31st January, 2013
Udaipur, 21:00 pm
Rushing towards the bus stop, I was wondering whether I would be reaching Ahmedabad on time. It seemed unlikely then. I ran to the gift shop nearby empty stomached—praying that the shop be open. I sighed in relief when I found it open. The shopkeeper gave me a warm smile of recognition being a regular costumer there. I picked up a purple card displaying some poetic lines. I knew the exact amount of money in my wallet and my purchase had to fit in. The shopkeeper often helped me in getting the best things as per my budget.
“How much does this card cost, Uncle?” I asked.
“That will be Seventy-five rupees, son.”
I took out my wallet and paid him the amount. It was already 21:30 and I had to reach Ahmedabad by morning. I had a full night ahead just to contemplate on what I was doing. But I was happy because I was doing it for her. And I knew what she meant to me.
I found seat in an Ac Volvo that promised me to keep me fresh and smelling good when I would meet her. It also met my criteria in terms of both money and comfort. When I took out the phone to look for messages, I smiled seeing the icon of a missed call.
The screen displayed ‘Jaan Reliance’.
I called her and she answered on the first ring as if she was expecting my call.
“Hi Jaan!”I said, with enthusiasm.
“Hi…”Her voice was low—and I knew why.
“What are the plans for your birthday?”
“Nothing much, masa, masi and few cousins will be coming over for dinner.”
“You should be happy then. Why do you sound so gloomy?”
“You are talking as if you don’t know. I want you here,” she said, with a sigh.
“I know Jaan, but I promise, next time we’ll be together.”
“You said this last time too. And you even forgot to wish me.”
“Don’t bring that up now, my love. I said sorry for that a thousand times.”
“I am sorry for being so thoughtless. Listen, I need to go now, and please try to be the first one to wish me. I will be waiting.”
When she hung off, I knew she didn’t believe in my promise. I couldn’t expect her to. I had failed more than once. I had even failed to wish her on her last birthday. That was one of the main reasons for this journey. Luckily, she hadn’t recognised that I was in bus, the benefit of being in an Ac Volvo was the silent ride. Aware that I couldn’t afford to take a nap as it would mean breaking the promise of being the first to wish her, I pulled out my ear-phones and listened to music for almost two hours. I didn’t have the courage or desire to repeat my mistake.
It was 23:45 when I called her. As always, she knew that I’d get impatient and would call her sooner. Still I managed to surprise her blissfully.
“Hi….”
“Hi Jaan, happy birthday!”
“Mm...”
“So just name your gift and it will be at your feet.”
“You, I want you here. Can you?”
“Done…”
“Don’t make false promises, yaar. You are miles away.”
“I’m on my way to Ahmadabad. I will be there by morning. Just make sure you come and meet me at eight.”
“What? Oh my…Are you serious? If it’s a lie then I’ll kill you!”
“I swear on you, my love! Actually, I wanted to keep it as a surprise. But that was a risk, you might make different plans. I want to spend the entire day tomorrow with you!”
“You’ve surprised me, baby! Yeah, we’ll be spending the entire day together and you don’t know how alive I feel now!”
“I know, just as I planned, mission successful.”
“Aha, not so soon baby! Wait for tomorrow.”
“Did you just wink?”
“Oh yes! And you know why….”
“Can’t wait for tomorrow now!”
“Me too!”
“See you Jaan, love you, lots of kisses.”
“Yeah, bye, love you too!”
I ended the call with a blissful smile on my face—just as I intended.
I reached Ahmedabad at six and I had two long hours before she could meet me. I brushed my teeth and washed my face at the public washroom. I didn’t have a better choice. I took an auto to Himalaya mall after picking two newspapers, the times of India and DNA. There was no way I could pass the two hours without her with just two newspapers. Nevertheless, I had almost a thousand songs of my choice on my mobile to whale away the remaining time.
I reached there around six thirty and waited for her for three hours. Being a girl, she had to be late. It didn’t matter to me much. I enjoyed waiting for her. I realised I could add the moment to my diary, my journal, on which I’ had been working on since long. I could add another moment in our exuberant journey.
She arrived on her two wheeler. I kept gazing at her, her eyes. I never got tired of looking into those eyes. Her bow shaped lips drove me crazy and her brownish radiating skin made me long to touch her. I took my time staring fondly at her and as always, she grew impatient.
“Hello! Where are you so lost?” She asked, and her brows furrowed playfully.
“Blame yourself,” I grinned.
“Oh really? Can you explain how?”
“Yes, you’re looking hot!” I said, with a smile.
“I always look hot. Tell me something new,” she replied, with an I-cannot-help-it shrug.
“You’re looking hot enough to make me kiss you in front of all these people,” I said and winked at her.
“Hey shhh!! Control yourself Jaan! You can’t.”
“I understand that, unfortunately,” I said and had to be content with just holding her hand.
I then handed her the purple card which she opened and kissed. She always had a soft corner for cheesy stuffs and I indulged her. They were enough to keep the smile on her face.
We waited for about thirty minutes before McDonalds opened and we—like on so many other days—had our breakfast together. After that, we headed for the newly opened Alpha-one mall where we decided to watch a movie. To be precise, she decided to watch a movie and I decided to watch her watching the movie. I found her expressions more—intriguing, if I were honest.
After watching a blockbuster dubbed Tamil movie, I took her to food-court for some coffee. I waited for her to finish the coffee. I watched her peacefully enjoying each sip. Only I know how I stopped myself from licking the coffee from her lips. She finished and looked at me.
“Are you going to say something? Or will you continue to just watch me?” she said and chuckled. I knew she didn’t mind me looking at her, she in fact cherished it.
I took her hand in mine, bent on my knees which suddenly moved everyone’s attention towards us, which I didn’t mind, had never cared. I never felt embarrassed or guilty about expressing my love for her. She too never hesitated in return. I took out a ring, which had her name Parina engraved on it and offered it to her with a gentle kiss on her hand.
“I said name your gift and it will be at your feet. You asked for me so here I am. At your feet….”
Tears glittered in her eyes, but her face lit up with a smile.
“Thank you Jaan. You know, this has turned out to be my best birthday so far,” she confessed.
“The best is yet to arrive, my love,” I winked.
“Aha, I can’t wait then,” she said.
“But before that, I need to show you something,” I said impassively, trying my best to hold my nerves.
“What?”
I pulled out my diary from my bag and gave it to her. I had titled it,
‘Love Vs Destiny …the strange game of life!’
And the story began…
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About Author:
Atul Purohit (Born 21st April, 1991) is the founder & CEO of Write India Publishers and the compiler of ‘The Unbreakable You’ (An anthology of 27 unbreakable stories.) He completed his B.tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Rajasthan Technical University, where he tried his hand at writing for the first time. He went on to satisfy his creativity instincts and penned down his own love story. He is also a prolific blogger, and ethical hacker. He loves playing Snooker & Volleyball. Presently, he is perusing MBA at Ahmedabad Institute of Technology.
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