I forgot to mention that I’m talking about my wife, Vartika here. She’s a wedding planner, the founder of ‘Dream Wedding,’ a startup based in New Delhi that is run by a team of 23 uber talented lunatics including myself. Well, honestly speaking, I’m not that much into the matters of Dream Wedding. I have a decent job after all. But being the COO of the company, and the beloved husband of the company’s CEO, I have some responsibilities of my own after all.
The fact that we have come to Udaipur on this little holiday is partly because we are here to finalize properties for a high-profile destination wedding. And on the second day, here I am, sitting alone at a beautiful rooftop cafe overlooking the Lake Pichola at one of the world’s most romantic destinations. Jheel Ginger Cafe, or the Coffee Bar as they call it, was recommended by a close friend of ours, who wanted us to spend some quality time together. Knowing that our relationship hasn’t been much colorful in a long time, it was the best chance to reenact the lost romance and pull us back together. But that doesn’t seem to work either.
I sit up straight as she returns, still looking tensed after the conversation she had.
‘Is everything alright?’ I ask.
‘You wish,’ she said. These pricks can’t handle a shit.
Shruti was supposed to be at the venue at 11 and she reached an hour late. Now they are giving dates to someone else. God, we should never hire interns, I told you.
‘So, now what?’ I say. Do we have to look for another venue?
‘I hope not,’ she says. I’m trying to convince them. You know how these event managers are. The more you pay, the more you get.
Don’t worry, we’ll get the dates. Let me talk to him once.
‘No need for that,’ she says. I’ve got this. He’s gonna call me back in a while. Have you finalized properties for that Marwadi wedding?
‘Oh yeah, I made a list actually,’ I say. It turns out that The Leela is all booked for the dates, and so is the Taj Lake Palace. Apparently, the City Palace is not giving permission for destination weddings at the moment. So we are left with Radisson and Ramada.
Won’t work. Both Radisson and Ramada are far from Pichola. The Marwadi client wants a magnificent lake view from the venue, most preferably a hotel island. Have you checked with Jagmandir Palace?
‘Yeah, it’s also available for our dates,’ I say. But it will be a bit off budget.
‘Oh! How much?’
‘16,000 per person for a day,’ I say. Plus taxes. Usually they charge 12,000 but it’s because of the wedding season.
‘I see. Anyways, let’s go and visit that island tomorrow. The client may consider exceeding his budget, given the best location.
‘I’ve already made the arrangements,’ I say. We are going there tomorrow morning to meet the manager who will show us around.
‘Oh, great,’ she smiles. So have you ordered that thing you were saying, what is it called?
‘Lal Maans,’ I say. It’s a lamb meat. But apparently, they don’t serve it here.
‘The guy told me we’ll have to go to that restaurant over there, if you can see it,’ I show her the place on the other side of the lake which was visible from this cafe.
‘Alright. We don’t have time for that actually,’ she said. We can eat that tomorrow. Let’s order something else.
And before I could say anything, her phone started ringing and I knew she was going to walk away, again.
‘It’s the event manager from Delhi,’ she says as she walked away. I have to take this call honey. Order whatever you like. I’ll be back in a few minutes.
So I guess now you can imagine how we live. My name is Rohan Awasthi and this has been my life for the past three years. I’m not saying that I don’t love my wife. I really do. But I also miss that old Vartika that I met five years ago. Who loved to spend time with me, keeping the rest of the things aside.
Keeping the emotions at bay, I tried to focus on the menu. Hiding my face behind the menu, as I skimmed through the list of snacks and beverages, I heard a familiar voice. Voice of a girl, laughing, talking, and asking questions in a way that somehow sounded familiar.
OMG! This can’t be true. What is she doing here? As I put down the menu, I could see her, sitting right in front of me. Nupur Malhotra. It’s been a very long time. I’m seeing her after almost nine years, and yet there she is. In one sight, she has given me goosebumps, spurring the memories that were almost lost in time.
Nupur used to be my highschool sweetheart, the only girl I’ve ever loved before Vartika came into my life. Nupur and I were together for seven years. That’s even more time than I’ve spent with Vartika. First in highschool, then in college, and a year after that. Nupur and I were so close to getting married. But fate had something else planned for the two of us.
