FIFTY ONE
When Esha saw Maya getting ready, she knew something special was in the offing.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I have a dinner date,” Maya said, smiling at her.
“Have you patched up with Raghu?” Esha frowned.
“No, not him, Esha,” The name itself broke a spell, but it brought Maya back to earth. The last thing she wanted for Raghu washe should follow her and confront her when she was with Vikram. Vikram, is at Mumbai tonight at her insistence.
“Hell, Esha. Not him! I'm meeting Vikram,” she said. There couldn't be two more contrasting personalities than Vikram and Raghu, she thought.
“I have two passes for a cruise dinner. I'm not interested in going. May be you and Vikram can use the passes. If nothing else, Raghu can't make it there. It's private and no one is allowed in without an invite,” Esha said, glad that she could be of some use. She picked the invitations from her handbag and handed them over to Maya. She'd almost forgotten about them.
“You are a saviour!” Maya kissed her cheek.
Vikram was already waiting for her at the beach. She looked pretty in her green dress that flowed down till her knees. A golden belt ran across her waist. She looked as a picture of contentment. They were happy to see each other.
They took the boat to have dinner on the ocean liner. She was glad to have him so near. His thigh rubbed against her sending goosebumps up her spine.
“How have you been?” Vikram asked. They were seated in a private chamber on the liner. It was designed exclusively for two people in blue theme. The shimmering curtains ran down the glass matching the shivers running up her body.
The setting was grand. There were small water bodies around them and one side was open to the huge dark sea. The table was set up with beautiful Victorian style silver crockery. Colourful and bright chandeliers hung above. Dark sea outside was the contrast to the shimmering lights inside. To the naked eye there was no boundary between sea and the sky. The sound of the waves intermingled with the silence of the sky.
“I'm fine,” she said, looking at him, her heart completely at peace.
“Did you get over Raghu?”
How did he know exactly what to ask?
“He still scares me,” she said, weakly.
“Don't worry. Just ignore him. Don't send him any mixed messages. Be firm,” he advised.
“I've been such a fool!” she admitted.
“Don't be harsh on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. But the thing is that you should learn from them,” he said, “What about you? How have you been, Vikram,” she enquired.
“I'm alright. How are your parents doing?”
“They are fine. They are worried about me. They want me to be happy.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to be happy too,” she smiled.
Was she asking for the moon?
“Who's stopping you?”
She kept quiet.
“You have to choose to be happy, Maya,” he continued.
“I missed you,” she said.
“I missed you too,” he admitted.
Her heart skipped a beat. Her mouth craving his.
He looked towards the vast sea.
“The sea is huge,” Maya said trying to distract her thoughts.
It earns its grandeur. There are billions of mysteries and stories buried inside. It chooses to carry the weight.
Impulsively she held his hand. He grasped it tightly. He got up and came closer. His hands enveloped her face. They kissed passionately. The sound of the sea merged into the silence of the sky.
“Do you love me?” she asked tentatively.
“I do,” he said, “I always did. I told you so.”
“You never said that earlier!”
“I don't believe in putting everything in words. They have to be understood.”
“But communication is equally important.”
“Love should be felt. It can't be expressed in words. It is a feeling that intoxicates your mind and changes your world.”
“It breaks your heart in the end,” she said.
Vikram sighed.
“Listen, Maya. Pain is bound to happen if you want pleasure.
One can't jump into the water and be scared of getting wet. We have to learn that everything that happens teaches us something. It adds on to our experience. And experience helps us handle things better,” he said. The food arrived and they started having their dinner.
“How will I get over Raghu?” she asked, desperately.
“Don't think too much about him. That way, you'll see for yourself that he will soon leave you. When you think too much about something or someone you tend to attract it to you. Your subconscious tends to make true whatever you happen to think about, either good or bad,” Vikram said.
'What does that mean?”
“Maya, you are trapped in your mind. We make things difficult for ourselves. You need to stop giving him so much importance. What would happen if he sees you here now? Why are you so scared?”
“He's abusive and takes pleasure in humiliating me.”
“So? Face it. Face the humiliation with a smile. He wouldn't do it if he weren't getting any fun out of it. And he gets fun out of it because he knows you get scared. That gives him the kick to humiliate you further.” She silently nibbled at her food.
“Don't let it dampen your spirit, Maya. Be brave,” he suggested. “Human relationships are full of colours. Sometimes you love a person who does not love you. Sometimes the same person who loves you kills you. Sometimes love itself changes into hatred. Jealousy, fear, anger, affection, love, impatience, possessiveness - these are the colours thrown on the canvas on which relationships are made. Accept whatever emerges. You knew you didn't love Kartik truly and accepted that he didn't either. Similarly, you need to give a closure to your relationship with Raghu. Let him scare you as much as he can. He cannot make you accept anything that you truly do not want. “Remember the soul is fearless. Nothing reaches it. It can only decipher the language of love and faith. Rest everything is as perceived by our physical bodies. Listen to your heart. It fears nothing,” he said. She smiled at him.
“If at all anything goes wrong, remember that I'm there for you, no matter what,” he said.
“I love you, Vikram,” she said.
“I love you too,” he said simply.