Madhavi was a beautiful creature.  One tiny  glance at a man and he would lose his balance, stumble and stammer.  That was the kind of spell she could cast.

One day  at  a wedding reception, a man was following her constantly.    He was seen  making enquiries with  his men friends and women friends pointing a deliberate  hand at her. Couldn’t he have done that indirectly?  No.  He perhaps wanted Madhavi to take note  that he was highly interested in her.

“Who’s he?” she asked her friend Sarojini.  Neither Sarojini nor any of her five friends could throw any light on this man.  They all shrugged..

Back home, Madhavi did think about this man.  Inwardly she felt terribly attracted to him. He was a dashing young man. What could he be?  A software engineer or an MBA professional?  “But what use?” she reminded herself as usual.

Some two weeks later, the same man came in view and this time in the crowded  and colourful Marina beach. She and her mother had squatted on the sand enjoying the southern sea breeze.  He was edging closer and closer to the twosome. Recognizing  the person Madhavi heard an inner voice,  “Hey, why don’t you give him a positive signal, so, he could come and talk with you?”   “Should I?”  She wasn’t sure.  “What for anyway?”

Madhavi noted that he did attempt once or twice but slunk away at  the last moment.“Why?”  “Did he think that I would  snub him?”     “Ma. Look at that man…” She turned and had a good look at him. “Yes,  He looks nice and dashing. Now what?”  “Oh nothing.  Shall we go home?”

While driving back home,  Madhavi’s mother cried silently reflecting, “How long is she going to be under parental  care ?  She would be twenty seven next  month?”.

Then the mother received a surprise after  3 days. As she said ‘hello’ on the phone, the caller asked, “Am I speaking with… with…  Missus Bhanumathi?”

“Yes.”

“Good evening, madame.  I am  Srinath.  I believe you had seen me at the Marina a couple of days back…?’’

It didn’t take long for Bhanumathi to place the man. “Yes, yes. I had and I do remember your face.  You were trying to talk with my daughter, Madhavi.  Correct?”

“Absolutely madam.  You are a very observant person, I must say.”

“Why don’t  you come over tomorrow evening with your parents?”

Srinath literally fainted.  This was too fast a progress.  He couldn’t believe it. “Oh, I  shall indeed but  with my mother….Thank you for the invitation Aunty.  See you at 1730 tomorrow.”

When Srinath knocked on the door, it was Madhavi who opened it.

“Hullo, Madhavi. Nice to see you.” Srinath’s mother greeted the young thing.

For several seconds, Madhavi was a non starter.  Then a familiar face caught her eyes. She recognized him at once. “Oh, yes, the Marina beach…?”

“Won’t you come in please…? Won’t you …..” Madhavi called them  in  most courteously.

As they were midway through the coffee and snacks, Bhanumathiy apprised  them  that her husband Ramanan   would be back from office only around 1930.

Srinath’s mother didn’t want to beat about the bush.  She came straight to the point.  “My son Srinath is interested in your daughter, Missus Bhanumathy,” she said in one go.

Normally any daughter, especially if she had been enamoured by the man, would have run out of the sitting room covering her face out  of bashfulness.  That’s the  way an Indian maiden  would convey  her approval. But Madhavi stuck to her seat without any reaction.

“So?” Bhanumathy responded.  She was happy in her heart that at last a suitor had come for her daughter and hoped that he wouldn’t be another Jayant..  But she didn’t want to be  over enthusiastic about the development.  “Let things take their own course…”

“I have come to seek Madhavi’s hand for my son Srinath…” she said without mincing words and looked into  Madhavi’s eyes directly.  When Madhavi didn’t show any sign of dissent, the mother said, “Srinath would be getting  his post graduate degree  after some three months or so.  So, if you agree we could have the engagement next week…”

“Ah! That’s wonderful,” Bhanu endorsed. “It should be all right, I think .

What do you say Madhavi?”

Madhavi displayed a delectable smile.  By the time they had a second round of coffee and biscuits, Mr. Ramanan joined them.  His wife updated him.   “That’s  marvelous.  Congrats, son” he said and extended a warm hand to his would be  son –in- law.

A formal engagement gave the young couple freedom to  go out together whenever Srinath  was free.  Madhavi was always free;  after her graduation an year back. In fact, she didn’t know how to pass the day and awaited  her future man, rather the second future man !

“Is it?” Sri remarked without showing any emotion. “So, you broke up, did you?”

“ A permanent  type, I’m  afraid.  Jayant didn’t show his face for well over 8 months. He had abandoned me completely.  He was so much in love with me..”  Madhavi wept quietly turning her face away.

Sri consoled her. “Don’t worry Madhu.  I have now come into your life.  Forge that fellow.  I have no qualms about being your second  man, you see?”

“It’s not as simple as that, Sri.  There is something more…”

Sri cocked up his ears.

Madhu took her own time at narrating the story. “I told him, it’s not right to do it before marriage.  It’s unethical….”

“He said, it’s all right Madhavi.  After all we are getting married… So what is the harm if we have sex…?”  Despite her protest, they had done it one evening under a tree on their way home late one  evening..

From the following morning, Jayant wouldn’t talk to her.  A couple of days passed by and there was no contact whatever. He was  avoiding her. And it’s 8 months now.  He had lost  all interest in me having tasted a forbidden fruit.  He must have felt guilty too… “ There was nothing to look forward to in me. And that’s that….”

Madhu looked at Sri for his reaction.  He had none. On the contrary he was smiling away to glory.  “Except for Jayant, I wouldn’t have met you.”

“I  am a  second hand material, aren’t I, Sri?”

“It makes no difference to me.  I adored you the moment I saw you.

Am glad you told me about your past. Are you feeling light now?”

YES she cried out.  “Promise you would never use me till the marriage day.  I don’t want to lose you.”

“I promise,” he said and shook her hands warmly. Their first physical contact and the only contact,  for that matter.

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