TWO FRIENDS(PART III)

Vishu was back in India, after 3 long years in US.He was a qualified neurologist now, working for the top tier corporate hospital in the country. He was in his sister’s house for Tushin’s birthday. Tushin-his 3 year old niece.His sister stayed in the same city and this comforted Vishu a lot. But was Vishu afraid of being alone? No, perhaps he wanted to live a life bereft of Shweta. It would be very difficult, he knew. The party was on. All of a sudden, a little yellow fairy emerged. Yellow-Vishu’s favourite colour. Tushin introduced her little friend to Vishu, ” Uncle, she is Anurati. My best friend.” She smiled and said,” Hello ! ” Taking out her tiny hand, she asked, ”Friends?” Vishu shook hands with her and said,”Yes,friends”.Her cherubic smile strangely reminded him of Shweta. In fact, Anurati looked like the child version of ‘his’ Shweta.Vishu drove down into memory lanes. He had met her for the first time in a similar fashion.
“There were flowers,
But they weren’t ours.
There was love,
But it wasn’t ours.
There were stolen glances ,
And they were ours.”
Vishu had penned these lines after seeing Shweta for the first time at a friend’s party.
Soon,they got to meet and know each other better. Shweta was a smiling,cheerful,happy-go-lucky soul, spreading fun everywhere .
Shweta was his muse, his inspiration and life, from then on. He felt the hidden beauty of life after befriending her.
A life beyond his books,surgical equipments,wards.
They became best of best friends.But,alas!good times never last for ever.

“Vishu!”,a call startled him. It was his sister. She said,”Can you please drop Anurati home tonight ? Its on your way .” He replied,”Sure !” He played several games with Tushin and Anurati that evening. In fact, his face beamed with happiness at the end of the party,after a long-long time.He took a half-sleeping Anurati into his car and reached her house. On the way, Anurati had told him to come to her house the next day, it was her birthday.She added,”Mom will be happy to see you.”Her lisping words sounded sweeter than honey to Vishu.She was sleeping by then and Vishu had to carry her in his arms.He rung the doorbell and almost immediately,popped in a face,saying,”Sorr..yyy..yyyyy..” What he saw, made him lose his voice,numbed his senses and perhaps lose himself too.It was Shweta,his life, at the door, waiting for Anurati.Meanwhile,Shweta was speechless.Time stood still for both of them.None of them could utter a word. It was a sight and emotion beyond description ,words choke you and you are bubbling with affection.A man with a child in arm, a woman gazing at a man who meant a lot to her even now and everything still. Nobody realized who moved out of that stupor first,but Vishu placed little Anurati on her bed and moved out of her room. Shweta was perhaps in trance even then. Vishu tried to say something but failed. The initial “shock” was far from over. In a bid to say something,Vishu blabbered out, ”Good ..night …“ Shweta,as if awaking from deep sleep, replied robotically,”Good night? Yes, Good night.” She finally woke up to the situation and rushed to Vishu,”Hey,you must come tomorrow.Its Anurati’s birthday.” Vishu,with somewhat changed expressions, replied, ”Yes,I’ll be there.”

“She has become paler and thinner.A lucky man stole her heart perhaps.”, Vishu thought. He knew what she meant for him,but never thought that his feelings were reciprocated. “We were friends after all, she called me her chum. She has given me so much that I can wish for no more.” But deep within, he knew something had just broken, snapped his dreamy hopes, in him.An unknown sensation gripped him, and he had tears in his eyes.
It was a different story for Shweta that night. A riot of happiness filled her mind followed by a helpless call from within.She couldn’t laugh or cry, life had placed her best friend in front of her but didn’t offer her time to cry her heart out, pour all her troubles into his ears, rest her head on his strong shoulders. Over time, she had realized that Vishu was the one who could understand and feel for her. Their relation was nameless, but certainly a beautiful one.

To be continued....