There's something about the seas. Something that makes you feel like floating. They act as a therapy for the maddening humans, to indulge themselves in its ferocious nature and clam themselves down. The irony. Clear, dirty, polluted, maintained...didn't matter. All of them contained the same euphoria at the shores. But how could human let anything beautiful just stay? It was against his intrinsic nature, it seemed. These pieces of oceans and seas that meant happiness to people at shores and banks, are also the zones of potential wars. Conquering those seas have become the prime purpose and holy grail of the super powers, tons of barrels of energy and secrets lay beneath them. In the end, it was all a power play, all about conquering the heart of the world.
As he sat away from the enthusiastic crowd of the village, he pondered over his very own involvement in the power play. The moment seas became his object of study and profession, the childhood glee that graced him after looking at them, slightly began to fade. The still interested him but only the dimensions this time were different. He looked at the time and sighed as he continued to wait. He was somehow used to her getting late, off late. He didn't quite dislike the moments of wait though, for they gave space for some self musings.
On other days and in a different place, he would expect her to bring two bottles of beer for a late night halt at the beach but the present scenario was different. It would be a big deal if she herself managed to meet him. As a part of her profession, Geet travelled quite often and as if co-incidence was in mood of some romance, it decided her to take her to his hometown. The place where he spent all his childhood. As soon as he got to know, he knew he was going to bug his lady love during the coming weekend. It had been a long time, since he played a tourist guide anyway.
As she caught a crowded bus carrying people over its capacity, she had no option but to get in. She was already late. These buses were the ones that travelled between villages. The adjacent town seemed to be a comparatively progressed one, hence resulting in a huge population of the village daily commuting to the nearby town every day. Either for school or to sell their fishes or just attend a wedding function. She once ended up eavesdropping over a conversation between two ladies who spoke about the newly built fancy function hall, which had an AC, an open space and a well painted room in the town. She tightened the grip around the handle of the seat as more people climbed the bus. The smell of dry fish was getting to her, but it didn't take much time for her to get accustomed to the smell.
She had heard stories of the village from Maan, many a times. But this village hardly resembled the beauty which Maan would gush about.
"I'm sorry, Maan. You had to wait once again." She almost crashed on the sand beside him, exhausted. He offered her a bottle of water as she quickly grabbed and gulped half of it in one go, "Saviour...what would I do without you", she sighed in relief.
"Nothing. No wonder the universe pushed me to you, it pushed me even harder when you shooed me away, with all its determination."
She rolled her eyes and looked at her drama king who seemed to be in a good mood. It felt nice to see him beaming with joy after a long time, for she knew how much his work put him under pressure.
"You really like this place, don't you?" She spoke to him as she shifted her gaze from him to the sea.
"This is where I spent my childhood Geet, this place carries memories of my once close knit family. Takes me back to the days when nothing bothered or worried me, this is the place where I harbored all my dreams with all the optimism in the world. Everything here is a memory, a story. My life was perfect here. Only after I left this place did it start falling apart."
Geet stared intently at him, taking his hands into hers. She didn't know if this moment demanded some silence or words of console. She looked at him as he stared into the ferocious waves that broke as they hit the shore. And the moment slowly built up to a beautiful silence.
The presence of Maan in her life had sometimes overwhelmed her. He was the calm to all her restlessness. He had taken in all of her shortcomings, her insecurities of an indefinite career when compared to his and all her silly outbursts. Whatever the situation was, she could always count on him to figure out a silver lining. He was the rationality to her vague impulse. If rock solid support was personified in her life, it would be Maan. She rested her head on his shoulder as she stared at the water, if there was somebody with whom she could converse in silence, it was him. To think of it, they had once thought of ending this relationship of theirs. Never did a decision backfiring felt so good.
He didn't remember the last time he felt at so much peace. He couldn't be gladder about her presence in his life. For a long time, he had learnt to gobble up all his emotions inside and not to let them out, it was her who believed in a theory completely opposite to his, after being alienated by everybody in his life for a long time, if there was anybody who had let him in her life with all the warmth and trust, it was Geet. He had always felt in ease with her, because of all the affection she had showered upon him. At times when she would playfully ruffle his hair, his heart would be filled with a strange sense of joy, as if moments like those assured her spirited presence in every phase of his life, taking him away from all the loneliness.
They stared at one of the most beautiful moments of nature, where sunset kissed the gigantic water body making it shine at the surface as if everything was just fine and happy, as if there was no restlessness below, no power struggle or unrest, just nature in all its glory, inside out.
"Geet, you don't quite like this village, do you?"
She snuggled in his arms as she responded, "Not until now, but given how this place makes you so happy, it makes me happy too. Something that calms you down from inside does the same to me."
Maan took a pause before he responded, "Which girlfriend would want her boyfriend to calm down from inside, Geet? What kind of a desire would that be?"
Geet quickly withdrew from his arms and widened her eyes at him, she didn't seem to be in a mood for another childish comeback "So this is how you decide to break the perfect silence and a gorgeous moment. Wow. Go to hell, Maan Khurana."
"Geet, I didn't know how to respond really, looked like someone mixed a huge scoop of cheesy into your system." He laughed, as she looked amused.
"You have no clue, how many scoops of cheesy is in my system right now, Mr Khurana.. I could puke some of it really, would it help?"
"No I'm fine with it. He threw his hands in air as they laughed at her drama.
They might be no happily ever afters in life, but there were some moments that would be forever cherished and this was one of those. Amidst the seas and sunsets and the dried fishes.
