The Story That Wasn't!

Since I have started studying and all, it gets difficult to write stories. No breeding grounds for new tales! The mind is occupied by literature from the books I am reading lately, which is turning out to be scorching sun for any sapling of ideas that sprouts up.

But one opinion on the law makers-I am never gonna blame Indian law makers and Accounting Standards Board in India anymore. Even if they suffer from mild dyslexia for English, they are very organized and structured. Americans on the other hand are so so poorly organized. Dudes just remember, these things that you write, are going to be referred to again and again by some mortal folks like me. The important conclusion here is, you may sit on the fence and look at that 'oh-so-reachable- greener pasture', on the other side, but the bitter truth is... the moment you jump on the other side, you'll see that the side you jumped off from, was a tinge greener!

Anyways, today's story was bubbling in the head since ages but the guilt of bunking studies was holding me back. But now I realize if I don't get it out, I am never gonna be able study peacefully.

Recently, we met this guy Arunesh in our social gatherings. Arunesh is this very typical Indian techie in US. He has these hard cemented ideas about right and wrong. He is here to make money and thats all he is concerned with. Nothing wrong with this really, he has the right to be himself. He is single and his folks are looking for a bride for him. He is quite clear in his head as to what he wants; she has to be a beautiful girl, an amazing cook, loving, caring, courteous, with very high moral and family values, well-educated and from a good family. And as if to resound his determination to find someone fitting that description, he himself demonstrates all those qualities, (except ofcourse the beautiful looks and good cooking part).

But again guys! Don't start judging him already, he is a nice bloke. He had just moved in the neighbourhood, but he was already every bhabhi's pet here. You need something from the groceries, you want someone to carry that extra laundry bag to the laundry, you want someone to pick your kids from play-school, he'll be the one you can ask without any awkwardness and he'll do it with a smile. Don't think he is a douchebag, he genuinely is helpful. Aparna & Nikhil are his immediate neighbours and Aparna bhabhi dotes on him. He has become the younger brother she never had. Infact, thanks to Aparna and Nikhil, that we all know Arunesh.

It was one of these get-togethers where Arunesh first met Karuna. He noticed this girl who was sitting in a corner observing everyone quitely. She didn't know anyone except Aparna & Nikhil. She sat for sometime then got up to help bhabhi in the kitchen. She got up, moved slenderly across the room, smiled at someone sitting in her way and apologized for upsetting them. Arunesh couldn't help but notice how graceful she was. She was standing in the kitchen next to him, and he observed how she cut the salad so beautifully with the knife in her slender fingers. Aparna bhabhi probably noticing something, just hinted with her eyes at the ring on her finger. *CRASH BOOM BANG*

As days went by Arunesh saw her more often and had met her husband too. Karuna was not so quite afterall, she was a good conversationalist and had a good sense of humour too, but she still held something back at all times. Her husband was completely the opposite sort of personality. Gregarious, high-spirited (pun intended), party animal. Not that Karuna didn't drink, but Arunesh had this gut feeling that probably its Rohit (her husband) who had got her into drinking socially. Together they made a good couple, she loved her husband the way he was and he cared for her and it looked picture perfect. Karuna didn't mingle too much with the ladies around, except in these get-togethers so people didn't know much about her. And every party would end in the same way. Rohit would be singing, telling jokes, the drinks kept going in and finally Arunesh would help Karuna take him back home. It killed him from inside to see her talking to Rohit in a drunken state, trying to comfort him and reason him out, keeping his head on her laps and running her fingers in his hair....the same slender fingers, with that solitaire.

One day he came back early from office and went straight to Aparna bhabhi. There was this thing wriggling in his head. He knew something was wrong somewhere, but he didn't know what to do, because he wasn't called for help! The trigger point was this incident. He and some friends from work decided to go for a drink after office, last Friday. And there he saw Rohit with a gang of some guys and girls drinking and having fun. Rohit was as usual the epicentre of the buzz. Arunesh was wondering if he should go up and say hello; and after deciding he should, he started walking towards him. Just when he reached close to him, this girl caught hold of Rohit's hand and was pulling him towards the dance floor. Rohit turned around and saw Arunesh and was a little taken aback. In that one moment, Arunesh felt so many emotions at once, hatred, pain, sympathy and helplessness. As if to salvage the situation Rohit tried to introduce his office colleagues but Arunesh just walked away. He faintly heard Rohit saying to his friends, "whats wrong with this guy?"

Arunesh narrated this whole incident to Aparna bhabhi. Now even she was sorry for Karuna. But what did Arunesh have in mind? He didn't know either. He was thinking, it is so difficult to find a girl like Karuna in the first place and this guy who already is blessed with a wife like that, is taking her for a ride. Karuna on the other hand, loves her husband blindly. Should he tell her? Probably she won't even believe him if he said something to her. What if she decided to leave her husband? If she did, where would she go? He didn't know if he himself was falling for Karuna or was it just sympathy, but he wanted to do something for her so badly.

Aparna bhabhi and he sat whole evening thinking what to do next, and just then Nikhil came back from work. He was surprised to see Arunesh at home. Aparna told him something briefly and he said to them, "I guess you don't need to worry any more, they are moving out from here to another community. Rohit called me to invite us to his place this weekend." For Arunesh this came as another blow.

That weekend it was probably the last time he would see her. She was looking tired and exhausted after a few days of packing and moving, or was it something else? He was very quite the whole evening and Rohit said to him, "Hey dude! Hope you are keeping well, you were walking like a zombie in the club the other day." It stung Aparna bhabhi. She was astounded at his audacity. "Thank god these people are moving out, Arunesh will forget all about these wierd people once they are out of sight."

Arunesh thought he will get over this soon, but it wasn't working. Aparna bhabhi made sure he was never alone for dinner. The couple took him out with them to cheer him up. But there are some moments where you are just all by yourself, you just can't get away from those. And those painful memories came back. He didn't know what was hurting him, the fact that Karuna's life was messed up, or the fact that she didn't know about it, or maybe the fact that Rohit didn't deserve her?

Then one day, he sent her a 'Friendship request' on a social-networking site. She accepted it. He happened to go though her profile. There were some testimonials written by her friends.

Ryan: Guys think ten times, no ten thousand times, before you decide to buy her a drink. She is a bottomless pitcher. The only woman I know who can still walk straight after 3 Long Island Ice teas. An awesome dancer, a complete rockstar, and mera sabse jigri yaar (the ultimate and authentic 'tomboy' I have ever known).

Gauri: This woman is the worst cook I have ever seen in my life. The only thing she can do well in the kitchen is probably cut salad. Her only hope for survival is if she marries a guy who can cook.

Dilip: She may come across as this quite, dumb and clamped up girl the first time you see her, but she is as bubbly as the beer she's sipping ones she starts enjoying the company. An out and out party freak. Dotes on her friends. And combined with that, she is very intelligent too, you would know from her marksheets if you studied with her. I wonder what was God thinking when he made her.

...and a couple of more to that effect!

Its good to have hard-wired ideas in your head, but the pitfall is, you may become judgemental about people who don't conform to that set of rules. There are a million kinds of people, a million ways of living and you just know one, your own. Thats not the bad part, the bad part is you not realizing this fact.