That's The Way We Met Page 13

  ‘He sure sounds like an angel, Riya. Even blood relatives do not show so much concern as he did,’ I chipped in.

  ‘He sure was,’ said Riya. ‘Yesterday night, I told Dilip Uncle and Mom that I would join office from today. Dilip Uncle told me that there was no urgency unless I was feeling better. I told him that I can’t take more leave and that I need to work for my team. I explained to him my working profile. He then said that he may have a better job for me as my profile sounded impressive. He said that I can work in his company and earn more than I am earning presently. He believes that with my experience, I deserve a better pay and a higher position. He even went a step ahead and said that if I had some qualms about joining his company, then he could refer me to a few other companies whose HR heads he knew well. I told him that I needed sometime to think. I couldn’t take a quick decision but assured him that I would take the right decision, one which would be keeping in mind my family as well. He agreed and smiled. My Mom was overwhelmed by his giving nature and thanked God for all his kindness over us in absence of my Dad. That day I missed Dad a lot. I missed him more than ever before since his untimely death. Before leaving for office today, I just stared at his photo. I could feel his eyes telling me that we were in safe hands and that I should take the decision sensibly. Tears fell down from my eyes and I decided that I would agree to work under Dilip Uncle in his company.’

  I had been so engrossed in her story that I failed to notice that night had fallen. ‘Jaan, did I do anything wrong in accepting his offer? If you are against it, then I will rethink my decision,’ Riya cried on my shoulders.

  ‘No, my sweetheart, you can never be wrong. My love can never be wrong. If I had been in your place, I would have done the same thing. I am so thankful to Dilip Uncle who managed to help you in this time of crisis despite having his own family to take care of. If he is giving you a better position and salary in his company, then it would be foolish of you not to take him up on his offer. You deserve it. You have a much better profile than I do. Go ahead. Don’t think over it again.’

  I hugged her tightly. I didn’t want to let her go from my arms. I was happy to see her progress in life.

  As the days passed, Riya’s financial condition improved considerably. We were all thankful to Dilip Uncle who gave her a much better job and also helped her brother excel in studies besides giving moral support to her Mom. I wanted to meet Dilip Uncle and thank him personally for his kindness. But I was aware that it was not my place to do so.

  The confidence in Riya’s body language, the glow on her face, and the sweet smile gradually returned. As days passed, Riya slowly managed to move on and accept the fact that her Dad won’t come back to them. She knew she had to prove to him that his daughter could hold the family together even though he wasn’t with them anymore.

  One evening, Riya’s family and Dilip Uncle’s family decided to go for dinner together. Riya requested me to join them as I had told her once that I wanted to meet Dilip Uncle and see for myself their saviour. She told me she had convinced her Mom saying that I just wanted to meet her Uncle and that there was no hidden agenda behind it. I agreed to come at the decided venue.

  I got into a nice suit and left my home. Riya had told me that they would be assembling at Shabri restaurant. I had mixed feelings and did not know how I would react when Riya would introduce me to Dilip Uncle. I stood outside the restaurant and reserved the table for us. Soon all of them arrived. I could single out Dilip Uncle from far itself. He was immaculately dressed in a black suit with a matching bow tie. He seemed to be a big executive of some company. As they came near, I sensed Riya’s Mom was not happy to see me there. It was not because she didn’t like me, but because I was an outsider for them. Riya introduced me to Dilip Uncle’s family as a very good friend of hers and we shared greetings. He casually asked Riya whether we were just friends or seeing each other. Riya laughed and changed the topic. Dilip Uncle was just pulling her leg. We went inside and Riya signalled to me asking me to behave like a sophisticated person. I smiled at her.

  ‘Where are you working, Aditya?’ Dilip Uncle asked me while his son and wife looked at me.

  ‘I am working in SGS in Malad.’ I kept it short. He nodded and smiled.

  Riya introduced me to Dilip Uncle’s son Nikhil who worked as the General Manager in Dilip Uncle’s company. We smiled at each other and exchanged a few pleasantries. Dilip Uncle asked Riya and her brother questions about their office and studies respectively until the food came. After having dinner, each of us ordered a sweet dish.

  ‘What are your future plans, Riya?’ Dilip Uncle asked.

  ‘I just want to get settled and take care of my family. My family is my first priority as of now,’ she answered.

  ‘I just want to say something to all of you. It’s just how I feel. No hard feelings,’ he ventured, ‘Actually, hmm… I don’t know how to say this, but I have been looking for a girl for Nikhil. I asked him if he had someone in mind but he said no. I have been thinking about you for quite some time, Riya. You are a nice girl and understand your responsibilities; you will be perfect for Nikhil. I am not imposing my decision on you. It’s just a suggestion.’

  I swallowed with difficulty the spoonful of dessert. My head spun round. What the fuck! What is he saying? Have I been consuming alchohol all this while? This is crazy.

  I looked at Nikhil. He seemed equally shocked at the announcement but managed a weak smile. I wanted to kill him at that moment. Everything happened in a fraction of second. Riya didn’t utter a word nor did her Mom. I thought that I had lost her but she held my hands under the table to assure me that she was mine. I looked at her but she didn’t even glance at me. She kept looking at her Mom and Dilip Uncle.

