It's Deepasub's Birthday - OS Updated

If God Wills!!

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"Will he? Will he not?" Staring at the dark humungous water form through the cabin window, she thought again. Three months before, when the question popped up for first time, she confidently dismissed it, for, she knew HE WOULD!! Fatefully, when the question recurred almost every hour of her wake, she hated the suspense it brought along. Suspense gave rise to uncertainty, uncertainty to negativity and negativity to something she despised all her life - fear!!

"11:55pm!!" Breathing deep, she smothered the pleats and got up to check herself for one last time - perfectly draped Sandal and maroon Kashmiri silk Sari, unbound hair, a small red dot glowing like fire amidst the dark brows - she adorned exactly like how she did ninety days before. Even her state of mind wasn't very different - anxious she was, then and now, for two completely different reasons. She stepped out of the cabin to put an end to the tormenting suspense.

The hallways are as silent as they are supposed to be on an impassive weekday. The distant music confirmed that the few late sleepers should be enjoying themselves in ballroom. Before embarking on the last steps to her destination, she stopped and looked around - a few whites here and there, but no traces of the lush haired BRITISH INDIAN she half expected to see!!

Shunning the disappointment slowly seeping in her, she trekked up. Halting at the entrance of sundeck, she scanned the visible portion of it. Dull and deserted it is - just like it had been three months ago. Exhaling deep, she checked time - 11:59 pm.

"Its almost time!!" Rubbing her upper arms - an act to vent out her anxiety and also to warm up from chilled monsoon night - she began walking to East. Her senses were on high wake; ears keenly erected to trace his voice, eyes sharply scanning around to spot his presence and nose drawing long steady breaths to whiff his fragrance. She's almost there, to the East of Cruise and her gait speeded up. The scattered chairs, the British flag flying agile, the starless night, the slashing wind -everything appeared same like it had been three months ago. She unconsciously held her breath as she took the next crucial steps. One... Two... Three and there she is - at the very place, at the very time they were supposed to meet. And there - he ISN'T!!

A huge relief followed by a sharp pang of defeat dissipated the alacrity in her gait. Relieved, because the suspense ended; defeated, because the ending wasn't encouraging. All these three months, she was so confident of a positive end to this day that she detested thinking of an alternative question. "What if he didn't come?"

She once again checked time. "Thirty seconds past twelve and he isn't still here. It means he's not coming!!" She decided as she knew that for sure. She didn't know much about him but she is pretty confident of one thing - if she's here at twelve, so would he!! And if he isn't, it implies he wouldn't!! Finding no reason to run around the deck looking for him, she simply headed towards the spot, their spot - the one where it all started three months back. Spreading her arms on the railing, she looked up at sky and found a familiar companion. The lone star sympathetically gazed down at her conveying something.

