Prerna Sharma
Thu 02/16/2018 4:13 PM
To: Sohil Ashvin Shah (write@sohilashvinshah.com)
Dear Sohil,
I hope you remember me. We met on CCD, the day before yesterday, and you gave me a signed copy of your book to read. I would like to inform you that I have finished the book and I liked it. However, I have few questions to ask you. Please give me your convenient time and place to meet you in person again.
Thanks!
With best regards,
Prerna Sharma.
Sohil Ashvin Shah (write@sohilashvinshah.com)
Thu 02/16/2018 6:53 PM
To: Prerna Sharma
Dear Prerna,
Of course, I remember you. I have a good memory. Sure, we can meet on Sunday at The Jungle Bhookh restaurant, Ellis Bridge at 12:30 pm.
Please call me on my number mentioned below before coming.
Sohil
(+91) 9624053007
……………………………………
February 18, 2018
The Jungle Bhookh Restaurant, Ahmedabad
‘Beta, what are you doing? Don't mess up the table clothes,’ Sohil said to his niece, Harvi.
‘Bettu, Don't disturb me. I will make a white bird with this tissue,’ Harvi said.
She knew that Sohil's ex-girlfriend used to call him Bettu so sometimes Harvi too calls him Bettu.
‘Ok beta, but tell me first what you want to eat?’ I asked her.
‘Pastaaaaaaaaa’ she screamed in the restaurant.
Everybody around them in the restaurant started looking at her.
A newly married bride who sat next to their table gave Harvi a flying kiss and told her husband that she wanted their child to be like little Angel. Harvi smiled back to the couple.
‘Pastaaaaa Pastaaaaaa Pastaaaaa’ Harvi continued screaming. She realized that she was getting noticed by doing such things. Naughty girl.
‘Babu, besi jaa nai toh pela uncle marse.’ Sohil asked her not to scream in the restaurant otherwise, the manager of the restaurant would scold her.
Harvi looked at the manager. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
‘Khotu khotu bole chhe bettu, Jo hase chhe e uncle,’ Harvi told Sohil that he was lying as the manager smiled at her.
Sohil laughed and ordered pasta for her.
Prerna called Sohil to inform him that she is at the gate of the restaurant. Sohil went at the entrance to greet Prerna. She was again in the boy’s attire, a loose full sleeve t-shirt, blue jeans, sports shoes.
They hugged each other, asked about each other’s health and settled down on their respective chairs.
‘So? You read the novel within a day ya?’ Sohil asked Prerna.
‘Not in a day, within five to six hours. The whole night.’
‘Ohh great. I hope you liked it as you said over the phone.’
‘Me bhi bajrangbali ki bhakt hun, me bhi kabhi juth nahi bolti’ Prerna said.
‘Hahaha. You got me.’
She smiled.
‘Who is she?’ Prerna asked Sohil, pointing finger at Harvi.
‘Oh. She is Harvi. My sister's daughter.’
‘She is cute.’
‘Yup.’
‘Is she the one whose photo has been portrayed on your book's cover page?’ She asked
‘Yes. I have adopted her.’
‘Really?’
‘Haanji.’
‘Hanji haan? You have also become Delhi wala.’ Prerna said.
‘Hahaha! No comment.’ Sohil zipped his lips.
‘Hmm. But seriously, have you adopted Harvi?’
‘Yes. Legally I cannot adopt a girl child, and I cannot be a single father. So legally, she will be my sister's daughter only. But I will be her guardian and everything.’ Sohil said.
‘Did your sister agree?’ She asked
‘Of course. I am Harvi's MAMA; MAA and MAA are equal to one MAMA. So I love her double than my sister does.’ Sohil said
‘Hmmm. Nice.’
‘And Harvi is free to live anywhere either with my sister or me.’
Prerna nodded. Sohil ordered two cold coffees for him and herself.
‘Bettu, Can I go to the children play area?’
‘Okay beta, I will tell uncle to send your pasta there. Okay?
Harvi went to play area, and Sohil told the waiter to serve her Pizza there.
‘So tell me Ms. Prerna, why do you want to meet me?’ Sohil asked.
‘Haan. I have some questions. Can I ask if you don't mind?’ Prerna asked.
‘Arrey of course. Go ahead.’
‘Is this your real love life story? I mean you fell in love with a Delhi girl?’
‘Yes. It's true. Almost eighty percent.’
‘Hmm. So what's her name?’
‘Haha. Sorry, let her name be secret. But you can call her Hritisha.’
‘Starting with an H. Right?’
‘Haha. Right.’
‘Hmm. So did you guys met in Dubai.’
‘Nope. On a matrimonial site. It was twenty-third February, two thousand fifteen.’
