A Trip to Delhi

Romantic Short Story – A Trip to Delhi

“Hellooo”

Said Caren in a mournful voice which touched my heart and soul. A stream of neurons ran across my mind. At that instant, I wanted to know what the problem was. Why is my love crying? In adolescence, you are in a phase of being an adult. You want to live your life freely and all the creepy stuff about life and death comes across your mind day and night. The silence prevailed. Suddenly she spoke again breaking my floods of thoughts.

“I don’t want to live here” she said in a soft but intense voice.

I understood that there is some problem. Caren usually doesn’t cries this bad!

I asked “what is the problem dear?” but we all know opening a girl’s mouth and asking her about what the problem is, is like opening internet explorer and expecting it to quickly open the facebook.com. I had a bucket full of patience and was ready to wait for the suspense to open. I consoled her and told her to stop crying and to calm down.

“Now tell me what it is?”.

She was wiping her tears off. I knew exactly how and what she does. I was very familiar to her as we were in a relationship from three years.

She said “someone saw me with you today and my family members are really making a fuss out here. I have locked myself up and I do not want to see them now”.

I was speechless. I did not have words to console her. I was badly worried about her. She was an emotional person and my sweetheart too. I could not see her crying and worried so I instantly opened my mouth. The mouth which was unable to utter a word now had a full documentary to share. I tried and consoled her but to no avail.

Caren and I were in a relationship from class 11th. We were now pursuing our graduation from the same city and like other couples we also had promised to live with each other the whole life. Ours was a true relation. We wanted our end to be a “the notebook” style type. I loved being loyal to her. we had planned our life. But actually, it was the worst mistake. Human beings are loyal to each other rarely. Dogs are loyal to their masters. But one damn thing that is not loyal to anything and that is –life. Just try and look at your life a year ago and you will understand what I am talking about. You must have really not imagined yourself at the place you are right now.

We talked on the phone about three hours till she really broke my silence and forced me to burst into laughter.

She said “ I do not want to stay here, lets run away…..”

she was completing her sentence till I stopped her from her blabbering.

She said in a serious voice “are you laughing”.

I did not heard this seriousness in her voice before. I was kind of afraid. Not a mortal fear but the fear which a male partner feels when the fairer sex is on the verge of a sentimental breakdown. The fear of consoling his partner and saying sorry about a million and hundred times. But the tyrant still won’t forget you. She will beg you for your life and make you sorry until you do not get on a psychological breakdown. Thinking about all the mis happenings that could happen with me after her sentimental breakdown I quickly pulled her back from the danger zone to the safe zone. I quickly controlled my laughter and said

“Why are you saying this sweetheart. All this is not so easy”.

She said it is. I was traumatised. I asked for the procedure. She told me that her best friend who was her ex-neighbour actually lived in Delhi and had promised to give her accommodation if she ever flees with me. I asked in the shrillest of voices “ you had planned this before”.

She ignored my query and gave me another shock. I was really traumatised now and needed a bed immediately. I was standing like a protagonist in ekta kapoor’s serial and had a similar expression on my face of- ‘what the heck?????’

she said swear on me that you will come with me to Delhi.

I asked her “is this all really important???”.

She said in a detesting voice “my parents are going to marry me in a month or so! If this is fine for you then cut off the phone at once and do not ever see me again.”

Again the neurons stared running. This time from my body to soul.

“I can’t let her go!!” I thought.

She consoled me and said “we will have our own life there”.

No bars no tension. We will live freely. My quietness compelled her to ask me do you love me ?

I said “of course shona” as the bubbles of love were boiling in my heart now in full swing. She said I will wait for you at the bus stand at 10 o clock sharp. I had a lot of questions.

Being nervous I asked her “you will miss your college tomorrow?”

This time she busted into laughter. What an important question at this moment. I said O.K to her every condition and her every non-sense. I was helpless.

The next morning she texted me that she has left, taken some money and her important things and have even informed her friend in Delhi. This was a confirmatory message for me. And it was time for me to go. I did not said goodbye to anyone in my house. I did not take any of my belongings with me. I was barefoot. Walking briskly on the wet grass I saw the droplets being crushed by my tyrant foot. From the next square a right would take me to the bus stand. I took the left.

Walked to the victoria square and went inside the magnanimous red house. The red color irritated me. It was Caren’s home and to my left was his father standing and watering his beautiful garden which almost had every single flower whose name I did not know. But he knew me. He immediately asked about my presence there. I was speechless. But it was time for me to speak otherwise I would lose my love.

I said “I know uncle, I am not so big that I can change your decision or neither I have gained so much experience that I would be able to decide between good and bad for me and Caren. But all I know is I will keep your daughter like you have kept these lillies.”

“Jasmine” he corrected.

I felt ashamed for not knowing the kindergarten flower.

“I am not here to tell you about our love sir. I know I and Caren are of different castes and perhaps I think you would like her to marry a person of your choice but we are in the 21st century sir. I don’t have any wrong intentions for your daughter. I just love her sir. I think you would also want her to be happy and not regret her whole life” said I expecting my father in law to utter something. Till now all he said was ‘Jasmine’. And then came some words from his mouth into the pinna of my ears.

He said “come inside”.

 

She looks really beautiful sleeping like she used to, 55 years ago. I thought. Opening the windows by my side and allowing the cool breeze to soothe Caren’s hair. What would happen if I took the right turn? What would happen if we would have went to Delhi? All I know is- definitely life would not had been this beautiful. Maybe a trip to Delhi was never there.

“This was what life and God planned for us”, I thought as I looked at one of the drawings that our son made in his childhood- ‘God is Love. Love is God’.

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