When Soulmates Meet

     

Sometimes you have to leave things to fate and trust that things will happen and you will be happy. Here is a story about how I found my happiness.

     Life is difficult for a middle-aged, slightly-plump-with-below-average-looks male. I had distanced myself from everyone. Days were spent joking, teasing and laughing with colleagues. The expanse of the true pain revealed its ugly head in the tranquility of night. The demons of the heart fought a never ending battle with the wits.

   19-March, a date which will forever remain imprinted in my mind. It was my best friend’s husband’s birthday. Little did I know that this day will mark the beginning of ‘Forever’. 19^th March is when I saw her first. I looked at her with awe. She looked at me without any prejudice. For once, I felt glad that someone looked past my protruding belly and below average looks. Deep within, I knew it was a bond which would grow stronger. I approached her albeit a little hesitant. An ocean of eyes were focused on me as I walked the few steps. The distance between us was only about 10 feet. The hostess stood in the corner encouraging me take the final steps.

     I set aside the can of beer and sat beside her. I noticed the bruises on her; she made no attempt to hide them. Perfection hides deep within the imperfections, I thought to myself. Her dark complexion ignited a ray of light, threatening to devour my insecurities. As I mingled with the other guests, my gaze kept following her. Beauty can be addictive and it has the power to defy all logic. I felt like a 5 year old in a candy shop. Our eyes kept meeting across the hall, across the kitchen and across the balcony.

    As the music and dance began, I moved towards the balcony and lit a cigarette. Monica, the hostess of the party, came out and got ‘her’ along. My eyes lit up and I thanked Monica as she went back to pay attention to the other drunk friends.

    The balcony was lit up. I noticed the tiny freckles on her. Her perfume was an exotic mix of cinnamon and vanilla which I could breathe in as she stood close to me. We got to know each other. Sometimes the missing pieces of your life’s puzzle are handed to you in the most bizarre ways. I felt an overwhelming sense of ‘completeness’.

     It was getting late, she decided to accompany me. I bade good bye to the hostess and thanked her again for introducing me to her.

    We came home together. There was no guilt, no remorse & no fear. As she sat on my bed, I couldn’t help but realize how fortunate I was to meet her. I sat beside her, soaking in the beauty and the charisma. I couldn’t hold my animal instincts any more. I lifted her gently and dug my teeth right into her. Cheesy delight filled my mouth. Carrot cake is something everyone should try. 

I finally met my soul mate.

Picture courtesy: http://www.foreverconscious.com. No copyright infringement intended.

The Other Half

“How long has it been? 16 years?” Nisha whispered.

“16 years, 4 months, 11 days.” I said.

She smiled.

“School was indeed long time ago. I feel so old,” she said.

I looked at her, nothing had changed.

“I do see grey hair,” I said.

She smiled again.Maybe things had changed. The Nisha I knew in school would have punched me in the gut or at least would have returned the insult with a cunning smile. Maybe time does change things.

For a brief moment as our eyes met, my world seemed to drift away into another dimension. The loud music playing in the background was barely audible. The only coherent sound I could hear was the rhythmic beating of my heart. And just as soon as the moment could feel like eternity, it passed.

”Isn’t it nostalgic to meet our school buddies after such a long time?” Nisha broke the silence.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I hardly remember anyone here.”

“You know, if it wasn’t for Sonam, this reunion would not have been possible.” Nisha muttered while looking at a bunch of boys and girls who we had known long back. The scrawny ones had put on weight. The brainy ones wore Armani and Jimmy Choo.  The naughty ones cradled their kids. The shy ones spoke with gusto. The great debaters stood near the bar sipping their drinks. The fat ones looked like pin-ups from a health magazine.

Time is a great artist. It incubates personalities, mends relations and guards perfections in ambiguous ways.

Nisha looked at me. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

I shook my head.  “Nothing in particular,” I replied.

“You were always an enigma. It looks like you have an ocean of things to say, yet you are as calm as a frozen lake,” Nisha said

“That’s an interesting way to put things. You have always been great with words,” I said looking at the mischievous strand of hair, blowing across her cheek. It finally rested on the corner of her lip. 

“You did turn me into an atheist.”

“Was that a compliment or a thinly veiled insult?” she grinned.

I put my hands up in surrender and laughed.

Sonam and Annabel joined us shortly.“Are you guys having a good time?” Sonam asked.  Sonam had been busy floating around from table to table chatting with everyone ensuring everyone had their glasses and plates full. She had an uncanny knack of making everyone feel special and part of the gang.

“Yes Sonam. You are a darling. You made this happen.” I said, giving her a brief hug. Sonam blushed a deep crimson.

