Part - 3 “Them- Theirs”

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She had made up her mind. She was going on the tour. The prize had been announced and yes she had won. Her eyes jostled the letter for any further piece of information but it contained none. Sheepishly she put the letter aside and looked at herself in the mirror. The image depressed her , she was going to be twenty nine. Her long hair flowed to her waist covering and absorbing the entire wrath she had to incur. That was when she thought of Priyesh , the thought saddened her even more. She looked deep into her eyes and she saw emptiness. The curtain came close to brushing her face aided by the wind behind it and then she looked out. Pooja had lived in this very house for ten years. The narrow lanes, the uptown market, the talks of politics and sports engulfing the street were all too common to her. She felt alone and restrained from the world and its inhabitants. She was a financial consultant working in a top notch multinational company. She was supposed to be happy , she was to get married to Priyesh in a month’s time. To a man she never knew , never loved , and never thought of sharing her instincts with . She was devoting all her life to a stranger and for no reasons what so ever. After her horrid romance with divorced engineer had gone sour, she had always kept to herself. Heartbroken and scathed she toiled the lines of self restraint with great determination. She yawned and stopped her chain of thoughts to extend any further. She looked at the letter once again and smiled. Priyesh scoffed at the very idea of letting her explore a city all by herself a month before marriage but she insisted, she pleaded and he gave in.

He was woken up by the incessant chattering of middle aged women in his house. He looked out to notice his mother drop a letter by his side. The letter explained that he had won a trip to a UN explored city, a wonderful chance to be all by himself. He got up and searched for a bottle of water. There was none to be found. His unshaven face resembled his mood , soiled and oily. The chattering attainted new levels and he could not escape it. He was in a family crisis. His mother wanted to quit the bond of matrimony and trust with his father. It did not affect him much though , it had been twenty years since every morning he was greeted with arguments, fights and nasty blows. He was elated, he would get to live in peace. At the age of thirty two it did not affect him at all. At times he wondered if he was senseless or just civilized. The hatred in his heart for both his parents was the same. It was equal. And he was not sure of the love. Probably he loved his mother a bit more. He had made up his mind. He was going to embark on this journey. It was going to be his soul search . After spending most of his life playing peace maker between his parents now he did not want to witness the happy ending. “Rounak shetty”, he read his name on the letter once again and smiled. With the final bumpy ride in his life ending in his parents’ divorce he realized there was a lot he needed to look forward to. He was a professor and committed. Her name was shefali and she was a librarian. Her uncluttered love for books and her wealthy knowledge had bonded them together. He dialed her number on his mobile wanting to explain to her his decision to take this month long break.

Pooja loved chocolates , she always had. The city was wonderful and she had found her perfect set up. Sitting in a nice eatery she had discovered all by herself, she was enjoying every bit of her UN expected long holiday. She crunched in her favorite chocolate and focused her mind on the book she was reading. That was when the blow knocked her over. She fell down, hitting the ground in a loud thud. Furious and deep in pain she turned around to face the intruder, the enemy who had got her to ground and she saw him. She could not remember when was the last time she had seen him , seemed ages ago. He looked the same , his unshaven beard was adding maturity to what else could have been a pretty boyish face. He was wearing a long tee shirt and a worn out jeans. She could feel his eyes on her, he looked in with such an intensified glare that it alarmed her. She was reminded of the fact that she had always been vulnerable to him , his mannerisms, his gaze.

They were together and finally. The week long holiday was quickly extended as they found vicinity in each other’s loneliness. The mornings always began with a quick nibble at pooja’s favorite eatery and the evenings looking at the sun sail down the aisle. The city soon turned small and soon they had explored every nook and corner, every part was explored and pooja realized Rounak could still make her feel special , like the adorable darling she was , years ago. Rounak was mesmerized by her beauty and her wit. She made him laugh , she made him feel wanted, feelings he assumed never existed.

It was not until some days later that they decided to visit the local bar. It being Sunday he wanted her to feel happy. He always got the feeling she was restrained and controlled when with him. He was with her and yet he did not know her at all. Drinks were cheap and it wasn’t long before they realized they were heavily drunk.

That was when she spoke “Rounak , I am getting married. I am marrying Priyesh. I am marrying a stranger”. He looked at her and smiled. Unlike many who had praised her sacrifice or like people who had deemed her foolish, he did not utter a word. He soaked in the information ever so quietly, his eyes still fixed on her. Finally he broke the silence “ What brings you here then? “ She didn’t speak, she turned her face away from him and mocked at his question in silence. When she turned around she had tears in her eyes and a letter she had extracted from her purse. Rounak silently studied the letter. The contents were familiar. The letter was familiar. Name was different. Then it struck a chord, both of them had won the same competition. It demanded them to experience their first love, again. Rounak was struck by the revelation, a copy of the post pooja had written was enclosed besides and he read it thoroughly absorbing each and every detail. When he was done he looked at her face. It glowed in the night. Her eyes still captivated him. He dug in his pockets, extracted the letter lying deep underneath and presented it to her. Her face smoldered a look he had known all his life , the mole on the tip of her nose radiated beauty , he leant in and kissed it.

Puja was torn between choices, it was the final day and the trip was going to end. Rounak had still not said a word , about them , about theirs , about the future. She was next to him absorbing his presence on his bed, their bed. Tears filled in her eyes and she made a decision. She had to leave him, she knew he did not want a future. He never mentioned. Next morning was the flight , waiting for peace she boarded the plane. Her attention was caught by her mobile beeping in furiously . It was him , Rounak had called to say good bye. She wanted to talk but she could not. She did not have the strength to face him. A silent goodbye meant everything to her. She was weak and in that one moment of weakness she received his call. “Don’t marry him , do not marry him” was all she heard and the line went static. Flight departure was announced and Puja flew away. Away to a safer place where she was not to make choices , take decisions , affect lives. Where her life was to be dominated by others and their decisions . Where no one could effervesce all her disdains with a single gaze on her face , she flew to a world where the mole on her nose meant nothing. No one cared for it.

Pooja got married. It was a grand celebration of death. With tear filled eyes she gave herself to someone else. All her calls , all attempts to get in touch were ignored. Rounak never existed. The mole on her nose had disappeared, a bitter scar had taken its place.

The noisy television in the background was annoying her, she was cold and she had a feeling it would snow. She clasped the remote in her hands and switched the channels. A piece of news caught her eye “Professor's death evokes mystery- An indian college professor was found dead last night in his home. Our sources claim his name to be Rounak shetty.The police are still investigating the case.”

She felt a surging pain in her heart. She was numbed. Very quietly she opened the door and strolled to a park nearby.She opened her arms and felt the snow touching her skin. She knew his first memory of her included snow, His favorite color was white.