Usually, people blog their feelings to the world; I just tell you all the stories. Stories on Love, Relationship, Understanding, Mutual loyalty and stuff I believe in. I share stories of women and their struggles in our epics and History. I rarely speak about what I feel. For the past few months, I have been hearing from a lot of friends, stuff I think is out of this world. My imagination is not real. They are not real. Today's love is more complicated than the respect, understanding and affection part. Lust and money play huge roles. I agree, they do! Silent love, soulmates and true sacrifices are rare. And that is what makes them special, isn't it? This story is dedicated to all those who, for once, have lost faith in relationships, love and ahh, the men! Because to me LOVE is beyond one mistake, one regret or a lifetime of ego. Love is what we are born with and what we live for. So here goes, in a world of Reality, here is my dose of Love!
According to some Internet sites on “How to deal with
breakups,” I found some really freaky things like you need chocolates to feel good, movies, fun hangouts with your girls and oh yes, the most common retail therapy.
I was someone who would often make a face and ignore such “10 ways to…” stuff, but then my sister suggested, Let’s try it just for fun, huh? I was not very
convinced as I smiled through her suggestions. After all, she was one of the few people who cared a dime’s
worth for what I felt or went through.
"Breakups are tough",...so is the cliche of the word. You cry, you miss people, and you part without answers or closures. My friend, however, had her own
brilliant view: “Everyone needs a major breakup once, to find the real you.” She had squeezed my hands, suggesting. I had smiled through that, too.
People who knew me were rather worried because a Romantic daydreaming soul like me would just not survive in the real world, if I stopped
believing in what I believed in, Love, Soulmates, and Forever. I could see the
worries, and I just sighed. They were not wrong. I was losing hope.
Every person, every story is a
lesson. I have believed that all life, as I have believed in God, and in his
ways. He showed the way always, and he gave the answers when it was Time. As even
Mahakal himself was not above Time.
Truth be said, I was slowly losing hope, love, and
soulmates. It seemed that the coloured glasses I used to see the world with were
broken by some unknown forces, and all I saw were just two individuals
everywhere, some adjusting, some coping, some parting.
Happily ever after is a
myth. It scared the hell out of me to feel that couples like our parents were
becoming extinct. I don’t blame them, though. Their world was a lot lesser open
to options and more based on morals and values. Women had no financial stability to even leave abusers. In this world of Facebook,
WhatsApp, and quick validation, I began to believe true love was really nothing but a
myth.
Giving in to suggestions, I had taken up retail therapy,
hoping for some mood change. The shopping mall was fairly
crowded on a Saturday evening just before the Durga Puja. Holding on to my
bag, headphones on with a song on loop, I looked around clueless in the departmental store as my sister confidently
surfed through the kind of clothes I wanted.
“This?” She pointed, suggesting clearly she liked it.
“I want bright colours.” I frowned. I am too tired of
whites, blacks, and ‘sophisticated’ colours. I wanted neon, funky prints, to
hell with elegance!
“Okay, you see that side, I'm searching here!” She pointed to
the other corner of the store. I nodded approval and walked there.
I saw a
guy, about my age, clearly displeased with the number of dresses he was holding
while his girl was looking for more. I smiled, amused at his sorry state, and
walked ahead. A turn and an old couple were shopping for their family
abroad with the help of the salesperson.
“ My granddaughter is sixteen, she is fairly healthy, will
this fit?”She sounded worried as her husband smiled.
“ Call and ask them the
size na?”
“No, it’s a surprise!” Her voice was firm as he shook his
head, defeated with a smile.
I
was looking at the clothes, still a little lost, as I saw another couple at the
billing.
“You pay this one with your money, next time I will pay with mine!”
The newly married girl suggested to her husband, who approved.
There you go!
Reality check! Where is the “ours” lost in the yous and mes, mine and yours…. Where
is our home, our family, our dreams, our money? I wonder what they will call
the children… your daughter, my son? I smiled to myself, making a small checklist
in my head, no guy with “mine” and “your” ever!
I was crossing the décor section
over to the other side when my sister gasped.
“Didi, look!” I looked where she stared, pointing with all smiles.
There on a table was a little but beautifully carved statue of Mahadev, the
silver Ganga coming out of his bun, and one hand was in a blessing posture.
