Yudhi

The early morning fog was slowly rising up, clearing the morning air. Yudhi was peering through the window to catch a glimpse of the new country he was entering. He was excited. This was a big change for him and he was eagerly looking forward to it. He was amazed at the greenery below. The country he was moving to was vast with rolling green farmlands. As he watched down, from high up in the sky, the green lands slowly disappeared and huge buildings started filling his view. He could feel the chill, as he watched for the first time, the New York skyline. He was amazed, how soon the greenery was replaced with the concrete jungle, but it was beautiful. There was nothing to compare back home in India, actually in the entire world, he thought.

He felt very lucky to be coming to United States and had dreams like other immigrants, before him, who entered the country with nothing but dreams and made it their home. He became suddenly aware of the announcement over the speakers, announcing the entry into US and that the plane will soon be landing at Newark International airport. He couldn't take his eyes off the ground below, but at the same time started worrying about the immigration process, he was going to face soon.

The plane landed with a big thud at Newark Liberty International airport and raced towards the end of the runway. All the passengers were trying to get to their hand luggage, even as the pilot was asking everyone to remain seated, till the plane reaches the gate and to a complete stop. Yudhi watched in amusement, the manner in which other passengers rose from their seats and started pulling their luggage, from overhead racks, without concern for other passengers. He couldn't believe that the same people were sitting idle for the last sixteen hours and just as the signal turned green they went from zero to sixty miles in 2 seconds. Everyone wanted to get out of the plane, and get back into the rat race outside. He felt, people were forced to take rest for sixteen hours and now cannot wait to get back into action.

Yudhi was not in a hurry to deplane as had few hours before his next flight to San Francisco. He was happy with the journey and the much needed rest he got. Although, he could have done lot better with someone charming as his seat partner, but had to do with an elderly lady, who needed help with filling her immigration forms. He promised her family to take care of her, as she was travelling alone. Also the last 15 days, was a nightmare to him, as he was getting ready for this trip with shopping, friends, family and parties. He was happy that he was able to get some much needed sleep.

Yudhi removed his hand baggage from the overhead bin, after helping out the old woman move out with her luggage. He hit the rest rooms before immigration, to freshen up, as he wanted to make sure he was alert while going through the immigration process. He was aware of all the scary stories, he heard from friends and newspapers, regarding the immigration process and how people get arrested or detained, in case of any issue with their papers or because of just plain stupid answers to simple questions.

He made it to the queue armed with the immigration forms and passport and could feel the tension building within him. This could really make or break his career and he started wondering what he would do, if he was arrested or rejected and sent back home. When his chance finally came, slowly he stepped in front of the officer and presented his papers. The officer enquired regarding the purpose of his visit and took his finger prints. Then she smiled at him

"Welcome to United States and Good Luck!!!."

Yudhi couldn't believe himself, he stepped out of the immigration counter and wondered what the heck, amazed at the way he was treated, felt confident about himself and fell in love with US of A, as millions before him who came with nothing but dreams.

He collected rest of his luggage and started moving towards terminal 'C' for second leg of his journey. He figured out the way to monorail, connecting all terminals and took the escalator to the monorail station. After reaching terminal 'C', he went to the Continental desk and got the boarding pass to his flight to San Francisco.

Then he stepped out of the terminal and took a deep breath. He was amazed at the freshness of air and the oxygen content compared to the air quality in India. He decided to go back in and find something to eat. He wanted something, hot and spicy, to satisfy his taste buds after the stale inflight food, but remembered that he was not in India anymore and would have to do with American fast food.

Yudhi had more than two hours to kill before departure time, so he made it through security check and found a seat in an empty section of the pre-boarding lounge. He always had a book with him and enjoyed reading so much, that he forgets where he is. He took his book out and started reading. Once in a while he would look up and check his surroundings to make sure he didn't miss his plane.

