by Anuj Tiwari
Anuj Tiwari is the author of the bestselling books, Journey of Two Hearts and It Had to Be You. A speaker in many colleges and universities, his stories are based on real-life incidents that he has recorded over the years. With an MBA degree in finance and human resources management, Anuj works in Mumbai as an IT professional and marketing consultant.
To know more about him,
visit www.anujtiwariofficial.com
or www.facebook.com/anujtiwari.official,
or follow him on Twitter @AnujOfficial.
Praise for It Had to Be You and Journey of Two Hearts
‘An inspirational romance.’—Hindustan Times
‘Myriad shades of romance.’—Deccan Chronicle
‘Anuj’s journey touches every heart that beats.’—Dainik Jagaran
‘Pearls have come down on paper.’—Amar Ujala
‘An unforgettable love story.’—Afternoon
Published by
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2016
7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002
Copyright © Anuj Tiwari 2016
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-81-291-XXXX-X
First impression 2016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
To love, life and friendship of the four friends. To my mother—Kusum, my father—Ashok, my sister—Neeraj and my forever young Nanu.
Contents
Prologue
A Suspicious Mother
A Friend I Can Count On
Karaoke Night
Forgetting Social Boundaries
We Party All Night
Coffee Is Old, Vodka Is New
Ved, the New Guy
The Smart Loser
Getting to Know Mr and Ms
Mr #
Expecting the Unexpected
Not an Official Date
And so It Begins
A Bag of Happy Cards
Ved and His Surprising Ways
The Final Card
Happy Hours
Happiness Is Sharing Secrets
So It’s Just You and Me Now
The Anglo-Indian
Those Pretty Gujju Girls, Followed by the Punjabans
Over the Limit, under Arrest
No Replay, No Rewind
There Can Never Be Another You
Flight SE786 to Destiny
Via–via
Unofficially Yours
I Am Who I Am, When I Am with You
He Said, She Said, We Said
Flip, Sip and the Stripping of Truth!
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Prologue
It is known that first loves are always about overwhelming emotions. The second tests our maturity. The third, however, is always a compromise.
It’s a cold Sunday morning and she is lying in bed, curled up within the confines of her blanket. Though awake, she doesn’t want to get out of bed. She wonders what is wrong with her life. She rarely drinks but last night when her friend came over with some vodka, she could not control herself. Eventually, she slept off in her balcony and woke up cold and shivering. Her room feels strange now, strewn with cigarette butts and empty bottles.
The sun is pouring in through the gaps in the curtains. She hasn’t slept properly in days, but she manages to get up and clean her room.
The birds are chattering and the morning has begun its many activities, yet everything seems gloomy to her. She tries to divert her mind by finding reasons to help herself get through the sadness, but fails time and again. She goes back to the balcony to get some air and looks into the distance. Thoughts flood her mind. Thoughts she doesn’t want to listen to.
Does everyone go through this phase in life or is it just me who is suffering?
When we run away from things, they just seem to haunt us and never really leave.
She begins thinking about the past. There are so many memories, ones which made her happy. Yet the overpowering memories are the ones associated with negative emotions. She thinks of her present, the frustrations which seem to have gripped her life. She is tensed. Her head is aching.
I can have a better future. I can. My past doesn’t rule my future.
These are words Arjun has taught her. But somehow, these powerful words wilt in front of her present. Her friends have been supportive of her, asking her to be strong, but she cannot find a reason to go on.
Am I responsible for all that has happened to me? Will this affect my family and friends? I cannot afford to trouble them anymore. I have messed up too many times in the past. I deserve nothing better.
She lights a cigarette and takes a long puff, stubbing it within moments.
It’s tough for me, I can’t live like this. If I want to survive I need to consult a psychiatrist. Otherwise, it’s not worth living.
Life has not been kind to her. She understands this. She looks up and then looks down four floors. She sits softly on the railing and sticks one leg out. Suddenly her cellphone rings. It is Arjun. She ignores the call. She closes her eyes and takes a long breath.
‘I am sorry,’ she murmurs.
Suddenly she hears a known voice from behind.
‘What the heck are you doing?’ Charu rushes to be by her side and pulls her inside. ‘What do you think you are doing?’
Charu makes her sit on a chair near the balcony and holds her tightly. She bursts into tears within seconds.
‘Everything will be fine. We all are with you,’ she assures her, before taking her inside the room.
Life is all about perspective. Is it not?
A Suspicious Mother
Arjun has just turned twenty-six and she thinks he has matured quite a bit in the last few years. His sense of humour is something she does not appreciate. In fact, she also does not like the female friends he has and becomes especially uncomfortable with the ones who pamper him. She is, after all, an Indian mother who cares too much and sometimes can be quite possessive. But he is not some playboy. He is a genuine person with whom people like spending time, especially because he is funny. However, for mothers, insecurity remains a constant companion.
