Sunday, June 12, 2016

Something Unexpected (Part 1)

ALEX  has been stuck at home for two weeks. Did it really hurt his schedule? Probably not.  Being a member of the rising connected society --- who can choose to work from home or pay office visits occasionally, the day he chose to shave off his beard and hop on roads in a sports coupe - the one with hailstorm damage, he has not cared to get it fixed. Though he claimed the insurance money for the hail damage, but later changed his mind to use that money for something else i.e., to “save for the rainy day “.

Talking of rain, the town he lives in has been hit by rain and consequently flood -- quite unusual for this to happen in the month of May.  Last time it happened something of this intensity was back in 1993.

Yes, he has this curious nature to look at each and every thing he comes across from an outsider perspective, unlike anyone who grew up and has seen the transition of knowledge stream shifting to Google – information on your fingertips.
To someone looking from a distant he may have accomplished material goals of American dreams in less than four years, while 82% of the population struggles for the same.  To earn a living, he belongs to the composite class of society which spends 80 out of 40 hours a week in front of screens, PDAs and laptops.  Such an immersed virtual exposure does come at a cost of sharing bizarre zone outs similar to Walter Mitty.
Young men living in America are not exactly famous for being in touch with their emotions. To rationalize life, he ends up joining a bunch of online match making and dating sites. When asked by friends or colleagues , he tries to explain them logically ( not in defensive way) , how old online dating is ( since 1970s)  and even before that match making used to be a profession for gregarious elderly figures in different societies;  now it’s being done by computer algorithms. This explanation usually ends up confusing people, so he has learned, unless someone specifically asks rational fact which is highly unlikely, it’s always better to respond in simple terms rather than narrating high dose rational information. 

Rain and lots of thunderstorm, has caused him to stay inside today. He does not know, how this rain is going to be a blessing in disguise for him. On the prowl to browse online profiles of prospective matches, he lands up on a profile, one night that he could not ignore even tried among the ocean of these high profiles pictures and self-descriptions.   Reading this out of the ordinary profile caused him to grin; smoothly he kept on reading savoring each and every word written on it.  To justify his very unusual computer interaction behavior.  He decides why not to pour his heart out in an unusually long message, which is something unexpected for his norm.
After clicking the send button, he thinks to himself, “I am thankful for two things today”.  First for the awesome weather enjoying the cool breeze all day long, secondly for the match algorithm, for bringing a breath of fresh air ‘profile’ in front of him. 
Studies have shown that the average response rate for an online message is 30%, so he has to perform the same task another 9 days before he hear backs something?? Thinking about all this, he goes to bed at 11:30 pm.

On waking up the next morning, against all odds, he does receive a response back which is something unexpected according to average estimates. Happily, he responded back.  It was amusing for him to discover, there is someone, on the other side who like work of words. If alone Mohsin Hamid and Jhumpa Lahiri admirers are kept aside.  Out of this virtual reverence and breaking the formality, he added the suffix ‘gee’ while addressing their mutual communication.
For all who likes ‘work of words’, music is a food for their soul and art as an air to breath.
He proposed we should talk more in person at a place, where art is around us and music is in the air.  How about meeting at 7:30 pm for a Jazz concert in downtown. His invitation was acknowledged with much fervor to speak literature through that deep philosophy and contemplation on life, with jazz music in the background----it all sounded intriguing.   

Jazz concert started at 6:00 pm but since we are talking about something unexpected. He requested personal trainer to shorten the session today only plus even after mad dash on the road, he could not make at 7:30 pm sharp instead 5 minutes late.
 Entering the concert hall, it was easy for him to recognize the special person in a heartbeat. They smiled broadly as they approached. He liked what he saw. He enjoyed the smile that spread across Irica’s face, and unconsciously noted that the end of her eyebrows dipped down. The orbicularis-oculi muscle, which controls this part of the eyebrow, cannot be consciously controlled, so, when the tip of the eyebrow dips, that means the smile is genuine, not fake. In the moment of awe and excitement, he stepped over her shoe, while giving a gentle hug.   

To save face, on arriving late plus no place to sit on account of making a wrong time arrangement of 7:30 pm instead of 6 pm. He suggested Irica on getting something to drink and enjoy whatever part of the concert is left. Ears tuned to listen what orchestra has to play, few words exchanged, as to what they were supposed to discuss -- philosophy, life, and literature. All faces aligned towards the stage. For ALEX it didn’t last another 10 minutes, until he realized, looking on to Irica’s beautiful face is far better than jazz. No matter whatever tunes orchestra was playing, he tuned his focus towards her. 
70% of human communication is nonverbal, without much back and forth questions they started walking around the atrium (kind of unanimous decision). ALEX was feeling warmth by the presence of Irica personality next to him. The aura was not something he has experienced elsewhere. 
 Eventually they stepped outside the concert hall, to get some fresh air expecting the weather to be nice and breezy.  Air flow was stagnant.

