It was yet another tiresome day. The shooting was getting hectic, the fall in TRP really getting these people pumped up. And thus were ruined my plans of spending a peaceful Christmas break. We were going to Goa next month to shoot for this big twist that the writer has planned for the serial. All of us inevitably banned from planning any sort of a holiday except for this trip, at least not until the degraded TRP is back on track. These producers and their TRPs. Why will the audience watch a serial if all these writers do is beat around the bush several times until the viewer’s head spins and then they collapse and with that the freaking TRP too! I would really do something different that is if I could write. Unfortunately this is my work and I can’t do anything about it.
I sat snugly on my bed, sparing a sideward glance at the table clock. It was 2am. When the entire world is asleep that is when Atharva, the lead actor of the well-known serial, ‘ishq-yaari’ checks his instagram. I opened the app and scrolled through the posts. Koyal’s birthday party pictures flashed before me. I just mindlessly kept double clicking. There were some posts of behind the scene drama on sets and some stories about what people ate and drank. This is the worst part, I hate it when they post their every single meal on internet as if they are the only people with mouths and a tummy.
Then was the most annoying part, the follow requests. From every papa’s angel to every sparkling diva, you will find every name possible in my request list. And needless to say most of the follow requests are from girls. I got to accept them though, I am not entitled to be mean, after all we can lose TRP by such an act. So I just scroll down, accepting every request that I see. I am fully preparing myself to be ready for the messages I would receive tomorrow, from the, ‘Omg thank you for accepting my request’ to ‘you are so hot, I am your biggest fan’ I have to reply to each and every stupid message possible.
Sometimes I just wish I was not ‘the Aharva’, sometimes I just wish I was only Atharva. Atleast then maybe I wouldn’t hate all this attention. Girls would like me for who I was even if only for looks but atleast not for the fame. I would atleast feel a little more valued.
Yes I go for parties. Girls flock to me all the time and I spend evenings talking to them. I hate this pretence, wish I could simply just not talk to them at all. They love to stick to me but I just can’t get myself to flirt with those makeup plastered faces that lack a pure heart. Any boy could have done anything to trade my present place and all this attention but me, I feel like just taking off to some unseen place.
I knew nothing is going to change no matter how much I keep talking about it. I tossed my cell phone on the bed and picked up a magazine. Just when I skimmed through the first few pages, I realised that this was not the magazine I read weekly. I turned to the front page, it was the Youth Star magazine. Uncle probably brought the wrong magazine this week. Serious stuff, so difficult to read and yet I had nothing better to do than to turn the pages of the poor book. Suddenly something caught my attention.
‘The whispering silence’ read the title. It was a poem written by one of their authors. I starting reading it, slowly by slowly, savouring each word. It was the most beautiful piece of poetry I had ever read. The words mingling with each other making perfect sense.
'You just need to hear it with a patient mind,
the whispering silence speaks all the time.'Read the last line of the poem.
It left me mesmerised, speechless. What a wonderful piece of art. Who was this pure soul, this beautiful heart who came up with these wonderful lines? I looked at the bottom of the page. Rimzhim Naik, was the name printed there. I had read this name somewhere before, that too recently. Picking up my cell phone I scrolled through the requests that I had accepted.
‘creative_Rim’ was her instagram name. I had recently accepted her follow request. I didn’t know what came over me, I just felt like following her too and so I did.
Somewhere far away in Goa, she had made herself comfortable in her rotating chair. She had been studying for an upcoming test.
Picking up the coffee mug which had the words, ‘Superstar’ written on it, she brought it to her lips. Slowly sipping the drink she most adored.
Her cell phone beeped, she pushed herself away from the table and turned around in her rotating chair. She almost froze when she saw what her notification was.
‘Atharva has sent a follow request!’ She thought to herself, overjoyed.
He was her favourite actor. She always believed that he had that kind of a talent that many other actors lacked. Her fingers lingered just for a few seconds on my request, she drew in a long breath and accepted it.