Arjun’s loving family constantly worries about his marriage. They believe in girls getting married by twenty-one and boys by twenty-five according to the Social Opinion Factor (SOF). He is an eligible bachelor in every way.
Arjun thinks that in life, one’s purpose is to make others happy. However, he doesn’t have many close friends because he cannot find many people who share his wavelength. Sometimes he wonders if there is a problem with his attitude. His closest friends have assured him it is not. He keeps a positive attitude towards life and is a good listener. He manages his time well. He is well informed and one cannot deny his logic in an argument. He believes that everything happens for a reason; and sometimes these reasons emerge out of our own actions. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are bad.
Today he is
visiting Bareilly, his hometown, before he heads to a book event in Kolkata. He informs his mom of his whereabouts, in fact he does so even when he is in Mumbai, and she notoriously keeps track of his social media updates on her cellphone. His mom is loving and possessive. His father, like most Indian fathers, follows his mom’s lead in life.
Arjun is from a Brahmin family and this family is planning to look for a girl with whom he can spend the rest of his life happily. They are worried about him because they think he’ll take years to choose someone, but in fact, he is really not choosy at all. He does not believe in being selective when finding a life partner. He feels if he keeps in mind a few well thought out life principles, the ideal woman will walk into his life on her own. Moreover, he claims that true love exists and hopes to find love someday.
His views always have a logic to them that cannot be ignored. He believes there is always a right time for everything. One cannot have sex before the age of fourteen because one will not enjoy it. One cannot have babies at the age of eighteen because they’re too young to be a good parent. In the same way, one should not get married until one actually feels like getting married.
‘You can’t be so serious about these issues,’ his friends tell him. He simply smiles during those moments.
‘So how is the food in Mumbai?’ his mom asks him while grating carrots in the kitchen.
Arjun is accustomed to royal treatment at home, including delicious home-cooked meals which lead him to the kitchen, where he spends time talking to his mom.
‘I miss you and your food, of course. What do you put in halwa by the way?’ he asks while peeling green peas.
‘I put nothing special in it, and stop eating while you peel the peas,’ she says and softly pats him on his head making him drop the peas back in the bowl.
He feels good when she pats him on his head, it shows on his face.
‘I wanted to discuss something with you,’ she says, wiping her hands with a kitchen towel.
‘Is this about a girl?’ he asks, still munching on some peas.
‘I am not joking.’
‘Yes, my father’s boss, say. What happened?’
She grins.
‘I feel that you have grown up and you need someone to spend your life with. You live alone in Mumbai and you come home for a week or two after months.’
According to her, if one is a grown up, they cannot live alone.
‘Are all mothers playing a big role in raising the Indian population?’ He laughs while questioning her. ‘Mom, I just turned twenty-six in November, and I don’t want to marry till the time I fall for someone.’
Arjun understands that his mom wants to keep a check on the mischievous life he has in Mumbai.
‘I am just asking you to find a well-educated girl for yourself and that too after your sister’s marriage. I am not saying this on the spur of the moment. You live alone in Mumbai, so far from us. So at least there should be a girl who can take care of you and manage things for you. I am getting old, you know,’ she says as she opens the fridge and takes out a packet of cashew.
‘Mom, I will marry a girl not an air hostess or someone who can travel with me.’ He holds her from the back. ‘And I really don’t want an arranged marriage.’
His mom’s frown is enough to show that she is not in favour of love marriage.
Every secret conversation between mom and son takes place in the kitchen. It’s a practice which has been going on since Arjun was a child. He always sits on the slab and helps her prepare the salad or chop chillies, or sometimes he washes the rice grains before cooking. Times have changed and he now debates over topics like love and arranged marriage with her.
‘Your views are absolutely correct and I respect them but times have changed. How can someone marry without even knowing the person?’ he asks.
‘Hmm…’ is all she says in response.
Her Hmm does not satisfy him and he continues to convince her of the validity of a love marriage.
‘Listen, marriage is not just about making your sex life…’
‘What?’ She suddenly turns towards him leaving everything aside.
‘I mean, marriage is not just about making one’s affair official on a legal document. It involves a lot more responsibilities. Moreover, to tie two families with such high expectations and that too for a lifetime is demanding. Look at my father.’
She pretends to work but intently listens to everything he has to say, all the while choosing not to reply.
‘At what time do you have to leave for Kolkata tomorrow, Arjun?’ she asks as she walks out of the kitchen. Before he can even reply, she says, ‘Dinner is ready. Call everyone, Arjun.’
