With Love, Satya

THE UNEXPECTED ONE

Sathya and Adhya met in a restaurant, during her lunch break the next day.
“Hi, I am Sathyashree.”
“Adhya.”
“How are you? I have heard a lot about you from Abhi.”
“I’m good, what about you and I’ve heard a lot about you too,” replied Adhya.
“So what’s up? What did you want to discuss?”
Sathya took a deep breath and started out slowly.
“Manan and I, we may not be speaking to each other but we still care about each other. Abhiram told me that Manan has moved on, and he has found a girl. He even wants to tell her about his feelings.”
“Oh!! I did not know about him liking another girl. So, did he tell her yet?”
“Not yet. He is scared that she won’t accept. So, Abhiram and I decided that I will speak to her about Manan’s love”.
“Okay. But how am I involved in all of this?”
Sathya hesitated, “I hate that fact that I am the one telling you this, but……. he likes you.”
“Me??!” Adhya was shocked. She was overcome by a cold wave of fury. “You must be out of your mind. It does not make any sense.”
“This makes perfect sense. Manan stopped dancing after our breakup. After that he danced again only because you both had some bet. All the memories which were once shared between us have been rewritten between the two of you. You heeled him. You turned him back into the happy, loving and caring person he once was. Everyone in his family tried every possible way to help him cope. But nothing worked out. And suddenly after one year you came and he started changing. He loved me, and I know when he loves someone, he always puts that person’s happiness before his own. That is why, in spite of being upset himself he took you out for that ride. Do you have any idea why he broke down when you guys saw the fireflies?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even want to know. I don’t believe in love anymore. So please don't make me uncomfortable. I…”
“I know, Abhiram told me that you had a bad break up. But probably you didn’t meet the right guy, and life has given you a second chance.”

“Fine, I totally agree that I didn’t meet the right guy. But what about you. As far as I know you guys were perfect for each other and you still care about him and Manan cares for you too, why are you guys not together? What has your love given you, just the pain of not being able to stay with each other?”
“It hurt. But for the circumstances under which we broke up, that was the best option.”
“Whatever be the reason, love has failed you.”
“Love has not failed us Adhya, Fate has. Frankly, Manan has to tell you all of this but because you asked me and because I believe that this will change your opinion on love, I will tell you.”
Satya sat down and started narrating the story and memories. The story in which they were special to each other, the memories which could still make her smile.
“I saw him for the first time during a dance performance in our fresher’s. Manan is a perfect package of madness and intelligence. He can be a responsible leader, he can also be a mischievous friend. I had fallen for his charm even before he knew I existed. I saw his friendship, when he fought with his friend, Divya’s boyfriend for abusing her and got suspended. I saw his smartness, when I heard them discuss how he had once fooled his friend with a fake love letter. And the birthday parties he would organize were simply brilliant. Once I had asked Divya, to describe Manan. She told, “Manan, is a fairy tale. It will start with ‘Once upon time’, when I have to describe the fun we have with him, and will end with ‘happily ever after’ because the memories we made will never fail to elate me.”

We met during our work at the NGO. We immediately clicked. I always tried to be the perfect daughter, perfect sister, perfect student, perfect everything. Now that I think of it I feel I have obsession of being perfect. I did not get to be naughty or get a chance to make mistakes and learn. I was brought up to be fearless, but I was always scared that I would not live up to my parents’ expectations.  Manan was the perfect antidote for the irony of my life. He was a bridge between what I wanted to be and what I was. I was very comfortable with him around just like I would be, with my mom. I felt very safe with him, as I felt with my dad.  Within a year we had become very close friends. I could become a child in front of him and simply delete the numbers from my age.

It was during the last few months of 2nd year. Manan had gone home for Diwali. The rest of us friends were celebrating Diwali in our hostel. My left hand got burnt and Manan told me about his feelings while he was scolding me. Every person present there thought that it was a very blunt way of expressing someone’s feelings. But for me it was the sweetest way, because he didn’t say it consciously, he said what he felt. But after a minute or so I asked him to get out of the room. Next day he came back, to explain, but I asked him to forget that we had ever met. Neither did he argue nor did he try to talk to me.
He acted like a total stranger. He didn’t speak to me, smile at me or even look at me. I needed his ‘good morning’ to actually make the morning good, and since he stopped talking to me, every morning was a torture. The worst part was that I had asked for it. Three weeks later, on my birthday, I finally broke the silence. He hadn’t come to class or to the hospital or anywhere else where we could have met. But I didn’t want the day to end without meeting him. So I thought I would wait for him in the study room. When I entered, I saw him sitting at our usual spot. I went sat in my seat, he looked at me and stood up to walk out. I held his hand and said, “It’s my birthday Manan, please wish me.”

He turned back and looked me straight in the eye. It was too much for me and I started crying. He freed himself and walked out of the study room. I followed him. We went to our canteen and there he bought a doughnut.
“I am so sorry Sathya, I thought I would make this birthday very special for you, but…. Let’s not talk about it. Come sit down and cut the doughnut,” he said.
“Doughnut??”
“There were no pastries….” he replied, and I started laughing.
I cut the doughnut and we fed each other.
“Happy birthday Sathya.”
“There is nothing happy about this birthday Manan, I was waiting for your wishes the entire day.”
“You asked me not to speak to you.”
“So your ego won over our friendship?!”
“No. I keep my promises Sathya. This time I had promised myself that I would not disturb you.”
“I was more disturbed by the fact that the growing distance between us did not affect you.”
“Girls are so complicated.”
“You complicated it, why did you have to love me?”
“I was always in love with you and never just your friend. It’s just that you did not know.”
“Then why did you tell me?”
“It did not plan it.”
“I want to be with you.”
“Then what is stopping you?”
“My family. It’s little complicated.”
“All of that does not matter, you tell me if you love me or not?”
“Even before we met, I had fallen for you.”
“I don’t know how girls hide their feelings!”
“I had to, I was scared. I can’t choose between you and my dad!”
“Sathya, I promise you, that you will never have to choose between your dad and me.”

The next week, Manan took me on a beautiful ride. We started around six in the morning. He first stopped at a petrol bunk. A boy came with a sprite bottle and gave it to me. I took it and there was a note saying ‘your smile is my fuel, keep smiling’. Before I could ask anything the boy vanished. Manan didn’t say anything so I knew it was his plan. I didn’t say anything either. After half an hour or so, he got a call, he disconnected it after one ring. Ten minutes later he got a call again, this time he stopped the bike to attend the call. While he was speaking on the phone, a girl gave me a bouquet, which said ‘the fragrance of these flowers may fade away but your essence in my life will never fade’. After that we travelled for an hour and reached a rose garden. It belonged to Manan’s family friend. At the end of the garden there was a table and two chairs. And that was my first date. We had cappuccino and then returned. I still have no idea where he got the coffee and the table from. On the way back, he bought me a helmet and said that I would need it soon. When we reached my hostel, the shopkeeper outside my hostel gifted me a key chain with a note which read ‘let’s open the lock to our dream land together’. I ran back to him and hugged him.
He said “I love you Sathya.”
“I want to live with you.”
He smiled and said “Your wish is my command.”
I smiled and left without replying. I could not stop smiling for the rest of the day.