Ever loving, Stranger

Siddarth was depressed and felt bad for what had happened that evening. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't hers either. It was nobody's fault. But everything happened in a jiffy and nobody had the time to stop and look back at those shattered hearts.

"Give up on Mansi? Whom are they kiddin? And what is it with Mansi? She left me just because I wanted both our parents to accept for the wedding," Siddarth was fuming.

He logged on to see if his best friend Tarun was online but to his disappointment, not a soul was online. He logged onto the city's lounge, a room that was flooding with people of all kinds.

He logged in with a nick 'Stolen Wings'. Siddarth wasn't too keen on chatting up with someone but decided to spend sometime in that chat room until Tarun logged in. He scrolled through the list of chatters and none of the nicks were appealing. He remained silent.

A private message popped.

Crescent says "ASL?"

"And how would that help you?" Siddarth was being cold.

There wasn't any response from Crescent.

It was very unlikely of him to react that way. He was always chatty and had many friends over the Internet but that day was not his day.

It was 10.00 pm and Diya was having her dinner with her family. But that day was special.

There were more people around and the house was filled with merriment.

"The stars, the moon, the galaxy, the astronomical plot of life, what not to ruin my preferences in life! Hell with horoscopes and those lucky stars. How can they decide on whom I should be spending the rest of my life with?" Diya mumbled as she ate.

"What?" her dad asked. She was silent and continued to eat.

That night, Diya logged on to the city's lounge with a nick 'Broken Wings'. She usually logged in with her name as her nick. That day she decided to remain discrete about herself but decided to reveal her strong emotions with her online friends.

Her regular buddies weren't around. She kept scrolling down the list of chatters until her eyes crossed on looking at the nick 'Stolen Wings'.

"So who stole your wings?" she messaged Siddarth.

Siddarth was surprised to see such a message.

"Quite a few. Btw, who broke your wings?"

"Quite a few!"

"Care to chat?"

"Sure. We can chat until you ask me out!"

"And what made you think that I would be calling you out?!

"She was embarrassed".

"Well, almost all the guys out here do. They speak very well initially and once you get comfortable with them, they invite you for coffee."

"Girls are no better. One nights aren't new in this room"

"Never mind. You still haven't answered my question. Who stole your wings?"

"My girl, Mansi. My parents and hers"

"Your girl didn't accept your proposal of love?"

"Nah. Our parents didn't accept our proposal of marriage"

"How did Mansi react?"

"She wants to marry me and does not care if our parents attend the wedding. But I think otherwise"

"That is bad. Can't you convince her?"

"Yeah I did, then she convinced me"

"Convinced you?"

"Yeah, kinda. Anyways, what about you? You owe me an explanation about your broken wings"

"I just got engaged this evening"

"Wowie, that is nice! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, but this is what broke my wings"

"So you in love with somebody else?"

"No. But I don't want an arranged marriage. I can't marry a stranger"

"But have you met a guy whom you could really spend your life with"

"Not really. But I do believe in destiny. I might not sit at home like the princess waiting for the prince to come to me and take me away in his horse. But I will wait for the moment of love"

"You sound sane but don't you think your parent's concern matters too?"

"We both have contradictory problems. You seem to be in love but feeling horrible to avoid your parents. But I'm single trying to evade arranged marriage"

Siddarth was disconnected from the Internet abruptly. He wasn't able to login again. Diya was waiting for him to login. She knew he would be trying to login as they had a good conversation and she didn't want to give up. Finally she too logged off and went to sleep.

Siddarth's mobile sang.

"Hello"

"Hi" It was Mansi.

"What happened to you Mansi? Why did you walk away with your parents? Couldn't you be patient enough? Couldn't you try convincing them?"

She was silent. He was silent. He could hear his favorite song Died in your arms tonight play at her end. And all she could hear at his end was the dying traffic on the road.

