Chapter Eight
-- Flashback --
"Didn't they teach you to look up a calendar at school? Or were the teachers there dumb too?" Mayank shouted at the man standing in front of him, holding on timidly to a sheaf of papers. He cleared his throat once and even opened his mouth, albeit with no result.
"Don't tell me they didn't teach you to speak either. Oh wait, did you even go to school in the first place?"
Something in Mayank's tone finally sprung him to action. "Oh yes sir, I did. And they taught me well too."
"Terrific. Send them a thank you note from me."
The man looked puzzled. "But Sir, my school was like, a long time back. I kinda, forgot the address."
Wow, thought Mayank. A few more days with these bunch of fools and he would forget how to use sarcasm. Patience Mayank, have some more patience.
"So Mr. Paul Gibson," articulated Mayank in a slow drawn out tone, "if you know how to speak and are skilled at reading a calendar, why didn't you realize that the 23rd was yesterday? I was supposed to get those damned papers you are now clutching latest by yesterday evening. Why did I not get them?"
Mr. Paul Gibson hesitated. He had forgotten about the papers in his hurry to leave the office for a dinner date with his wife. She had been thrilled when he got back early. Could he say the truth to his perfectionist superior? The man didn't look heartless after all. "Actually Sir, I ' I had to go meet my wife. So it kinda' skipped my mind." He hurried up his pace. "But Sir, the first thing I did this morning was bring these up to you. Not a moment's delay I did Sir."
"I am much honoured; you're very kind." Excuses, excuses. "Will you please ensure you delegate your jobs to someone if such ' emergencies ' arise again?"
See, he isn't heartless at all. Paul smiled. His boss knew the importance of a wife and family. He had actually called it an emergency. "Sure Sir, cross my heart."
Mayank gestured him to leave and sat back in his chair. Thankfully, he had arranged all the deadlines such that they could be ready with their columns even if a whole week went idle ' a distinct possibility considering the bunch of fools he worked with. Two other colleagues had accompanied him from India ' the pea brained Richa (he was unable to think of a morally right reason that had uplifted her to this honour) and Sid. Now Sid was all right as long as he could leave office at 7. The US branch seemed even less illustrious. Paul was beyond explanation of course - what with his American accented French or the other way round he didn't know which - but there was one person who shared the same wavelength ' his co-editor Chaya Jaitley, universally called CJ. Though a couple of years elder to him, she was the one closest to being a friend.
"Had to meet my wife." Mayank sneered. How troubling indeed were non-work commitments! Interfering, distracting. They started off well but then lost steam. Nupur too had been ethereal once. But then, she didn't let him focus on work, she told him off for not keeping a date...melodrama and more melodrama. She should have been with someone dreamier. I have a head on my shoulders. He wondered if she had been with Megha that night. If that a**hole of a Ranvijay tried to get close to her again -
The receptionist's voice came through the speaker phone, announcing a visitor. "Send her in Mary." He sat up straight and pored over his file once more.
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The sea never looked as beautiful as it did at sunsets. There was something about the yellows and oranges in the sky and the way they lit up the water that awed Nupur each time. But colours were the last thing on her mind today; she had come over to the beach for some time to herself.
It had been a long day at work. Ever since Mayank left, her days had acquired a monotonous routine. She got to work early, worked through most of the nights she couldn't sleep; she even worked on weekends unless Samrat or Gunjan dragged her along to a movie or something. Today had been no exception. She had managed to wind up her schedule with not one but multiple verbal duels. A fight with Gaurav over a test case he had created. A flurry of insults hurled at Megha for not reporting on time to the team meeting. A little tiff even with Gunjan for not eating enough for lunch. That had been uncalled for - seriously, why did she even care? I won't die if I skip lunch one day.
Gunjan had been telling her to call Mayank up. She had somehow concluded that she missed him. She missed him. Ha, that was the best joke she had heard in a while. She had been upset - yes. She had even cried about it. But she wasn't one of those sentimental fools that would cling like a leech even after it was all over. She couldn't endure someone saying she didn't care for anything but herself ... she didn't care for her responsibilities... she had double standards. Yes, I am like that Mayank. You're blessed to have hit upon the truth. And she didn't wish he was there with her now. She was much more at peace in solitude.
Bloody hell, stop lying Nupur. Of course you wish he was here now.
But more than that, she wished the love hadn't died. Days, months, years... it would have ended sometime and they would be back together. She was going to listen to Gunjan. It didn't matter if she said his part of the apology.
