Chapter 2

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     As a kid, Sarah had spent most of her vacations with cousins. They were off the same age and caused a few heartaches for the elders. She remembered the first time he had walked into the living room. Lean and scrawny, there was something about the way he carried himself. The fluttering of butterflies in her stomach had meant one thing; she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She blushed. Shied away from every mention of his name. She was 10. She wouldn’t know that God listened to the wishes of little kids. And would set her life in that course.
     Sarah was born in one of the hottest cities in India. Purists felt that it was the coldest at the beginning of the year. At most time it was dry. And hot. Windy. She did feel that her moods resembled the weather. Frequent swings, random outbursts followed by a submissive flow of love. She had grown up being the best. Her grandparents had looked at her as their darling angel; teachers loved the kid and her parents didn’t deny her smallest wishes.
     She was beautiful and strong willed. Sarah had meant princess; she was a princess in her own kingdom. Sarah had woven her dreams in the air As she grew up, her fan following increased exponentially. She couldn’t imagine spending her life with weak, dandy men who were spell bound by her beauty and would stutter and struggle to complete a conversation. She wanted someone who would look her in the eye, respect her individuality and see beyond the tan of her skin.
     Throughout her teens, she had run into him. Once every couple of years. And every time he would pass by without the slightest hint of recognition. Not even a smile on his lips. She felt that he might actually hear her heart beat as he walked by. Perhaps he would fall on his knees and propose his love. Guys could be dumb. Surely he was dumb. She didn’t care if he was dumb. She loved him nevertheless.
     The first time they had spoken, she had been surprised. In an era of networking sites, Facebook was the talk of the town. Everyone was talking about it being the best thing since the dawn of the internet. And she had not been surprised to see him on it as well. She felt like a deer caught directly in the line of headlamps when the chat box popped up abruptly. The butterflies were back and it seemed like they were swarming her stomach. She couldn’t have imagined in her wildest of dreams that the internet would construe their fortunes.
     Perhaps she would join the ranks of Cinderella and Snow White as a fairytale princess. Her prince had come for her; they were married in a grand wedding ceremony and lived the rest of their lives happily.
     The song stopped playing. The familiar numbness seemed to return. She wondered the number of times she had heard the song. Over and over again. Not just from the radio. Within her. It seemed to start all over again. Country roads… take me home… to the place where I belong….

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