The Girl who lost her Phone...

The Girl who lost her Phone...

....There stood a girl, out of my interest; smiling, playing, and giggling with a couple others. They seem so out of any mental distress while I sat 20 yards away carrying a sunken face....

That scrupulous twilight has been clearly etched into my memory; the blue sky with a hint of yellow masking the horizon speaking of the prolonging presence of the hot ball of fire, the lush green hill-side bushes with a layer of water kissing the leaf surfaces reminding of the torrential rains few hours back. The weather, 2 hours ago, seemed to echo my thoughts. While everyone was out enjoying the rain, scooping up every delight one could acquire from the premature rains on a scorching May evening, I sat down holding my phone gazing at the screen watching a still image.

How I wish I were the part of those lucky teenagers who were out with their friends up on a hill side, watching the entire city. My city appeared to have been smoking, with the bare earth covered with sloppy mud and the hill side quite maintain its vegetation. I was sitting at my own favourite site, a little down from the top. It was little over an hour when my train of thoughts was broken by two scooties. Frustrated, I glanced at the new arrivals. I expected a few rotten pigs driving to the top to enjoy booze and weed; but seeing three girls getting down lifted up my mood considerably. Neither of them seemed to be spoiled enough even to utter a curse.

The one who caught my attention the most was the one sitting on the pillion of a black pleasure, probably the one without any vehicle of her own (Just like me). She wore blue jeans, while top and plastic multi coloured bangles on her wrists; and a white cell phone (I reckon a Samsung Galaxy Ace). In addition, she had long open hair, a mixture of straightened and curled, which almost reached her waist.

The second one, who rode the pleasure had short neck length hair tied with a band and wore a blue sleeveless top, black jeans and a long silver necklace whose locket most likely ended at her navel. The third with a flat nose, wore a pink coloured loose designer top or something analogous with laces arising from the V-cut neck, blue jeans, a shiny thin gold chain and the long hair designed into a long pony. Stepping down from her Streaks she shouted at the others, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Sneha? You ride with a scum on your back and still manage to win the race?” (There goes my ‘being un-spoiled’ assumption)
The other two giggled and displayed their tongue simultaneously. (Probably she’s the only spoiled one or may be swearing is not a big deal at all.)

The Streaks girl parked her scooty, jogged over to the others and gave them a cosy hug. (‘Public Display of Affection’, I thought).
Just then I realised that I’ve been staring at them for a bit long than comfortable period. So I turned my back from the road and resumed my gaze at the Steel Plant. A few minutes later the three of them passed by my left and climbed down the smooth slope and continued their gossiping, laughing or whatsoever they were up to that evening on a plain that emerged out of the slope.

Unintentionally my eyes got stuck at their play and somehow initiated a smile on my face. The way they kept falling down, dropping the camera cover, tripping over the rocks and all to add the taste the echoing loud laughs. After an hour or so of their photo session, I suppose, they finally decided to give it a rest for they started rising up the slope. I was still clutching my phone from the past two hours and a message that I opened then was still on the screen. I turned my phone three times in my palm and when I looked up, the trio had reached me. The pink one cleared her throat in front of me and requested, “Excuse me! Would you mind helping us with a group pic?” forwarding her right arm that clutched the black Nikon 16.0MP camera. One sight at the camera I raised my brow at the looks of the device which clearly stamped over 20Ks. She continued looking at me when I took a moment more than the usual to answer her request. I wasn’t fascinated by the camera or mesmerised by her looks, it was just that, it was uncommon that an unknown girl comes over to me with a request or even asks me to ‘Excuse her’.
Realising her presence, I, obviously, replied, “Ya! Sure. No problem.”
They took their desired pose and gave me a ‘thumbs up’. I clicked a shot and then a couple more.

The twilight was more of a night now, the side of the hill where we were standing now was a black back ground with millions of yellow stars lighting the main segment of the city.
They were about to leave when the fair one (the one with the white top) shouted, “Anjali, where’s my phone? Sneha, you’ve got it with you.”

A panic was stirred in the usual silent atmosphere of the fresh nightfall. After the group pic session, I was back at my place now watching the thick brown smoke that curled up the chimney stacks of the Steel Plant and formed a cloud that imitated a black rain loaded one, when their screeches and loud sniffs attracted my attention.
They passed me again and descended down the slope again, probably in search of the lost phone. They tried calling the phone but I reckon they got no service at that altitude.

I dint know what got into me that I followed the raw slope till I reached them. I asked with a hint of concern, “What happened? Any problem?” though I perfectly knew what the matter was. They explained me the loss. And for the first time the white top girl spoke directly to me, “That was a new phone; my dad gifted it to me after the boards. I don’t want to lose that.” And a silent sob passed out of her lips. I still had my cell gripped between my fingers and saw that BSNL still gave a strong network.

I asked, “Did you try calling?”
Anjali (Blue Top girl) replied, “Both of us did but DoCoMo has got no network strength here.”
I said, trying not to seem too excited, “If you don’t mind you can use mine, I still have some access to the network.”
The white top girl looked real excited and jovial at the news and almost instantly erupted, “Yes! Please! Quick! No......Sorry.”
I smiled at the extraordinary change of emotions in a split second. I asked for her number, dialled as she dictated and gave a ring. It rang and I could hear two noises; one in my ear, the usual tring-tring, and another song, “Tujhe Bhula Diya....Tujhe Bhula Diya....Phir kyun teri yadoone Mujhe rula diya....” and a small white light just a little away from where we were standing. The song was so ironic at the moment for it dragged all those memories back into my concern which I had been fighting to keep away from last so many days.
The owner ran towards it but tripped vigorously. She was saved by her friends from falling face-on while as an attempt to help her I had her wrist in my hand and the plastic bangles crushed under the force.

After fetching the phone we got up to the road, they thanked me a lot and drove away. I saw the number still in my call register judging if it would be right to save it. Just then the screen flickered and the same number was on the screen but the sub title said ‘UNKNOWN CALLING’.