"What did we come for and what we did?" A secretive smile danced on her lips while her mind drifted into past!!

~~~

"11:58pm. Damn!! I'm late!!" checking her watch, she ran upstairs. If not for the impassive night of a weekday, she would have been the cause of heart attack for a few weak hearted on board. Why not? With free flowing tresses, along with the free flowing Pallu of Sandal & maroon Kashmiri silk Sari and with feet that barely touched ground, she appeared none less than an apparition.

Once on the deck, she slowed down catching up on breath. She gasped filling her lungs to their maximum and then broke into a naughty grin. "What did I come for and what am I doing?" she laughed at the stark contrast in her thoughts and actions. She briskly walked to the designated spot, a spot she had to vacate ten minutes before, to re-fix a scattered red dot between her brows. She had to fix it because Sari and Bindi on her are HIS all-time favorites.

Her feet stopped ten feet away, for, the supposed to be vacant spot is no longer vacant - it was occupied by a man, tall and brawny; his chiselled torso perfectly carved in a white Kurta-Pajama. He stood at the very place where she stood earlier; doing the exact same thing she did - gazing at the lone star.

As she stood gauging the stranger, he checked his watch and for reasons best known to her, his gesture fetched an amusing grin on her. "A Kurta clad Indian man on a deserted British Cruise deck at an odd hour of a solitary night looking into his watch and waiting for the clock to tick twelve - could anything be more interesting?" She smiled folding her arms in uplifted curiosity and remained a silent observer.

He retreated a step while she watched, bent on his knees and raised hands in prayer. A quick prayer it was as he rose to feet in less than five seconds. His arms firmly spread on the railing, his left foot easily landed on the first bar of it and then she spoke. "It's not going to work out!!" At that unexpected voice, he stood stalled and turned back.

"... definitely not", she advanced with sheer solemnity. "You are going to fail because you're facing east and the wind is blowing towards West. Haven't you heard the phrase, GO WITH THE WIND?" she quipped. "Your attempt would get you nothing than a toppled landing on the lower deck, banging your head into one of the chairs and if you hated milk when you were small, you'll also end up fracturing a few joints, which definitely is not your goal, I suppose."

An amused smile escaped his lips, as he stood intrigued by the alien form walking towards him. A Sari clad Indian woman on a deserted British Cruise deck at an odd hour of a solitary night walking towards him and reading his mind - could anything be more interesting? He smiled folding his arms. "You've a plan?" he asked and she was, for once, a little awed by the tranquility in his eyes.

"I do!!" she nodded stopping before him. "But before that..." she gauged his inscrutable eyes, "Who's SHE?" she asked and he was, for once, a little awed by the alacrity in her eyes.

"How did you guess?" he probed with a smile.

"Its generally said two losses weaken a man..." she said locking the flying Pallu, "Love and power!! You look too powerful to be weakened by the latter; hence it should be the former. And it should be a SHE unless you tell me you fell in love with a HE!!" she chuckled and he chuckled harder.

"Hindu?" he asked noticing the dot between her brows. She nodded.

"She too was!!" he calmly said and asked. "Who is HE?"

"Why do you think it is a HE?" she laughed.

"It's generally said there are damn too many trivia to weaken a girl", he quipped mimicking her. "Ranging from gaining weight to losing love. You look fit and prim, so it should be the latter. And it should be HE as a woman wouldn't give up life for another woman."

"Muslim?" she laughed at his quip and asked remembering his way of prayers. He nodded. "He too was!!" she calmly said and added. "How did you guess I came here for that?"

"With the very instinct by which you guessed my act" he grinned, "Any normal human in your place would find me an amused passenger lost in admiring the beauty of sky. It's not easy to read my mind. I bet it!!"

"Right," she grinned in agreement. "Why this place and this time?"

"Why do I feel you know the answer?" he smirked, raising an inquisitive brow.

"I think I do," she nodded pensive. "So she was part of it?" she sympathetically glanced at him, recalling the cruise mishap that shattered tens of lives directly and hundreds of lives indirectly - same day, same time a year before.

"Yes!!" he nodded and rightly guessed. "I suppose he too was!!"

For a brief moment, their eyes brimmed with pain as they ardently empathized with each other, silently nursing their unhealed wounds.

"Why are you doing this?" she murmured. She knew she's asking the absurd-est of the questions at that moment, yet she did!!

"She's a Hindu..." He opened up, "... and she believed in rebirth. I'm sure she's reborn somewhere. I'm in quest of her. I believe in her beliefs and am here to manifest it", he stated and she stared startled as if the man before her is real or a photocopy of hers, of course, with a morphed gender

"I see you too have similar reasons..." he suspiciously glanced at her startled eyes and when she laughed, his eyes widened in pure disbelief, "Is she real!! Or my replica?" Utterly astonished, they continued glancing at each other, experiencing an unknown connection silently taking its shape.

"He's a Muslim and", she elucidated, "... he believed there's no rebirth. I'm in quest of his soul that found shelter in Allah. I believe in his beliefs and am here to manifest it."

"Why did you wait for one year then?" he asked intrigued.

