Part 6:FC-18 (Chapter 5)

Problems are problems till we find bigger problems …

Come next week, I tried to keep everything BAU. BAU, Business as usual … uhh ... abbreviations make one sound smart. I guessed I picked this from my managers. Damn I need to be more choosy about my source of education..

Anyway I juggled the need to be at my desk and be with Anjali. Well, I am not the kind of guy who likes to tell people I am busy. Yes Anjali is special but I would be there for anyone… a chat on messenger, a break at food court, a conversation on phone … a broken code in office or an escort on the weekend… for me “I am busy” is a bad word …

As we went through my third coffee with Anjali, I saw Aarti from the corner of my eye. She had noticed me with Anjali previously that day and looked visibility upset at the site. I was perturbed by the thought of hurting her.

This time Anjali also noticed her and waved zestfully at her, obviously oblivious of my unspoken discomfort. I kept quiet.

“You know this is all wrong!” Anjali spoke to me with a sudden insight. “Look at Aarti, she successfully managed to stay away from marriage. Her parents insisted but somehow she convinced them that she will not marry for any reason other then love. And she hails from a conservative rajput family. I can’t even imagine the drama she must have braved.” She was excited to find her source of inspiration.

With what I heard, I could only let out a sigh in response.

As I walked out of the food courts, at the end of the stairs, Aarti called my name. As I turned back, she walked towards me and asked “Coffee?” I chuckled. ‘She just saw me having coffee with Anjali she can’t be serious’ I assumed. But Aarti was not smiling.

When we settled with the coffee, she broke the grave silence “Stop seeing Anjali she said” … “What!!” my mind yelled….”Stop hurting yourself” she repeated…

I blinked twice and glared. She was obviously aware of my feelings and was hurting with the fact that I was exposing myself to more hurt. I stared hard. She blushed. But she brought herself to speak her mind. “Listen, stop this. You are not this kind of a guy”. She meant the guy who could tolerate unwarranted pain. I understood. But I was decided to pretend ”Really! What kind of a guy I am?” I made her more mad at me. “Useless” she snapped in anger. And then felt sorry on her own outburst.

I was not sure if this was the right time to talk. But I knew that even if this was the wrong the time, there would not be any better one. “I am going to Australia. The production bug last weekend made the client ask for a resource at onsite for support”.

Her eyes looked like mine, in peace and shielding the voices of the head. She pain stabbed her hard and it took a lot of time to ask the only ask the one word question she could think of “When?” “By this weekend” I answered.

All events were falling into place in her mind. The obvious analysis for her was that to avoid the pain of witnessing Anjali with someone, I found a way to leave the country…

Things were falling in place …

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When I reached home I saw masi in the living room. Ahh, everyone refuses to admit but going to a foreign land is still a big deal, I thought. Masi probably came to congratulate mom and reassure her for company in my absence.

“So Cool! We always knew you would do your mother proud” She reacted on seeing me. While she probably was thinking, this useless boy is going to Australia just because he learned some computers while my hard working, well deserving kids got no such easy opportunity. He he he…

I smiled. “So you are all settled… good job, now overseas assignment, now you can get married…” My mom bit her lip, to prevent herself from chuckling. She knew how I hated this beaten conversation.

“I will marry very soon masi” Today I had a new answer. Mom looked at me with astonishment. “Oh so you found a nice Punjabi gal?” She teased. She also wanted to know if the gal was a Punjabi like my late father or a Iyenger Brahmin like mom.

“She is a Rajasthani. Oh I mean a Rajput.” Mom’s jaw dropped. She was not expecting this. Oh no not at all. “Who is it?” masi asked. Her stare now shifting to mom, she felt betrayed that her elder sister withheld facts from her on her only nephew’s wedding. But mom continued to stare at me.

She for better or for worse knew me inside out. But today she needed more explanation around what I was up to.

“Oh mom!” I thrusted a crumpled piece of paper in Mom’s hand. ”This is her Dad’s phone number can you please call him and ask if he will marry off his daughter to me.” I paused “And can you call him after a board the flight, he is retired from the army but still owns some firearms”. Mom burst out laughing.

It was not my sense of humor that tickled her but the relief of seeing me out of the pain and dilemma she saw me struggling with. Masi was still very confused and shooting questions to make sense of the situation. “What is her name?” she asked
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“Aarti Shekhawat” I smiled.