Unspoken Words
10
“Aa…Aa…Aa…”
Anjali called her pigeon friends. It had
been a long time since she had met them, and in this chaos that her life had
suddenly become, they seemed like the best companions. As usual, she spoke to
them about what was on her mind, Sameer’s actions, and his proposal, and asked them what the right decision was. Most of the birds were too busy with the seeds,
but some seemed to tilt their head peculiarly, and made the peculiar pigeon
noise, almost in approval.
“You like
him? That is interesting.”
Just then
Sameer appeared from behind the peepul tree. “Finally. Were you ever going to
speak to me?”
Anjali
didn’t know what to say. She just threw him a glance which she hoped would mean
something.
“I am sorry, Anjali, for the other day. I swear to you, it will never happen again.” Sameer looked
serious and she saw in his eyes some truth, something she could not have known
from his words alone.
“It’s all right. I think I
have forgiven you. Let’s sit for a bit and talk. It has indeed been long.”
They sat on a bench. Booth
was silent. Sameer wanted to start a conversation, but he didn’t know how. There
was nothing he could think of.
“The smoke is rising from my burning heart due to your silence.” There was
poetry in Sameer’s words.
“Silences
are words, silences are like emotions, you can feel them,” Anjali smiled.
“It’s not a
guy thing to enjoy silences.”
“And it’s a
very girl thing to want a guy who does.” Saying this, she put a gentle hand on
his shoulder, a touch which sent shivers down his spine.
“So, do you
have an answer to my question yet, my lady?”
“An answer
to what?” Anjali feigned ignorance.
“Silly
girl. My proposal. You have an answer?”
“Like I
said, I have forgotten everything from that day.”
“Oh God!”
“Well, I
don’t quite remember. Care to ask me again?”
“Ask again?
What do you mean?” He looked worried, suddenly.
“I mean, go
down on your knees and ask again. Nicely. Like a gentleman, not a teenager with
raging hormones.”
“What?
Here? I front of everyone?” Sameer was genuinely surprised.
“Yes, here
in front of everyone. You can’t do it? I’ll be moving then.”
“No wait.
Oh, okay.”
Sameer
blushed a deep red and looked around. Almost no one noticed them, except for a
few uncles and aunties, who were probably secretly judging the two.
“Look at
you, all shy. Well, if you cannot do this little thing, how should I trust you
with the rest of my life? Now I will get going…”
“No … no
please wait.”
“Well, what are you waiting
for?”
“You’re one of those girls,
aren’t you? Is this what you want? Fine. Will you marry me?” Now, Sameer was on his
knees, visibly conscious of people staring.
“Are you scolding me or
proposing? Do it well.”
A small crowd had gathered
around now. Everyone waited to see how the proposal would go. Sameer, a little
shy now, closed his eyes and held Anjali’s hand.
“Anjali, my love, will you marry me?”
In that moment, she got her
answer.
“I will.” The crowd erupted in
applause, and the two hugged each other. He planted a light kiss on her lips, and
she smiled. “Save them for when we are alone,” she whispered in his ear.
The two walked hand in
hand towards his car. Once inside, she turned to him, “You know, Sameer, now
that we are going to get married, I’d like you to be independent. I’d like to
know our future is secure.”
“It is. I am to inherit an
entire business.”
“A business you are not
part of.”
“There’s time enough for
all of that. Today is the day to love you.” He took her in her arms again and
kissed her. This time, she didn’t hesitate and responded with equal passion. “I
know you love me, baby, but…”
“Shhh.”
*********
There’s a thing about
Anjali, she didn’t like her birthdays. She didn’t think of them as special and
never made grand plans for the day. She woke up this year to the sound of her
phone ringing.
“Who is it?” She sounded
drowsy. She picked up and received a call without opening her eyes.
“Happy birthday, Anjali!”
Sameer’s wonderful voice fell in her ears. She was awake in a jiffy, and
suddenly, unreasonably, very happy.
“Sameer!” She couldn’t
keep calm.
“I love you!”
“So you remembered?”
“How could I forget? I
simply cannot afford to. What if I have to take the ring back?” They laughed.
“Ohh, I’m so lucky!”
“Do you have anything
special planned for today?”
“Nothing special, not
really.”
“Dinner then? Just you and
I?” Sameer asked. She actually wanted to go with her parents, but she couldn’t
get herself to say no to Sameer and agreed.
11
New
Beginnings
Sameer picked Anjali up, and the two headed to Southern Mumbai for a drive. On reaching the Gateway of
India, Sameer parked his car. “Where are we going?” Anjali was curious, since
he hadn’t told her anything.
