Chapter -33 (The Birth of A Friendship) 

"Hi, Akanksha. This is Jishnu calling." Jishnu called Akanksha from hospital the next day, during the lunch break. 

Akanksha had already seen his name on the screen. So, she was overjoyed. 

"Hello, Jishnuda." She… . 

" I'm calling you regarding the mistake I made when we're talking last night. The tickets to Globe Cinema I talked about,," Jishnu stopped briefly before continuing: "Are you still there, Akanksha? Remember the tickets and the invitation to dinner?"

Akanksha smiled to herself and replied, " I do remember. Now what's the problem? "

"The problem is - the tickets are not for Sunday. But for Saturday. Are you free on coming Saturday? Do you wanna come?" Jishnu found his hand shaking at his end. 

"I definitely am, Jishnuda. College is generally out on Saturdays unless there's something special happening. But I'm wondering if YOU would be free on Saturday?" She asked Jishnu. 

"I am and that's why I'm calling you, Akanksha. But tell me, if you're coming for the movie first.. "

"I haven't talked to my parents yet, Jishnuda. But who can refuse a doctor? So, most probably, I'm coming over for the movie, Though I've a tuition class, I can always call auntie to inform her about the change of plan. I'll go teach her son that day, Saunak, in the morning." Akanksha replied trying not to betray the excitement in her voice. 

"Good.Then let me tell you something more.  Instead of dinner, let's meet for lunch first. We'll go to a cozy place called The Hogwarts Train in Patuli." Jishnu said. 

"Oh, that'll be really nice. From my student's place, I'll take a bus or cab to Patuli." Akanksha spoke it aloud into the phone, more to herself than to Jishnu. 

"If it is convenient, I can pick you up from somewhere near Marble Palace. We'll go for lunch and from there move to the cinema. I'll drop you near your home on the way back, " Jishnu concluded. 

"That sounds great, Jishnuda. I don't think you need to pick me up from Marble. I'll head to Patuli instead, on my own. From then on your idea seems to fit in the scheme of things like a dream, doesn't it? I'm already so excited thinking about my day with a doctor. Or, should I say, my date...? " she stopped as if the last word happened as a slip of the tongue. 

Jishnu chuckled at the other end before saying, "I'll pick you up, Akanksha, and rather than it being a trouble like you said, it will be on the contrary, a pleasure. So, that's it then. Be seeing you on Saturday." Jishnu cried aloud. 

They talked for a few minutes more before hanging up. 

Akanksha finished teaching her ward, Shaunak by 11.30 in the morning when auntie, Shaunak's mother, a charming lady in her mid-thirties,  requested her for a small favour. She was trying to make a cake at home for the first time, following Akanksha's post she had seen on Facebook, about her own home-made cake. She wanted Akanksha to be there in the kitchen along with her to make sure that the cake got made properly. 

The cake and the tasting of it took another twenty minutes. As Akanksha was walking along the road back to the bus stand at around 12.15, her mobile started ringing. Akanksha saw that the call was from Jishnu and kept walking without answering the call as there was a rickshaw coming from behind. The moblie stopped ringing after the fourth ring. She had hardly turned right on her way to the bus stand, when Jishnu called out to her from his new car parked some hundred meters ahead.. 

"Didi wait a bit," the traffic police managing the upcoming vehicles, spread out his hands barricading the commuters. 

Akanksha sauntered up a few steps to where the Volvo was waiting for her. Jishnu leaning over from the driver's sear, held the door open as Akanksha slipped in. 

She looked ahead at the traffic coming from the opposite direction, put the seat belt around before turning her head towards Jishnu with a smile. He had a striped, full shirt on, loosely tucked into the black jeans that fiited him to a T. The shirt collar open at the neck, showed a glimpse of his manly physique. Even during the school days, Jishnu earned the enviable reputation of being a gym-freak. For reason not very difficult to understand, Akanksha found it hard to turn her head away from the handsome young doctor. Suddenly what Sana had told her once, rang up in her mind : "To win the love of someone like Jishnuda, I won't mind going to the Himalayas and living like a saint."

Girls over the ages had worshipped men like Jishnuda, Akanksha couldn't help thinking. 

