Neel got up hotily from his seat.

I just caught his hand and pulled him down again to his seat.

Neel uttered-' Disgusting, Riku'

I gave a wide smile and said-' We Bongs have some peculier habits--When angry we speak in English,when sick  ,we eat lot of Fruits'

Neel could not hide his smile-'You are impossible , Riku!'

I said-'Don't worry, I will tell you about Trina but let us first have another cup of hot coffee.'

He said-'Why not?'

I  looked at the smoke rings thrown in the air by Neel and sipped a very hot coffee,which almost burned my tongue.It also scorched the calmness of my mind. I can almost see everything like a Trailor of a movie in a flash.

I started-'I saw her when I was only twelve. I had never seen such a beautiful girl before. She was there playing Badminton in a light pink frock. In the hour of Cow Dust, the orange sun rays were on her and she was looking like a Fairy.I can never forget that moment.

Neel became very attentive and asked-' Then? '

' Then,there were moments after moments. Playing Hide and Seek, playing Holi, going to school together...., I still remember, once we had gone to see a movie with her father. It was a War movie-'A Girl Seeks Father'. It was based on Second World War. She was afraid of war scenes and was hiding her face on  my soulder. I can not express what I was feeling! Another time ,during Holy,I had poured  Red Gulal on her head. It had fallen like Red Sindoor on her Maang. She was very upset and did not speak to me for days.I was sad as I never did it intentionally. Then , in one Diwali I saw her in a Rani coloured Saree. She was looking like a Godess .'

Neel was excited-'Then,Then...?'

I laughed-' Neel,then I lost her suddenly. Before I could say something, which I wanted to, I lost her.'

'Then,what happened?' Neel was clearly pained.

'Then when I found her again ,things have changed,the time had changed and the eyes of the mind had changed it's vision. I still wrote to her but reply was coming only once in a while, short, matter of fact. I still was looking for opportunities to meet her but she was not. I travelled distances to meet her in her College, but she was with her friends, laughing and frolicking, oblivious of a young boy staring at her from  a distance,just  for an eye contact.'

Neel was silent but I could feel his sadness.

'' After that I met a number of  Trinas,each at a different special moment,at different place, flooding my heart with emotions,soothing my soul,enriching my memories.....Those are different stories but yet they are illusive. You go on and on searching for them.You know very well they are there every where, yet you have to look for them. A game of Hide and Seek always. Sometimes, I feel that every young woman has a part of Trina. It is very beautiful but only you have to recognise it . Did you notice the girl in Blue Saree,who pased by us a few minutes before?'

Neel was surprised-'Is she...?'

' When she passed us ,a whiff of fragrance of unknown flower engulfed my senses. Yes, she was Trina.......for that moment.'

'Why it happens always?'-Neel was already emotional and I knew he was not only talking about  me.-'Why we always face such situations in life?'

'Because we take everything in it's face value. Because we only dream but the reality is different.'-I said.

Neel was silent.The time stood still.

I closed my eyes for a minute.

And I knew in my heart that yet it will be like that for years and years.Young boys all over the world will go on searching for their Trina . They,  to a great extent  are responsible  to keep alive that much abused but least understood  word--LOVE.

concluded