Lovers!!

It's eleven fifteen, or therebouts, in the morning. And I'm on Mount Road . All I can think about is getting to where I'm headed, as quickly as possible. I'm cursing the heat , cursing the cop at the signal , cursing the traffic and pretty much cursing all through. Not one of my best days!

We pull up at one of the several traffic signals on that arterial road. I look around me, not particularly noticing much. Everyone else, I suppose , is also in their own world. The fact that we share a space for a couple of minutes and hate every second of the wait is probably all we have in common. Or maybe not!

Suddenly, I hear peals of laughter... It pierces right through my reverie, striking me as so out of place as to almost jar my senses. I look around to find that the source of the sound is a girl around my age, in a car. She's giggling so hard. And beside her in the car is a somewhat cute, if he wasn't so scruffy looking, guy. Now, this piques my curiosity. Finally, I stop focussing on the heat and all the unpleasantness of mid-morning traffic. I love watching people.

They seem to be in an extremely animated conversation. Their voices are loud but not particularly coherent at the 10 feet distance that I am from them. Naturally, they've attracted quite a bit of attention. My city is still it's good old conservative self. If it happens to perceive a girl and guy together , it will, as sure as the sun will shine, jump to the conclusion that they are in a relationship and promptly shall it's judgemental nose be turned up in disapproval.

And as I look around at my fellow travellers , I realise they have not disappointed. There is much disapproval in the air. "How CAN a girl and a guy openly enjoy each other's company?" Almost sacrilegious! As for me, I'm too amused by the couple and everybody's reaction.

I go back to looking at them a little more discreetly, the traffic has moved a little and i'm closer to them. I'm trying to gauge what their relationship could be. As it happens, I need wonder no more. The most unusual public display I've ever witnessed unfolds. The guy is talking really loudly, almost at the top of his voice and she's sshhhhing him , telling him to keep his voice down...
Then He's saying to her " But sweets... That's how I feel... I don't care if everyone knows.. Infact, I want to tell everybody" and then still at the top of his voice he continued , " Listen up, everyone... I love her.." I don't know how many people heard this, most of them had returned to the business of minding their own business. A business they would have readily abandoned,had they happened to pay attention to the guy's declarations, in favour of a lot of laughing and pointing.

I am so tickled. I look at the girl to see her reaction and she looks positively embarrassed , as one might expect. I think the guy might have gone on with that particular line of conversation with the world, and he did look like he had a lot to proclaim, expect that she seems to be pleading with him to keep quiet while looking around to see if everyone is looking at her. I look away , I wonder if she notices my broad grin. I can hear her laughing still.... She isn't unduly upset.. She must be in love with him too!!

As a friend of mine would say... "Awwwww, How CUTE!!! "

And the traffic light glows Green!! I smile to myself, thinking how that guy probably doesn't realise he made my day a little brighter.

One Hundred Metres Later : The lot of us are forced to halt at yet another signal... I'm looking out for the couple's car. I am quite disappointed for the couple of seconds until i eventually spot them. But then, the passenger window is rolled up. Damn!!

I reconcile myself to having seen all there is to see. But, apparently their little exchange is not over.. I hear the girl protesting pretty vehemently and the guy is trying to roll down her window. I catch a glimpse of her face and she's flushed with embarrassment. And then the guy leans out, points to the girl beside him and yells to the nearest guy - An auto driver as it so happened - " Listen dude, I'm in love with this girl ..." or something very similar, in Tamil!!!! So i'm pretty sure a whole bunch of people heard and understood what was happening. The auto driver definitely did and so did his passengers.His face broke out into a huge grin and he burst out laughing. I wonder if there's a scene like that in some tamil movie that the whole little episode reminded him of. Well , at the very least it I think it might probably be something he'd go back and tell his wife or whoever at the end of the day about the crazy people in the city!

I wonder if the dude is a bit tipsy. And realise it's highly unlikely. It's too early in the day. And he's driving straight. SO, it must be just being in love?? What do you know!!! It can do strange things to people!! I guess if it were me, I'd be mighty embarrassed, not unlike that girl. But it must be pretty awesome to know that someone is so utterly in love and so happy as to want to scream it at the top of their lungs. I know a lot of people might find such behaviour ridiculous and absurd. But I'm a romantic. I don't know if i'd particularly care for this method but I love the sentiment behind it.

It must be wonderful to be madly in love...