Now And Forever

Chapter One

The point of view of this story switches between it's two central characters, Ck and Sayali.

Ck

Can you find true love in your late forties? 48 to be specific?

Well, I did. I found the love of my life when it mattered the most. And even though it happened very late in my life, I don't regret it, as it was worth every second of my long, agonizing wait.

To give you some background, I am a Gujrati man running an ever-flourishing diamond business in Pune, and I stay at Salisbury Park. I am fitter than most men my age. I exercise, I run hard, I drink lots of water, and I am very careful about what I eat. I don't have a six-pack, but I have an athletic build. Guess what? I don't look like 48 at all. At best, I look in my early forties. Thanks to my strict fitness regime,.

But that doesn't mean I do not enjoy my life. I do that a lot. I love movies. I have wonderful friends. I travel to Europe twice every month for my business needs. I hang out with pretty women whenever I am out of the country.

So I pretty much had the life I always wanted. But still, there was always a deep void. That someone was missing. I had no one to go home to. No wife, no children.

Thankfully, all that was going to change.

I grew up as a very shy guy. I fell in love with the sweetest girl in college. She was exactly the type of girl I used to dream about. Her perfect smile, her big black eyes, her long hair, her helping nature—I could go on and on. Everything about her was just perfect. She was pure bliss. Although she was a very good friend, I could never gather enough courage to tell her about my feelings. I had this inferiority complex; I used to think that she was too good for me. All through my graduation years, I tried to tell her about my feelings, but I just couldn't. I would on purpose remain absent in class some days so that I could take her notes home and then spend hours doting on her handwriting.

Soon after graduation, she got engaged, and my world came crashing down. I hated myself for going down without a fight. What if she had been waiting for me all these years? What if she too thought that I was too good for her? All these thoughts flooded my mind and made me go insane. I had lost her forever.

My father, seeing my condition, packed me to Surat to give me a break. I stayed with my uncle for three years, and he brought me out of the mess I was in. He taught me about life. He taught me to be fearless. I joined his business, and that is where I learned about diamonds. I did a few courses and came back to Pune and started my own business, Devika Diamonds, in my mother's name.

Business picked up in no time, and I was doing fairly well in my first year itself. And there has been no looking back since then. I was no longer the shy guy. I was confident; I used to meet a lot of people. I realized that sometimes you have to fight to get what's yours. I had become a R-rated version of my previous self. Something I was very proud of.

Soon, marriage proposals started flowing in, but I just couldn't find the perfect girl I was looking for. I was ready to wait. Years passed, but that girl was not in sight. Slowly, the proposals stopped coming. I was 34, well past my sell-by date. My father died waiting to see his only son get married. So did my mother. I found myself all alone, and with no siblings, I would have probably gone into depression had Chandu, my brother from another mother, not been by my side.

It all started three months ago. It was 3 a.m., and I was fast asleep when Chandu called me. I was a little worried, as phone calls at these times usually don't bring good news.

"Sorry for calling you at this time, Ck; I wanted to talk to you."

"Why are you sounding so worried? I hope all is fine."

"I saw a bad dream, CK. It was about you."

"Did I die in your dream?"

"Yes, and you died alone. There was nobody by your side."

"So, where the fuck were you?" I asked, trying to squeeze in some humor.

"You have to be serious about this, CK. Time is slipping out of your hands. What time can you meet me tomorrow evening?"

I met him at a cafe on FC Road the next evening, and he was still wearing a resigned look.

"Your mother comes into my dreams, Ck. When she was on her death bed, I had promised her that I would take good care of you and get you married."

"But I am 48 now, Chandu."

"So what?"

"This is the age when people become grandparents."

"That is not true, CK. Not everyone becomes a grandparent at this age. Just look at you; you are fit, and you still look young."

"Okay. Who will marry me?"

"I have registered your profile on a few matrimonial sites. I am sure I will find one for you."

"For that to happen, my dear friend, there has to be one in the first place."

"I am 100% sure we are not too far from finding her, and I won't find peace unless that happens."

"Ok, if only that makes you happy, I am ready to give it one more try. But for now, just relax and enjoy your coffee. I am very lucky to have you in my life, Chandu, but at the same time, I want to tell you to stop worrying about me. I am a free-spirited guy, and my life is good. Happiness is an inside thing, and I am really happy."

"I am going to find a free-spirited girl for you."

"Really?" I laughed.

"Yes, I can give it to you in writing if you want."

"Ok. And you better start exercising again; just look at your tummy; it looks like you are carrying twins."

"I know," he laughed, and he patted his tummy animatedly.