Love Lasts Forever

by Khanna, Vikrant

  That night when Joe Singh and I were back in our room, enthused by Shukla ji’s words, we made a pact that we won’t get married, or at least till we were thirty. Life was meant to be enjoyed after all.

  ‘Yeah, I know dude, I remember.’ I took a deep breath, and again, traversed back to reality. ‘But love…that’s what it does to you; makes you forget everything else and takes you in this world that is wonderfully extra ordinary.’

  Joe Singh tutted, rose to his feet, and headed for the washroom.

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ he called out from inside. ‘And what about all that fun we’d planned we’ll have together, you know, all that exploring new countries thing, women of different accents, colours, shapes and sizes; remember, it was all part of the plan.’

  I poked my head out the window adjacent to his bed. From the fifteenth floor, people appeared the size of ants.

  ‘Now you won’t even reply to me or what?’ I heard his muffled scream from behind the door.

  ‘I know man, but I’m sorry!’ I roared. ‘I’m so madly in love with her that I can’t even imagine myself with another woman.’

  ‘Oh man, you are so gonna regret this in future.’

  He came out with a scowl and started for his wardrobe.

  ‘Are you crazy, love is not meant to be regretted, it is meant to be cherished,’ I protested to his back while he was busy rooting for something. ‘Being in love is the most marvelous thing that can happen to someone. I am so glad it happened to me. All the other plans mean absolutely nothing. All I want is to be engulfed in this beautiful feeling of love for the rest of my life by getting married to her.’

  ‘Oh really?’ He turned round and let out a half-suppressed laugh. ‘Men and women are not meant to co-exist with each other. Always remember that!’

  ‘Huh!’ I crinkled my nose.

  ‘And Priyanka’s sister?’ He took a step forward and shook his head distastefully. ‘Are you crazy? I mean what sort of a family has a son like Priyanka? Oh, Ronit buddy, you are gonna regret this in future big time.’

  I gnashed my teeth and glared at him.

  What sort of a person is he; he doesn’t believe in the magic of love? I mean seriously, what sort of a person is he?

  I candidly dismissed his opinion and views about love and my life, and silently patted my back.

  6. Where are we?

  25th June 2011, Somewhere in Somalia

  Why did I not listen to him that day? How could he possibly see the future?

  Although I am trembling with fear and my heart continues to pound hard against my chest at the gory implications of what the pirates can or may do to us, my mind continues to drift in the past. I am terrified, I’m worried, yet I’m also filled with remorse, melancholy…and anger. Certainly I’d never expected my love story of seven years to tailspin to this low.

  I fell in love believing it to be the most marvelous thing that could happen to anyone; if anything, it’s the most terrible thing. And marriage, well…from where do I even begin? I firmly believe it’s a curse inflicted upon mankind.

  I shake my head, hating myself for everything that transpired following our marriage. Inhaling a deep breath, I look around. It’s been more than four hours now since these pirates first boarded our ship.

  Just then the leader of the pirates orders Captain to reduce the speed of the ship. It seems we have almost reached. But where? I share startled looks with Captain.

  Although, whatever had to happen has happened, I secretly wish the pirates had boarded after an hour or so. At least till Captain had completed his story…

  I never thought love stories like these exist in the real world. He was telling me earlier this afternoon, when we were having a little talk in his cabin, that he has known his wife all his life. They first met at the tender age of eight, fell madly in love few years later, and then got married as teenagers.

  Till here, I was with him.

  But then later, I lost him as he continued.

  What I couldn’t discern is with so much love around how could his wife ask for a divorce with minor hiccups here and there just few months after their marriage? Every relationship has their share of problems; she, of all the people should have understood that. And then Captain signed the divorce papers and threw them at her face.

  So then why now, thirty years later, he is still madly in love with her? And if so much for love, why did he not get back with her? What is the worst part that is still to come, he told me before these pirates boarded?

  I shoot a brief look at Captain. He appears lost in thoughts. Just tell me why?