"To clear few debts and to fulfill few promises", she grinned. "I didn't want either of us to be cursed for abruptly leaving. And you?" she naughtily winked. "Did you want to be a year younger than her in next birth?"

"No. I had to wait for the same reason you waited," he grinned back in serious amusement. "To settle few things!" he affirmed and added. "When I first saw you, I thought you're an apparition. Now it's confirmed. Two humans can never ever be so akin. Since I'm still a human, you have to be a ghost," he laughed at her flying tresses.

"I would've been one by this time..." she guffawed loud, "... hadn't our little unexpected dalliance postponed my plans by..." she checked time, "... by two minutes."

"And after our little unexpected dalliance..." he lazily smiled, "... ANY CHANGE in your plans?"

"How about you?" she teased before answering.

"Shall we give it a test?" he proposed in gleaming delight. "I mean if our thoughts are truly compatible?!! Let's count three and we both have to give the answer when we finished three. A simple test to prove we're not copying each others answers."

"Great!!" her hands clasped in excitement. "Let's start!!"

ONE... TWO... THREE... ABSOLUTELY NOT!!

Their voices echoed in unison. Dazzled, he stared at her in complete fascination and she was no less. His forehead wrinkled into a bemused frown and he stepped ahead to pat on her shoulder. At the same time, she too stepped ahead to pinch on his upper arm. When they realized they're confirming each others physical existence, they erupted into a loud convulsive laughter. "This can't be true!!" shaking head in mirth, she bridged the remaining gap. "Who are you, my friend?" she tenderly asked placing her hand on his chest.

"Your friend as you called..." He softly brushed his knuckles on her temple. Silently speculating the destiny's game behind this last minute companionship, they spent a poignant minute in each others arms.

"Shall we?" he whispered and she nodded. "You said you had a plan?" he asked.

"I lied" she winked. "My plans were ditto as yours. The wind philosophy is bullshit as I couldn't tolerate someone copying my plan!!"

"I thought so as the wind wasn't blowing towards West" he winked back. "You think we'd succeed then?"

"In Sha Allah (IF GOD WILLS)" she seconded with a smile. Giving her one of his best smiles, he retreated his arms from her. Standing side by side, hand in hand on the wide steel railing, they faced the giant water body and closed their eyes.

"Hare Krishna!!" he sent his last prayers and opened eyes.

"Allah ho Akbar!!" she sent her last prayers and opened eyes.

The wind smiled watching the eccentric couple, who believed in beliefs of their beloved more than their own.

ONE...TWO...THREE... GO!! Their bodies dived into air in unison, the chill wind slashed them and they held hands tight not to tear the lock apart. The projectile of their bodies finished the upper curve and started on the lower curve. They descended down at drastic speed, straight towards the engulfing water body... down... down... and some more down. And then they landed with a thud!!

"Aah..." their loud screams got muffled in the rolling rudder and roaring propeller sounds. He knew nothing except that his legs hit the railing of lower deck, for reasons unknown, that he was thrown back on to deck and most importantly that he lost her hand. He immediately got on his knees; his movements too swift like a snake and ran towards the railing. Blood began dripping from his temple, down to his cheeks and then onto his shirt, but he least cared, for he was totally oblivious of it. With thumping beats, he looked down into water for some kind of hints of the drowning or drowned lady but he found none!!

"Allah..." a loud scream tore from his heart, "No..." he cried, preparing to finish what they began together. He was back in position on railing when he heard a faint sound, "... here!!" he heard and he strained his ears against the propeller sound, his heart speeding at its maximum. "Is that you?" he shouted.

"Down..." she cried but it reached him as another faint sound. Interjecting his feet between the horizontal rails, he bent two thirds of his body down. He saw her Pallu fly and he bent some more down only to confirm he's not seeing an estranged cloth. He had to see with his eyes that the cloth is still intact on the beautiful body. And there she was- hardly three feet above water level struggling between life and no life.

"I see you!!" he first mouthed an assurance and then strained his eyes to verify she had some support. Alas, the sight he got was discouraging. She just hanged, her limbs free in air but her back hooked to something. He discerned her life entirely depended on whatever she's hooked to - it could be as strong as an iron peg or as fragile as a wooden twig. Whatever be it - he had lesser time to think and even lesser time to act.

Firmly clutching the rails with entwined feet, he bent to the maximum possible level to get hold of her flying Sari. Shucks!! He failed!! No, the beholding pins of her Pallu made him fail. "Remove the pin and let it fly up," he shouted an instruction, simultaneously doubting her mental state. "Is she in a state to act?" He dreaded at what her mind might be going through - hooked upon a meek support on a swaying Cruise, not knowing how long the support would last, ostracizing life above her and inviting end below her. "In sha Allah!!" he prayed loud. "We will do it friend!!" seeing her stay passive, he cried. "Please..." he begged, "... please don't give up."

Very true he was!! Her plight was exactly like he envisaged - with tears that pooled up behind shut lids and with her mind fixed on counting moments before drawing the last breath, she stayed still... dreading!!

