‘Kavya, get ready for the surprise,’ Virat announced.
He opened the play list in the mobile and played the byte he had recorded over the past few days. The recording had one message each from her parents, Virat and Mahek. He had edited the unclear part out and had added soft music in the background. Once played, it sounded like a song.
Virat began, Kavya everyone loves you and this is just a small token of love from our side. Here are the messages that everyone wants to give on your birthday…
Mahek: Hey Kavya, a very happy birthday to you! Fun is waiting for us outside. Get well soon. We are the kind of friends who, when in a hospital together, would race our wheelchairs up and down the corridor and halls yelling ‘Gotta go’.
Virat: It’s a special day in your life. Happy birthday. I am luckyto have a friend who always seems to make me laugh at my lowest point, just want to say thanks for knowing what I need. Everyone should have a best friend like you. But they shouldn’t steal mine. You are my best friend. I love you.
Mom: Happy birthday, beta. What should I say? Our home is lonely without you. There is no one at home who makes a mess of the room, throwing clothes here and there. Even our maid goes home early nowadays. Sometimes, you are mad at me. Sometimes, I am mad at you. But I still enjoy playing the part of your mother as we would really go mad without you. Come home soon and bring it back to life.
Dad: Wish you a warm birthday, my princess. As you father, I have always secretly hated the fact that you are growing up because I know that every passing moment brings me one step closer to the day when I will have to give your hand to another man. Daddy loves you, sweetheart.
By the time the recording ended, there was a huge smile on Kavya’s face. She felt like she was able to see everyone. She was able to visualize their expressions. It was probably one of her best birthdays, even though it was celebrated in a hospital room. Kavya thanked everyone for their warm wishes through such a lovely medium. If you have people like them around you, life is awesome. Such incidents make you realize that money and success are nothing. It’s the love and affection from your family and friends that matters the most.
29th January, 2010
Friendships are what make us strong when we feel weak, happy when we feel sad, and comforted when we feel alone. Virat and Kavya’s relationship had proved that you don’t need a boyfriend or a girlfriend to be happy, all you need is a good friend who is always putting a smile on your face. Mahek and Kavya’s relationship had also proved that two girls can be best friends and wish for each other’s betterment, no matter where life takes you. One month had passed since the accident and Kavya was finally getting discharged. Her dad had gone back home while her grandmother who was in a critical condition all that while had passed away. To perform the rituals, her dad had left Pune and was supposed to be back after two weeks. We all had a brief talk with the doctors and they had given a green signal to take her home, but they told us to take care of her as for the first time she was going to witness the outside world without her eyes. They had even told us that in such situations, the patient doesn’t react very well and may take out her frustration on someone. So we had to be prepared for it.
‘Wear this whenever you go out,’ the doctor said giving her a pair of dark glasses as she got up from her bed.
‘Ok, doctor,’ Kavya smiled.
‘Thank god she didn’t ask for a Ray Ban,’ Virat joked.
Kavya tried to pinch him in the direction where she heard his voice but missed him by a whisker. She got a bit annoyed and Virat sensed her agitation. He purposely went closer to her in the direction of her hands so that she could pinch him.
‘See; don’t think that if I can’t see then I won’t be able to trouble you,’ Kavya said with a smile on her face.
Virat held her hand and felt a bit uneasy looking at Kavya’s condition. A girl, who was so colourful and lively, who made everyone around her happy and always took care of everyone, needed support today to even get out of her bed. It was commendable on Virat and Mahek’s part that they had been with Kavya every moment since the last one month and had never made her feel alone.
Kavya’s mom made her sit in Virat’s car and Virat drove the car towards her home. Kavya sat expressionless in the car as she couldn’t see anything outside the window. Mahek cracked some jokes to lighten her mood. As they reached her home, Kavya asked Virat to take her to her room.
‘Please, take me in front of the mirror,’ Kavya said.