“I want to celebrate your
birthday.”
“Here?”
“Yes, in the sea.”
“In the sea?”
As she waited in the car,
confused. Sameer returned and took her hand. The next thing she knew, they were
stepping onto a private boat, lapping gently on the waves.
“Did you actually hire a
boat?”
They spent a romantic
evening at the sea, the winds playing with Anjali’s dupatta and hair, she
looking breathtaking, and he unable to keep his eyes off her. A long, long ride
it was, till the sky darkened and the stars were out, shining far more brightly
than the diamonds she wore. The colour of the water also changed, from greyish
to a deep orange and finally a midnight blue.
“We cannot be on a boat
and not do the Titanic pose! Come, come, come!” Anjali had never felt so alive in
her life, and she couldn’t keep her excitement in. The boat then came to a halt, and out came the cake and the candles, and the music.
“Happy birthday to you…Happy
birthday, dear Anjali,” Sameer put a piece of cake in her mouth.
“Sameer, this is the best
birthday ever. Thank you!” She ran her friable, soft fingers in Sameer’s hair. She
brought her lips close, and he leaned in. The warmth of their lips in the chilly
breeze of the night sea swept them away, and it was a long time before they stopped.
“This is going to be a
memorable day indeed,” she whispered.
Sameer sat
in his room, thinking about Anjali’s words. The Iron Maiden posters on his
walls stared back at him, and he wondered how different his room would look
post-marriage. He couldn’t wait to find out. The matter now had to be taken to
the parents. He thought he should speak to his father first.
JD was busy
at work when Sameer, for the first time in years, walked through the door. And
visibly surprised.
“Well,
where else to find you to talk?”
“Is this
about my offer?” JD thought he had come to
accept the offer. His eyes were shining, and JD could already feel the pride
swelling up.
“Dad, life
is more than business.”
“Not the
life you have, son. This luxury, this nonchalance, everything is possible
because of this.”
“Agreed.
But just for a moment, can we talk about my life instead?”
“What about
it?” asked JD, with his usual air of indifference.
“Well, I
want to marry.” Sameer cut to the point.
JD could
not believe his ears. Shocked, he stared at Sameer and took a few moments before
responding.
“Who wants to marry you?” That was the first question on his mind, and it came
out before he could stop it.
“Anjali.”
“Kailash’s daughter?” JD
was surprised to hear Anjali’s name.
“Yes, we love each other.
I proposed this morning, and she said yes,” Sameer said, smiling.
“Are you sure? And does
Kailash know about this?” JD knew the Colonel’s opinion on these matters.
“No.”
“What can I do now?”
“Speak to him.”
“Listen. For me to talk to
him, I need to have an answer to the first question: What does your son do?
Yes, he has a business to take care of, but is he ever involved in it?”
“I get it. As soon as we
are married, I will join the office. I promise.”
JD trusted his son and the
sincerity in his voice and eyes, convinced him. “Okay, I will. But you better
not let me down.”
12
The Family Ties
Where Sameer had managed to get his father on board, Anjali was a bundle of nerves. It was dinner time, the sky outside was a brilliant pink and orange, a blooming dusk which brightened her spirits. Their house-help Anand was setting the dinner table. The family of three sat down to eat. As usual, all was quiet while the food was being served. As she served herself some roti, Anjali felt her mother’s eyes on her.
“Mom what happened?” Anjali asked.
“I want to
speak with you,” Mrs. Colonel said.
“Can’t it wait?”
“Maybe, but
I feel the time is right. You will rush to your room post-dinner, and I will
miss my chance again. It’s about you and your life.” Mrs. Colonel was in no mood
to be ignored by her daughter anymore.
“You sound
serious, Mom. What happened?” She looked at her father to get a hint. But he
gave nothing away. The years in the army had helped him master the art of hiding
everything, especially from his face.
“So, we,
your father and I, have been thinking that we should start looking for a life
partner for you.”
Anjali was
a natural rebel, and every time her parents tried to impose something on her,
her first instinct was to deny it.
“I am only
22, Mom. What’s the rush? And don’t get started on how you were married by my
age. Those were different times.” Mrs. Colonel knew that she had to tread
carefully.
“I know.
And I don’t mean get married tomorrow. But you can start thinking about it.
It’s not imperative anymore, yes. You are your own person. But you need a
companion and those things don’t change. See, I have here two options…”
“Mom, stop.
This is annoying. I told you, I don’t want to marry.”
Mr.
Colonel overheard this banter but refused to participate in it. “Your father
and I,” Mrs Colonel went on, “liked the second one. He’s an engineer and has
agreed to meet.”