She didn't know what happened to her and what's going to happen. All she knew was her feet hitting the railing; her body glided down the contours of cruise till an iron peg pierced her skin and then it hooked her up. She discerned it was her blouse that saved her and she slowly opened eyes to estimate how long she can live with a half torn blouse hooked to an iron peg. And the sight she was welcomed with was beyond her wildest imaginations. Rushing waters right below her feet, roaring engines right next to her ears, total darkness above her head, quaking limbs swaying in open air - she looked for some additional support and she realized she's hopelessly hanging in a formidable spot. She closed eyes bracing for the worst and then she heard his cries.

With resurrected hopes, she desperately shouted "HERE!" but she doubted if it reached him amidst the engine sounds. And then she heard him again... his instructions to throw her Sari up, but she didn't flinch. For, she dreaded to move. What if her minute movement caused the hook that had been holding her blouse to yield its support?!! She remained passive vacillating of the consequences when his prayers reached her ears - "In Sha Allah!!" That moment she threw up her hesitation, as she truly believed in beliefs of her beloved.

She slowly moved her hands to carefully remove the pin minding not to exert any pressure on her blouse, let it should tear apart sending her straight into water. Seeing her move, his spirits boosted up. "Bravo!! We'll do it!!" he cheered from top. When she successfully unpinned, the unbound upper portion of the six yard cloth flew up... up and up until it landed in his protruded hand. "Caught it!!" he happily yelled from top and then she released the breath she had been withholding.

Quickly tying the cloth to rails, he passed on next set of instructions. "Ready!! Hold it firmly with right hand" he watched while she followed his instructions. "Now, pull some portion of cloth out of your waist and twirl it around your left hand." She did exactly what he said and once done, she shouted at top of her voice. "Ready!! Pull me up!!" The gale in her voice conveyed how boosted her morale was with the new found support.

"One... two... three!!" At end of three, he jerked her up with all his power and she screamed. "Are you ok?" he asked horrified and she shouted she's fine, clenching pain between teeth. The iron hook finally set her free, throwing her into open air, but not before deeply kissing her skin. Though it hurt, she loved the hook!! She gave one last thankful glance to it and then looked up - to her second savior!!

She saw him, stretching down the railing and trying his best to save her. She saw him and only him while he powerfully pulled her up battling against the even powerful gravitational force. "You're almost there!! Hold on tightly." He encouraged but it fell deaf on her ears. Her mind is totally fixed on contemplating about the man, and the reasons behind their last minute encounter.

"Hold the rail with right hand" He instructed and she realized she was pulled up - towards life and away from fear. She did as he said and slowly crossed past each bar of the railing. When she's sure enough, she placed her feet on the bottom rod, holding the top one with both her hands. Without waiting a moment, he forcefully scooped her up and they rolled back onto deck with their bodies cuddled in each others embrace.

"Thank God!!" he sighed clutching her tight, feeling assured of her existence. "Thank you!!" she cried coiling into his arms, feeling assured of his presence. Too drained to move, they stayed like that while the radium hands of his watch blinked the time: 12:06am.

"Three minutes!!" he thought, caressing the fragile form. "Three minutes and a complete U-turn of our lives!! Why? Who's she to me? Who am I to her?" Lost in thoughts, he brushed against her bruise and she winced. "What is that?" he asked and she got up sitting straight.

"A sweet memoir of the night!!" she smiled and noticed his blood stained Kurta. She traced the line of blood up and stopped above his temple. "Oh!! You too have a sweet memoir," she joked pressing an end of her Pallu against his wound. Grabbing the other end, he pressed it against her back.

"Shall we see a doctor?" she naughtily suggested, thoroughly aware of the consequences of it. "Not unless we are prepared to be kicked on our butts first" he seriously opined. "... and then treated to endless Psychiatric sessions while we rotted in jail under the charges of suicide." She laughed at the gravity in his timbre and he too laughed. "Don't you think jumping again into Channel is a better option?"

"Right!!" she gladly agreed standing up. "While we're on the topic.. let me ask why I felt like.." she pulled the down lying Pallu up and stood frozen watching the direction it flew. He stared baffled at what she stared and then they looked up confirming their surmise.

Their supposition is true - indeed, the wind is blowing towards West - the changed direction of British flag too testified!!

Bedazzled, they glanced at each other and broke into a rapturous grin. "It wasn't total bullshit you see", she flaunted. "It WAS when you stopped me", he retorted. "... but not when we jumped. I think the wind heard you and changed its direction!!"

"Do you think we succeeded or failed?" she wondered.

"Let's decide on it while we nursed each others wounds" he offered, draping the flying cloth around her uncovered torso.

"Now... it is proved" she smiled holding his hand and walking along, back to cabin, back to life.

"What?"

"If God Wills!!"

Occupied in their world, the couple missed noticing a second star that made its silent appearance beside the erstwhile lone star.

