Kavita stepped into the ICU lounge with a tray of tea and biscuits. The lounge was crowded, as at 5 pm, people would be allowed to visit their patients in the ICU.
Kavita poured steaming tea into four paper cups, a skill she had learned in this very lounge a year ago when her father lay admitted into the ICU.
Bhavna took the cups and offered them to her husband, Bhuvan and his friend Amit, who had arrived while Kavita had gone to pick up the tea from the canteen.
Bhavna and Kavita perched on the edge of their seats, sipping tea as Bhavna updated Kavita about her mother-in-law's condition. Kavita heard, but her gaze kept drifting to Amit. Was it the face that haunted her all these years?
The space transported her back to Bhavna and Bhuvan's wedding day. She recalled the vibrant ceremony, the pheras, and the intense gaze of a stranger - tall, fair, with light brown eyes that seemed to see right through her. The memory flashed vividly, as if no time had passed at all.
The bell sounded, and Bhuvan and Bhavna headed into the ICU to visit his mother.
Amit walked away, and Kavita turned and slipped out of the lounge, her feet carrying her away from the past as much as the present.
Down the stairs she went, her strides quickening into a near-run.
Before she could hail a taxi, a blue Yamaha screeched to a halt beside her. Amit's eyes met hers through the helmet visor as he asked, "Care for a lift?" The words "No, thanks" hovered on her lips, but with the traffic at a standstill, she hopped on.
As they rode, the wind whipping through her hair, Amit eventually slowed down outside a nearby café. "Want to grab a coffee?" he asked, his voice casual. Despite her better judgment, she agreed. As they sipped their coffee, an awkward silence settled between them.
Amit's eyes wandered, rehashing the past. He recalled a vibrant wedding, a sea of faces, and one girl who had captivated him - the one sitting across the table now.
The memories came flooding back - a pink sari, long black hair adorned with a gajra, bold eyes lined with kajal and the lips shining pink. She was the life of the ceremony, sitting close to the bride, radiating confidence.
He was smitten by her beauty, just as he mustered the courage to approach her, she'd vanished.
Now, fifteen years later, he searched for that same girl in the woman sitting opposite him, trying to reconcile the past and present.
Bhavna's mind wandered back to the past, recalling the whispers of a proposal that had never reached her.
All she knew was that Amit's family had approached her parents, but being from different communities, her father, even though a defence officer, had refused the proposal.
The rejection had been final, and she'd never known the exact details, only heard the faint whispers of what could have been. Now, as she gazed at Amit, she wondered if he knew the truth behind their unfulfilled alliance.
"Myself, Amit Nautiyal," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he sipped his coffee and offered the waffles to her. "Kavita Joshi," she replied, her voice soft, her gaze drifting to the waffles before meeting his eyes as she reached for her coffee mug.
"Bhavna is an old friend?" he ventured
"Yes, we were college friends," Kavita replied, “Bhuvan's your old friend?”
"Were you there at Bhavna's wedding?" Amit asked, his tone casual, but his eyes betraying a hint of curiosity.
"Yes, I was," Kavita replied, her voice even, without a flicker of emotion.
She could have lied, but what was the point? Life had moved on.
"I was in the army, short service commission. After fifteen years, I'm now running the family farm, focusing on organic foods," Amit said.
Kavita nodded, her response concise: "I'm a CA, spent a decade in the stock market in Mumbai, then took over my father's homestay during the epidemic. He was also in the army, passed away last year due to illness."
“Sorry to hear that. Some more coffee,” he offered.
Coffee and sizzlers were ordered
The words flowed effortlessly, each sharing a glimpse into their lives, the past and present intertwining.
"How time flies…..!" Amit exclaimed,
“It seems like yesterday that Bhavna and Bhuvan got married”, with a nostalgic smile on his face.
"Yes, time does fly," Kavita agreed. "As long as things run smoothly and even and all is well."
Amit's eyes sparkled with interest. "Why? Homestay not doing well?" he asked, concern etched on his face.
Kavita's response was measured: "Not really, it is tough now that Dad is no more; handling the setup and maintaining the required standards isn't easy. Maybe I'll go back to Mumbai. Although city life was never my cup of tea."
Amit chuckled. "Same here! I almost waited for the day I could return to my family farm during my army days."
A little hesitation in his voice, he said, “I have a confession to make. I stalked you on social media, using a false ID. I know it's weird, and I'm not proud of it. I just couldn't help how I felt. I managed to track you down, and I've been following your updates ever since. I hope you can understand why I did it and how I feel."
A hesitant smile crossed her lips as she replied, “It's not weird, I too have a confession to make. After my engagement was called off, I moved to Mumbai and fasted on Mondays, as advised by my pundit. It might sound strange, but I thought, Why not? Yet, at times when I performed the pooja, you often lingered in my thoughts.”
As they finished their meal and paid the bill, he asked, "Where shall I drop you?"
Kavita replied, "I've booked an Ola, it must be waiting."
Amit’s question came next, "Can we meet again?" They exchanged mobile numbers, the promise of a new connection hanging in the air.
Barely eighteen and a half, Kavita's fate seemed sealed when her father announced her engagement at the M.B. Club in Lucknow. Adarsh, the groom-to-be, an officer posted in Kashmir, couldn't attend due to his duties on the front line. The engagement ceremony proceeded without him, a decision made by the families who knew each other well. Kavita's opinion was hardly sought; her future was decided by tradition and familiarity.
As she travelled, now, to her ancestral home in Nainital, memories of what could have been flooded her mind.
Adarsh had returned a day before the planned wedding, but he was already in a relationship with his Commanding Officer's daughter. His denial came as a bomb blast.
The wedding was called off, leaving Kavita shattered. Guilt, rejection, and a loss of confidence swirled within her.
Heartbroken and seeking a fresh start, Kavita decided to move to Mumbai to live with her mama and pursue her studies. She enrolled in the CA course, determined to become independent and forge her own path.
Now, back at his farm in Rudrapur, Amit's thoughts flashed back to Kavita. "City life is not my cup of tea, yet..." words echoed as Amit's thoughts swirled with memories of his own past.
As a young officer, he'd been a magnet for attention, especially from women. The CO's daughter in Pune made it clear she wanted to spend the night with him. But Amit had refused, and the next thing he knew, he was posted to the Andamans – a move that was supposed to be a punishment, but for him it was as peaceful as his home in the hills.
Kavita's messages and calls flowed easily. The distance between them seemed to melt away, and they soon were in a relationship.
Bhuvan lost his mother. Kavita and Amit stood by Bhavana and Bhuvan in their hour of grief. On the thirteenth day, a havan was held. At the havan Kavita and Amit made a striking couple – she in a light pink sari, he in a light blue kurta, stepping out of his Suzuki sedan with Ray-Ban shades.
As they took their seats for the havan, Kavita and Amit fell in line behind Bhavna and Bhuvan, a familiar setup that brought back memories of the wedding fire and pheras years ago.
Kavita's sari pallu slipped; she felt a gentle touch – Amit’s hand slipped into his kurta to pull out a ring, which he slid onto her finger.
“I propose we meet our destiny”, he said
“I accept”, she blushed, her cheeks a shade of pink matching her sari.
Soon after, they registered their marriage at the court. A reception followed at her ancestral home and the Rudrapur farm. The two communities were only too happy to showcase their cultural heritage as they sang, danced and enjoyed the feast of multicultural cuisine of the hills.