Stars & Dreams

5) Alpha Orionis - Distant and Cold

Yohan's grandmother did not wait for his arrival. By the time he reached, she had breathed her last. Yohan was stunned by this sudden turn of events. He had not, in his wildest dreams, expected his grandmother to abandon him all of a sudden. Next few days passed in a blur for him. There were relatives, friends, well-wishers and fans pouring in to pay their last tributes to her. He felt as if he was watching everything from an outer sphere of his life. He wished for the good old days when he and his grandmother used to huddle together in a corner and watch the family celebrate festivals with disinterest. They would whisper, giggle, gossip and make fun of family members. His grandmother had been his best friend and no one had understood him like her. Irrespective of the fact that he was uncommunicative, she had taken every opportunity to demonstrate her love for him. And he had assumed that she would be a constant life companion. How colossally wrong he had been!

While his cousins, uncles and aunts earned sympathies by displaying their grief openly, he stood aloof in a corner with  an impassive face, observing the events with a detachment that he could not understand. Some of the guests smiled at him with curious disbelief and some others disregarded him with callous indifference. Standing near the doorway, he could almost read their minds; ridiculing him silently for his unsuccessful efforts to earn a place among the galaxy of stars. Their scornful glances revealed their contempt for his attitude. They seemed to imply  that it was his lineage that gave him an edge over the others, and which he took for granted without much care.

Yohan wondered if his parents' death had destroyed the emotional build-up of his personality. He did not remember his parents and had never felt their loss. By the time he understood the bond that a child shared with a parent, he had learnt to conceal his yearning, his curiosity and his loneliness. His teachers had complained to his uncles and grandparents about his lack of display of feelings or emotions. He was also referred to a psychologist once, who had diagnosed that Yohan suffered from borderline personality disorder. His grandmother was the only one who had perceived his inner turmoil and figured a way to explain to others.

And now she was no more to defend him. The truth hit him with a brute force that shook him to his core. Forlorn and desolate, he rushed to his room and surrendered to his grief and heart-ache.

The day swept by in a haze and the night descended on him with its misery and coldness. His friends and Nina visited but they were unable to draw him out of his room. Staring at the ceiling aimlessly, he stretched out on his bed without any will or wish. He could neither sleep nor get up from the bed. His eldest uncle called out his name.

"Yohan, are you there? Come out of the room. You have been inside like this for more than twenty-four hours. We are worried Yohan."

Yohan stirred out of his somniferous state and opened the door. His uncle looked at him with concern, "Yohan, are you alright?"

*************

Rumi read the script many times but she could not bring herself to agree to the part in the story. It was a comedy and she had a major role, not the lead role but good enough for her. So why did she not sign for the part? Only because, she was required to travel to Kolkata for shooting.

She tossed the bunch of sheets aside and rested her head on the table. Did she have the courage to endure the dark memories of the city that had stripped her of everything?

The door bell roused her out of her meandering thoughts and to her surprise, she found a beaming Ujjwal who took her in his arms with ardent enthusiasm.

"Hey babe, how are you?"

"You never told me you were arriving today," she pulled him inside the flat, before he started displaying his affections in front of her neighbours.