“Do Annabel and Nisha know how we met?” Sonam said excitedly. Even before anyone them could reply that they did, she launched into her story telling mode.

“Well, it’s like this,” Sonam began. “I used to blog right... One day while browsing, I came across an interesting fellow blogger right... I read his stories right... They were quite intriguing right... So, I check this guys’ bio, right… and there I see, that he has mentioned our schools name right... I was like whoa… right? Turns out, this guy passed out the same year as us. I told him, we shared the same 2000 square meters of space for forever, never meeting yet meeting in the virtual world, right? How weird is that right!”

Sonam was able to talk and talk and talk without stopping for a breath of air. And as suddenly she had come over to chat with us, she ran off to help a drunken friend back to his chair. “You guys carry on, don’t leave without having dinner. Oye Rohit…” She was gone before anyone could say ‘okay’.

Annabel leaned into me and said, “She said ‘right’9 times!” We burst out laughing. I looked at Annabel. Every time Anna smiled, it reminded me of Julia Roberts. She had the broadest and brightest of smiles guaranteed to make anyone’s day.

“You look good Anna,” I said.

“You know what they are calling me these days?”  Annabel said in between her flashy smiles.

Nisha and I raised our eyebrows. ‘What?’

“Yummy-Mummy!” she said and burst out into bouts of spontaneous laughter. 

Nisha and I joined in the laughter. Another couple of friends came over to talk to Nisha. I excused myself and went to the smoking zone and lit a cigarette. I went back to my thoughts. I felt like a snow-flake about to be trapped in an avalanche. Such was the power of memories. The good ones make you cry, the sad ones make you wonder and the saddest ones always seem to want some closure.My chain of thoughts was broken by a tap on my shoulder. It was Nisha.  

 “Mind if I join you?” she said with a smile.The expanse of my smile was a derivative of hers.

“Let’s get some fresh air,” I suggested.

She tucked the rogue strands of hair behind her ear and walked beside me to the courtyard. 

The lush green carpet of grass smelt heavenly.I felt Nisha holding my arm. I stopped. She took off her heels. “I love walking barefoot on grass,” she said as she picked up her heels by the straps in her right hand; her left hand still holding on to my arm.

“So, how have you really been?” Nisha asked.

“Happy,” I said.

“I wish we could stop being strangers.” Her words were barely audible.

“I wish you could have believed it when I said I love you.”

She could sense the regret in my words. If only she could see and hear beyond the spoken word. “I remember you used to say, ‘Everything happens for the best’”.  She quipped.

The night was still young, the lamps in the courtyard spread shades of golden light. I turned to face Nisha and held her hands in mine. Her gaze made me feel naked, weak and exposed. She could see the damaged stings of my soul. I could feel a slight twitching of her fingers. The synapses were all over the place. No words were necessary when silence did all the talking. I knew she was hurting. She knew I was hurting. Life had laughed at our plans.

Here, standing in front of me, was the girl I was in love with yet, we were separated by destiny.  

Nisha came close and rested her head on my chest. “I miss you,” I wanted to say. I held her lightly. I said nothing.

“I better get going. Navya would be waiting,” I said unwillingly. Her warm embrace was somehow very comforting. 

 Nisha let go of me. Her eyes welled up as she spoke. “It was nice seeing you here.” Somehow I want to believe it. 

“Say hello to Navya for me.”

 “I will,” I said and walked towards to exit.

I reached home. My thoughts were still at the courtyard with Nisha. As I opened the door to my house, Navya jumped off the sofa and came running towards me and gave me a big hug. “Daddy, you are back!”

“Yes my little darling,” I said and lifted my 7 year old and held her tight.

 “Did you meet mummy?”

“In fact, I did!” I smiled. “Mummy says hello to you.”

“When can I see her?” Navya asked excitedly.

“Like always, during your summer vacation darling.” I said holding back the tears.

The Cabin by the Woods

The sun cast its orange rays on the trees and lake. The world turned a shade lighter. We sat together watching the sun set across the calm silvery lake. The tall palm trees swayed in the gentle evening breeze. I looked at the sky and saw the moon hiding behind fluffy cotton clouds like a kid hiding behind the mothers pallu. In a few hours, the moon would rule the night sky as the stars would compete to outshine each other.

 I had dreamt about this day since the time I realized I was in love with her. Nisha sat beside me. It had been almost an hour. No words exchanged. No words necessary.  In a distance, Jagjit Singh sang a melodious tune. Nisha hummed to the tune of the song, “Har taraf.. har jagah beshumaar aadmi…” Her voice was melodious. Her hand lay upon mine. Absentmindedly, she would often draw her initials on my palm and kiss it. Our eyes would meet occasionally and speak volumes; our lips only broke into a smile, still, no words exchanged. 