Discussion started from why online dating and why not something else? This was indeed a trigger for ALEX to start his never ending Pandora box of whatever he has experienced, learned and read in years. His point of view was, why not online dating— just merely adding the digital platform it’s 20 times more likely to get the required results rather than following old clichés advices of, “put yourself out there”.  He backed up his logical explanation introducing an analogy from auto insurance industry, which in his opinion may have really resonated with her. He claimed the probability to find a match via online dating is much higher than in person awkward efforts, keeping emotions, irrationalities and mental barriers caused by invisible scripts aside.
They were already walking together. Following a random walk across the park, passing the food trucks they eventually did sat down to discuss philosophy, life and literature.   
The conversation found no bounds as ALEX kept going tangents on various topics from politics, upcoming elections, movies, cultures, traditions, outsider views and past online dating experiences to name a few.  Though men normally spend twice as much time talking about themselves as women do, in this conversation ALEX was no exception. Being a good conversationalist calls for to be a great listener, with this in mind he asked Irica to speak. She was already thirsty just by listening the chatter box ALEX.

 He kept on talking nonstop (though his throat did get dry eventually) about experiences from sports to politics to stereotypes and cultures and all.  Unlikely always focusing on self-talk, he talked about Irica’s problems, when she shared her past. He mentioned it is not necessary a personal problem, but in greater scheme of things - a sociological by-product of geography, policy and ways of working in this part of the world.  

Soon, ALEX and Irica quickly discovered that they had a lot in common. They both had a theory about life in terms of juggling three balls. They both exaggerated their outlier personality –being a hybrid of East and West. People generally overestimate how distinct their own lives are, so the commonalities seemed to them a series of miracles.

 Dinner time did pass already, all the nearby shops to eat were closed and food trucks gone home.  After argument on their android devices and Google maps, Irica proposed to announce landing at Café Brazil. The server came to their table and took their orders. The cafe seemed to specialize in mouthwatering brunch and breakfast varieties. Irica, anticipating this, chose a Brazilian breakfast that could be an easy fix anytime of the day. But ALEX went for ‘The Sandwich’ consisting of 2 eggs and sliced ham, served with fried sweet red potatoes.  None of the formalities in deciding what to eat and what to avoid in front of each other mattered at this point, because ALEX and Irica clicked….no I think they were so thirsty to get this decision hurdle of the way.

 Talking about past life with hungry stomach, results in conversations to die down eventually – prevailing silence eventually. Same thing happened on their dinner table for 20 minutes. ALEX learned ‘Chorizo’ is a great silence breaker. Eating the same thing from Irica plate was even tastier than just breaking the silence; to his imagination it was more delicious because she served it especially with genuineness.
 Alex and Irica left the restaurant and walked down the sidewalk past a night club few steps away.  Loud electronic music was filling up the air nearby. The breeze was gentle with music in the air, unaware that they were already doing the ____’ walk—, smiles beaming out at the space in front of them.

ALEX put on his thinking cap as they sat back in her car. He felt that he had been extraordinarily witty and boastful over supper, encouraged by her flashing eyes. Irica was past her bed time already, and was up since 5:30 am. Sensing this he assured himself --- silence is golden at this point.
Irica started driving back to where ALEX parked his car. While he gave directions to Irica from her smart phone. (Her phone seemed like a baby cousin of the ALEX’s Android phone which he held in other hand).  Instructing her where to take turn and exit, he contemplated to really 'Thank ' her.  He had some really real great time because of her after a long time.  However it was getting late, he shivered to bid farewell and give a thank you handshake as quickly as possible, before jumping out of her car.

As soon she left, ALEX fired up his car… it started to rain cats and dogs, the kind of rain only shown in movies, buckets of water splashing on the wind shield. The rain indeed was giving a reminder to ALEX, “The flood is coming “. He got home and thought to ask if Irica has reached home safely in this heavy rain or not, and while he flips his phone to do so. He found a text from Irica, stating ‘she is home safe’. He read the same text intently a couple of times.
This day was indeed something unexpected for him.

Rain was making heavy noise outside the windows, with occasional thunderstorms. He retired to bed, closed his eyes. Tossing and turning around a couple of times, he tried to enter the ZZZZzzzzzzz world but in vain. There was something subconscious going on in his mind, which made him happy.
Sleep left his eyes and he turned on the TV. The media was filled with warnings of flood on its way. Emergency alerts started to fill up the phone and TV screens.
 The pressure of rain drops splashing against the windows was giving a reminder to ALEX. The flood is coming.  In his mind, he knew; yes indeed ‘a flood is on its way’. Not the one media and rain alarmed him about.  But the flood of something unexpected.  He paused for some moments, picked his pen and journal. With shine in his eyes, words to express in his mind and ambiance on his face He wrote reminding himself, “this is how a Jazz evening - full of life, philosophy and literature should feel like “



To Be Continued.... until Part 2.