Thank You Mr Right! Part II

You can read Part I here

Pranay and Sanika were dating during college years. It was a solid relationship with the right blend of space and possessiveness between the two. While Pranay was more dominating, Sanika was pretty subdued and calm. Pranay was quite short tempered and Sanika was easy going and full of patience. They balanced each other so well. Look wise and nature wise both, they complimented each other just perfectly. This “madly in love” couple was a talk for the whole college and everybody admired their relationship. It was so different from other college time affairs which usually lasts till college gets over and at times, only until a new love is found!

But destiny had other plans. Pranay and Sanika had to part ways a year after they finished their MBA program. Sanika did her best to convince Pranay but he had put his foot down. Pranay had chosen his parent’s wish over his own and hence he had agreed to get married to the girl of their choice. Sanika could remember their parting day very clearly. She could vividly remember each word of their conversation that day.

“Pranay, I wouldn’t be able to live without you”

“It’s nothing like that Sanika. It’s a matter of time. You will learn to live without me.”

“Pranay, are you out of your mind?? What do you mean by you will LEARN?? It’s not something that I want to learn ok?”

“We don’t have a choice Sanika!!!”

“Who says?? We have a bloody choice Pranay. Please don’t marry that bitch.”

“Mind your language Sanika. I have told you n number of times and I am going to repeat it for the last time. Please understand it completely. SANIKA, I CANNOT MARRY YOU. I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND TO MARRY SARITA BECAUSE MY PARENTS WANT ME TO!”

“…Because your parents want??? And are you going to be happy with her? Would you be able to love her as much as you have loved me? Would you be able to pamper like you pampered me? Will she blush like me when you give her that naughty look? Will she shudder like me when you touch her? Will she be able to cope with your temper like I do? Pranay, will she love you the way I do???”

“Sanika, it’s going to be a marriage not a love story from Mills & Boon. Everything will fall in place.”

“Really? Everything is going to fall in place??? How? By getting married to someone whom you don’t love a bit? What is the point Pranay?? Both of us are going to be unhappy if we marry somebody else and in turn we are going to spoil their life too. Four lives are at stake Pranay. Please don’t be so cold. Do you understand what you are going to do????”

“Sanika you are not the type of a girl my parents want. They will not be happy with you!”

A shrill doorbell zapped Sanika out of the memory. She took a moment to compose herself and opened the door.

“Enjoy the breakfast mam!” said the room attendant holding the tray containing bacon, eggs and orange juice.

Sanika would normally go to the dining area and eat breakfast but today she woke up late. She was having a hangover from last night. Her head was spinning and she had practically killed herself by trying to remember what happened last night after she passed out. She had no memory of how she reached hotel room. She made a mental note to check with the hotel manapger later in the day. All that she could remember was that she had set time with Atul for a video call.

How much ever hungry she was, she could do nothing more than nibbling at the food. It felt as if she had lost the desire not just to eat or sleep but to live as well! She had barely finished an egg when her laptop beeped. She could see that Atul had logged in.

“Hello Mumma” said little Aarvi from the other side of the globe.

“Hello beta….How have you been my princess?”

“Mumma I am katti with you!” said Aarvi with blown up cheeks and a little finger raised close to the camera in her laptop.

“Awww… don’t do that baccha… what happened? Why is my baby upset?”

“You didn’t call us last whole week. I was missing you. But daddy said you are busy.

“Yes Beta, I was very busy. I am sorry for not calling you up baby. How about getting some new toys for my honeybunch instead?”

“Yayyy!!!! Mama I want Doctor’s set and a doll house too” exclaimed Aarvi

“Done Beta. I will get them for you. Ok, where is Dada?”

“I am here sweetheart!” Atul said popping his head in the frame.

“Atul….” Sanika could barely speak ahead. She had a tough time controlling tears.

Atul could make out that Sanika is disturbed and wants to discuss something serious.

