No matter where you are in your life, you may be regretting choosing the wrong love.
You may be repenting of some bitter deeds you committed in the past.
What is it like if life luckily gave us a second chance? Can those issues be resolved at least then for a better life?
"Oh, Nisha Ji!", exclaimed Raftaar, dressed in a tracksuit, as he filled a glass with rasna from the jar in his hands. He placed his jar on the teapoy as he sat opposite Nisha. They sat on the long-armed wooden chairs in his balcony juxtaposed to the hall. The sun had already set and the moon too had shown up as a complete circle that late evening. Nisha, in a maroon nightgown, was busy gazing down from the fifth floor. There were little lawns on either side of the passage where senior citizens strolled."What you did was right!", supported Raftaar as she took her glass.
As she began sipping, he added, "A girl ought to keep distance from a married man although he wants to be just a friend of hers. In fact, it's not about the girl or guy. If a married woman tries to get closer to another man, it's he who must stay six feet away from her, and the same is applicable between a married man and another woman as well which is exactly your issue." Nisha nodded as he took his glass and began drinking the juice. Cool and dry breezes blew upon their faces as they looked outside at the silent view.
"Dude, but sending gifts is too much. Alok saar never gifted me even when we were back in our college. He is not that sort of a guy who eyes another woman. He is a loyal gentleman. Why do I feel he is kinda behind me while he has Payal with him?...", wondered Nisha. Raftaar burst a round of laughter, guessing, "Probably Alok was a gentleman and he is no longer the gem you saw in him when you loved him back in 1994."While Nisha shrugged, he commented, "Technology has evolved so well these years. Back in those days, there were only landlines and now, babies are born plugging headphones!"As they laughed over the tech revolution, Raftaar highlighted, "When technology and communications can change, why wouldn't your Alok transform to a bad guy?"
She placed her glass on the teapoy and leaned back on her chair. She nodded, agreeing, "It's possible, dude. I didn't feel it the first time we met outside the temple. But, after seeing the way he treats me, I'm puzzled. I will follow you."She smiled, as tears flooded her eyes, sharing, "Life is weird. I badly hoped he would love me someday, realize it, tell me and we could wed and live like a happy couple till the end of the universe. Now that he is coming closer to me, I am supposed to let go of him."
"It's yet your choice, Nisha Ji", said Raftaar, pointing his finger at her face and clarifying, "I just shared my opinion as you asked what might be running in Dr.Alok's mind. If you feel he has realized the materialistic nature of his wife and wishes to consider you, you must give it a thought..."Nisha shook her head and wiped her tears, guessing, "What if everything was going well between Payal and Alok? What if I was going between them? Now that they are married, I don't want to ruin their family." She stood up and headed towards the door. "Nish Ji, wait!", called he, at which she stopped and turned back.
"He might not have been happy with the girl whom you hate the most, right? What if it were the case? Don't you think you will be missing out on your true love who has finally returned to your life after all these years? Make a wise decision, Nisha Ji!", advised Raftaar. She smiled, walking towards him and enquiring, "I used to feel in the beginning that you kind of crush on me. But, now it's clear. If you liked me, you wouldn't have suggested the second point!" Raftaar laughed, as she chuckled. He nodded and concluded, "Nisha Ji, you won't believe that I never thought of love in my entire life!"
"What!", exclaimed Nisha, shrugging at him who explained, "By the time my five younger sisters got married to their men and settled, I had turned forty. Until they were done with their education and marriage, I had to earn for them ever since my parents passed away right after I started my first job." Nisha patted him, apologizing, "Oh! I'm sorry.."He smiled and caught her hands, reassuring her, "You are my neighbor and my only friend in Delhi, the new city I have shifted to. Remember that I will always be here whenever you need my help." She nodded and thanked him, mocking, "I must say this to you for you are my new neighbor. Contact me for anything you need!"