The wooden cabin was cozy. The view – mesmerizing. The view of the lake welcomed us as we sat on the porch. It drizzled ever so slightly – a perfect romantic set up. It was almost 6 PM. I got up from my chair, looked at Nisha and said, “Tea?” She smiled. It meant yes. Before I walked off into the kitchen, I wrapped a shawl over her shoulder to keep warm. She held my hands in position for a brief moment as I kissed her lightly on her head. “Your shampoo smells great Nisha,” I whisper. 

I come out with two piping cups of Masala chai. Nisha too has moved from her chair. She is sitting on the lush green grass in the lawn. I notice she is barefoot. ‘That’s a first…’ I say to myself and smile. I hand over one cup to her and sit down beside her. “How many utensils have you used? Is the kitchen sink full already?” Nisha asks with a hint of mischief in her voice. “Yes,” I say, “they are all waiting for you.”  She takes a sip of the tea. “It’s nice,” she says. Turns to look and me and adds, “As always”

 

Time flew by. Soon, the moon shone with all its glory. Everything was bathed in the soft milky white moonlit hue. We lay down on the grass, gazing at the sky. The stars twinkled overhead.  Nisha turned to me and placed her hand on my chest. “Are you really happy?” She asked. “More than I have ever been,” I say barely audible, as I place my hand on hers. Her long shapely fingers felt like silk. 

“Remember our first trip?” I asked. 

“How could I forget? All you did was tangle my hair. Stupid!” She said with a mock grin. “Actually, after we returned from that trip, I kept re-enacting various scenarios in my mind.”  She smiled. 

“You too? I thought it was just me.” I said.

“Tell me one thing Jitu, in spite of me making it so clear that we can’t be together, why didn’t you leave? You could have had a better life. Things would have been perfect. Why did you wait for so long?” Tears welled up. She began to say something more but couldn’t. I could sense she was overwhelmed by the situation. I move in closer to her and kiss her forehead. 

“I’ve love you Nisha. Ever since I met you, I knew I wanted us to be together. All it needed was a strong resolve and a hope that God would do what is right. You are here right now aren’t you?” I smile

“…but,” her words trailed into nothingness. The night sky fell upon us like a protective armor, shielding us from the world of apathy, lies and sorrow. We lay there for a long time. The soft lapping sound of the waves interrupted by a distant cricket and rustling of the leaves provided the music for our souls to relax. We both were at peace. For this moment, everything was perfect. We had each other’s company and nothing else mattered. 

“You know Nisha, I was always a dreamer. I think I dreamt this day to reality. I have no regrets. I can now die in peace” I say.

Nisha slapped me right in the face. “Shut up Asshole, dare you say something like that.” Says Nisha. 

“Asshole? That was romantic!” I say. 

“Do you want me to get more romantic than this?” Nisha said, visibly upset.

I hug her for a moment and plant a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks for everything Nisha. You made my day.”

She let out a deep breath and says, “Thanks for always being there through my non-sense, my temper and tantrums. Thanks for being calm when I lost my cool. I like you Mr. Patil. Thanks for being my best friend for so many years.”

“I love it when you call me Mr. Patil” I say and get up. “Let’s go inside. Everyone would be here in some time” I offer her my hand to get up. She takes it gladly as she gets up too. 

“You have put on weight Nisha,” I say. “But you look lovely. To me you are perfect.” I wink. 

Soon, we hear a car pull up in the drive way. “I think they are here.” Nisha says. 

Soon enough two little girls burst in through the cabin door. “Hi dada ji,” The youngest on screams at the top of her voice and runs towards me and gives me a bear hug. “Dadi….” Screams the elder one and runs to hug Nisha. 

Soon, the silence of the Cabin by the woods is broken by happy shrills and laughter. My grand kids are an absolute delight. I watch my daughter and her husband standing in a corner smiling at their daughters. They look happy too. A few more guests arrive. It’s time to cut the cake. Nisha and me do the honors. 

“Happy 50^th Wedding Anniversary Mom, Happy 50^th Wedding Anniversary Dad,” our daughter wishes us. 

“Happy Anniversary Mrs. Patil.” I say to Nisha.

She smiles, “I love it when you call me Mrs. Patil.” The guests clap as Nisha hugs me.  

“I know you wanted to hear this from a really long time Jitu, so I am just going to say it now, I love you...!” The sound of the claps die down and all I keep hearing are the last three words that Nisha said.

2 States – Movie Review

There are a very few movies which are better than the books. I hoped that Two States would be such a movie.

