Slapping and closure

His head was pounding, his body aching, his senses slow in responding. He had a very bad hangover and all he could think of at that moment was about his cell phone. But his body did not want to move. He was still wondering how he got back home and guessed it would have been hunter but again was not sure as to how hunter himself managed to get back home. With a steely resolve he overcame the resistance not to move and set out on his quest to find his cell phone. To his luck it was beeping so it was not that difficult to locate. He checked it to find 25 unread messages and 27 missed calls. Not second guessing who would have sent them he opened his message inbox to find Aura and Hunter having sent him messages. He ignored Hunter this time and wanted to see how badly Aura was pissed off with him. He decided to start from the bottom to see how it all developed over night so to scrolled to the first unread message and read in that order. They read:

1) Get Lost
2) Get lost - dont talk to me anymore
3) ?
4) ??
5) Where the hell are you?
6) Why are you not answering my calls?
7) ?
8) ??
9) #"??##
10) :(
11) I called you 5 times already
12) Been 3 hrs and no call or message
13) Are you alive?
14) Get lost
15) Now even if you call me I wont respond
16) ?
17) ??
18) Rituuuuuu
19) Idiot.....
20) 10 calls now and no response
21) 24 calls now
23) Pls call back immediately - I am worried now.

2 messages were from Hunter. He ignored them.

He could not help but smile. All the anger and disappointment she initially had, had finally turned into concern. He dialed her number and wanted to hear her reaction. This time she did not pick up. He tried again but same result. Before he could try again, someone rang his door bell. He opened the door to find Aura there. Her eyes were red suggesting that either she cried a lot or lacked sleep. She looked tired too so he figured it could have been the lack of sleep though he could not be certain. As he was trying to figure out he felt a tight slap right across his cheek. It was so hard that he got knocked back into his senses. Hangover did not seem to exist that very moment, but his head started pounding even more. And before he could say something one more slap on the other cheek. This one was harder. May be he was wrong about her being tired - such vigor in slapping was something he could not have imagined.

"You idiot, I was concerned about you. Could not sleep the whole night. You could have sent one message at least" is all that Aura said, and turned and walked away. Though the thought of stopping her and apologizing seemed tempting he thought better not to. He wanted his hangover to recede, regain his senses and then do what needs to be done.

It took him about 4 hours and a lot of struggle to get back to normalcy. He did not return to complete normalcy but a workable state wherein he could think straight. After taking a shower and getting ready he headed for Aura's place. He ordered a cab as he was in no mood to drive and public transport was a pain. Drive and hangover do not go well together, it makes you all the more queasy. He did not have time or patience to self-sympathize though. It took about 30 minutes to reach her place but in reality it seemed a lot longer but finally he was at her place.

He rang the bell and Aura took a good minute or so to open the door. She opened the door, saw him and shut it on his face. He tried the second time, and same result. Third time and before she slammed the door he pushed against it and said "Aura, please let me in so that we can talk. I beg of you". She stepped aside to let him in and then shut the door.

She was still staring at him angrily as he seated himself on the couch. He asked her to sit near him. She went closer but did not sit. She had her hands folded but the angry stare was constant. It was as if some elder was pissed off with a mischief done by a kid, but he could not say it out loud, matters were worse already. He started explaining how he thought he had his cell phone in his pocket but did not realize that he had dropped it in Hunters car. Because it was not beeping he did not bother checking as he thought Aura did not want to respond. And then he told her how a couple of drinks turned into a a lot more and how his day began today.

Aura was listening all the while, he noticed that she hadnt spoken a single word since he came. He then started apologizing but her expression of anger did not change. He kept saying sorry but she did not respond. Finally he got up from the couch, went a little closer to her and said sorry and asked her to speak or shout at him. She did not. Then he started pleading but nothing changed. Finally after about 15 minutes of pleading the only change he saw was that she shook her head as if say to no. He saw that as a positive signal and started pleading even more. Now the head shake became a little more frenetic. He moved a little closer, the pleading continued and so did the head shake. He asked her to speak, she would not and just shake her head even more. He was not sure what madness got hold of him, but he put his hand around her waist, drew her closer and planted his lips on hers. That was the first time her lips parted. They remained that way for about 30 seconds or more, he could not tell, but he liked every bit of it. She seemed to gain senses and realize what happened and pushed him away and slapped him - once, twice,thrice and before she could the fourth time he caught her hand drew her close again and this time hugged her tight. She was still in rebellion but after a few seconds gave in and hugged him too. He whispered into her ear this time and told her how sorry he was but did not hear anything back, instead could feel droplets of tears on his shoulders. For some reason he could not tell he began to cry too........

Hunter is back!!

