Heartthrob

She appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed! Pink knee-long frock, the same pink complexion, the same prancing steps! 

"Sanjaya!", I exclaimed!

"Who are you?", she asked, perplexed looks!

She was our heartthrob! Yes "our" heartthrob! Our school boys collective heartthrob 😃

Let me take you back to school days! That would be 46 years ago, maybe 47. 

Ours was then a boy's school. And our neighboring school was a convent... 

We were the same batch. With our newfound interest in the opposite sex we would hang around the boundary wall of our school and watch the convent girls go by!

There was this girl, with a pink complexion, amazing style of carrying herself wearing a uniform absolutely made for her, who would have our 100% attention. When she was around all boys would be focused on her! It was much later we came to know her name, Facebook at that! Till then she was a nameless damsel who had our hearts!

Our schools had a common playground. Sometimes girls would end up on the same playground... When that happened we would lose interest in what we were playing and watch them play instead!

She would play cricket and her favourite was bowling. Oh! We would sit and watch her runup and bowling action. Coming to think of it, I can't recollect how good or bad she was at it! Or who she would bowl to! Or what happened to the ball until it magically appeared in her hands again! And then her fairy-like motion would keep us enticed!

When we left school for college I lost all contact. Other than her appearance on some social media sites now and then. Some of my batchmates were in touch. But I had blissfully forgotten her. 

Until yesterday! Yes! At a friend's daughter's pre-wedding party! I immediately recognised her after 4 decades!

"Sanjaya!", I exclaimed!

"Who are you?", she asked, perplexed looks!

Obviously she wouldn't know me! I had only fantasized! None of us had ever dared approach her. Fear of rejection rules at that age. 

"Sorry, I must be mistaken", I said.

"You got my name right", she said.

No point in explaining who I am... Slowly I walked away. Sat next to my wife. 

"Who is she?", she asked, mostly out of formality. 

"Someone I thought I knew once", I said, "I was mistaken".

Thinking about it, I couldn't figure out what we used to adore about her then, all those years ago. Truly just infatuation. 

She definitely didn't look so attractive now. 

But then I realised, I am nearly 61. She must be my age, give or take a few months... 

We must come to terms, age catches up. We are no longer "attractive"... We are just overripe fruit waiting to fall off the tree!

@Dr Ravin Das