I would like to be honest here. I love Chetan Bhagat’s light easy reads. I even loved his Revolution 2020. I have read Two States – A Story of My Marriage multiple times. The latest I read the book was when I saw the promos of the movie on YouTube. (Yeah, I don’t watch much Television). The book takes me back to my MBA days. I remember how I had bribed the college librarian into ensuring that I get the first copy of the book as soon as it arrived. I started reading and soon I was falling in love with Anannya and equally jealous of  Krish. I hate to admit, but I was a bit overwhelmed and I realized that my eyes too were moist towards the end.

With the same hope, I went in to watch the movie the very day it released. I was all alone in Aurangabad and had some time to kill. The movie set me back 190 rupees. Hell, I would have paid 350/- if needed. As I waited impatiently, I hoped Abhishek Verman (Director) had done justice to the book. I was sure Aliya Bhatt would do justice to the character since she had acted so well in Highway. Arjun Kapoor, I wasn’t so sure about.

So, if I hadn’t read the book, I’d say: The movie was a bit above average. So, Aliya once again does a good job playing an array of emotions ranging from exuberance to dismay, from pride to plain helplessness. Although I feel that the director could have explored her acting talent even further. The background score was pretty awesome. No malasa movie goes without the naach gaana, 2 States is no different. The songs are catchy and the choreography too is not over the top which is a pleasant change. Arjun does a average job. There were times when his face just lacked expressions.

The director tried his level best to do justice to the book. But unfortunately, he fails miserably. The scene where the son slaps the father is too weak. It could have been more intense. Even when Anannya decides that she does not want to marry Krish, the scene could have been acted out better.

All in all, average acting, average story-telling, Average movie if you are going in expecting the magic of the book on the screen. I would give it 3 stars out of 5. The extra half star was for Aliya Bhatt.   

The Final Dance

          It was a wedding day. Nisha looked gorgeous. Every time I looked at her my heart skipped a beat. Every time she looked at me, she blushed a deep crimson. I am sure she could feel all my love for her on this very special day. Amidst all the guests we still found time to look at each other. Our eyes spoke a language that we had perfected after so many years of being together.

The music played. It was out favorite Hindi song. "Kyonki tum hi ho.." from the movie Aashiqui 2. She

looked at me, her eyes asking me if I wanted to dance. I did. Nisha was wearing a black backless silk gown.
The gown accentuated every curve of her slim body as. Her black stilettos matched her gown perfectly. A delicate gold necklace with a delicate pink diamond sat perfectly on her neck. Her long earrings gently kissed her shoulder. She had left her hair open; just like the way I loved... She walked towards me. All the eyes in the room followed her.

“You look beautiful Nisha” I said. She flashed her most radiant smile. After so many years, my heart still went bonkers when she smiled.

I was dressed up in a black tuxedo. Trust me, I have never felt so uncomfortable. However, Nisha asked me to wear one and I had no say in the matter. I remember how she had dragged me into an upscale boutique, after trying out like a hundred shirts, blazers, trousers she picked out the tux that I was wearing today. Her choice was no doubt impeccable. I looked nice. For some weird reason, I remembered a line that our Marketing Professor used to say, “If the product ain’t that good, ensure that the packaging is awesome.” I didn’t feel like a really good product right now. However the packaging was, no doubt, Awesome!!!

“I told you, the tux would look nice on you.” Nisha said.

“I know... your sister has looking at me ever since I walked in.” I said.

Nisha slapped my arm and looked at her sister. She was watching us.

“Shut up. You don’t look at her.” Nisha said.

“What’s more, even Seema is staring at us right now.” I pointed to her mother. “Maybe I should dance with her too. What say? I am sure Hans will get all jealous. All the females in his family are crazy about me.” I laughed at my own joke.

This time she didn’t slap me. She actually punched me right in the gut. “I have told you a thousand times; don’t address mom and dad by their first name.”

We looked at each other and smiled again. I didn’t want this moment to pass.

We stood at the center of the dance floor. We were surrounded by our friends. Nisha placed her left hand on my shoulder. Her right lay slightly on mine. We swayed to the music. She looked deep in my eyes. Her eyes had a glow that I had seen so often. I had my whole world in my arms. She was all that mattered right now. I placed my left hand on her waist. The touch was tantalizing. Her skin felt like silk against my fingers.

We were silent for some time as we danced our way through the song. She rested her head on my shoulder as we danced. She let out a deep breath, as though she was content. Everything that she wished for was happening for real today. I smiled.

“I love you Nisha,” I whispered.

