oOo
You are cordially invited to attend the Gala Reunion of Class 2015
Shravan gently caressed the words written on the glossy invitation card. Memories bitter & dark crashed in waves. The connecting thread for all these disparate memories was HER. The moment he thought of her his grasp on his wine glass tightened.
"You know what? The name Suman doesn't suit you AT ALL. SUMO suits you better"
"Wow it's actually cool. All hail Sumo"
She laughed merrily & from that day she was Sumo not just to him but to everyone else in school as well. Irony considering she had prohibited him from calling her by that name or talking to her in school before others.
Sumo... She meant everything to him at one point in his life. She occupied pride of place in his heart along with his mom. But both these women had left him alone & bereft 10 years back, a void, a vacuum which had left a festering wound on his soul. Now this tiny card in his hand threatened to tear wide open this long forgotten (or was it????) lesion. He was reliving that nightmare 10 yrs later on that cold, depressing day in London.
"Your mom has left us".
Those 5 words changed his life. Little did he know at that tender age that his life would be shattered & scarred by that single incident. He remembered staying stunned & frozen, staring at his dad in a disbelieving manner. The words were yet to sink in. Then he saw the dark look on his dad's face & the dead expression in his eyes & he knew his life would change irrevocably that day.
He stumbled away ignoring his dad calling out to him. He was running, unmindful of his surroundings. For how long he had been running he did not know, nor did he understand where he was running to or why. All he knew was that he had to keep moving.
A babble of voices & laughter. He recognized the one which was familiar & suddenly his vision cleared. His mind was no longer blank. His Sumo was standing surrounded by her usual entourage of those shallow minded people she called friends. He had never understood her obsession with image. Being chasmish, geeky & nerdy he was aware of his unattractive demeanor but that had never bothered him. That's who he was & he was not embarrassed by his reticence. His diffidence was a shield from the world which rejoiced in a person's failings. Now he realized why he had been running. Maybe subconsciously his heart was seeking her, for comfort, for support. He no longer felt alone. He had his friend. She will help him in her usual gruff manner.
Sumo...
Abruptly all noise ceased. The entire group was staring at him as if a horned alien species had stumbled into their gathering. Sumo as usual ignored him. But this time he would not slink away unnoticed. He was in too much pain, his mind in a turmoil. He needed her, his friend, the only sunny spot in his bleak existence.
Sumo...
The silly girls burst into giggle & started taunting Sumo.
Hey Sumo never knew Chashmish is your friend. Not cool yaar, definitely not cool.
He saw Sumo balk & then glare at him.
What the hell are you doing here? Just go away.
Her words pricked him. All this while when she had ignored him in school he had accepted it but today it weighed heavy on him. He swallowed his resentment & tried again.
Sumo, it's urgent! I need to talk to you NOW!
More giggles & taunts. Sumo's face darkened & he had a foreboding that this day had taken a turn from worse to nightmarish.
Oh Hell, what now. Is it the same old story of your mom & dad fighting? Sheesh give me a break.
Sumo... he whispered.
He was appalled that he was almost begging & pleading but he had reached a point of no return.
She has left us forever...
Even uttering those words was akin to shards of steel ripping through his fragile heart. Saying it aloud brought home the gory truth that his mom had abandoned him, deserted him. Did he mean nothing to her? How could she just discard him aside like a filthy dress & move on. Anger, humiliation, rejection surged through him. And then the killer blow was delivered by none other than the other woman who meant the whole world to him.
So? She ran away! Big Deal. What am I supposed to do?
He stood shell shocked. Suddenly the whole world looked wobbly & blurry. He saw dark spots before his eyes, it was as if he was witnessing the entire ordeal through a veil of pain. He felt detached as if he was an invisible spectator witnessing his own humiliation.
The fragile bond of friendship snapped clean that moment. There was no going back. He turned & took faltering steps. He wobbled & fell down. More laughter & derision greeted him, his so called friend yet again a silent spectator. That day he realized he truly was alone. Discarded & cast aside by his mom, Rejected & ignored by his friend.
Slowly but with steady hands he wiped his tears. No, he won't waste his tears on selfish people who put their shallow pretensions before his true love. The path was clear. The way ahead was lonely & difficult. But he had to move on & move ahead. He cannot continue to wallow in self-pity.
So move on he did. He was now successful, rich & surrounded by people fawning over him. But was he finally happy? Did he feel complete? If so why did he sense this gnawing emptiness inside, as if a vital piece of his soul was missing or fragmented?
He glanced at the invitation in his hand & then threw it angrily aside. It landed sloppily on his neat, uncluttered desk. It seemed like a metaphor for his current life, neat & uncluttered suddenly disrupted by the arrival of this invitation. Like a stone causing ripples on a placid, calm ocean. He turned & walked out of his office.
oOo
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
