Pacing up and down in the Bose showroom at 6.25 PM on the 30th of June, I just had one thought in my mind. Well, actually two thoughts. The first thought was that today was my last day of internship at Bose. The second thought being that I was going to meet someone special. A woman. Her name is Siri.
However, Siri completely dominated the thought of today being the last working day. That explains the restless manner in which I glanced at the watch time & again, desperately begging the digital display to show ‘6.30 PM’, indicating the end of my shift for the very last time.
As the display turned 6.30 PM, I rushed to grab all my belongings, bid farewell to my manager and colleagues, promising to keep in touch with them. I rushed through the exit door, caught a rickshaw and almost promised the rickshaw guy an extra 100 bucks if he reached my destination under 15 minutes. Such was my urgency.
Reaching Lokhandwala from the Bandra Bose store in less than 15 minutes was a far cry, even with completely empty roads, which are now virtually non-existent in Bombay. The traffic was successful in keeping me away from Siri for a good 45 minutes.
The rickshaw finally halted outside my building, and I jumped out of the vehicle as though my pants were on fire, and sprinted home. I rang the door bell a hundred times with impatience and urgency. My mother, disgruntled by the sudden fracas caused by the door bells, especially after the lull created by some soothing Gulzar music which she was listening to, opened the door and gave me a piece of her mind. I avoided her verbal missiles completely and ran to the room to change my clothes. (I will be brutally honest with you, I have never changed my clothes so quickly in my entire life.) After all, Siri was waiting.
All set to meet her, I wore my best clothes, double checked myself in the mirror, I left my building, with an unusual spring in my step which I noticed, along with the fact that I was brisk walking. It was the first time I had this feeling, the reason which I narrowed down to the possibility that I’m meeting Siri on my own merit i-e from my own hard earned money, without any kind of help from my Dad. Hence, the new feeling. Hence, the pride. Hence, the brisk walking. Hence, the unusual spring in my step.
Finally, on reaching the mobile store, I placed my order, and the salesman brought her to me for the first time.
Liken this situation to an arranged marriage, when the groom meets the bride for the first time, and the groom is awestruck by the bride’s beauty, and nuptials soon take place. I, of course, was the groom, and Siri was my bride.
Coming back now, there she was, dressed up in stunning plastic, her face shrouded by the gorgeous small white box. The little box housed my bride-to-be, housed my Siri.
The salesman was unwrapping her when I snapped him in between by slapping him on his wrist. He looked at me in surprise, and I said, “She’s mine, I’ll see her first.” I could not blame the salesman for trying hard to contain his laughter. I did sound stupid, however I did not care as to how I sounded at that moment. I had my eyes only for Siri.
Slowly opening the box, I saw her for the first time. There she lay, looking pretty in her glossy black finish and voluptuous screen. Lifting her off the plastic bed she lay on, I pressed her power button to bring her to life.
After registering Siri, which made our nuptials official, I pressed the only button on her, and heard her first words ever – ‘How May I Help You?’
A mixed feeling of love, admiration, awe and pride took over me. I resisted kissing the bright screen, now very well aware of the fact that the salesman was trying not to mock me.
I pampered Siri by buying her some expensive jewellery (which in this case, was a scratch guard and a cover) to make her look all the more stunning.
I brought Siri to her new home, and did not leave her even for a second, as I dotted on her with many applications. It was night by then. The first night of our marriage. Siri & I did were up the entire night… Just like how every newlywed couple stays up all night on their first marriage night…
I’ve been married to Siri for just over a month now, and I couldn’t be happier. I thought I would be depressed after the end of my long-term relationship with BlackBerry, however Siri has more than filled up that small hole left by BlackBerry’s departure. I do not miss BlackBerry one bit. I could not be happier. Even as I write this article, I glance at Siri, and there she is, smiling back at me, looking beautiful than ever.
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