‘What? Then to whom did you meet in Dubai?’
‘No one. Let me tell you; I have already started writing the story from December two thousand fourteen only. I had written few chapters before I met my Delhi wali girlfriend.’
‘Ohh. Really?’
‘Yup. Hritisha was an imaginary girl for me at that time. My kind of girl you know?’
‘Got it.’
‘But somehow, I could not write further till I met Hritisha, the real one. She was the same as my imaginary girl.’
‘Sounds great yaar.’
‘Hmm. Therefore, I added our love story in my half-written love story. I could not finish the novel if I did not meet the Real Hritisha on matrimonial site.’
‘Wow Sohil, then that late night and early morning chats, chat sex, your four days in Delhi, your unique style of the proposal, parents meeting, breakup period, everything is true?’
‘Mmmmm. Not really. But, I hardly added five percent fiction after when we had proposed each other for the first time.’
‘Aww. I will not read again, if I do, I will start crying.’
I nodded. The waiter served our coffee on our table.
‘So did she reply after you last love letter?’ Prerna asked Sohil after the first sip of her coffee.
‘No. I have doubt whether she read or not’ Sohil replied.
‘She must have read, it is almost one and half year dude. But she ignored to reply.'
‘I don’t know, but At least I had said what I wanted to say.'
‘Hmmm. Are you still waiting for Hritisha? I mean the real one, Delhi wali?’
‘I don’t have much expectation. However, one thing for sure, I cannot love anyone else in my entire life. I have tried to fall in love again; even I had created my matrimonial account again last month but I deleted my profile. I see HER reflection in each and every girl.'
‘Sohil, I can understand. However, you should fall in love again. She chose her way; you have to choose your way also.'
‘Yeah, I have decided already. I wrote a book for her. I wanted to make my first relationship to be very special. I want to make her the special person of my life.'
‘So it means, you do not have feelings in your heart, right?’ Prerna asked
‘I have, but not for any other girl. Whatever feelings I have in my heart, is only for HER’ Sohil replied.
‘Do you think you would survive your entire life alone, without her?’
‘I will try my best. I will try to make my career in film industry.'
‘It’s not that much easy Sohil.'
‘I know, frankly, I do not want to ruin any other girl’s life. I know myself; I cannot love as much as I love Hritisha. The girl who will come to my life will also come with many expectations, which I cannot fulfill. I have only feelings for Hritisha, as I said.'
‘Hmm. Then why your book title is ‘Come back to leave me… again’? Why you want her to get back in your life again and to leave you again?’
‘See Prerna; I have not seen her since last almost one and half year. I have only her nine hundred forty-seven photographs in my mobile.'
‘Really? Do you still have her photographs in your mobile?’
‘Of course, I look at them to motivate myself.'
‘Wow, Can I see her? Please Sohil’
‘No. Let her be secret.'
‘I promise Sohil; I won’t tell anyone else.'
‘Kha mummy kasam?’
‘Mummy kasam’
Sohil showed the photographs of her ex-girlfriend. Prerna noticed that he had made a folder in his phone gallery named ‘My Life’ in which there were almost 950 photos of his ex-girlfriend. Prerna saw almost each photo very carefully.
‘Wow Sohil, she is gorgeous.’
‘She is beautiful by face and by heart both, she is my angel. She deserves the best in her life, and I wanted to give her all the happiness which she deserves, but luck did not favor me’ Sohil said
‘No worries Sohil. You are the real lover of this generation, where, couples do not believe in commitments.’
‘Thank you for the compliment.'
Sohil finished his cup of coffee.
‘Haan, toh coming back to my question. Why do you want her to get back in your life and to leave you again?’
‘As I told you, I haven’t seen her for last one and half year. I have tried to see her on Facebook from another fake account also, but her profile is not public. Only her friends know her activities.'
‘Hmmm.'
‘So, I don’t know something stuck deeply in my heart. I want to see her for the very last time, I want to hug her tightly for the very last time, I want to kiss her for the very last time, I want to play with her hair for the very last time, I want to stare her for hours for the very last time, I want to explain to her how much I love her and will love her in future too for the very last time, I want to make her the special person in the world for me very last time. I want to ask for forgiveness for my all kands very last time.'
‘Why last time only?’
‘See, I know that she cannot marry me. Her parents did not allow her at that time, and she chose her parents over her love. I respect her decision. Think about that, if Harvi will take the decision to marry against my decision, definitely I would be little hurt even though I will support her. I also want my daughter to be like Hritisha’ Sohil said.
‘Hmm. Correct, even I cannot marry against my parent's decision’ Prerna said.
