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It had been three days since she had written that letter. Three full days. She had sent it by overnight mail so it must have reached him.
And he must have read it too!
Chal pagli. Unhein kya tera khat parhney ke elawa koi kaam nai hai? Khandelwal khandaan ke saputr hein wo. Aur kitney kaam houn ge unhein.
Par ek khat tou parh hi saktey hein na.
Tou kya pooray jahan mein tera ki khat reh gaya hai parhnay ke liye?
Par unhoun ne hi tou hum se kaha tha ke wo hum se baat karna chahtey hein.
Baat karna chahtay hein. Tujeh apni daily diary nai banana chahtay!
Par koi tou ehmiyat hogi meri un ki zindagi mein.
Pagal na ban Khanak. Kya tu ne un ka rang dhang dekha tha? Smart hein, parhay likhay aur good looking bhi. Larkiyoun se baat karna un ke liye koi nayi cheez nai hogi.
Par shaadi ke liye tou nayi baat hi hogi na.
Ziyada hawa mein pulao na bana. Yaad hai tu ne kya tay kiya tha? Wo kuch nai hai terey liye. Tu jaanti bhi nai hai unhein. Aur un ka khat bhi itna to-the-point tha. Tu ziyada hawa mein urr mat. Neechay zameen pe tha kar ke tu hi giray gi phir.
Her own self had defeated her own arguments justifying her restlessness and anticipation for Shaantanu's reply. Usually Khanak had concrete resolve. When she decided she wouldn't do something she usually stuck to it. But something about Shaantanu Khandelwal made her resolve weaken. And of course, Khanak didn't like this.
After this conversation with her mind early in the morning, at about 6 am, Khanak got out of bed and headed downstairs to check for mail. She had done this everyday since she had posted her letter because of her naivety of saying yes to Shaantanu for his letter-exchanging idea. She'd rather die before either of her parents, or siblings for that matter, found out she was exchanging letters with him. It was a scandalous idea and she had ridiculously agreed to it. Such was the dilemma her heart had put her in.
Obviously, there was no letter the first day. Neither on the second one. Unfortunately, neither on the third one i.e. today. But she continued her routine and on the fourth day, she was rewarded. The brown mailbox placed outside the front door was blessed with another beige envelope addressed to Ms. Khanak Jadeja. She grabbed it as if it would disappear if she waited another second and made a dash for her room. When inside, she carefully bolted the door and checked if it was indeed locked.
Of course she was kidding herself. She may not have decided whether she liked Shaantanu Khandelwal or not, but she obviously cared for what he thought. She had built castles in the air. And though she wasn't proud of it, she knew Shaantanu Khandelwal had indeed been given some form of importance by her in her life.
Again the paper knife was taken out from the pencil holder and was used to slice the envelope open. Again she found a parchment, neatly folded, waiting for her to bathe it in her gaze.
Dear Khanak,
I am deeply humbled by your acceptance of my proposal for a mode of conversation. Your prim sentences have made their mark nonetheless and if a traditionalist like yourself would prefer another mode, I believe I shall be able to oblige.(Traditionalist?! How did he know? Is he mocking me?)
However, what must not be lost in this whole prospect is that speedy overseas mail is not something we should take lightly. After all, the purpose of these letters is to communicate. Have a conversation, if I may take the liberty of saying so. Yes Khanak, I believe we know very little about each other. So little that it will be a shame to either fulfill or disregard our parents wishes upon this amount of knowledge that we have of each other. I may sound business-like but alas, I have been brought up in a business-like environment.
I do not believe that setting off at a pretentious beginning would do either of us any good. I am not unknown to womankind and the fact that you are unknown to me it just a little less than bothersome (Oh so am I a business file now?! And not just any business file, one who is not even significant enough to be deemed bothersome if it is vague and mysterious? A little less than bothersome, my foot!). Our fathers have been the greatest of friends and I see no reason why we shouldn't be either. But for that, my dear, I'll need a little more than two sentences in your next letter. :)
Regards,
Shaantanu Khandelwal.
"But for that, my dear, I'll need a little more than two sentences in your next letter."
"But for that, my dear, I'll need a little more than two sentences in your next letter."
And she read again.
"But for that, my dear, I'll need a little more than two sentences in your next letter. Regards, Shaantanu Khandelwal."
Khanak could not control her fast-paced breath. Neither could she cool down the heat that crept up her cheeks. The worst part, however, was that she didn't know why the blood rushed to her face. Was it out of affection for the man had addressed her, albeit briefly, "my dear" or was it because he had the audacity to ask her to write what he called "a little more than two sentences."
Not surprisingly, Khanak had been overwhelmed by Shaantanu's letter. And his distinct fragrance made her mind all the more hazy. She was having difficulty in analysing his letter but, as they say, persistence pays off. Khanak decided that to write Shaantanu an appropriate reply she would need to identify a few key things in his letter. The key things which indicated to whatever little or great extent as to what type of a man he was.
Nay, she wasn't like Shaantanu. To categorize men was not her hobby, neither was it an option. But she needed to identify something stereotypical about the man. He was, after all, a rich Mumbai hunk, a Harvard graduate and possibly one of the most eligible bachelors in India's corporate world.
Mentally she made a list of a few things she intended to find out about Mr. Mumbai:
1. Was he actually a gentleman or was he trying to remain emotionally detached from any conversation between him and Khanak?
2. Was he actually eager to get to know her or was he simply bogged down by family pressure?
3. If it was the latter: Was he actually being bogged down by family pressure or was he trying to show as if, even as a modern-Mumbai-eligible-bachelor, he cared for his family?
Only after getting her answers to these questions would Khanak move on to contemplating whether she had a future with his man or not. According to his letter he was "business-minded" even in daily life and perhaps had no significant interest in Khanak. Though Khanak was a traditionalist, it can in no way be said that she was a misfit in the world of the 21st century. She knew her principles but she had her purpose. If he man could interest Khanak, she'd determine if she wanted him. And if she did, she'd try her best to find a way.
And this debate brought Khanak to the final question: How would she reply to Shaantanu Khandelwal?
Okay guys, I hope it's long enough and that Shaan's letter lived up to your expectation or at least tickled your curiousity. As always, waiting for your feedback! 😊
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