~~~

A beautiful smile brightened her face as she remembered the fateful night. Drifting out of thoughts she checked time - 12:03am. Three minutes past twelve and he isn't yet here. She looked up at the lone star and unconsciously her left foot lounged over the bar of railing.

"It's not going to work out!!" She heard from behind and at that compelling voice, she stood stalled and turned back.

"... Definitely not" he advanced with sheer solemnity. "You are going to fail because you're facing east and the wind is blowing towards West. Haven't you heard the phrase, GO WITH THE WIND?" he quipped. "Your attempt would get you nothing than a toppled landing on the lower deck, banging your head into one of the chairs and if you hated milk when you were small" He smirked as he steadily approached her. "Which I'm sure of as I too hated it, you'll also end up fracturing a few joints, and that definitely is not your goal, I suppose."

An ecstatic smile escaped her lips, as she stood enthralled by the expected man walking towards her.

"So do you've a plan?" she teased, folding her arms.

"I do!!" he nodded stopping right before her. "But before that..." He noticed the returned fervor in her eyes. "I've a question for you!!"

"Is it about the note I left before I disappeared the next morning?" she guessed, intently looking for the bruise above his temple.

"No!! About what we did after returning to Cabin and before you disappeared in the morning!!" he closed in, unfolding her arms and taking her fingers into his. Reveling in his proximity, she patiently waited for him to speak - half guessing what he intended to ask.

"Why?" he gazed straight into the depths of her brown orbs. "Why didn't you stop me? You were fully conscious, fully aware of what's going to happen, yet why didn't you stop me?" he pulled her close. "Why did you offer YOU to me when you didn't do that even to HIM?"

Smiling straight to his inscrutable eyes, she softly asked. "And when you realized the truth, which I'm sure you did, why didn't you stop then and there? What made you proceed?"

"The feeling of being loved!!" he revealed, firmly holding her elbows. "I so damned missed it that I couldn't refrain when it is offered. And also to lure ourselves back to life!!"

"My exact thoughts", her eyes gleamed in part disbelief and mischief. "Though we slightly differ in definition of missing being loved!!"

He laughed and circled his hands around her. "And then you leave me with a stupid note?" he read, recollecting the exact words in her note - Let's give our compatibility a test. Meet me after three months, same time, and same place!! Till then Good Bye friend!!"

"What did you do after seeing that note?" she curiously asked, scooping her arms round his waist.

"What do you think I did?" he teased, brushing his hand above her spine.

"Decided then and there to meet me after three months?!" she rightly speculated.

"I did that and much more" he winked, running his finger into her blouse, tracing the old wound. She twitched at the shudders he sent down her spine, and he laughed continuing with his act. "I grabbed your watch on side table, just beside the note and forwarded the time by three minutes."