“Can I ask you one thing Jitu?” Nisha asked. Her head was still resting on my shoulder. I wished she looked at me.

“Anything you want mi Amor” I whispered.

She lifted her head and looked at me. “Why do you love me so much?” She asked.

“I don’t know Nisha.” I said. “I do know one thing though, I have loved you from the time I saw you. I have loved you when we laughed together; I have loved you when we fought. I have loved you when I was the only one person you could rely on; I have even loved you when I was not even on your priority list. I have loved you when we chatted for hours on end; I have loved you when we didn’t talk for days together. I have loved you when the days were bright; I have loved you though the long lonely nights. I have loved you through your successes; I loved you when you were just plain unreasonable. I don’t know if anyone can love you more, but I am sure, I love you more than I ever loved myself. If I had not met you, I wouldn’t know what it is to love someone so unconditionally.  I meant ever word when I said, ‘I can fight the whole world for you Nisha.’”

My eyes never left her gaze. Her eyes welled up. The tears were about to cross the threshold of her eyes. She blinked and looked down. Tears ran down her cheek. I wiped them off with the back of my finger tips.

“I am so lucky to have you in my life Mr. Patil,” Nisha said.

“I am so lucky to have known you Mrs. Nisha Suraj Mukherjee.” I said. “I really hope that Suraj takes good care of you and the only tears in your eyes would be the tears of joy. Thanks the Final dance Nisha. Now get back to your soon-to-be husband.”

Nisha let go of my hand and walked towards Suraj. I turned around and walked towards the exit. A lonely tear escaped by eyes as the song faded into claps and cheers. I couldn’t bear to see Nisha say, I Do!!!

   

Bangalore  Mumbai  Bangalore

Bangalore à Mumbai à Bangalore

How many times do you meet someone on an 18 hour journey and become fast friends? Not many times I bet. Most of acquaintances made during travel faze away because of natural causes. This story is about one such incident. Although even after 35 years, ‘she’ still remains a great friend. For some reason unknown to me, I have been her Agony Aunt for many a year. Maybe I was a good listener, maybe I spoke about relationships from my own experience, which ironically I gathered over the years of failed relationships and one-sided love affairs. 

Going back to the day I first met her. It was going to be a boring and a lonely journey to Bangalore from my beloved Mumbai. I had already resigned from the company I worked for in Bangalore and was ready to join another one in Mumbai. This move no doubt was difficult but going ahead would prove that it was a wise choice. I had to get back to Bangalore to collect all my stuff and come back to Mumbai.  I booked a single sleeper seat for my journey through Anand Travels. I boarded the bus from Nerul. I was feeling a bit low since I had expected a someone ‘special’ to see me off. But as it turned out, there were far better things for her to take care of. Yeah, as you might have guessed it, I was unlucky when it came to love. The cupid invariably and very conveniently forgot to shoot his love arrows at the person I fell in love with. C'est la vie..!!

The bus sped at a good pace; soon we left behind the ghats of Lonavla. It was 8:00 PM. In Sleeper buses, we have a lower berth and an upper berth. I always preferred the lower berth. She was on the berth above mine. The bus pulled into a decent looking restaurant for dinner. Just as I was about to get up from my seat, she stepped on my left foot. I thank my stars that she was not wearing pencil heals. She looked at me as if it was my mistake that my foot was right where it was. I expected an apology at the least. I got down from the bus deliberately limping more than it actually hurt. I walked over to the counter and ordered chicken fried rice. I had a seat. Meanwhile she too walked in and sat on a table farthest from the crowd.

It was a cold evening. For a guy who has spent an eternity in Mumbai even 20 degrees is cold because there are no winters in Mumbai. But that November evening was indeed cold. My teeth clattered, my body shivered, yet the warm coat that I was carrying remained tied to my waist. I was too much of a Man to let some cold bother me. I ordered for tea. It was hot and smelled of elaichi. I came out of the hotel and lit my cigarette. Smoked and sipped tea. I looked at her. She too was shivering. She had worn a sleeveless floral t-shirt and dark blue denims. I snickered. But wait.. was she really… I put out the cigarette and walked towards her. Trust me; I have never ever spoken to a stranger unless I was spoken to first. And here was a girl, shivering in the cold and wiping her tears. I had to comfort her. I was just built that way I guess. I took off the coat, placed it on the table that she was sitting. Signaling toward the empty chair in front of her, I asked, “May I?” She didn’t deny.

