Five Days

“So many books, when will I get time to read all of them”, I thought. “A story lurking at every corner of the store”, I said to myself picking up a Gabo. A lady was standing beside me, gave a stare, the one that said, “Were you just talking to yourself” and I smiled.

“Hi”, I waved at her.

She waved back. “Advaith”, I said.

“Snighda”

She picked a book, I couldn’t notice the cover and then she moved to seating area. She was pretty, not so tall, long hair in short the general characteristics of a beautiful woman. I carried my Gabo and sat opposite to her.

“Do you like Marquez works?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually I do. The way he develops and presents the story is very intriguing”

“I’ve read one of his books”

“Which one”

“Love in the time of Cholera”

“Haven’t read that”

“Ok”

“By the way, what do you do?”

“I’m a dentist. You?”

“I’m a writer. Someday you might see some books of mine”

“Ah, writer… What do you write??”

“Anything that comes to my mind- The conversations, what we think etc., only one motto- It should mean something”

“Sure I would love to read that”

“Are you married?”

“No, Engaged”, she said showing me her ring.

“Huh, it’s like you can say fuck off to other guys by showing the wrong finger”

“You’re funny”, she said with a laugh.

“Arranged?”

“Yes. Why you’ve got problems with arranged marriage?”

“No, but the process is quite messed up. Anyways I don’t wanna talk about that”

“You mean the caste factor, acceptance of your astrologer and in between this entire hustle and bustle, where does love fit in?”

“Yeah so you do get it”

“Haha, no I don’t agree. Parents love me, so they don’t want me to take a lot of time to get settled into new customs and traditions, so same caste. Don’t want me to be in any kind of sticky situation, so the astrologer”

“You’ve prepared for this answer, huh?”

“No”

“I believe astrology is a job. It’s his means of daily bread. It’s what he is supposed to do. We must do what we are supposed to do rather than trusting someone else and do what he says us to do. Like when he says, ‘Oh, it’s a 50% match. You can carry on’. What’s that all about, we’ll love each other 50%. You listen to a man who looks into your stars, makes some permutation-combination and give probability of success of your marriage rather why not find a man whose actually going to lay down with you and look at the stars. No mathematics involved”

“So you don’t believe in it”

“I used to. But the recent increase in the number of appearances they make in television has made me lose trust in them”

“What about god?”

“I believe in god. I sit and talk to him and I’ve found answers within myself”

“One more thing, my fiancé is not my caste”

“What?? Arranged Intercaste??”

“Yeah, but marriages happen between these two castes- So no big deal”

“Oh!! Like that. I really got excited for a moment there because arranged intercaste, that’s the dream”

“Haha, I think I have to leave now. Anyways it was nice talking to you. Hope to see that book of yours very soon”

“Yeah sure, bye”

“Bye”

I look at my phone, it was exactly one. I look around and notice a quote on the wall- There are worse crimes than burning books and one of them is not reading them. “Oh, the Nazis would be happy”, I thought.

***

I was feeling a bit lost with my thoughts. After the way I was influenced by Snighda’s thoughts. I had to take my mind off it and I went to the market to buy something to cook later on.

I drove to the market, but I wasn’t completely off the topic. I reached the market and started walking around and I don’t know I had a similar feeling I had yesterday when I looked at this woman bargaining with the seller. I walked up to that seller and started enquiring about the rates, how fresh they were? And as I did that I gave a smile to the lady beside me.

“Cooking for your wife tonight?” she asked.

“No, myself”, I said.

“Single?”

“Yeah… and hi”

“Hi”

“Advaith”

“Riddhima”

“You are cooking for your husband tonight??”

“No I’m single too”

“Ok”

She moved to the next store where an old Muslim guy was selling fruits. I just stayed there and as we moved away from there, I started speaking

“You know I don’t like fruit now-a-days. It can even apply for vegetables but we clean it, cook it so maybe I’m not so skeptical about that. But fruits, you know… I don’t feel like eating it. I feel they’re all possessed by these pesticides and all these chemicals sprayed on them. Don’t you feel so?”

“No I feel it’s all in your head. You do consume all other things that have chemicals in it. But you’re skeptical about fruits because everyone offers it to you and it is actually supposed to be good for you. It means you runaway from things that are good for you and settle for that are not so good for you”

“Are you psychiatrist?”

“Yeah, actually I am”

“Fuck!! That’s so awesome. Ok so what does a psychiatrist think about love?”

