Part 2
He came back home before 10 mins. As soon as he came, he wanted to crash into the bed but his growling stomach and filthy body didn't agree to it. So he decided to fresh up first and eat something. So he put his phone for charging and went towards his bedroom.
It's actually a 2bhk flat which his father bought when he said that he would do his practice in Mumbai. His is a Maharashtrian family settled in Gujarat.
He came out after 15 mins. He went into the kitchen to make something for himself. He could find no other option than a Oat meal. It's during these times he misses his mother.
"If Ma is here, she would say that I have become so lean eating all this packet made food. But there's even no other option to a bachelor like me in Mumbai. And if I keep a maid I can't bear her rant.", He thought to himself and came into the hall.
He sat on the couch and switched on the TV. He then ate his food watching some music channel and slowly sleep began occupying his eyes and before he could even know, he drifted off into deep sleep.
*****************
"Whoa! You have come already!", Sameer said upon seeing Ayesha as soon as he entered into his cabin.
"Yup.", Ayesha replied turning towards him.
Sameer then reached her, bent down and gave a small peck on her forehead.
He then went and sat in his chair, opposite to Ayesha.
"So, when is your OT schedule?", She asked.
"First one is at eleven. It's a bypass.", He replied.
"Great!", She replied and Sameer looked at her amused.
"You are the only one who becomes happy upon hearing such words.", Sameer said and Ayesha laughed him off.
She was clad in a white shirt with blue stripes and a dark blue jeans. She wore a pair of black pencil heels and her hair was tied into a high ponytail. On the other hand Sameer wore the dark blue hospital uniform.
"So, tell me. By now you should be in your rounds checking on your favourite customers. Why late then?", Sameer asked looking at her.
"Yeah, but I thought I will chat with you for sometime. You know, so much of love. Can't bear it.", She commented and Sameer let out a playful sigh.
"By the way, didn't I ask you to speak with your that gastro consultant friend? You know he will be a great asset to our hospital.", She said.
"Oh, you have started again. You please do such discussions with Chairman Sir. Don't involve me in such dealings. Now done with your business? Go, go and do your rounds.", Sameer replied joining his hands.
Ayesha pouted at this and said, "Fine, I will leave. I will deal with you in the night.", Then she smiled at him and left.
*************
"Anu! Anu!", she turned upon hearing her name and saw Shree coming towards her. She again turned back to Nandanji and said, "Now that I have answered all your queries, take these.", she handed him bowl of medicines and water.
"You are unbelievable.", he commented, frowning.
Meanwhile Shree came to her and spoke, "Anu, I need to talk to you. Come here."
"What is it?", she asked without moving from there.
"Arey come na, please. Namaste Nandanji.", saying so he pulled her with him.
"What is it?", she asked withdrawing her hand. Now they are both walking through the other patients in the ward.
"Yaar, I have OT today.", he said worriedly.
"Great. What problem do you have in it?", she asked.
"Actually nothing. Infact I have 3 OTs today.", he said as if it's not a big deal.
"What? 3 OTs? Are you serious? Wait, are you a junior doctor or a senior consultant? 3 OTs and still you are whining? You are trying to what, show off?", she began showering him with questions. By now she wore a dangerous look on her face and is pointing a finger at him, trying to frighten him. But yeah, they all don't work in real life.
"Whoa! Wait, dear tigress. Those 3 are only under Sam. There might also be another under Dr.Kartik.(Anu kept listening to him with wide eyes.) But, there's a problem.", he said.
"What? You can't make it today? Should you leave to somewhere immediately? And hence you want me to cover for you in the OT? I will happily do it.", she said assuming things by herself, not letting him speak.
"Ah, no thanks. I can manage that.", he said, smirking at her words.
Anu then pouted and asked, "Then what's your problem?"
"I want somebody to cover me in the burns ward during that time. So I thought you would...", he said eyeing her sheepishly.
But she immediately responded,
"Don't even think of it.", saying so she began walking away from him.
"What? Why? Please yaar.", he requested trying to pace with her.
"Accha, so you will go there and perform surgeries while I should go there and work my ass off with those reports and paper work.", she replied and walked away.
But Shree stopped at his place and said in a dejected but a sufficiently high tone,
"So, is that it Anu? So this is where our friendship goes. Fine. But you better don't forget all that I have done for you."
Anu turned around to his filmy dialogues and kept staring at him. She didn't utter a single word but kept staring at him sternly.
On the other hand, Shree is finding it difficult to hold his dejected expression.
"Yaar, say something. How much time will she stare at me that way. Come on. I feel like laughing.", he thought to himself.
Then Anu spoke, "Okay, fine."
Hearing that Shree finally laughed and went towards her saying, "Thanks yaar."
"But, all those OT case studies you will be making today, I will read them first. I will read them as many days as I want. Okay?", she said.
"Okay. Done. Wait, what are those?", Shree asked indicating her shirt pocket.
She followed his gaze and saw the rose and the note. She immediately bit her tongue. She saw Shree's hand moving towards them and so she immediately turned away from him.
"Ah uh.., it's nothing. Really nothing.", she tried dodge.
"Oh, really! Shut up.", saying so he grabbed them.
First he eyed the white rose carefully and then opened the note and read it. He then asked causually, "Okay.., But why are you trying to hide these? What's so special in these?"
Anu got shocked at his words. She asked him innocently, "What, they are not special? See them. The note and the rose. Arjun sent them."
"Yeah, so what? It's just a 'good day' note. With Vaishali, Arjun would never end a note with something less than 'I love you'. You remember that?", he said.
"But, the rose..,"
"What 'this'? White rose? What's a big deal in this? You remember, in the earlier days Arjun used to send Vaishali 3 boquets per day, that too fuull of red roses.", Shree said and Anu became more sad.