She took the coat and put it on. I pushed the tissue holder toward her. I signaled the thambi to get another cup of tea. I sat there in complete silence just sipping my tea and occasionally stealing glances toward her. For a moment even my mind was devoid of thoughts. Usually, my mind is cluttered with something useless, but not at this moment. The thambi got another cup of tea, I paid him 20 rupees. Bloody 20 rupees for this extra watery chai! This is extortion, I thought. I got up to leave. She looked at me with her triple B eyes – Big, Brown & Beautiful. There is something about the eyes which have just shed tears, they look so radiant, so mesmerizing, just like the trees after the first rain. I felt like I had done my job. I got up to leave.

“Stay,” she said in a choked voice. No ‘Thanks’, no ‘Sorry’… just Stay. I sat down. I rubbed by hands together to generate some warmth. I watched her as she quietly sipped the tea. The tissue never left her hands. She would dab her eyes with the tissue. I couldn't watch her cry.

“Look,” I said, “I don’t watch saas-bahu serials because I don’t like anyone crying. So here is what I am gonna do”. She looked at me wondering why I was taking about TV sitcoms. No smile yet. I had to get her smiling by the 5^th line that I spoke. I continued, “We are going to change the channel now to Colors and we will be watching Comedy Nights with Kapil.”

She smiled. It wasn't a broad smile, but a smile nonetheless. She finished her tea and fumbled with her wallet to hand me twenty rupees. I denied. “Please”, she said. What was her fascination with monosyllabic words, I wondered. I pocketed the money without saying anything. I was still waiting for an apology. We started walking toward the bus. I walked a step behind her trying to imagine why she was crying. But I said nothing. She stepped in the bus. I loitered around the bus aimlessly. I lit up another cigarette and started puffing away. After 5 minutes, the driver sounded the horn indicating everyone to get inside. I walked up to my seat. I looked at the seat above me, the curtains were drawn shut. I sat on the seat; my coat was neatly folded and kept near the pillow. It now had a floral scent. I smiled. I was listening to the songs when suddenly, the curtains to my seat opened. It was her peeking in. She pointed to the vacant space on my seat as if to ask if would be ok for her to sit beside me. I nodded.

“Thanks” she says almost whispering. I can barely hear her.

“What for?” I ask, trying to get her to talk. I can’t see her face clearly because it’s dark. Light blue glow radiates from her face because of the overhead light. I turn on the reading light.

“Turn it off… my eyes hurt”, she says. I promptly do so. Ok, so far ‘Thanks’ and ‘Please’ were said, where was the Sorry??? She was nervous sitting there. She had clasped her hands together.

“So, are you ready for Comedy Nights Kapil?” I asked.

“Ok, but first you need to hear me out.” She said. “I am not the cry-baby types. I am usually very strong. But something happened that made me lose control. I was talking to my boy-friend’s uncle. He told me that his parents are not sure about both of us being together.”  I could sense that more tears would flow. I wanted to act like the legendary actor Rajesh Khanna and say, ‘Pushpa, mujhe yeh aansu nahi dekhe jaate, I hate tears’ (Pushpa, I can’t see these tears) and dramatically pull out a handkerchief and offer it to her. But me being a guy, had a handkerchief that was not washed in about 15 days. That was just one part. The other was listening to the words “My Boyfriend”. Trust me readers, the worst statement that you could utter in front of a single guy is – My Boyfriend. Our mind goes into self-destruct mode from there. But I listened as she spoke. Luckily I had a stash of paper napkins. I handed one over to her.

For the next hour she explained her situation. I listened carefully. Her voice was like a lullaby. No, it didn’t put me to sleep. I wanted to listen and listen. She spoke about her college, her family, her boyfriend (which made me a little jealous, I should mention), her aspirations, and her sacrifices. I swear, I had never met a girl like her. In our first interaction, she was sharing intimate things as if we have known each other for a long time. She finally stopped and looked at me. It was either that she had finished taking about everything or her mouth had gone dry.

“Gosh,” she said, “I have been talking about myself for over an hour. Strangely, my mouth has not gone dry. I hope your ears are not bleeding.”

I laughed. She smiled.

“Tell me one thing,” I said, “This is our first interaction. Why did you tell me all this? Maybe I am a murderer who now knows where you stay.”

“Oh Please, what would you do killing such a pretty girl like me? You could maybe kidnap me and make me do all the house-hold work.” She smiled. Wait, was she flirting with me?

“And by the way, this is not our first interaction,” She continued. “It’s our third. The first one was right here in the bus when I stepped on your foot.” Here comes the apology. There was none. “The second was at the café when you offered me your coat and stayed and said nothing. This is the third. By the way, you don’t talk much, do you?”

“I do,” I said, “but today, you didn’t give me a chance.” I winked.

“Ok, your turn. Are you really a murderer? In case you are planning to murder me, just don’t touch my face. It’s quite pretty I have been told.” She said and laughed at her own joke.