“Beta go.. see if the doggy has eaten his food. Why don’t you play with him for some time, I will come and join you in 5 mins” He sent Aarvi away so that he could talk to Sanika.

“What happened Sanu?”

“Nothing” Sanika managed to speak in between her sobs.

“Don’t you want to share with me?”

“Atul…I drank yesterday.”

“What??”

“Yeah… And I have been doing this since a week”

“Wah re meri Bevdi, what you had?” Atul said mischeviously.

“Shutup Atul, it is not funny” Sanika started sobbing even more.

“Ok..Ok.. tell me properly, what happened?”

“I drank”

“Okkkaayyyy, and may I ask you why?”

“Pranay”

“What??????”

“I drank because of Pranay. I happened to meet him on the metro last week. And ever since then I don’t know what has happened. I feel angry, I feel sad, I feel guilty, I feel everything at the same time. I can’t stop thinking about him and I get angry as to why is he having so much impact on me. Then I feel guilty that I am cheating on you and again I feel very angry knowing that Pranay had hurt me so much……..” blurted Sanika in one breath and broke down.

“Sanu… relax.. calm down. Drink some water first.” Atul ordered with a very somber face.

Sanika obeyed at once.

“Now tell me, what about Pranay?”

“Atul, I love you, I really do and you have to trust me on this.” Sanika was pleading.

“Sanika I know. Will you please tell me what happened exactly?” This time Atul sounded very serious and assertive.

“I had gone shopping last weekend and while returning I saw Pranay with his family – wife and two sons. We exchanged greetings and I hopped out of the metro two stations earlier because I couldn’t deal with all that. I was not prepared to cross paths with him. All the anger that I have had for him for so many years flooded my heart and mind and I didn’t know what to do. I was disturbed, I couldn’t concentrate at work and the nights were even more difficult. I lost sleep and would keep thinking about the metro incident again and again. It brought back all the hurt and insult Pranay made me go through so many years ago. I couldn’t pitty myself more so I started putting more hours at work and would go to a pub every evening. All alone. And I took to drinking to over-come these stupid thoughts.” Sanika explained feeling guilty to the core.

“What did you say about cheating? Did you do something which you shouldn’t have?”

“Yes Atul. I drank in your absence. And I did so for a very stupid reason. I am spoiling my present because of my past. Pranay is creeping into my personal space which belongs to you and Aarvi only. I fail to understand why a person who I thought was a dead past is disturbing me so much? Why is he making me feel so vulnerable??”

“What did you guys do?”

“Nothing! Just exchanged greetings.”

****************************VERY LONG PASUE***************************

“Wait a min, what do you mean Atul?”

****************************VERY LONG PASUE***************************

“Atul, I am clean, please trust me.”

****************************VERY LONG PASUE***************************

“Sanika, when we began this journey, we had promised that come what may we will always be together. I hope you don’t give me a reason to break this promise. We had promised each other to put the past behind us, didn’t we?”

“Atul, I swear on God, I swear on Aarvi I am clean and I haven’t broken my promise to you.”

“Then what the hell are you talking about?? Pranay creeping in to your personal space???” Atul could not control the anger that had filled him from top to bottom.

“Atul, Its not what you are thinking. I am unhappy about the fact that how Pranay is having so much effect on me and that too after so many years. More over, when he was not important to me for all these years. I told you that I am clean and I haven’t broken any of our promises. You have to trust me Atul!” Sanika said with a quivering voice, barely able to control the tears that made way slowly to her cheeks.

Ok, if you say so!” uttered Atul indifferently.

Sanika couldn’t bear this coldness from Atul and broke down again.

“Sanika, please get done with your crying and call me when you are ready to discuss a serious conversation”

Call disconnected. Atul’s status changed to Offline.

Sanika was hurt and upset. Never before she regretted anything as much as she regretted having coming to Switzerland for a Short Term Assignment (STA)

…… to be continued