Anjali was
furious and walked out, her food incomplete, and went to her room. After the
initial anger had died, she thought about the next step – telling her parents
about Sameer. Would they approve? Would they understand? Maybe she should first
speak to her mother about it.
As she lay
down, her father entered the room. “Good time to talk?”
“Go ahead.
Anything that mom has already not said?”
Mr. Colonel
sat next to her on the bed.
“Here me out. Anjali, as you know, for living food is
necessary, for our body, clothing is necessary. In the same way, to spend a
whole life, marriage is necessary. It is an important part of everyone`s life.” Mr. Colonel tried to explain it to her.
“But arranged marriages
are devoid of love. I don’t believe in that.” Anjali had often thought about how to
bring up Sameer in front of her parents, and now that the opportunity presented
itself, she was not going to miss it.
“Anjali, be honest. Is
there someone you’re seeing?” Mr. Colonel was looking into her eyes.
“Yes. Sameer,” she smiled.
“JD’s son?”
“Yes,” She whispered with her head bowed.
“Anjali, I am in favour of
you finding your own life partner. But I do not approve of Sameer. What do you
see in him anyway?”
“What do you not?”
“His own father is fed up
with his careless attitude and irresponsible behavior.” Mr. Colonel got up.
“Yes, I spoke to him about
it. He promised to be more involved, going forward.”
“Promises, promises. All
empty promises. If he had to do something about his life, he should’ve done so
before.” She had never heard her father raise his voice like this before.
“But papa…”
“Shut up,” the Colonel glared
at her. He was angry now. Anjali kept quiet for some time, but she was a natural
rebel. If she had to fight, she would. This was about her entire life.
“I love him and he loves
me.”
“Do you know the person
who doesn`t care for his career doesn`t love himself, then how he can love
other ” Colonel again interrupted.
“Papa, I told you that
I`ll talk to him about this.” Anjali didn`t want to hear anything against
Sameer.
“It`s your life, you have to
decide but I don`t like that boy.” His decision was final.He left her room. He
reached his back garden and sat on chair, still furious about his daughter’s
choice. He had been thinking about Sameer and Anjali’s relationship. A crow,
his constant cawing didn’t let him think. So he got his gun out and shot at the
crow.
“What happened?” She was
scared.
“A crow was irritating me, so I
killed it.”
*************
Anjali met
Sameer the very next day. It was yet another brilliant dusk, and the orange sky
bathed everything in a beautiful glow. The beach was alive with people of all
kinds, families and couples and hawkers, and some police.
“Things at
home aren’t going well, Sameer. On one hand, my mother is talking to the pundit
and looking for grooms, and on the other, my father doesn’t approve of you. I am
very confused.” She told him everything.
“What did
Uncle say?” Sameer wanted to know what the Colonel was thinking.
“Apparently, your father
complained to him of your disinterest in making a career and joining your
business. It’s stuck with him.” She looked away, into the horizon beyond the
sea, but Sameer could see the helplessness in her eyes. He couldn’t bear to see
her like this. He put his arms around her, “Listen, we’re going to figure this
out, okay? Don’t worry. Don’t worry at all. Come, let’s go grab a bite.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“It’s okay. Have a drink.”
The two then took a detour
to their favourite hangout. The drive was quite, the traffic sparse. At the
restaurant, Sameer ordered a sea-food platter, and Anjali, lost still, asked
for an iced tea. Just then, Sonia walked over to their table with her
boyfriend.
“I hear wedding bells,”
Sonia exclaimed. “Did you finally say yes?”
The two just smiled.
“Well, it’s a good day to bump into each other. Meet Bal Krishna Subra Maniyam
or Balu. He’s the one I was talking about, Anjali.”
“Why congratulations.
Anjali told me about you two. Come, have a seat.”
The four had a light,
casual meal and the tension between Sameer and Anjali dissipated. Post-dinner,
as the boys went to get the cars, the girls talked non-stop about their love
lives. Anjali was especially eager to know everything. “I have been so involved
with my own life. Tell me everything from the beginning.”
Sonia let all the secrets
out. They were colleagues and had gotten to know each other during a training
project.
“So, what’s next?” Anjali asked eagerly.
“Well, let’s see. He’s
definitely the one for me. I’m waiting for him to get his permanent job; he was
only on an internship with us. After that, I will speak to my parents.” Sonia
told her everything about their plans and their future.
“What if they don’t
agree?” Anjali asked with curiosity and enthusiasm.
“Well, we are adults. What
are courts for?” Just then, their guys arrived, and the banter was cut short.
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