“Oh really? Who told you that? Some blind person?” I joked. She suddenly got serious. “Don’t make fun of blind people, my brother is visually impaired,” she said.

“I’m sorry; I can be such an ass sometimes.”  I could not think of anything to say. I stared at the crumpled bed sheet. I looked at her. She was trying very hard not to laugh. But she couldn’t control it any longer. She burst out loud literally rolling on the seat. Her fingers touched my leg. She was still laughing uncontrollably. Tears welled up in her eyes. This time, it was because of all the laughing. I was staring at her like an idiot.

“I’m sorry,” she said trying to regain composure. “You are so gullible. I was just kidding. Just look at you… oh my God!! I’m sorry...!” Yeah right, she was saying sorry for making fun of me, not for stepping on my feet – The Witch!! I burst out laughing too. Still laughing, she placed her hand on mine. It was soft like cotton candy. The urge to hold her hand was maddening. But I didn’t.

 It was about 12:30 AM. All we could hear was the faint engine sound and some loud snoring. Our laughter too was soft.  We chatted till about 6 in the morning. The bus halted for breakfast. We were not sleepy.

“Tea?” I asked her.

“Guys normally ask me out for coffee,” she winked. “But yeah, tea sounds good too. But I will pay.”

“Ok, in that case, let’s have a cheese burst pizza with extra cheese and double extra chicken.” I said. She looked at my protruding happy beer belly but said nothing. We stepped out. It was not that cold. The morning air felt fresh. We sipped our tea amidst few jokes. It was just 4 hours before we reached our destination.

We spoke about lighter topics after we returned. It was like falling in love, only better..!! When we arrived, I walked with her to the auto stand. She took my cell number. I didn’t. I watched her go. She waved out from the moving auto. I looked silly waving at the auto. I got into another auto. She texted me – Hey, thanks. I had a good time. Let meet up soon. Among all the things we talked, I never told you my name. Its “Nisha” J

Post Script: We kept in touch. We used to text a lot everyday. We still do. We never fell in love. She invited me over for her wedding. I attended. She attended mine too. We are almost 60 years old now. My son is dating her daughter. They are planning to get married son. They first met on the bus from Bangalore to Mumbai. And she never apologized for stepping on my feet.

Ek Akeli Chatri me jab aadhe aadhe bheeg rahe the... (Two bodies, One umbrella, Half a Love Story)

The day was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Black dark clouds covered the morning sky. It had rained last night. I was in no mood to work, but I reached office with the hope of seeing "Nisha" there. It was 9:57 AM. I checked the time thrice every minute. It was as if time had stopped. Seconds ticked away like hours. My ears strained to listen to her foot-steps. I kept checking my phone if she had messaged. There were none. She was always on time. But today was an exception, 27 minutes after 9:30 yet, Nisha was not there.


I checked my emails. Typed her email ID in the search bar and re-read our chat conversations. Suddenly a
whiff of her perfume filled my heart with joy. My heart went bonkers. I could hear her in the distance cheerfully chatting with everyone she met on the way. "Good morning Ravi, please get me a cup of hot tea, it's so cold today" I heard her footsteps nearing. The very realization of her in office sent nervous chills down my spine. Yes, I was in love with the girl. Her freckled face, her below average height, her curly hair, her more than usual chatter was stamped permanently in my mind from the first day I lay my eyes on her.

She came up to me and flashed a toothy grin. Somebody tell my heart to behave normally around her. “Good Morning Jitu”, she said. I was staring at the computer screen as if I had not noticed. I looked up, smiled and wished her the same. “Awww… so boring. You sound as if you are not happy to see me”  she said. “Arre no Nisha, I was just thinking about something else.”  I said. “I thought you would not come”, I continued. She gave me a mischievous grin and said, “I know you were secretly praying that I would come… weren't you?” I looked at her with a blank expression. My heart still thumping against my chest. “I am an atheist, remember?” I replied. “Liar!!! Anyhow, I think we should leave early today. Trains were pretty late and looks like it’s going to rain like crazy. Look, I am all drenched.” She said.

She was barely wet. But I loved hearing everything she said. I would often have imaginary conversations with her for hours together, but now, she was right there in front of me and I was tongue tied. I watched her adjust her yellow dupatta. She had worn a white chudidhar suit. She looked like an angel, only prettier. She brushed her hair with her hand. Droplets of water landed on my hand. Suddenly my mailbox notification beeped. It was a mail from our office Admin. We were asked to leave the office due to heavy rains and news stating waterlogging in many areas. Train services would be affected. I told her the news, she squealed with childish delight. "Lets have tea and leave. Lets go to Raghuleela mall," she suggested.

