Day 37! - "Nandini..."
Do I call her mine or do I call myself hers? I don't know. Do I live in her or does she breathe in me? I don't know. Is she the girl who loves me or is she the girl "I...". I don't know.
One word, one name; Nandini. Yet she holds the ability to define every emotion in his life. She seems to be the definition of his whole life. He doesn't have the words to describe her true importance. He doesn't have it in him to describe what it would mean to lose her. It's unimaginable you see. It would be unendurable. She has no start...no end. All he knows that he feels alive because of her. All he knows is that he's learnt the true essence of life, love and laughter ever since she's stepped into his world. The saying; "you've turned my world upside down." It's so befitting for him. She indeed has revolutionised his world with a whole 360 degree turn.
His world. Once upon a time a dark dungeon. Like a cold, winter's night. The sky was always black. The moon overshadowed by the grey clouds. No sign of any shining diamonds for him to admire. His heart. A mere machine which was keeping him alive. Enabling him to walk, sit, eat, talk, play, move. An emotion-less heart it was. It had been numbed by the throbbing pain he had been experiencing for a whole 19 years. His fury and his heartache were his companions for as long as he could remember. His mother the curse of his existence. Her sight was enough to awake his rage. A very unhomely relationship you could say. As simple and as formal as a business deal. He used to give and she used to take. Love. A lie. Family. Never had one. Happiness. Never had he experienced. A deprived childhood. A scarred soul. He was as dead as a lifeless body. And the truth of his life was as haunting as hell.
However, god had been kind enough to gift him one gift. Friends. Family-like friends. Best friends. An unbreakable friendship. They were the only drive of his life. To protect them was his lifelong promise which provided him with a means to get through the day. Yet, he was alone. His life a hollow shell. His monstrous mask; his only strength-filling support. It helped him conceal his tears. It helped him curtain his wounds. Nineteen years of friendship, yet his friends never were introduced to the real Manik. Because the real Manik was never revealed. He was non-existent. An unknown lie.
She defined Manik Malhotra. His identity belongs to her. His time belongs to her. His heart; he lost it to her a long time ago. He's never believed in god, but he knows that if there is a god somewhere, he must be like his Nandini. He can't remember when he never trusted her because she is the reason he started to believe in the concept of trust.
And today he stands on a road where he wishes to fill her life with the same amount of love, happiness and life that she's filled his with. He's fighting not one, not two but countless battles just so he can safeguard her from this cruel world that she is so unaware of. He wishes to protect her from every devil, every witch, every demon that he's had the experience of facing. Their faces are ugly and their souls are absolutely horrific. It's a scarring sight to witness their ugly truths and so he wishes she doesn't have to observe them unmask their true self and he is able to unmask it for her himself, well before time.
"Nandini's the girl I... Nandini ke baare main kya bataaoon mai...she...she shines like a star. Sparkling. Jab woh meri life mein aayi hai na...my life has completely changed. Yes...yes I was not...matlab whenever I see her...uske waje se...I've started smiling. Usse kuch ho gaya na...toh main..."
So many fumbles, so many sighs. So many broken sentences, so many tries. He smiled when he mentioned that she taught him how to smile. And that same smile turned into a frown when his miseries and worries caught up to him inside. There was a "love" missing in that sentence and the last sentence should've have ended with "main mar jaaonga...". But it's not necessary for every word to be spoken. Sometimes our silence ends up expressing more than what we had hoped for.
Another fear grows in him today. A rather adorable fear. The fear that his future grandmother-in-law seems to have the most wrongful impression of him. He's frustrated with him for not being able to see pandit's intelligent move. He scolds himself for ruining the chance of proving himself to be the best suitor for Amms' Nandini. "How could I make this happen for us Nandini? How could I..." Us' It represents the future he sees for the both of them. It expresses his hope, dream and wish of spending the rest of his life with his shining star. He's beyond angry with himself today because he has pretty much donated a winning point to that demonic panditji today. And his frustration with himself increases as he finds his vision blurred as to what the devil is planning next. His Nandini. He can't lose her at any extent. He must fail the devil's next move because time is running out and his heartbeat is at stake.
