Agape & Eros

Different but Aligned

After a sleepless night, Priya left the house early in the morning. 

She goes to the park near her university. After walking around the park, she sits on a bench. A gentle breeze blows her hair. She watches the street outside the park. The world is preparing to live for another day. Vendors are preparing to sell coconut water, people are jogging around the park, children are yawning while walking to school, and the crowd's murmur is slowly replacing the chirping of the birds. Priya often comes here before her classes. Sometimes for her morning walk. Sometimes just to calm her mind and keep aside all the unsettling thoughts. 

Suddenly her gaze falls on a black car, that stops just outside the park. A waving hand comes out of it. Priya smiles a bit seeing Ram. Ram enters the park and walks toward her. 

Ram- Good morning. 

Priya- Good morning. 

Ram- Aaj yahan? 

Priya- Morning walk. 

Ram- Oo. You go on morning walks. 

Priya- Yeah. Don't you? 

In reply, Ram just scratches the back of his and gives a guilty smile. 

Priya nods her head in frustration. 

Priya- Mr. Kapoor, I've noticed you don't care about yourself at all. If this continues you'll fall ill. You should take care of yourself.

Ram- But I don't get time to exercise at all. 

Ram yawns while replying. He looks tired and underslept. 

Priya- Didn't you sleep last night?

He looks down before nodding his head in a no. He then sighs and looks over the horizon. 

Ram- Couldn't... You look tired too. 

Priya- Yeah. I too couldn't. 

Ram- Is anything bothering you? You can share it with me. We are new friends after all. 

Priya- Forget about me. What was bothering you? 

Ram- My...2nd stage. 

Ram then narrates what happened yesterday to Priya. 

Ram- I've always wanted to be the cause behind someone's smile. But instead, I get this. I couldn't satisfy my own family and now I am a problem in another family... Now tell me. What's troubling you? 

Priya hesitates a bit. 

Ram- Come on, Priya. I've shared. If you don't share now, it'll be unfair. 

Priya- It's just. No one around me is happy. They face difficulties because of me. Akki is worried about me. All day long he is in a gloomy mood. Sara di and maa have to bear all the taunts of society regarding me. Me being unmarried in my thirties is pestering everyone in society.

Ram- But that's not your fault. I mean you are just living your life. If someone else decides to be pestered by your existence, what can you do? You can't cease to exist, can you? 

Priya- You are telling these to me? 

Ram- Can't see anyone else here so, yes. 

Priya- I can another person who needs this exact lecture. 

Ram- Where? 

Priya- The person beside me. 

Ram- I...

Priya- Please, replay those words in your head and you'll get it. 

Ram looks dumbfounded for a few moments. But then it hits him too. 

Ram- Oo... ha... That makes sense. 

Both of them laugh a bit.

Priya- Of course, I can't cease to exist. But I can't stop thinking if there's any way to change the situation. 

Ram- Did you find a way last night? 

Priya- Only If I marry then perhaps the situation will change.

Ram- So, will you reconsider the proposal? 

Priya- [shocked] Ha? 

Ram- Ha? 

Priya- What? 

Ram- What what?

Priya- What did you...?

Ram- Oh. Mom's proposal. If you'd like to... I mean Shivi really likes you and Bri too. My friends like you. Mom likes you too. So, from Kapoor family almost everyone will be happy if I marry you. I've said almost because Shubhu doesn't really care about what I do. And it feels like Sood family also like me, am I right? 

Priya- hmm.

Ram- [Smiling] I knew it. Meera maa will be happy, Sara di will be happy and Akki's promise will be fulfilled. Both of our families will be happy. And if I talk about myself I'll get a friend as a life partner. You'll also get a friend. You've already told me you don't believe in love, so you will face no pressure from me on the love side. We can be just two friends who respect each other. And then we can be on our own journies. I mean together, not in separate ways, but not forced into one single journey... What I mean to say is... 

Ram fumbles. 

Priya- Different but aligned. 

Ram- [smiling] Yes. Different but aligned... Will you reconsider? 

Priya- I'll think about it. 

Ram- Ok. Whatever you decide, I'll accept and not say another word about it. 

Priya- Ok. Mr. Kapoor. I have to go now. I have a class. 

Ram- Oh sure. And please let me know about your decision. A simple yes/no text will suffice. 

Priya smiles at him and leaves.
Ram sits there for some more time.

"What was she looking at sitting here all alone? I'll ask her next time. By the way, I've forgotten to tell her the most important thing."

With that thought, Ram takes his phone in his hand. 

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Priya reached home in the evening. As always, she freshened up, did some chores, and sat to evaluate her student's assignments. After working for 2 hours, she connects her phone to the wifi to read the news. 

Ram's text appears on the screen. She clicks on it. 

"In the case of, anxiety about backbiting please open the following link."
Priya opens the link, and Kishore Kumar's voice starts playing-

"Kuch to log kahenge, Logon ka kaam hain kehna.
Chhodo bekar ki baaton me kahi beet na jayein raina..."

Priya walks across the room and stands on her balcony while listening to the song. 

"...Tu kaun hain tera naam hain kya
Sita bhi yahan badnaam hui
Phir kyu sansaar ki baaton se
Bheeg gayein  tere naina..."

Priya thinks to herself, 

"No matter what I do society will always point its finger toward me. It's truly useless to think about it. But I can at least try to make my family happy...
And the proposal of a friendship... I'm not sure if I'll be able to love someone once again. To me, relationships are nothing more than fulfilling duties to sustain the human race and I don't expect anything else than respect from a relationship. No other guy is going to accept this view of mine. Everyone will demand love and I am not sure if I can fulfill that demand. The proposal of friendship, walking on our own different but aligned paths sounds... fine."

With that thought, Priya picks up her phone. 

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Ram was on his bed, yawning after a long day, listening to Shivi's daily dose of why he should marry her Pri di. Suddenly his phone chimes. He looks at it from the corner of his eyes. Priya's name appears on the screen. 

"Priya's message", thinks Ram, "She must have decided something."

He picks up the phone and opens the message to find a "Yes."