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The flow of life...sometimes placid and calm, serene. Sometimes like a gentle stream, at times frothing and bubbling like a crashing mountain fall, at times stormy like the waves in an ocean..overpowering, and sometimes grand and majestic!! Life...flows...and we have to learn to go with the flow!!
And that is what a 19 year old boy has learned, as he maneuvered through life...as he sailed through the calm or choppy or stormy or bubbly waters of life!! No one can deny that his and his love's life, their lives, are surrounded by the biggest storm clouds ever!! It does not look good on any front!! Their lives are downcast, gloomy and grey with the gathering dark rain clouds that only promise a deluge of troubles!!Flashes of thunder and claps, of not applause, but only lightning!! But such is life!!
Nandini is battered, troubled!! She feels suffocated, unable to breathe as she contemplates a life without her anchor, her monster, her Manik!! She fears losing what she has never been able to call her own...yet again!! It's not easy to hold on to hope, when every single thing seems to point in the opposite direction!! It's not easy to keep faith when all your love has seen is troubles and strife!! She is floundering, drowning, carrying the excess baggage of fears and hopes!! Not to mention the heavy burden of guilt too!! And she seeks her ANCHOR...her beacon, her light house in this dark times!! For a fact, its not only she who guides him, acts as his shining star, but he too is her ray of hope!! Her only hope!! And she feels him slipping away, their dreams of a future together falling through her fingers like sands of time...
In desperation she rushes to him, seeking the comfort that only he can give, the solace that only his arms can provide!! He is stunned to see her...a figment of is imagination?? A dream come true..a fantasy breathing and living??? Call her whatever, he will always be delighted to see her, whatever the circumstance!! His first reaction...utter disbelief!! He thinks of her all the time...may be his tired mind was playing tricks or his yearning heart was pranking him or ...coz he can't be that lucky! Or may be he was too drunk?? Really 😆...!! But nope she was there and so was the gleam of sheer pleasure in this eyes!! His Nandini was so eager to see him, she had broken rules to be by his side...it felt good!! Really really good!! And so he worded his thoughts...so late...what the heck was she doing there?? And his fantasy frowns, gets peeved and starts walking away...😃
She snapped coz she was stretched too taut, pulled too far!! So is that all he could say?? Wasn't he going to be happy..to hug her..to welcome her with open arms...is that all he could think of??? It hurts coz she was already hurting!! And he understands!! He knows she is spoiling for a fight, she is worried, tensed, going through so much, trying to stay afloat, while the waters closed around her and she was a non swimmer at that...not used to the unpredicatability of life's liquid!!
He holds her, never to let go!! Refusing to let her walk away, trying to soother her brow, ease her frown!! It spills out then, her doubts, her fears, the uncertainities...overwhelming!! The fact that nothing seemed to be in her hands...she was being pushed and pulled by forces unseen and uncontrolled!! Her anchor, more wiser in the vagaries of life...a far more seasoned swimmer in troubled waters...Manik...tells her the gist of all he has learnt so far in the deeps and shallows of tides...
Let it flow...let it all go...just go with the flow!! When life gives lemons...you make lemonade..simple!! Its not always in your hands, or in reality never in your hands, so learn to adapt, to accept, to move on with whatever life throws at you and try to do your best!! There are times when everything has to be blocked, the troubles have to be forgotten, the tears have to be stemmed, the worries have to be pushed to the back of your minds...and you simply relax...let go..just so you are strong enough to face the next battle. You have to pause and rest before the next war begins!! Yes, life can be overwhelming at times, but then we have to learn how to cope. Block it all...live in the moment, cause if not, this precious moment will slip away too!! She needed it, he needed it, this break from battling...to face the fact that they have zero control over happenings, so they will have to learn as they go!! And if she cries, he will have to cry with her...all the way, sharing the saltiness of her tears. But if she smiles, he will be sharing the sweetness of that upward curve too. He wants her to always do what she does best...smile and shine for him!! Her smiles are the mile stones in his life...each event marked by her happiness...its going to be alrigh then!! Cause you see they are in this together...forever!!
And that is all that matters!! Be it good or bad times, funerals or picnics, sunny seas or grey waters...they have to be together, the rest is immaterial. Nothing else matters!! It's all about us, walking through the maze of life, the jungle of times, the ocean of tides, hand in hand, arms enveloping arms, smiles intermingling with tears, hearts beating as one, souls forged in one...together forever!! The rest can rest, everything else can fade or jade but not us...not our love!! All we need to do is ...stay close!!
He leads the way, arms wide open, gazing at the stars...teaching her how to let go coz sometimes that's the only way to hold on!! He surrenders to the waters, as they are...cool and confident..!! He lets it all go...and asks her to do the same!! Walk with me...my way...on my path...will you?? Do you trust me...do you trust us...then just jump. Do not fear or test the waters...don't be afraid cause I will always be waiting for you...just join me..in every adventure, just come with me and face the world!! He waits, for her to trust him enough to let go!! And his Nandini never disappoints him..ever!!
