@#$%&*!@*&%#

M is my good friend. At the day's end he'll invariably call me from his cube and we'll start out together from office towards mess for dinner. And he'll rope in our another friend A, who works in a different company. M will always ensure A is also there, as A has no other company for dinner. And if me and M start talking, we'll get immersed in the topic and analyse it threadbare. He shares a passion for reading Tamil books and discussing Tamilnadu politics. He is not crazy about outdoor sports like cricket. Max, he sticks to Table tennis. He also loves to recount college days and we generally gravitate towards each other. We were planning on long drives, adventures in the kitchen (He likes to prepare potato gravy) and all such. Such a nice fellow to know!
One might be wondering why I am drivelling on and on about M. Pardon me, I am about to say my piece. Our office had an influx of campus batch recruits this thursday. There is one girl hailing from Tamilnadu. She also belongs to the same college as M. She is a junior of M (obviously). Mr.M today was a changed man! Today is just Friday and in the morning he spoke in piteous tones of how she must be starved for South Indian food. This morning he declared that he is bringing her to our mess! Early evening, today I called him up just to chat him up. Lo and behold! That guy was at the tennis courts! I was mildly surprised. I told him that I have to leave early and will wait for his call when he leaves from office so that I can start from home to mess. Call comes later, but he is already attacking the food at the mess. And his dear friend A, whom he never fails to pull for dinner, is totally forgotten today. I had to remind M to call A!! Ofcourse when I reached the mess, M was having dinner with her. Normally M will saunter into the mess, swipe everything at sight, lift his portly figure and leave. Not so, today. A perfect gentleman, he was, tasting a decent and reasonable quantity of food. Guy A came later and with other 3 friends, with M and her, we all started yakking after dinner. Half an hour later one of us remembered the bill and asked what the fresher had for dinner. M quietly replied that he had paid for both of them! Both of them! And he is after me for a paltry amount I owe him. Hmmm....Till yesterday M used to harass other guys who do just so much as to talking to girls. Now he is gentleness personified! Only thing is he has started forgetting his daily routines like rounding up fellow us guys at dinner time, stretching his body for nothing more that TT etc. Today, he plays Tennis and even in flood lights too. Makes a great impression, I think. Grrrr....Ways of the world! What makes a sane man with a logical mind to do strange things, then look sheepishly at his friends, generally do acts that we never dream him to do?