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Richa tittered like a parrot - dressed to suit her voice that morning - in a parrot green tube top. She hung around Mayank's cabin, doing nothing other than ogling at the top two buttons of his shirt, but pretending to be engrossed in the file she held.
"Richa -" He looked away from the computer for a while. "Will you be done with that article today or not?"
Huffily, irritated at having her fantasy broken, she handed him the file. He started going through it at once, clearly signaling her to leave his cabin. She went as far as the door, but refused to go beyond.
"Do I need to call a guard to assist you to your desk?" Skimming through a few more pages, his tone grew colder. "In any case Richa, this standard of work doesn't justify the night you claimed to have spent on it."
"Oh but Mayank, you took up so much of the night. Don't blame me." In a move that was supposed to be flirtatious, but seemed utterly repulsive to Mayank, she crossed her legs and sat down on the chair across him. "Should I tell you exactly how you are to be blamed?"
"Don't. I will do the honours. Your team leader should know better than to approve such rubbish. Wait till I call - " The phone started ringing just then, as if in answer to his unfinished statement. With a triumphant expression, he started shouting into the phone.
"If you have plenty time to waste, I don't. Do you get that? I haven't come all the way here to take such crap from you. What do you mean by -"
"I am sorry. Sorry for assuming you could ever be reasonable."
Nupur. Nupur! Christ, he was a certified rascal. Richa looked exceptionally inquisitive at his sudden change of expression, but knew better than to intrude. She walked away; she had often been snubbed for asking questions ever since that drink at Wild Nights. If only Mayank wasn't so beddable.
Mayank heard the door shut behind her. His volume drastically fell. "Listen Nupur, I thought it was -"
"Yeah yeah. Think of some decorated, sensible excuse. I should never have called. I will never call again."
"Can't you just listen for a second? I thought it was someone else! Why would I scream at you?" For God sake, believe me Nupur. He may have been rude to her - wait, he had only been truthful and didn't love allow for that?...But it wasn't like he couldn't take her calls. In fact, he had been hoping she would call ever since that moron of a Paul had brought Ranvijay to his mind.
Nupur was silent for a while. Mayank jumped at the chance.
"Forget all that. Um, have you been out with Ranvijay ever since - ?"
"Of course. Every night. What do you know?" Nupur's voice came through the phone crisp and indifferent. Mayank could have kicked himself. The jerk had tried to take advantage of her for God sake! Why would she be out with him?
"No, I mean -"
Nupur considered. "I know all you mean Mayank. I know only too well. Sorry for disturbing you."
As the line went dead, Mayank found himself wishing he could shatter some window panes of the unnecessarily prim and proper US office.
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"The strawberry is mine. Only and exclusively mine." Uday plopped down with a thud on the bean bag and looked around to see if his demand had been accepted.
"Will it make a difference if I say it's actually a cherry?" Giggling in spite of herself, Gunjan set aside the little tea table that held a round chocolate cake.
Uday looked askance at her and was then lost in deep contemplation, while Samrat and Benji stood near the terrace door, waiting.
"Why isn't she here yet dude? Are you sure she has found the note?" Samrat said to Benji, keeping track of the stairs.
"Of course she can. It's right on the dressing table."
Samrat started. "But why will she go to the dressing table in the middle of the night? I told you to throw it in through the window!"
"Listen, don't doubt my surprise-giving skills." Benji replied in a hurt voice. "I throw myself a party every birthday."
"Hush guys, I hear some noise!" Gunjan took them away from the door and switched off the lights at the same instant as Nupur walked in, confused and suspicious. She first bumped into the bean bag that Uday had forgotten to shift and then hit a glass he had balanced precariously on the railing. In the confusion that followed, Samrat hurriedly switched on the light and jumped out of the shadows with Gunjan.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nupur, happy birthday to you!"
Taken aback at the sudden light, Nupur looked around at the cake and the balloons. The terrace looked so festive, she wondered how they had managed to accomplish so much escaping her notice. As her eyes fell on Uday, she smiled and hugged him happily.
"When did you come here?" She looked around suspiciously. "Did they smuggle you in through the back door?"
"Your brother very nearly spoiled the surprise - no more strawberries and cherries for him." Gunjan said in mock anger, trying to foil Samrat's attempts at kissing her hair. She hadn't yet told Nupur about their relationship.
"It's a surprise just his being here! A very lovely surprise. But all this wasn't needed guys. After all, I am a year older." She smiled, touched by the efforts they had made to make her feel special. And there was someone who probably didn't even remember.
"You are special to us all Nupur." Samrat gave her a friendly hug. "Besides, I can do anything for cake."