Yudhi was still thinking about the characters in the book, when he looked up and noticed this good looking brunette girl, walking towards the pre-boarding lounge. He couldn't take his eyes of her. She came up to the front of the lounge and parked her hand luggage in front of her and took in the whole view from one end to the other end. She was wearing a short skirt and a short jacket with high heels. For a moment all the passengers turned and looked at her and then got back to whatever they were doing.

Yudhi was hoping, she won't see in his direction, as he was staring at her and felt awkward about it. Finally, after looking in all directions, she turned and looked straight into Yudhi's eyes. Yudhi almost dropped his book, but quickly recovered by moving his attention away from the girl. Then she picked up her luggage and moved towards Yudhi. She came up to Yudhi and took a seat in front of him.

Yudhi couldn't concentrate on his book anymore. He would read one sentence and then steal a glance at her. It was difficult to say, what the girl was doing, as she was wearing dark glasses. Yudhi considered moving away from his spot to another section, where he can regain control over his senses, but decided against it. He then thought, he was going to run into hundreds of girls like her and if he keeps on running away from them, then he better go back to India. Instead, he made up his mind to conquer his senses again and act respectfully towards the girl.

He hoped she was an Indian girl and thanks to her short skirt, he was able to check out her skin color and she looked fair enough, hence she could be anyone. Probably Spanish or Cuban or well-tanned white girl, difficult to say.

He was sure, she was not Indian, as no Indian parent would allow their daughter to go out in such attire. "But then who knows, maybe things have changed and the new generation Indian American kids make their own rules" he thought.

He noticed the girl take out her phone and start talking into it. He tried to listen to see if he can make out her accent, hoping to get lucky, but her accent was completely American. He started to analyze the girl from all angles, hoping something would give him a clue regarding her origin, but nothing really was standing out. Yudhi was disappointed, but decided to enjoy the time he was spending analyzing her.

Yudhi, all through his life, was a geek and will remain a geek. He passed out from the top most premier Indian college, Indian Institute of Technology, with flying colors. He was one of the top three in his class, with many gold medals and academic achievements, that even before he gave his final exams, many top institutions lined up to offer him a position. After discussing with his family, he decided to join Google. His aunt, his mom's best friend, who stays in San Francisco, was the main force behind his decision. She wanted him to stay with them and promised his parents that she will take care of him. Google, promised to place him in cutting edge technology projects, with a hefty pay package. And that's where Yudhi is headed, to join Google, but was currently stuck trying to analyze the girl in front of him.

All his life, he always dreamt of a girl, like the one in front of him, but never had the opportunity, to actually have a conversation with one. There were hardly any girls in his class and the few who were there, were not in the same league as the girl in front of him. He wished, just for once in his life, he would run into someone like her, but it never happened. Actually he was hoping, he would share the plane journey to United States, with someone like her, but instead he had the company of an old lady, who needed help with her immigration forms.

Yudhi hoped there was some way he can break the ice between them, but he felt like he was invisible to the girl in front of him. She hardly glanced at him and was in her own world. Yudhi looked around and felt jealous, looking at other good looking couples. Even if he started a conversation with the girl, he was not sure what he would talk about, maybe the different ways to calculate the thrust velocity for an inter stellar object to leave orbit, or maybe, she is interested in reading fiction books like him, or maybe, they can discuss their future life together or baby names, who knows. Only one thing looked certain for now, as his Mom said, he would end up marrying his aunt's daughter, regret his inaction and probably spend rest of his life dreaming about the girl in front of him and thinking, what if.

Meanwhile two hours went through like seconds and he could hear the announcement for passengers leaving to San Francisco with Continental airlines, so he got up and picked up his hand luggage. He hoped for some movement from her, or some kind of confirmation to the announcement, but didn't see any, so he realized, she was not going on the same flight as him. He wondered where beautiful people like her go to, maybe Los Angeles. Yep, he thought, only geeks go to San Francisco and all good looking folks fly to Los Angeles. Maybe, he can enjoy her company, till the last moment and then get on the flight, he thought, but instead, he decided to break up the brief silent relationship and force himself onto the flight.

