Nisha turned back. She smiled at Sarla. "Hey, I think I know you!", exclaimed the maid, shrinking her eyes and scratching her head. Nisha chuckled as Sarla tried to drill her left index finger through her left forehead. The scene of herself carrying a bowl of fruit salad and entering Dr.Alok's room someday flashed in her mind.
"Sahab, your breakfast!", announced she. She bulged her eyes and caught her breath for a moment spotting her boss blushing at himself as he stood in front of the dressing mirror. She closed her eyes as he smooched Nisha's photo on his mobile. "Waah! Both of you look very cute together. Aww!", she complimented, peeping into his mobile. "Fuck! Did you see everything?", he grumbled, rolling his eyeballs hither and thither, looking away. Sarla smiled, posing a superb hand gesture at him.
"Oh, got it!", Sarla exclaimed, opening her eyes, all of a sudden. "Nice! Do you know me?", enquired Nisha, walking towards Sarla. "Nisha Verma madam, right?", screamed Sarla to which Nisha nodded. "Come and have a seat!", jumped the excited lady, dragging her guest to the couch. "Aww! Sahab's love is here!", she declared, winking at her. Nisha blushed, sitting on the single sofa.
"Your real smile is more beautiful than that in the photo", commented Sarla. "Aww! Fair brownish beauty! You are so pretty!", she added, pulling Nisha's cheeks. "Your dimples and eyelashes too are cute. Above all, your words are damn sweet." "Ok, thank you so much!", thanked Nisha, chuckling with her left hand on her mouth.
"Would you like tea or coffee?", asked Sarla, jumping again. "So sweet of you. Thanks again but I shall visit some other day to drink and dine but now I really need to do something...", replied Nisha, as Sarla continued giggling, checking her out. "No!", Sarla interrupted Nisha, "It's the first time you have visited your would-be's house. You mustn't return with an empty stomach. That's what my Bareli granny says." While Nisha shook her head, Sarla rushed to the kitchen. "I will quickly prepare a cup of tea. Wait!"
May it be a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a couple of years, or even throughout one's life, relishing the most beautiful feeling on Earth-the love, it still matters.
While most couples are almost near the silver jubilee of their wedding anniversary, Alok and Nisha are just about to begin their love life!
Love at any age is love. Why not a middle-aged love story?!
Nisha blushed to recollect Sarla's observations of Dr.Alok kissing her photo. Her eyes went over the family photo on the wall opposite her couch. "Is this photo too old?", she thought, examining young Alok's Bhai.
The scene of herself in a short black top having elliptical crevices on both shoulders, upon light blue jeans, climbing upstairs to reach the corridor with the number three painted in grey on a black tile, flashed within her heart. She had tied her thick hair into a high pony with a white cotton band. "Kanpur Technological University", announced the black poster in bright yellow with clouds of mission and vision statements below and above respectively.
"Hi Anjali!", Nisha called out, waving at her friend on the first bench, as she entered the class immediately right off the stairs. It was back in August 1993 that they pursued their final year of Engineering. Anjali, the short and thin girl, with long hair, got up and shook hands with her. "See dude, I think there is hardly a common subject between our branches this semester." They hugged each other. Nisha sighed, massaging Anjali's hair and patting her back.
"Yet, you, me, and Vaishali should be in touch. Okay?", asked Anjali. Nisha smiled and nodded. She consoled Anjali, "Staying in touch doesn't necessarily need a common subject. Friendship actually begins outside the classroom." Anjali chuckled while Nisha's eyeballs dilated, rolling hither and thither to spot Alok saar. She smiled at him sitting on the last previous bench of the rightmost row. He was busy opening a box of laddoos. The two friends bid adieu as Nisha headed towards Alok's bench.
"Saar, what are you doing?", she asked, patting his shoulder. He chuckled, displaying his circular plastic box flooded with medium-sized yellow spherical sweets having cashew nuts and dry fruits embedded in its body. Nisha touched her lips with her tongue and smiled at his five friends sitting around him like his squad.
"So unfair, saar! Not for me?", asked she, shrinking her eyes, raising her eyebrows, and pouting at him. He smiled, as his friends chuckled along. "I don't know...Actually, I brought it for my friends...", he tried to justify, with his meek and hesitant voice. She shrugged.
"Ok, I see. So, according to Alok saar, friendship is no less than a contract. We were friends only until the fifth semester ended..." He shook his head. She pointed at him, continuing, "We were friends only to manage DBMS works. It's all over and friendship cut! Nois(Nice), saar!" She sighed and faked a smile to conceal the tears that accumulated in her eyes.
"Arey, Nisha!", spoke Manoj, sitting beside Alok. "Look, he brought laddoos for his friends. But, you are his girlfriend, right?" Nisha blushed, chuckling at Alok saar who smiled back. He then shrugged at Manoj. "What?!", exclaimed Nisha and Alok, in chorus. The two then looked at each other; she was lost in his light brown eyes.
