Stand and ... stare

It was a tad cold on campus because I was in my short-sleeves.  I cursed myself for my sartorial decision.  But then it is not easy to get over the habits of the glorious summer.  Hey, at least I was not in my sandals.

 I stepped outside to admire the cosmic blue sky with white clouds, against the terrestrial green trees and shrubs.  It was magical.  A miracle.

I stood like that for a few minutes.  The clouds were quite some shape-shifters.

I recognized the junior colleague who was walking towards the building.  "How was your summer?" she asked.

Summer?  I am enjoying the sun, the sky, the clouds, the trees.

"What a gorgeous day!"

She nodded.

"What an awesome blue sky with puffy white clouds.  Well, not as puffy as they can be."

Only then it struck her that I was for real.

"Have you tried laying on your back in a lake and looking at the clouds?  You will love it."

I didn't want to tell her that I can't take such risks in lakes when I swim like a rock.

"I remember the taxi driver in Munich telling me to look up before I stepped into the cab.  I did.  He then said in his broken English, "that is our beautiful Bavarian sky."  It was.  But, that is nothing compared to the blue sky with puffy clouds that I have seen in Oregon."

I have shared that Munich story with plenty of people. Even with strangers in strange lands.

Maybe this fascination with blue sky with clouds sounded a tad too odd for her.  "Why, did you not have such skies in the part of India where you are from?"

If only!

Bare traces of clouds.  It always seemed like the sun was beating down on us unfiltered by any damn thing.  If the clouds came, they were not beautifully puffy like here.  And then the dark clouds of the thunderstorms.  But, those dark clouds did not have the blue sky background.  They always looked ominous.  And during the monsoons, well, all one sees is rain.

As one got closer to the hills--the ghats--there was a possibility of blue sky with white clouds.  But then, the sun is only a tad less unbearable, like how it was when I visited Mysore a few summers ago.

I didn't tell her all these.  Nobody has time for my long and winding tales.  I wish more people knew about pole-pole.

"No. Usually it was clear skies.  And hot."

At least we had clear skies when growing up.  Now, kids in big cities in India rarely ever see the clear blue sky; they probably think that the sky is always a dirty white color.

I didn't tell her that either.  Like I said, nobody has time for my stories.  And that too in my strange accent!

"I thought you were waiting for somebody. I had no idea you were here to simply look at the clouds."

Waiting for somebody?  Does she not know that there is nobody who waits for me on campus, and nor do I wait for anyone?  Stand and stare, I do a lot.

Nope, I didn't tell her that either.

"Yep, to look at the clouds, before I go into a meeting."

We both entered the building, and went our separate ways.