I looked at her wistfully as she sat across the field sharing lunch with the girls. Gosh, she looked so pretty – even in her winter school uniform with the monkey- cap and muffler. I thought she liked me too because she smiled coyly whenever I waved to her. I knew I had to do it today- I had to ask her out. I picked up a violet off the field, mustered up all the courage I had and walked up to her. She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and I fell in love with her all over again. She smelt like strawberry jam. “Will you be my girlfriend?” I blurted awkwardly, handing over the crushed violet to her. I couldn’t believe my ears when she said “YES”! Her answer also meant that I was the first guy in kindergarten to have a girl-friend. At seven, it was all very innocent. We sat together in class, held hands, walked across the play-field, shared our lunch, made drawings for each other and wrote “Harsh and April” with our fingers in the dust.

During a spring cleaning drive one Sunday morning, mom flung out an object from her drawer into the “throw-away” carton. I picked it up- it was a Snoopy pendant on a thin silver chain. Small blue crystals made up the dog’s eyes. I loved Snoopy. “Why are you throwin’ Snoopy away Ma?” I asked.
“Cause the pendant is old and I don’t need it anymore”, said Ma. I fiddled with it for a while and asked “can I keep it Ma?”
“What will you do with it?” she counter-questioned.
“I’ll gift it to my girl-friend”, I said with a shy smile and she burst out laughing and Dad laughed with her. They probably didn’t understand what a serious business love was. I picked up the neck-piece and a small ring case from the disposed rubble and kept the former into the latter –carefully cushioned with one of mom’s scented face tissues. Then I wrapped it with some leftover wrapping from my birthday presents and voila! I had what looked like a perfect gift.

When I presented it to April, she blushed and hugged me. I asked her if she would marry me when we grew up and she said “yes”. She told me she loved Snoopy and she put it on right away- it was now a symbol of our love. She wore it everyday to school. Life seemed perfect until something very terrible happened- we grew up. Mom told me we were moving to a new city- someplace called Bangalore. I did not know what that meant but from what I understood, I knew it meant that we wouldn’t be attending the same school. I cried at the thought of being taken away from April and she cried too when I told her. My family moved from Dehradun and I had to leave my girl-friend behind. I wept. Mom told me that I would find many more girl-friends when I grew up, but I was certain that none of them would be as nice as April.

I thought about her every moment. As the years passed, memories took a backseat but I still remembered her now and then. I was a young boy of sixteen now and dated many girls from school but I was right- none of them were as nice as April. I also realized that I had blown it big time- I could have taken her address and phone number so that we could stay in touch- but that is too much to expect from an eight year old love struck kid. Then one day, mom asked “we are going to Dehradun to attend a wedding, would you like to come?”
“This is my big chance”, I thought and without an iota of doubt, I jumped to grab the opportunity. On arriving Dehradun, all that met me was disappointment. Her family too had moved out about the time we did and nobody knew where. I attended the damned wedding and returned with a sunken face. I even googled her name several times, looked her up on online networks but no avail. I realized it was time to give up and get a life.

Life moved on and so did I. Soon I was out of school and before I knew it, I was out of college too. I joined a multi-national company in Delhi as an executive and was invited to an office party at a popular pub. As I went around the place, greeting and meeting my new colleagues, my eyes fell upon a girl at the other end of the room. “Wow, what a beauty!”, I thought and walked towards her to get a closer look. She looked ravishing in a knee length black cocktail dress and diamond danglers and a stole around her neck.
“Hi, I’m Harsh. Just joined office a week ago. Since when have you been working here?” she stared at me before replying “oh hi, actually I don’t work here but my dad does –god knows since when!” We laughed and chatted for a long time. “I should see her more often” I told myself but did not have the nerve to ask her out. I saw people dancing on the floor and asked her for a dance. We talked even on the dance floor. Finally I had found a girl who held my interest and I couldn’t help but acknowledge the feelings I had begun to develop. Maybe it was time to let go of “kiddy crush” and give “mature love” a chance. I told her that I had spent my childhood in Dehradun and had done my schooling from Bangalore. “Do you like Snoopy”, she asked with a mischievous smile. I was taken by surprise and thought it was a crazy question- especially from a stranger. “Well, yes”, I muttered and then I saw something that made me doubt my own vision. There it was- the Snoopy pendant- hanging across her dainty shoulder blades peeping from under her stole. It looked well cared for and its blue eyes shone as brightly as they used too. I stood electrified and speechless for a moment until she broke the ice. “You look hotter than you did in kindergarten”, she said coyly to which I replied “will you marry me?” “I’ve answered that question before and I haven’t changed my mind”, she said.

P.S: We are getting married next month.

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