As she neared the door, she asked him, "Didn't you ever feel incomplete?" He chuckled, replying, "No way. My sisters' families constitute my family. My sisters are my world. I never met a girl who was impressive enough to draw my attention to her." Nisha exclaimed, wishing, "Oh Rabba! Blis my friend with his woman very soon!"He shrugged, enquiring what was blis. She remembered her telephonic conversation with Alok saar where he demanded her to blis(bless) him for his help rather than screw him. She smiled and corrected, "Bless". They waved at each other as she opened the door of the adjacent flat and left inside.
"Hai Ram! None are joining me for dinner. I will sit and eat off. That's all!", screamed Sandhya, pulling her dining chair and filling her plate with white rice. "Mom!", called Nisha, hurrying towards the wash basin beside the dining table. She washed her hands with the red Lifebuoy bottle beside. "You were chatting with the new neighbor. I don't know what our little Alok beta is doing. It's already nine! Our neighbors would have already been fast asleep and my family is next level." Nisha chuckled, comparing, "Mom! You are becoming like your mother nowadays. Granny too used to scold us, remember? We never used to sit for dinner before ten at the night while she used to be tired of calling us since nine. Hahahaha!"
Sandhya smiled and gave a friendly pat on her daughter's forehead, remarking, "Nishoo, your time too will come. I won't be there to see you then though..."Nisha placed her finger on her mom's lips and shook her head, interrupting, "Mom, please don't make me sentimental. You will always stay with me." The two ladies wiped their tears, with Sandhya blaming, "Nishoo, you started the emotional matters. Stop! Eat now!" As the two began dining, Nisha called Alok again who replied back from his closed room that he would be joining in another five minutes.
"I have a doubt, Nishoo", whispered Sandhya, as Nisha chewed the beans curry. "How is little Alok like you although he isn't your biological son? You too never used to come as soon as we call you. Remember your college and school days? You reformed after you began your career. Thanks to Software Engineering!"The two laughed, as Nisha gave a long hum and found a satisfactory reason, "Mom! Perhaps, it's because Alok has been living with me ever since he was seven years old. And never repeat he isn't my son. Yes, he didn't grow in my womb yet he is my son-my only heir." They smiled and continued their supper.
Meanwhile, a banner decorated with red text on a yellow background of a poster printed in smooth flex sheets was put up at the gate of the Kanpur Technological University. The service road in the midst of which the college lay, had a few scooters and Maruti cars going here and there. 'Farewell, batch 1990-94', said the banner in cursive font.
As Alok saar, in a black formal suit, stood at the tip of the corridor and faced the quadrangle, he adjusted his black tie. He smiled, sighing and looking around. His friends were busy hogging afar. He looked at his clock striking two and stared at Payal standing outside a classroom in the corridor of the first floor. He blushed at her who was busy getting Rashi's signatures on her slambook. She looked pretty in a grey fancy saree with a lot of white glitter on it.
"Alok saar!", called out Nisha, in a dark blue sari with golden-colored embroideries on it. He turned back to see her standing right behind him. He stood blank as she smiled and hugged him with tears. He remained speechless while she touched his cheek housing two lines of thick black beard along its border and began, "Chill! I won't pester you or Payal again. As you know, what happened in the hospital after I collapsed due to stress, I have promised my mom to be a good girl. I am no longer obsessed with you, as you call it-the so-called obsession."
She ran her fingers through his face at which he blushed a bit. She blushed widely, completing, "There may come a day in your life when you don't have anyone around to love you. I will always love you until my last breath. I will always be there for you, Alok saar, no matter whether you do something good or something bad. Thank you for teaching me what love is. You can come to me anytime you need a shoulder to rest your head and weep your heart out. You can call me mad but what's wrong with getting mad in love? Everything is fine in at least love if not war."
She released him and smiled. She waved at which he too waved back. "All the best!", said they, in chorus, after which she blushed and left, leaving him to wonder behind. He thought," Aww! Nisha medam loves me very much. Why couldn't I ever stop her whenever she neared me like today?", as the scene of her touching his cheeks flashed in front of his eyes. "Do I feel happy with her? Why did I too blush when she blushed? Have I fallen..." His thoughts were interrupted as she saw him running towards him. She hugged him tightly and smooched his left cheek.
