Optimism Is When I met him ;)

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August 23,2014 , one precious Wednesday of my life . And that was one spectacularly special evening !

My First Speech Contest in Ovation Orators Club , Chennai. Just like yet another day I was occupying a comfortable penultimate row hiding my heads behind a tall guy in our usual meeting room. Thank Lord, the guy was 6 feet 2 inches .I was dumping my head , almost deeply burying it in, so I stay completely invisible for the host who conducted the speech and who was also the MC (Master of the Ceremony)

The MC called the participants one after the other, on a random basis, may be on the basis of whichever face he encountered first ! That was my guess ! And ever since I made that guess I didn’t even make an eye contact with him, My eyes were lodged on the floor for next 30 minutes and I would never dare to look up.

For every second he looked up, every time I pulled myself down the chair , I was pulling myself so much that with the next call I would have had myself fallen down.

Asha went over, Rakesh nailed it , Pankaj was way too good, and Neha stunned everyone .Then the MC was looking over struggling to pronounce that name.. It was obvious the name started with N when he he stumbled Ni…Ni…..

Not that my name was too complicated to pronounce , but that someone had written it too gibberish to guess it in the first go . Good for me , I’ve got few more seconds to breath.

Ni…Ni….

I prayed to God that it shouldn’t be me, when he was still struggling to get that name .
Fear vanished only when I found he just called – Nick Rond !!

And not Nivedhitha !! Thanks Again ! One more turn saved !

And for one goddam sake, there was nothing I knew about Nick, except for the name that I just heard.

He marked his entry to the stage , his loose pants were making the shallowest of sounds in air , as he walked over the stage , and parked himself . He stayed there as one Goddam cool guy , as cool as  a summer cucumber and splashed a smile. That smile was so divine that everyone smiled back. The handsome man already got his attention from me and I was all in aww waiting to hear for him. He dusted his hands off getting ready. And then his beautiful mouth opened to spell over the words.

Hel-..
Hel-l-o-o….
ooo …
Every—ry-
ry-O-N-E
Ley-diesss
a-n-d
G-E-N…
Gent-le-E
me….men

I wished he was only joking with an intentional funny pause

But when Nick went on, I learnt that was not the case .

Nick ,the handsome, furnished man of the family whom everyone adored, everyone loved rubbing shoulders with , had a story behind, the dark story left just in dark . He was a stammerer since birth , who met so many doctors and counselors to get his stuttering issue fixed. He crossed lanes after lanes , doors after doors only to know he cannot be fixed. But as the saying goes ,

The soul may fail, but the mind will never

Nick had his therapy done few years back , which helped him communicate little better , but getting to fullest seemed the farther vision for him.

He gained up the courage , looked up to the cluttered empty chairs and then -
began that wonderful speech “Emptiness” his voice vehement enough to reach everyone in the room. The man was sparkling, confident, and stupefying everyone with his attitude. And his speech kept everyone stuck to their seats like their butts were glued. His eyes awed , his brows spoke over and his dancing hands caught all the attention as it made its way to that wonderful trophy reserved for winner.

Nick? Nick Rond ?

I shook myself back to reality , shrugging my shoulders on what I encountered. The stammer was nowhere , his stutter went unnoticed in his extra-ordinary speech . But me, couldn’t attempt to seize that billowing curiosity, went over to the man. 6 feet 2 inches . My index finger rubbed on his blazer as I attempted to call him. His head turned reflexively to check the woman behind him.

“Yes , M-a-m ? “ his brows curved up like they did in dias and now the stutter was slightly visible while he was curbing the conversation.

“Hello Mr.Nick , I learnt that you were a stutter ….” I paused and thought for a while .

“Oh, Uh , I’m sorry , I’m so mean, I’m just telling that blatant on someone’s face “

“It’s Okay , mam., go ahead”

“Yeah, I was wondering how come you never seemed to stammer in that speech you just made , though you are by birth , ah,,um…,you know -….. “ I pulled my forelocks behind in  a feeble attempt to hide the obvious question I made.

He didn’t give me an answer. But walked me through the stages he had gone through .

The man who walks in red carpets , and speaks like a song like even a baby would sleep for it. He told me stutters can’t speak properly but they can be good singers. He told how he takes his speeches in such a way that he could really sing them , but it doesn’t get too obvious for the listeners .

I know ppl , Ppl  with good health , good fit body, and no problems, all cool, living their hale and healthy life , but all engrossed in a fear . Too shaky when you throw them to stage, ppl who stumble upon, and would rather chose to die than talk in front of ppl, who would seem cool all throught out ther life, but nervous the moment they are chosen for dias.

And I thought of Nick.

He was way too different.. like someone used his curse as a blessing , turned his bane to a boon and made everything a blessing in disguise. He was the man.
I saw the light in him, the confidence sparkling, standing there like the synonym of optimism .

He was my question first.
He was my Lesson then.
He was,
Is
And ever
Will be
My True Inspiration!
Coz Optimism is - when I met him.
And Sanguineness is all around him.

Adore You Nick Rond!

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