The Red String Theory (Chapter 17 updated on page 59) - Page 41

enjoyed reading the summary 😊ab toh intezar mushkil hai

can understand u r tied up..thanks for making time for u r fans😳

hi Nakusha, thanks for get well wishes doston ki duaon se hi allah ne mujhay bachaya .😃 to think it could have been worse if duaon ka asar na hota.😃 recovery continuing good. thanks.

Chapter Sixteen: Nice to meet you (again?)

Date: 2^nd August 2013
Time: 9.24a.m
Place: Citywest hotel: conference & event centre, Dublin, Ireland.
Mood: familiarity

"Oh!" She grinned; as the realisation finally hit her,

"That's me" She announced, as she got up.

"I keep forgetting, now that my name has changed." She half laughed, explaining to no-one in particular as she stepped forward.

There was something about her. As far as Nakusha could tell they hadn't met before, but there was definitely something about her. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on, indeed strangely Nakusha felt familiar with her, as though she knew her from some place.

Where?

As far as Nakusha knew, she wasn't familiar with any Oncologists from New York let alone one who was Scottish. But still she seemed eerily familiar. After exercising her wits and still drawing a blank, Nakusha conceded that it may have been because she reminded her of Raman (her best friend's husband) a lot. They both had that spark and spunk, an instant charm which engulfed all those around them in their enchanting glow. A feature of his that Nakusha oft admired.

She took her place next to Nakusha and smiled. Nakusha realising that it may have looked as though she had been staring at her, smiled back quickly, aware that her cheeks must have flushed crimson at her embarrassment. But Nakusha's blushing did not seem to faze the woman sat next to her. Rather if anything, she even said hi and guid mornin' to Nakusha, complete with her pearly white smile, as though the two had known each other for years. Again Nakusha blushed.

--------------------------

After ten minutes or so the room was full, all the doctors had taken their rightful spots in the seminar. Nakusha had been particularly looking forward to this seminar. Apart from the fact that it was being undertaken by the world renowned French neurologist Dr Bellamy, someone who Nakusha had admired ever since medical school, this year's Monne Conference (held in Dublin) was more special for Nakusha. She was expecting to deliver a two part lecture on her very latest findings (a study of a new drug promising to inhibit the progression of alzhiemers-and so far the results had been more than promising-they had been somewhat ground breaking.)

But that was not all, Nakusha had been part of the team involved in developing the drug and so naturally she had particular interest regarding its availability to patients. When it became clear (via media hype) that Zenetech (a leading American private pharma industry owned by a Mr Agnihothri) who had already secured an American patent over the drug (which they had notoriously begun using to prevent access to the medication,) were now filing for a European, Australian and Canadian patent (for now anyway): enough was enough. Lawyers, doctors, ethicists and various humanitarian groups were taking a vociferous stand against such monopolisation.

Truthfully it was all very much like the whole Angelina Jolie double mastectomy-Myriad-BRCA 1 & 11 gene-controversy all over again: minus the famous celeb. This time the issue wasn't predisposing breast cancer genes but genetically modified DNA which boasted of the potential of completely turning the understanding of alzhiemers on its head (pun unintended.) The issue not only sparked debate from neurologists, but anyone with an ounce of understanding, knew the potential danger such monopolisation could lead to. The American population today, the European tomorrow, the Australian the day after and the Canadian after that-a slippery slope to world domination, as Nakusha saw it.

-------------------

To say that Nakusha was mesmerised perhaps did not give what she was then feeling due credit. Indeed, Dr Rao, (as Nakusha came to know of her name) was indeed a wonderful woman. Articulate, professional and clearly extremely knowledgeable.

"Not only has the USPTO awarded Zenetech, a product patent, but further an application has been filed-and will most likely be granted-in Europe over not only first medical use, but second medical use of the drug. All while-the product is yet to hit the masses. Naturally without a doubt, the after effects of this will be huge, as an oncologist, I can recall the mass outcry of the recent global Myriad controversy, it goes without saying that I feel Zenetech unless they withdraw their application will face the same-if not worse public outcry."

"Dr Rao, thank you for your comments, at this point I would call upon a break, and we shall hear from fellow Neurologists from three different leading trusts on their research findings, after which Dr Bellamy will conduct a Q&A on her recent studies. Thank you." Announced Dr Waters, the speaker of the seminar.