She gave me a weird look with a weird smile.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a writer and I ask this a lot. Always the answers I get are different in one way or the other”

“Writer, huh- That’s pretty cool too”

“Ok yeah, so…”

“I’m a bit dramatic, a bit filmy I could say. I don’t need a big wedding, I would just be happy signing at a register office as long as I know him well and love him…”

“Let me stop you right there- I’m talking about love not marriage”

“Wait I’m getting right there”

The smell of fishes distracted me for a while as we walked out of the market.

“Where do you live?” I asked her.

“Just right here”, she said pointing out.

“Ok then let me walk with you. What were you saying by the way?”

“Oh yeah, love. Love is something that grows on, develops as you spend time with people, get to know them. Eventually we discover the ‘white’ in all ‘grayness’ of humans and start accepting their ‘blacks’. I think that’s it. It’s all time well spent. We’ve got one life, have no regrets”

“Pretty neat, I must say. I’ve always had this theory it differs in the way we express and I do agree on the part of time what you said”

“You’re welcome and I’ve reached my destination”, she said with a big smile.

“It was nice talking to you. Good luck in finding that man”, I said with smile.

“Who said anything about a man?? I’m a…” she tilted her head, smiled and said “lesbian”

“Oh!! Good luck finding that woman then”

“Yeah”

“Bye”

I walked back to my car and look at my watch, it was one. Was it just a coincidence?? Or I was reading too much into it? My mind was surely off what I had discussed yesterday but I had new things revolving round my head now. I stopped at a store on the way back to buy some pasta and went back home.

***

I at least had a plan today unlike the past two days. I had to go see my doctor for my routine checkup. My doctor was out of town, and he had asked me to behave well with this new doctor who will be his substitute for this month. I had no idea, why he had said that?

But it was clear when I had reached the hospital. It was a really good looking doctor and my mind was off the smell of drugs. She was pregnant. She asked me to wait outside for some time. I smiled and said “Yeah sure”

I was browsing on my phone trying to decide the movies to download. Few minutes later, she called me in.

“Doctor, don’t you need to take rest or something at these times?”

“I’m guessing you’re single. And No, I’m pregnant not sick. Men get all protective and worried. It’s normal but later yeah, we’ll take a break”

“Ok”

“Advaith, right”

“Yes”

“The writer, heard a lot about from Dr. Prabhu. He said don’t mind him if he misbehaves, it’s only four weeks”

“I’m right in front of you, have I done or said anything?”

“Yeah I’ll tell him you were a gentleman”

“He’s not going to believe you”

“Haha, yeah true- By the way my husband’s a writer too”

“Seriously? How did that happen?”

“Long story, but in short we met in a train and it was quite a bumpy ride from there on”

“I would love to hear the full story someday”

“Yeah sure, someday”

“Do you doctors get to know the sex of the baby?”

“No. It’s not revealed to the mother or any parent irrespective of your profession”

“Ok”

 She ran the usual tests on me.

“Collect your reports next week”, she said to me.

“You must be fed up by all the metaphors, philosophies living with your husband, huh?”

“Yeah, his views on love, marriage and lot of other things- Sometimes it’s interesting then sometimes not”

“Yeah I get that a lot from my friends. Especially after a movie, I always try to find explanations and try to make sense of it. And they are like ‘aaythu maare’”

“Why do you guys do that??”

“You know I was just about to ask your views on love, but now I’m hesitant”

“Haha. It’s simple for me. I love my family. My mom, my dad, sis, husband and the one inside me- that’s it and has always been this way for me”

“You asked me why we do these things. Sometimes even I feel- Why do I think so much?? Why do I have all these questions?? But then I convince myself maybe I’m compensating for the people who don’t think too much and ask questions”

“It’s funny how you guys have an explanation for everything. There is another thing I love; it’s this all time classic literary work by Jane Austen named Pride and Prejudice”,

“That’s what asking question to yourself does to you. And by the way I liked your explanation for love. There is a person, a cousin of mine whom I love a lot. I have a lot of things to say to her. But when I’m around her, I just keep staring at her and it makes me happy. Just looking at her, that’s it. It’s like there is happiness striking out of her towards you. She’s the most beautiful person in my life, there might be people who are better looking than her in the family but for me she’s the most beautiful one. And I’ve met a lot of girls who want to find their Darcy’s but not the one with too much pride in the beginning”

“Even I belong to that category. You guys complicate things unnecessarily at times”

“You must have a lot of friends who feel that you’re a stone-hearted person. The kind of explanation you gave for love, it didn’t include any friend of yours. I’m just guessing”

“Yeah I did get that, back in college”

“Hmmm. Anyways I must take your leave now. It’s your lunch time now, I suppose. So it was great talking to you. I think I must visit you more often than Dr.Prabhu”

“Yeah sure”, she said with a laugh.