Just about five seconds after I sent the request it was accepted. She was awake at 2am and I had wrongly thought that the whole world was asleep. I waited for her to send me some message, thanking me for sending the request but it never came. Fifteen minutes later I couldn’t wait anymore. I opened her account and scrolled through her pictures.
She was a Goan, fair girl with the cutest looks I had ever seen. She was short and mostly thin but curvaceous just at the right places. Her smile was beautiful and her eyes lively. She had dark hair that cascaded down to her waist. Her purity shined in her eyes.
I quickly typed a message and sent it to her.
Me: Hey, just read your poem on Youth Star and looks like I am becoming your fan.
Within seconds came her reply.
She: I am honoured to hear that. I have been admiring your talent for years now. What a wonderful actor you are.
Me: Thank you, I thought I sucked at it.
She: Haha…no you don’t.
Me: looking forward to reading more of your work.
She: I have a daily column. My next poem is going to come up tomorrow.
Me: Waiting for it. Are you working at that now?
She: Nope, I work a whole week in advance.
Me: So…what has kept you awake for so long?
She: Studying for a test.
Me: Oh…what do you study?
She: I am doing my MBBS.
Me: Cool! Dr. Rimjhim. Sorry I must have disturbed you.
She: Nothing like that, infact you really made my day. I spoke to my idol and that is the best thing that has happened to me.
Me: Okay then, will talk to you later. Good night Dr.
She: Good night Mr. Atharva it was nice talking to you.
With that I ended my conversation. Such a polite girl. Any other girl would have started shamelessly flirting as they all do but this girl was a respectable young lady. I would message her tomorrow, I really needed to know her better. Maybe leaving for Goa next month was not that bad afterall.
***
I am rubbing my eyes a million times
Pinching myself,
Is this a dream?
Will it all go away when I wake up?
Or is it just a beautiful coincidence that
The moon finally noticed a shy star
In the starry night sky.
I read the poem intently. Maybe it was about me or maybe not. Come on! She has better things to think about than me. This was stupid, I hadn’t even met her and I was already drawn to her. Maybe it was because of the poems because I had ordered the entire month’s supply of YouthStar of last month just to read them.
I see grey, where I should have seen red.
Maybe because my wounds still bled.
So much sometimes that I refuse to acknowledge them
And therefore I see grey where I should have seen red.
Her poems were beautiful, they spoke of a deep pain. Like as though she could read people’s mind. In every word of hers reflected experience that she had been collecting for a lifetime. Now I was very excited to meet her in person.
The month passed by quickly. Every night I would chat with her first on instagram and now on whatsapp. I know I was losing myself, I didn’t even know who exactly she was except for her name and where she stays and how she looks but I liked her a lot. She had purity in her thoughts and she understood people. She read them like a book and made poems out of them. To her, life was simple, She didn’t expect much from it, her first priority was happiness. She wasn’t at all superficial. Her attire, her makeup, she knew exactly how to carry herself. She didn’t waste too much time into thinking about this but she definitely did put some thought. She was just the right mixture of simplicity and elegance.
Me: Hey, I am coming to Goa tomorrow. Will you like to see me in person?
She: I would love to. I will come on the sets.
Me: okay then I’ll see you there at ten.
I was very excited to see her and hoped that tomorrow maybe the best day of my life.
***
The dandelions wave with the wind,
And bend like they are shy
As I sit down here, anticipating the butterfly.
O come here,
Sit on my palm.
Leave your essence behind.
Let me look at you lovingly,
Give me something to admire.
If I wasn’t sure earlier, now I was. Whatever she had written here was definitely for me. She was anticipating my arrival too. This thought kept running in my mind until the plane touched the land of Goa. Our shooting venue was a beach. I informed Mr. Parker, our director about Rhimzhim and to let her come in if she comes to visit. He nodded and then our shooting started.
Time was passing by and I was totally immersed in my work. I didn’t even realise when from ten it became twelve. There was still no sign of her. I went to find out at the gate.
“Security! Had someone come asking for me?” I asked the guard.
“Yes sir, a girl had come to meet you.” He replied.
“What did you say to her?” I asked him worriedly. The guard was scared he nervously blurted out,
“We told her that you don’t allow visitors when you are shooting.”