I couldn't think of a appropriate response. "Okay" was all I could manage. "Cool,it will be fun. Let me get tea for us" she said and disappeared after dumping her bag on my desk. I turned off my laptop and prepared to leave. Nisha came back with two piping hot cups of tea carefully balancing them so as not to spill any. She sat down on the chair right beside me. She started chatting about various topics. My responses were limited to, "hhmmmm, okay, thats great, really?" I smiled a lot when she was around. Nisha had the power to make me forget the world. She spoke with her mouth, hands and eyes. It wasn't difficult to figure out when she was happy, sad or lonely. Although her words seemed full of enthusiasm, I could easily make out when she was faking it. She always said, "Why bother people with your sadness when they have their own sadness to deal with". She was pretty.. not just on the outside. We left office. It started to rain. She had not brought her umbrella. We tried to make best use of my umbrella which by no means could accommodate both of us. We walked trying to avoid the puddles of muddy water. The rain was relentless. She walked on my right.


My left sleeve of the shirt was completely wet. She tried in vain to avoid the rain. She was getting wet too.

She snug in close to me and held my hand. Her touch was magical... Electrifying... soothing. My mind started singing, "Ek akeli chatri me jab aadhe aadhe beheeg rahe the... aadhe sukhe aadhe gile..." I could not recollect the rest of the words. This felt perfect. Just Nisha and me walking in the rain. I wished it would rain forever and that this moment would never pass. It did. An auto-rickshaw pulled up near us. She quickly said to the driver, "Bhaiya, Raghuleela le chalo naa please. Bohot baarish hai." (Please take us to the mall, its raining heavily). Her tone of voice was so melodious that the driver could not say no. We reached the mall soon enough. Time flew quickly. Her jokes were childish yet funny. My jokes made her laugh hard. She often touched my arm while laughing. It felt nice. Soon it was time to say goodbye. We were in Archies, looking at the merchandise. I was browsing the greeting cards section. The love cards were sickeningly sweet. I bought one for Nisha which said, 'Friends forever'. I didn't want to be JUST friends forever, I wanted more.. I had always imagined her as my life partner. What would I not give to spend my lifetime with her. I had to tell her someday. But I could not muster enough courage. I handed over the card to her. She flashed her most radiant smile. It was genuine. "Awwwww... that is so cute" she said. She tightly gripped my hand. "Thank you so much. now even I have to get you something. What do you want?" I smiled."Promise me you will be mine forever," my heart screamed. "Ice-cream?" I said.

"You know, I was just about to suggest that. You know me so well." She almost screamed. Some elders turned towards us with a 'keep-it-down' look. She didn't care what the world thought, neither did I. She got two ice-creams for both of us. The rains had stopped. We walked towards the railway station. She kept talking about various flavors of ice-cream and some funny incident about a time when melted vanilla ice cream spilt over her jeans. Suddenly she stopped and looked at me, "Hey, what happened?" She asked me. "What? Nothing.. Why?" I asked. "Your mind is elsewhere," she said. "Stop imagining Nisha, I was listening to you and watching you eat the ice-cream. You look so adorable," I said. I had to fight hard to curb my hand from going to the side of her lips where the ice-cream smudged. I smiled at her and pointed to the little smudge of ice-cream at the corner of her lips. She wiped it off.

We stood at the bridge waiting to go our separate ways. Her face looked worried, as if she was in a moral dilemma. "What are you thinking about?" I asked in a serious tone of voice. "Is something bothering you? You can share anything with me, you know that" I continued. She looked at me with a blank expression.

"Will you tell me something honestly?" She asked.

"Have I ever lied to you? Ask..." I say.

"When I asked you back at Archies shop, what you wanted, tell me honestly, what were you thinking? What did you REALLY wanted to ask?" She was serious. There were only a handful of times I had seen this way. I stayed mum. I could not look at her. My heart wanted to blurt out all the secrets... all the fantasies... all the desires... the pain... the dreams. But I could say nothing. I stole another look at her. She was staring at me with hope that I would say something.


Slowly, she placed her hand on mine and said, "I would have loved to be yours forever Jitu... Only if I had not met Suraj before you. You know I love him and would be nothing without him.." 

I stood there dumbfounded  My head hurt, my heart hurt, my knees felt weak.

I wished the pain would go away... but it never did.Nisha gave me a brief hug. "Bye, see you tomorrow. Take care." I am still unable to speak. I watch her cross the bridge. I wish she could turn and look at me one last time. She does not.

As my eyes well up with tears, thunder strikes and it starts raining..!!