  ‘I am not forcing you. You can definitely think it over. Don’t take your decision in a hurry. I don’t mind even if you decline my proposal,’ said Dilip Uncle smiling at Riya’s Mom.

  The grip of Riya’s hand made me feel that I was still her Mr Perfect. She knew how I felt at that moment. I should not have come for the dinner. It would not have hurt so much had Riya told me this over the phone. But I was sure she knew nothing of what was going on in Dilip Uncle’s head all this time.

  So that was why he had helped her out with all that money and a job and everything else. It was all part of his big plan to get Riya to marry his lame ass son! Few days back, I was waiting outside the registration office in my sherwani to get married to Riya. But circumstances changed, the tables turned. Today, I am sitting beside her and I am helpless.

  Everyone finished their sweet dish and came out of the restaurant after the bill was paid, paid by who else, but the great, generous Uncle. I wanted to strangle him there and then.

  I just kept looking at them as they drove away in their respective cars. Riya popped her head outside the car window to look at me till the time their car disappeared into darkness. I didn’t move an inch. I wish we had gotten married that day.

  I wanted to ask her if this was the way she wanted to be. She knew that without her I was so weak. Please… Don’t go. People say I am strong but I need your hand. Don’t leave me like this—so broken, so cold.

  I looked at my cell and Riya’s message popped up.

  Don’t worry, my jaan. I am yours and no one can separate us. I won’t go away from you. I will talk to Mom about this.

  I managed smile but the fear kept killing me. Was it the end? I don’t want to end it this way. I wish I was the scriptwriter of my own life. I wished…

  Can’t Let Go of You

  Riya and I met over a cup of coffee the next day. Her eyes seemed puffy and I could tell she had not slept very well after the disaster last night’s dinner with Dilip Uncle turned out to be.

  Taking a sip of her cappuccino, she said, ‘After I reached home, I had a long, heated discussion with Mom. I told her that it was impossible for me to marry Nikhil as I had already devoted my life to you. But she did not take this very well. She kept on reminding me how Dilip Un
cle had helped us out in crucial times and how we were obliged to him for having restored our lives back to normal.’

  ‘But that is emotional blackmail, Riya,’ I told her, trying to make her realize that her mother was trying to use her vulnerability to her advantage.

  ‘I know that, Aditya. But she being my mother is right in her own way. All she is doing is looking out for us and making sure we are okay. I told her that even though I was grateful to Dilip Uncle for having helped us in times of need, it did not mean that I was going to repay him back for his kindness by pledging my own life in marriage to his son.’

  Riya wiped away the tears from her eyes and continued, ‘Mom would not hear a word of what I had to say and kept telling me that my priorities lied elsewhere. That angered me to no end. It’s not that because I am in a relationship with you, I love my parents and my brother any less? I don’t know where elders get such vague ideas from and why they turn up thinking we don’t care for them enough when in a relationship.’

  ‘Listen now, you don’t need to cry over such a petty thing. You know I love you and nothing in this world can change that,’ I said trying to comfort her.

  She gave me a weak smile and thanked me softly, saying how she would be utterly lost without me. I chuckled and told her she would do just fine. After paying the bill, we left for our respective offices.

  As the days passed, we saw lesser of each other as her Mom made sure to keep a close watch on her. We could not talk to each other as freely as we did before since her mother’s overbearing shadow kept looming large over her head.

  One evening, when her mother was away from the house, she gave me a call on the sly.

  ‘Aditya, I have missed you so much. My mother has been trying her best to convince me to marry Nikhil. But I have put my foot down. The thing that hurts me the most is that she keeps on reminding me how I need to look out for my brother. Her twisted logic is that because Uncle has helped secure my brother admission in college, we are indebted to him forever. I so wished he would not have helped us in the first place. At least I would not be standing at such difficult crossroads today. Every act of his kindness is like a loan whose interest rate shoots up by the second.’

  ‘I know that it is difficult for you to make a decision given the circumstances you are in,’ I said to her on the phone.

  ‘It’s not just that, Adi. Every time I tell my Mom that I want to get married to you instead of Nikhil, she reminds me how you will not be able to fend for me, given that you are just starting out now in life, let alone support our family when the time will come. But money is not everything in life, right? There are other things that one can care about as well,’ explained Riya.

  ‘So what are your views on Nikhil? Do you find him good looking?’ I said trying to ease the situation. But it did not help much.

  ‘Please, Aditya. Looks is not the only thing that is desirable in another person. And why should I be bothered about his looks when I have eyes only for you? I love you, Aditya. I can’t love anyone else. This never-ending saga seems like it is testing my love for you. On the one hand, I can’t go against my family. There is no one to look after them, no one to care of them besides me. I have already lost my father. I can’t afford to lose my mother as well. But on the other hand, I love you so deeply. Even the thought of parting from you is unimaginable,’ said Riya.