Virat did as was told without asking her any questions. Kavya stood in front of the mirror and stared at it.
She gave a little smile to Virat and said, ‘I just wanted to see how I look after an accident. I was imagining what the mirror would show. My cuts, dark circles under my eyes and the stick that I am holding?’
The hardest things to come to terms with had been not being able to see her own reflection in the mirror. She felt like she had lost her identity.
‘Don’t stress yourself, out,’ Virat said trying to console her. He could understand the mental trauma and crisis of identity she was going through.
‘It’s so much harder to feel sexy and attractive when I have no idea what clothes I am putting on, or how my mascara looks,’ Kavya continued.
Virat made her sit down on the bed and held her hand. It was a difficult phase in their life but Virat knew that he was her courage. He too, had undergone all the pain, mentally, in the last one month though he didn’t show it to anyone. Mehak too had to sacrifice a lot over past the few days for Kavya. They both loved Kavya and were ready to spend the rest of their lives making her happy.
Kavya had a habit of switching her TV on as soon as she sat on the bed in her room. But now even that was not possible. She tried to recollect where everything was placed in her room and made her way around the room, touching everything on the way. But when she wakes up in the morning and opens her eyes, there would be nothing but endless darkness.
Those little things that everyone takes for granted are the ones that make life impossible as a blind person—like pouring boiling water to make a cup of tea or even sending a message through your mobile. Every day she grieved for her independence and the person she was before. And it was not just her sight that was gone, even her college life had abruptly come to an end. She relied on her parents and friends completely for everything—from reading messages to shopping. She just couldn’t shake off the feeling of being trapped inside her own body.
Old habits die hard, but Kavya was determined to let go of her past and build a strong future. Gradually, she started walking alone around her home and Mahek, being a girl, helped her a lot with things she couldn’t talk to her parents about. Virat had promised her that he would never let the fun die in their relationship and he stood by his words. After a week of being discharged, he regularly took Kavya out for a walk in the garden would dutifully describe the surroundings to her—how the children played, oldies jogged and couples kissed.
Day by day, Kavya started feeling better and the presence of her family and friends made her life beautiful in its own way. She too loved all the attention she got. The threads of their friendship had strengthened even more and they were her strength in the true sense of the word. Every moment spent with them motivated her and gave a hope to live a new life all over again. To enjoy the new life as she did before. To make everyone happy around her.
Life is too short to cry over what is lost; Kavya made it the motive of her life to spread happiness around her. She did miss seeing the clouds in the bright blue sky and the stars twinkle at night. She would run her hands over the faces of people she met so that she could visualize their faces in her head. At times, she thought being blind was a good thing in a way. That way, she didn’t have to see all the ugliness that’s penetrated into our world. She now saw the world through Virat and Mahek’s eyes.
Trust Me, I’m Freaking Serious!
9th February, 2010
Virat’s Apartment
In life, everyone
meets that one person they can talk to about anything. For Virat, that person was Kavya. Some people think a friend is somebody you’ve known forever. But it’s never like that. It’s really about who stood by you through everything. Virat and Kavya didn’t even know each other a few years back but today they meant everything to each other. Many even thought that they loved each other until Mahek entered Virat’s life.
Virat was sitting in his room and was flipping through his childhood album with a glass of beer in his hand. After Kavya’s accident, he had started feeling alone though he always tried to keep himself busy. Even in the midst of it all this, he was missing his parents. He kept thinking if something like this would have happened to him, who would have been his moral support. Kavya’s parents supported and loved her like anything. Virat felt depressed thinking about it and missed the fatherly touch of his dad and the motherly care of his mom. Though his uncle supported him financially and treated him like a son, no one can replace the love of parents.
As he was flipping through the albums, his phone buzzed. It was Rohan.
‘Where have you been these past few days?’ You’ve hardly come on Gtalk.’
‘I told you, I was busy at the hospital. My friend is admitted there.’