“Whatever you say, Dr…”

“Priya”, she smiled.

“Bye Dr. Priya”

“Bye and keep it simple”

I nodded and left. Now I was curious to know the time and it rang right above me as it struck one. I didn’t know what to make of it.

***

Next day I was at the mall. Place filled with people roaming around like vagabonds, catching up for a movie or trying to beat the summer heat; here I was, holding a coffee and thinking about the things the doctor had told me yesterday. Questioning myself again and again- looking around witnessing so many thoughts, so many different people and feeling happy at the fact that I couldn’t read their minds. “I pity you, Patterson in Twilight”, I thought to myself.

Few moments later something caught my eye, a woman was busy sketching at a distance. She had tied her hair around into a bun, wore a spectacle and a mole on her head, which was kind of attractive. I was curious as to what was she sketching at a mall and walked towards her.

“Hi, mind if I sit here. I’m just curious to know what you’re sketching out here”

“Yeah sure. I’m just trying to finish a sketch for this firm I’m working for”

“Architect??”

“Yeah, you?”

“I’m into creating art; I use a pen but not to draw”

“Writer?”

“Yes. Advaith”, I extended my hand.

“Rhea”, she replied.

“How’s the world of architecture run these days?”

“I don’t know how it works? I love to draw, design and travel; and I found the best way to do it”

“Pretty cool”

“Tell me about yourself? Don’t tell me you always knew you were going to be a writer”

“Yeah was in B-School, dropped out and here I am”

“Oh…”

“I worked in a startup for a couple of months and we were acquired by a larger firm. So made some bucks there”

“Startups are cool, I feel. You’re doing what you love and providing service for the society. There is something missing in it, you tend to fulfill it. All engineering students getting into startups is quite the trend nowadays”

“Yeah I agree. They have a lot of time to think and they choose their own paths”

“How’s the coffee?”

“Sorry??”

“The coffee??”

“It’s good. Why? Taste it”

“Ok”, she took a sip. “Wait let me order” she left to place an order.

She came back with a coffee. “Are you working on something, a story or a novel??”

“Yeah actually I am. That’s why I’m here actually, looking around and trying to explore the possibilities”

“Any luck??”

“Dunno… tell me your views on love?”

“Love, I don’t think it exists. I feel it’s too good to be true”

“What?” I was a bit puzzled.

“I don’t believe the idea of love. I only believe in sexual love”

“What about marriage?”

“I have a funny theory; you might think I’m crazy. But since you’re a writer it might not sound that crazy”

“What do you mean?? We are crazy?”

“Yeah, obviously”, she laughed. “Anyways the theory is- According to me marriage is a conspiracy that men developed so that they can have sex with everyone’s official acceptance”

“What??” I laughed heavily.

“It’s all about sex. Love is just a reason”

“That was a funny theory, really funny. But I have a different way of looking at it. Love is the complete dish and sex is an important ingredient like salt”

“No, you’re just saying that so that you can have sex with me”, she smiled.

“Love, respect they say is important in a relationship. These are things that we experience rather than actually see like the air we breathe. But it’s important. But the way we express it, there are different ways and there are two important ingredients- Sex and humor. Sex and humor to certain stage and after a certain stage it’s all humor. The ability to make the other laugh, even after a fight if you can have a laugh, that’s the beauty of it all”

“Wow!! It’s like you were prepared for this”

“It’s what I felt when you said those things. It’s my way of looking at things”

“Yeah, even I might have my own reasons for having such disregard for love but maybe someday, eventually it might change”

“Yeah, let’s drink to that, Cheers”, we touched our coffee cups and had a laugh.” I think I’ll leave you with your work. Carry on. By the way would you design the cover of my book??”

“Yeah, sure; I don’t have a card though and I’m not giving my number to a person who believes in love. So I’ll give you the office card”

“Haha. Ok. I’ll finish the book first though”

“Yeah, good luck with that”

“Thank you. Bye. Good talking to you”

“Always my pleasure”

I left thinking about the past four days. Four different people living in the same city and all these different views they had on the same topic that happens to the ultimate search of every person’s journey of life. The destination was the same, but the paths leading to it were different, everyone had their own ways to reach it. They weren’t sure but they knew someday they would. The disturbing part amidst these thoughts was the coincidence, they all left at one.

