Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
I want to walk in the open wind
I want to talk like lovers do
I want to dive into your ocean
Is it raining with you…
With both her ears plugged, Misha
was listening to this and singing along. The song was a perfect fit for the
weather. She was at her happiest best until the cab broke down around 3km
before her workplace. She had no choice but to get down and get another one.
The luck dumped her again as
there wasn’t any cab around that could lift her in the next few minutes. While
she was embarrassed to ask for a drop, she had no better option left. She got down and in next 20 seconds, she got
drenched. Busy city where everyone was
in rush and the pour to add to it, who would stop for anyone?
A car pulled off and stopped by,
the windows rolled down and a gentle voice of a middle-aged man was barely
audible. All she could gauge is – he is asking if she wanted to jump in.
Without much thought, she entered the car and alongside expressing her
gratitude, she began to dry herself with the help of her tiny hankie which
itself was too wet to come to rescue. She was offered with a bunch of paper
towels that would really work wonders for her; she accepted it against her
typical nature.
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Tell you what, I had gotten
shipwrecked today but to my luck, got saved and made it to the presentation.
Kritya responded with a basic
nod.
Misha was on and on.
Let me call you back, Misha –
Kritya hung up with a cold period.
Misha got involved and broke for
lunch at the usual time. However, it was a business lunch today with the
vendors and hence, she didn’t text or call Kritya. Neither did she receive any
message or ring.
It was an hour late than usual
when she left work. Per her normal habit, she made a call and like it happened
most of the times, it was disconnected. She typed a sentence and initiated her
travel.
No response, not even a blue tick
until she reached home. With no ego in mind, she redialled.
Hey expect my call soon, I am
tied – came the reply.
A good night text at midnight did
the trick. She got a call back with a subtle apology.
---------
An extended weekend to the lovely
beach of south coast was around the corner. Misha took an additional leave for shopping
and Kritya had planned to work from office during the first half and further
remotely, until the seat-belt signs are turned on.
Hello! We are on a vacation and
more importantly, we are engaged – Misha otherwise a calm and patient girl
sounded tad bit irritated on the third day of their holiday as Kritya was more
or less with his stuff since the time they met on the airport.
After a 5 day holiday, the
routine resumed for both.
---------
Shankhesh was married for 4 years
and living a life with hardly any zing. Both were working in typical corporate
environment. They didn’t have much to talk about and when they conversed, they,
especially she had loads to crib on.
She was extremely workaholic hence
most of the times, would leave early to work and almost all the times, he would
return to home much before she did. They had significant space but barely any
spice.
Happy-go-lucky Shankhesh would
plan drives, dinners and movies quite often but many a times ended up enjoying
it in solitude due to needless-to-mention reasons.
The idea of a weekend for her was
to do research on her professional topics of interest and for him, it was to
stretch legs and either read a novel or laze under the sun. Most of the times,
this would happen at their home. Seldom, a holiday would shape up especially
when an opportunity of an extended weekend came along but the respective ideas
yet remained the same.
It’s been long we have made out.
Is this a right night for you? – Shankhesh requested in a smooth tone.
---------
How can I make things right for
him so that things get perfect between the both of us? – Misha was speaking to
herself in the pantry but the tone was audible to him who just had entered for
a cup of coffee.
I am sorry to poke in but is
everything ok?
Oh! Hi, I am so sorry I couldn’t
even thank you properly last week and then I was off on a vacation and have
resumed today itself. I never knew we were on the same floor. I feel apologetic
and moreover, it is so silly of me that neither I asked your name or number so
that I can just come up to you and express my gratitude – Misha was non-stop
until she felt she had to take a breath.
Hang on, it’s alright. I came in
for a cup of coffee and I got so much of thank you and sorry that my stomach
won’t accept, neither my heart would like as much. Ha-ha – He tried to relax
the conversation and added – I don’t belong to this floor. I had come to catch
up with someone but look, who has been caught. He ended the last sentence with
a beam.
Misha complemented with a
laughter and rearranged her hair, which made her look all the more beautiful
and full of life.
So, when are we meeting for our
next cuppa? – He jolted in.
I am a coffee person – She
winked.
---------
Hey, we did plan a coffee and you
are still at work. I am waiting at the coffee house since 30 minutes; a text
from your end would have helped, Kritya.
Well Misha, I know but…
Chuck it, Kritya. Some other
time. Misha placed an order for takeaway and to her surprise she was patted on
her back.