Rohan had tried reaching Virat a couple of times on phone, but Virat hardly ever responded. Virat had told him that once Kavya was discharged from the hospital, he would meet him and his love Riddhima.
‘You have still not met Riddhima. When are you meeting us? And how is Kavya?’
‘She is fine. I will meet you guys soon. Anyway, I thought since you now have a girlfriend, you won’t get any time to meet your friends. That is what generally happens,’ Virat smirked.
They talked for some time and then Virat started to watch a movie on his laptop. He just wanted to get over his feeling of loneliness. Mahek was busy and so he thought a movie would help.
When your relationship goes through some crisis and you’re still able to sustain it, your relationship becomes more powerful than ever before.
Sometimes, the strongest of all relationships start out with a small friendship and work its way up. Mahek and Virat’s relationship had started with a friendship though it had been intentionally planned so by Kavya. However, Rohan and Riddhima’s friendship was never intentional. Though Rohan was in a relationship with Zoya, it was nearly impossible for Riddhima to forget Rohan as she loved him and that love had made a huge impact on her life. Virat and I, together, made Rohan realize the value of her love and he was extremely happy being in a relationship with her. Sometimes, he did remember Zoya, and whenever that happened, I had to travel from Mumbai to Pune just to make him understand that it’s over. After all, he treated me more as a friend than a brother. More importantly, he didn’t regret his decision of choosing Riddhima as his life partner.
Virat had been stressed since the last few weeks and needed to take rest. He didn’t realize when he fell asleep while watching the movie. Suddenly, the bell rang and he got up. It was Mahek. He was surprised to see her at that hour of the day.
‘Did you bunk your classes?’ Virat asked.
‘Yes. Because I want to make out with you right now. And there is a reason behind it.’
Before Virat could answer, she pushed him against the wall. He stared at her for a few moments, and suddenly the air filled with tension. He leaned back and his hand accidentally fell into a bowl of ketchup kept on the table next to the wall. Mahek licked the sauce from his fingers and the sensation of her touch made his body tickle.
She bit his palms softly and licked his wrist. Her hands came up and grasped his bicep firmly, pushing up his sleeve as her tongue licked the inside of his elbow. She began to make soft moaning sounds and he watched her, hypnotized, eyes wide, unable to pull back from her. Her lips moved swiftly from his elbow to his neck, and he felt the touch of her hot breath on his cold skin. He slowly removed her top exposing her skin. She was trying to unbuckle his belt. She became more furious with every attempt. He pushed her against the wall and removed his belt. She pulled down his pants and underpants, and brought him closer to herself. He let his gaze explore her flawless skin and continued kissing her all over, making her moan in delight. He held her by her hair and bit her neck. She threw her head back and cried out in pleasure.
‘Did you come here to tell me something or just to make out?’ Virat asked teasing her.
‘Yes.’
‘So tell me. What is it?’
‘How do you know Rohan? Do you know him personally or did you two ever meet?’ Mahek asked, looking in his eyes.
‘Kind of. I had met him on a random blog on some blogger’s website. I liked his views and had thus added him on my Gmail account. Then gradually, we started chatting. But what happened?’
‘So you’ve never met?’
‘Yes. The first time we met was because I needed some information regarding an orphanage.’
‘Never through Orkut or Facebook?’ Mehak continued asking questions.
‘Mahek, you know I am not on Orkut. And forget Facebook. I don’t understand anything about it. You think I am hiding something from you?’ Virat asked in frustration and pushed her away from him.
Facebook had just been launched and not many people had created accounts on it.
‘It just slipped my mind that you are not on Orkut. So you have just met once?’
‘You are acting like CID,’ he said raising his voice.
‘Answer me,’ she asked again.