Nobody spoke. He kept listening to the song. Few more minutes and the song was over but they never spoke.They knew, although they never spoke, they had the best conversation ever. This time, it was a conversation of a kind.

One week later, Siddarth logged on to chat looking for Tarun and only then was he reminded about the girl he had chatted with. He didn't even know her name. He spotted her on his personal list."

"How are you doing?" he messaged her.

"Ok. How about you?"

"Ok"

Both knew something was wrong on either side.

"Care to share?" she asked.

"Share what?"

"What you have been carrying in your mind off late. You don't seem to be fine"

"You don't seem to be fine either"

"You want to meet up sometime?" she asked.

He was surprised.

"Going back to our first conversation, somebody said guys are always inviting!" he was cynical.

"LOL. You aren't one of them"

"You bet!"

"What say?"

"Tomorrow evening at 7.00?"

"Perfect. Coffee house at George Avenue"

"How would I identify you?"

"We will identify each other, don't worry"

It was 6.50 pm and Siddarth parked his car by the coffee pub. He wasn't tensed. Dating wasn't unusual for him or Mansi because they were blind dates initially. Love being blind too, the cupid had no option but to glue them together.

He walked into the shop and looked around. He took a table for two.

He kept looking out the glass window. Every girl who walked into the pub looked at him and he would give her a smile assuming her to be Diya.

But he would be embarrassed when they join other people in the pub. Finally Diya stepped in and Siddarth did not want to embarrass himself. He still kept looking out.

Diya was confused as there were two guys sitting alone at different tables. She didn't know whom to approach. She sat adjacent to Siddarth on a separate table. She was facing both the guys.

Siddarth and Diya kept eyeing each other but weren't sure if it was the right person. And to add more chaos, the other guy too was ogling at Diya.

After 10 minutes of cold water and cookies, a girl dropped in at the pub and joined the other guy. Diya was still unsure but decided to talk to Siddarth. They both stood up instantly at the same time.

"Oops! He is leaving. This is not that guy" she thought.

"Oops! She is leaving. It is not she" he thought.

Both sat down instantly, at the same time. Things were confirmed and they both smiled at each other. Siddarth walked over to her table and said

"I'm looking for the broken wings of a girl. Could youhelp me help her?"

"And I'm looking for a guy whose wings were stolen. Could you help me find it?"

"Hi, I'm Siddarth"

"Diya"

"Care for a walk?"

They walked out with no regrets of spending almost 20 to 30 minutes drinking only cold water and cookies in the coffee pub, both being free!

They began to walk down the lane, which was wet after the showers that evening.

"So what happened?" she asked.

"Ladies first"

"I'm getting married the day after tomorrow"

"What? Oh cool! So finally you convinced yourself for an arranged marriage eh?"

"My parents are ready to get me married but I'm not."

"So, you going to kill yourself and prove that your wishes matter the most?"

"I'm no coward to do that. It is my life and I will live it to the fullest"

"Then, you gonna run away? That would be so cool"

"You are totally impossible! Has anybody told you that?

"I know it myself" he laughed.

"So what happened to Mansi? You guys got back together?"

"No. She has promised to herself that she would never to get back to me. I miss her truly. I still wish I should wait for my parents to arrange it"

"Don't be a fool. There is this lady who wants to live with you forever and here you are standing at the doors of your parents"

"But I want it to be arranged. I want all those happy faces in my wedding wishing me good luck. Old people, our uncles and aunts, cousins, and children. It would be an event of a lifetime. Dance, music, and the mayhem of an evening. Wow, it would be awesome"

Diya saw his face brighten as he told that."But more than these people, it is the girl you are going to marry is important at the end of the day. Will you both be happy?"

"That is the whole point. If this is going to be an arranged marriage, folks around us are happy and we both are equally happy. It would be some kind of accomplishment.

"Diya was silent."So did you speak to your fiancé?" he asked Diya.

