Pic :Link
I have just
9 more months – Komal thought, staring at her engagement ring. It was a special
day, but somehow it failed to fulfil her expectations. Everyone complimented
her expect Pravin, the man to whom she was engaged. Though she found him
staring with appreciation, but she expected a word or two. Her apprehensions haunted
her once again. “I have just 9 more months, to stay with my parents, to live my
life as I wish, before getting married to a stranger, about whom I know nothing”
she thought. His resume only spoke of his age, job and other silly details that
might interest a future employer not a life partner. She wanted to know him as
a person. His likes, his dislikes, his passions. Lost in her thoughts she soon
drifted to sleep.
Next day as
soon as she reached office her friends gathered around her.
So, what
happened after the ring ceremony, I mean after we left – teased a friend
Hand holding
or more than that – teased the other
She forced
a smiled and changed the topic, she had nothing to share. All the time she was
surrounded by relatives and Pravin didn’t make any excuse to talk with her in
private.
Days leaped
to weeks and weeks to months. Being in the same city they met a few times. Pravin
wasn’t as introvert as she thought but still he was a serious guy. She envied her
friend Shweta, whose fiancé was romantic and always surprised her with flowers
and surprise visits. Komal craved such surprises from Pravin but it never happened,
they never talked over phone for hours. Initially it was difficult to talk to
him, but then she started talking about her day, her silly thoughts and her
crazy dreams. He would smile now and then and reply in a word or two, but nothing
more than that. As time passed, they opened a little. He talked about his
family, friends, his dreams and sometimes he would give her a friendly hug. He
was a gentleman. She respected him, but love was still a question.
One day in
office Shweta was crying in the washroom.
“Hey
Shweta, what happened?” – Komal asked wondering why should she cry when she has
such a wonderful fiancé.
“My fiancé eloped
with someone else.” Shweta said in between her sobs.
“What? How is
that even possible? He loved you so much.” Komal exclaimed.
“Well, this
is what he said. Words are sometimes meaningless. I wished he was faithful rather
than romantic.” Shweta said and left.
Komal stood
there for long deciphering her words. Being a sensitive person she couldn’t
concentrate on her work anymore and took half day leave.
“Pravin,
can you imagine how low Shweta must feel, when I am feeling this bad for her.” She
wanted to vent out her feelings.
“Don’t
worry, she will be fine.” Pravin said tersely.
“My parents
are not home and I am feeling low.” She said expecting to hear a few fancy
words.
“You are
thinking too much. Just go out for a while, you will feel better. Now listen, I
have an important meeting in an hour and I need to prepare for it.”
“Ok” her
voice hinted disappointment, but he didn’t realise.
She gulped
down a painkiller and dozed off.
Her sleep
was broken by loud bangs on the door. Startled, she rushed to the door. A thousand
thoughts revolved as she opened the door.
Pravin was
standing at the door, a disturbed look on his face.
“Where is
your mobile?” his tone was uneven and before she could answer, he hugged her like
never before.
And as she
was enveloped in his rough arms she was confused and shocked but most
importantly she felt connected. The hug spoke a thousand words he failed to say.
“What…why…I
mean what happened”. She fumbled for words.
He freed
her from his embrace and suddenly the panic in his voice changed to anger.
“Where is
your mobile?” his voice shook the very core of her soul.
“Under the
pillow. It’s on silent mode,” she said. “But what happened? And why are you’re
here? You had an important meeting.”
“Go and
check your phone,” he said sternly.
She rushed
inside and checked her phone. There were 25 missed calls from him and a text –
where are you, please pick up the phone.
She rushed outside
in confusion, but he was gone. Without any explanation. She called him and all
he replied was “Rushing to office, I have missed an important meeting. Call you
later.”
Confusion brewing
on her face, Komal saw a neighbour running in tension.
“What happened
Mahesh Bhai?” she inquired.
“A bus met
with an accident at the entrance of our society, it hit a girl who must be
about 25 years old, she was driving a white scooty. She is seriously injured
and admitted in hospital. The bus finally crashed over a wall and many
passengers got injured. The news is over all channels.” He said and left.
A girl of
25, white scooty, her society… oh, so that’s why Pravin came rushing over,
leaving his important meeting.
That was
the precise moment, she fell in love with him. He was like that, not good with
words, maybe to the extent of weirdness, but then wasn’t she weird in her own
ways? And she remembered her friend’s words. Words are sometimes meaningless. I wished he was faithful rather than
romantic. A man like Pravin. She knew “I love you” was not a statement she was
going to hear often, she would miss all the surprises and long chats. But then
she would be protected, cared for and of course loved.
And precisely
9 months after her engagement Komal got married to the stranger, oh sorry the
person she loved, her soulmate.
‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’
