Love is Never Wrong

Love is Never Wrong

Komal may not have hated traveling, but she did hate the lack of sleep caused by traveling across time zones. 

"It's called jet lag!" Preety's annoying voice shrilled at the back of her head as she recalled her team-mate's snide remark earlier that evening at dinner. Komal's skin had prickled at the sound of Preety's voice. She didn't even like her very much, they were hardly friends, and as teammates they barely put up with each other. Which was why her over-reaction around Preety puzzled her. Surely it was more than just pure dislike?

She looked at her roommate, Balbir, who had fallen asleep the second she had gotten on the bed, and let out a loud sigh tinged with jealousy.

She decided to step out to the balcony that was at the end of the long corridor of the posh Australian hotel they were staying at, hoping the fresh air would help her sleep.

Just as she opened the door of her room, someone stepped out of the room across hers. Komal was not a fan of small talk and definitely not a fan of chatting with players from other teams, unlike Aliyah. So she hurriedly closed the door, hoping whoever it was would be gone soon.

As she stood against her door, she heard two women bid each other good night, then giggling, followed by a moan. Curiosity got the better of Komal, and she peeped through the peephole of the door. What she saw made her gasp in shock. Two players from the Spain team were kissing in the doorway. Then, one of the women left while the other watched her till she entered the lift.

Komal wasn't a prude. She had witnessed couples kissing on the streets or in malls during her tours to foreign countries for hockey games, but she had never seen a same-sex couple kiss.

Many confusing thoughts and questions started whirling in her head, and she decided she didn't want to deal with them just yet. Besides, the fact that Coach Khan would grill her if she showed up late for practice the next day seemed to stir her away from the door to her bed.

The next day, practice was horrible. They were working on a new formation, but the lack of sleep and last night's scene playing over and over in Komal's head were clearly affecting her concentration.

"Guys, take five. Komal, up here!" Coach Khan yelled at her and then looked at Vidya, signaling her to take charge of her team.

"What is it?" he asked her even before the two had reached the stands. To her relief, he didn't seem upset or angry, just concerned.

"Nothing, Sirji." She shrugged. "Jetlag," she continued, faking nonchalance.

"I am your coach, I know when you lie." He looked at her, his eyes seemingly searching her soul for an answer.

"Don't worry about it," she managed to say, even though she desperately wanted to ask for some help.

"Komal, you know I won't send you back to play or to your room before I get an honest answer." He crossed his arms across his chest and sat on one of the chairs in the stands.

Sighing, she sat next to him, her hockey stick propped against her knee. She was half in the mind to stay quiet the whole time, test his patience and get on his nerves. But Kabir had been coaching the team for two years now, and she knew that he had the patience of a saint.  

"I saw something last night that is bothering me," she whispered after long moments of silence.

"You want to talk about it?" She blinked for a few seconds, considering the offer. Talking about sex and relationships was taboo where she came from. Heck, even her mother wouldn't answer her queries about sex. It was Aliyah and Vidya she would go to if she had questions since Aliyah had extensive knowledge about everything under the sun and Vidya never judged. She looked at the two girls playing in the distance, briefly wondering if she should talk to them about this, instead of her coach who was after all, a man. It would certainly be less embarrassing for one thing. Then she decided against it, not sure if they would even have answers to her questions. Besides, Kabir Sir was wiser and more experienced than either of them.  

"I saw two girls from the Spain team kiss last night," she blurted out, not looking at Kabir, her ears going red.

This conversation was turning into the most awkward one that she had had in her life, but she still sat there, waiting for Kabir's heated reaction. God, she'd die if he laughed at her or reprimanded her for poking her nose in others' affairs! But he just nodded matter-of-factly.

"Gay marriage is legal in Spain. People can be open about their sexuality. More open than in many other countries."

"Gay?" She finally worked up the courage to meet his eyes.

"When a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman. In that way." He added the last bit to answer another unasked question that was looming in her head.

"But is that wrong? Why is it illegal in other countries?"

Kabir looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he was proud of her for understanding what he hadn't explicitly stated - that gay marriages were illegal back home.

"Sometimes we don't like different, and when we don't like different, we declare it dirty, abnormal, or illegal."

"Like my father, who believed that girls shouldn't play hockey."

"Like your father, who believed that girls shouldn't play hockey," Kabir echoed and smiled softly.

"And to answer your question - love is never wrong, people are. People who judge others, ostracize others, hate others - they are wrong." 

He patted her head and stood up, signaling that it was the end of their conversation.

"So it won't be wrong if a girl doesn't like men? In that way?" Komal decided to acknowledge the burning question that had been plaguing her ever since she had laid eyes on Preety.

"No, it won't be wrong. After all, men are trash!" 

Kabir winked and smiled, then gestured for her to join her team. Komal grinned and rose to her feet, feeling relieved and unburdened. For the nth time in these two years, she understood why her teammates respected Kabir so much. He truly was the best coach out there - not only for hockey, but also for life.

Beta read by: LizzieBennet