LLC03: Love Letter After Breakup
Creative Writing – Love Letter Contest 2013
© YourStoryClub.com
It was Abhijeet Singh and Priya’s seventh anniversary party. Their lavish apartment in Delhi was throbbing with friends and well wishers. Their chatter echoed in all the rooms. The smell of fried paneer and chicken hung in the air.
As the night thickened and the crowd waned down,Abhijeet decided to relax a little with a glass of scotch. When the last guest had left he made his peg and went down to change. Priya changed and went off to sleep.
“Good night dearie”,he called out as he settled with his glass in front of the laptop.
“Good night” replied Priya’s sleepy voice.
Abhijeet opened his laptop and proceeded to check his mails. As soon as he opened the inbox the name of the sender glared back at him………’Abhiroopa Roy’. With shaking hands he opened the mail.
Dear Abhijeet,
When you receive this mail you must be wondering what’s gone wrong with this crazy girl? Why this mail after all these years? How many years? Nearly ten I suppose. How time flies. I wonder whether I have grown old? Well I did put on some weight off course. So have you. Just checked your profile picture in the Facebook. Your wife is beautiful and your daughter a sweetheart.
Ten years! And it seems like yesterday when we had entered the sprawling campus of Infosys,Hyderabad. Our meeting was far from being that golden moment when the world stops and music plays around you. In fact,I don’t even remember clearly when we spoke for the first time. It must have been a couple of weeks later when I was busy with my assignments in my cubicle when you had plonked yourself on the table next to me and remarked.
“So you are Bong? But you don’t look like one”
“Why?” I replied without bothering to look up from my PC.
“Bongs are supposed to be sultry and beautiful, you know. Like Bipasha Basu. And you….”
“are just plain” I completed for you. “So? Not every Rai looks like Aishwarya Rai. Besides had I been like Bips I would not be toiling hard for 15K bucks, honey. Now get lost.I need to complete this assignment”
Do you remember that evening in ’10 Downing Street’? It was after we got our first salary. We had all gone there. The day was one of the most memorable days of my life. That feeling of independence! That evening you were busy dancing with a girl in a rather short dress while I was enjoying my Vodka and watching you. You had asked me to dance with you, but I did not bother to get up. I hated dancing then. You will be surprised but I love it now. In our Bong community however I do not get much chance to indulge myself in such entertainment.
Why I mailed you after all these years, I am not sure myself. Particularly, after that winter night .Nitin’s call confirmed the news of your marriage. I remember how clear the sky was that night. I had tried to distract myself watching stars while a war waged inside. Ah! But God had helped me that night. By the time the first rays of a meek winter sun had lit up the balcony, I had promised myself never to look back and to go ahead with life. And I had kept that promise, until today. I had married Animesh within six months and we are still happily married.
I had just sneaked into your Facebook profile and found that you have posted a picture of our gang in it. I remember clicking it myself. It was a Saturday evening and we were having tea in the terrace of my flat. Do you remember that terrace? The breezy nights we had spent there watching the lit up city far below. Do you remember I would play Jagjit Singh from my penthouse and you always thought Gazals were far too serious for your taste? My dear ‘gawar’ friend. That’s what you were and hope is still are. I wonder how I could love someone so different from me. How we fought over Javed Akhter vs Anu Malik! I still listen to music in the balcony of our sprawling flat but all alone. There is no one to have silly fights with.
On one such nights you had kissed me. You had slipped your arms around my waist, pulled me closer and planted a kiss on my lips. I neither reciprocated nor objected- just felt the touch of your lips on mine and it felt divine.
I have still treasured that album of my favourite songs that you gifted me on my birthday. It was one of my best birthdays. We had gone for dinner and then a long ride in your bike. Did you sell off that Pulsar when you left Hyderabad? I miss that bike. And those roads near Hussain Sagar dimly lit and lined with trees on both sides. The smell of your deo and the denim jacket you would wear on winters. You never washed them, I had complained. But I can still recall the smell of your perfume on it. I think it was just last week. I was driving back home and planning menu for dinner. I noticed this couple on a two-wheeler looking so gloriously carefree and happy. I must admit I felt rather envious.
