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PART 3
Pathak - Raman! I'm so sorry. This irritates me the most. Who does he think he is?
Raman - Her brother.
Pathak - Even so, way over the line. Forget that. You know what? She'll be proud of you.
Raman looks at pathak with a frown up on his face. He looked disgusted.
Pathak - Alright! you're pissed off with me. I know, thousand times you said me to stay away from this. But brother, I'm worried about you.
Raman - I'm fine.
Raman just utters those words and leaves the place. Pathak looked hopeful. He expected Raman to come back and ask for a shoulder. But Raman's nature wasn't one to do so.
Raman takes up the stairs as he always did. Avoiding elevators, something that he believed to be stress releasing. An activity that would control his agony.
HOTEL ROOM
Raman sat down on the floor, resting his back on the bed, He stared at his phone and tears rolled down his cheeks.
It was Shagun's last video. She had made the video on their anniversary night, where she had planned to surpise Raman.
"How are the heels Raman?"
(she was showing her heels)
"Alright, this is just a promo of how today's night is going to be! see you at 8 tonight. I'm so excited. Take care. Love you"
(And she had sent her a kiss).
Raman rewinded the video again and again to see Shagun talk to him.
Life was harsh, and since three years, he had been struggling to fight his fate. And eventually he lost his charm of living life.
Three years back, Raman was announced as the Business head of the Bhalla group of companies. He was given the best MD award. Raman had planned to keep it a secret and disclose it on their anniversary and surprise Shagun.
Shagun on the other hand had planned lots of their anniversary and the news of her being pregnant added extra excitement to her happiness.
But when fate has its own plans, no one can blend into it.
*****
Mihika was busy showing Ishita the pics she had clicked.
Mihika - Akka! doesn't he look great. I mean, man of 30, lost wife, intense look in his eyes, Oh My God!!! he so killed me while taking his pics.
Ishita - I broke up with Subbu.
Mihika - Wha.. What??
Ishita - That jerk has been cheating on me.
Mihika - Told you. Why don't you try on Raman Bhalla?
Ishita - shut up! He had asked me for a coffee and I acted dumb.
Mihika - WHAT? Raman Bhalla had asked you for a coffee and you refused him. Are you kidding me right now?
Ishita - He's like another man. Desperate to date girls. I'm sure his wife left him for the same reason.
Mihika - She didn't leave. She...
Ishita - Would you just let me live on my own for a while. I dont wanna hear anything. Specially nothing about Raman Bhalla and his charm.
Mihika - but Akka...
Ishita - Mihika leave.
Mihika - Fine! live with it.
She walks out, slamming the door behind.
Ishita sat there staring at the black space.
*****
" Pain and cigarette are directly proportional. Cigarette and alcohol is more of a habit. The denial mechanism"
Raman conitnued signing the books and talking to his visitors. There were many like him, who had lost their husbands, or sons, or many wifes as well and they all lived up on Raman's advices, leaving the person himself.
While doing so, he noticed Ishita walking in. He begged for excuse to his visitors and ran to meet her up. But then he stopped himself from doing saw. He saw her kneeling down in front a small boy and talk to him her heart out. Raman at once realised that Ishita had lied to him abotu her being dumb. He couldn't control his anger and he rushed to her.
Raman walked to her and tapped her on her back, "excuse me"
Ishita turned to him.
Raman - Oh My god! There has beena healing.
Ishita stared at his face with a blank expression.
Raman continued, "You like making a fool out of people? Pretending to be Hellen Keller?"
Ishita - Uumm... Technically she was blind also. So..
Raman - oh sure!
Raman turned to the boy Ishita was talking to and said, "would you mind excusing us boy?"
He left them.
Raman turned back to Ishita to continue with his speech, "see! I need to know a thing or two about people. You get exposed to a lot. Probably like you, you're smart and you're creative and you're caring and deep but how come the guys only see the package it comes with? sure because you're flattred. But ultimately it becomes tiresome because you have nothing to do with it. You're credited for it, born with the talent. You're insides though, that's yours. That's what you want someone to truly see. Even a stranger. And again, you fake a handicap, rather than trying to have a conversation with the fellow human being. You prefer sign language? fine!"
Raman popped his middle finger out and walked away.
Ishita stood there watching him walk away.
Raman walked into the washroom, and stood there supporting the basin slab, staring at his shoes and re-thinking about the conversation he just had, "smooth! really smooth!"
And that is when Ishita walked in with her full aggresion on.
Raman stood up on his feet and said, "excuse me? this is the men's room."
Ishita, without giving a single second for Raman to speak, continued with her speech that had kept running in her mind, " You know, I would want you to excuse me. What did you have in mind? Some sweet romantic courtship? Some bar and roated peanuts before we consummate our love in a glow of Spectravision po*n? God, I'm so sorry! your little ego took such a bruising.But you know what? I bet the next chick that you meet in the elevator or, I don't know, the gym, is gonna fit that bill just fine. Even though I bet you have a wife who is actually stupid enough to believe that you're the one guy with integrity. The one guy. Until, of course, she finds that lipstick mark on your boxers, and then it', game over, pal. And that one thing that you held so dear, that one thing that you loved more than anything in the world, is tainted and ruined and destroyed like that. (snapes) Ergo, if you had a brain in either head, you would realize that I was doing us both a favor."
Raman stared at her as she spoke her heart out. The flash sound from the other bathroom came and a man walked out of the room. He stared and Raman for a second and left confused head.
Ishita turned back to Raman and said, "good bye"
Raman stood there watching her go.
******
Ishita was in her clinic, sitting on her chair, with her mind still in the washroom where Raman stood in front of her.
That is when Sarika came up with a bouquet of white roses in her hand.
Ishita - Where did that come from?
Sarika - I know. He said that you know it well.
Ishita took over the bouquet. It had a letter tugged in between the top most flowers.
It was ishita's visiting card that read, "QUIDNUNC"
She flipped the card to the other side and it read, "DINNER?"
Ishita at once knew who it was.
******
Raman waited for in at the at restaurant.
She walked in, in a black pant and tank, with a white coat over.
Raman - Hi!
Ishita - Hi!
Raman got up, and pulled the chair for her.
Raman - Don't you look grand?
Ishita - My My Fancy
Raman - The concierge said it's good.
Ishita - That's good. He should know.
Raman - Yeah.
Ishita and Raman stared at the big french window, until Raman spoke up, "it stopped raining"
Ishita - it sure did.
Their entire evening went staring and smiling at each other. Awkwardness at iy's height. Neither of them soke much, other than rain and food that was being served.
Finally after they were done with the dinner, Raman helped Ishita wear her coat, which she had removed and placed it aside. She finally said a good bye and was about to leave, when Raman called out for her, "Ishita?"
Ishita turned around to says, "yes?"
Raman - You know! I haven't... um Haven't been on a date in last three years. Cause.. um.. I was married. Like normally I'm quite dashing and debonair or whatever 'D" word there is, that would impress you. But right now, it's painful. Cause apparently I'm a little rusty."
Ishita - why would you say so?
Raman - I don't know, a desperate attempt to hold on to. Whatever shred of masculinity that I have left?
Ishita - Okay so? So I'm your first since divorce?
Raman - Umm no!
He thought for a while, whether to release the news about his wife being dead. And then he decided to keep it within.
He continued, "Actually yes. You're the first one. Because that explains a lot. And that in there, it was really bad.
Ishita - Really bad.
Raman looked down and then looked back into her eyes and said, "well, then.. "
Ishita - I'm going to my clinic. Would you like to walk with me?
Raman - sure! that would be good.
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