***

I was at a masjid. I wouldn’t go to temples but here I was in a masjid. They would say anyone can go here irrespective of your caste and I always wanted to go. I remembered what the psychiatrist had told me. I didn’t know what to do, so I just followed what everyone else did. I closed my eyes and made my prayers. But when I opened my eyes; trust me I don’t want to sound dramatic or bollywood but it happened in slow motion. A young lady, I couldn’t say actually but I was blown by her eyes because that’s all what was visible. She was in a burkha. I wouldn’t know even if she would smile back at me. But I felt like she was looking back at me.

I was sitting outside the masjid searching for my shoes. While she also joins me in the search and she came close and whispered, “Did it happen in slow motion?”

“What”, I said baffled.

“Slow motion? Because that’s the most common pickup line I get”

“No, nothing in slow motion”

“Ok, good”

“Advaith”

“Meher”

“Let’s go to park in the back”

We walked into the park and she removed her burkha.

“What do you do?” I asked her

“Nothing much lately. You?

”Writer, so perfect”

“You’re a hindu?”

“Yeah”

“Then, why were you the burkha?”

“Just so that some guy is so taken away or gets lost in the mystery of my eyes. These are the little things that inspire you, right? Always had this fantasy that some writer would get inspired by my eyes, eyes only and develop a story”

“Your eyes are pretty damn attractive. Touch wood”

“Thank you”

We were walking in the park.”You know in the past few days, I met a few women. All beautiful and with different ideas of love- Arranged love, parental love, a lesbian and one who doesn’t believe in it. All these make me think; the varied thoughts on love”

“I’m the fifth one in five days?”

“Yeah and to the others, I haven’t mentioned about meeting them. Only for you I’ve mentioned it”

“Why’s that?”

“I dunno. I’m not going to talk to you about love. Let’s talk something else like birthdays or movies”

“Let’s talk about birthdays, as mine is closing by. Do you like being wished at 12?”

“I don’t mind”

“I do. People I love call me at 12, even if they know. If they love me, they wouldn’t do something I don’t love on my birthday, right?”

“Yeah, but its only one day”

“An important one”

“Ok, when you put it like that I’ll give you the benefit of doubt”, I smiled. “Have you watched any Woody Allen?”

“Not much into movies. Watch the occasional one on TV”

“Ok”

“What are you up to? In search of an eye for inspiration??”

“Now you’re just teasing me”

No, no… Actually, yeah I am”, she smiled.

“What do you think about the growing technology?”

“Nothing”

“Look at this, a post in Instagram. Check out this picture, a quote. Read it and then the comment below”

She read and once she was done, “The comment is bigger than the picture”

“These conversations give me hope. No short-forms like what texting has led to. It means something, not some shitty conversation”

“Why do you think he commented? Trying to impress her??”

“Maybe, but the way he has posted he’s being too formal. So maybe her friend”

“Aha, that’s quite possible too”

“If you read carefully he talks about loving yourself is important and once you find love within you can love others”

“Yeah, so?”

“I believe you’ll start loving yourself when you find someone who can act as a mirror and show you, who you actually are and make you, feel good about yourself. That’s when you’ll start loving yourself”

“Yeah, I kind of agree. Usually you have thoughts about yourself, questioning the decisions you’ve made when you feel low. But when you’re around people, they can make you feel good about yourself. It’s like how you writers implement real life situations and characters into your stories. When you add the elements of people you love into your characters, it adds a new dimension to it. It kind of makes you feel good about what you’re doing”

“Yeah exactly”

 We sat under a tree, in the shade. There was a gentle breeze and I was thoroughly enjoying the conversation. “Do you think our family members, or the people around us most of time influence our tastes”

“Maybe at a younger age; see I grew up in a Christian house. My mom would go to work and sis to school. My mom is a vegetarian but I’m a pure non-vegetarian”

“In my case it’s quite the opposite. My mom was always skeptical about non vegetarian food. Though she ate it, she wasn’t a big fan of it. So I ended up hating it. I eat only egg these days”

We both laughed at the way we were influenced. I looked at my watch, couple of minutes to strike one. Quickly I started speaking, “You know I told about those four women I met in the last few days. But there is something different about you. Do you know the difference between a career and being a good person??”

“What?”

“The difference is a career is a necessity but being a good person that’s important. Grades are a necessity, understanding that’s important. Most of the time we give importance to what’s necessary rather than what’s important”

“So what are you trying to say”, she sounded lost.

“I’m saying maybe the four girls I met in the past four days, the conversations I had with them was necessary, but all that was to meet someone important and I feel you’re important. So let’s meet again, tomorrow??”

“Are you worried I’ll leave at 1”, she said wryly.

“How did you know that?” I said in shock.

“Next week”, she smiled and left.

***