It was 1983. “I was standing outside college with my friends when they looked over my shoulder and started giggling. I turned around to see Priya walking towards us. She politely greeted my friends and shook my hand. Back then, we wouldn’t just hug a person of the opposite gender. Why did she shake my hand? Because she was my girlfriend. Yes, I had a girlfriend in college. There’s no need to make faces. Priya was a pretty girl. Her dressing was conservative, like her family.”
Mom and I stared at my dad in shock. “Wait, so in 1983, you were 17 and were allowed to have a girlfriend, and this is 2018, I’m almost 20, but I still can’t have a boyfriend?” I asked. My parents just laughed it off.
“After college,” Dad continued, “it was our routine to walk to Shyaam bhai’s tea stall, share a cutting chai and talk about our day. That day, we discussed something very important: our two-year anniversary on Friday. With the money I saved by sharing chai with her, I decided to do something special. Sitting in a 90 LTD bus back home, I thought of how Priya loved watching movies. I decided to buy balcony tickets for Masoom.
This story is from the June - July 2020 edition of Condé Nast Traveller India.
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This story is from the June - July 2020 edition of Condé Nast Traveller India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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