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.