All these years life has been kind to me and I have nothing to complain. Animesh is loyal,sensible,sophisticated. Just the kind of man I wanted to marry. I am helplessly in love with my little son Ruku. My successful career,our luxury apartment….there seem to be nothing missing in my life. All these years I have been too busy playing multiple roles to even think of you and there is no question of missing you. Then what is it that makes me pen down these memories on a lonely evening like this?That reminds me. Do you remember how you tease me saying I would get a pudgy husband? Well Animesh is what you can call pudgy!
Today I am alone in the house. Animesh has a office party and Ruku has gone to a birthday party in the complex. I thought of treating myself to something special for dinner.Guess what I cooked? Dal fry and baigan bharta-your favourite dishes. In fact often whenever I want to treat myself to something special I make these dishes. Why of all things I should consider an insignificant veggie like brinjal as special I am not sure. Is it because a part of you still resides in me? Perhaps.
Do you remember the nights we would have dinner together? You would return too late from office to either cook or hit the nearby dhaba. So you would sneak into my penthouse and we would have our ordinary cuisine with extraordinary pleasure. Oh! I still remember the absolute bliss on your face on getting a warm home-cooked meal and company in the wee hours of the night and I still remember the absolute bliss I felt on seeing that face of yours. Do you remember how you used to eat fish? You would look like a helpless child taking out bones with both the hands! You would curse the bongs for having chosen to make a weird thing like fish to be their favourit e dish and we would all have a good laugh at your plight!
Nowadays I have my dinners all alone after Ruku goes to bed. Animesh always come back around midnight and I go to bed by then. The television gives both of us company.
Back then I often wondered why is it that we had to belong to different communities? And why should communities matter so much? But perhaps a community speaks of a culture and culture defines us and our lives. Your parents never accepted me as their daughter-in-law. You had your apprehensions and had mentioned them to me. So I have nothing to complain. In fact the day I met your parents I realised our marriage will never work. I cannot be the ‘bahu’ who needs to cover her head with the end of her saree because her in-laws are around. Our parting was inevitable and was for the best.Yet the night when I heard about your marriage keeps haunting me. Was I angry with you? I don’t think so. I just felt my world shattering into pieces.
Do I still love you or miss you? The answer is no. But I would like you to know that you are the guy who made me realise that there is more to life than career, parents and friends. The eternal longing of a woman to love and to be loved by a man…………I graduated from a human to a girl, a woman.
Anyway, now that I have penned down all my crazy thoughts I would like to end up saying, be happy. Being happy is the most important thing in life. Do you remember how happy we were together and that is what really mattered. Is it not? The fact that we could not have a family together is insignificant compared to that happiness. So I wish you all the happiness in the world.
Take care,
Abhiroopa.
Abhijeet shut the laptop. His looked out at the thick, dark night. Memories that he had treasured all these years safely in his heart came flooding back to him. Abhiroopa Roy, 5 ft, 1 inch., medium built, dusky complexion and dark eyes..Chhutki…that’s what he called her lovingly. She looked like a kid and spoke like a grandmom. A little crazy,very emotional and a little unpredictable. Abhijeet tried to think why he fell in love with her. But could of think of no good reason.All these years….but memories were as fresh as ever. His friends had all blamed him for cheating her…..everybody except her. Somehow she understood her. Or did she? He held his head back and let closed his eyes. He had no way of knowing the truth. Only he knew how helpless he was at that time.
Abhijeet recalled his marriage to Priya. He did not even care to see her photograph back then. Then they had met just before their marriage. after being forced by his parents. Priya…..the beautiful,coy,traditional,religious,north Indian girl……just the kind of girl his parents wanted. So unlike Abhiroopa…….his half crazy,half wild Abhiroopa. He could not fall for her. But somehow through these years he had grown to depend on her. He missed a well cooked meal and orderly home when she went visiting her parents. After his marriage his idea of love had all changed. Then after Nini his daughter was born everything changed. Yet he still thought of her,thought of their evenings together. How she taught him to make the perfect peg, how they did their assignments together,went for bike rides on Saturday evenings,made chicken together on Sundays. He has taught himself to eat fish nowadays but they do not have it often because Priya does not like the smell.
He let out a deep sigh and walked back to the bedroom. His wife looked so happy and peaceful in her sleep. All these seven years they have played the ideal couple. How would she react if she knew that he still missed Abhiroopa? He did not want to think about it. It was useless. He set the alarm. Next day he had a meeting and needed to leave early for office. He just slid beside Priya and shut his eyes.
__END__
