2012 :
Lé Càfé, Versova beach, Mumbai. .
It was three in the night, well early to morning. I stood by the fence and Dhruv was resting on the chair with his legs up on the table. The silence that prevailed got mixed with the slush of the waves and we both spoke nothing after I had stopped. The atmosphere around was heavy with the breeze going colder and dense. The pitch dark shade of the sky was turning to creepy blue. My mind was still not able to register the chaos that grew up ten hours ago in my life. The waves had caught my attention and I could clearly hear the clash between the waves. Too much of caffeine had made my eyes go red, well just not the caffeine, tears as well. A totally messed person was standing and looking at the vividity of nature not able to understand the vividity within himself.
I sighed and turned facing Dhruv while my back was facing the beach. He raised his brows in question, I nodded and said nothing. He had patiently heard every word I had spoken. He had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask, but he refrained only looking at me. The entire road was empty with a distant street lamp glowing and few stray dogs sleeping beneath the beam of light. The waiter at Le Cafe was asleep as I had assured him of no more orders.
"Oh hero!" Dhruv called out. I turned towards him to see him get up from the table and walk across. I folded my hands and stood still.
"You have had one roller coaster life back at Bangalore, brother. The way you see life, can hardly be found in people these days. From the day I have known you, a strange perspective of yours has always made me look up to you. Now I know what that strange thing about you is." He brushed my hair and put his arm around my shoulder and stood by my side.
I nodded at it and sighed. All these talks of people always went above my head. I did not realise what they meant when they spoke such things. All that mattered to me was to be true my conscience. Being true to myself and reacting for a situation had pushed me to this state of mine.
"I know you would not believe in what I said, that's ok. I have a few things to ask." He paused and I nodded to him in reply.
"You both had that understanding which lacks in people who know each other for more than what you both knew each other. Yet, I see you stand here this way. What went wrong? I don't need to know Aarti more, by hearing to all that you have told, she would never leave you. I just don't understand." He was not aware of the call that happened ten hours ago which led to all this.
"A call, just one call landed us where we are today. I was at fault, I lost it and she took a decision, a decision may be right for her. " I moved away from the fence.
"Be clear Mayank. I hardly understand these lines."
"Well, final year I got placed and moved to Mumbai. I had a limited time frame to build myself to ask her for myself from her parents. Though it was tough for both of us, I moved here and I knew how weak she fell over there. Post me moving here, its been constant calls that had kept us in touch and I had gone down to Bangalore twice last year. Things were all fine, only till she turned twenty three. " I paused. He nodded his head and listened to me carefully.
"A girl at twenty three, all of a sudden becomes a form of duty to parents from being a daughter. With the building tensions at home regarding the proposals she was posted with every fortnight and the distance between us, made her paranoid. It was her birthday and for the first time ever I had missed it, I was not there by her side celebrating it for her. All thanks to Mr. Agarwal." I paused looking at Dhruv as he had to tell something.
"And the fight was because of the birthday?" He was shocked.
"No. The dent started from there. As I could not make it for her birthday, I had called up Payal and Nishanth to plan something and keep her happy. She knew from the beginning that I wouldn't make it. As per the discussions, Nishanth planned things for her and everyone were there with her except for me. I had picked a dress for her from a store here and sent it across. The day ended there fine but a scratch was done here. " I moved to a bench aside and sat with my legs up on the fence.
"She was upset that I couldn't make it. I had given her a call in the evening and she had liked the black dress I had sent but was angry. I knew the anger but the way she reacted was not usual. That was the first day where she spoke in a way that was very disturbing." I had lumps in my throat even with the thought of the conversation that we had four months back. I paused for a while. Dhruv just stood at the fence and looked at me.
"Thank you for the dress and your wishes.I just realised one thing today, I have become a granted entity in your life. I am at an easy access fo r you and hence I am losing my value in your life. Your Mumbai life, profession has been enthralling for you which has made you this way. Well, I deserve this Mayank. Thank you. I must say, your friends were better." These were her words over the call, with out letting me speak. I saw Dhruv's eyes popping at it.