-------------------

"That's wonderful Dr Jain, but please call me Haya." She insisted.

"Ok," Nakusha nodded before smiling;

"But only if you stop with this Dr Jain business. Weirdly I find it so pretentious when someone addresses me like that."

"SNAP" she heard Haya yell back in excitement.

She thanked Nakusha in agreement:

"Exactly! I've always felt that way too" and then continued;

"Besides ever since I got married, I always forget I'm being addressed; it'll be like Dr Rao? And I just sit there unresponsive thinking, who's Dr Rao? And why on Earth are they not responding, only to realise it's me." She said quickly in one breath.

Nakusha couldn't help but chuckle a little, partly at what Dr Rao-oops Haya- was saying but partially at her comical Scottish-come-New York accent she'd developed. Very unique indeed. And oddly rather attractive-Nakusha internally amused, glad that Haya had no insight into her inner thoughts;

"I sound crazy. Aye." Haya spoke, noting the goofy smile on Nakusha's face:

"My patients tell me all the time." She continued gregariously, as though she and Nakusha were childhood friends.

"But you know what?" she rhetorically asked, a peaceful smile appearing on her face:

"I love it coming from them." She now smiled broadly.

Nakusha couldn't help but smile too. Being in the medical profession meant that they encountered many colourful people, from all walks of life, while most went ahead with their life, every so often a particular patient would remain attached to their life somehow. For Nakusha the now surgeon, that didn't seem to happen as much-but she could only begin to imagine what the bonds, ties and relationship statuses would be for an oncologist.

Of course she didn't have to put much effort into it, she'd seen such firsthand. There were times when it would look as though Raman was miles away, he'd just sit there, glass in hand completely zoned out, and then after a couple of minutes he'd be back. It was moments like these that Nakusha knew, indeed the toughest and most respected profession in her eyes was that of an oncologist. Not only did they break the sad news to their patients but they acted as that last beacon of hope-till the very end, to secure that one last smile from their patient. And that, that was remarkable.

"Crudely put, my patients don't exactly have a lot to be happy about, so if I can put a small smile on their face then why not? Job done, well partially anyway" She reflected.

Indeed she was incredible. Nakusha couldn't help but marvel at this absolutely fascinating young woman before her. She was not only vivacious, down to earth and friendly, if the way their seminar was shaping up was anything to go by, she was extremely smart too.

----------------

"Well you seem to have convinced the entire room with your speech." Nakusha informed her.

"Really?" she questioned, cautiously.

"Absolutely." Nakusha reassured her.

"SO I wasn't too harsh in calling Zenetech and its CEO the Stalin of the medical world?" Haya mocked.

"Not at all," Nakusha began as she dramatically shook her head;

"If anything I would say you put it rather mildly" Nakusha teased back, before pulling a face involuntarily at the coffee she had just sipped.

"Yaeah." Haya responded, in her distinct Scottish accent.

"That's not good at all," She continued as she placed her own cup down quickly.

"How's aboot, you and I get out of here and find some decent coffee?"

"Sounds like a plan." Nakusha smiled, placing her cup down too.

"Good, I know a great little place, just outside."

-------------------

"Oh man, really!?" Nakusha exclaimed through laughter.

"Sadly yes." Haya confirmed,

"And I married that guy." She reasoned back, shaking her head slightly.

"I still cannot believe they actually went looking for the Lockness Monster, how drunk were they?" Nakusha asked yet again.

"Well they named it Nessie." Haya informed straight-faced,

"WHAT?" Nakusha yelled through laughter, as she flapped for a napkin, to clear up the coffee she had spluttered.

"It gets worse," Haya warned her, while suppressing her own small smile:

"He fell into the lake too...with his grandfathers cufflinks...that he was supposed to wear at our wedding...the next day."

"NO!?" Nakusha said in complete disbelief.

"Yes, my dear. Yes" Haya nodded, as she took a sip of her tea.

"Please tell me he did not lose them?" Nakusha was now on edge, she'd never met Haya's husband, but the mere thought that he may have lost the precious cufflinks mere hours before his wedding meant that her heart reached out for him. In short she was rooting for that poor-extremely drunk-fella, who'd set out to capture Nessie.

