There’s something about women that I’ll never understand. They change their attire and hair and transform into a totally new person. Of course, I didn't expect MJ to walk around the city wearing her trekking gear. Still, it surprised me when I met her and she was wearing a traditional white kurta. Her hair wasn’t tied in a bun but fell in coils over her shoulders. Only after I talked to her was I assured that she was the same person I met on Gaumukh Tapovan Trek.
I was in the city to spend the long weekend with my friends but I had reserved the last day for meeting MJ. While my friend Mukesh had taunted me by saying that I had come to meet MJ and not them, Neil had suggested a nice place where I could meet her. It was late in the afternoon and the restaurant wasn't crowded. There was no loud music, just a guy performing with his guitar.
"Thanks for coming," I told her after the waiter found us a nice seat by the window.
"Is Chatur your roommate?"
She must have noticed my confused look for she went on to explain, "Haven't you watched 3 Idiots?"
"Yes, I have but I didn't understand the context."
"Remember Rancho... he saved Raju's father by taking him to the hospital. So Raju said thank you to him, to which Rancho jokingly replied if Chatur, his new roommate, was teaching him manners, telling thank you to friends."
"Oh right. I totally forgot that scene. I get it now."
"Good."
"Anyway... the truth is I didn't expect you to turn up today. I thought you would make some last-minute excuse and cancel."
"But why would you think so?"
"It is what happens usually. People who meet on trips and treks plan to meet someday but they rarely do so."
"No, I am not like that. Commitment is very important to me. Also, I had to come. That day in Dehradun, amid all the rush, I didn't get a moment to thank you for helping me. Weren't for you I would have missed my flight."
"Wait a minute... isn't that the purpose every man is born with," I commented. "Help beautiful women cross streams of cold water and catch an urgent flight."
"Haha... very funny."
After we were comfortably settled in our seats, the waiter came to take our order. While MJ went over the order I noticed something on her hand. I waited for the waiter to leave before asking, "What's that? A tattoo? Is that a mountain?"
"Didn't you see this during the trek," she put her right hand forward.
"Oh listen, I go on treks to look at mountains, not women and their tattoos," I joked.
She rolled her eyes at me.
"No matter how beautiful they are," I added after a pause. That brought forth a smile. I took a closer look at the tattoo. It began near her elbow and covered the entire length of her forearm. A heartbeat connected to neatly drawn mountains with five birds flying over them and some trees in the foreground. And near the wrist was a bright red heart connected to the mountains with a line.
"I don't know much about tattoos and don't remember complimenting one," I said. "But that's a nice tattoo. You have mountains in your heartbeat. Wonderful. Here I thought I was crazy about mountains."
"Yeah, mountains are my lifeline."
"My intuition was so on point. It's never wrong about anyone."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember on our way back to Dehradun, we stopped at a shop for buying apples. And you were driving the shopkeeper crazy by carefully scrutinising each and every apple from the pile before picking a good one as per your liking. In the same way, I pick people from the crowd. My kind of people."
"Ok, but what was your intuition?"
"See, there were twenty people in our group, but only you seemed to match my love for mountains. Maybe yours is even more than me, but definitely not less. You seemed passionate about things you really liked."
"True that."
"So tell me, what's your story? I know you love to go on treks. You like to eat healthy and focus a lot on your physical fitness."
"Why should there be a story? I love mountains. That's it."
"Yeah, I got that from your tattoo. But there's something more you are not telling me."
MJ rolled her eyes at me and said, "Writers and their speculations."
"Okay, fine. Topic change. I'll tell you a story. I had a friend in college who was very passionate about football. But our college didn't have a playground. So he played along with others in the parking lot that had a concrete floor. Imagine that. One day, I asked him what motivated him so much. He told me that he had asthma. I didn't need any further explanation. Turning an ailment into a source of motivation was something admirable."
"I also have asthma," MJ blurted out. And then she smiled and went on to tell me about all of her injuries. In addition to asthma, she had a broken shoulder, two spinal injuries and one ankle injury.
The revelation wasn't something to celebrate but I jumped in my seat and shouted, "I knew it."
"What," she looked shocked and confused.
"See," I explained. "I don't get along so well with normal people as I do with broken ones. And me having a great time with you made me wonder if there was something wrong with you. And there it is. Although you seem mentally and emotionally sound, you too are broken, physically."
"Oh God," she facepalmed herself.
"High-five?" I shot my right hand up in the air towards her.
She rolled her eyes at me but didn't leave me hanging.
"So that story of your friend," she asked. "Was it true or you made up something to entrap me into telling you about myself."
"Why can't it be both, MJ? There's a reason why my blog is called Life and Lies."
"Would you care to elaborate please, Mr. Writer?"
"It's how I write. I mix my experiences (life) with my imagination (lies), but the proportion varies from one piece to another."
So and so forth we went on talking. I didn't notice the time passing by as we finished our food. My flight was in the evening. I had planned to go to the airport straight from the restaurant.
"So booked your trek yet for Markha Valley in Jan," I asked her while we waited for our respective cabs to arrive.
"Oh shit, I forgot to tell you. There has been a change of plans. I am going to Rupin Pass instead in May." There was a pause before she asked, "Will you come?"
"Only if you insist," I joked.
"You promised to join me on a trek. Why should I insist?"
"Because my knee is still not healed."
"It was ok when you declined for Jan because it was too soon for your injured knee but I am sure it should be healed by May."
"Ok I'll come if my knee heals by then. But only if you insist. I won't if you don't. Make a pitch. Soothe my ego."
"Fine. I insist. Please heal yourself and grace me with your presence. I would be eternally grateful to God for that. Otherwise who would help me cross streams of cold water and help me catch my flight."
"You overdid it. But it's ok. I am convinced. My ego isn't that big."
My cab arrived before hers. We said our goodbyes. Frankly, I was quite surprised when she wrapped me in a hug. But then again, wasn't that kind of her thing, to surprise me? Isn't that why I liked her company?
I reached the airport with time to spare before my departure. There I couldn't help but think about how when we go on a trek, staying at interim campsites helped us acclimatise to the high altitude so that we didn't get sick. Traveling from one city to another via flight is quite the opposite of that. One moment you are in a place you want to be and the next you are somewhere you have to be. The feelings and emotions don't get to acclimatise. And though, the sickness arising out of this isn't as serious as Acute Mountain Sickness I wish there was a medicine equivalent to Diamox for the same.
While I waited, I got a call from Mukesh asking me how my outing with MJ went.
"Did you ask if she had a boyfriend?"
"No, I didn't. And for the last time," I replied. "I am not romantically involved with her. I just find her interesting."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Mukesh replied.
That's the annoying thing about friends. They put ideas in your head just for the heck of it.
My boarding started after a while. I was seated inside the plane when I got a WhatsApp message from MJ.
'If you get a chance, take a look at the moon today. It's looking fabulous.'
Sadly, I didn't have a window seat. I sent her a reply.
'Thanks for thinking about me when you saw the moon. I take it as a compliment.'
'Oh get lost already.'
'Ok here's another attempt.'
'No, don't.'
'Why would I look at the moon? I already met you today.'
The message was sent and received. I waited for the double ticks to turn blue, but the plane was already in the air. No signal. I smiled thinking about how she would roll her eyes when she read my message.
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