Jishnu caught Akanksha looking at him with open admiration in her eyes and gave her a quick head-to-toe appraisal

How the girl had grown in the years he had been away in Delhi, was unbelievable! She looked more confident and feminine now. Now she had filled out to be such a desirable woman! Jishnu nearly jammed into the hood of the car in front as the traffic lights turned to red. He put the brakes in time to say, " You look glamorous, my dear lady."

Akanksha cast her eyes down at her Sri Leather shoes. Coming from Jishnu, in spite of his flirty reputation, the words meant a lot and made her want to sing. Despite her casual looks, she had actually taken great care in dressing for the occasion. In a sari that was half dark green and half deep purple with the silken border, she tooked an inch taller than her height of 5'7". The matching long sleeved blouse that covered all but the wrists of her hands was tied with two parallel laces at the nape of her neck. The cylindrical circle just beneath the laces gave an added charm to her persona. She had a Titan wrist watch on her left hand with a bracelet on her right. The simple earrings were all that she had on but this simplicity was something to be reckoned with! 

As Jishnu turned the car to the right towards Garia via Patuli, he asked Akansha with his eyes looking up ahead "Have you ever been to Hogwarts?"

Akanksha shook her head. She had learnt that it was a cozy place in this part of the world, especially for the Harry Potter fans. It boasted of all those stuff associated with Harry, to be found in most of the immortal works of J. K. Rowling. Like, everyday the food was served on a Potter theme as in Cho Chang Chicken, Fire Chicken from the Forest Forbidden and so on. 

As the car stopped in front of a huge train look-alike restaurant, Akanksha thought she had never seen anything like that. At Jishnu's bidding, she got out of the car as he had to take the car ahead on a side way for parking. 

He was back in a few minutes and led her up to the entrance of the restaurant. They stepped up on the solitary stair and got in. There was a man in black and white, who wished Jishnu first before baring his teeth at Akanksha. It was clear that Jishnu was known to the man, the waiter rather. Jishnu turned left next and walked past what looked like a series of compartnents of the train.

Jishnu finally turned right and asked her to sit on one of the two leather seats facing one another near a giagantic open widow. Akanksha let out a gasp as she sat down and looked out the glass window. The view outside was terrific. The road through the greenery all around, along with the artificial spring at the base, in the form of four statues of ladies made up of white marble,standing back to back on a centrally located platform, was something out of the world! Water was flowing out of the pitcher into the circular pond around this exquisite art work. The trees and plants along the way up, lent a freshness to the air hard to describe. 

"Would you like to order, Akanksha?" Jishnu's voice shot through to bring her back to the reality. For the second time Akanksha found herself shaking her head. 

"What would you like for a starter? Cold drinks? Coffee or Butter Beer?"

Akanksha weighed the options in her mind. She normally loved Chinese dishes but she thought it best to let Jishnu order this time for both of them. 

After talking to her for a while, Jishnu ordered a plate of Mutton Biryani with two Cho Chang Chicken. Actually, he wanted to have two plates of Biryani but changed his mind at Akanksha's request. Jishnu also asked for a Butter Beer for himself while Akanksha ordered a Cold Coffee. 

Forty minutes later, as Akanksha watched contentedly the waiter picking up the left over food and collect them on a silver tray, Jishnu looked out at his watch and cried out: "God! it is 1.30 already? Akanksha, I'm sorry to say that we've to get up now. The movie starts in an hour and we've such a lot of ground to cover! "

They dashed out and were driving through the crowded streets of the Metro, past Abhisikta within no time. It was a glorious day and both Jishnu and Akanksha kept quiet, enjoying the scenic views through most of the ride till they were driving along Mullick Bazaar. At one point Jishnu tried to push the lever back and hurt Akanksha, who had unknowingly somehow leaned closer to the driver's seat. 

"Sorry, Akanksha," Jishnu apologized. 

"It's entirely my fault, Jishnuda." Akanksha, who was enjoying the ride, replied before asking him, "That reminds me, Doctor. Didn't you tell me last time that the movie was to start at around 5 in the evening? "

"Oh, is that what you've been worried about?" Jishnu asked her. "Looks like I've a lot to apologize to you for today, Akanksha. I noticed the unintentional mistake right at the time of entering The Hogwarts. I didn't want to be a spoilsport taking about the movie time. Sorry about the mistake again, MY DEAR."

As Jishnu turned left near Moulali and drove along S. N. Banerjee Road, Akanksha realized that it was the first time Jishnu had adrressed her as such.