"Fortunately no, they somehow ended up in the bathtub." Haya recalled, thinking back to the morning of her wedding.

"Huh?" Nakusha stared completely lost.

"Yeah you heard right, the bathtub of his bathroom in his hotel room." Haya counted off for her.

"For some reason he seemed to think the bathtub was a better place to sleep; I dinnae, he was drunk" She shook her head, giggling.

"Oh my" Nakusha laughed holding the side of her stomach.

"I swear our wedding would make an awesome movie someday!" She laughed.

"Totes. Calling Sandra Bullock, we've found your next hit RomCom." Nakusha mocked.

"Indeed, and Sandy I get a dip of the profits!" Ridiculed Haya.

"But how did you find out? Surely your husband didn't remember if he was that drunk." Nakusha continued.

"NO, wait don't tell me he got a tattoo as a reminder of the night?" Nakusha enquired her eyes widening,

"Oh no," Haya shook her head, as she placed her cup down, grinning as though she was coming to the best part of the story.

"Not him." She slyly grinned.

"Who then?" Nakusha was completely engrossed.

"He won't tell me." Haya groaned

"What?" Nakusha pouted,

"Yep. I know the feeling. I've tried to coax it out of him but nope. Not even the blackmailing works."

"Blackmailing?" Now Nakusha was even more intrigued.

"So remember how I said I found out, but none of them told me, because they were too drunk?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, so since none of them could fess up, as they were still hung over for most the next day, his best friend did however think it would be a good idea-now remember he was really drunk at the time-to record the whole thing. Apparently he was thinking of uploading it on YouTube..."

"SO it was him?" Nakusha worked out, only for Haya to shake her head,

"No, that was the plan, well until he sobered up that is, and realised that if the vid was uploaded, he wouldn't fare any better than his best friend. He'd come across as an equal gaddah, if not a bigger one for filming it all."

"Then how?" Nakusha probed, completely lost in the story.

"You know how they say that on your wedding day everything is supposed to be perfect?" She began, while Nakusha listened intently;

"How the weather seems to flow, the flowers refuse to wilt, the food seems more appetising? The stars, they say, align up especially for you?"

Nakusha merely smiled, having no idea whether that actually happened or not.

"Well, the stars well and truly lined up for me. Those fools may not have uploaded the vid, but it did however still come into my possession."

She now smiled slyly while she added;

"It's been a year but I still use the whole I'll upload it on YouTube' if I don't get my way."

"HAHA" Nakusha laughed;

"And it works?" she enquired her eyes widening,

"Every single time." Haya replied grinning widely;

"I even have my brother, his best friend and his brother-in-law at my beck and call."

"Seriously?" Nakusha laughed.

"What can I say? It is pure marital bliss." Haya cheered.

"But what about the tattoo?" Naku enquired-indeed she really wanted to know which fool was that stupid that night.

"No success, I came so close once, but nope, he just wouldn't budge. I'm beginning to think he himself doesn't know which one, they only ever found out because the tattooist phoned them up the next day informing him about new fish-images."

"Fish?" Nakusha wiped a tear away as she continued laughing.

"Yep. Honestly I can't begin to tell you how much I'm dying to know what the tattoo was. Whoever is sporting it is guarding the secret well. I even tried to raise the conversation with my sister in law, to see if it was her husband, but she seemed even more clueless, and I thought it better to let sleeping dragons lie, then create an issue. Either way, I'm still dying to know!"

"You and I both, and I don't even know any of these fools!" Nakusha chuckled.

"I Know. Honestly that video is a broker of peace in my house. Whose turn is it to wash the dishes? Not mine. Who's wrong, period? Not me. Who should pick the movie on date night? Me" She joked loudly.

"SWEET! What do you need marriage counselling for when there is blackmail hey?" Nakusha sarcastically laughed, as Haya chuckled.

"He's an idiot" She smiled

"But he's my idiot." She continued.

"It doesn't matter how annoyed I am at him, but his one look that dimple and the constant raking of his hair-I melt." She softly smiled,

"I know I know, it sounds cheesy. But I don't care. He makes me want to be cheesy."

Nakusha knew exactly what that felt like. Except in her case it wasn't a cheek dimple but one in the chin.

