Life.........served hot

A call that changed the life of 2 people forever.........


Part 1…… Rayan

“What will happen if I jump?”, said i

“wtf, come down immediately, u fool.” said Rudra.

        I was standing on top of a water tank at midnight with a bottle of kingfisher in my hand and wondering how did life get so messed up? How did everything go so horribly wrong? Standing there, looking down 7 floors, I had a smile etched on my face, a smile that said “I am sick of crying, tired of trying, yes I m smiling but inside I m dying.”

        I decided to walk down from there, it made sense, I thought about my dad, I thought about how much I had hurt him, I thought about my dreams, how they lay shattered, I thought about her…. That in itself was enough to slice through my insides. I looked at my friends, they had one solution for every problem (it always worked though…) “lets get drunk!!!!!” so I gulped my beer in one swift motion and in that moment of enlightenment (or madness)…..

I picked up my mobile and dialed the first no. on my contact list, determined to tell a girl, any girl “I love u”, just to prove to someone that I can.

I dial, the phone rings, I hear it for some time, reality comes crashing back at me, “what the hell am I doing?”

I am about to the cut the call when I hear a sweet but hoarse voice on the other side

“hello, who’s this?”

I look at my watch, shit its midnight, she must b sleeping, what a fool I m.

“hello” she says again, this time I hear a hint of longing in her voice or maybe its anger , I don’t really know, it’s pretty late.

“hi, ………aa………hello”,

“sorry……….a…..how r u ? “, I stutter as words fail me when I need them the most.

“who is this?”, she says definitely anger in her tone.

“I m Rayan, we were together in college.”

I am still struggling, but this time I think, she’s lost for words too, or maybe she’s just too shocked, I had called her after 6 long years.

“hi, what is the matter ?, how come you have called so late ?

I am crazy, I think would be appropriate here, but I manage to say,

“Nothing………a  ……..your… no. got dialed by mistake, I am sorry, goodnight.”

“goodnight” she says after some time, and this time I definitely hear disappointment, I cut the call and start reminiscing my Royal College days. The first day is imbued in my memory, as honey is imbued in flowers…..

Part 2 …… Aashi

“Why hasn’t he called?” I ask my sister.

Even though my sister is a couple of years younger to me, she is my pillar of strength. I really don’t know what I would have done without her during this time. Thoughts of him keep flooding through my mind.

Its been more than a month, I haven’t spoken to him, the last time he called, he said that something bad might happen if we ended it up together, he’s so caring sometimes, but he did say he’ll call after ramzan ends, I really don’t understand their customs, its been 2 days since ramzan ended, when I called him up a couple of days ago, he said he needs more time (2 days is definitely more time……)

There I go again, tears start rolling down my cheek, I wipe it in haste so that Aarohi doesn’t see it,

“Your crying again??” she has the eyes of a hawk!!!

“Why do you do it? He is not worth it”, she continues…

Her concern is not misplaced but what about the moments I had with Rehaan. Were they all just fake? No, I convince myself.

He’s one of the nicest people on the planet. I clearly remember his last words….

“My cousin brother got married to a hindu girl, against the wishes of the entire famly, a couple of months later, she got into an accident……. I love u way too much to even imagine something like that for you. It’s better we stop seeing each other now itself.”

With those words still ringing in my ears, I hear my phone beeping.

I jump like a teenager, butterflies in my stomach, he’s called, I m elated, maybe he’s seen sense, we can be together forever……..

I look at the screen……. Unknown no.

It’s a bit odd

“Hello, Who’s this?” I say, my voice sounding hoarse with all the crying, I don’t want him to know that I have been crying.

There isn’t a reply, I feel angry, if he has called, why won’t he talk to me,

“Hello?”, I say again, trying but failing to hide my longing to hear his voice,

“Hi……..aa…….hello”, this isn’t him, I have not heard this voice before, I am pissed, wrong no., what a time for wrong nos. I curse my luck.

“Sorry…….a……..how r u?” who is this, some friend of his, why would some friend of his call me at 12:00am.

“Who is this?” I ask, a fit of anger engulfing me.

“Hi, I am Rayan. We were together in college” he says.

I remember him now, why would he call at this hour, I am seething with anger, I want to remove all my frustration on him, I control myself, calm down to some extent.

“Hi, what is the matter, how come you have called so late?”

“Sorry …….a……….your….no. got dialed by mistake. I am sorry ….. goodnight.”

“Goodnight”

I manage to say after some time knowing fully well I am not getting any sleep, the disappointment seeps into my voice, disappointment for a future that was never mine ………..

The demons in my mind raise their ugly heads again and I begin my loosing battle with them.