Veer and Diya worked in different departments
at the workplace and there never was any need for official interaction between them.
What started off with harmless exchange of niceties between two colleagues soon
progressed to a steady friendship. Diya had met Veer during a very disturbing
phase in her life, when her unhappy marriage was coming apart. Veer’s patient,
listening ear helped her vent out to him and drew her closer to him and very
soon they went on to connect more deeply with one other.
They made use of every possible mode
of communication to keep in touch. Work, even on the busiest of days, was
interspersed with exchange of views, thoughts and experiences, on almost everything
under the sun. The two were simply inseparable.
Weekends were not the same anymore, with
the two of them planning well in advance how they would spend time together. Veer
was all alone, and Diya with her family. Both the families knew of this
friendship, yet they ignored the likelihood that the two of them would love to
be partners for life.
Through all their togetherness moments
though, Veer seemed to approach their relationship very cautiously appearing
very uncommitted by laughing away any reference to marriage. He seemed intent –
although clandestinely – on marrying a ‘first timer’ as compared to the
divorcee that Diya was. Whenever confronted, he hugged her close to himself and
planted a kiss on her forehead in an attempt to arrest any further discussion
on the topic.
When they were into the eighth year of
their “friendship”, Veer’s family urged him to settle down in marriage. The
next few days saw a flurry of activities. Veer first met Meeta along with his
uncle and approved of her almost immediately. Then the families met and the two
got engaged in a simple ceremony. There was no looking back after that.
Veer who could not imagine a day
without Diya earlier, had forgotten how close they were just a few days ago. He
now met Meeta daily. They spent their evenings together in passionate moments
which Veer disguised under the garb of “getting to know each other”. He no
longer seemed concerned with how Diya returned home on a rainy evening or what she
did on her birthday. His forthcoming marriage with Meeta excited him a lot, notwithstanding
Diya’s emotional dependence on him, or the mental anguish she was going through.
Veer progressed surprisingly fast from
the newly married to the ‘settled’ stage. The initial euphoria wore off too
soon and those close to him could sense disappointment in his eyes. Meeta was
oversensitive, suspicious, short-tempered, and the other extreme of the jovial,
sweet-tempered, helpful man that Veer was. The agony in the relationship was more
than obvious on his dull, haggard face within days of marriage.
Through the freshly bitter experience
of his unhappy marriage, Veer sought to find solace in the companionship of
Diya and their forgotten twosome. Suddenly, he appeared very opportunistic
wanting the best of both worlds but Diya detested it. She literally pushed him
out of her cabin whenever he tried to have a cozy time with her. Diya’s mind
had been made up right on the day Veer had consented to marriage with Meeta. He
was no more hers; he meant nothing more than a colleague to her.
It was around Christmas time of the
year and festival frenzy was in the air. As people were exchanging greetings, Diya
was in her cabin, hurriedly trying to complete the day’s work, so that she
could step out to wish others. When Veer stepped in to wish her she good-naturedly
accepted the greetings. He then offered to hug her and she yielded, again in
sheer festive spirit.
What happened next was shocking, to
say the least. Even as Diya was trying to wriggle out of his hug, Veer forcibly
kissed her. The office decorum and her personal grace held Diya back from
slapping Veer for his misdemeanor. She could hardly hear her words to him “Stop
it Veer, I don’t like it.” Veer walked out with a faint “sorry”.
That was the last straw and the last
hug too. Thereafter, Diya refrained from even smiling at Veer. Unknowingly, she
developed a sudden aversion for hugs because they reminded her of that gory gesture
of a person who called himself her friend.
A few months later, Diya met Sumeet their
new training manager. Initially, she hesitated even to shake hands with him although
she knew it was unfair to carry bitter memories into all her interactions. Meetings
and workshops often brought Sumeet and her together. Sumeet was lively, very
friendly and quite charming. Strangely enough, Diya developed a liking for him
which soon developed into love which she kept under wraps – or so, she thought.
Soon it was their annual day and all
of them were gathered on the sprawling garden of their office. Small groups got
busy discussing the latest fashion, food, vacation plans, rising prices, and so
on. All of a sudden, their office peon Shyam enthusiastically lit a cracker, the
deafening sound of which startled everyone including Diya. As she trembled and fell
back, Diya could sense someone holding her tenderly. She faintly opened her
eyes and found herself in Sumeet’s arms. She was trying hard to loosen herself
out of his soothing embrace, when he softly said, “I love you Diya, don’t you
love me? We both need each other, don’t we?”
That evening, as Sumeet and Diya lost
to each other in a tight hug, oblivious to people around them, tears welled up
in her eyes. Diya could feel her heart melt in the warmth of their new-found
love; she also realized something else – the hug had healed her.
Published in Mangalorean.com on 22nd June 2019