I didn’t plan this but here I
catch you again. Today, I am forced to trust my luck for the second time and
probably the last.
Misha’s derailed mood came back
to normalcy and she chipped in. I thought you were third time lucky today. You
seem to have forgotten the rainy day.
Come on, that time you were lucky
– He blasted even before he finished the last word.
Ha-Ha, but why did you say –
probably the last?
From next time, I would be
confident and so, luck would be out of picture – came the reply following by a
wink.
---------
How come you are so confident? –
Shankhesh asked his wife.
I am not only confident but sure
enough about this.
Ok, go ahead.
She had to travel for a month for
striking a huge deal for her organization. It was supposed to be a hectic trip
that included due diligence and working towards a live proof of concept and
that too at the client’s experimental location.
Shankhesh was apprehensive as it
was an unknown location and a much longer than usual trip. His caring attitude
put him in a state of worry but there was nothing much he could do about it.
Her ambitious nature and bold
attitude didn’t allow her to focus on anything else. She left after a week.
---------
For this entire week, we haven’t
met and have hardly spoken on phone. Can we please meet today? – This text
message went out from Misha’s phone after a lot of edits.
Let’s meet up tonight at the
airport coffee house before I fly for an assignment – a subtle response popped
up on her phone.
What? Which assignment? Did we
speak about? – Three questions in a row reflected some amount of agony.
Something sudden. Backfilling for
my subordinate who can’t due to an exigency. More at the terminal. Laters –
bullet point reply.
The flight took off alongside so
many thoughts that landed in Misha’s mind; predominant of which was – What
wrong have I done to him?
---------
I think I was wrong. This is
sheer fate again. Ha-ha.
He was right in front of Misha
but she was engaged in her thoughts and hence didn’t respond at par with the
expectation.
Since I have arrived after you
are done with your coffee, you are feeling sad. Is it?
Kindly let me be alone – Misha
started walking.
He was dumbstruck.
After a few steps, she looked
back and requested if he wanted to walk along for a while.
He agreed.
She apologized.
They walked. Initiated a chat
that lasted for over 45 minutes.
More than chat, it was a
monologue.
Let’s have a cuppa, what say? –
The monologue ended with a statement followed by a 2 word question?
Wow, you and tea? – He was
surprised.
Consider it as a compensation for
listening. Ha-ha – Misha couldn’t resist.
Well, we need to go back to the
airport as I have left my car there – He exclaimed.
Oh no! Silly of me – Misha was
feeling inept but she laughed at herself.
---------
Don’t be silly, Misha – I had
texted you about my arrival.
Yes, it’s been 2 days post that,
Kritya.
Ok, I am fine, you take care –
Kritya was uninterested in engaging himself on the conversation as he had to
enter the boardroom where the vendor team was waiting.
Arnita, who was leading the
project, had come up with a presentation.
Kritya was impressed but smartly
he kept it to himself.
After the presentation, Arnita
had arranged a dinner party and was more than keen to know the feedback from
Kritya.
They entered into a dialogue and
after a warm-up talk, Arnita attempted to pull him into the feedback mode.
After the dinner, they took a
stroll and exchanged insights from their professional experience so far. They
discovered many things in common and with no much realization, the talks
manoeuvred from professional to personal.
---------
My personal life is not worth
discussing – he hummed.
This isn’t fair. I told everything
about my life and when I asked you, your lips got locked – Misha sweetly
complained.
Ha-ha. If I start, you will get
fed up and probably this would be the last sip with you. Post that nothing will
work – neither luck nor confidence.
Misha raised her eyebrows and
quoted – That’s not funny but your wish. She turned the face towards the west
after the statement.
He steered her chin with his
thumb and finger towards east and their eyes met.
I will surely tell you my story
but let’s keep it for some other day. It is late today and let me drop you back
home. Also, I need a reason for our next coffee meet, try to comprehend. Ha-ha.
---------
Kritya and Misha met over a light
dinner. Misha wanted to tell him few things but since she wasn’t very
expressive, was struggling to frame the words.
While they were about to wrap the
evening up, Kritya asked her if he can spend some time with her.
Misha was surprised but she
nodded in agreement.
Kritya was upfront and he told
Misha every about his trip. He also told her that he met Arnita and described
about how well the chemistry worked between the both of them.
Arnita and Shankhesh filed a
divorce after Shankhesh confessed about her relationship with Misha.
Kritya moved in with Arnita and
Shankhesh started living with Misha.
Both the couples got back on the
track and the love square was squared.