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Mayank threw his phone down in a fit of fury. If he heard a subscriber unavailable message one more time, he was sure he would track down and destroy whoever had recorded it. It must be past midnight in India now. Not only had he not been the first to wish Nupur, he hadn't wished her at all!
Nupur loved birthdays - the cake, the decorations, the dancing. He would have done it all had he been with her now. Her birthday was a time they had always spent together, regardless of everything else. She must be feeling even surer that he didn't care - did she think he didn't remember? "The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently unavailable." That did it. The phone flew past the table, dropping right into the trash can.
There has to be a connection, thought Mayank. That mixed up phone call last month. That overtly indifferent tone Nupur spoke with when he had called later to explain. The network problems today. It seemed a well thought out design to ensure he kept his distance from Nupur.
"Did you break a bone?" The door of his cabin opened to announce CJ, anxiety colouring her usual composed demeanour.
"The phone did." Mayank pointed to the trash can, where his phone lay, breathing its last.
"Wasn't America supposed to be free from these network issues? This is worse than India was!"
"It wasn't 'supposed to' Mayank. You only thought it would be." CJ was taking apparent delight in his state of disarray, a very rare sight.
"You know CJ, this place has let me down. To be honest, your team works only because you slave drive them. They none of them have a brain in their heads. And woe betide anyone I ask to stay back - they have a date with their girlfriends, a dinner with their wives... anyone would think the sole responsibility of all this rests on me! What do they get paid for?"
CJ laughed. "Oh my, it's a revelation seeing you so worked up. Good to know you can at least vent."
Mayank raised an eyebrow. "And your point being?"
"Look Sharma. You have been working and you have been working since the day you stepped into the office. Needless to say, you know your job. Project's running smoothly, you don't have a life beyond work, you don't have commitments to enjoy. Your team naturally takes advantage. Why shouldn't they?"
He did a double take. "Wait. Commitments to enjoy? How do you enjoy commitments?"
"If you weren't otherwise so intelligent, I would put you down for a prick." She smiled before she went on. "I am saying this to you as a friend. For instance, this Nupur you told me about... you say she was interfering with your work. Don't you wish she was here to interfere right now? Don't you wish to go home to someone who cares for you and not just for what you do? If you do want that and trust me you do, then it's only fair that they get their due as well."
Mayank swirled around the swinging dolphin on his desk. "Just like a typical woman. Put all the blame on me."
CJ sighed. "I don't know you too well Mayank. But what I do know is that you were a fool in behaving like you did. I lost my husband in a car crash. We had fought over something trivial before he left the house. And he never came back. You still have love and you are letting it go for what? Work? Because you think she expects too much? Because she is too loud for your liking? Trust me dude, a time will come when you may have no one to expect anything whatsoever from you."
Having said much more than she had ever intended to, CJ left his cabin without further ado. Mayank felt uneasy. After he had repaired his phone somehow and tried on the number a few more times without success, he attributed the uneasiness to guilt.
Happy birthday Nupur. Please make forgiveness my return gift.
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Nupur lay awake on her bed, waiting tirelessly for the phone to ring. It had a few times, bringing in birthday wishes from friends at office. Her Dad had called soon after, prodding her playfully about the line being busy for so long. But the one call she had been waiting for never came. She doodled on the bed with her fingers, following it up with a walk in the balcony. Gunjan was asleep in the bed next to hers, tired out with all the preparations and the wacky dancing Uday had taught her.
At around four in the morning, Nupur unconsciously dropped off to sleep. The phone remained silent.
The next morning being a Sunday, she got Benji to go get her a new SIM card. He didn't ask any questions, except for ascertaining that we would be privy to her new number.
"Of course Benji. I- I just want to avoid a few crank calls I have been getting."
Gunjan witnessed their interaction from inside but reserved her comments. As it was, comments weren't needed. Nupur just hugged her when she came back in, without any words.
She was going to put an end to this needless pain. If Mayank refused to allow her space in his life, there wasn't space in hers either.
That is, if she had a life without him. If what she was now living could be called a life, it obstinately denied him entry. But her life in reality, her heart and her soul, would always be linked with Mayank. There was space only for him.
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"I am not going anywhere Sid. Please leave me alone." Mayank sat in his apartment one evening, almost a year since Nupur's birthday, reading a book.
"Oh come on dude, we are all going. You can't be a spoilsport." Sid got more enthusiastic as the door bell rang. "See, the whole team is partying tonight. And you are the one who owns all the success!"
"So buy another round of drinks in my name."