He was ready to step out  of the house when the phone rang. He did not even bother to see who was calling. He answered "Aura, I am just stepping out. Please be patient na"  He got startled to hear a male voice at the other end "Dude, is that the only person who calls you?"
"Hunter saale, where are you?"
"Perth, where else."
"When did you get back? Why did you not tell me that you have come?"
"I wanted to surprise you, but guess you have other plans"
"Enough saale, tell me when are we meeting?"
"Could be now, I am just outside your place. But looks like you have much more important meetings with much more important people"
"Stop pulling my leg now. Its been long, more than three months. Lets meet now and go for lunch"
"I don't want to ruin your plans, you have your priorities"
"Dont worry, I ll manage. Right now you are my priority."
"Ok then, come out. I am just outside. Lets kill it today"
"Alright, in a second"

Hunter had to go to Singapore for a project for 3 months and things had changed a lot during this period. The biggest of course was that Ritvesh met Aura. Hunter was worried as to how Ritvesh would survive. He made him promise that he would work on this drinking issues, which he conveniently ignored. He was lifeless back then, and how things turned around. Hunter knew that Ritvesh was much happier but he could not gauge the extent to which he was.

Ritvesh, meanwhile was trying to call Aura and give her the disappointing news but she would not pick up. He tried thrice but to no avail. It was bothering him that she did not answer but he had not choice than to meet Hunter now. He saw Hunter waiting for him outside. He tried one last time to reach Aura but she would not pick up. Both buddies decided to go for a lunch and a few drinks thereafter.

As soon as Ritvesh got into the car, his phone started buzzing. He got a text from Aura apologizing for not having answered his calls and asking if anything urgent and also if he was on his way. He was unsure as to how to respond to that. Whichever way he tried to put it, Aura would be angry, sad, frustrated and disappointed: all at once. She was not a typical girl who would cry. But you never know with girls, they are like weather - you can forecast all you want about rains, but more often than not you are wrong. Hunter saw him turn pensive and asked him if everything was fine. Of course Ritvesh would not say anything. He just nodded and started replying to Aura that he wont be able to make it as he had a surprise visit and the rest of message filled with "Sorrys" sent it and then started waiting for the response. For the next few minutes he received nothing which made him all the more worried. He quickly realized that he is going to make two people very unhappy - Aura by not being with her and Hunter by being with him only physically. He kicked himself for having gotten into such a situation and decided to fix at least one. He put his phone away and started chatting with Hunter about his Singapore trip.

Hunter being Hunter had a great time in Singapore. He shared his fun moments with Ritvesh and there were many of them. Ritvesh too got into the flow and forgot all about his mobile and Aura. After lunch they decided to go for a couple of beers. Couple turned to 5 which soon turned to a lot more, Ritvesh lost count after 6....

I sorry - You sorry

The phone started to ring and disturb his sleep. He disconnected the call. It started ringing again. He disconnected again. Third time, he did not. He answered still half asleep

"Hello"
"Hello Ritu" replied a buoyant voice at the other end.
"Why you waking me up so early yaar"
"Ritu, did you check the time, its 8 am in the morning"
"Precisely my point, why you waking me up so early?"
"Stop being a lazy bum and get out of your bed and get ready. You remember our plans for today na?"
"What plans?"
"Rituuuuu..." she said in a cute impatient tone.
"Ok ok. Will get ready in 30. Where are we meeting again?"
"Ok bye."
And before her impatience turned into anger and resulted in one fight more he replied "Acha, sorry was just kidding. I will meet you at your place Aura"
"Good boy. Make it quick" and she disconnected the call.

Ritvesh got out of the bed still half asleep, but was motivated to get ready and go meet Aura. After all, his life which had hit rock bottom had changed after he met Aura. Few days passed after he last saw Aura when she had apologized. He was following his usual routine in the cafeteria - grabbed his lunch and was heading to his secluded corner when he heard some calling his name out. He turned to find Aura. It was a sweet surprise for him as he was not expecting to see her so soon again.

"So Mr. Devdas, heading towards your corner again?"
"Please call me Ritvesh"
"Alright Mr. Serious, let us try and change your ever-existent grumpy mood"
"Please call me Ritvesh"
"Why Mr. Grumpy? Dont you like your new names?"
He flipped out"You don't even know me, you dont know what I am going through. We have just talked twice and now you are judging me and giving me names. Stop bothering me and mind your own business". By the time he had finished he ended up screaming.
Her face turned red with embarrassment, and suddenly tears started rolling down. Tears and he instantly remembered Raksha and how he made her cry. He felt his heart ache. But he could not take a walk down the memory lane, not now. He had made a girl who was almost a stranger to him cry. Somehow all the anger that he had built up, was redirected towards this poor girl.
He wanted to apologize "Sorry... " but before he could complete she started running away. He knew better than to follow her and create a big scene out there. He also knew that he had to give her time to calm down. So he decided to wait.