She follows with her cherished hopes, her unbreakable beliefs, her never ending love...and simply jumps!! Like he taught her, with eyes closed yet arms open to embrace whatever comes!! Her landing is rough, coz she is not used to this ...this impulsive letting go, this kind of strategy to face the surprises of existence..she is just not equipped to deal with such waters...but he is there!! Her anchor in seas...he holds on to her novice fears firmly, giving her the confidence she needs...supporting her, assuring her that he will always be there and she will always be safe with him.Thus teaching her how to swim and survive!! Be it upstream, or down, be the waters welcoming or wrenching, swim we all have to...but he is an expert one...having faced the most turbulent tides in his short time!! No better teacher than him Nandini, to teach you how to clear the miles of unpredictable and vast oceans that await you!! He has seen it all ...and with him by your side...you will learn to tide over too!! He slowly and gradually relaxes her, calms her and then teaches her how to float!! Float in the foams of fortitude, glide in the gashes of inflicted pain, flow in the gaping fissures ...just float!!
On their backs, gazing at the stars...two souls..learning to live life..learning to let go...learning to cope..learning to...love!! Hand in hand, eyes on each other, they pause on the edge of reality, they rest on the ledge of eternity...Tomorrow can hold multi layered challenges but they have each other...and they will effortlessly glide through it all!! No storm can be big enough to drown their love!!
Reality intrudes...she needs to go back to her world and they both will have to follow the formalities of society!! She feels a bit awkward..the aftermath of letting go...and he senses it!! His head does take over his heart as he gets his magic wand...A Hair Dryer!! lol...😆...but hey it works...!! We are reminded that as wise as they are, as mature as they are ...they are still a bunch of too much in love ..teenagers and so are hormonal 😆!! No surprises then about what happens next!! He takes her hair in her hand...and in all honesty this kind of focus and single minded attention to her hair..was oh so sexy!! He played with her tresses, feeling them, enjoying their length, feasting on their silk, caressing her waves...he loves every part of her beautiful self doesn't he?? What self indulgence...and she relishes it all! She loves his desire, his devotion...shy and proud at the same time, that he finds her so irresistible. Having dried my hair at least a zillion times in my life...this mundane chore has found new shades of sensuality (sigh..with No Manik to go ga ga over my bits...sadly reality suck..or drys 😃)!!
That dearies was anything but a lesson in hair dynamics!! 😉 It was pure passion as his fingers entwined in her curls...wet n wild!! Of course the dryer moved to other places...she needed drying every where after all...and he was just being caring...😆...err interesting places...her blush said it all. She was so embarrassed by his attentions, shy at his heated glances!! He was lost in her...totally...in the flow...when she had to remind him...the world awaits and we will have to go!! He lands back on earth with a thump...farewell time...and he is not happy!! He wishes this night would never end...and so do we!! 😛
At home...harsh and bitter reality awaits!! She steps from a dream into the abyss of drama!! Her actions were obviously misconstrued...looking from the eyes of a guardian...the time...the place...her behavior...and her partner in crime...were all inappropriate!! They are both not wrong...just at the opposite sides of a prism!! ONe thing Ams said will always stay with me...if you have to hide it...it has to be wrong!! The wisdom of years, the morals of a lifetime...the experiences of an entity..!! Nandini's attempts at redeeming herself and Manik..fail!! As expected her Ams was not going to forgive and forget easily. Her hopes of making her precious Ams see light...go down the drain in the light of the day!! She is gone...and Nandini feels cheated, perturbed...not a good start to an important day!! She was counting on this opportunity and life once again, sucker punched her, cheated her of a chance!! The letter...so crushing, so hurtful to the girl. It carried the pain of an old and loving relative...her disappointments, her misunderstandings...and Nandini felt totally devastated under the pressure of expectations...of hopes and dreams that were pinned on her by her most precious relation!! One more blow on a day that promises to hold many more bruising hits...But remember the night...the man...the anchor..the waters...the liquid of life...learn to flow!!
P.S...do I see a silver lining in Cabir's life?? Is his mother finally thawing??? The breaking of Fab 5...the children she saw growing up right in front of her eyes...her kids...her bachchas going through such turmoil..going through such troubled times...such strife...it hurts..momma ...it hurts!! But hugs are magical...they heal!! Keepin my fingers crossed for the mother son duo...they seem to be finally rediscovering each other...finding their groove back...waiting with bated breath...
Pandit...love to hate him...his quiet villainy will not last long now...he is headed for his own funeral...may he RIP!!
...MaNan...today were out of this world!! Simply magical...weaving spells...stuff dreams are made of!! They make us insane ...don't they??😉
Anupamaa