  My thoughts are interrupted by the bridge door slamming open. Our cook hobbles his way in, almost short of breath, and hollers at the top of his voice, ‘Captain! Help Captain! Pirates! Please help us!’

  Captain glares at him and purses his lips with a finger. Of course, the cook gets the message, but it’s a tad too late. The ominous looking leader signals to one of his men who barely nods as I stare in disbelief.

  Oh my God! What is he going to do?

  Without further ado, the hit man impassively brings his gun close to his chest and pulls the trigger. I squeeze my eyes shut and bring my hands to cover my gaping mouth. My heart hammers loud in my chest as I hear almost half a dozen shots and a loud shriek. All of us freeze in shock and few hairs rise on my arms and the back of my neck. I fail in the attempt to bring my shaking hands to rest, and flash a brief look over the side. The cook is lying dead on the floor with red colour smeared all over the bulkheads of the bridge. I resist the urge to vomit and look at Captain who is resting his forehead in his palms. From the little that I know him, he is cursing himself for the events that have unfolded this evening.

  Two pirates come forward toward the cook’s dead body, bend down, and yank at his arms. They trudge toward the bridge wings leaving a trail of blood stain behind them. Next, we hear a loud splash of water of the cook’s body hitting the Arabian Sea.

  ‘Captain! Tell your people to do only what we say and we will not kill anyone else!’

  The low and gravelly voice of the leader was almost incomprehensible.

  Captain nods slowly.

  About an hour later our ship is stopped and we are surrounded by islands with barren mountains all around. In the distance a few ships are made fast and over a hundred armed pirates are guarding them.

  We have reached our destination.

  7. Our first goodbye

  March 2004, Mumbai

  Little more than a month in our relationship and we had to face the toughest part – separation.

  Especially to meet Aisha, I flew down to Mumbai from Delhi for my final goodbye. I took Joe Singh’s car, picked her up from her house in Bandra, and we sat on the pavement on Marine Drive gazing ahead toward the Arabian Sea.

  Aisha was wearing cream coloured Capri pants and matched it up with a blue top. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail with a matching hair band and round earrings dangled below her ears. Even in her simplicity she had to be the prettiest girl I’d seen in my life.

  Ahead of us the water swished back and forth, lapping against the rocks, and rose in plumes with few drops directed at us every now and then. There was a slight breeze; the intensity of which just perfect that would make one feel that life indeed is wonderful. Behind us, people jogged with headphones over their ears, and further behind cars rattled down the noisy Mumbai streets. Not too far from us toward our left there was a Bollywood shooting in progress as people appeared to throng the sets. Above us the birds went about with their evening songs, lost in their world. Everything seemed normal with the world, yet for us, nothing was normal.

  I would be leaving for my first assignment as a cadet tomorrow for six months…

  ‘Wow!’ Aisha gasped. ‘I can’t believe we met just last month. I’m so much in love with you already Ronit.’

  She slipped her arms between mine and rested her head on my shoulders.

  I sighed. ‘I know,’ I said, squeezing her peti
te hands. ‘I’ve just seen you four times and it feels as if I’ve known you for a lifetime already. I love you so much, Aisha.’

  She forced a smile. ‘I’ll miss you Ronit.’

  I could hear her voice breaking. My heart cried at that.

  Glumly, I looked ahead in the distance. Faraway, near the horizon, a ship was propelling through the water leaving smoke in its wake. I shuddered to think I’d be on one of those by tomorrow, away from land, away from Aisha, away from my Aisha…

  Seriously, I never thought love could be so hard. Staying close to six months away from her would be like eternity. Just last month I was so excited about my first salary in dollars. And now, all the excitement had vanished in thin air. No amount of money could justify the separation from her.

  Few days earlier I had thoughts of quitting navy so I could spend each and every moment of my life with her. I’d shared this with Joe Singh to take his point of view earlier this afternoon. I had not seen a more astounded look on his face.

