This was it. Finally I was heading into Morristown one Saturday morning to meet a woman I have missed for ten years now.
I am from India. About 11 years back I had started meeting people online and chatting with them. Mostly women. Then began to have cyber sex with some. But nothing very satisfying. In the background of a lousy marriage that I was stuck in, it only left me feeling more frustrated.
It was then that I met her. It started initially as plain cyber sex. But after the cybering, we got around to talking more. Her name was Tina. Separated with two kids, working as a nurse. Struggling to make ends meet.
We began to talk more often. Not all our chats would result in (cyber) sex. But still we felt good talking to each other. It felt as if we were right for each other.
But 15 months later there was silence. She came back online 3 months later and told me that her computer had crashed. And if something happens again, she could not afford a new computer.
The inevitable happened. We lost touch. I never got to know if her computer had crashed or if anything had happened to her. Or maybe she had met somebody out there and felt it prudent to stop talking to me.
Well. That was ten years ago. Meanwhile my life had its fair share of ups and downs. My wife had died of a sudden and massive heart attack three years back. And last year my daughter married her longtime boyfriend and they had moved to Singapore.
I was living alone just concentrating on my work when the unexpected happened. I had to make a trip to USA. I wondered if it was worth trying to meet Tina. After all, all I had was the name of the place she worked in ten years back. After much tossing and turning I decided to try my luck.
And so here I am. I get into town and dial the number of the hospital. It is still a mystery how I still had it with me. More surprising was it had not changed in the last ten years!
I got the directions and headed towards the hospital. Went straight to the reception and asked for her. The receptionist eyed me quizzically and asked if it was personal or official. I said personal. She said personal guests were not allowed. I told her I have come all the way from India and would be leaving town the same evening (well, that was my plan if I did not get to meet Tina) and so it would be nice if I could meet her now. She finally agreed and rang up Tina.
The receptionist put the phone down and told me Tina would be here in five minutes. I sat and waited. It was probably the longest five-minute wait.
The moment she walked in I knew it was her. I had vague memories of her face from the pic which she had sent (and which I lost when my comp crashed) and of course she was in her uniform and that can make it even more difficult to recognise.
She walked up to me and introduced herself. I asked her if she recognised me. She looked blank. "I am Ravi from India."
Her eyes widened as she realised what was happening. She cupped her mouth in surprise and said, "I can't believe it!"
We hugged and then sat down. I did not want to waste time. I told her that I am here for the weekend and would like to spend time with her. If she was not free then it is fine with me and I would leave the same day.
She thought a while. In that period of silence, I began to have a feeling that this was not going to work out. Maybe she was married. Maybe she was living with somebody.
She finally spoke. "I can be free in the afternoon, say about 12.30 PM. Why don't we meet here then. Meanwhile you can just look around town. And have a bite at the restaurant opposite. It is pretty cheap."
I couldn't believe it! "Great! See you at 12.30!" And with that we both got up. She kissed me on my cheek and said "look forward to seeing you."
I had about two hours to kill. I walked straight to the restaurant not because I was hungry but because I needed to sit down someplace and calm myself down. I was too excited.
I didn't go anywhere else. At 12.15 PM I showed up and told the surprised receptionist that Tina has asked me to wait here.