She then turned away from him and asked him in a sad voice, clinging to a nearby white curtain,
"So, does that mean Arjun will never accept me?"
"Atleast not until 'you' confess your feelings to him."
"That's never gonna happen.", she said and pouted.
"And that's due to your madness.", Shree said.
But Anu didn't reply anything and walked away. Shree understood that she is hurt but he couldn't do anything. It's time for him to go to the OT. So he said in a voice audible enough to her,
"Okay Anu, I should go now. But remember, our conversation isn't over. I will meet you as soon as I finish the OT.", he said and hoped that she might turn back, but she didn't. So he ran back hurriedly to the OT.
**************
The continuous buzzing of his phone startled his sleep. He sat up at once and looked around for his phone. He remembered that he kept it under charging and went towards it. He looked at the caller id and it read 'Home'. He answered the call.
"Hello", he said, walking back towards the couch.
"Hello, Junnu. What are you doing?", his mother spoke on the other side.
"Nothing. Just woke up.", he said, yawning.
"Oh, did I disturb you? Shall I call later?", his mother asked.
"No, it's okay. Anyway I had to wake up. You tell me, what is Papa doing?", he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Ah, he has gone to Shah uncle's house.", his mother answered.
"Hmm..", he nodded.
"So tell me more, how is your hospital? How are your friends?", his mother asked.
"Everything's fine here... How about you?"
"All good.", his mother said.
For the next few seconds silence prevailed between them.
Then his mother asked, "So, any good news among your friends? Anyone getting married..."
"Ma! Can we have one normal conversation without discussing this marriage and all?", he said knowing where his mother is going.
"What other conversation can I make when my only son is not showing interest in moving to the next phase of life.", she whined. "Ma!".
"What 'Ma'? You sit there in the Mumbai not caring about anything. You don't know about anything that's happening outside your hospital.", his mother complained.
"Okay, you tell me what's happening.", he replied.
"If I say, you will get upset again.", his mother said.
"What is it?", he asked.
"Hmmm, that girl got engaged.", his mother said.
Arjun's back straightened.
"Which girl got engaged?"
"Vaishali", his mother said.
He immediately cut the phone. His breath turned into fumes and face became red.
He didn't move an inch from his place. All his bitter memories flooded into his brain making him numb.
**************
2 YEARS AGO,
He walked hurriedly in the college corridor making his way through other students. He finally reached the canteen and his eyes darted to locate her in that crowd. He at last succeeded and saw her at a corner table, alone, chatting with someone on the phone. It seemed like she cared very less about the physical world surrounding her.
He ran towards her table and settled beside her, saying, "Hi"
It seemed like his commence startled her. At first, she looked at him shocked but then composed herself and replied "Hi Arjun", rather nonchalantly and looked back into her phone.
Arjun waited if she would speak anything else but she didn't. So he thought he would begin the conversation.
"Ah, Vaishu, how did your exam go?", he asked.
"Good.", she replied, not lifting her head from the phone.
"Great. Even mine went well.", he said, more to himself.
He then remained silent for next few minutes expecting to hear something from her but again he was disappointed. Again he decided to break silence by himself.
" Hey Vaishu, shall we go to my home this weekend?", he asked.
This time she lifted her head, shocked.
"Why Junnu?", she asked.
"What why? I am anyway going, so I thought of taking you as well.", he replied excitedly.
"No Junnu, Aunty and Uncle might feel it wrong.", she said.
"Why would they feel wrong? I told them everything about us."
"Everything in the sense? About our relationship as well?" she asked, terrified.
"Hmmm", he nodded.
"What? Are you mad or what? Did you ask me before telling them?", she bursted out.
By then, the entire crowd in the canteen shifted its focus towards them.
"Vaishu, lower your voice. Everyone's watching. And what's the problem? They all happily agreed. They want to meet you. They want to meet you and discuss about our future.", he tried to explain.
"Future, you mean marriage?", she questioned.
"May be, yeah. What else?", he replied.
"Uff Arjun,,,,", she caught her head and continued.
"Arjun, I thought I would say this some time later. But, I think I will say it now itself.
Arjun, I think it's time we end this.", she said in a low voice.
"End wha..at?", he asked not understanding where she is going.
"Us."
Arjun's eyes widened in shock. Soon tears filled them.
"It's a 4 year long relationship and in all these years I didn't get a feeling that we can be together forever. Hence,", she was saying but was cut short by him.
"Hence what? We can know that only when we live together forever.", he said not able to digest the fact that she was actually breaking up with him.
"No Arjun. We can't do that.", she refused bluntly.
"Then why did you get into this relationship?", he asked as anger occupied him.
"I don't know Arjun. It was okay in the beginning but, but now, I don't know, may be you changed with time.", she said.
"What?", Arjun couldn't take it anymore. He burst out.
" It's not me that changed. It's you. Tell me, who is behind this change? Is it that person, who you are always chatting with these days?"
"What? Arjun how can you say that? You don't have proof.", she tried to deny. But Arjun furiously grabbed her phone from her.
"It's all there in this, right.", he said fidgeting with her phone.
Meanwhile she began creating a ruckus trying to grab her phone from him but before anything else happened, Arjun opened her recent chats and the matter over there shocked him. It was clearly evident that it's a chat between two lovers. But the thing that shocked him the most was, even he never talked to her that intimately.
"What is this?", he asked angrily showing her the chats.
Before she could answer anything, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder and turned around. Before he could notice who it was, a strong blow landed on his face and he fell flat on the floor.
Then the person, who he now remembered as a Hulk incarnation, said, pointing a finger at him, "Remember, Vaishu is mine."
With that Arjun blacked out.
******************
Edited by Swasa0804 - 2 years ago
DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMS
comment:
p_commentcount