Thursday, July 29, 2010

My Big Day!


It was going to be the biggest day of my life. I had everything planned to the last detail and had spent the better part of 2 weeks planning this day. What was I going to do? I was going to propose Sylvia, my girl-friend of the past 5 months.

A Brief about Syliva: We met each other at an acquaintance’s place. She was new to Chennai (and smoking hot!) and so I offered to be her guide around the place. It was clear to her that there was a romantic side to this overture and she seemed to consent. We soon started dating.
 
Our first kiss was on the sofa in her apartment after our 3rd date (she lives alone which is very convenient). We made love for the first time at the end of the 4th date (also on the sofa in her apartment). And it’s been bliss ever since!

Sylvia is a language instructor. She is hot! She teaches French at the Alliance Francais. She is hot! She’s actually from Mauritius. She left her folks because of some problems and decided to move to some place else and be on her own. Luckily for me she decided on Chennai. And she is hot!

Sylvia is the first woman I’ve ever made love to. I was a virgin till 137 days ago.

Most people think that 25 is too old to be losing your virginity. But I didn’t think I was the pre-marital sex type. In fact the guys tease me about how I used to lecture them when they ‘enlightened’ me of their affairs. I don’t feel bad about it. I realize now that my virginity wasn’t a matter of principles but was actually a lack of opportunity. In fact I kind of feel ‘cool’ and 'with it' for once in my life. Now guys are talking about me like how I used to talk about them. They must be envious of me like how I used to envy them. Life has come a full circle.

Sylvia- you’ve made me cool. Sylvia- you’ve made me a man. Sylvia- you’ve given me confidence. Sylvia- you’ve showed me the light. Sylvia-you’re sweet. Sylvia- you’re intelligent. Sylvia- you’re funny. Sylvia- you’re hot! Sylvia- you’re all that a man could ask for. Sylvia- you deserve only the best. Sylvia- I love you!

A girl like this comes once in your life guys. So when she comes… you better do everything possible to keep her with you forever. I decided that I wanted to marry Sylvia and I spent 2 weeks planning the perfect proposal.

Now you don’t know me too well. But if you did, then you would know that I’m thrifty (almost stingy actually!). One needs to be conscious of how much one spends (not around women of course!). I don’t make much and have to do with what I have. I used to balk at the way guys used to blow money on girls. But experience has taught me that when you are in a relationship your wallet is in the relationship too(and it better be loaded!).  

First of course I needed to purchase a ring. I’d done some research with friends and the consensus was that I should go in for a ‘diamond studded platinum ring. This was supposed to be the ‘flavor’ of the season and a guy just ‘had to’ go for it.

It was kind of intimidating as well as embarrassing for me to walk in to a jewelry shop. A guy doesn't know what he can/can't afford to look at. It's awfully emabarrassing to ask for something that looks nice and then realize later that you can't afford it. I don’t remember buying a ring(or any sort of jewelery) ever before and had absolutely no expertise in the subject. The ring was going to be(or has to be!) a very expensive affair, of that there was no doubt. But, it’s a tradition-‘A guy always proposes with a ring.

So I went in to the showroom and the sales-lady there greeted me with a fake-smile. I asked for diamond-platinum engagement rings and she showed me the whole collection.

“This is in the Rs 15,000/- to Rs 25,000 range”- she said.

Platinum looked like silver to me. In fact out of curiosity I took some silver ear-rings that were nearby and placed a ring beside it. You couldn’t tell the 2 were made from different metals (is there a conspiracy here?). Also the diamonds on the rings were very very tiny. This was going to cost me my month’s pay and I definitely deserved more.

I decided to ignore that it looked so much like silver and settled for a ring that had 4.660 g of Platinum and a single diamond- 0.095 carat (That doesn’t read like much but trust me- it is). It was a very pretty ring and I was very pleased with it. It cost me Rs 22,386/-. (I consoled myself saying-“Hell, it’s only this one time, it’s going to be worth it”)

This was my first expense for the event and I was a little hesitant at first. But once that ring was in my pocket it was like the dam had been breached. I went on a spending spree.

I didn’t want to compromise on anything and wanted it to be the perfect proposal. I was willing to do anything to get her to say “yes”.

Now I had to choose the right place to propose. After considering many places I finally settled on Bella Ciao- An Italian restaurant. I’d never taken her there before (too expensive!). It was by the beach and from the terrace you had this amazing view of the sea. Sylvia loved Italian food and so the place was a perfect choice. I’d arranged for a corner table and a private waiter for the night, and also arranged for the band to play her favorite music (Elton John, Lionel Ritchie and George Michael).

I bought Sylvia a very sexy black dress from an up-market boutique. This was going to be my present to her on the big night. I went and bought myself an expensive suit piece, shirt, tie and also a pair of shoes.