He looked at his seat assignment - 18A, window seat, his preference, thank god, his aunt remembered his preferred seat.

"Hopefully, at least now, I may get some interesting company in 18 B, unlike my last one. Hmm.. may be, I will get the same girl, who was sitting in front of me, few minutes ago. Huh!! I never was that lucky. She is not even in the same plane, Uhh..maybe I should go to LA, then take another flight to SF" He thought.

But he couldn't do that, as his aunt was waiting on the other side to receive him and of course he could never do anything like that, act on a moment notice and go behind the girl of his dreams. "Some are meant to go in straight lines" He thought. He was so much lost in thought, that he didn't notice a big guy take up the 18 B seat. He was so disappointed, that he closed his eyes and wished he could be invisible now. The flight was almost full and the air hostesses were getting everyone to follow the instructions streaming on the video screens in front of them.

Yudhi opened his eyes, when the guy sitting next to him, started pulling the wrong seat belt. Yudhi helped him find the right one and turned around, and couldn't believe his eyes. His dream girl just got into the flight and was looking for her seat. She was scanning the plane for her seat and their eyes met again and she started moving in his direction. Yudhi couldn't believe all his assumptions about her were wrong and was happy once again, just for sharing the same flight with her.

She came up to Yudhi's seat and looked at the seat number and at the person sitting by his side. She asked the person for his boarding pass. After looking at his pass, she told him, that his seat was actually 18F and not 18B. The person looked confused and after checking her boarding pass, grudgingly, got up from his seat and moved down the aisle. She found an empty slot for her hand luggage and settled in 18B. Yudhi got all confused, by this sudden turn of events. He never had this kind of lady luck and now suddenly he was drowning in it. He tried desperately, to crawl back into his logical box and think about the possibility and probability of what just happened. It would be very difficult to explain in terms of probability theory, his odds were impossible and yet it all happened in front of him.

Yudhi thought "may be this was some diabolical plan to get him". He was being tested by forces unknown to him. He needs to be very careful and try to act normal. He decided to imagine, that nothing actually happened, and his companion is still the fat guy, who was sitting by his side, few moments before. He turned towards her and said "Hi" and she just said "hello" without even turning towards him. He decided, that should the end of it, until they reach the destination.

After settling down in her seat, she took out her book and started reading. Yudhi, regretted his earlier decision, and thought he should at least find out her name and few details. Who knows, maybe he could ask for a date later, after he settles down in his job. Anyway, she didn't look, as if she cared where she sat or who was sitting by her side. She looked normal compared to Yudhi, who looked as if he was going to throw up anytime.

As the plane raced towards the runway, Yudhi could feel the underneath thrust exerted by the powerful jet engines and sideways thrust exerted by her, as she leaned into him, during the takeoff. He was used to the jet engines, but not the lady power. He felt, as if he was going melt down by the heat of her touch and perfume. He closed his eyes and waited for the plane to level down, and finally the pressure from both sides eased, as the plane found its altitude level, and cabin pressure came to normal level.

He didn't dare to look at her and she seemed to be enjoying her book. He decided to break his earlier decision and started to look for a chance to start a conversation, but she didn't give him a chance. She didn't even look at him, while peanuts and complimentary drinks were being served. Yudhi knew he wasn't good at this stuff and didn't care earlier when his friends used to tease him about it. He always felt, that it was a bad thing to chase girls or try to impress them, and was against such things. But he never also met a girl like her before and that changes everything.

