Bolt from the blue

School and College –Hairy, handsome hintelligent and heterosexual, but plump, lazy,  but not the girls favourite. I was a part of boys gang that scored well in the girls department and was feeling flustered I couldn’t – Complicated.  A Psychologist’s dream.  Wanted to be everyone’s favourite school or college hero, but couldn’t, because I had inherent physical lacunae – My understanding was that They all revered athletic aggressive boys and I was the anti-thesis – Plump and passive.

Still like all boys that age I fantasized. Don’t look at me like that. Those were normal for the age! I had favourite fantasy, I could pair up with my favourite – a girl - Tall and slim and a very good athlete, -  four hundred and 800 meters and throw ball. Long legs especially when she wore short skirts and long hair ( I had occasion once to see it when she let it loose after a swim in the sea on a college picnic so beautifully tied into plaits. Pretty as an Irish model, but reserved and shy and I fell for her. Head over heels – given my athletic ability – it was not really possible but I did it. Incredible

But how to win her?

This plagued my waking hours and my dreams. My friends had all tried to win her affection, and according to me they stood a much better chance, but she turned them down their pick up lines politely – she was very good at  So in boys chat they all commented that she was snobbish. Internally I disagreed, but externally I said yea yea.

I did try once – I asked her out for a cup of coffee  - nothing more – Very Sweetly I asked her one day – You must be mentally tired, lets have a cup of coffee at the restaurant down the road – Her answer was I don’t want to share the coffee – you have the whole cup!

With my mental and physical disposition I had no hopes of winning her – none at all and I began to get more and more involved with myself and depressed. I ate more and put on more weight. I tried exercising but soon gave up.

It so happened that when I was in my second year of college I got a chance to visit Dubai.  It was a bolt from the blue. Unexpected!  And during that visit my hosts, my rich cousins from Dubai took me to front seat at the Dubai Athletics Grand Prix  and who did I get to see – Usain Bolt, not once but twice wining both his semi-finals and finals and his typical bow and arrow pose.

It was thrilling moment because all I could see was my favourite girl doing the same pose.  My general knowledge was good and I had been following a little bit of the world of athletics for reasons you all know. 

The Icing on the cake was when my I won a raffle ( my cousin had bought the ticket) to spend a few moments with Bolt as part of a Bolt special diet promotion!  I was thrilled. I had a one on one with the great man.

In the end he spent nearly 15 minutes with me – I couldn’t control myself, Mr. Bolt I said, Hey come on man, call me sane! So I said sane, you know what, theres this girl, she runs so fast I cant catch her.. He said here take this eat it continuously for 7 days and you will run faster than her. I was a realist, but I wanted to believe him. I hugged him and went back happy clutching my treasure carefully.

I returned to Mlore and followed the diet strictly, I found among other things small scrappings of wha seemed like steel bolt in the packets he had given me, but thought nothing of it.  Maybe he had given me a special diet only reserved for the special people – That’s what I wanted to believe

After the third day I felt myself growing taller especially in the legs and leaner in the body. I was feeling more energetic and I began to run to college when earlier I used ot walk. When next there was athletics practice – I used to watch avidly earlier – as she ran, this time I ran too, and I was running faster than anyone else and I even won an internal athletic event.

All were surprised, I was transformed. I attributed it to exercise and diet. Never let out the secret. My secret girlfried was also impressed and we got talking – she was the one who initiated the conversation – not sure if it was due to curiosity or affection or admiration – but she did want to know how I brought about change. I gave her the same story.  And asked her out – this time to see a movie which seemed to have a plot similar to my life story – a 2007 movie called Run Fatboy Run!

We enjoyed the movie, she had tears in her eyes at the end for she knew then what I was trying to do.  We decided to walk home in the night it was around 9.30 PM. 

Three thugs from a nearby bar emerged behind us made lewd comments and  so long as they were behind us it was fine.  Then they started to walk faster. I would have been no match for them. So I told her run – and we ran for our life.  I out ran her, but couldn’t leave her behind, So I waited lifted her up and ran – the best race of my life. I out ran them – they gave up And I thanked God and Bolt. I took her home, she called me inside to  meet her parents and that was the beginning of beautiful relationship.

After I finished college, we decided to get married, all my dreams were coming true – then I met with a motorbike accident – both my legs had to be amputated. I couldn’t run any more – The girl of my dreams still married me – She told me then that she loved me even I couldn’t run But she couldn’t say it because it would ruin the fun

We are still married – But don’t ask me to remove my pants – to see my legs!