The day before the big day I went to a posh saloon and got myself a hair-cut, a facial, a manicure and a massage. I went to the florists on the day of the big date and ordered a huge bouquet to be delivered at the restaurant.

I’d exceeded the credit limit on my card and was now paying from my savings. This relationship had placed considerable strain on my financial resources- past, present and future. Well, like they say- a man has to be generous in love.

Finally, I hired a Merc E-Series taxi for the night. The driver came complete with white uniform, cap and gloves. Yes, this was going to be the night.

The taxi picked me up from my place and we went to her apartment. I went up there with a box of chocolates, a small bouquet and the dress gift-wrapped. She opened the door and was visibly surprised with the whole get up. I gave her the gifts and told her that we were going out ‘somewhere special’ and that I wanted her to wear that particular dress. She hugged me and went in to change. She took forever to get ready and I was sure we were going to miss our reservation. But when she came out looking like a billion dollars I was smiling.

We went to the restaurant. All the waiters were extremely courteous to us (no doubt expecting a huge tip at the end of the night). The flowers adorned our table. Our personal waiter adjusted our chairs for us and placed napkins on our laps. He also enquired after ‘the Madame’ and went about suggesting things from the menu and setting things up. A bottle of champagne came to our table in an ice-bucket. The band was playing ‘Hello’- by Lionel Ritchie. Everything was going perfectly according to plan.

We went about our meal very quietly making only the occasional small-talk. This was slightly unnatural. Maybe she was too surprised by everything. She hadn’t the slightest inkling of what was happening and maybe there was a sense of nervousness, I suppose, about what to expect next.

I decided to propose after dessert. So once our ‘Panetonne’ was over I whispered in the waiter’s ear to get the band to stop playing.  Lot of attention was turned to us because the waiters kept looking our way anxiously. I could have done without the attention, but you don’t always get what you want. In a way all the attention made it even more romantic.

So I took the ring from my pocket got down on one knee and said,

“Sweetheart… I know these lines are corny. But this is the best I could come up with.”

I cleared my throat and started-

“The moment I met you,
I knew my dreams could come true.
You’ve turned my life for ever,
And I want to return the favour.
I want to be beside you for life,
So will you please agree to be my wife!”

There were tears in her eyes. I took out the ring and placed it on her finger. She looked at me and she was still crying. She was crying harder and harder and then I realized that something was going wrong. This was not the ‘happy- crying’. This was the ‘sad-crying’ and my heart began to fall.

She kept saying –“Oh God! Oh God!”, and continued with her sobbing. It was quiet a scene there. Our waiter looked visibly upset. The band decided to move on and started playing some songs again. In the meanwhile, I was trying to calm her down and get some clue as to what was happening.

I caught her shoulders and said- “Darling, please stop! Tell me what is happening”.

She looked at me and she was almost choking. This wasn’t anything like I had envisaged. This was crazy.

I said- “Darling I know you’re Catholic and I’m Hindu. It doesn’t matter, we’ll find a way. I’m sure my folks will understand and even if they don’t, don’t worry. I love you. We’ll find a way.”

She kept crying. This was really crazy.

“Darling if you want we’ll go and meet your folks in Mauritius you know. I’ll tell them I love you. We’ll try and convince them. We’ll settle all the family issues. Don’t worry. We’ll handle everything”.

It didn’t stop.

“Darling, any, any problem I will solve. Baby I’m sure I can. I’ll do anything for you love. You know that.”

She went on and on. I was getting a little frustrated. It was already very embarrassing.

“Darling- is it that you don’t love me? Can you please stop crying and give me an answer. I think I deserve an answer”.

In between heavy sobs she looked at me and said- “I’ve lied to you”.

“About what? Are you already married?”

“No Ash, I’m not normal.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean I can’t bare children.

This was a big jolt to me. All along I had dreams of a little Ashwin and a little Sylvia that would complete our small family. So when she said this a small portion of my world collapsed.

“Why can’t you bare children? Is it a medical problem? Can it be corrected?”

“No, it can’t be corrected.”

“Look, we’ll find a way. We’ll adopt maybe and...”

She cut me mid-sentence and said-“you don’t understand Ashwin. I was not born a woman. I was born Sylvester. I had a sex-change operation and that’s how I’ve become Sylvia.”

37 comments:

Rakesh Vanamali said...

OMHG AJ! You landed the wrong person dude!

My heart felt condolences! But having known you a bit, I kinda guessed a funny ending as this! :)

A New Beginning said...

OMHG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A story with a wild twist!

Nitin said...

Now that's a tale with a twist :D

man, enjoyed reading it. Waiting for the next short story :)

Intern said...

Haahahahaah!!!!!thats a bummer!

anilkurup59 said...

Umm strange twist to the tale

S.A.L. said...

First time commenting on your blog. And this had been one hell of a story! Never predicted such a twisted and funny ending! Simply loved it! :)

Ajai said...