“Must cost a fortune.” She wondered aloud, clearly longing
for it.
“Some day you and I, we will have a place of our own…” I
smiled, hopeful.
“And we will take him there…”She finished my sentence. I
nodded. In my mind was a small prayer. Will my Princy and Strange girl always
be imaginary? Does love like that not exist at all? Maybe not! I stared one
last time at the statue being admired by potential buyers, and I walked away.
In the next store, there I was kind of lost in Sanam Puri's amazing voice to "Pal pal dil ke paas" on my headphones, at "Jaise keh rahi thi tum, mujhe bandh lo bandhan mein..." while keeping my bags, when a little girl
about three bumped into me.
“Sorry.” She murmured, sounding scared.
“Aww, it's okay.” I managed a smile at the innocent, cute face.
A beautiful white laced frock, with a red bow, made her look like snow white, or
so I thought as she smiled back.
“Come back here, Misha!” Her brother’s voice made her run
to him; he seemed about nine or ten, but clearly taught to be responsible enough
to look out for his sister.
“Don’t run like that, or I will complain to Baba.” He held
her hand tightly as she frowned. They walked to the toy section with smiles in a
few seconds, as I watched them go.
“Ma, we are here.” He called out to someone in the crowd.
“Okay! Don’t touch anything!” The lady’s reply made
me turn. She was in the same ethnic section as my sister, with her husband in
tow. Around the late 20s, they seemed a little too young to have the boy, I wondered. Not faces you can call pretty or mark out in a crowd. Average faces and average dresses. Out of mere curiosity about random people, I just stepped by her side, looking
at some clothes.
“I think it’s pretty.” His voice seemed like trying to
convince her.
“It’s costly.” She snapped.
“It’s 5k!” he defended. “It’s not costly, I don’t earn that
less.”
“What is your exact Salary amount?” She smiled a little, taunting in her voice. Reminded me of my parents and their taunts on Salary secrecy, so it's still a thing!
“Don’t divert from the topic and buy this!” He took out her size
as she frowned, still that smile lingering on her lips.
“No! It is costly!” She shook her head.
He seemed to be at a loss for wits to convince her as he snapped, holding her hand a little lightly.
“So
what is costly? You are not a girlfriend I'm wooing with costly gifts you
refuse! You are my wife, the one I love, and you are buying this!”
My eyes went
a little wide, and I could see her go that wide too as she turned a little red
and said, “Hush! The kids!” just as they came running with twice the enthusiasm since the last time I saw them.
“Ma, there is a…” The girl was interrupted by the boy’s “car, I want!”
“Hold on, your Ma is shopping here.” Their father smiled as
she snapped, “No, I am not!”
“Yes, you are!”
“No, I'm not! The clothes I will choose!”
“My wife, my choice!” He smiled at her clearly impressed face. Was it like he managed to do that every time? Seemed so!
“Hush!” Her shy words were followed by the children’s amused
giggles as I noticed both smiles resembled their father’s.
“You two are fighting again! I will complain to Daddu!” The
boy giggled as his mother snapped, “Arnav!”
“Okay, we are buying this with or without the trail, right, Mishu?” Her father picked her up and the salwar as well as he walked towards
the billing counter, ignoring her small “But… listen… aree!” as Arnav dragged
his mother behind his father, probably scared of getting lost.
As they left the store, stealing occasional glances at each other, they had no idea what they had done to a total stranger! No, I
might not see them again, or know where they live, or what they do, but I saw
what I wanted to from my Lord. I had prayed to see and believe in love again. I
had witnessed my faith walk back in me and light up my face with a genuinely happy smile after days! I have seen a family, like the one I write about! No, they are not my imagination! Princy and his strange girl do exist in some part
of this world.
Sometimes, little things make huge impacts, and small incidents
leave a memory. Today had been such an experience. Maybe they were just another
average couple to the crowd. But to the
dreamer, romantic storyteller in me, they were much more than that. Today, in a
crowded shopping mall in my own city, I have witnessed my very own mini version
of my Princy and his Strange Girl, Amar and Arohi! And they have made me believe once again,
that someday somewhere, I can have my very own mini version of them too!
