Chapter 2

-Nive-

@-Nive-

It's been four days since she joined her new college and she was slowly getting accustomed to the environment. Everything seemed to be usual like her pre-marriage days except that she didn't have a sister, mom and grandma waiting for her at home. She missed not being alone. She missed his Daadi, Purab, her mom, her Daadi, Akash, Rachana, Robin and everyone in MM and her house. She didn't want to acknowledge that she missed him. She didn't want to miss him yet she missed him the most. It was like she was addicted to him like a drug. She didn't want to go back to that life of hurt, fear and sadness. She feared that her going back to him would make her life and most importantly his life hell. They failed to understand each other but they were the ones who could understand each other in the worst of situations. She didn't want to be in his life but she wanted him in her life. Her life seemed like a paradox to her.

"Ma'am", a voice brought her back from her thought world. She looked at the teenage boy standing in front of her desk.

"Ma'am, it's time for your class.", he said calmly reminding her that she was late for her class. She apologized to him and told him that she will be in the class in few minutes. She was surprised that he actually came and called her to class when she herself forgot to go to class. The boy who came and called her was from this particular class which she found a little difficult to teach with interest because the students rarely interacted with her and most of the students always gave boring reactions. She was coming up with new ideas everyday to make the lessons interesting for them and today she had to talk about Friedrich Nietzsche.

She wrote a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche on the board and asked the students what they think about this.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

There was silence for a couple of minutes. A girl started talking in favour of the statement. Pragya asked the students, "There are some diseases that don't really kill people but they neither make the person strong as well. Does this statement hold true for that?"

That was the start of the most heated discussion that has ever happened in Pragya's classroom. In fact, the students didn't stop even after the lunch bell rang and she had to stop them. Pragya left the class without any disappointment and that's when she realized that two girls were following her.

"She is"

"No she is not"

"OK. Shall we have a bet?"

The girls quarrelled quietly among themselves.

"Do you want to ask anything?", Pragya intruded into their conversation.

"You ask"

"You ask"

Pragya stood with her arms crossed as the two girls were still not sure who would ask her the question they wanted. Finally, the first girl asked the question.

"Ma'am, Are you Rockstar Abhi's wife?"

For a second, Pragya didn't know what to answer. She remembered the day she got married to him. What you felt at a particular moment may not be the same as what you feel when you remember the moment. We may laugh at the moments we cried and cry at the moments we laughed. No matter however we try to say that memories are related to past, we can't deny that memories depend on the present too. She felt a surge of emotions throughout her body.

"Yes", Pragya replied them abruptly.

"I told you na. I have seen her on TV with Abhi", the girls started gossiping as she left the place.

She reached her apartment but the words were still ringing on her head.

"Rockstar Abhi's wife"

It was like somebody opened the Pandora box. She was trying to escape from her past but everything reminded her past. Staying away from Pune didn't help her much except for the fact that she didn't have her mom or Abhi's Daadi trying to convince her. But it didn't matter because the person who should have stopped her or tried to change her decision the most didn't even talk to her. She felt that he was too hurt to talk to her and he might not want her back in his life after all the pain she had given to him. Even if he had tried to stop her, would she have stopped? Yes, she would have stopped for she couldn't hold anything against his soulful eyes.

***

"Abhi, you are driving like a snail. We can't reach theatre if we go in this speed", Purab complained. That was the green signal for Abhi as he rushed through the streets and they were in the theatre in 15 minutes.

Purab went inside the complex to get tickets and Abhi waited outside. After few minutes, Purab came outside and told Abhi that they can go somewhere else. Abhi asked him the reason to which Purab was silent.

"Don't tell me, you didn't get the tickets. I told you we can book tickets online"

"Oh come-on Abhi. This was a last minute plan. Leave it now. We can go somewhere else"

"What do you mean by somewhere else? There are 6 screens here and you can get tickets in none of them. I need to watch movie right now. I will go and get the tickets."

"Don't you understand Abhi? We need not watch movie. We can go on a long drive and talk lot. Movies are boring"

"You were the one who suggested we should watch movie when I said we can go to some pub"

Purab stood silent and tried to pull Abhi towards the car. Abhi didn't move but stood firm at the place he was standing.

"I thought you will start drinking much. That's why I didn't want to go to pub but this movie is no better than that", Purab grumbled.

Abhi asked him what did he say. After so much nagging, Purab gave the answer. He said that all of the movies screened in the complex were romantic films and he worried whether Abhi would feel after seeing them.

"Why would I feel bad, Purab? I am not a heart-broken lover. I am married and I love my wife. Why would I feel ...", he stopped in the middle as he realized what he was saying. He loved his wife but she was not with him. He thought Purab was right. He might feel bad seeing a romantic movie as Purab said. He was indeed heart-broken not because she didn't love him but she loved him sincerely. He loved her and she loved him yet they were not together. There were no villains to separate them this time because they were themselves the villains. She left him and he didn't stop her.

Purab took him to the car and started driving while Abhi was lost in thoughts. He took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Stopped when he saw the name 'Mogambo'. He had this peculiar habit of not calling her by name. She rarely called her 'Pragya'. He wondered how would she feel whenever he called her 'Mogambo'. He didn't know that she was the same old simple girl he loved and thus called her 'Mugambo' indicating a villain. But she was the same person; how would she have felt whenever he called her a villain. He remembered the times he had taunted her for cheating him over his property and love. A lonely tear escaped his eyes but then he also remembered the times when he had asked her to tell the truth but she chose to keep him in dark. He remembered the painful nights during which he was cursing himself for letting his Fuggy go away from his life. He put the phone on the car's dashboard and told Purab to drive to home.

***

"I don't care about all these things", Abhi shouted.

"But..", Akash tried to convince Abhi

"What is happening?", Purab came to MM hall just at the right moment.

"He wants to do a concert next week.", Akash told Purab.

"But how is it possible? We need to get sponsors, do promotions and make all other arrangements.", Purab supported Akash.

"I need to do a concert as soon as possible. I don't care what you people do", Abhi climbed the stairs to his room after saying this.

Daadi saw all this and came towards Akash. Akash told them that Abhi is feeling uncomfortable without Pragya and he is trying to distract himself from painful emotions through his music. Purab said that Abhi might be right and only music can soothe his pain.

Daadi worried seeing all this and decided she should talk about this to Pragya. She called Pragya and Pragya picked the call immediately.

"Daadi", said Pragya happily as she picked up the call after boarding a bus to her apartment. Daadi asked whether she was fine and Pragya replied that she was good.

"How are you Daadi? How is your health and how is ... how is everyone at home?"

"Nothing is good here beta", she replied anxiously and explained her about Abhi's state. Before Pragya could reply anything, her phone battery was dead. Daadi wondered why Pragya cut the call when she was talking about Abhi. She feared whether Pragya was trying to forget Abhi and move on.