Approaching thirty and making a hundred thousand a month made
Rohan feel content. Travelling and making new acquaintances was his job which
fetched him this hefty money. He used to travel 06-08 hours a day to meet different
people daily. Rohan was not into dating or relationships. Probably, this was one
of the reasons, he had isolated himself from his family too. The zeal to make
himself independent and not to continue his father’s business, brought him in
this city and made him a very successful man.
Rohan loved travelling but not in this part of the city. His
business meetings used to pull him here. The old buildings and crowded market
made him suffocate. Traffic here, always tested his patience. Although being
chauffeured all the time, he never missed any chance to complain about the way
these hawkers jammed the road, the two wheelers’ rash driving, lousy
pedestrians and the unruliness of auto rickshaws.
It had been a month and he was coming here daily morning to
crack a deal with a pushy client. After the meeting he used to stop by for
lunch at the corner of the street in a deluxe restaurant. The table for two near the kitchen entrance
was his favourite seat as it blocked the roadside view through the restaurant walls
which were made of glass. Anyone would hardly come for lunch between 3.00pm to
4.00pm but it was a regular time for Rohan. He didn’t miss to see a woman
daily, sitting at the other corner, with her laptop.
Today Rohan sat right in front of her and introduced
himself. The response was positive. But Rohan was not trying to get into a
relationship. He was not hard-wired for that at all. Perhaps he had found a lunch
partner till he bags the deal with that aggressive client. She was a writer and
her office was nearby. Most of her time was spent in this restaurant as she drew
inspirations from the roadside view, watching new people passing by daily. Strange
and unlike Rohan who was always on the move and hated people on the streets.
But both had same approach towards life. None among the two wanted to carry the
burden of relationship.
Soon, the nagging client became Rohan’s priority of the day
and lunch with Shreya became important in the afternoon. Sometimes Rohan
listened to Shreya’s script and used to offer ideas for improvement. She took
those ideas seriously to improve her script. Rohan texted her, whenever he
found time from his Excel sheets and Powerpoints. Shreya, sometimes late though,
but would surely reply.
Three months later, after an early lunch, Rohan brought her
to his apartment. On the way, Shreya pointed towards a man through the car
window. He was carrying his wife on a bicycle. Both burst out laughing. By this
time, they were close enough to discuss any part of the relationship. Both found
a commitment free life to be happiest way of living. Although they didn’t want
to get into the dedicated circle of social relationship but they couldn’t
resist themselves from falling prey to the physical relationship.
It had been a week since Rohan had not met Shreya. She had
told him that she would be away for fifteen days. Rohan started finding his lunch
time quite difficult. After every bite, he used to lift his head to see Shreya
typing on her laptop. She was not reachable on the mobile too, probably because
she was in a remote area. Often Rohan checked his mobile for texts from Shreya.
Nevertheless, he was very clear that he had been missing only a friend.
Rohan had cancelled all his appointments as he knew Shreya
would be coming today. He had sent a text, the previous day, asking her to join
him at the same restaurant for breakfast. The message wasn’t delivered. He
rushed to the restaurant at 9.00am for breakfast. After two and a half hours of
desperate wait, Shreya arrived. She was having the usual expressions and mood
but Rohan was very excited to see her. They sat there for the entire day,
talking to each other. They made fun of the women coming there with their
annoying children, boyfriends convincing their girlfriends and men paying bill
for a family of six.
Three happy weeks passed. Shreya had not turned up for the
third day in a row. She was not replying to Rohan’s texts too. He called her up
many times but there was no response. Rohan kept looking at his mobile phone
for the whole night and this was enough for him to realize that this was
something else. He was furious on Shreya for betraying him this way. He was
stunned at his heart’s demand for so much of control on her. Although she was
not committed to Rohan but he felt being betrayed. Suddenly, all the money,
power and position seemed useless for him without Shreya. He never valued any
relationship, even with his parents but now this relationship meant everything
for him. He was now able to understand the pain his parents would have gone
through when he chose to not to be in touch with them.
Rohan went to Shreya’s office and found that she had not
come to office as well. A colleague gave Shreya’s address and Rohan rushed. He
had mixed feelings of being in love, worried and angry. He was unsure of which
one would vent out first. While on his way to Shreya’s house, he was also
thinking about his mother. Rohan made a promise to himself that he would call
her after meeting Shreya and would talk endlessly.
Driver stopped outside her house. The nameplate on the door
had some guy’s name. Rohan thought it to be of her father’s. He started
collecting his breathe before ringing the bell. Finally, he pressed the switch
with his trembling index finger. The door opened and Shreya was standing right
in front of him.
Rohan’s smile faded as he saw Shreya looking at him in deep
shock. Both stood looking at each other for a moment. A kid came out of the
house calling for his mom and grabbed Shreya’s hand. A deep and husky voice
came from inside enquiring about the guest at the door. Shreya replied hastily
that someone had come looking for an address and then closed the door on Rohan.
Rohan stood there for a few seconds and returned back to his
car. A tear rolled down his cheek as he dialled his mother’s number.
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