When life happens

Kuldeep's story

"Will you tell us now why you didn't tell us earlier?" Neha persisted to Kuldeep after Ahona and Srinija had gone out for a while.

"The topic just didn't come up, Neha," said Kuldeep.

"And it came up with Siri!" said Neha.

Tani was standing a little distance from them, but she wasn't saying anything, and Kuldeep knew she was badly hurt too, and indeed, Tani was hurt, because since the day she had taken his interview, she used to feel Kuldeep trusted her.

"Will you come to my room? I'll tell you everything," said Kuldeep in a bid to make things up to them.

"No thanks," said Neha. "I don't want to know."

"Tani?" said Kuldeep.

"Yes let's go," said Tani, her words of course starkly contrasting with Neha's disagreeable answer.

"Come up, Neha," Kuldeep ordered, and the three of them went up to his room.

Tani and Kuldeep sat down cross legged on the bed, with Neha sulking in a corner.

"Ahona is my childhood family friend," began Kuldeep. "We've practically known her all our lives. Srinija is her cousin, so I've only recently met her..."

"I wonder which one is worse, Srinija or Ahona," commented Neha. "Not much to choose, is there?"

"Stop being irrelevant," said Tani. "Kuliya, please continue."

"It was sort of accepted amongst our families that we'll get married some day," said Kuldeep. "And I don't think either of us thought it through, because after a certain age, Ahona automatically started acting like..."

"Your girlfriend," said Neha darkly.

"But I didn't try to stop it either," said Kuldeep.

"So did you two get engaged?" asked Tani.

"Not officially but it's sort of accepted."

Tani and Neha thought over the story, and Kuldeep said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you two earlier. Honestly I didn't get an opportunity to, and me and Siri were with Hardik one day and the topic had come up, that's why she knew..."

"You could have told us earlier without topic too, but it's ok. I understand your point," said Tani.

"Neha?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you still sulking?" asked Kuldeep.

"I don't know," said Neha, still sounding pretty sulky to Tani and Kuldeep.

Kuldeep threw a pillow at her head. Neha batted it away.

"Do you want to marry her?" she asked.

Kuldeep hesitated a moment before saying, "Yes, of course."

Tani had been studying human psychology and corresponding behaviour for too long to not catch that hesitation.

"No," she said slowly. "You don't."

"My wanting it or not wanting it has nothing to do with the fact that we have to marry each other," said Kuldeep.

"So you really don't want it."

"I don't," agreed Kuldeep. "I can't..."

"You can't...?" prompted Tani.

"I can't even imagine a life with her," said Kuldeep, his face screwed up in disgust.

"And still you're going ahead with this stupid idea just because it's accepted among your families," said Tani, sounding even more disgusted.

"You're an idiot," Neha told Kuldeep viciously.

"A very big one," agreed Tani. "I understand you don't want to hurt her or disappoint your parents but this... marrying someone you don't love a bit is ridiculous!"

"So what do I do?" asked Kuldeep, sounding slightly desperate.

Tani looked at him steadily.

"I know," sighed Kuldeep. "I've got to go and tell her."

"Yes," said Neha gleefully. "I hope you break her heart cruelly!"

Tani silenced her with a look, then she wondered about what the right thing to say was just then, that would make Kuldeep stop looking like the end of the world was coming.

"I don't know much all this, Kuliya, but I do think happiness is the only thing worth fighting for in this world," she said finally.

Kuldeep looked much struck by this.

"Nice philosophy, Sayantani," winked Neha, cheerful again now that Ahona was going to get refused.

"I'd forgotten your real name is Sayantani," said Kuldeep apologetically.

Neha snorted with laughter.

"One of these days I'll forget your real name is Kuldeep," grumbled Tani.

Siri dropped in. "If you've finished your story, want to go out for ice cream?"

Which effectively ended the serious discussion.

Neha jumped up immediately.

"Are you coming?" Tani asked Kuldeep.

"No, I need to talk to Yuzi," said Kuldeep promptly.

"Expected," said Neha, but she was beaming.

As the three of them were walking down the lawn, they came across Srinija. Ahona wasn't with her.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Ice cream," said Neha.

"Oh good, I need an ice cream in this heat too," said Srinija, as she fell in step with them.

Siri remembered how she had been talking with Kuldeep a little while ago and said sternly, "We didn't invite you."

Tani and Neha grinned at each other.

Srinija stopped in her tracks and stared. A part of her wanted to fight with them till they gave in, but looking at the three standing shoulder to shoulder, she decided to step back.

"All right...fine," she muttered, turning away and starting to leave.

"Unexpected from you, but nice," Neha told Siri as they continued their walk.

Bhuvi happened to witness the scene, but unlike the girls, who, indignant on Kuldeep's behalf, refused to see anything but bad in Srinija, he could see that Srinija had been hurt a little, after all.

Her walk back to the hotel seemed the gait of a rather lonely person, in spite of her influences.

"Hey," said Bhuvi, running up to catch up with her.

"Hi Bhuvi bhaiya," said Srinija in a subdued voice.

"They're not bad persons, you know. They just don't understand you," said Bhuvi, casually putting an arm around her shoulders.

Srinija stared up at him, wondering if he had just come to defend his sisters to her.

"How about the two of us get an ice cream instead?" said Bhuvi, sounding very warm.

"I'd love to," said Srinija, her eyes shining. "Let's go right now!"

Bhuvi took her arm and they went out together, and over their ice cream, Bhuvi noticed that Srinija had dropped her superior attitude completely, and talked like a young girl just like Siri, Tani and Neha.

If only people knew how easy it was to deal with arrogant, stubborn kids instead of shunning them.

Somehow Ahona's polished attitude made Bhuvi a lot more uncomfortable than Srinija's inherent childishness.