5th January, 2008
“Stop ogling at him and go and say to him straight
away.”, said Pia to Drishti. Drishti turned her eyes away from Kush to look at
Pia. “Why should I?? He is the guy, he should!!”, said she with the most
innocent expression on her face. Pia smiled hearing this.
Drishti and Kush have been in the same college for
almost the last three years. They both used to like each other from the
beginning and by now both knew that they loved each other. But none had the
guts to take the initiative. Only some months are left for them to complete
graduation. Drishti knows her conservative family won’t allow her to marry him
but still she wished against impossibility and wanted him to take her far away
from the hell she has lived in, all the twenty one years she breathed.
9th August, 2008
“Hey, have you heard, Drishti is getting married in a
couple of weeks??? Too early, isn’t it??”, said Rishi. He had met his old
college dudes, Kush and Tarun after a month of finishing college and thus gave
them the most recent news. “Oh really?? That’s sad”, said Tarun. The shock he
received was clear from his voice.
“You knew?? Didn’t inform me too??”, Tarun asked Kush
after Rishi left.
“What would you do by knowing?? None can help
it. I wish I was brave enough to say her.”, answered Kush sighing.
Tarun stopped the discussion there. He could
feel what his best friend was going through. He felt restless thinking that he
can’t help it. But then again, that’s the cruel truth. That was the story
destiny had for them.
21st July, 2010
Drishti liked the Delhi rain but still she opened the
umbrella. She was seven months pregnant and she didn’t afford to fall ill. She
was going to submit some forms to DU from where she is doing distant masters in
her subject. She entered the Dwarka metro station and instantly felt a familiar
pair of eyes on her. She turned in the direction in haste and there was the
person who just crossed her mind. She was not shocked. Somehow she knew they
will meet again.
Kush smiled as Drishti faced him. He came near and
stood beside her. They exchanged small talks about their present whereabouts.
She said him about her pregnancy and her masters. He said her about his MBA
which he just completed and is going to Kolkata, his home town within a couple
of days.
Just then the train arrived. Drishti went forward to
get in but then turned back suddenly. “Get married. At least for my happiness”,
said she to him, tears in her eyes almost in the verge of rolling down. She
controlled them and hurried to the train. The train left, leaving behind, an
ones again shattered Kush.
10th August, 2013, 10.30 p.m.
Drishti was sitting on her bed in her flat in
Bangalore. She had shifted here since her husband’s death 2 and half years ago.
He was a regular drunkard and that day while returning home from a bar late
night, his car dashed with a speeding truck and he died. With a job in hand, a
6 months old baby in her arms and a dream of an unsure but free future Drishti
had left her in-laws and came here. She was not sad that badly. She never did
love him. She has only loved one person.
She had met him again 2 days ago while returning from
work. This time she was shocked. They are going to meet again tomorrow, a
planned meeting again, after long 5 years. She didn’t know what it meant. Will
it be their last meeting or will they meet again over years or will it… She
stopped there. The last thought was too good to be true. She glanced at her
almost 3 years old son, Ankush, sleeping beside her. She found herself praying
to God to make the last thought true.
10th August, 2013, 11.00 p.m.
“Knock!! Knock!!”
Kush just completed reading the story, ‘their story’
which he wrote in the last 5 years, adding something to it whenever fatefully
he met her. He was going to add some more but was interrupted by the knock. He
opened the door and there was his best friend, Tarun.
“Again sat with the story??? Have you met her
recently??”, asked Tarun excitedly on entering. “Shh.. Lower your voice.
Brishti is sleeping. ”, answered Kush. Tarun peeped into the other room. A
hardly 6 months old little girl was sleeping on the bed, peacefully.
Brishti means rain in Bengali. During their college
days Kush used to call Drishti by this name. Being a Bengali guy he couldn’t
think of more apt name for the girl who loved rain so badly. Tarun knew what
was the reason behind Kush’s giving this name to the little girl he adopted
just a month ago after his final divorce.
Kush married a girl of his parent’s choice 2 years
back. But sadly he couldn’t maintain it. His wife cheated on him and they got
separated to begin with and then finally got divorced. Tarun knew all these
didn’t affect Kush ‘coz he never loved his wife. A month ago Kush shifted to
Bangalore with his new Brishti in his arms and the old one in his memories. He
never meant to cross her path but again may be destiny had a different story
written for them.
“Yup, 2 days ago. Going to meet her again tomorrow in
the cafe near her work place.”, said Kush with a smile as he served dinner for
both of them. “So is this where the story finally ends tomorrow??”, asked Tarun
coming out from the washroom. Kush’s eyes fell on his sleeping daughter. He
kept silent for sometimes, as if in deep thought.
“Umm hmm.. A new story begins.”, said Kush with a
smile taking out the diamond ring he had bought this evening, from the pocket
of his trousers....
- Atrayee Chakraborty
PGDMB16 - 028