"What?" she screamed astonished. "How did you do that when I already left before you woke up, with my watch on my wrist?"

"I did that...", his face descended down, his lips seductively whispering into her ears, "... after you abruptly woke up from sleep, sat pensive for a while and then scribbled the note. You're busy draping your Sari, with you back towards me, giving me ample time to sneak into your note and plan my actions. I was in wide wake when you kissed me good bye!!"

"Why didn't you stop me then?" she thought she screamed but it came out as a mere whisper, all hails to his sensuous lips on her earlobe.

"Because..." He kissed the soft skin that held the diamond stud. "I too wanted to test our compatibility. By the way, how did you plan to prove it?"

"I planned to..." resting her forehead against his and tightening her clasp around him, she wetted her parched throat, "...meet you after three months, and ask one question that would decide if we're compatible.

"What is that?" curving his fingers around crook of her neck, he asked.

"That is to ask you what did you do these three months" She whispered the question and before he answered she shushed him up. "Let's count three and say the answer together at end of three!!"

ONE... TWO... THREE... "Back to life, tried my best not to think of the night and eventually failed!!" The moment they discerned what they said, they zeroed the gap between their lips, their bodies and apparently their hearts!!

She had too many questions to ask him, like "Why he forwarded time by three minutes?" "Why he loved her three times that night?" "Why she felt she was pulled back when they jumped from railing?" "Why he wore a traditional Kurta-Pajama then and now?" and most importantly "Who are you, my love? What's your name?" She badly needed answer to last question, for, she has to give his last name to the lives taking shape with in her. It's a secret!! Her little precious secret she planned to share tonight and thank him for luring her back to life.

He had too many answers to give her, like "He forwarded time to stealthily watch her like she watched him last time and give back her own advice" "He loved her three times that night just because three is his lucky number", "She felt she was pulled back when they jumped off the railing, because he actually DID", "He wore a white Kurta-Pajama for the exact reasons she wore the same sari then and now - as their beloveds loved them that way" and most importantly "I'm your love as you called. And my name, you'll eventually know when you sign the wedding deed!!" He also had to say that he's aware of her secret - her little precious secret she hasn't yet shared, though he cracked it by himself when his hands glided over her slightly plump tummy. And he did thank her for luring him back to life.

Since their lips were too busy fighting for domination, their compatible grey cells executed with the talking session. Gone with the wind of love, they failed noticing the British flag flying in a changed direction, towards West and also a second star showing up its place beside the erstwhile lone star.

*********

Hey Deeps ,

"Jodha..." He couldn't refrain calling. When the mystified lady turned back, Jalal seriously asked. "Promise to share your secret with me."

Growing suspicious if it's again about the last night wrack-up, Jodha asked, "What is that?" Pinning his eyes on her, he walked ahead while she stood perplexed, her back glued to the machine.

Pleasuring on her frozen form, Jalal deliberately stopped right next to her, barely two inches away. "The secret behind..." he whispered and stopped engulfing her fragrance.

Planking his shoulder against the handle of elliptical, Jalal leisurely lingered his gaze on her face as if he forgot to complete what he began to say. Clutching her dress tight and holding her breath, Jodha stood still looking down.

Seeing no other word coming from him, she slightly tipped up her chin and that movement brought her face precariously close to his mouth.

Her mellow, nervous eyes met with his intense, compelling ones and it demanded a great effort from her to stand straight, battling against the quaking limbs. "Secret behind?" she murmured drawing a shaky breath.

Smirking at her feverishness, Jalal brought his lips down, to her ears. "Secret behind..." His breath fanned her earlobe. "...your slender form. How do you manage to be thin without any workout?" Done with exertion, he smirked and pulled his torso back, liberating her from his captivating aura.

Sighing in huge relief, Jodha scooted aside, simultaneously wondering why she couldn't do the same earlier - scoot aside and get over with his magnetism. "Under his spell," she griped under breath. "My mind freezes along with body. If not for that, there is no reason on Earth to explain my stillness!!" After conveniently attributing her feebleness to his overpowering charisma, she felt free of guilt.