"Buttchin." He mumbled lost in her thoughts

"Sorry, did you say something."

"Oh no, sorry." Nakusha said embarrassed, as she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Aah, I get it."

"You do?"

"Aye," Haya smiled and pointed to Nakusha's hand.

Her left hand.

"Oh." Naksuha realised looking at her own hand.

Her engaged hand.

"It's very pretty."

"Hmm." Nakusha politely smiled and took a sip from her cup.

"When's the big day?" Haya asked.

"I..I don't know." Nakusha honestly responded.

It was true. She didn't. They hadn't spoken about it. They hadn't talked about dates, venues, guests, food-no planning. Heck they hadn't even talked. Things were like they always were: two people walking their own paths, meeting every so often for a meal, sitting on the opposite end of the table, where one was engrossed in emailing and the other in imagining an alternate life.

"What?" Haya's voice brought Nakusha out of her thoughts:

"Are you serious? You've gotta be the first bride who has no idea about her own wedding."

"I'm not big on grand parties so I've never given it much thought." Nakusha resolved.

"I know that feeling. My whole wedding was planned by my sister in law, down to the very last detail. In fact she had this policy; no singles. Everyone had to have a plus one. Which is great if you're a couple, but singletons? I swear I never had so many angry pairs of eyes looking at me as they awkwardly sat with their so called dates." Haya laughed.

"I know the feeling."

"Have you had the displeasure of being someone's plus one?" Haya asked.

"Yes unfortunately so, recently in fact." Nakusha recalled.

"Oh dear, how bad was it." Haya winced empathetically for Nakusha.

"I can't fault it entirely." Nakusha answered:

"A breathtakingly beautiful landscape, gorgeous ceremony and I learnt a few things about myself too." Nakusha spoke looking absently at her hand, and recalling those hurt brown eyes. That defeated posture but mostly the way he, she knew, had wanted to say Rosie' one more time, but couldn't.

"Acha," Haya worked out;

"Few things ey?" She mocked while she playfully touched Nakusha's ring.

Nakusha suddenly came out of her thoughts;

"Yeah, I got engaged at that wedding too." She remembered, though not fondly.

"SO the whole plus one thing couldn't have been that bad then. Could it?" Haya continued.

"Hmm" Nakusha politely smiled, before drinking from her cup again.

But Haya had noted the change in Nakusha's expression and in that instant she was reminded of someone. The very someone who she and her husband had spent the past year or so comforting, despite his best efforts at pushing all those around him away.

There was a present vacant look in his eyes, one which although her husband did his best to get him to laugh (and did every time) never faded. And now, now, when she sat here speaking with Nakusha, she saw the same look.

-----------------

"Trust me if you are ever in New York, you must come for a visit." Haya told Nakusha

"Deal but only if, when in London, you come to my humble abode." Nakusha negotiated.

"You live in London?" Haya instantly asked.

"Yes."

"Then I may just take you up on that,"

Nakusha looked at her curiously to which Haya added;

"What? Not already withdrawing the invite are you?" She joked.

Nakusha laughed too with her,

"The ghaddah..." Haya began,

"Your Hubby's best friend." Nakusha remembered.

"Bingo, that's the one." Haya smiled,

"Well him, he lives in London." She explained.

But her face changed when she said the next part:

"We visit quite often-if anything we're thinking of relocating to be closer to him." A sad smile appeared on her face now:

"He's been going through a tough time. Aboot as tough as it can get really. So we're usually around as his support system, even if he does fancy himself as quite the hermit."

She sighed;

"Poor guy."

Nakusha gave a small smile, and squeezed Haya's hand, to show her support.

"Anyway, it was lovely meeting yer. Dr Jain." She nodded.

"My pleasure, Dr Rao" Nakusha smirked,

And with that they both said their final goodbyes.

---------------

Date: 8^th June 2014
Time: 8.15 p.m
Place: The Honeymoon suite, Mariott, Paris.
Mood: Bluntly Honest

"So,"

"So" He nonchalantly replied, still unaffected, despite Nakusha's green eyes being directly focused on him.

"We're not going to get anywhere, by sitting in silence, you know." Nakusha was now tethering on the edge of irritated.

