Mithra

Happy Birthday, my all-time Love! I took a deep breath and stepped forward when my name was called out. A strange feeling of excitement overwhelmed me. It was one of the most important days of my life. I had earned my post-graduate degree and I was standing on the stage to receive my degree in front of Mr. Adi Godrej at the TERI SAS convocation ceremony. There were very few clean air days in Delhi and fortunately today was one of them. It had rained heavily the previous night and the air was clean enough to show the happiness on the faces of all the graduating students and their proud parents. My parents had flown in from Bengaluru in an early morning flight just to see their little daughter receive her M. Tech degree. It was my mother’s first flight journey and I knew how important this day was for my parents. They have been in the audience ever since I first climbed the stage in my school as a UKG student and they are here in Delhi today to watch the same daughter become a pos...

Two Strangers… One Lockdown! {16} Atharva stood there with his damp hair and smouldering looks. He was fresh from the shower and I could almost smell sandalwood fragrance of the soap he always used. An involuntary smile entered my face. Suddenly the butterflies were back in my stomach and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks. I lowered my eyes and turned away from him. Shyness washed over me as he approached. He stood in front of me with one of his hands holding the chain of the swing. ‘Hey Sharini…’ he called out softly. ‘Hi Atharva,’ I said, still not looking up at him. He paused for a moment and then started speaking again. ‘When you asked me if we could start all over again, I was shocked. I never really thought that you could even imagine of getting back with me. Your words raised a lot of questions inside me and I gave a lot of thought to answer those questions. I might not have found answers to all of them but at least they certainly helped me make my decisio...

Two Strangers… One Lockdown! {15} ‘What!?’ ‘You heard me and I meant every single word of what I just said.’ My heart was pounding in my chest but I tried to maintain a poker face. I did not want to give away all my emotions at once. I was not yet ready to lay bare my feelings at the doorstep of his heart. We had to go step by step. There was a lot of undoing of the past to be done. I began counting the seconds as he continued to come to terms of the changing equation between us. 1, 2, 3, 4,….. 28, 29, 30, 31,…. 74, 76, 77,….. 121, 122, 124. Finally, after two whole minutes, he looked up at me. All that I could see on his face was only confusion. ‘Sharini, I did not expect that we would ever be having this conversation. This is too sudden for me to say anything. Please give me some time and then we can talk about it.’ The breath that I was holding, slowly escaped my chest. It was not a bad response. It was way better than what I had expected. This showed ...

Two Strangers… One Lockdown! {14} Her heartbeats began to race while his heart was pounding in his chest. He thought a lot about this moment. But he had made a firm decision that he would tell her everything the day he showed her his portrait. ‘You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my life. You resurrected my smile and passion.  My art comes alive in tribute to you,’ he said letting out a heavy sigh. As he spoke, she listened to his every word with a nervous impatience. She wanted him to let her go but at the same time she was overwhelmed by his intoxicating presence. ‘But this is not enough. The time I spend with you always makes me greedy for more. Every day, I want to wake up to your sleepy face and while you lightly snore in your sleep. I want to spend my day simply watching you breathe next to me. Every night, I want to listen to the stories that you have written. And as you narrate, I want you pull you closer and…’ He gently pulled her c...

Two Strangers… One Lockdown! {13} He looked at me and gave an understanding nod. We both sat like that for a few minutes and gazed at the stars. It felt good in a long time. Probably it was the peace that I was looking for in a disturbed life. For a moment, I did think about getting back with Atharva. Why not? We both had not remarried and he was repenting for his wrong deed and I too regretted my past behaviour. The empty beer tins, the bright moon, twinkling stars, jasmine fragrance, our entwined fingers… everything around us was screaming at us to stay together. Or maybe, it was just me and my mind which was now high on beer. I couldn’t see it coming but I felt a bond connecting both of us. Yet, there was something which was just not right. Something that was right in between us in the empty space. And then, it suddenly hit me! Ekaparnika! Of course, it was her. I had seen the admiration and respect for her in his eyes. But was there something beyond that too? I cou...