She can feel her own fears surfacing and she needs his touch, she needs his words of reassurance, she needs his presence to calm her down. Today she was Manik's Nandini and today he was Nandini's Manik. She portrayed his routinely characteristics and he possessed her behavioural acts.
His Nandini. So baffled with the fact that her Amms is not talking to her. Fearing the uncertain future because she can't hurt her Amms but she can't afford to lose him either. A few days ago he had imitated his Nandini to be your shy next door girl. "Manik...abhi nahi...Manik nahi...Manik please go...manik go." Long gone are those days when Nandini used to be Nandini. When her shyness hindered her to listen to her heart. When her shyness disabled her to express her heartfelt wishes. Today she was Manik's Nandini. "Manik...I need to meet you right now!" She figured he probably didn't understand her urgency in the first go so she repeats herself. "Manik I need you right now, I need to meet you."
Roles reversal.
If her love was compelling her to act like Manik's Nandini...his care ensured him to behave like Nandini's Manik. If she was being the fire, he ought to be the water today.
Her Manik.
Just as puzzled as to how to reverse this first impression that Amms seems to have witnessed today. Just as fearful as to what will happen if Amms' silence takes another wrong turn and the situation becomes even more uncontrollable. "Acha listen listen listen. Woh Amms se jab mai mila tha aaj, tumne reaction dekha na unka kya tha...mujhe dekh kar. So mera waahan aana and meeting you will create more problems aur situation aur bhi kharaab ho jayegi. So let's just avoid this okay?"
His Nandini. She wasn't going to take a no' as an answer today. What part of 'need' didn't he understand? Her stubbornness peaking as her needful desperation escalated. Her voice rose to a higher note too. She wasn't going to sit back and wait for the next morning to arrive. The fears were spreading. The fear of her Amms' unexplained silence. The fear of not being able to sing with him tomorrow. The fear of not being able to take their mutual hope upto the finishing line. "I need to meet you Manik...tum samaj kyun nahi rahe ho?!"
Her Manik. Applying her theory of rationality to the situation today. What part of 'things will get worse' wasn't she understanding? The calm came to him naturally today. He needed to keep his mind clear and focused in order to avoid further blunders. He tried to calmly reason with her. To pacify her needful heart that to act so irrationally may not fall in their best favour. His own fears were making him restless. The fear of losing this last chance to become one another's. The fear of allowing pandit to gain another deceitful point. The fear of being separated from his source of breath if by chance her Amms rejected his suitability. "Nandini mai samaj raha hoon. But you should also try and understand. If I come there, situation aur bhi kharaab ho jayegi jo hamesha hoti hai."
Nandini.
There's no doubt you've changed him. You've made him realise of his lifelong priorities. You. This relationship. It's his last hope. You're his last hope for his survival. So he unwillingly has to reject the offer of coming to visit you. His heart breaks to know he's upset you but he's helpless. His fears are just as overpowering. His need of you is just as demanding. But he fears for his future. He can't help but be selfish that he wants you with him for the rest of his life and so he must sacrifice this one night's visit to be able to visit you permanently for the rest of your life. Well until you two get married at least. Manik Malhotra. The boy who's never even feared a rat, fears your dearest relative today because he knows she loves you just as much as he does. And hurting her would be like hurting you. He's always been aware of the change you've brought in his life. But today his heart joyed when he realised his value in your life. It delighted him to know he's your priority too. "First time...first time you were being stubborn. Stubborn to meet me. But wrong timing! Damn!"
Nandini...you've made room for yourself in the hearts of his friends too. They've realised your importance in his life. They've understood that he's incomplete without you. His best buddy seems to not understand right now but it's not your fault. You must remember it was never your fault. The fault lies in him. He's unable to digest the bitter truth of your loss. He's unable to see how he's not only inflicting pain upon his own friends but he's deepening his own wounds too by disclaiming their advices and requests. But you mustn't worry because the rest of your Manik's family has accepted you wholeheartedly. They're realised that you and him; "Nandini and Manik are destined to be together."
It would be an incomplete saying if I were to say you're Manik's Nandini. Because the other half of this story says; that he's Nandini's Manik.