Kiran was upset with Kaustubh. After all, it had been years since they had embarked upon their relationship and Kaustubh had done little to further it other than changing his status on Facebook to “It’s complicated”. Like that was going to make much of a difference. Granted, he came from a very orthodox family but how much longer could he avoid telling to his parents. Kiran was ready to forsake everyone in the world to be with Kaustubh but somehow it seemed that the same commitment was missing from the other side.
Kiran’s mind went back to the time when they first met. Kaustubh was a shy boy who had taken admission into 6th standard in the DPS School in Delhi. His father had just been transferred to Delhi and Kaustubh was finding it difficult to adjust to this move from Nagpur to Delhi. They travelled in the same school bus and were also part of the same school house. Same junior college, same engineering college, same IT company. And, then there was no moving them apart – as if they were bound by Fevicol. Friendship changed to affection which then got stronger by the day.
And, when did affection change to a love for each other – a realization that they were meant to be together? They both did not have an answer for that. Having been in school and college together, they hardly had any “non-mutual” friends. So, it was a miracle that no one in their circle realized that they were much more than friends. “No, not a miracle” thought Kiran. Kaustubh had always planned it that way and he was good at it. When in public, they hardly ever held hands. Who could blame others for thinking that they were only just friends?
“And there he comes” thought Kiran. “Time to give him a piece of my mind”. But somehow, it was difficult to remain angry with that wide grin that Kaustubh kept flashing.
“You like making me wait, don’t you? So... where do we go from here?” Kiran threw the bomb shell.
“How about Barista?”
“What a PJ... As it is, I’m mad at you... Don’t try and provoke me further... You know what I’m talking about... Did you get ahead with at least giving some broad hints to your family? ... I’m tensed... Not a day goes by without Mom insisting on me getting married... How long can I hold her off?”
“And what makes you think that things are any different at my place... I don’t even know how to even broach the topic... The world has moved ahead but Ma and Dad still seem to be living in the past” said Kaustubh.
“What is he hinting at?” thought Kiran. Earlier, Kaustubh used to at least promise that he would speak to his parents about his wishes, his desires – but, this was almost like he had given up. What was he going to say next?
“You know about that project where they are asking me to go to US long-term. There is a requirement in our account that fits you perfectly. Why don’t you speak to our account manager and grab that opening? We could be in Boston for the next couple of years at least. I know it’s running away from the issue but I couldn’t think of anything else. What do you say?” asked Kaustubh.
It was ironical that the person who harped on action was the same person who was now advocating an option to buy time. And, what do they do with this time? Will they be in this same situation two years down the line too? More importantly, what other options did they have? This seemed to be the most pragmatic thing to do. Kiran mumbled “Give me some time to think. Let me sleep over it” and left for home.
Mom seemed to be in a particularly belligerent mood today. “Come here – Have a cup of tea. You look worried today – something wrong at work?” she called back as Kiran tried to sidestep past her and gestured to the vacant seat beside her at the dining table. “You’re nearing 28. Most of your friends are married now and most have children too. How long are you planning to stay single?” she asked in an exasperated tone. “Well, there she goes again. And it looks like she is not going to take - No - for an answer today”. Mom left the vegetables that she was chopping, got some photos from the drawer and spread it on the dining table. “Just choose one of these and Dad and I will take care of all the formalities. Trust our judgement”. Kiran felt a tinge of sadness – “What do I tell Mom?”. Kaustubh’s plan started looking better by the minute. With a shake of the head, Kiran rose up and started walking towards the bedroom and the relative safety of the locked washroom.
The sound of water from the tap hitting the basin was enough to drown the sound of Kiran’s sobs. The well of emotion that had been building up over the past few days finally broke. A feeling of guilt and anger took over. Why does it have to be like this? Why doesn’t anyone understand? After all, he was not looking for brides, was he...
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