She got off bed and planted a good morning kiss on me and Ramya.

"Good Morning", I mumbled and looked at my watch, it was 7.15 am, I looked at Ramya, and she was a sleeping doll. I slowly kissed Ramya and woke her up.

"Good Morning, daddy", she said in a cute and sleepy tone.

"Come on, Brush your teeth sweetheart", I said and took her to the wash room.

Ramya was four and she looks like an angel, that’s because she resembles her mother and not me. I bathed her and got her to the dining table. There were hot dosas ready for me and Ramya.

I started checking my mails and when I was done, I looked at my watch, it was 9.45 am, it was time to meet Deepak and so I started towards our meeting point, it is the only shop where people are allowed to smoke but, a tea costs 90 rs can you believe it, anyways we preferred that place for our weekly hang-outs.

Alok welcomed me with a warm smile and asked,” Usual sir?"

.”Let them come", I said and lighted a cigarette. I started wondering when I first met Deepak; I have vague memories of meeting him in Nitish's house, a few years back, which was the only place I used to hang out. People called Deepak a techno-sexual and I expected him with gadgets n stuff, but he was nothing of my imagination. He came driving a bike, wait! What make is that? Oh! Now I know, he is that kind of person who doesn't like things the way they are. These people spend loads of money on something people wouldn't buy and spend some more to make it look even worse, all they need is a few heads to turn, and they’d kill for that.

As I was into computers, I had to seek his help one day and I did. Deepak is like the one you don't see often. He doesn't return your calls and makes him busy with something or the other. Anyways i had to try a few times and finally could get my work done. That was just the start, as I said Deepak wouldn't have worn his shoes in his legs like everybody else does, if it hadn't been for his parents who wanted him to. He did help me out with a cd but had to be tweaked before using it, which I obviously couldn't figure out how and had to seek his help again. I made a few calls, which were picked up by people except him, ‘Boy! Why does he have a mobile phone', I wondered. Somehow I managed to reach him but this time too it wasn't him, it was a she who was speaking on his behalf, anyways I passed the message and I was told that he would revert back once he is home, which he never did.

Few days later, I needed that work done and so in desperation had to go to his residence which was only a few yards from Nitish’s house. That was the first day I’m entering this place and expected his parents to have a weird smile on the face and a," vaa pa" with a TV running with a high volume and a baby crying and clothes lying all over stuff like that, but to my amazement a soft classical song was playing and somebody had their limbs intertwined that too in an awkward position, god! somebody help him, maybe its a stroke, I thought but then the person shifted to a different position and then I realized he was practicing yoga, I some how managed to find the person's head and interrupted him, "Deepak..." I stretched my voice and I rehearsed the answers in my mind for the questions generally parents would ask, but this person called out,” Mary Maala, is he here?” She went inside and a few seconds later came back and,” I don't think he is here, Hrithik was here maybe he has gone out with him", and that’s it, no more questions.

I hardly reached the gates and stopped on hearing Deepak's voice; I turned and noticed that there was a way downstairs to the backyard. I took the way and there he was.Hrithik was also standing there, they were cutting wires and taping it to a few more wires to his bike, which I’m still not sure who the manufacturer was.

"Hi", I said

They both looked up and Hrithik looked at me like as if he was held a hostage and I was there to save him. Hrithik and I used to play cricket along with Nitish and a few others so we needed no introduction.

"Hi da", he said, and I looked at Deepak, he was still busy with those wires and when I was about to interrupt him, he handed me a few wires and said,” Hold that for a moment", then a few minutes later he was done with his, I don't know whatever he was doing. He then smiled at me.

"Hey, Deepak I need one more help, the cd you gave me", and he interrupted, "Yeah I know it requires a small procedure, I thought you knew. Anyways I’ll tell you how to do it" and he started saying some stuff which was definitely Greek or Latin. I interrupted him and said,” Can you give me a CD which requires nothing, you know the actual Software". He gave me a look as if, I had asked his wife to bed (like the one in The Indecent Proposal), but then he asked me to come upstairs and get the CD, which I did, I thanked him and said,” I’ll have it back in two days", he nodded which I guess was an 'okay whatever, just leave'.

I was about to leave and Hrithik asked me,” Can we play cricket?”

“I don’t know I’m going to meet Sam, will let you know my plans in an hour”

(TO BE CONTINUED)