He could no longer eat after what he did. He just went back to his desk and tried to work, but could not. Looking at the watch constantly did not help either. Every minute seemed to take longer than the previous one and his impatience grew with each minute. He told himself that he would take 1 hour before he went and apologized, but it started to get really difficult. "Screw the time and the timing" he said to himself and set out to apologize.

The building in which his office was located was 12 floors out of which his office had rented out 3. Was unsure where Aura's desk was so his first mission was to find her. It was his not so lucky day because on the first two floors he could not find her. Finally though he did locate her on the third floor and somehow got the courage to walk straight to her. Her eyes had turned red from the crying. She was still sobbing. He realized how much she had cried by looking at the number of tissues in the bin. She did not see him approaching, or may be decided to ignore him.

"Aura" he tried to speak but the voice would not come out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Aura". She looked up. The mere expression on her face was enough to suggest that she wanted him to get lost. He was persistent though for it was his mistake.
"Aura, I am terribly sorry, actually I am beyond sorry. I am ashamed of what transpired out there. I shouldn't have freaked out. Somehow ended up redirecting my anger towards you. Please forgive me. I am ready to accept any punishment that you think is right"
She was still sobbing but spoke up "Are you sure?"
"Yes, any punishment"
"Ok, you will have to apologize to me in front of everyone in the cafeteria at peak hours"
"Will do"
"I am not done yet. You will have to bow to me, fall at my feet and apologize"
"Ok thats a little overboard but may be I deserve it"
"May be?" and she shot of look of anger back at him
"No, I do deserve it"
"Ok tomorrow at 12.30 in the cafeteria, you do that and then may be I will forgive you"
"May be?"
"Beggars cant be choosers, now please go away before I do something I shouldnt in a fit of rage"
"Please do, then we can call it even"
"You might be smart, but don't try to be over-smart, you will lose this chance of me forgiving you"
"Alright, tomorrow at 12.30"

On his way back and throughout the rest of the day there was an internal conflict that was going on. It was a conflict between his self-respect and peace of mind. Self-respect did not want him to do what he agreed to do, but if he wanted peace of mind he had to do it. He could not sleep the whole night as he was struggling inside. He decided to go ahead with it anyway because peace of mind was far more important than some bruised ego.

He reached the cafeteria at 12.20, so that he was definitely not late and was accused of not turning up. Aura came in at 12.25. He went to her and wanted to say something but she silenced him pointing at the clock. He had to wait for 5 more minutes to be humiliated. Clock struck 12.30 and he would not wait any further. He fell onto his knees. People passing by stopped and started staring at him. Every passing second he gained more attention. And before he could say anything she said "Ritvesh enough. Please get up, lets talk". He did not, instead said "So do you forgive me?". By this time the embarrassment on her face was evident. "I do. Now please get up. This is starting to get a little weird". She started walking away only to pause and look back at him and say "Come with me". He followed.

She stopped at his 'corner' of the cafeteria and turned to him and said " I am sorry Ritvesh. That was a little overboard. I was very angry with you yesterday that I asked you to do all this. This morning my anger receded and though I did not want you to do it, I wanted to see if you would really attempt it."
"I think we have apologized to each other more than we have talked. I guess we need to end this streak of apologies. What do you say?"
"Disagree, you still haven't forgiven me"
"All your apologies accepted and hope all of mine are. Can we move on now?"
"Only on one condition"
"What more now?"
"Friends?" and she extended her hand. Somehow he could not stop smiling and shook hands to something very special.

His mobile started ringing again. Did he dream for long? He picked up the phone and answered.
"Hello"
"Are you ready yet Rituu?"
"Ten more minutes please"
"If you are not here in 30 minutes you will have a bad day dude. I dont care how you come - run, drive or fly for all it matters to me."
"Ok will try. Byeeee" he disconnected and ran towards the shower.

Aura

It was another typically boring day at the office. Ritvesh was in the cafeteria trying to shove lunch down his throat. And like always he was sitting alone at a corner facing the wall so that he could see anyone, rather no one could see him. He bent down to grab his fork which he had dropped accidentally. He picked it up and continued shoving, but sensed some restlessness in his mind. Something had caught his attention but his senses and mind were totally out of sync. It took his mind longer to process what he had seen/heard/tasted. This time he had seen something. The red ear rings. His heart started racing the very instant. He started talking to himself, "Could this be Raksha? what if she is indeed? That is not possible, definitely not possible. But what if by some great miracle she is?" He had to find out. 

He got up and headed in her direction. She was sitting with her back facing him, so he could not see her face. She too was sitting alone he realized. When he was about 5 feet away from her, she turned as if she sensed that someone was approaching her. That very instant time froze. He was hoping against hope that it would be Rakhsa. She was not, she was some one else. It started making sense to him as to why she got his attention. She was the stand out in the rest of the crowd. He now also noticed that she was wearing a blue salwar, had her hair plaited and was wearing the exact same red ear rings. The combination seemed weird to him but was working for her. He suddenly realized that he was standing in the middle of the cafeteria, 5 feet away from her and staring shamelessly. There was a sudden urge in him to talk  to her. Then emotion overcame his sense of control and he blurted out. 

