Illustrator: Akanksha Thapa
Love happened to me in the second year of my college. Let me recap: I was bored to death with the robotic routine of go to college, come back home, eat and sleep so I was desperately looking for something more to do. That’s when I saw an ad outside a small book store in my neighborhood. It read: “Librarian Wanted.”
Mind you, for a hyper 19-year-old me, it sounded like music! I laughed to myself, “So they’re gonna pay me to just sit there and read books? That’s awesome!” And so it began, my sojourn of working as a part-time librarian in that private local library.
All I had to do was make a note of who was borrowing which book and I was set! I was feeling great about my new job and I was over the moon that I was finally earning my own pocket money. Life was great! I was enjoying the company of great books, interesting people and the playful kids next door.
Unfortunately or fortunately, the library had an open front so passersby can actually look inside! Me being the insecure me that I was felt awkward about being put on public display. So, I would wrap myself in layers and layers of clothing so that people don’t notice me!
I’d even bury my face in the book I was reading. It helped and I was too engrossed in the books to care after a while! And all this went on without a hitch, until that one beautifully dreamy day.
This strikingly handsome and gorgeous stranger walks into the library and asks me about books. I animatedly tell him about all the different genres we have and even recommend some good ones to him. But it doesn’t end there! We keep chatting about books, music, poetry, food, travel and as many things as you could fit in a socially acceptable conversation.
We spoke, laughed, teased each other, complained, argued and defended ourselves from each other’s playful accusations. We had absolutely no idea when time flew by and it was time to go home.
It was incredibly strange that in the very first meeting, we kept chatting like we’ve known each other for ages! He told me that his name was “Vardaan” — what an incredibly beautiful and meaningful name, I thought to myself!
I get a really strange feeling as I walk towards home that night. I feel happy, skippy and jumpy and are those butterflies that I’m feeling in my stomach? Nah! It must be the rats!
“Mom! I’m home and I’m hungry!” I proclaim in a sing-songy voice.
It was after dinner and me being an insomniac, I just couldn’t sleep! My dad prohibits me from using the computer at night. So I open Facebook to find something totally unexpected — a friends request from Vardaan. I apprehensively yet excitedly clicked on “Accept Request.”
“How did you find me?” First question. “I have tight privacy settings.”
“There’s only one Uma from Loyola, it was the easiest thing to find you!”
“Let me make one thing clear, I don’t accept friend requests from strangers.”
“I guess we’re friends now. Aren’t we?”
Neither of us knew then that that day was the beginning of something so magical, we couldn’t even fathom it in our wildest dreams!
Vardaan would later confess that he came to the library just to talk to me, on the pretext of books. He noticed me several days earlier, sitting at that desk, engrossed in a book. He says I struck him like a bolt of lightning. I have no idea how he could even see my face under all those layers and books but he he swears that he was drawn to a girl with eyes full of dreams and a heart full of love.
Personally though, I cannot remember when I fell in love with Vardaan. Was it the day we met or was it when we chatted through the night? Was it seven-ten-days later or a month later? But that day, January 30th of 2012 — that’s the day both us we cherish and celebrate as our “anniversary!”
HAPPY 6-YEAR ANNIVERSARY BABY! I couldn’t be more grateful to god than I am for having you in my life and I promise to cherish you every single day for the rest of my days. I LOVE YOU!
This article was originally published on Medium:
https://medium.com/@umanarayan/love-happened-to-me-on-january-30-2012-4c201c1c94dd
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