Cheers to Love 💕

             I, Advaita Gupta, twenty-seven, blogger and screenplay writer, have achieved all that I had hoped to achieve. And yet there is something missing. Friends said that it was love that I was missing. I didn't really think so; I was never a romantic person by heart. I Frankly think the whole concept of love is completely rubbish and overrated. Love is just a Tool where you use your partner and your partner uses you, each to their own benefit. In short, love is selfish.

            I am travelling to Delhi to meet my mom. My parents are Divorce. My dad lives in Chandigarh with his partner and my mom lives in Delhi, married to a bussiness man. Every year, my mom sends me a ticket to visit her on her birthday. Usually I avoid, because I can't really stand that man and my mom together. This time I agreed, as I have an important bloggers' meet in Delhi. What's better than getting your trip paid for? I am surprised that Finally she has understood my aerophobia. This time I get a first class train ticket to Delhi. I switch on my laptop, thinking of updating my blog. The door of my Cabin is open and a guy somewhere in his thirties enters. We exchange smiles. He sits on the seat opposite mine. He too takes out his laptop and gets busy with it. After few minutes the guy asks 

'Hey, what time do we reach Delhi?'

' 10.30 a.m., ' I tell him.

I can feel the guy looking at me.

Finally he says, 'So what do you do?'

'I am a writer. '

The guy smiles, whatever be the thing, the man does have an amazing smile.

'So what do you write about ?' the man asks.

' I write short stories on human relationships, ' I say.

'You mean love stories? ' he asks, Looking interested.

'There are no love stories and I don't really believe in love stories, ' I spoke my mind.

The man said thoughtfully, 'You have to See one to believe in one, let me tell you a story....

                                  ~~~~

               June 1973. Uday Singh was just twenty-one years old when he became a charted accountant, the first boy to study beyond metric. The villagers had no idea about the enormity associated with becoming a CA. His family, instead of celebrating, was busy mourning that he was of no more use to them. According to them, he was ruined because he would never become a farmer and help his father. Uday wanted to shift to Calcutta and join a nationalized bank. His parents were a little sceptical about his decision, but finally relented on the condition that he’d get married before that. He agreed. Within a couple of days his parents even found him a girl. Her name was Asha. She lived in a small village near Bhiwani,Haryana. It was Uday’s aunt who also lived in the same village and had suggested that girl. Uday went with his family to see the girl. When he reached his aunt’s place, he saw a girl in a shabby salwar-kameez, but with spotless fair skin and beautiful green eyes, washing utensils outside her home. She looked at him briefly and again went back to work.
             
           In the evening, he got ready to meet Asha, the girl he was there for. When he came out, he again saw that green-eyed girl playing with other kids and laughing. Her laughter was as beautiful as her face. The girl too looked at him and again went back to playing. He thought about her eyes, her skin and the way she looked. With that thought he entered Asha’s house.

             ‘They are rich people, they have twenty-four cows and buffaloes and a big piece of land, and she is their only daughter,’ his aunt said. ‘They would even give a good dowry,’ she insisted. But Uday was not even listening to her; all he thought about was that girl, that beautiful green-eyed girl. He didn’t even know when Asha came and left. His thoughts were somewhere else. The girl’s father confirmed that they were ready to give Rs 25,000 and one kilo of gold as dowry. But Uday was not even interested in the money. He just sat there, expressionless. When everybody started leaving, he too got up and left.