THE REUNION 2: FLOOD OF LOVE

To read the first part, click here: THE REUNION: FLOW OF LOVE

“It’s an insane world, but in it there’s one sanity, the loyalty of old friends. We must believe in one another.”

                               ~ Ben Hur

MY SWINGING FEELINGS:
   

     People think moments are birds which just fly by and we can do nothing about them. But truth is that they just are like the kites. Yes, they fly. But how and where they fly to, is connected to a string and controlled by us. All that we have to do is fly them with craft. That was one moment which I felt was slipping from my hands. I fell in love with the lover of my best friend! And if that was not complicated enough, she was the reason for Arya to get drifted away from us. My thoughts kept oscillating between love, guilt and hatred!

IS THIS SCENE EVEN RELATED TO THE STORY??!! :

   The dark steps creaked as she stepped down to the dining table. Everyone was busy already sharing their nostalgia as she pulled her chair. Being mechies, our first topic was about girls, besides the chai sutta moments at Mata Mandir. We were having dinner and started talking about the good old days and Prakash, after his third tequila shot, grunted, “Remember Asha, she was a bitch man! She just behaves friendly with any person who has a bike. Man, girls just didn’t have any morals back in our college days". Everyone were silent, the place seemed gloomy and then she spoke, for the first time. Her voice husky as a flute, she said, "it hurts…" lost in a world looking deep into the emptiness. Vivek erred at her.  Gaining back the worldly existence, she said, “… to be misunderstood. A girl could not have been so worse. It must have been a misinterpretation. A girl has a beautiful heart, like a calm song. Gossips are disturbances, the noises you hear. Had you tried to listen to the song, it could have been a different table today. Misunderstanding hurts, but only after the words can't be taken back. Just think before you speak.”

 The silence prolonged except for me, for I saw more than a good understanding girl, a keen mind in her.  Her beauty was encroached by her dullness and her sweet heart by her calmness, but I noticed beyond.  He knew her true affection, he could read how she would care. All said was a sentence, but I fell in love.

THE TURNING POINT:

    

    The way she balanced motives with grace while speaking killed my two other emotions and all that’s left was love! I had decided to leave the reunion to avoid any further embarrassing confrontations. After the dinner, I went to Ananya and said, “Hey, I have to go. Where’s Arya? I’ll meet him once and take leave.”

   She said, “Come on! Just one more day and this reunion would be complete! Why do you want to leave so early?” I just insisted on leaving and asked her to at least give his contact number so that I can contact him later.

    She replied, “I didn’t want to get to this until you guys have done with your reunion. But as you’re insisting, I have to. I’m his cousin. All the avoiding he did to you guys, all the fake love stories he did weave and the changes he made you see in him were not real. He was suffering from Huntington’s disease which he came to know in the summer vacations after the second year. As soon as he was informed of his disease, he tried to get away from you as he didn’t want you guys to get distracted and drawn off, with the uncoordinated, pitiful and complicated part of his life. All the phone calls were about me helping him with his medic dates and suggestions. He asked me to arrange a reunion as soon as he passes away as he wants you to know that he loves them and he wants to be remembered.”

     It meant that we misunderstood him all the while! The irritating times for us which we spent on phone, the confusing moments which we spent questioning about his mottos of choosing a wrong path, the never ending hours which we waited for him to return; were all something bigger than what’s seen. Everything was a part of the plan. Never in his life did he place anyone above us. He thought that a lonely death is worthy to endure to make our lives undisturbed. If dying with many people praying for your life is something eternal, then dying alone praying for other’s life is greater than divine!

ONE LAST TIME:

    As the first rays of sun kissed the bleak winter land of Bhopal, we waited in distress for the hearse to arrive and it did. As the coffin was being taken out from it, a tear rolled down my cheek.