Monday, May 18, 2020

When she ‘Right Swiped’ again!!!

Costa Coffee, Andheri

A girl staring out of the window, tears moistening and darkening her kohl-lined eyes, without blinking she thought about the message that had just beeped into her phone a minute ago. She read it and immediately threw her cell phone away. Her friend sitting across the table, shocked at her reaction, picked up the phone and read the message aloud,
“Hey! I don’t love you anymore, Priya, please don’t get me wrong. Urs Rohan.” 
Her friend kept her phone on the table and started consoling her as she has been her support since the day she had met Rohan. In fact, Priya met Rohan because of her suggestion, she was the one who asked her to download a dating app and got her hooked with him. 
‘I wish I wouldn’t have right swiped on his profile and not given him a chance to destroy me, it’s all because you said that this app was wonderful’ crying she added further and raised a finger on her friend’s choice.
“Please don’t cry. He loves you a lot” she consoled her.
Priya, still looking out of the window, wiped her tears. Her friend put more stress on the words of comfort, hoping she would be able to cheer her up. 
“Well, he might have sent you this message deliberately to tease you, or he may have wanted to send it to someone else, and sent it to you by mistake...” I guess even her friend might have been speculating what she said in a flow but Priya immediately burst into tears again.
“Someone else? Hoooo..oooooo.. sob…sob..he has someone else…and …”
Her friend didn’t let her efforts go in vain and this time she tried hard, she stopped her mid-sentence and banged her with the strongest convictional statement ever.
“Mark my words, one day he will come back because he loves you….and mind you, I found my soulmate through the same app and that app can never go wrong.”
“What crap?” I said to myself when I almost spat an expensive espresso I was savoring. I looked and wondered about the advice being given by her friend ‘If one truly loves you, one will come back‘ the concept which has been one true formula followed by Bollywood movies for a long time. Anyways, I know it’s bad on my part to intrude into someone else’s space and judge them but; that’s all we like doing. Especially when people are too loud to let us intrude and judge them, so my action is justified *wink wink*. It’s not the first time that we are witnessing something like that, the ‘right swipe’ or the ‘4G world’ is giving us a lot to ponder upon. 
But what did she mean when she said ‘The app can never go wrong’? Is there any logic behind the psychology of the 4G generation who have strong faith and over reliance on matching dating entries in an application or was she just trying to soothe her for the sake of cheering her by supporting an app and the decision to drag her friend by downloading the same? Innovative techniques and modern methods of getting someone to date just like ordering food or a cab online might have its own consequences but before I could even think further, a couple made their way to the same coffee shop and the guy gestured his sweet love to occupy a seat when suddenly a hand entered his frame in a flash, leaving him stunned.
Slaapppp!! Oops! He is Rohan and the tight slap that got printed on his left cheek was of the girl who was crying a moment ago. What a coincidence! Rohan and Priya both are here in the same café. Even when my conscience was telling me not to peep or intrude, I couldn’t resist and stared at them like a wild monger. It was silly, but I was trying to analyze something, so it was little justified.
‘’How dare you cheat on me? You can roam around with me at will and the next day you message me to forget you so that you can be with this new girl?‘’ she stated half crying and with full rage. The new girl standing next to Rohan was like ‘i-don’t-give-a-damn’ attitude. Wow! 
Rohan wasn’t shocked though he had kept his hand on his left cheek, he looked here and there, I guess to check how many are witnessing this modern-age love saga, he didn’t say anything and turned around to leave, right after the new girl he entered with who now gestured him to leave the scene after feeling embarrassed I guess, or maybe she had an idea that Rohan is a rockstarrrrr as she held his hand tighter and stronger while leaving, who knows she might have downloaded Rohan from another app which might be more reliable than Priya’s. 
Priya was stunned when Rohan left but she gathered herself and stood there for a few seconds, a little self-talk, she wiped her tears and went to her seat and her friend aka consultant opted a few more traditional ways of consoling her. Everyone around including me digested the moment, few giggled, few ignored and few like me got a topic to think about. 
Before I give another ‘tippni or sujhaav’ on their issue, wait a moment, I watched another couple entering the café and sat next to me. I could very well hear them, yes I have a lot of time. 
“She is ignoring me ha, you know or I guess she is……. I don’t know but why can’t she propose to me? After all she only sent me a request on FB and she added me via Tinder...” the guy addressed the girl who came to have coffee with him, and his looks divided between his phone and the girl. 
“She is a little confused… you know na and she is not good at expressing herself and she is a little shy as well…I know her better than you, she is my best friend.” She stated with all the movements and style she could possibly add including rolling her strands falling on her cheek and staring at the guy with ‘look-at-me-boy’ kind of an intent. 
The guy just nodded in agreement, looking at his cell chatting or may be expecting a reply from his interest half-divided and hoping to hear something pleasant from his friend and then came his friend’s best suggestion.
“…but you don’t worry ha, one day she will kneel down before your love and will admit her feelings for you. Acha chal, let’s buy a gift for her. Come there is a new iPhone in the market…she loves gifts.” she stated in an excitement as if she had a chance of getting one for herself as well, the two left without even ordering something to drink or eat. 
Wow! A gift for the princess! What a wonderful piece of advice!  This is Bollywood stuff. Whether someone is interested or not, ultimately he or she will come to you but you have to keep chasing and making your presence felt by gifting or pinging! I shook my head and finished my coffee which had become cold enough like the relationships I was witnessing in the café. I got up to leave when I heard Priya’s friend’s voice in excitement.  
‘See I have downloaded another application in your phone, now you can rent a boyfriend here.” She said to Priya who beamed with joy as if a new ray of hope has arrived. Without even wiping her tears, she followed her relationship advisor’s advice, took the phone, looked at the profile just like we look at the menu while ordering food, smiled as if she had finalized the order from the menu, looked at her friend as if she just got the right food appealing her taste buds and there she swiped again. I was wondering if that app shows the delivery timelines. 
Amazing! How quickly the love for Rohan has moved on, a right swipe and Rohan was out after installing the new dating application. I wasn’t shocked as none of you would be when you are a part of the 4G apps world, where being fake comes before being real, where being bold comes before being talented, where true love has been replaced by ill and unhealthy feelings. The love is being created today rather being spontaneous or natural. It’s like one is just trying it out like people try a pair of jeans. These are the days where a right swipe in an application decides the love story. I left and saw from outside that Priya and her friend were taking a selfie and Priya was happy. I imagined they will Instagram it right away and get likes and comments like an instant coffee and post would be like: 
‘New Beginning, feeling excited #feelingfresh #bestfriend #lostlove #foundlove #justwow #boyfriend #kissemoticons’ etc. etc. etc.

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