19. ELOPE

Nisha was recovering well. Her wounds healed faster than before. Her figure became more perfect as she gained some weight. Apart from medicine, it was my love which helped her in healing. From happiness of getting Nisha back in life to a sadness of winding up of our business, my life switched to a different track. It was my only hope to fulfill all our dreams. Some crap happened in it and my life took a new turn. I was blank for a while, when Ankit informed me everything. Because of some disputes in management, we had to close our business. I had dreamt my future with it. I had never imagined myself doing something else. I couldn’t change my direction to a different path. It was tough for me to digest a harsh fact about it, which was no more. 

Life always remained unfair whenever I tried to enjoy. It pushed me to a tough situation every time. End of our business brought an end of Riya in my life and it was the only positive thing in it. I used to call her once in a week after my final exam, regarding our work, but even my weekly calls disrupted. There was no other reason left to have a talk. So, we detached ourselves from everywhere. Even from mind, I had no further conversation. Not only Riya, Anita too went somewhere out of our world. Everything ended unexpectedly. My sweet and harsh moments with Riya drowned somewhere within me. Nisha swiped out her leftover memories with love.

After dissolving our business, neither she texted nor I tried to get in touch. I had planned to end it, but definitely not in a way it happened. But it didn’t pain my chest either.

Sitting and uprooting grass, I remembered how my parents inspired me to be a banker in my childhood. Their dream was to see me as a baker. So, I converted their imagination into reality and enjoyed working for it. I had enough time to prepare for a government job because I was only twenty-two. So, I enrolled for preparing IBPS, an entrance exam to get a bank job. Kartik continued with his family business. Ankit and Nisha continued with further education of Software Development in a same institute, close to my house.

Within a few months, I covered up almost entire syllabus. I attempted for the first time and got to know I was only a few steps away to crack. I knew, If I had prepared till next exam which was going to happen next year, I would definitely had cracked. So, keeping trouble aside, I prepared hard.

It had been around a year, and I kept preparing. I only lacked speed so, I worked on it. I was about to try for the second time with more experience. My preparations were well, yet I missed with some marks because of lack of speed.

It firmed me with my decision to try once more until I crack. But even it was not acceptable to this world. My life didn’t allow me to settle with ease. Nisha called one night and told me to meet next day urgently. It exhausted me. I took a round of my activities of the past few days to check what crime I had done. I checked my Facebook, and it was ok. My WhatsApp was ok. Instagram, ok. I was not in Hike, yet I downloaded for self-satisfaction and checked. Everything was spotless. My mind gave a hint if she was sad for my results. My eyes blurred with giddiness. Whole night, I suffered with low blood pressure. She didn’t talk, and it scared me. I was damn sure, there was not a single mistake from my side.

 Next morning, we met at our favorite place, beside our school at the river bank. Her hands and legs moved faster than normal. She took longer steps to cover her distance.

Two creases were easily visible between her eyebrows. Sweat on her face created a big suspense in my mind. I couldn’t handle my rapid breathing. Without even breathing properly, she wiped her sweat from her forehead. She sat on ground and uttered at once.

“My family is forcing me to marry within three-four months and I couldn’t stop this time.”

Once again, my life was in vain. Once again, I came into a situation where I may lose my Nisha forever. But I was no more the reason for her distressed life.

 “Don’t worry, even if you come with a couple of dress, my family will accept you.” I calmed her.

I assured her we would sort out our serious matter soon. I was damn ready to marry her but it was not a problem. It was my career which was an issue. I was not settled. I was in preparation mode and she was about to get married within a few months.

“But how can you marry with having no source of income?” she asked. 

I told her to go home with a promise to do something as soon as possible. She made my night very crucial. I still remember, it was totally a turning point of my newly emerged career. I had brought a revolution in my life. If I hadn’t done in a way I did, my future would have been different.

“Everything is not in our hand.” I had read somewhere and thought about it. I couldn’t find any single idea. Only thing which stroke my mind was to elope. Running away and getting married was ok, but how will I feed her? I asked myself. I was so desperate to get her, even running away seemed ok for me. I never thought about my parents, their image and all. Nothing bothered me in front of my Dilpari. 

I was ready to do anything and everything to get her as my wife. I had guts to face my family. But unable to generate any income was the main issue. 

After a long discussion with my inner voice. I quit my preparation and started a business. I needed income to convince her family. I desperately needed to show some handsome amount of income within three months. So, I dealt in ‘saree’ (An ethnic dress of females)

My father was a saree manufacturer some twenty years ago. He still had contacts of some supplier and I used it to make a good business. Within three months, I made myself settled, not completely, but it was enough to prove them I was earning. I was ready to pick even a knife to get my sweetheart in my life as my wife. I managed everything with some difficulties. I ran a half-settled business within three months.

Those three months, I worked day in day out. Whatever it required to do, to make a handsome amount, I did every single thing with passion. After three months, when the time came, I asked her, “What happened about your marriage?”

To which she replied, “Postponed for one year.” 

At first those words gave me a big relief, but later my blood boiled in a jiffy. Her four words pushed my lips and jaw to remain joined for a long time. But I slammed her in my mind. 

“How the hell you told they were serious about your marriage and now they have postponed? Was it a joke? What I have gone through these days you don’t even have any idea. I was so upset, I quit my dreams, I left my preparation not to listen to this.” 

I calmed myself and swallowed the fact at least we don’t have any threat of marriage for at least one year. I pressed both my jaw to stop my mouth from uttering any word. I knew I was about to give her a crap. I remained silent for almost two minutes. I wanted to slap her hard. How could she do a mistake in such a big matter? Only because of her foolishness, I had to sacrifice my dream. I forced my lips to bring a smile on my face and anger lost in vain.

After her misunderstanding, we enjoyed every second of our life with no fear of marriage. Sometime she used to taunt me for the sin but I was ok with it. I adjusted myself and made no scene. She used to feel better every time she pinched me. It hurt me a lot but, I uttered no word. I let her do anything to make her feel better.

Everything came on track. I guess planets turned towards me that time, when one bright evening, my sister called and informed they planned to visit Vaishno Devi Temple (A famous temple in Kashmir, India). It was a dream for me and my family to visit Kashmir. We were very excited and almost jumped on the bed. We requested to make our tickets as soon as possible. We didn’t want any kind of compromise in our journey.