Even after so many years, she still had that charm on her face. Sitting beside a man who was apparently her husband, she still looked larger than life. An ambitious girl with a mischievous smile, that’s how I’ve known her. I almost forgot I had to order something. The waiter was standing right beside me, waiting for my response. Without thinking any further, I ordered an XL margherita pizza and two blue lagoon mocktails.
I didn’t see her coming to this cafe and she didn’t notice me either. But just as I placed my order, she suddenly caught me staring at her and we have our first eye contact in years. That one small eye contact changed her demeanor entirely and I could notice her eerie expressions. She was obviously going through the same sort of feelings as I was.
Seeing her like this in a cafe, the very first memories that drifted through my mind were those of our internship period in Mussoorie. It was during the final year of our graduation. Nupur and I were working as interns at the DRDO in Landour, Mussoorie. Those three months that I spent with her were almost magical, and probably the best time of my life. The memories were still so vivid, I could almost feel it. The memories of us sitting outside the famous Ivy Cafe in Char Dukaan area almost every evening. The memories of us hiking up the George Everest peak in Hathipaon and admiring the enchanting view of snow clad mountains and the Doon Valley down below. Those late night walks at the Mall Road. Those cosy winter nights. Making out under the pine trees. That sudden encounter with Ruskin Bond. And witnessing our first snowfall at Gun Hill. It was here in Mussoorie that I first proposed her to marry me, on the final day of our internship.
Of all things, what I miss the most is her erratic behavior while she was on her periods. I still remember that crazy evening in October when Nupur pushed one of our fellow interns off into the mud. And my favorite one, of course is when she fed hash brownie to the dog of our hostel warden. All these things, she did during the menstruation period.
While most girls talk less and refrain from physical work during these 3-5 days, Nupur was just the opposite. The girl went crazy during her periods and believe me, you don’t want to mess with her during this time of the month. Whenever she had cramps, she had an urge to do something impulsive. Although she never did anything of that sort with me, I was always afraid of what she might end up doing this time.
Ruhi was another intern who worked with us at the DRDO. She was from Faridabad and for some reason, she didn’t like Nupur at all. But with me, she was getting quite frank and apparently, it wasn’t going down well with Nupur. It’s one of those female matters that I’ll never understand.
‘That bitch is driving me crazy,’ Nupur said. I swear I’m gonna break her nose someday or even worse, I’m gonna kick her in the ass.
‘Oh God! Watch your tongue, will you?’ I said. I don’t understand why you hate her so much.
‘Yeah, that’s what I was expecting to hear from you,’ she was sarcastic. Can’t you see how she treats me. The bitch ignores me when I try to be nice. She refused to help me with the assignment, saying she was busy with her project while you can find her at Ivy every evening. She’s the one who complained about me coming late to the hostel warden.
‘Come on, maybe she was busy with the project,’ I said. Ivy is a 5 minute walk from the DRDO, so it’s not a big deal if she sits there.
‘Fuck off,’ she said. You’re always taking her side. Just get lost with her and leave me alone. That’s what the bitch wants anyway.
Observing her foul mood, I decided not to speak any further, but before I could do anything, Ruhi appeared out of the blue and approached me out front.
‘I need to talk to you for a minute,’ she said to me, ignoring Nupur completely.
‘Here? Now?’ I asked.
‘Yeah, it’s important,’ she said. I won’t take long.
‘Okay. Sure,’ I said as I walked away from Nupur, hoping she won’t overreact.
I was inches away from Nupur, talking to Ruhi about her research project when I looked at her from the corner of my eyes. She was fiddling with her cell phone, her expressions clearly showing her exasperation. My conversation with Ruhi was hardly going to last another minute but before it could end, something awful happened.
It’s been raining in Landour since morning and although the weather was now clear, there was mud and water puddled along some patches on the road. A speeding Honda Amaze passed that way without slowing down on the patches, splashing mud-filled water at Nupur who was sitting on a bench right beside.
Nupur was dumbfounded and couldn’t move for a minute. The Honda Amaze was long gone and was probably descending Char Dukaan by now. I ran to see if she was okay but at the same time, I could hear Ruhi exploding into laughter and I knew that wasn’t a good sign. Considering that Nupur was on the second day of her periods and her vexed temperament, either me or Ruhi or both of us were in danger. Somehow controlling her laughter, Ruhi approached us and said, ‘You should thank me Mr. Rohan.’ If I hadn’t taken you away for this little conversation, you would have been the victim too.
‘Anyways, I better get going now,’ she said as she moved. I have to attend a book reading session with Ruskin Bond at the Cambridge store this evening.
