Terrific Pair

When Sonaa was young, about seven or eight, she was of average height.
Which means she was as tall as most of the girls and perhaps a little
shorter than the boys. Her parents gave her a basketball for her tenth
birthday. And suddenly she began to grow taller. Her mother was five
feet six inches tall. Her father was a tall man. He was six feet two in
his shoes. Sonaa was an only child. So, you could not compare her to
other siblings. Nevertheless she began to grow at an alarming rate. She
had to change her wardrobe completely every six months. She had a lot
of friends as a child. But as she stepped into her teens her friends
began to view her differently. Possibly because you had to look up at
Sonaa to be able to hold a normal conversation with her. And she was so
much higher than you, that, after a while your neck began to hurt. So,
the other girls only spoke to Sonaa in the classroom. Because when she
was seated it was easier to look into her eyes and address her. After a
while, Sonaa found that none of the girls were ready to be her close
friend. That was no problem, she figured. Most of the boys were as tall
as her. So, she decided to join the boys in their activities. That
meant cricket, cricket and more cricket. Sonaa decided to join cricket
coaching. After a small argument with the sports teacher she was
allowed to join the coaching. At this time Sonaa was in the ninth
grade. The ninth grade students had organized a farewell for the tenth
graders. It was the event of the year in the school. Each girl came to
this event called the 'social' with her own boyfriend. Sonaa was
interested in the school cricket captain Roger. Sonaa was now five feet
ten inches tall. Roger was just six feet. In Roger's life there was
little other than cricket. He not only played cricket for the school
but also for a few clubs outside. That meant he had very little time
for studying. Roger was in the tenth grade and he had an important test
the day after the social. Sonaa broke all tradition and asked Roger to
the social. Roger said he would try his best, but he was in no position
to promise Sonaa that he would come to the social with her. Well, Sonaa
was an optimist. She waited for Roger till the end but he did not turn
up. This incident made Sonaa give up cricket. She found out that a lot
of boys were interested in dramatics. The Drama Society was rehearsing
for 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. A few parts were still
available. Both the heroes in the play were tall students. By this time
Sonaa was in tenth grade. All her friends had boyfriends and the truth
was she felt left out. Sonaa decided to befriend the best actor in her
school. He was called Ian. He was good-looking. He had a great voice
too. What was more he knew how to please people by talking to them from
the stage. He was very tall, six feet two. Sonaa felt that he was the
person she wanted to be with. She attended rehearsals regularly. Sonaa
was made understudy to one of the heroines. But Sonaa was disappointed.
Ian seemed to think only about himself. He was interested in how he
looked all the time. He wanted to join films soon. He was interested in
a girl who would support him till he became a professional actor. He
did not want Sonaa to complete her education. He was looking for
someone who would take care of him all the time. Indeed, this was not
the boy Sonaa was looking for despite the fact that he was rather tall.
A few years passed after this. Sonaa is now in college. She is studying
Computer Science. She is known as a brilliant, hardworking student. She
has met a lot of tall boys in these years but liked none. She is very
tall now, six feet two inches. Indeed she has begun to believe that
taller people are not necessarily better. It's the beginning of a new
academic year now. Sonaa has been assigned a new project partner. He is
a brilliant, good-looking student called Arin. He is five feet eight
inches tall. He is very fond of reading. He is also interested in
music. Sonaa liked the boy instantly. He is quiet and reserved. He
seems to have a sharp, inquisitive mind and remains calm at all times.
The liking grew into friendship. In a few days Sonaa realized that Arin
had all the qualities that she was looking for . He is intelligent,
perceptive and has a mind of his own. What was more, he liked Sonaa
immensely though he was afraid to tell her that. But in a few days the
two of them realized that their future lay in being with each other.
Indeed they both had brilliant analytical minds and were expected to go
into research. Arin invited Sonaa to his house. To drive his point home
he sat on a raised chair while Sonaa was asked to sit on a low chair.
Sonaa was quick to react. She said, with some sharpness, "Its alright,
I will marry you even if you are shorter than me." The four year course
is due to end. A grand wedding has been planned after the two graduate
as engineers.