  ‘What? You are gonna forget all the shit we have gone through in the past one year?’ Joe Singh said in a gruffly voice. ‘What is happening to you man, get a control over your life.’ He tutted before resuming. ‘Seriously man love is blind, I mean, one year of struggle and when it’s time to earn the reward, you want to quit, and that too for a girl. And Priyanka’s sister, for her.’

  He thumped his fist on the table and had a look of disgust on his face. ‘I mean seriously for Priyanka’s sister!’ And then he began to snigger. ‘Priyanka’s sister? Ha, ha, really?’

  ‘Thanks for the advice,’ I’d replied with gritted teeth, before stomping out his house. Not before collecting the keys of his car, of course.

  For a minute I wanted to forget Joe Singh’s advice and leave my job. My life is so perfect and complete when I am around Aisha. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

  ‘What are you thinking Ronit?’ she asked, running her fingers playfully over my arms.

  I let out a deep breath. ‘Nothing much,’ I replied with a smile.

  I fiddled with a stone and then hurled it across the water feeling the emotions surge within me. I glanced over my shoulder and there were couples as far as my eyes could reach. Some of them hid behind rocks and went about their business while others were content like us to spend a nice, romantic evening in company of the sea.

  I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and scooted closer. The wind had seemed to pick up as the calm sea was suddenly flecked with whitecaps. The sun had left for the day, gulped down by the sea, leaving behind an amber colour in the sky. Soon it would be time for me to leave as well. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, something hit me and I turned to face her, and said, ‘Hey, what if we get married now?’

  ‘What? Ha, ha, seriously?’ That gleeful spark in her eyes reinstated my decision.

  I smiled under my breath. ‘Yeah, seriously, what do you say?’

  ‘What?’ she snorted. ‘Are you crazy? We are just eighteen!’

  ‘I know and that pretty much is the legal age to get married in India; isn’t it?’

  She hid her face beneath her hands, and shook her head in disapproval, or out of shyness, or contempt, I couldn’t really fathom. Then she looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘seriously Ronit you want to get married to me at the age of eighteen and that too after knowing me for just about a month!’

  ‘Absolutely! You heard it right,’ I said without any thought or hesitation. I was so sure I wanted to marry this girl and spend my life with her. What more can I want? I mean what more can anyone want, being in love and getting married, and all that, right?

  ‘I love you Aisha and where does it say you can’t get married at the age of eighteen or after knowing a person for just over a month.’

  ‘Yeah, I know,’ she said, ‘but…you are being weird.’

  ‘Weird? Why?’ I threw a curious look at her. When she had nothing to offer, I asked, ‘Alright, will you marry me or not?’

  ‘Of course,’ she said, ‘I love you and may be we’ll get married sometime in the future, but not now, I mean as teenagers. You are anyway leaving tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, so what, we’ll get married before I leave. I still have a day.’

  ‘OK, now, hold on marriage boy.’ She perked up on her seat and freed her arms from mine. ‘It’s getting creepy now, you please go and come back; we’ll date for a few years and then decide if we should even get married in the first place.’

  ‘What? So you have doubts about that now?’

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘I didn’t say that, but I think marriage is not child’s play, you have to be sure that you are doing the right thing.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘And with the right guy…’ she whispered under her breath. Her last line wasn’t intended to be heard, but she said it a tad too loud.

  ‘So you are not even sure about me now?’

  ‘No! I’m not saying that, I mean, we ought to give ourselves more time Ronit before even thinking of getting married.’

  ‘OK, look, here’s the deal. I am sure that I want to get married to you right away, just tell me whenever you are ready and I’ll be at your door step asking for your hand from your father, and well…brother.’

  I only got a wry smile in return.

  An hour later I was dropping her home driving past the crazy Mumbai traffic. Silently, I actually admired it. More traffic meant more time with Aisha. She rolled down the window and craned her neck out, enjoying the wind past her face. Her hair was open that flew with the wind like the waves of an ocean.

