here just because of work… Back there I have mom. dad, one younger brother… what about you?”
“Oh… I am the only son of my parents… I had a sister… but she met with an accident when she was 5. So…”
“Oh… I am sorr..”
“You had a sister and you never told me?” Kriti intervened.
“You know that…” Nidhin tried to pacify her.
“Maybe I know, but you know that I don’t remember.”
“There is nothing to tell…”
“Excuse me… but Kriti… you don’t remember… how would he know what you remember and what not?”
“Well… ” Kriti was in a fix. She could not express that she does not remember anything except him.
“Actually… I think we should now come to the basic point… Abhigyan…. I want you to listen to this very carefully… it’s not a joke… please…”
“Dude… you are scaring me…”
“Kriti had met with an accident a few months ago, and she lost her memory… amnesia they say it… she had forgotten her name, her identity… you see everything… except one…”
Abhigyan looked at Kriti. “Is there any truth in what he is saying?” he asked.
“There is no lie…”
“Ohkay… what’s that exception?”
“You…”
“Me??” You didn’t forgot me?? But there is nothing between us worth remembering…”
“Actually she remembers one image… the image of WordPress where you had commented.. so basically she does not even remember you… it’s just the image and in that image… you were involved.”
Abhigyan could not believe his ears. He bowed his head to think.
“Sir… you would like the desserts now or after sometime?” The waiter came to take the last order of the meal of the night.
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