"He called me a couple of times and I acted busy. Didn't feel like"

"You must have taken a chance. Maybe you would have liked him. Maybe there wouldn't be a chance for you to worry further"

"Maybe. But it scares me. Put on a stranger's ring. Go to bed with him that night and wake up to see a different tomorrow. A tomorrow when I'm totally somebody else's. It really scares me"

"Maybe you can wake up in his arms and feel that you never need another day, coz you got all it takes to be in love" he smiled.

"That was a beautiful thought, as beautiful as your mind" she said.

"Thanks. But trust me, you might just have the perfect wedding" He affirmed.

"Makes me feel better. I think even you need to reconsider your decision. What if your parents are okay with you guys after your wedding? What if they regret for not having a mega wedding celebration for their kids? What if they even go ahead to throw the party of the year for their kids later."

"Aren't we using too many 'maybe' and 'what if'?" he interrupted.

"Life is just a guessing game!"

There was silence for a while.

They almost reached the beach.

"So what are you thinking?" he asked.

"Thinking about you", she said and looked at him.

He looked at her, into her eyes.

"What if I held you close and said, 'love, will you marry me?'" Siddarth asked.

She wasn't moved.

"I would throw myself into this sea and end my life"

They broke out laughing. Yet there was something floating in the air.

"What have you decided?" she asked.

"I think I'll marry her even if our parents don't accept" he said.

"That's nice. Thank you for hearing to my words"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You want to marry me also?" she laughed.

"Well, I don't mind! But something else"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about me?"

"You are a nice and genuine guy. That is all I can say as of now"

"Thanks. We know each other for hardly few hours now.And you even confided in a stranger like me. And you even advised me for my life. So why don't you take a chance and meet this stranger-fiancé of yours?"

She was silent.

One week later…

Diya looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a red saree and was adorned with glittering jewels.

"Don't I look good?" she asked herself.

"You do", she heard a voice. She saw Siddarth in the mirror. But it was just an illusion. She walked down the stairs. Her parents were excited to see her dressed like that.

"Dad, I'm ready for the wedding.

"Emotions were set on fire and the whole house turned into a party zone. Diya was happy to see the entire family rejoice her decision.

That night she logged in to see if Siddarth was online. She knew it would be awkward to speak, but she knew that he was the one who convinced her.

He was online. She got his mobile number and called him.

"Hi" she said.

"Howdy "

Fine. I just turned my house in a party zone by accepting for the wedding. It is on Sunday"

"That is great news. I'm happy for you"

"What is the news on your side?"

"Mansi and I are also getting married this Sunday. Our parents know it, but they are not going to make it."

"That is bad. I wish I made it to your wedding"

He did not respond.

"No. But…"

"It just takes a moment… an uninvited moment to make a stranger a friend or someone special for a lifetime"

"True. Don't you wish we had never met each other?"

"Not really. You are a nice guy. That kiss would have changed my life forever. But I know, Mansi is waiting for you and you never will be mine. I got to be faithful to reality!"

"Beats me blue. I simply am disturbed. I feel guilty for betraying Mansi, and damaging our friendship"

"Our friendship? There was never an 'our' between us."We were strangers, meant to be the same always. So don't you have any further thoughts." Diya sounded rude.

"I know. You have a great life ahead."

"You too. My best regards to Mansi"

That Sunday…....................

Siddarth's and Mansi's parents threw them a surprise by inviting all their relatives for the wedding and they had set a wedding hall with much fanfare. Siddarth was moved.

Diya went around the holy yagna with her lifetime friend, her husband.

That night, Siddarth and Mansi were unpacking the gifts. There was bouquet and a tiny gift box. Siddarth unpacked it. It was a crystal doll. It was a small boy with wings, sitting on a crescent. The tag read "Stolen Wings Restored. Ever loving, Stranger"

Diya too had a gift to unpack. It was a small girl sitting on a swing. She had wings and one of it hadsome marks on it. The tag read "Broken Wing Restored. Ever loving, Stranger"

By Annamalai