‘Ok, let me tell you everything. We started talking casually on Gtalk. He used to tell me about his love life and his ex-girlfriend, Zoya. But then I told him that he should move on and now, he is dating Riddhima. He was confused about the decision so at that time I met him along with his cousin, Aditya. In fact, I was going to meet him on the same day the accident took place. Remember I told you I was going to meet a friend but you didn’t know him? It’s the same guy.’
‘Oh, now I get it. Did you ever tell him about me?’ Mahek said looking anxious.
‘Probably a few times, I had told him I am in love and was going to propose to my love. But I never mentioned your name. You know, I don’t reveal such things because I’m afraid of losing people. But will you tell me what happened with him and why you are asking about him?’
‘Thank God, you never mentioned my name to him. I was so afraid that I came running to ask you,’ said Mahek breathing a sigh of relief.
‘Why?’
‘Because he happens to be my cousin.’
Virat immediately got up from his bed. He couldn’t believe what he had heard. There was pin-drop silence in the room with both of them staring at each other. He reconfirmed whether he had heard her correctly or not. Mahek nodded in agreement. Virat’s face turned deathly white. It was nothing but a horrifying dream. He tried to recollect all his past discussions with Rohan but still couldn’t remember him saying anything about Mahek. Nor could he remember Rohan mentioning that he had a sister. This came as a real shocker to him. He felt like he had been caught in a crime.
‘I don’t remember Rohan mentioning it.’
‘Why are you getting so restless?’
‘What the fuck do you mean restless? Obviously it’s come as a shock to me. God dammit, he is your brother. How did you come to know that he talks to me?’ he stammered.
‘Keep calm. And he is not my first cousin. He is my cousin Mama’s son. So in reality he’s a distant relative. We do meet sometimes and share a good bond but I’m surprised your topic never came up whenever I met him. Obviously, he couldn’t ask me directly whether I was dating someone or not. Neither did I tell him. Sometimes, he comes to our place and we have a good time. My family is a bit orthodox and I am not comfortable sharing our relationship with my family or Rohan so soon, not until we’re done with our education. Today, I saw him talking on the phone and he was taking your name and even Kavya’s. He is staying with us tonight. Then when he went to the washroom after sometime, I took his cell phone and l
uckily it was unlocked. I checked the number he had last dialled and it was you. Then I came running to you.’
Virat was speechless and felt like banging his head against the wall. He was confused whether he should thank his fate that he didn’t show her pictures or reveal anything about her to Rohan or curse his fate that Mahek was Rohan’s cousin. One thing he was sure about was that although Rohan would get upset in the beginning after knowing everything, he won’t stand in the way of their relationship. He knew Rohan liked him as a person and somewhere he thought he should tell Rohan everything rather than hiding the truth from him as it would hurt him more later on. He gave it a thought and said,
‘I think we should tell him. He trusts me and he won’t tell anything at home. Trust me.’
‘No, that’s impossible. Please. If my parents come to know then they will cut all my freedom away. They will doubt me continuously, even when I going to a friend’s place. We should first complete our education. Please, understand. After all he is my brother,’ she panicked.
‘Do you know about his current girlfriend?’
‘No. He didn’t tell me. But I had met his previous girlfriend Zoya. Rather, he had to introduce her because I had seen them together, hand in hand, when I was with my friends. She is a nice girl. We talk occasionally,’ Mahek exclaimed.
Sometimes, it’s hard to face things you have no control over. Virat was bold enough to confront Mahek’s cousin, Rohan. Some say love is blind, but love is challenged in all senses. Because no matter how hard you try, it will always surprise you. Pleasant ones or shocking ones. Virat couldn’t categorize this surprise. Mahek had told him such things about Rohan’s previous girlfriend Zoya and their relationship that it sent shivers down his spine. He digested the fact that Mahek was Rohan’s cousin and was ready to face it with courage but whatever she said about Zoya was unbelieveable. Some things in life are better left unexplained. Virat had already starting planning for a double surprise shocker on Valentine’s Day for his friend and future brother-in-law Rohan.
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