  ‘So why keep these thoughts if they cause you such pain? Just drive them away and think about how, very soon, we are going to be reconciled together,’ I told her in an assured tone, even though our future together looked hazy at the moment.

  ‘Why is it that most of the times, a girl chooses her lover over her parents? In most cases, she runs away from home and get settled without thinking once about the shame it will cause her parents. At this particular junction, I am facing the same dilemma. I feel so helpless, Aditya. I am burdened with so many responsibilities and no one can deal with it except me. I need to take a decision fast. I think Mom is back. I will give you a call tomorrow,’ said Riya hurriedly and hung up the phone.

  I reluctantly went to bed after our conversation was cut short by her mother’s entry. But sleep evaded me. All through our conversation, Riya sounded a little lost to me. I kept wondering what decision she would eventually end up making. Will she decide to be with me or will she go with the decision made by her mother? I pushed the thoughts away from my mind and tried to get some sleep.

  A Decision is Made

  It was just another morning; I opened my eyes thinking about her when the alarm bell interrupted my dream. Reluctantly, I got up to get ready for office. However, the day had something entirely else in the store. I dropped the plan of going to office and started waiting anxiously for her phone. I picked the phone twice to call her but something stopped me. I took my bike to buy some roses. My ears were by then desperate to hear the ring tone that I had especially set for her. I was so desperate to hear Riya say that she had declined the proposal.

  And finally, she called me.

  We started talking. As usual, I gave her a morning kiss on the phone. She told me she wanted to meet me.

  I reached the designated place before time. While waiting for her to come, I saw a card gallery nearby, and went in to buy something for her. After much deliberation, I finally settled for a small soft toy and some roses. I was getting impatient and was eagerly looking at each passing cab, thinking might be carrying her.

  Ah! I caught her first glimpse after so many days. She was looking extremely beautiful. Her each step was bringing her nearer to me, making my breathing heavier and uneven.

  And then I spotted her. She was walking towards me in a hurry. She smiled graciously and extended forward her hand to greet me. I found her gesture a bit odd. Usually we would kiss or hug, but she seemed to have her mind occupied on something altogether different. We sat in a restaurant and I ordered a few snacks for us. After the waiter had taken the order and left the two of us alone, she told me with a heavy voice that she had accepted the proposal and was ready to marry Nikhil.

  I was not sure of how to react to that. Suddenly all my excitement was gutted. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  ‘Are you insane? I understand your situation, but please cut the crap. This is utter nonsense. I am perfectly capable of supporting you financially. I would do whatever you want. Why are you doing this to me?’ Even though I told her I was ready to take on her and her family’s responsibility, both of us knew better. It would be impossible for me to look after her brother’s education on my meagre salary. But I was ready to try. I would have done anything. I would have robbed a bank for all it was worth. As long as she was with me.

  ‘Do you think any of this is easy for me? Do you think I can stop loving you? I love you and will always do,’ she said hugging me tightly.

  ‘Then please change your decision. I don’t want you to take one wrong step and repent it all your life,’ I said while holding her by her waist and kissing her neck. I gave her the roses and the soft toy I had bought for her earlier. She smiled and got up to leave. With a heavy heart, I waved her goodbye.

  As I put my bike in gear, Mohit called me.

  ‘Aadi, I hope you guys are coming one week before the marriage, right? I want you here this time and don’t want any excuses. Sonam just called Riya and she has agreed to come. She said she will coordinate with you and leave for Chandigarh accordingly.’

  ‘Sure, buddy. Finally, your marriage date is here. There is hardly any time left. Congrats!’

  We chatted for a bit and hung up. I did not want to tell him all that was happening back in Mumbai. That would have unnecessarily upset him and I wanted him to enjoy his leftover bachelorhood days as much as he could. Riya and I decided to leave Mumbai for Chandigarh the following week.

  It’s the Season of Love

  The wedding was supposed to take place in Chandigarh, Sonam’s ancestral home. Even though Riya and I travelled together, not much was spoken along the way. I tried to convince Riya to
reject the proposal, but she refused to say anything. While Mohit and Sonam’s love story was on the right track, our love story was taking a different turn. We reached Chandigarh and Sonam’s family car was there to escort us. On the way, we asked the driver about where the groom was lodged. He told us that Mohit was staying in a bungalow near Sonam’s. I had informed Mohit that we would reach in a couple of hours. As our car entered the lawn, I saw that the house was decorated with lights of different colours and wedding flowers. It looked like a big, fat Punjabi wedding which is famous for its grandeur and opulence. Punjabis are known to pull all the stops when it comes to their weddings.

  Mohit and Sonam were both waiting for us at the entrance. We got down from the car and congratulated them with a warm hug. I was amazed at how perfect everything looked. The entire lawn had been decorated with pink and orange silk cloths to form the ceiling canopy. It had a beautiful garden with creepers that had been coiled with lights. There were fresh flower centerpieces kept on each table with chairs that had been tied with a pretty pink bows. The house was beautifully set up for the function.

  ‘So this is what heaven looks like. This is really a grand wedding.’ I looked at Sonam and she smiled back.