My heart sank, she must be hurt after hearing this.
“didn’t Mr. Parker tell you to let her in?”
“No sir.”
Mr. Parker must have forgotten. She must have felt so betrayed. I tried calling her but she didn’t receive a single call. I had to set things right between us. These were the times when I hated being a celebrity. I couldn’t even go to apologise to her now, I had commitments and also I didn’t have the permission. There was only one way out of this.
***
She was sitting on the floor of her room. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered how she had been betrayed. Her phone rang a dozen times but she didn’t receive it. She held a notepad and a pen in her hand and wrote,
I did wrong,
Kept filling the cavity of my fragile heart with love
I thought I was safeguarding it from breaking.
I thought it was stronger,
Didn’t know that it would become heavier.
And sink when he threw it carelessly in the sea.
With that, she threw away the pen and tossed the notepad on the floor. The doorbell rang and as much as she didn’t want to answer it she just had to. Somewhere deep down, she still had hope that it will be me. I will come to apologise.
She ran downstairs and without even looking through the keyhole she opened the door. As soon as she did, she was disappointed. It was a middle aged man, who had worn a suit. She didn’t know who he was and had never seen him before.
“Yes?” She asked.
“Ma’am, I am here to take you to Rodrigues Villa.” He said.
“Rodrigues Villa?” She remembered that I had mentioned to her about a party that was to be held there. Hope started building up again in her heart and a smile wanted to creep onto her face but She withheld it.
“Who has sent you?” She asked him.
Mr. Parker just smiled and handed her a letter. She took it hurriedly and read what was written.
I am rubbing my eyes a million times
Pinching myself,
Is this a dream?
Will it all go away when I wake up?
Or is it just a beautiful coincidence
That the shy star finally saw the moon with
all of it’s scars and not only the bright light.
A smiled finally appeared on her face.
“Let’s go.” She said.
***
A black Mercedes halted infront of the gate of Rodrigues Villa. I was sitting with my friends at the table in my balcony anticipating her arrival. Mr. Parker held the back door open as she slowly climbed down from the car.
Looking extremely beautiful in the red gown that I had sent for her, it was the first girl I ever fell in love with who was walking towards me. The moonlight played a nasty trick, I could see her but I couldn’t see her face.
I excused myself from my friends and ran down the stairs to meet her halfway, that is when the nearby lamp’s light reflected from her face and I saw her perfectly carved features. She was astonishingly beautiful. Her deep black eyes, luscious red lips and her thick black hair that was left loose made her look like a goddess.
Always have heard about Cinderella
And Bella.
The endless love that made them melt.
Never had they ever thought about
How the prince actually felt.
Rich and famous he could have anyone in the world.
But compared to you they would all fail.
For when you came,
You made him feel love for the first time.
In you he has found his fairy tale.
Tears trickled down her cheeks as she heard me say these words. I bend down on one knee and removed a diamond ring from my pocked and held it in front of her.
“So, would you want this to be a happy ending?” I asked.
Tears were still running down her cheeks but now she was smiling more brightly. I had finally succeeded to make this the best day of her life.
“Yes.” She said and instead of taking the ring, she hugged me tightly. I stood up and hugged her back. All of my friends gathered around us and started cheering. I held her hand in mine and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. She looked at it lovingly and placed a hand over it. Then she raised her eyes to meet mine and we both smiled.
***
“So, after our marriage this is going to be our bedroom.” I showed her the big room that had a balcony facing the sea.
She was amazed, I could see it on her face. Our room had the best interiors, the most comfortable spherical king sized bed, two soft cushioned chairs and a big swing that was enough for two people to sit down. There was a large closet that I had stocked with many new clothes and a big dressing table where I had ordered the makeup kit that she liked. As I was telling her all this, she walked straight to the balcony and opening the door she went ahead to look at the beautiful view of the sea. She didn’t care, that the sun’s rays were falling on her neither did she want the soft cushioned chair. She went to the edge of the balcony and sat down on the floor. This was her, this was my Rimzhim, her simplicity was her beauty.