"Arey! What are you up to?", asked Alok, facing Manoj. Nisha too shrugged, shaking her head at Manoj. "Yes, I was right. We are Alok's friends because we are guys. But, Nisha is Alok's girlfriend as she is a girl. See guys,...", justified Manoj, flipping the pages of his English pocket dictionary. He ran his fingers on a line, emphasizing, "Guys, listen. We have always misused the word. Girl-friend indeed refers to a girl who is your friend. So, I was right! Nisha is Alok's girlfriend but he brought sweets for us, his friends!"
"Aye! Oxford Manoj, stop!", argued Alok. Nisha's smile narrowed and she began walking away, with a heavy heart. Alok turned around and noticed Nisha's right hand going up to her right cheek. "Nisha medam, I didn't mean so! I'm sorry...listen!", called he, chasing her who, by then, had stepped outside the class. He appeared in front of her and blocked her way.
"Take! Why not for you, Nisha medam?", offered Alok, extending his hands with the sweet box to her. He swallowed his tears at her sobbing red eyes. "Fuck! Why did I begin sobbing seeing her sad? What's wrong with me?", he thought, throwing a blank face and losing himself in her dense dark eyelashes.
She looked away, refusing, "It's okay. Thenks, saar. I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked..." She pointed at his laddoos, completing, "There is no fun in demanding a gift. Affection isn't won by requesting. Come on, it's not a petition! The harsh fact is that you didn't feel like sharing your happiness with me." She sighed.
"There isn't a single soul that remembers me with immense love. Alok saar, I love you but you don't even consider me your close friend. Pity me! Perhaps, I don't deserve your gentlemanly love", she thought. She was about to walk away when he called out her name.
"My celebration will be incomplete without your participation", cited he, pushing a laddoo into her mouth. She showed her right palm at him and closed her eyes. She smiled, chewing the big sphere bit by bit. She finally swallowed. "Sexy!", exclaimed Alok, laughing at her. She blushed, bursting out a round of laughter at him.
"Kiddos! Alok and Nisha!", exclaimed a sweet young female voice. The two turned to spot Alia ma'am beside the staircase. Alia looked pretty in a fluorescent green sari and fat golden earrings. Alok and Nisha greeted her with a very good morning. Their lecturer shrugged, smiling at them. "Thenks, Alok!", squealed Nisha. She shook her head, correcting, "Sorry, congrats on your bhai's wedding! Bye!" She waved at him who waved in return. She headed towards the stairs beside.
"Don't you have my System Design class now?", asked Alia ma'am, smiling at Nisha who then turned back and bulged her eyes. "Yes, ma'am!", she acknowledged and extended her right hand straight. She looked down, jogging towards the fourth class in the corridor. Alok faced Alia ma'am who was then chuckling at him. "Ma'am, I have Operations Research now. I shall walk into my class!"
Alok turned back only to dash his shoulder against the door. "Careful, kiddo!", warned Alia ma'am. Alok smiled and nodded, hurrying towards his seat. "Hmm! Looks like there is something fishy between these two kiddos. Go on! Go on!", Alia thought, as she walked, holding a fat textbook in her left hand.
"Madam, tea!", Sarla cheered, in Nisha's ears. Nisha, blushing to herself, standing and hugging the white curtains with yellow-colored glitters on them, shook for a moment to return to reality. She turned at her maid offering a cup and saucer. She nodded and took her drink. As she walked back to sit on the couch, Sarla informed, "Madam, Sahab will be returning home from work. Just wait for a few more minutes." Nisha shook her head at which Sarla blushed, and patted her, denying, "I know how much you are missing him! Hai hai! You were lost in his love just now! Evening dreaming haha!"
"No, Dr.Alok shouldn't know that I came to visit him. Please!", requested Nisha, catching Sarla's palm. "What's the matter? All okay between Saahab and you?", enquired the anxious maid, as her smile disappeared. "By the way, where are Alok's Bhai and bhabhi? His elder brother got married back during our college...", enquired Nisha, pouring the tea into the saucer. As she blew it, Sarla looked at the family photo Nisha pointed and shook her head. "I have no idea, madam."
Nisha nodded, sipping the tea from the saucer. She placed it back on the glassed teapoy with a vase of artificial roses in it. She presented her mobile to Sarla.
"Have you seen her?", asked Nisha, swallowing her fear. Sarla took the mobile in her hands. She shrank her eyes and neared her face to the screen. She saw Payal, as she was, back in college, sitting beside Krishna's idol; her blue lehenga was gorgeously swirled around her. She returned the mobile to Nisha who raised her eyes up and down restlessly seeking a reply.
"Yes!", Sarla responded. A thunderbolt struck Nisha's heart. She couldn't feel her breath for the entire next second. She got up from the couch. "What!", she exclaimed, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Great heavens! What did Nisha just hear? Was her decision to cross-check Dr.Alok right?
Dear readers,
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