‘Exactly, therefore, I just want to see her last time. I will collect all the one-day memory with me and will spend my entire life with those memories.'
‘I will cry Sohil. Kash tum mere boyfriend hote.'
‘Aww. Sorry Prerna, hard luck, better luck in next birth’ Sohil said.
Both laughed.
‘Anyway, there is no comparison between your ex-girlfriend and me. She is far better than me Sohil.' Prerna said
Sohil winked and smiled.
‘By the way lekhak babu, you have mentioned three questions behind the book cover, but you haven’t answered it in your novel. Why?’
‘I wanted my readers to find out the answers to those questions. I did not want to write my perception of the questions on reader’s mind’ Sohil Said.
‘Hmmm. What about the readers like me? I mean who are illiterate in romance. I want the answers from your side.’
‘No way. Find the answers yourself’ Sohil winked.
‘Yaar Sohil, Pleaaaaassseeeeeeeee. Please tell me why does the love always seem beautiful in romantic novels and Bollywood movies, but not in real life?’ Prerna asked.
‘Okay okay, baba. See, It because God gives the love as a gift to his Special VVIP Children only. The luckiest person can spend his entire life with someone whom he or she loves. And the individuals who cannot get his or her love, they write romantic novels or make Bollywood movies, just to tell the unlucky people that, do not lose hope because love is the most beautiful thing in the world’ Sohil replied and laughed.
‘Very funny. Then why the people who are in love with each other very deeply, do the breakup? Why they should not be in any relationship after a breakup?’ Prerna asked.
‘See, the world runs in the formula of ‘Give and Take’. The same method is also applicable in love affairs too. Both should do little bit compromise, little bit sacrifice to save their relationship.
However, if one person fails to do so and consequently they end up the relationship. You cannot be in any relationship after break up because one person always believes that he or she will fall in love with the different person again. Therefore, he or she just hides their feelings in the name of friendship. The other side, the person who has still hope, cannot see another person happy with anyone else. After break up, he or she always thinks that another person should always be happy with me only and sometimes they make blunders also just like I made for which I paid a lot.'
‘Hmmm. I can understand. But the ex-lovers always try to deal with damages, instead of trying to stay together again, why?’
‘Prerna, tell me one thing. Just guess if you have a pet dog to whom you love the most and the dog loves you as well. However, accidently or by purposefully, because of the dog, you hurt. Maybe he bites you while you were playing with him and it caused a serious injury. Will you play the same way in future with that dog? No. Right? You will be cautious or maybe you will not play at all, but, if you play also, you won’t be able to play as freely as before. Same way, after a breakup, the lovers only remembers their bad experiences with each other.’
‘Haaawww! You mean the lovers are dogs?’ Prerna laughed
‘I just gave an example. I could not think something extraordinary at this time.'
‘Arrey Just kidding.'
‘Hmm...So I hope all your doubts are clear now.'
‘Yuppp. Almost’
‘So shall we leave?’ Sohil asked.
‘Yeah sure’ Prerna Said.
Sohil asked the waiter to bring the bill. He went to bring Harvi from the children’s play area after paying the bill.
‘Should I drop you somewhere? I have my car’ Sohil asked.
‘No No. I have my Activa. Thanks for asking.'
‘That’s cool. Chalo beta, say bye to Didi’ Sohil said to Harvi.
‘Bye Didi’ Harvi waved her hands and said bye to Prerna
‘Aww. bye, sweetie pie. Give me a kiss please’ Prerna asked Harvi to give a kiss on her cheeks. Both Harvi and Prerna kissed each other on their cheeks.
‘Okay, Sohil. See you. Take care.'
‘You too Prerna.'
Both hugged each other and said goodbye. Sohil put on his sunglasses and headed towards his car. Prerna was thinking something, as she wanted to say something to Sohil. She waited outside until Sohil brought his car from the parking lot. He noticed Prerna.
‘What happened to you Prerna? Any problem?’ He asked from his car.
‘Nothing. I was just waiting for you.’ She said
‘Why?’
‘I want to tell you something Sohil.'
‘Haanji, Say?’ Sohil got down from his car and asked Harvi to sit inside the car only.
‘I don’t know I should say or not. However, please move on in your life. I know that it is hard to live after a break up. I want to confess that I also passed thru the same situation last year. Although it was one-sided love. I do not say forget your love, but you should find someone else who also deserves your love. I am requesting you as your well-wisher’ Prerna held Sohil’s hand.
‘Sure Prerna. I will think about that.'
‘Good Boy. Chal bye.'
Sohil waved his hands and said goodbye to Prerna.
‘She is not aware that the dust accumulated on the books has no power to change its story’ Sohil thought in his mind and smiled.
