Love at first sight

Nights at my grandpa’s village are so different than at our house in New Delhi.I like it here at my grandpa’s place, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.Nature and man seem to be so close.Grandpa often remarks “Ah! Delhi is such a busy city! why live there at all? Stay with me and grandma.Sarah I promise you won't regret it.”  Before I can think of a polite way of refusing him my grandma would reply “Oh! the old man has lost a few of his brain cells and forgets his teenage days when he fought with his father to be sent to Delhi for studies. I tell you Sarah your Grandpa studied so much that he memorized the names of all the girls studying in his college.”

        “Oh nonsense your Grandma is just making up things.I don't even remember their names ...but surely all the girls do remember my name as I was literally the man whom every girl in the college wanted.” Well this how my Grandpa would start bragging about his teenage days and about how he was a heartthrob. It was difficult for me to imagine his younger days as he now had silver hair and was in his seventies. When Grandpa would start his journey to his olden days me and Grandma would simply insert our fingers in our ears and pretend we aren't hearing a single word. He would say we are just jealous of his handsomeness and that was what got us laughing our hearts out. I know he self bragged on purpose to get us laughing. Whenever he saw me and Grandma laughing his eyes would shine so brightly. He'd look at my Grandma with those doe like eyes and then at me.He often said that I am a carbon copy of my Grandmother.

One day I remember Grandpa asking if I had a boyfriend who was so ugly that a donkey looked better than him.I would just laugh and say “No, I never had one.” He  wouldn't inquire further but would say “I know someone who had one.” Although I know whom he was talking about,I would just play along with him and ask “Whom are you talking about?”

 “Don't you know there was this girl from our nearby village she studied in the same college I did.She dated a guy named Ghanshyam. He was truly a piece of art I tell you Sarah.I guess we should not talk about how someone looks but should talk about inner beauty...Well I don't think that was beautiful either.In total the guy was a useless fellow…”

     “And you are no less useless.Mind helping me in the kitchen rather than discussing about him?”

    “ A man gotta do what a man gotta do.Just to think that I had to rival with such a man to get you to date me literally scares me now. What was in him that you dated him?” He would ask in an irritated tone.My grandmother would just shake her head and laugh at his child like behavior.

       One day I asked them how did they fall in love. My Grandpa had said “It was love at first sight kiddo.The moment I saw your Grandma entering the classroom dressed in a beautiful pink coloured suit I know that I had fallen for her and there was no going back.” My grandma had told me that my grandpa didn't asked her to be her girlfriend but straight away asked her for marriage. At first my grandma was shocked at his confession and refused him, dated another guy but could not neglect my grandpa’s ‘handsomeness’ (according to my grandpa) for long and eventually they got married.

Truly they are the most weird and beautiful couple. On one hand my grandpa can do anything to make grandma smile but on the other hand he teases her to death. Looking at my grandparents always make me think of how simple and pure love can be.