He knew, he was good looking, smart and successful. He was always confident about himself and felt no need to chase any girls. The girls always tried to get his attention, but he was always busy with his academics and believed that once he became successful, girls will come on their own. That was true, in the sense, many people lined up with marriage proposals once he got the job offer, but he didn't even look at them and wanted to concentrate on his career instead. His friends and relatives even warned him, about his aunt's real intention, of inviting him to USA, as she had a daughter, who was studying in Texas, and her plan to make him son-in-law. He was even doubtful of that, but when his aunt introduced him to her daughter over phone, he got the hint, that the daughter was not interested and had a boyfriend. So he didn't feel any such danger and accepted her invitation.

Yudhi looked at his situation, the girl of his dreams was just two inches away, he could see her short skirt riding up her thigh and touching his leg. He knew, he wanted to desperately talk to her and get her details, but he could not muster up enough courage. In a way, he was ashamed of himself, of the effect the girl was having on him. In fact, she was controlling his life right now, she could turn him into ash if she wishes, with a simple touch of her hand. She could command him to do anything and he would obey. He was amazed, to realize, how weak his situation looked. He thought, no human being should have that much power over another person.

His eyes were itching to turn sideways and watch her for eternity. He was desperate to gain control of the situation he found himself in. At first, he thought, he would enjoy her company, talk to her, share stories and experiences and maybe agree to meet sometime in future for more serious discussions and maybe take their relationship to another level.

Instead, he couldn't establish any contact with her and that was torturing him and killing him from inside. He wasn't sure, if it was physical attraction or love. Of course, he thought, it was pure physical attraction. How could he fall in love with someone, he knows nothing about. The animal in him wants to have her desperately. We all are animals first and then humans. He is Adam and she is Eve. There is no need for language or civility. God created them the way they are and put them on this Earth for one and only purpose, it is to procreate and multiply to create a World of Humans. She has no right to ignore God's purpose, and should immediately have sex with him. Nothing else matters.

Yudhi lost track of time and his surroundings. Finally he decided to take out his own book and get lost in to another imaginary world created by the author. He closed the blinds, as many people decided to sleep through the six hours of flight and took out his book. He tried for 10 minutes, but couldn't get through even the first paragraph. He would read and again go back to the beginning, as his brain would start wandering half way through the paragraph.

Finally, he closed his book and imagined, that he was trapped in an iron box with no windows and when he tried to feel around, he could feel nothing but iron around him. Slowly he drifted into sleep and imagined drawing SOS messages on the walls of the iron box.

Yudhi lost track of time and was still imagining himself as prisoner in the box, when he felt that the box was closing on him. He could feel the weight of iron on his shoulder and leg. He tried to shrink, but the box still didn't let him go. He couldn't take it anymore, so opened his eyes. But he couldn't move as the girl's head was on his shoulder and her hand on his thigh. For a second, he couldn't breathe, afraid he might wake her up.

He started breathing again slowly and did a quick estimation of his situation. He wasn't sure what happened to the seat divider, but it was not in place and the girl was sleeping peacefully, as if nothing in the world was going on. At first, Yudhi felt he was in the seventh heaven, he could almost taste her perfume and feel here body rise up and down with her breathing. Her right hand was holding onto his thigh and he was close to a meltdown. He wanted to reach out, hug her and pull her completely into his body. He wanted to cover her with his body and cup her face and feel the warmth of her breasts. He wanted to fill her dips and troughs and complete their god mandated project. He could feel the pressure between his legs and his hands were itching to touch her.

But then the devil set in and reminded him of the news articles where people got arrested on arrival for taking advantage of sleeping passengers. He knew it was not his fault, as he was sleeping in his seat and it was the girl who was sleeping on him, but he was sure whose story would be more believable. It would be the end of his journey, he would be sent back to India in disgrace. His career would end, even before it started and forget his aunt, no one would be willing to give him their daughter in marriage. He could imagine himself falling from Himalayan heights.

Finally the devil won and the negative thoughts brought down the pressure between his legs. He tried to make sure his body was within his seat borders and he started strategizing, how he would defend himself, if the girl accuses him of anything. He nudged the girl slowly, hoping she would straighten herself, instead she moved deeper into him, snuggling into his shoulder.