"Hi I am Ritvesh"

"So?

"And you are?"

"None of your business. Please stop bothering me"

"I am sorry, I dont know what I was thinking. Something got the better of me. Sorry to have bothered you again. Please carry on"

He felt as if someone had slapped him hard across his face. He wanted to die at the very moment. He could not. Instead he did the walk of shame back to his desk. The only solace in his life was his work. With a non-existent personal life, the need to meet people, have fun or laugh, he had all the time in the world to work. His boss being the wily old fox, figured that out and extracted everything that he could. Ritvesh did not mind. So once he was back at his desk he got the much needed diversion from the incident back at the cafeteria.

A few days later, Ritvesh was sitting at the exact same spot trying to eat and not to look anywhere else but just at the wall. He felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around to find the same girl. This time though she did not seem grumpy. She was smiling. He found nothing amusing about that given the treatment he got the last time.

"Hi" she said.

He did not respond, unsure as to how this conversation would turn out to be. He just had a blank expression on his face. 

She tried again "Hey, I just said hi"

This time it was his turn "So?" 

"I think we got off on a wrong foot" 

"Really? I thought it was quiet normal for you to bash a guy who says hi"

"Alright mister, enough of this. I was in a bad mood that day and felt that I was very rude to you. I tried to find you the next day but somehow was never able to. Today I finally did and wanted to apologize and get the burden off my head, but looks like you are in a even worse mood than I was" and she turned and was about to walk away. 

"Wait. I am sorry. Its just that after that day I hated myself and hated you even more for having made me feel that way. I am not sure why I even came and talked to you. It just saw that you had those.... ignore that. Forget all this ever happened."

"I am sorry too. I was having a bad day that day. It was my birthday but my boss gave me shit because some other dude failed to do his work properly. Apparently we missed the deadline and I was being blamed. I could not take it and just wanted some time for myself, so was sitting alone and that is when you came and you know the rest." 

"By the way I am Aura, Aura Patel. You said you are Rakesh?" and raised her brows to signal that she was questioning. 

"Ritvesh, not Rakesh. "Aura", thats not a typical gujju name"

"Who said that I am a typical gujju? When I was born my dad took one look at me and said that my name would be Aura, for the innate aura that I possessed. Apparently my mom and dad a big fight over my name, but my dad stood his ground. He is happy now though, when people come to him and say that I justify the name." There was a tinkle in her eyes and smile on her face, a slightly mischievous one, he realized that she was one of those who had cute dimples. He also realized that he never really observed how she looked. Now he was doing just that. He could not help but draw comparisons with one benchmark he had, Raksha. She was not as beautiful as Raksha he observed, but her eyes were special: deep, mischievous, they smiled when she smiled. She could communicate with her eyes he figured. She had left her hair open unlike the last time when she had plaited them. And she had switched to a more corporate attire. She looked very professional though, a little too professional for a software employee, but he was not complaining. 

She snapped her fingers and said "Mr. Ritvesh, dont you think it is bad manners to gape at a girl who has come to apologize?"

"Sorry again. I get lost in thoughts very easily these days. The hangover doesnt help too" 

"You sound and look like Devdas. Anyhow, I got to run. Take care dude. See you around" and she walked away. 

After she left, he felt ecstatic. He did not feel like a total loser anymore. Of course she had a reason for an outburst and that reason was not him. 

When he went home that night he did not feel the need to get drunk to fall asleep and he was right, sleep would come easily that night and many nights to follow... 

Flashback-1

Ritvesh was trying hard to run at his full speed, but could not. His body stopped listening to his mind, a total mess of synchronization. He was chasing something, someone. He wanted to run as fast as he could and get hold of her because she should not slip away (again!). He coudn't. His own body seemed to move in slow motion whereas the person in front was running away at normal pace. He stretched his hand our in desperation to at least catch hold of the dupatta, the yellow one with red lining and red dots. He couldnt. He started feeling the pain of having let it go when it was within his reach. He could not bear the pain. He started having difficulty breathing, started feeling suffocated. He woke up with a start. He was sweating profusely. He looked at his watch. It was 2 am.

He tried to recollect his whereabouts. He was still in Sydney. The last few memories before he got to bed was of him trying to send an email, but couldnt. Then getting drunk, which was the usual practice every night. But tonight it got a little overboard. Memories came flooding back, when all he wanted to do was to lock them in a corner and forget they every existed. Now he recollected images from dream. The dupatta. It was the same dupatta Raksha was wearing when he last met her, last saw her. How could he forget that, he remembered each and every detail of her clothes and each and every accessory she wore. She was wearing a red colored Salwar with yellow design on that, and the dupatta was exact opposite. On her wrist was a bracelet with red colored beads and matching ear rings. She looked so pretty in her red outfit, but she wanted to symbolize her red hot anger. How girls could dress up so perfectly, with everything matching in such a state/mood still made him wonder.