"Hmm" he responded, again absentmindedly

"Maybe" he shrugged,

"But I dunno about you, but I for one, am certainly enjoying the peace." He added calmly.

There was something about his demeanour. Not only was he coming across as calm-far too calm-which sent a chill down Nakusha's spine, but it appeared as though he was stalling. As though he was trying to: pass time? As though, and this is what confused Nakusha the most, he was stalling Nakusha.

But why and from what?

"Peace? Seriously?" Nakusha raised an eyebrow at him-he was clearly testing her patience.

Indeed peace was not what he was feeling. She knew that. She even knew that this whole calm act was just that: an act. He was not calm at all, if anything she was well aware of the storm brewing inside of him. He'd just punched her ex-fiance. Hard. In public. That was not calm, that was not even in the neighbourhood of calm. He was clearly putting on an act.

Why?

And it was the lack of answer to that question that frustrated her, and so Nakusha scoffed and said:

"Fine." She sighed, resigning somewhat;

"You win. You win, Dutta." She told him.

"They spelled my name wrong." She confessed.

Dutta merely gaped at her for a couple of seconds,

"Huh?"

"They got my name wrong." Nakusha continued, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ok...while I'm normally good at deciphering your ramblings, I'm honestly clueless. What are you on about?" He queried.

"The reason I walked out of the wedding: they got my name wrong."

She expected him to say, what, or huh, or heh? Or the alike. But he didn't.

"Elaborate." He stated.

In that moment Nakusha wanted to smile. There, right there, she saw the original Dutta, the very Dutta who had rebutted her every remark in Phuket, the Dutta, who had given her as good as he got in Sydney and the Dutta who had looked at her like that in Scotland. That Dutta was now sat before her, asking her to elaborate. That Dutta was passing no judgement that Dutta was doing what he had always done; he was listening to her.

Nakusha sat down in the chair opposite him and took a deep breath:

"My name, he spelled it wrong on the card." She looked up, expecting something, but he didn't, he was waiting, as he always did, waiting for her to finish before he gave his view and so she began counting off:

"Wrong on the table place cards, wrong on the balloons, wrong in the hotel register and while I didn't get a chance to see it, I can bet my entire savings on it being wrong on the cake too."

She finally paused, before exhaling loudly:

"Six-bloody-years. Six years. God, six years, forget everything else, he couldn't even get my name right." She half-laughed in annoyance.

Dutta was still quiet.

"So,"

"So?" He questioned.

"Your turn. Where's your wife Dutta?" Nakusha bluntly asked.

"No."

"Pardon?" Nakusha spluttered.

"No. The deal was: I tell you, if you tell me, why you left the wedding now and not all those years ago, when I told you to walk out."

"AND I just did," Nakusha huffed, before saying louder:

"Weren't you listening? HE GOT MY NAME WRONG!"

"And, as tragic as that may be, that's not the full story." Dutta said-again calmly.

In that moment Nakusha both wanted to slap Dutta for being so damn stubborn and kiss him for knowing her so well. Something her so-called fiance had never managed to do.

In the end Nakusha did neither. Instead for the first time, she let her heart trump her brain and she crumbled.

Dutta saw the change, one minute she was tethering on the edge of smirking, and the next she looked positively broken. The change was instantaneous, but Dutta saw it. He saw Nakusha run her hands through her hair (was that new? He'd never seen that before. But then again, he'd never seen her so, so defeated? He had though, back in Scotland. But this was different. What he saw now, he'd never seen before.)

In that moment Dutta struggled to control himself, as all he wanted to do was reach forward, to comfort her, to let her weep in his arms and to reassure her that he was here for her-that he would always be here for her.

But how could he?

How could he, when it was all a lie?

He wouldn't be there for her always.

Not even if he wanted to.

It was then as Dutta internally fought a battle that Nakusha had no idea about that he thought he'd misheard her.

But he hadn't.

Indeed she had said:

"I finally met my father."

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*And that is that...I hope the wait was worth it. Again I apologise for the late update, still laptop-less, (I'm working on it, but as far as priorities go it's not near the top!) also a massive thank you to everyone for the beautiful birthday messages! The novelty wears off at this age, but the sweet and heartfelt messages definitely tugged at my heart strings. Thank you! I'm going to try and update soon, but bear with me folks.*