Wednesday 11 March 2015
Prologue- Love Vs Destiny (A Novel by Atul Purohit)
Atul Purohit
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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.