"Please boss -"
"Buy two. But get the hell out of here!" He got up to show Sid the way out and slammed the door shut behind him.
Another goddamn party. Much as he hated the silence of his apartment, he hated noise even more. He wished he had someone to talk to... Even CJ had stayed away since that last time. Plus, it seemed like a blizzard outside. Nupur would have attempted to catch snowflakes despite his telling her it was the wrong time for snow. Her little red nose would then redden up further and she would walk upto him with her hands on the hips.
"I know better Mayank Sharma. Don't preach at me."
Ah, he could imitate that voice perfectly even after all this time. How he missed the way she spoke. The way she always blushed when he kissed her. Damn, perfect thought for a lonely evening! Give Nupur all the more reason to rejoice in how much he missed her. But how would she ever know? Her phone had surely killed itself as he hadn't been able to talk to her in eons. No, Nupur would still believe that 'love got in the way of his work'. He had said precisely that, hadn't he? The fat headed snob that he was!
What he hadn't known was that with Nupur, everything else that mattered would also leave him. The work that had been the mainstay of his life was now just routine. He wanted Nupur to share his success with, to hear her stories as well. He wanted to share his frustration over Paul and Richa with her, to listen to her animated rebuke for the 'bunch of ignorant tomatoes' or some such phrase. It was Nupur he wanted, not a group of people who cared two hoots for him beyond the boundaries of the office.
Nupur had always been right. She had always supported his over ambition, always been there. But obviously, she reacted that way when he suddenly told her he was to leave for three years. Wouldn't he have done the same had she been leaving? How utterly absurd had everything he had told her been - Nupur had so clearly loved him even after how much he had hurt her. His eyes seemed wet and not with the infection he had been down with last week.
Mayank, get a grip. And accept the fact that you have lost her.
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The hours had gone by, the rain had stopped. It was time for Mayank to leave for the airport. He picked up his bags, took a good look at his home of three years and left the apartment.
The airport. Impersonal, busy and packed. But everyone waiting in the lounge had a destination to go to, possibly someone to go back to. How he wished he could spend the long hours of the flight reconstructing every detail of Nupur's face and verify his memory when he finally got to see her. But of course, she wouldn't be there. It made no sense on his part to even hope she would be there. Leave her stranded one day for no fault of hers, take your own sweet time to understand you were wrong and finally, when the time of parting is up, reunite. Some hopes! Even if she still loved him - just a hypothetical case - what stopped her from assuming he wouldn't repeat the allegations sometime in the future? No Mayank, c'est impossible. Smile your stupid smile at the little French you picked up from Paul.
Mayank had a restless flight. Dj vu plagued him, making rest impossible. Three years back, he had been on a similar flight. He had been charged with optimism, full of vigour and determination to make the project a success... He hadn't even been able to meet Ma in the rush. She had however managed to shift to Delhi after a year and would be waiting for him at the airport. Amidst so much activity, he had perhaps been only a trifle affected with how he had parted from Nupur. Even when she was finally leaving, she hadn't said goodbye, perhaps hoping that he would call her back. Today, three years later, all his determination had been answered. He was going back a success. But the one thing he wished he had was love. His life was ironically without life and he now accepted that even leaving without a goodbye, Nupur had taken away his happiness with her.
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"And I hereby pledge to keep Miss Gunjan happy as long as she lives..." Drawing closer to her ears, Samrat added, "Even if I die before you, I will come back as a ghost. Keep the windows open."
"Shut up Samrat. You know I hate this subject." Gunjan turned away from him, reeling in the post-engagement sensitivity that only a girl can relate to.
"Ah, my new fianc is in a reticent mood. My sister in law I have troubled enough already." He sighed audibly. "Looks like its time for me to go home. Coming Dad!" With a quick kiss on her cheek and Nupur's, he got up to leave. "See you girls in the morning. Go get your beauty sleep!"
"Morning?" Nupur removed the edge of her sari from under the chair where it had got stuck. "You never told me you have plans."
"Not me Nups. Us. All three of us are going wedding shopping."
She looked at Gunjan's excited face. Don't be insane Nupur. You don't know that he comes back tomorrow. After all, even if he did, what was it with her?
"That sounds great Miss bride-to-be. I am so happy for you!" She smiled back warmly, waving away the distracting thoughts. He could come and go as and when he pleased. It was his life, not hers.
But oh, Mayank was coming back. She knew he was. Mayank was coming back!
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PS: Sorry for the delay guys... This is a flashback chapter and unnaturally long. Hope you guys like it. :D
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