As he came out to watch her figure from behind, lighting another India King he thought, ‘what about going to The Nizam Club for a change? Why not I see who I might come across there?’
~~~~~
When the playboy executive was about to move out, seeing a woman of about twenty come nearby, he stopped in his tracks.
‘Oh God, a real stunner here!’ he ogled at her greedily. ‘What a flowing figure! Why, have I ever seen a more desirable woman ever? That is, in spite of my roving eye! What a dream stuff she is? Why, more than that, for I didn’t see such in my wildest dreams really. Well, it’s as if she’s shaped for sex, isn’t she? She is the woman to be laid, and there’s no mistaking it. How surprising she has a divine face and a voluptuous figure on the same frame? Won’t that make her the Goddess of sex? But is she a resident or someone here on a visit? Whatever, this woman is too good to be lost. If only she goes into the pavilion, there could be an opening for me then. If not, I should follow her to her very doorstep, even if that takes me to the end of the world. But now I should be careful not lose her in this god-damn rush. If I get her, that would be the jackpot of my life, and I shall get her, whatever it might take.’
While he went towards her as if in a trance, with the fag burning his fingers, soon he came to his senses, and saw a man with two ice-cream cones joining her. As the man bore a familiar face, he moved towards him to realize that he was Sathyam, his long lost friend, and as he neared him he thought excitedly, ‘Won’t his nose give him away in a million?’
‘Can you place me?’ he asked Sathyam tentatively.
‘Of course,’ said Sathyam thoughtfully, ‘you do seem familiar.’
‘Sathyam.’ said he patting him.
‘Oh, Prasad,’ Sathyam said hugging him excitedly, nearly spilling the ice-cream and all on them all, ‘I’m glad we’ve met again.’
‘How’s life, buddy?’ Prasad asked him as he extricated himself from Sathyam’s bear-hug.
‘I’ve no regrets, thanks to my wife,’ said Sathyam. ‘Meet Roopa.’
‘How do you do,’ Prasad greeted Roopa.
‘Namaste,’ said Roopa.
‘I’ve heard you’re a bigwig now,’ said Sathyam in all excitement. ‘Tell me all about yourself.’
‘I’ve to play my cards carefully,’ thought Prasad, affecting hiccups. ‘It’s so sudden, like a bolt from the blue. Well, it pays to play down my success till I get into the winning position and till then; I should mildly impress Roopa without unduly alarming Sathyam. Unless he sees the present as an extension of our past, he won’t be too keen to renew our friendship. And for me, that would be back to the hiatus.’