‘Mom, what happened?’ he asks, conscious of the change in her behaviour. ‘Are you making this face because I leave tomorrow or because I am debating with you?’ he asks again, following her from the hall to the kitchen.
‘What if I say both?’ she says.
This happens every time. Whenever Arjun is about to return, his mom becomes emotional.
‘Mom, it’s been eight years that I have been away from home, and you still become emotional every time I leave.’ Arjun tries to console her.
She ignores him but Arjun is sure that she is going to cry as the time of his departure comes closer.
‘Don’t worry, I won’t run away,’ he says, trying to pacify her as he knows it’s bothering her but she cannot bring herself to talk about it.
‘But be careful about our status in society. You live there and you must be meeting many girls, but be careful because I won’t support you at every step.’ She puts a chapati on his plate while waiting for others to join them.
‘What if I fall in love with someone? And what if that someone falls for me?’
Arjun holds her shoulders while she keeps the plates on the table for others. ‘Mom, listen, please. I promise, I won’t hurt you by making commitments to anyone without your permission. Can you please smile now? Please?’
‘Okay, now sit and have dinner,’ she says, turning her back to him.
Arjun knows she has smiled secretly.
‘Okay, let’s make a deal—my choice, your permission.’ Arjun says, as everyone starts gathering at the dining table.
His dad sits on his right and his elder sister Nee sits to the left. Her name is Neeraj, but he calls her Nee because it’s the nickname he gave her since he learned to talk. These days, his Nanu is also at home.
‘Kusum, why don’t you join us as well?’ his Nanu asks his mom.
He has just crossed over into his sixties but the older he gets, the more liberal he becomes. This is what Arjun has come to understand. This singular and surprising aspect of his ageing has brought them closer in the last few years.
‘You can start. I will join in some time,’ his mom replies from kitchen.
That has been her nature for as long as Arjun can remember. To have her meal right at the end after serving everyone. She comes to the hall and pours daal in his bowl, and refills all their glasses with water.
His Nanu had heard the conversation between Arjun and his mom. With his experiences his Nanu weighs in on love and arranged marriages. He feels lucky to have a grandparent who gets better with age, just like fine wine, and who discusses Arjun’s life openly without any reservations.
‘You should register yourself on matrimonial portals. There are so many options and you can meet someone well suited,’ his Nanu says.
‘Not a bad option?’
‘Yes, try that. You must.’
‘Nanu, are you sure you want me to register on a matrimonial portal?’ Arjun asks with a smile. He continues, ‘There is no need for that. Someone will surely come my way someday. As of now, I need to pack my bag. I have to leave for Kolkata. If I stay here for a few more weeks I’ll surely be married to someone by the end of it.’
‘By the way, Bong girls are beautiful though they are clever as well,’ his Nanu says with a hearty laugh.
‘Nanu,’ Arjun says, embarr
assed.
‘Yeah, I know. I have spent nine years of my life there,’ his Nanu says, smiling.
‘You must concentrate on your work. There is no hurry, okay? And don’t listen to him,’ his mom says, her anxiety showing on her face. She continues, ‘Well, Anushka is also going to Kolkata with you, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘And where will she stay?’
‘Don’t worry, Mom, she’s not staying with me. She has relatives in Kolkata,’ he teases her.
‘Pack your bag and dress appropriately wherever you go.’
‘Yes, Ma, I will.’
‘By the way, she is not coming. I just got her message.’
‘How can she ditch you at the last moment?’ his mom fumes, curious as to why Anushka can’t make it to Kolkata. ‘Anyway, you take care and sleep now. You have an early morning.’
The next day Arjun flies to the city of joy, though he knows he will miss Anushka. They had made plans to meet in the city, but her change of mind has dampened his mood.
Anushka is a friend who has always helped him in his personal and professional life since he was in college. She is from a Punjabi family and stays in Delhi. She was a year senior to him in college. After her engineering, she joined Vccenture Services in Bangalore as a Business Analyst, and a year later Arjun joined the same organization in Mumbai. She got frustrated with her nine to six job and left it to pursue an MBA from IIFT in Delhi.
When Arjun went through a tragic breakup and was in depression, Anushka helped him through the bitter six-month phase. They are like soul siblings. They know almost everything about each other, sometimes more than a friend should. She goes shopping with him whenever he is in Delhi. He shares all his problems with her. He drops her home after nights out in clubs and pubs. She wakes him up early in the morning and then they continue to talk till the evening. They have shared the same glass of drink, even the same bed, but they are just friends. The best of friends.
A Friend I Can Count On
There is an air of excitement as Arjun lands in Kolkata. The afternoon is buzzing with possibilities. He imagines the new faces he will meet, the new stories he will encounter, and the new experiences which will enrich him. Yet the crowds around make him anxious.