AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Kasturi Didi! I am so happy for you. Dr Dixit is the nicest man. You are very lucky!’ he gushed.
‘I know,’ I said, grinning as Purva continued to gape.
‘What is happening? Will you please explain?’ he mumbled. Someone came and shook his hand.
‘Thank you, Doctor Sa’ab,’ another man said. ‘I made three thousand rupees thanks to you.’
‘Err… okay… you are welcome,’ mumbled Purva.
I nodded my head absently, distracted, for I had just spotted two of my most favourite people in the world standing at the end of the corridor. Anu, laughing and crying at the same time, looked first at me and then at Purva. The sheer delight on her face made me well up.
And that is when, in a moment of rare clarity, the thought hit me. That a friend feels sad for you when bad things are happening is not a mark of true friendship. When unfortunate things happen to people we dislike, we find enough humanity in us to be sympathetic. Great things happening to one friend is the litmus test of the friendship of the other. Mostly, that is when the green-eyed monster raises its head and gobbles up the friendship. There is only one mark of a true friend. She feels genuine happiness for you when good things happen to you. Period.
‘Bhaiyya! Bhabhi!’ yelled Vikram, as he came bounding in, interrupting the little moment I was having, delight written all over his face.
‘You guys!’ Anu squealed, clapping her hands with glee. I stared, amazed at the transformation. The glum, sad Anu was nowhere to be seen. Purva grinned at her, a glorious grin that made my heart melt all over again, and bent low to give her a hug. Instead, Anu clasped his face in her hands and kissed him on his forehead. Pitajee’s eyes grew to the size of saucepans when he realized what had just happened.
‘I love you guys!’ Anu said, pulling both Purva and me into a big hug. Vikram snuggled in.
‘I love you guys too,’ mumbled Pitajee, staring at the four of us. ‘And I’m feeling very left out at the moment.’
‘You idiot!’ said Anu, yanking him into the gro
up hug and soon it was like old times.
Anu, Pitajee, Purva, Vikram and I. In a group hug, happy, laughing and crying at the same time, celebrating another beginning.
33
12 August 2013, 2.00 a.m.
‘What?’ shrieked Mum.
‘Yes!’ I shrieked back. I could easily imagine her sitting upright in the bed, rubbing her eyes.
‘Are you serious?’ she shrieked again.
‘Yes! I am!’ I shrieked in return.
‘Oh my god! I am so happy!’ she shrieked in response.
‘So am I!’ I shrieked.
Pause.
‘This means,’ she said, her voice low as realization dawned upon her, ‘I have a wedding to shop for ... errr ... I mean … plan again?’
‘Yes, Mum, I think you do,’ I said, grinning.
‘Oh ho,’ she mumbled to Dad, who was obviously trying to sleep. ‘Let me talk to my daughter. Go outside and sleep on the couch.’ And then to me. ‘Yes, Koochie, tell me how it all happened?’
Poor Dad, I thought, trying hard to stop the grin that seemed stuck on my face now.
14 August 2013.
It was not our first. Yet it felt like it. Purva always kissed very slowly as if, and I have said this before, the world around him ceased to matter. For the first time, the world around me blended into oblivion as well. Tender, gentle and always asking if I was okay. Endearing even when making out, I thought to myself with a wry smile.
‘Is Anu coming home tonight?’ he asked, his eyes dark with an intensity I had not known.