Just as Ruhi was passing through the same stretch, something terrible happened that I wasn’t really expecting. Nupur stood up from the bench, dashed toward Ruhi and pushed her off into the mud, dousing her from head to toe.
‘I guess now we’re even, BITCH!’ she said.
The incident had a profound effect and everyone in the hostel was talking about it. Even the ugly beast got to know about it who was now mad at Nupur. Mrs. Sarita Bisht, the hostel warden was an ugly fat lady in her mid 50s. We used to call her 'the ugly beast.' Nupur didn't have a very good impression upon her. Mrs. Bisht used to call Nupur the most defiant and reluctant girl in the entire hostel. Coming back late to the hostel was a regular affair. She had often caught Nupur red handed while importing bottles of rum and whiskey inside the hostel premises. Earlier, she didn't call Nupur's parents as Nupur begged her not to. But this time, it seemed impossible to stop her from doing that. Not only did she inform Nupur's parents about that incident with Ruhi, but she told them everything about her bad habits and how Nupur was flouting the hostel's rules and regulations.
Belonging to a conservative family, it wasn't easy for her to deal with this mess. Nupur's parents were coming to take her back, but knowing that her internship is ending in the next 15 days, they considered not doing it, but warned her to be prepared for the consequences. It didn't go down well with Nupur who was now seeking revenge.
In boys hostel, I shared my dorm with Ramesh who was from Barshaini district in Himachal Pradesh. Being close to Kasol, Tosh, and Malana village, the town was famous for its rich hashish and marijuana plantations. Ramesh had to visit his hometown for a couple of days and when he returned, he was carrying as much as 200 grams of pure hash and a box full of hash brownie. I didn't smoke hash but eating a small piece of brownie had tripped me off for as long as 5 hours. I told Nupur about the effects of that hash brownie the other day and she was thrilled. When she expressed her desire to eat that too, I somehow made her believe that Ramesh ate the last piece of brownie the other night. I kept the remaining three pieces of brownie away from her reach. But later that evening, when she visited my dorm, she discovered those pieces kept inside the wooden almirah.
Mrs. Bisht owned a two years old Labrador named Michael. The dog was like a family member to her but a nuisance to the hostel inmates. The pooch used to sleep during the day and he would bark uncontrollably the whole night. Nupur and many other hostel girls couldn't even sleep for many nights, but complaining to Mrs. Bisht was of no use.
Now with this hash brownie, she knew exactly what to do. Mrs. Bisht had gone on her usual evening walks and Michael was chained near the water cooler. Seeing this opportunity, Nupur dashed toward the dog and fed those brownies to Michael. The dog seemed to like it and he ate all three brownies one by one. You don't want to know what happened next.
Michael kept sleeping for the first two days. At first, Mrs. Bisht thought he was dead. But later on, she was convinced that he is sick, probably ate something that he wasn't supposed to. She was all set to take him to the vet, but before she could leave, the dog woke up. And what he did next was totally unexpected. Michael pounced at her like a hungry lion. At first, she couldn't believe what she was seeing but when he kept doing those obscene acts, she got frightened. At last, she had to lock him up inside a room. For almost half an hour, the dog kept bumping his head into the wooden wall. Michael would take a few steps back and with full force, he would run and collide with the wall in the front. Mrs. Bisht thought that he was possessed with some evil spirit. After an hour or so, the hostel girls spotted her dressed up in a black gown and heading toward the room where Michael was locked. She was later seen chanting some weird mantras and performing some exorcism technique upon the dog, spraying some water at him at regular intervals.
The scene was horrendous and the girls couldn't stop laughing. Some girl took a video of the entire ritual which later got viral in Mussoorie. Michael got back to normal a few hours later, and Mrs. Bisht took the liberty of proclaiming that she had freed Michael from the evil spirits.
Although, it was a vicious thing to do to any person in the world, I had to say that it was the most dreadful revenge that I've ever seen.
Sitting in this cafe, it was my third eye contact with Nupur, and for the first time, she smiled. I could almost tell what she might have been thinking. That this life is so full of surprises. It’s as unpredictable as the person sitting next to you in a train or a local bus. Not even in our wildest dreams had we ever imagined that we’ll meet in such weird circumstances. Technically, it isn’t even a meeting yet. Staring right into her dark brown eyes, I smiled back at her, as if telling her how much I miss those days, how much I miss her presence in my life.