"I love you, Alok saar", confessed she, again and repeated it twice as she set three feet back, turned, and ran away. He stood blank and smiled to himself. Before he could begin analyzing himself and thinking, Payal dragged him and they ran towards the stairs. She asked him, "Alok baby, what are you doing here? Let's head over to the terrace where dance events are happening. They are so much fun! Why are you standing alone, da?"
"I love you too, Nisha medam!", revealed Dr.Alok, loudly, as he opened his eyes only to spot the sealed bottle of wine on the dining table by which he sat. Presently, Dr.Alok woke up from his dining chair where he had leaned and dozed off. He looked around and banged the table hard, calling Nisha from deep inside his heart while the scene of him abandoning his little two-year-old son on the road, giving his son fake hopes, "Papaa has important work. I will come and pick you up. Stay here." He yelled within the four walls of his hall, as his son's voice calling him, "Paapaa!Pappa!" and waving flashed in his heart.
"What have you been doing? We finished our supper already, Alok beta", announced Nisha, entering her son Alok's small study room having a bed and a computer table. She saw him scanning his notes with his smartphone. The flash fluctuated as he kept turning pages and clicking pictures. She folded her hands and raised her eyebrows at him. He turned at her and smiled, requesting another five minutes. She caught his hand and closed his notebook. "Mom! I need to share the assignment with my class", said he, trying to open his notebook.
"Are you the only student in the fifth semester of your college?", asked she, at which he shook his head. She asked him why he had to share his hard work with lazy students. He defended his classmates telling that they had some personal problems or were busy. "Oh! So, you feel as if you are the hero of your class?", teased she, turning his ears at which he screamed like a little boy. She dragged him to the refrigerator and asked him to take the first-aid box from the rack beside.
No sooner did he offer it to her than she grabbed a white bandage from inside and rushed to her mom. She requested her to wrap her left palm with the bandage. "But, why? Are you out of your mind?", asked Sandhya at which Nisha urged her to hurry to tie the bandage and that she would elaborate later. Sandhya took a roll of bandage and cut a part of a decent length. She rolled it perfectly around Nisha's left hand and sealed it.
Nisha rushed Alok back to his room and sat on the bed. She smiled, pointing at her bandaged hand and cooking up, "Beta, inform your lazy mates that your mom got hurt and that you must take care of her. So, you haven't yet completed your assignment. Simple! Let them do their assignments by themselves. Isn't an assignment given to practice for your internal?" He nodded, sharing, "But, I already updated them that I completed the Data Communications work. It won't be fair, mom. Let me help them..."
"Stop beta! I, your mom, cannot see her son's work taken for granted. Tell them that I am serious. Tell them that a few questions are still left for your assignment and you just noticed. Fast! Hurry up!", highlighted his mother. He was about to capture the photo of her injured hand that she directed him to stand a few feet away and capture from somewhat afar. He shot and informed his friends that they immediately texted him to look after his mom. "Arey! We will help you this time for your assignment", guaranteed they, in the class group and began to catch the other girl," Tanya! Send the assignment. It's due tomorrow. Tanya, please!"
Alok looked down at the ground and faked a smile as Nisha laughed. "Mom, I feel guilty about using you...", said he, at which she returned inside with a plastic plate having his dinner; some beans curry, curd rice, and a few chips. They sat on the couch behind the study table as she pushed a mouth of beans into his mouth, consoling, "Beta, you didn't use me. Your classmates have been using you for their assignments so far. For a change, you use them for your next assignment." He caught her hand and fed himself, declaring, "No mom, I won't use anyone. It's bad." She slammed her forehead and gave up as they continued smiling and dining happily.
Will Raftaar find his lady? Does Alok saar have a place for Nisha medam in his heart?
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