They were sitting in their favorite hangout spot, in CCD at the corner table to the extreme left. It was a decently secluded spot in the otherwise overcrowded coffee place. In the past two years, they had come here so often that everyone working there recognized them. Sometimes their order arrived even without them asking for it. Ritvesh used to joke with the manager that they should be getting a discount, for half their salaries spent in that place. Discounts was against the company policy when you are a part of the franchise, but they got goodies and free stuff sometimes. This time it was chocolate walnut brownies. Normally it would make Rakhsa happy (even though you are super rich, free stuff always makes you happy), but today the mood was a different one altogether.

That day after Raksha left in an auto, after Ritvesh said he was not ready to get married yet, things changed. Ritvesh waited for a day before giving Rakhsa a call, though today he could not explain why he did so. So when he finally called, it was rejected a few times before she finally answered.
"What?"
"Raksha, why are you disconnecting my calls?"
"Dont you know?"
"I know you are angry with me, but not picking up calls?"
"I dont think I received any yesterday"
"I wanted you to calm down before we could talk. I wanted to give you time and space. I also wanted some time for myself to think"
"Ritvesh, see this is the issue. Everytime there is a fight or argument, you cant run away from it. You cant be waiting for me to calm down, take your own time and then expect me to behave as if everything is normal. In the future, after we are married, if we have a fight what would you do? Leave me in the house for a day or two and go somewhere? This is not how relationships are supposed to work."
And before she continued further with her outburst, he interrupted.
"Was it me who ran away in the auto after we had a fight? You left me, and I was standing like a fool. Dont preach something you cannot follow. I am pissed at you too, the way you left me there. But I am being mature and have called you, in spite of you not picking up my calls several times"
"Dont even talk about maturity Ritvesh, when you cant agree to marry me after we have been in a relationship for two years. That day I wanted to tell you so many things - about my family pressure on me to get married, about the pictures my mom asked me to look at, about the guys whom my dad wanted me to meet. I wanted to tell you all these and ask you to come and talk to my parents. But you spoiled everything."
"Why did you not tell me all this before?"
"I did not want you to be under any pressure. I thought I would handle it for as long as I can, and then when I could not I would ask the love of my life to come and rescue me. But...." and she burst into tears.

Ritvesh could not think anymore. The memories of him making Raksha cry were the worst. He tried to switch his mind off but sleep would not come so easily. The only respite he could think of was alcohol. He went to his mini bar, but he was shocked to find nothing in there. He was at the brink of being dismayed when he remember the tequila bottle, which he safely stored in his closet for such an emergency. He did not need either salt or lemon, he chugged it. Half bottle down, he was lying on his bed staring at the wall, which appeared flawless in all its white. Then his vision started to blur and his brain switched off again. At least for a little while.

Email

I should have known, I should have seen this coming. But there was a sense of belief that always existed. I waited for a miracle to happen. It never did. I feel broken, but I am in a consolation mode right now. I fear the nights because they make me realize how lonely I am. I have people who love me and I love them back too. But the thought of not having you around kills me. It fills a void in my life. I must learn to live with it. Its not a good place to be right now. I just have to learn to live it and probably may be someday I will. Till then its a struggle. I might put up a face, a facade to show others that I am normal when I am actually not. Not many would realize it. I couldn't care less though. I remember the times we were together, the good ones and the bad ones. I remember the bad ones and kick myself for having made you cry. I wont be able to forgive myself for that. But I cannot undo what I did. Its just how it is going to be. How things change amazes me and will continue to do so. The sun sets for a new day to come alive. I guess its the same for everyone or may be not. I am not in a position to realize that. I have always imagined how things would be with you but I guess I will never know. Its not going to happen. Accepting negativity has never been my thing. May be that will change. People say that things happen for a reason and may be they do. But I wont realize till I know the reason. I have always wanted you to be happy and always will. That is something thats not going to change. I will love you forever and will cherish the moments. Stay happy and take care!

Ritvesh wanted to send this email. He was contemplating whether to push the send button or not. He was lost. He could not do it. He knew that if he did send it, it will be the defining moment, the END. He could not. Something stopped him. He decided to save it for later. That was his thing, to procrastinate. He followed his heart instead of his mind. He saved it for later and turned off his computer before his thoughts killed him. He decided it was time for a drink. He opened the fridge to find a mini-bar. He stocked it because he knew that he was going to need all the alcohol.  