He decided to just sit and watch, to make sure, his hands stay away from her body. It was a struggle to keep them tied to his sides, as if they had a mind of their own, and were not willing to listen to his logic. He knew he would blame himself for the rest of his life, for not allowing his hands to roam freely over her body as her hands were going over his body.

He started meditating. During such crisis, there is only one Hindu God who can help him. Lord Hanuman, the mighty bachelor king, who never got married and is known to help followers remain celibate. Chanting Hanuman's name, gave him enough strength to slowly lift and move her hand, away from his thigh, as she was getting close to the heat zone. She tried to hold onto his hand, but he slowly managed to move her hand onto her thigh, but in the process came into contact with her smooth milky skin. He could feel thunder and lightning pass through him, so he increased the pace of chanting to calm his nerves.

Yudhi was down to last reserves of energy to keep his hands tied down, when the in-flight lights came on with an announcement from the pilot, to get ready for landing. The girl woke up with a start and looked at him suspiciously. Her skirt was half way up, exposing her thighs and top of her chest was mostly exposed. He could almost hear the alarm bells and police sirens. He tried to say something but just stammered. She pulled the seat divider down and pulled her skirt down, and top up, to cover her fully. She was looking at him all the time, and Yudhi didn't know where to look , so he simply stared at the screen in front of him. Since she was still staring at him, Yudhi felt that she was expecting an explanation from him.

She got up from her seat and went to the front of the aircraft towards the air hostess. Yudhi could see her talking to them and pointing back in his direction. Yudhi was devastated. He could see the next day headlines, in all newspapers, in his hometown. He knew how the media would love to pick up the story and love to print all the juicy details, how the hometown boy, dreaming big, landed in US , but couldn't keep his hands of the sleeping beauty. They would even add their own twists and turns, to make it juicier, to increase their circulation and ad rates.

No one would believe his side of the story, especially after looking at the girl. Every one would think "Oh My god !! How cute she looks. Poor girl, she got sexually harassed by Yudhi. I am sure he must have done something, since she is so cute"

The plane was just a few minutes away from the airport and the girl still didn't come back. "They must have given her another seat to get her away from me", thought Yudhi.

The girl came back just as the plane was landing and didn't even look at Yudhi. "She probably came for the luggage", thought Yudhi. He decided to talk to her and explain his side of the story. Just as he opened his mouth, the plane landed and the noise drowned his voice. He waited for the plane to land and then tried again, but with all the announcements, he couldn't get through. He tried to lean towards her ear and tell her, he didn't do anything and kept his hands to himself, but the girl didn't give him a chance and got up to get her luggage from the overhead bins.

Soon there were too many people around and Yudhi was scared to get off the seat. He started scanning the airport for cops and saw lot of them moving around. He took his luggage, and ran after the girl, as she was exiting the plane. He saw the cops were coming in from other direction, so he caught her hand on the ramp and asked her to stop for a minute. He just had seconds to prove his innocence.

He was almost breathless and just as he tried to open his mouth to explain, the girl took away her arm from his clasp and ran towards the exit. By that time, the cops were closing in on Yudhi, and he had nowhere to go. He couldn't go back into the aircraft or run behind the girl, as she was behind the cops now and he had to cross them to get to her. He just decided to stand there and take it as a man.

One of the cops came up to him and asked "Sir, are you ok ? Do you need help ?"

Yudhi could hardly speak and muttered "exit".

The cop pointed him the direction and then Yudhi realized that he was not in any trouble. He wanted to race down now and catch up with the girl, but he was new to the airport and by this time she could be anywhere. All he could do was, slowly get to the nearest rest room and took his time getting ready to meet his aunt and her family.

He figured out the location of the baggage claim belt to pick up his luggage and as was walking towards the exit, when he saw his aunt waving his name. As he walked towards her, his eyes were scanning the crowd for her ...

To be continued ...