Weirdos love Weridos

‘Okay. But I don’t know Chinese. How can I know Chinese? I know Hindi. Can Hindi work?’ I fumbled to explain. And then she laughed.

I was in this line in Airport in Mauritius preparing for check-in. My time with my two awesome pagliz had ended surreally. At very last moments, while Vedantika cheered with us with her adorable water bottle, we like two good-old friends opened Tequila and had three shots with lemon and salt. My taxi was waiting outside. And it was raining. I didn’t want to come back, but sometimes we are out of options like the wasted rain drops over the glass of speeding car. Sometimes we can just held hands and pretended to be grown-ups. And we did that, in taxi, in waiting hall, and even when we stood in the line for collecting boarding pass. She carried my trolley. Her eyes as usual were mysterious but poignant. God! I already started to miss her. We miss more when we get more. And then it happened.

We were in front of this check-in counter. A young pretty girl with broad smile welcomed us and when I informed her that only I would be travelling, she took my passport and started entering data in her computer. Taniya elbow-pushed me. I knew, she liked pretty girls. And this one was obviously pleasant looking and seemed friendly. I nodded with a faint smile and a silent grunt, ‘Stand still pagli. Don’t embarrass me here.’ The counter girl wore her yellowish airline uniform with a small but firm ponytail swinging with every stroke of her fingers on keyboard. I requested her for a window or atleast an aisle seat, because the middle seats always sucked. She informed that the plane had been nearly full and she would ask her senior.

When she kept down intercom, and got back to me she was smiling. Her orange lips were big and she smiled bigger. She told me, “You are lucky sir. You just have got the best seat in total plane.”

I smiled, “Thank you ma’am.” I looked at Taniya and both lip-synced ‘wow’. And then the counter girl said, “Only one problem sir. The seat is in front row and beside emergency exit. I see you are fit and stout. And I certainly am sure that you know Chinese. ‘Coz the airhostesses are Chinese.”

Her face was serious, and mine was jaw-dropped. What? Chinese? I looked at Taniya. She too looked baffled. I managed, “Pardon me! I don’t know any Chinese. I can speak in English though.”

The girl looked disappointed. She kept her pen aside and leaned back a little in her revolving chair and spoke with an incredulous voice, “English is okay, but how don’t you know Chinese? All of the airhostesses are Chinese.”

What the hell I would do with Chinese airhostesses? Flirting or something? I was married for God’s sake. I was totally befuddled and Taniya too with her confused smile. I looked back, and saw people standing in queue staring us. I fumbled to the counter girl, “Okay. But I don’t know Chinese. How can I know Chinese? I know Hindi. Can Hindi work? I am an Indian afterall.”

She looked at us for few moments with her eyes smacked with mascara or something. She was weird, I could sense that, and I should beforehand, because Taniya liked her, and she always liked weirdos. And then the girl cracked. Aloud. Her head was tilted back with her mouth opened emitting high voltage laugh.

She said without pausing her blistering laugh, “I was just joking sir. English will be fine. Just fine.”

It was relieving, but embarrassing. I felt little. Taniya joined her contagious laugh, and the people surrounding me too. The girl gave me a boarding pass and said, “Well sir. Have a nice journey.”

We thanked her, and pushed back the empty trolley. Taniya was still laughing. I knew she was amused. Me too. It was kind of funny. But I was glad it was over. It was supposed to be a gloomy moment. I was gonna leave my daughter and wife for months. I should be serious. And then we heard the voice again from behind.

“Excuse me sir. I forgot to ask. You must be knowing French. Right?”