Hunter

Ritvesh cleared the customs and started walking out. He was still feeling dizzy, not clearly knowing what he was doing. The after effects of heavy drinking, you see! He then saw three, wait four, no seven, name-boards of his. He thought to himself "Am I dreaming, am I still on the flight. Man, I shouldn't have had so much alcohol." He started rubbing his eyes in a frenetic fashion. Now the view became clearer. It was just one name-board and that too not his name. It was for some Ricky guy. Knowing that he is gonna make a fool out of himself, he started moving forward. This time he heard someone shouting his name. Not wanting to pay heed to his out-of-balance senses, he continued walking. The sounds did not stop, infact they got much louder and his name was prefixed by bugger. This time he knew that his senses were actually right. Atleast the sense of hearing did not fail him. He turned around and saw his buddy "HUNTER".

Hunter, his buddy, one of his very good friends, lived in Australia. Hunter was a casanova. He used to hunt down, well, Girls. During his college days, when most of the guys had to work really had to find at least one girl friend, hunter had more than a dozen girl friends. Of course, the flip side to that was he never stuck to one single girl. One fight and he would end up breaking up. Some times he used to create fights to break up with his girl friend. This was when he felt that the girl was boring and not his type. The girls whom he found interesting dumped which for some reason, which he later discovered was his ex-girl friends. It did not really matter to him much. He was the hunter, he would find a new girl the very next day. Girls loathed him, guys adored him. Whatever the gender, no one was indifferent to him. Oh, by the way, his real name was Ram Lal. Yes, you heard it right, Ram Lal. The name did no justice to him which is why he preferred to be called as hunter.

All the memories came flashing to Ritvesh's mind at once. Before he could react he got a bear hug from Ram Lal, oops, Hunter. Ritvesh freed himself out of the hug and said

"Hey Hunter, how are you man? Long time"

"Dude, here people call me with a different name"

"Woah, dont tell me that they call you Ram Lal"

"Dude, shut the F*** up, no one even knows that name"

"Then what the hell do they call you?"

"Some call me Chris and others call me Christian"

"What, that doesnt make any sense. Did you change your religion?"

"No dude, let me explain. When I first came here I introduced myself to the first person I met as Ram. Well, how could I expect them to pronounce my name correctly. That guy called me RYAAM which did not sound right. I felt as if I was a computer spare part. Then a wonderful thought struck me. Coming from a secular country like India, and having a faith in most religions, I decided to draw parallels between, well, names. If Ram is our god, then Christ is theirs so why not call myself Chris or Christian. Works well right! Also, the second motive is that I somehow feel that I would be able to continue my hunting ways with this name in this country. They say 'be a roman in rome' and I say 'be a chris in australia'."
"Alright brother, whatever you say. Now lets get the hell out of here before I make a mess of myself."

Kangaroos --1

Ritvesh woke up with a start. He could hear a female voice on the mic saying "Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. We are about to land in a few minutes". Ritvesh was unable to come back to his senses completely. He was still in an inebriated state from all the drinking in the flight. The only memory of the journey was asking the hostess for Vodka with orange juice making it a screw-driver. He wished he had a real one now to fix his senses. Unfortunately for him he did not have one and even if he had one he couldn't have fixed his dizziness.

He somehow gathered his senses and fastened his seat belt. The flight landed with a jerk, not the best of landings that Ritvesh had experienced before, definitely not pleasant in his present state. For a moment he felt that he is gonna die, the very next moment he felt as if he is gonna throw up. None happened though. After what seemed like ages the flight finally stopped. Somehow everybody wanted to get down at the very same time. Ritvesh decided otherwise because he coudn't have handled any pushing. He decided to wait for the crowd to clear and walk like a king.

"Why are you here?" asked the immigration officer. "I am here for work" snap came the reply. "Work? Your visa is only valid for discussions. You are not allowed to work here." Ritvesh knew that this was a point in time where his sense shouldnt fail him. Common sense prevailed and he said "I am here to meet some clients on a work related deal." Immigration officer looked scornfully and replied "Alright, please go ahead". Ritvesh knew he had one last hurdle to clear before getting out of the freaking airport: Customs. But even before that he had to pick up his luggage.

He was waiting near the conveyor belt. It wasn't moving suggesting that the luggage hasn't arrived yet implying it would take more time. His thoughts suddenly drifted to the time he was in India, just before coming to Sydney. He was sitting beside Raksha in a coffee shop. Ritvesh just cracked a joke and was making fun of Raksha. Raksha was angry but happy at the same time that she found a perfect guy, well close to perfect. She suddenly uttered "Ritu, lets get married." Ritvesh still was laughing from his last joke said "Don't you think I already asked you that question and you agreed?"

"Yes I did, but what I am saying is that I want to get married this year."

Suddenly all the laughter disappeared from Ritvesh's face. "Really? This year?"

"Well, you love me right?"

"I do"

"You wanna marry me right?"

"I do"

"So why wait?"

"Raksha, I am not ready for marriage yet. I am sure I wanna marry you but I don't think I want it to be this year. I want to spend this phase a little longer. I like this phase when I am a bachelor and do not have any responsibilities to take care of. I want to be like this a little longer. When I feel I can take up the responsibilties we can go ahead."

