Chance encounters

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I met him in Delhi. I was there on work and so was he. He was happy to see me. He came to the airport, I think with flowers. The memory is a bit hazy. We were at our respective hotels. We had dinner with his business people. He was very warm and introduced me to all. We went shopping the next day after work. I remember going to this typical Delhi shop which was a must with all foreign tourists and buying a cotton nightie. He shopped for his Mom, Aunt and sister. Then it was time for my flight. He took out a huge bunch of notes and gave me. I refused as I could not understand for what this money was being given for. I left for my flight and we lost touch. We met on a flight. He was a friend and the other was a colleague and friend. I sat between them. Both were actually good friends but one was a show off. The conversation was a bit stilted as each one wanted to talk about what the other did not know. When the car came at the airport, all three of us jumped in the back seat. Not a great idea for a girl as both were my friends.Those days, I think Maruti 1000 or Contessa were the only big luxury cars. Both would come to chat up in my room at night and chatting is all that happened. Monsoons had just hit Calcutta and there they come with thunder and lightening. The business at Oberoi Grand had not picked up completely. The old rooms were renovated but the creakiness in the corridors was still there. I welcomed their presence and their concern to keep me company as the wind howled thru the hotel corridors. I was chatting with my family and forgot to check in. At the final call, we realized that I did not have a boarding pass. We rushed and managed to get the last seat available. This tall dark well built man was sitting next to me. The air hostesses now called flight attendants were very sweet on him. I assumed the VIP bit. He talked and we laughed a lot. Later he said he worked for RAW (Research Analysis Wing) and explained the importance of it in the Government. It was landing time and he was escorted in a heavy duty car with a red light before we could get off the airplane.

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