@Raks
I think we've replied to each other on FB and that should do. :)

What I like is now you've become used to my writing so you kinda know what's coming. That's nice. :) I've got a fan! :)

@Sana
LOL!.... Thank you. Liked it?

@Nitin
Thanks bro. Will try and keep'em comin. :)

Ajai said...

@Shimmer
LOl... Life can be like that... sometimes by imagining it in advance you can prepare yourself for the eventuality. ;)

@anilkurup
It was intentional. Hope you liked it.

@Mind Writer
Welcome here! Hope my next post impresses you as much as this one did. :)

Vishesh said...

nice story :) Sad ending though :)

AJEYA RAO said...

Nice writting! :-)

Maya said...

nice, i expected a twist at the end.. but the way you took trouble to add all the fine details made me doubt my expectation

Anonymous said...

How does Ash react to this revelation? Is he going to still love Sylvia?

Eh, kill this suspense man!!

Ajai said...

@vishesh
Well... you're a sweet guy for finding it so. :)

@Ajeya
Thankie... Thankie! :)

@US
He he... I know... i tried to layer it so that the suspense builds. I hope I did that well enough.

Ajai said...

@Shivani
Good question. I think he would do what all guys would do- Try out some other chick. If he doesn't get anybody, then he might go back to her/him. :)

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Maybe I should prolong this misery by adding how funny things can happen if you choose to ally with spiders and the like! :)

Tinknit said...

ROFL!! Nice one man! A hint of truth in self-reflection can i reckon?! ;)

Pray all's well at ur end n at home. Regards to all!

Ajai said...

@Raks
Take a hike 'chaddi man' supporter! :P


@TinKnit
What a surprise to find you here! I'm not revealing if there was any revelations in that post. Time will tell. ;)

Anonymous said...

Haaye.. !!!

*overemotes*

;-)

Jay said...

What a twist, lol! :) VERY NICE!!! :D

Dr. Tripat Mehta said...

what a twist in story

winderful

http://sparkledaroma.blogspot.com/
http://liberalflorence.blogspot.com/

Ajai said...

@shivani
:P

@callmeasviju
Thanks! Will drop by. :)

@Jayashree
:) Thanks. Welcome here. Hope you drop by more often. :)

@Prerna
I'm assuming you said 'wonderful'. :)
Thankie! :)

sanket kambli said...

there is a real dude-turned-girl named sylvia some famous stylist i guess.. your story was very good... perfect narration.. of course since this is the first post of urs im reading..i m asking this.. was this story true?? ok.. but whatever be the case.. i was able to identify.. with the lead character..the dude who ..blew his bank balance..credit limit.. and even ready put up to inter-religion marriage fight.. and in the end got screwed.. ..

sanket kambli said...

and about the story end..i think its open-ended.. it asks us questions for which we have no answers.. whether to accept a guy-turned-girl.. and stuff like that..more than anything else..

its a lesson.. stop blowing money on your girl..in the name of love..

S.A.L. said...

Hey,

Tagged you in my post The 10 Things.... Also receive the Award. :)

Ajai said...

@Sankoobaba
Welcome here. Nice comments. Well it's not a lesson on blowing money. But I hope it evokes the first set of questions that you mentioned. Will you love if it's a man/woman. That's a difficult question to answer. And maybe we all hide ourselves in humour.
From my personal experience I'll tell you that if you don't blow money on a girl then you are not going to get one. ;)

Ajai said...

@Mind Writer
Thank you. Will check it out. :)

chital_phenomenal said...

lol... it was awesome...good work done!!!

sanket kambli said...

he he he! i blew and got none!

Ajai said...

@chitaL
tHANKIE!

Anuj said...

OMG..i was completely mesmerized.. completely lost in your story.. the ending had me..

oh.. hello AJ..
you surely are one hell of a writer!

Ajai said...

@Sankoobaba
He he... I could give you some tips. But that will cost you. ;-)

@Anuj
Thanks... that's one helluva comment to read in the morning. Thank you. You made my day. :-).
Drop by more often. :-)

Mohammed Musthafa said...

Damn!
I actually thought this was your true life story....great story....delivered the last line brilliantly!

btw, what are you doing now? i mean like, college, working?

Ajai said...

@Mohd Mustuafa
Welcome here. Glad you enjoyed it. I'm working now. What are you up to? How's your stories/blog coming up?

Bhargavi said...

oh gosh !! i didnt see that twist coming .. assumed that it would be mush-attack !

Raveena said...

That was a ridiculously long story but I absolutely enjoyed reading it because it was simple, easy and never lost pace.

Stumbled upon your blog, Seems like a good place to visit henceforth :)

Ajai said...

@Bedazzled
Expect the unexpected! ;-)

@Raveena
Thank you... I hope I can keep you coming! :-)

physiopri said...

i just cant stop laughing....Reading ur blog aftr a long long time...d twist was xcellent....i njoyed reading it....keep writing...:)