# 4 - Vichitra and His First Date

‘What are you doing?’ read the text message. It was from Chanchal.

‘I am staring at the stars and thinking about you’ wrote back Vichitra.

‘Oh cool… I didn’t know that you have an open roof in your room’

‘Yeah… it just appeared! Nowadays all I see is stars all around.’

‘Hehe. Alright I am going to sleep now. See you tomorrow. Good night’ read the concluding text message from Chanchal.

‘Good night. Be ready at nine tomorrow.’

It was already one in the morning and he was still awake. Vichitra Kumar was going on a date the next day. It was his first date. This was the biggest problem also. He didn’t know how one was supposed to behave on a date? Nor did he know if this was actually a date? Chanchal had simply agreed to go for a movie with him. She had never mentioned the word ‘date’. Somehow Vichitra’s friends had managed to convince him that it was a date only.

It was only a week since they had been talking to each other, and they had gotten along quite well with each other.

Vichitra was up at five in the morning. He had hardly slept at all. It was still four hours before he would be meeting her. He turned on the light and there on the study table he saw a book ‘Dating Tips - 101 ways to woo your date!’ One of his friends had given this book to him just a week ago. Somehow Vichitra had never felt the need to go through it. After all he was just going on a date. He was not going to write an exam.

And then it dawned on him like when a sage attains his enlightenment.

He was going on a DATE! It was no less than writing an exam and that too for Theory of Relativity.

He leaped for the book as if it had the questions for the exam with their accompanying answers as well. It took him just one hour to devour it form cover to cover. No doubt the book was the need of the hour for him. But it had a contradictory effect on him. Instead of being relieved of the pre-dating anxiety he became more restive. He just couldn’t wait to test the theory in real life. He thought that he had found the secret to one of the most intriguing questions of a man’s life.

Vichitra was ready at eight-thirty.

He got into his car. Put the key into the ignition but the car wouldn’t start. The night before it was running like a Porsche and now it just refused to move at all. He thought that even his car had gotten pre-dating anxiety. Murphy’s rule had to manifest itself right then.

It was Sunday and so most of his friends were sleeping at that time. Somehow he arranged for a scooter from one of his friends and set about looking for a car mechanic. The car mechanic came and it took him just 5 minutes to get the car into a state of no-dating anxiety.

According to what he had read in the book, the first rule of dating was to be always on time. The girl never liked to wait and especially when the boy had asked her out.

Vichitra Kumar looked at his wrist watch, and lo it was nine-fifteen. He rushed to Chanchal’s apartment and he was there in record time. It was nine-thirty now.

He was waiting for her at her apartment gate. He called her up to tell that he was already there.

On the other hand, it was an altogether different situation with Chanchal. She had slept like a log and she had entirely forgotten about the date. She had just gotten up and that too when Vichitra had called her up.

Vichitra had no choice but to wait.

Amazingly, she was in his car in just thirty minutes.

The second rule of dating read that always compliment the girl on whatever she was wearing.

Vichitra hesitated in doing so as he didn’t like the color combination of what she was wearing. Anyways, he did as advised by the book.

‘You are looking terrific’ complimented Vichitra.

‘Oh… thank you.’

He thought a compliment was on his way too. But when it didn’t come in the next thirty seconds he thought it was better to lower his expectations.

The place they had decided to go was Priya Complex at Saket. It was one of the most popular hang outs in New Delhi for both young and not-so-adults alike, and it was a good one and half hour ride from Chanchal’s place.

The third rule of dating said that engage the girl in a playful and enjoying talk and, try to laugh as much as possible.

Vichitra took this advice to his heart. And the next one hour they both talked and laughed, and talked and laughed. Talking and laughing became so engrossing that he almost forgot that there was no petrol in his car, and it could stop any minute now. He pulled over at the next gas station and filled up the petrol tank. But what he couldn’t fathom was where had all the petrol gone? He clearly remembered that there was enough petrol in the car that it was sufficient was a round trip. It was then that he saw a red light blinking just above the speedometer, and he realized his folly.

For the last one hour he had been driving the car with its hand brake on.

He released the hand brake and they got moving again. They reached the Priya complex at eleven twenty-five. The movie was supposed to start at eleven-thirty. They got the tickets and rushed for the movie, The Bourne Identity.

One of the ways from the book read that the girl liked to be asked questions in between the movie. This made her feel important. And she would not think that you were interested in watching the movie only.

The movie started.

Vichitra started to look for potential questions which he could ask her during the movie. And here lay the problem. Chanchal was a big movie buff. She always watched movies with full attention and so of course didn’t like any interruption in between.

She had read all the books in The Bourne series. So she was all the more enjoying the movie. Vichitra, on the other hand, had not read any novel by Robert Ludlum let alone any from The Bourne series.

‘Hey… why doesn’t he remember anything?’ asked Vichitra referring to Jason Bourne.

‘Oh oh… I will tell you later’ snapped back Chanchal.

Vichitra waited for sometime.

‘Who is he running away from?’

Chanchal gave a cold stare at him. Vichitra understood that he was supposed to sit quiet all through the movie.

The movie ended at 1:45.

They then went to one of the roadside eating joints and had lunch.

It was time now to head back home.

The book also advised to drive gently. It said if you drove fast the very first time you were out with a girl, she would think that you were showing off.

They got moving. Although Vichitra was glad that she had agreed to come with him, until now it had been an average experience for him but nothing so great.

As advised by the book, he was driving his car gently.

Soon, one more car was driven gently right next to Vichitra’s car. At first, he didn’t notice it. But then when it continued to be right next to it for the next 5 mins, it was not a coincidence anymore.

Vichitra looked at the occupants.

They were two twenty-something guys staring right at Chanchal and were making weird remarks. There was only one thing Vichitra could do now and that was to drive as fast as he could and leave those maniacs behind.

And this was exactly opposite to what was advised in the book. Anyways, the next fifteen minutes he drove his car like he had never driven before. It was not long before that me-too car was left far behind and was not seen anymore.

They reached her apartment at four, and he saw her off.

The first thing he did when he reached home was to throw the book, Dating Tips - 101 ways to woo your date, away. Somehow or the other, he had ended up doing exactly what the book had prohibited him from doing.

He received a text message on his phone.

‘I have never had a wonderful time. It was fun being with you.’

Another text message.

‘And thank you for the treat.’

Vichitra was no doubt very happy after reading these text messages.

He had now lapsed into post-dating anxiety. But there was one thing which was still troubling him.

Whether this was actually a Date?

As a matter of fact, Chanchal had never mentioned the word ‘date’ until then.


© 2007 Ankur Shanker
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