  ‘I don’t believe I’m so madly in love Ronit,’ she said breathily a minute later as she settled back on her seat. ‘It feels so good and bad at the same time,’ she added in a whisper.

  I nudged her shoulder mischievously. ‘I want a good bye kiss.’

  ‘There you go! All you men are the same,’ she spluttered, moving away from me in her seat. ‘I’m trying to have a nice romantic talk here and all you want is a…damn kiss.’

  ‘So what’s unromantic about that?’ I asked.

  She gave me a cold stare. ‘You are so bad.’

  That definitely was the cue of her approval. ‘So we’ll do it?’

  ‘No, I can’t let you do it,’ she replied curtly. ‘It’s just been a month in our relationship.’

  I waited.

  ‘OK, but I will not allow you to kiss me on my lips, only cheeks,’ pat came her reply only a minute later. Why couldn’t she admit she wanted it too?

  ‘OK,’ I replied casually, pulling up the car down the road. ‘Let’s do this.’

  ‘In the car?’ she said distastefully.

  ‘Yeah, where else, you want me to get a room for you?’

  ‘You are really bad; I’ll never do it here.’

  Ten minutes later we had our tongues in each other’s mouth, and yes, we did it in the car.

  While on my way back toward Joe Singh’s house to drop his car, I was struck by the realization that today had to be the best day of my life.

  8. TEN MILLION DOLLARS

  26th June 2011, Somewhere in Somalia

  I wish she had refused for that elusive kiss, and in frustration, I had killed the bitch. I would have to live in a prison then, but at least, without her. Life here is no less than a prison anyway!

  It’s been almost a day under the captivity of these inhumane people. All the crew members have been escorted to the bridge, and including Captain and I, have been made to sit on the bridge floor in silence.

  In pin drop silence!

  I have been sitting in this place, in this position, for more than twelve hours now. We are not allowed to move; they have told they won’t harm us if we follow their orders. My legs and back are aching, my knees are knocking, and my stomach is growling.

  In the morning a group of men had come to assess the ship, cargo, and crew to decide on the ransom amount. A representative of the pirates called ‘Translator’ who was their chief negotiator had accompanied them. He spoke immaculate English
and had to be the smartest Somalian around. Together with the leader he decided for a whopping ten million dollars ransom and informed the company with the help of Captain.

  I almost threw up after hearing that amount. With the austerity measures being taken in the shipping industry owing to the recession, I have serious doubts of our release. But the cargo on our ship might just be the saving grace as its value is much more than the ship itself, and well, us.

  To further add to my misery, I am grappling to find the answers of Captain’s story.

  What is the catch? Is he crazy?

  I have been trying to make eye contact with him ever since we reached here so he gives me some hint as to what happened in the end. This is the first time in my life I am more interested in someone else’s life story than my own. He had told me he wants to help me, so that I don’t make the same mistakes he made.

  But I don’t see any of his mistakes…

  It was his stupid wife who was careless and made all the mistakes in their marriage. She was the one who asked for a divorce, not him. Then where the hell is his mistake? Why has he been feeling so guilty for their separation? And more importantly, I can’t help but ask myself all the time, ‘Why is he still madly in love with her?’ In fact, how can one love someone forever? Especially after getting married to the same person?

  I don’t have a good control over my mind and it drifts aimlessly from Captain’s story to my own. But what else can I do here anyway?

  I wrap my arms around my knees and look around. All of us have a woeful expression and we glance at each other helplessly – in shock, pain, fear. None of us have been able to accept the fact that this has really happened. The goddamn hijack still feels like a nightmare.

  Then there is another feeling that’s exacerbating our misery – Hunger. They haven’t given us food yet and we haven’t eaten anything in the last eighteen hours. I am starving. But honestly if I were to get my wife’s cooked food here, I think I’ll avoid it. What does she even cook? Horrible will be an understatement. And then she tells me I’m a little mama’s boy who can only enjoy his mother’s cooked food. From where does my mother even come in the picture? And why can’t two women ever stay peacefully together?