"Wait a minute. So you think I will be a burden for you and you are not ready for that right now? And what do you mean by bachelor life? You are a semi-bachelor because you are committed to me. Do you want to wait for longer so that you can ogle at other girls and I would not be able to say anything?"

"Raksha, why are you twisting each and every statement of mine? Do we really need to talk about this now. Can we not postpone it for later?"

"What do you mean Ritvesh? We can go for coffee, we can go for movies and we can do all the fun stuff. But when I want to discuss something serious, something that is related to our lives you want to postpone it. Get real Ritvesh."

"Oh come on Raksha, why are making such a big deal out of nothing?"

"This might be nothing for you, but its my life and my future Ritvesh. I am upset now. I ll go by an auto, you need not follow me. I need some space and time to think about my priorities."

"Raksha wait!"

"Ritvesh please, leave me aloneee!" she shouted and left.

Ritvesh did not follow and just sat there thinking about what just transpired. He took a few moments to realize that what just happened was not one of those silly fights they normally had. This was bigger. This was more serious. He picked up his phone to call Raksha but then decided against it. He thought that talking to her would only aggravate things. He decided to wait for the next meeting.

The conveyor belt started moving and Ritvesh came back to the real world. He picked up his luggage and headed for the customs check.

The Surprise

The night was darker than usual. The street lights were at their usual dim self not serving their purpose. The road seemed deserted which felt strange. Ritvesh looked at his watch and found that it was just 8 pm. His city never had such low traffic at 8 pm which made him wonder. He turned to Raksha and asked

"How long can you be out with me?"

She answered "When I am with you I dont have any fear"

"Really" and he gave a sarcastic smile.

"Do I need to be scared when you are with me?"

"Realistically speaking yes"

"What sort of an answer is that?"

"A practical one. For example if two heavily built guys come and start teasing you I might hit one out of pure anger and emotion. If I am lucky I might even take down the second one. But if more guys come then this is no movie that I hit one guy and all the others wait for their turn to get hit. My dear it does not happen so in real life."

"Whats wrong with you? Where is that romantic Ritvesh that I know?"

"I am sorry. I am just a little screwed up in my head right now."

"Why? What happened? Anything bad?"

"Nothing bad as such, just that I am scared of the future. I am not sure where the future is headed"

"What's wrong with you my Einstein?"

"Nothing. On a completely different note, how many kids do you want to have?"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Are you out of your minds?"

"So you don't want to have kids is it?"

"I never said that"

"Then?"

"Dude, do you even realize that we have not even talked about marriage? And now have gone to the extent that you are asking about kids. Seriously, something is wrong with you."

"Duh! Do you want me to bend down on my knees with a ring and propose to you?"

"Yes, that would have been much appreciated."

"Really? You are so very filmy."

"May be I am. But why would you talk about kids when we have never even talked about marriage?"

"We love each other, isn't that enough? Do I need to formally ask you whether you will marry me or not?"

"I at least expect a formal talk. I never thought that you would take me for granted."

"Oh come on Raksha, what's there to ask. We both are in love and the natural outcome of this would be that we get married. Why do you expect me to do something that is implied huh? Don't be a typical girl and expect me to do things that happen in movies. For god's sake just grow up"

Ritvesh continued "Life is not a movie Raksha. You cannot always expect things to be all rosy and nice. That's not called for. Just give me a break."

Raksha started crying. Tears are the most powerful weapon that girls have. When the guy thinks that he is on the verge of winning the argument the girl uses this weapon and suddenly the control shifts. Guy feels helpless and gives in. Ritvesh was also in the same situation now. He could not help but to let go of the control.

"Raksha I am sorry. I am really sorry. Please stop crying. I am sorry to have said all that. May be I should not have said it. Please stop crying. Come lets go for dinner."

"I am not coming. You go hog. Let me be."

"Raksha pleaseee. Don't do this to me. I said I am sorry. What more do you want me to do now? Please come. Lets go."

After a little more cajoling and convincing they finally went to the restaurant. Raksha was still very upset. Ritvesh looked sad and helpless at the same time. He called the waiter and ordered the food. He then turned to Raksha and held her hand. He was about to say something when there was a power cut. He said "Even god seems to be angry with me. Its so dark out here, let me get my mobile." Raksha did not pay much attention. Suddenly the lights came to life and the whole place was lit up with a bluish light. Raksha was startled to find Ritvesh kneeling down right beside her. He was holding a ring in his hand and had a big smile on his face. Before Raksha could realize what was happening Ritvesh asked her "Raksha, will you marry me? I want to marry you, make you mine forever, have seven kids: each for one day of the week, move to a different country with you and grow old with you. Will you marry me?"

