Page 4 of Made in Mumbai

The girl dipped her hand in her bag and out came a black wind-cheater. She shook it open and threw one side around her head and shoulder, pulling the other to include him. He didn’t wait. He grabbed the end and ducked under the protection, squeezing even closer to her. It was small, but they both fit. Almost.

“One, two, three, go!”

A Tale of G & M

— GAUTAM —

They shot off, their bodies zooming in sync down the road with rain pelting hard behind them. She laughed, running closer to him, and it was infectious. His body began to vibrate too, feeling the rain batter his face and chest but still thrilled as they wove down the sidewalks, the downward slope giving them speed.

“Ok, now look at me,” she shouted over the roar of the rain.

“Why?” He looked at her.

“Because when you turn again, you will be seeing the sea!” She waggled her eyebrows. His eyes riveted back to the front and his feet faltered. Gautam stared mesmerised at the blue-grey extended in the distance, so clear even amid this pelting rain. There was a road they had to cross to get there, a paved walkway, a stone ledge. But across all this was the sea. The big, amazing sea. His feet hit the pavement hard, and the girl stumbled beside him.

“Sorry!” He stopped. “Sorry, sorry, sorry… you can take your wind-cheater.” He was about to abandon her protection when she pulled his bicep with an amused smile — “Just let me know how fast you want to fly, crazy! I can’t put wheels under me to match your giant feet.”

He laughed — “I don’t have giant feet.”

“You do! You could be the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk living in the skies and having all the riches in the world. But wait… you look like you already do, huh?” She eyed him up and down, clearly thinking he lived in the sky. Gautam preened.

“You also look like you have landed from some…” he gestured with his hand to the sky.

“Some what, huh?” She threatened. “What?”

“Some… umm… fairyland.”

Her scowl melted into a smirk — “I have landed from SoBo,” she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “And for those who don’t live there, that is fairyland. Though here’s the inside secret,” she whispered loudly in his ear — “It is a dungeon.”

“Is this that Marine Drive area?”

“Yes. It’s overrated. I mean, if you want to see the old Bombay then it’s beautiful. But let me show you my favourite places here in the suburbs. It’s not advertised in movies and stuff. But you’ll love it. Especially today when it’s raining.”

“If you have the time…” he shrugged.

“I have lots of time. Let’s go, bro!”

“I am not your bro.”

“That’s what we call each other here.”

“Bro?”

“Yo.”

He smiled, “My name is G…”

“Hang on, hang on,” she turned towards him. “No exchanging names. Just imagine — two strangers in Mumbai, meeting for a brief minute, no names. Just talking and seeing the city. So cool!” She thumped her feet in rapid succession, almost dancing on the spot.

“Umm…cool,” he shrugged.

“So. Hi, my name is M,” she held her hand up. He whipped his eyes from her face to her hand, wondering what to do.

“The first letter of your name!” She cued, her eyes going round. It was cute.

“Uhh… G.”

She wiggled her fingers, and he gave her a clap. He must have done it right because her naughty smile widened. And they turned to brisk down the slope, speeding towards the sea.

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