Table for Three

     Sid Miller Subramaniam a.k.a. SMS  stood at the entrance to the restaurant, The Bath, a fancy mid-city adda, a place too early for the times but yet attracting enough firangi-loving traitors of the twenty-first century, that it could pull off an all-nighter in the otherwise sleepy town.

He had his navy blue bomber jacket wrapped around his shoulder that he had picked up on one of his exotic getaways to the western hemisphere. The unnecessarily several pockets, shoulder strips where the potential insignia would go, and the elastic stripped wrist, these were the things that Sid enjoyed, and some would say even loved.

Coupled people walked out holding each other to the warmth. Sid danced around letting the crowd move freely. An act he hated but had forced upon himself. He whistled as the cold air cut through his broken lips.

As another wave of the patrons exited, Sid saw the face he had been waiting for; coming from the opposite direction. It was bobbing in the crowd, trying to get closer.

Sid waved his hand, the face responded with a smile as it slowly emerged out with a complete body, a woman, extra-slim and weary due to lack of sleep.

“Where in the world were you?” asked Sid, as he pulled her inside the warm sanctuary of The Bath.

They quickly navigated the cluster of tables to the corner of the restaurant and settled across each other.

“I’m sorry,” answered Gee as she removed the woolen scarf from around her neck. Sid noticed the neck, red due to the tight self-strangling, staring at it longer than normal.

“Sid?” whispered Gee, embarrassed.

“You know- you shouldn’t wrap your scarf so tight. You are stopping the oxygen from reaching your brain,” said Sid.

“Can’t help it, what are we ordering? I’m starving.”

“Anything; but let it be something that can be brought quickly. I have a lot to tell.”

“But I’m hungry, Sid. I want to eat properly.”

“Fine, just make it fast.”

“Let me just use the restroom before I order,” said Gee as she slid out of the extremely uncomfortable chair.

Sid protested, “Come on, order and then go do your thing.”

But Gee was already half-way across the restaurant. Sid watched her walk away; a slight unwarranted smile crept up. His eyes darted to the woman sitting across, in his line of sight. A pretty face surrounded by over-bent men, trying hard to keep her constantly laughing. She frowned at him. Sid quickly turned back, picked up the menu and skimmed.

He had no idea what to order.

As seconds turned minutes, Sid unable to control looked back at the woman. She was lost in the conversation which ranged from low-end growls to high-end shrieks, all by the men trying to be the jester-of-the-day.

Gee walked into his sight as he quickly caught her eye. She walked back to the table, slid back into the corner.

“Are you ready to order?” asked Sid.

“I just got back, give me a minute,” replied a slightly irritated Gee.

She skimmed the pages of the menu. She went all the way to the end and returned back to the beginning, only to skim back to the end.

“What are you doing?” asked Sid.

“Give me a minute,” replied Gee.

“You already went through that section. If you didn’t like something then why to bother going back?”

“Well, I want to be thorough and I could have missed something in the first glance.”

Sid sighed. This is going to take time. He might as well use the restroom and while he did that he could eavesdrop on the conversation of the bunch behind him.

As he slowly started to slide out of the chair, Gee said, “Well, I’m ready.” She looked at him, “Where are you going now?”

“Nowhere, order two of what you decided,” replied Sid.

Gee put out her hand, waving it hard to be noticed by the waiters who were in their own world. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was the woman from the bunch behind that walked up to them.

“Geetha?” asked the excited woman. Gee looked up at her and shrieked, “Manjuuuuuuuu.”

Gee sprang from her seat into the arms of Manju as they hugged.

“How long has it been?” asked Manju.

“I don’t know, at least a year I think,” replied Gee.

Gee pulled Manju around, faced her to Sid.

“This is Sid,” said Gee.

Sid smiled, all the while the thought going, “Manju? That’s the name on this pretty face?”

Manju looked into the eyes of Sid and smiled back.

“Why don’t you guys join us back there?” said Manju.

“No- We don’t want to be a bother,” replied Gee, “But there is so much to catch up on.”

“I know,” said Manju.

Gee looked at Sid questioningly. Sid smiled and said, “I agree, also we have to leave quickly.”

Manju replied, “Alright then. Give me your number. We will catch up sometime later.”

Gee reached into her handbag, searching for her mobile. Unable to find it she grunted in disappointment.

“Sid, take down her number and give her a call. Can’t seem to find my phone,” said Gee.

Sid, smooth as a penguin slid out his phone and typed the number, chanted by Manju. He called her number and disconnected just as it rang twice.

“Thanks,” said Manju, “I’ll get back to my friends then. You guys have fun and call me.”

“Sure, we will,” said Gee as Sid whispered the exact same words.

As Manju walked away, Gee stared at her, longer than normal.

“Can we order now?” asked Sid,  noticing Gee staring but she was not be interrupted.

“Gee?” said the confused Sid as he went back to the eternal act of choosing a dish, “By the way how do you know her?”

Gee replied, “You don’t want to know, Sid.”

The woman in the bunch behind cracked up the men.