CHAPTER ONE
When the Sun sets, we look towards each other. She stares me while hiding a lovely silent smile behind her lips. I try to keep my eyes away from me. There arises a cold war between by heart and my brain. My heart wants her beauty to arrest me while my brain relentlessly strikes the walls of my head and reminds me that I am just a paying guest. I need to be away from her. We live together under one roof. Her actions convey her thoughts. With every passing day, my heart leans more towards her.
Two weeks back, I stepped on the soil of the Mumbai City with a desire to achieve my dreams. I had secured a job through the Campus Placements of my College. I had amazing cooking skills too. The only thing I required was a roof over my head. As instructed by Mr Joseph, I contacted Peter. Peter was Mr Joseph's cousin. Peter was a bald, aged man. He was a local Real Estate broker and possibly, he was the one who could help me find a HOME. I visited his office and pleaded for help. I was not having any specifications about the house. In fact, I never had a selective taste about anything. Therefore, I felt that I will be easily getting a house. However, getting a roof over your head in Mumbai is one of the most difficult things. It's a deadly mission. I learnt this on that day! Along with Peter, I had a visit to a number of places. I had almost seen the entire city on the very first day. None of the owners agreed to give their room on rent to a Bachelor. After wandering around the city for the entire day, we were about to have a last visit.
The last visit led us to an apartment. Both of us stood in front of the door and looked towards each other. After confronting a number of failures, we were unable to decide that who will ring the door bell. With increased adrenaline in my body, I ringed the door bell for the last time on that day. The door was opened by a young charming lady. I estimated her age to be somewhere between twenty to twenty-five. Peter was standing behind me. He was not visible to her. She looked at me with puzzled facial expressions.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"I am... ummm...." I baffled.
"He is with me," Peter sparkled.
Peter introduced her to me. Her name was Lisa. She was an independent woman and by profession, she was a Fashion Designer. Peter explained her the entire scenario. She agreed to allot me one of the five rooms of her apartment. The amount of rent was nominal. Three of us had a cup of tea. Later, Peter returned leaving us all alone. Lisa showed me my room. No one else showed up in the entire apartment. This was surprising! A big vacant apartment in the city of dreams was something odd. Lisa told me that the rest of the rooms are vacant. Before she could find someone else, both of us were supposed to live together. The apartment was away from the crowded city. It was near a hill. The climate was replenishing.
I told my parents about the successful accomplishment of the mission. With overwhelming excitement, I shifted my luggage into my room. The luggage constituted just one bag. I was about to live an independent life. It was a wonderful feeling! I was not thinking about anything else. Life had some beautiful surprises for me. I got the first one, on the very next morning.
