Walking up ever so slowly to the modest house beaming with fairy lights, it radiated and shone amongst all the dull houses in the background... It gave off an enigmatic aura, which had lured me here...
Or was it just her aura?
Amongst all the wedding attendees, I tried to pick a glimpse of her... She would be dressed in all her bridal fineries at the moment... Her curves endowed perfectly in a red and gold lengha, her cute nose essaying a nose ring... Her earrings jingling everything she turned her head to remove those annoying strands of hair away from her eyes...
Her bangles chiming in her mehendi-filled hands, radiating and reflecting her inner ecstasy at being married... In short she probably looked like an ethereal Indian Goddess, dressed to stun! Stun would be an insult to the mother of all understatements!
Yes, she was getting married today... And here I stood, amongst all the bustling people trying to camouflage myself against the bright lights in order to savour this moment for a life-time to come.
I came here as her boss, yet wanted to leave as more... Wanted to leave with her by my side, yet at this very protracted moment in time that felt like an eternity away!
Walking back and forth around the mandap, I tried to pre-occupy myself with the games on my phone when suddenly her message popped up...
"Thank You for everything Purab! But I won't be able to come to the office from tomorrow... If you need any of your "misplaced" files, please do not hesitate to give me a buzz though!"
Reading the message over a million times, my eyes closed on their own accord... She is finally going away and I could do nothing about it! Moreover the formality in her message really hit on the strings of the organ that was continuously pumping blood around my body...
Was I just her boss? Not even a friend? Not even an acquaintance?
I hope no-one has to endure such an inner turmoil in their entire life, not even my mortal enemy! This pain is undesirable, indescribable, unwanted... Worst still I had no choice but to be a spectator to my own brewing sentiments... It's not the feelings that matter; it's the lack of ability to express them that is horrifyingly writing away my insides...
As I open my eyes, the gold from my ring finger shines under the bright decorative lives... Well you have served your purpose I thought as I remind myself about this untainted reality from not being just another nightmare...
Over the years a nightmare for him had became not seeing her lively beaming face in his sleep... At this moment, he was living his worst nightmare, not having her by his side!
He opened up his phone and typed away furiously...
***
"Bulbul! How much longer will you take!? Your husband out there is pacing back and forth wanting you to hurry up and tie this knot with him! Aab Chalo!" claimed didi in her signature tone riddled with mock anger, amusement and a tinge of tease!
Rolling my eyes at his naive acts, I made sure that the nose ring sat perfectly on this nose of mine!
"You know di?" I continued without waiting for her acknowledgment or approval... "I was wrong, sometimes these things are written in the stars! I used to hate his guts, his arrogance, his womanising ways before today... But now, I laugh at all those moments... Such a big fool I was to even think such ridiculous thoughts!" I laughed at my own childish thoughts, which seemed like a memory fresh from yesterday!
"You know what di? That day when I was telling you about wishing for a Prince Charming, I had also wished to never find a guy like Purab in my life! And guess what, this time these falling stars did do their magic and here I am!" I pointed at the clear night sky, without being able to conceal my bubbling enthusiasm!
"Bulbul... Shall we go now?!"
I nodded and started to followed her out of the room, still thinking about the day I had wished for two things.
*** (The following in written in third person)
And today both of her wishes were coming true! She was finally getting married to her Prince Charming, a perfect combination of handsome, dashing, smart, funny and caring! The ying to her yang! The water to her fire, the back foot to her front foot!
The calming force in her otherwise vivacious life!
The brain to her heart!
And the other wish came true too! She was getting married to someone who respected, cared and loved her like tomorrow! Someone who she thanked God everyday from bringing him in to her life! She thanked her stars everyday when he had clarified her foolish folly when she thought of him as a degrading womaniser!
The day he told her the truth about all those women in his life, she had lost all control over her senses and had tightly embraced him! For once in her life she really did not care about her surroundings, she just wanted to pour all her warmth in to him, as if letting him know the extent to which her love knew no bounds for him! Just for him!
***(first person again)
Just as I was about to walk out of the room, reminding myself to breath in and out, my eyes fell on to the ringing phone.
"What you do mean you won't work from tomorrow? Are you mad? And can you please hurry up! I have been waiting here, in between all these noisy aunties, for over an hour now!
I cannot take this wait ANY LONGER!"
The capitalisation of the words, "ANY LONGER" made my giggles louder by the very second! He is never going to change, I thought to myself, as I walked out reminding myself again to breathe in and out
~*~
This girl! I am going to teach you a lesson never to be late ever again! You have messed with the wrong person, Bulbul! I thought to myself as the 69 minutes and 36 seconds passed... 37 seconds... 37 and a half!
"Bhai look up re!" Abhi lifted my face away from my watch, towards to where she stood, waiting for me!
To say that she was dressed to stun, would be an understatement! All I know is that she is mine forever now! She was and always will be the one for me!
He was and always will be the one for me!
~*~