As I took the first sip of my Blue Lagoon mocktail, Vartika returned with a broad smile on her face.
‘We got the dates,’ she said. That moron Kanhaiya was acting like he didn’t even know that Shruti was there on our behalf. Said he had already locked the deal for Dream Wedding.
‘Oh that’s great,’ I said. So now that everything is falling back in place, why don’t you sit back and relax for a while. It was supposed to be a holiday, right?
‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she said. Let’s go somewhere in the evening.
‘Sounds perfect,’ I said. Where do you want to go?
‘We’ll see,’ she said. Let me talk to Madhur once, he and Saloni have come here a couple of times.
Standing in the corner of a glass shielded hall at Jagmandir Palace island, my gaze followed Vartika who sat with the event manager at some distance. The deal has been locked. We’ve finalized this property for the Marwadi wedding. I never expected the client to agree on a price that was almost twice his budget. But somehow Vartika convinced them to extend their budget. All I know is she sent them a couple of video clips from some high-profile weddings that have happened at Jagmandir Palace. Another driving factor was a weird fact that a classic James Bond flick called Octopussy has been shot at this place. The bride who happens to be a die hard fan of the James Bond franchise wants to shoot a music video here before the wedding with the Octopussy theme. Whatever be the reason, it’s going to be a huge break for Dream Wedding that would skyrocket its popularity, not only in India, but overseas too. I know if it wasn’t for Vartika, we could never hit this milestone so early.
It was the moment of triumph. And admiring her zestful profile, I felt proud to have her in my life. Who could have imagined that an upper middle class girl from Aligarh will single handedly lead a newly formed startup to great heights? Of course, I don’t get to spend so much time with her because of our own busy schedules, but I’m quite sure that it’s going to get better between the two of us. In fact, the last evening ended up unexpectedly well.
Later that day, we took a boat ride in Pichola lake from Dudh Talai and then we took a ropeway to Karni Mata Temple. The temple is built atop an ancient fort which offers an enchanting view of Pichola Lake on one side and the bustling Udaipur city on the other. We stayed there till Sunset and then went to watch a famous folk show at Bagore Ki Haveli near Ghangot Ghat. In the night time, we had a candle light dinner at a rooftop restaurant called Shamiana while admiring the beautiful reflection of the illuminated City Palace in Pichola Lake.
Right after this final meeting, we have plans to visit the Fatehsagar Lake and take a speed boat ride there. Then probably we’ll visit the Monsoon Palace to watch the sunset. And we’ll spend the evening together in our hotel island before we leave tomorrow morning. So you see that things are starting to improve and I think I can look forward to plan a beautiful future with Vartika.
I also remembered my last eye contact with Nupur yesterday as I was leaving that cafe with Vartika. Both of us were smiling. We knew that our paths may never cross again, and it might be the last time we saw each other. But we were so happy for each other, that both of us have found a perfect partner. As I told you that Nupur and I were so close to getting married. But things didn’t turn out well due to family problems. I tried to imagine how different my life would have been if Nupur and I were still together. Surprisingly, I could think of no better future with Nupur than what I have already planned with Vartika.
As I walk outside the hall, I see a beautiful canopy of white roses overlooking the Pichola Lake. The canopy had been erected for a pre-wedding function that is supposed to happen tonight. As I closed my eyes, I could see a faint silhouette of a girl standing under the canopy. Soon she was accompanied by a tall and lean guy who kissed her and embraced her like no force in this world can take them apart. Soon, the images became clear and I realized that those faint silhouettes were of our own, me and Nupur standing under the canopy. With their arms intertwined, they looked straight into my eyes now and smiled, before turning back. And then they walked straight toward the lake, soon to be disappeared.
In that moment I knew that Nupur was a beautiful chapter in this book of life that taught me several important lessons. If it wasn’t for her, I would never have learned the kind of patience it requires to make a marriage work despite the common household problems. With Nupur, I share hundreds of beautiful memories that I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life. Whatever happened between the two of us will always remain a secret. I won’t share her memories with anyone else, not even with Vartika. And I believe that she won’t share them with anyone either. I also believe that there are certain things in life that are better kept a secret. Never share them with a single soul, no matter how beautiful they are, for people can spoil the most beautiful things in the world.
Her memories are like a concealed chest hidden inside the deepest corner of my heart that no one else in this world can steal away from me.
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