For the first time I had felt she never understood me, I wanted to speak out but her words were just too heavy and they had snubbed my voice. I had apologised, wished her again and hung the call. That was the second day I had tears in eyes because of her words. The first was when I had heard those three magical words from her.
"That mood of hers prevailed for few weeks. Every conversation of ours had taunt in them and never was it smooth. With time, she had let that go and I was happy that she did, but I always knew this would pop up every now and then. Our conversations had become less informal and something tedious. I missed that magic and her sparkle that revived me." I saw his face.
"Things seem a joyous ride but later we realise the bumpy track" Dhruv sighed and sat on the table.
"Last week, I was rerturning home from office when I got a call from her. She was devastated, her voice seemed damped. Her parents were pretty seroius about getting her married with in a year and that was just not the thing. There was something else that bothered her more than th emarriage proposal cause by then she had rejected two. She did not make a mention of what was bothering her then, I did ask once but never insisted like always. I consoled her like every other time and assured her that within a year I would be flying back to Bangalore and fix everything for us. She seemed half convinced and hung the call. I assumed she would be fine and did not question much."
"And why did you not insist on asking her what else was bothering her other than this?" Dhruv questioned. I had no asnwer to give. All I knew was I was not the same person like before. The main reason I was here at Mumbai was to get setteled soon and get back to have her in my life, but twhen I understood that she did not realise it, I was broke from with in. I realised, somewhere the connect was getting affected. May be the fact that it was now a long distance relation, we were facing all trhis. But, something definitely was not right.
"Complete it Mayank, the more you fight within yourself, more thev problem will lingerf around by you." Dhruv broke the pause I had taken.
"I was at cafetria by four in the evening. I had taken a break. After a lot of thinking, I decided to talk to her and pour everything out and get things back on track. Get the magic working. I gave her a call and the call went missed. I assumed she was held with work and I waited for a while before calling again. After a while when I tried, it was recieved but I could here disturbance, and a group of people talking. I felt she was with her family and hence I kept he call." I gave him the background of what had happened. Dhruv nodded his head.
"I got back to work and had not noticed her calls. There were fifteen calls that I had missed by half past five in the evening. I took another break and headed out to give a call. That call which ended it for us. The phone dialed and she received"
"I explained her my situation why I couln't answer her call and in return she mocked me down with her one liner did I ask you for your explaination. I was stunned at that and felt silent. Her words only meant that, she wanted to make a point and that is when she had called. I had gone mute at the way she moved. I gave her the chance to speak." I stopped to see Dhruv's eyes go round in wonders.
"I can't wait anymore, I can't keep my parents in the dark. Waiting for you and your words, I have realised I am heading for a dead end. I have got nothing but a void. A void towards which I don't even want to turn." I stated her exact words to him and continued.
"There is this one proposal that is very dear to my family. They feel this would be apt for me and the family. I don't feel the need for you to know about the proposal as I have decided to go with my family. I have to see my happiness as well and so I decide to let you free, sorry set myself free." her words were just building in rage.
"From almost six months the relation that we had has been a prolonged one and so I feel its better draw the curtains down and not bother for each other."
"Her words took a tornado within me, tears had caught the heat and they rolled down as she spoke. Her attitude towards the relation had changed. The relation had become an entity of past accoring to her and she felt it a prolonged one. All this made me lose myself." I still had my eyes waterlocked recollecting the incident that had happened.
"I did not know we stand here this way. Well I should have seen this coming. This was what was your plan, you however knew that you would tie the knot to the one who your family chose. I was just the back up for you. You have played your cards realy well, I must say. Respect for all the acts you have put up. As far as the new guy is concerned, to hell with him.:" this is was the first ever time I had spoken to her in rage. I did not realise it when I had.
"Dhruv, I know i am at fault, I shouldn't have yelled at her. She was right in every way. She has all the rights to look for her happiness and when she knows what her happiness is, I think she should go with it." Tears rolled down. I wiped them quick as I had felt I had shed a lot of tears already.
"Mayank, every individual gets a second chance, what you have spoken was a reaction to what you had heard. Do not regret now. " He paused as he sensed a vibration in the behind table. He got up to check and stood their with my phone in hand.
"I think you god wants you both to give second chances to each other." He showed the phone and waved.
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