South City Mall, the biggest mall in eastern India. It houses all the reputed brands in India. Always crowded, people are shopping, dining, hanging around. Meeting point for the young and old. The cafeteria in the fourth floor is a huge one with many food outlets like Dominos, KFC, Sub-way surrounding the place with their mouthwatering delicacies. Today is Saturday, weekend and hence was very crowded. Friends, couples, groups are having a great time chatting over something to munch with.
Rahul is waiting in front of the Sub-way stall as per the plan that they, Rahul and Shalini planned out yesterday night. It’s just a week ago he got transferred to Kolkata from Delhi. The place is still very unfamiliar for him. Yesterday, as always after coming back from office, Rahul opened his yahoo messenger and like everyday Shalini was waiting for him. They met exactly two years ago.
Rahul can still remember, in that evening, coming from office, he was just roaming around in different chat rooms and one id attracted his attention for it’s uniqueness. SadShaluShy. Very unique id and he buzzed and asked why this shy Shalu is sad?...there was no reply and he was just about to log-out when suddenly that id spoke, I want to kill myself!!!...quite shocking response, he thought. He was not sure whether to continue chatting with that weird id or just leave it and start the new DVD he bought that day. But out of sheer curiosity he decided to give it a try. He wrote back…WOW…we have similarities, even I want to kill myself. The id asked, why? He made up something and explain that his girl friend dumped him. Then he asked SadShaluShy why she wanted to kill herself. The id said today my father is getting married to his new secretary. Another shocking revelation, Rahul thought. Then Rahul introduced himself. The id got bit friendly and let Rahul know that she was Shalini, lived in Kolkata, a class 12 student. Today she is very sad, that her father, who left her and her mother long back, is going to marry again. Though they are separated for last four years, Shalini had a strong belief that one day her father would come back. She was so sad and she didn’t not have any friend and hence she was in that chat room with the hope that she might find some unknown friend who could listen her and share the sorrow.
That’s the beginning of their friendship. At the beginning Rahul found her online only a couple of times in a week. She was a brilliant girl and as her 12th final was approaching, she was very busy with her study. Once it’s over they used to chat every day evening after Rahul used to come back from office. One day she asked Rahul whether he had any girlfriend. Rahul told her the truth, yes there was a girl, Ragini, his school time sweetheart, once he proposed her when they were in class nine, but she said no and from then it was a one sided love affair, though still they were friends. Shalini encouraged Rahul to impress Ragini and win her over as now he had a good job and he is quite handsome too. Rahul had already sent her his photos. But Rahul eventually could not approach to Ragini.
One day Rahul was sad. Shalini asked what happened. Though they did not meet for once, they became so close online that they could feel each other’s feelings just talking to each other in the messenger. Rahul told her Ragini is getting married soon. Shalini supported him emotionally and she was his friend in grief in those few months. Things getting better in Rahul’s life, he got promotions and the sorrow for Ragini was fading out, especially because of Shalini. Without his knowledge he started depending on her a lot, he started loving her a lot. He requested Shalini to send her picture and after many requests she sent her a picture via mail. A picture of her beautiful face with a sweet smile which created a cute dimple and it made her even more beautiful. At least for Rahul, suddenly she became the most beautiful girl in this world. He was madly in love and everyday he waited eagerly to come back home from office to meet her online. Shalini was his best friend, the closest to his heart.
One day he got a mail from his boss that he had to report their Kolkata office in another two weeks. His heart stopped a beat; he was going to the place where Shalini lives, where she grew up, where she smiled, where she cried!!! He wished he could let Shalini know about this then only, but sadly his office firewall won’t allow yahoo messenger or any kind of social networking. So he had to rush to his home and saw he was bit early, Shalini has not logged in yet.