Raksha was still for 3 seconds. So much was happening so fast that it took her time to realize that Rivtesh had planned all this and managed to pull off an incredible surprise which she would cherish for a lifetime. But something was troubling. She had to do something immediately. Oh right, she had to say a yes.

Raksha "Yes Ritvesh, I will. I accept your proposal though I am not sure about the seven kids part. I want to have your kids and raise them with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, share my sorrows and joy with you. I want to be yours for life. Now get up, it is starting to get embarrassing."

Ritvesh"Thanks Raksha both for accepting my proposal and asking me to get up. My knees started to hurt really bad."

Raksha"You stupid...." and they hugged and kissed.

Proposal

For a change Raksha came to the Cafe 10 minutes earlier. She was very excited about what was going to happen next. She started to imagine all the sorts of things that Ritvesh would do once she told him. She also imagined her getting embarrassed when he goes crazy. She was getting herself mentally prepared for that moment. She even looked around hoping for a lesser crowd which would mean lesser stares and lesser embarrassment. She was in one dreamy world, where she new no sorrow, no pain. The only thing that she knew was happiness. And she was indeed very happy.

Coming out of the dreamy world she glanced at her watch. They were supposed to meet at 7. The watch was showing 7.10. This seemed a little strange. He was the one who used to come early before. And she was the one with the delay. Today the roles seemed to have swapped. But she was so very happy that anger feared to linger in her mind. But every passing moment made her more anxious, more nervous and above all anger gained courage and take control of the happiness. 

After about 300 glances the clock showed 8 and in between those 300 glances she tried calling him about 20 times. But to no avail. He never answered her calls. And everytime she kept consoling herself that he might driving. But after the 300th glance and one hour of impatient waiting anger took complete control of her mind. She left the place all dejected, disgusted and angry. After she reached her place she thought of giving one last call. She called and was waiting for him to answer. One ring.. two rings... three rings.,.. she was about to disconnect when the call was answered. Even before he could say something she started off

"Ritvesh, where the hell have you been? I was waiting there for one hour all alone. You did not even care to turn up" and before she could say more 

"Hey, I am not Ritvesh. I am his friend, Param"

"I am sorry. Where is Ritvesh?"

"Well right now he is in the hospital"

"Why? What happened? How? When? Where"

"Relax. He met with a small accident while he was on his way to meet you. But now he has been admitted and the doctor says that the injuries are minor and external. Nothing much to worry about. He will be out of the hospital in a day or two."

"OK. Where is he? I want to come over and see him."

He gave her the details and asked her to come the next day as it was very late in the night. 

She could not sleep all night because she was very worried. Next day morning she went off she see him. The sight of him on the bed with so many wounds made her eyes wet. She gained control of herself and went closer to him. 

"How are you feeling?"

"I am fine. Just that the doc doesnt allow me to go home now."

"Oh, really?" and she touched a wound. He shrieked in pain. 

"Ok. Not fine. But I ll be fine in a few days."

She looked at him thoroughly now. His left ankle was bandaged. 

"What happened to your ankle?"

"It got twisted when i fell from my bike and the bike's weight was on the twisted ankle."

"Is there any dislocation?"

"Nope"

Now she could not control herself anymore. 

"Ritvesh, stupid fellow, why did you have to drive so fast. What if something bad had happened?I was waiting there to tell you about the way I feel about you. And you did this. What if the same thing had happened to me? How would you feel?" and she burst into tears.

The only thing that Ritvesh really heard in the whole thing was her feelings about him. His face suddenly lit up. 

"You said something about feelings. What is it?"

"Yes, I think I have fallen for you."

He was ecstatic but at that moment he had to console her. 

He put his hand on her shoulder and told her "Dearie, dont worry. I am fine. And I ll be back to my normal self in a few days. But right now I dont feel the pain. Every part of my body is jubilant. Had I been well I would have jumped but may be god wanted it this way only. Even if I was on my deathbed now I would have come back. You have made my day and you dont even know the amount of happiness you have given me now. These cuts and bruises dont matter anymore to me. The twisted ankle doesnt seem to hurt me anymore because one part is safe. My heart, which is with you. You have no idea as to how I felt when I was home. I felt as if I left something here."

"Ya. Thats my next question. Why the hell did you not call me?"

"I was wondering whether it would matter to you if I call or not."

"It did you stupid. But I guess I would have never known how I feel about you if you had called me"

"Is it? Thank you NOKIA, you really do connect people even with damaged phones. Now I have no qualms."

"Ok Ritvesh, I need to go now. I have work. I will come as soon as possible in the evening"

"Do you really have to go? You have come just now. Cant you stay back?"

"If I stay here I might cry every five minutes. Do you really want me to do that?"

"No. But..."

"I shall be back. Pleaseeee..."

"Ok fine. Bye..."

After one eventful day of pain and pills and injections another eventful day of getting what he had desperately hoped for made Ritvesh smile in pain!!!