Keeping the Promises (22 page)

“So, having fun, Ansh? By beating around the bush? By insulting everything your friends and my dad did for us? I left my own engagement for you and I thought you’d be standing there instead of your friends to receive me! But you know what? You never wanted me in the first place. It was I who was after you madly. But now, it’s enough! If you don’t want to talk to me, then it’s fine! From now
on, I’ll never cross your way; and I wish that makes you happy,” Angie cried out, leaving Ansh embarrassed before everyone who was gathered around.

She then handed her bag to Dhruv and said, “Dhruv I’m going, please keep my bag. I’ll take it from you later.”

She started walking in the rain, taking slow and attentive steps, her dress was soaked and her mascara was all over her cheeks, mainly because of her tears. She kept walking until she felt a force was holding her hand. She knew who he was; she could remember his touch even in the greatest oblivion. He possessed her hand, and she felt he was going to conquer her – again. The thought put an instant smile on her face.

“Excuse me ma’am, can you tell me the way to the examination hall please?” His voice came from behind her; she didn’t move, she wanted him to turn her around, with his hands on her shoulder and then…her back.

“Sorry, but I’m not going in that direction,” she answered playfully with a shy grin.

“How about a walk? To wherever you’re going!” Ansh was yet making no effort to move her and she felt mildly annoyed – as she badly wanted to see him.

“I don’t think you trust me enough to walk along with you, sir!” Within no time, his tongue was probing her mouth and as she was deprived of it, she made no attempt to hold back. He finally won her over and their love story was completed. The funny part was that she never thought that they would kiss in middle of their campus; but it didn’t matter now…they had their degrees with them.

“Angie?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it the rain or your boobs are getting softer?” He quipped.

Boys will be boys, whenever they kiss a girl, touching breasts is the next thing on their mind
.

She punched him hard on his chest and a sound of applause moved their attention; they saw Dhruv standing there, the only eyewitness for all their ups and down – perhaps the only living one.

“Should I send you an invitation card to join us?” Ansh shouted out.

“No, I thought I might wait until you finish your Boobjob!” Dhruv retorted with a big grin and eventually ended up running, with both Ansh and Angie trailing him with a punch.

As Ansh was asked to press a horn while he reached Angie’s home, he did accordingly and Angie finished all the preparations for their welcome. She was running here and there to make everything perfect. Mr. Shah noticed her and warned, “Hold your exhilaration princess, no need for any hurry.” She knew he was right, but then, she was an Indian bride who was going to turn her love marriage into an arranged one. She had to look perfect.

Ansh entered along with his parents, they shook hands with Angie’s parents and Angie was in a dilemma whether to touch their feet or not, but in the end, she did, putting a smirk on Ansh and Mr. Shah’s face.

Greetings were done, welcome drinks and snacks were served and they were settled to discuss further course of action.

“So, when should we tie their knot?” Mr. Shah was the first one to break the ice.

“I think in their mid-internship will be better, they’ll have the chance to focus on their pre PG entrance,” Mr. Bhatt, Anshul’s dad replied.

“Exactly, and I think Angel needs it more than Ansh,” muzzled her mother. Angie sighed in disapproval.

“Sir, before we go any further, I want to clarify that we have a condition,” Ansh interrupted. Angie felt a crushing force nudged deep down in her heart.
‘
What? A condition? Where did this come from?
’
She thought.

“Son, I and her mom left my company, and our house to bring together you two. I don’t think I can give you anything more, but still, I’ll try to fulfil your demands, for my daughter’s sake. So tell me what is it?” Mr. Shah said in disappointment.

Angie had never seen her father helpless; perhaps hurt, angry, disappointed…but never helpless, that too because of her. She decided in her mind that if it was anything like dowry – even with its mere chances – she would call it off.

“My father will brief you about this. Over to you, dad!”

Ansh’s father picked up his bag and pulled out some papers and a brochure, placing it before Mr. Shah.

“As you know, our house is not adequate for two couples, so we were looking for a bigger home, and there is this four BHK bungalow we have planned to buy.” He explained, leaving Angie’s family stunned and somewhere inside furious.

“Four BHK? That must be a costly affair!” Mr. Shah said, trying his best to keep calm.

“That’s why we have come to you, Mr. Shah!”

Angie was about to burst, but Ansh through his eyes pleaded her to remain calm, which she did, hoping for all of this to be a nightmare and was waiting for someone to come at rescue and interrupt the conversation.

“What can I do in that, Mr. Bhatt?”

“Well, we’ve decided to move there before their marriage. Alone, I can’t afford that house so we want your help in that. We want both
families to shift there, so we can plan better for their marriage. Here is the detail of home loans, we can share EMIs of that house and together, we can afford that house,” Ansh’s dad blasted.

Angie and her mom-dad had their jaw dropped open. This was beyond their wildest imagination.

“What???? You want both our families to live together?” Mr. Shah asked in disbelief.

“Yes, Mr. Shah. Ansh came up with this idea and like you, I too found it weird and illogical. But then, he left me with no choice. He proposed this condition to me before you and I could have agreed to it.” He explained and Mr. Shah turned to Ansh who was smiling.

“Ansh, I appreciate your affection, but you don’t have to do this for us,” Mr. Shah started and Ansh held his hand high to interrupt, poured himself some water and cleared his throat before he explained. “Sir, by this, I’m not returning any kind of favour to you. I know this looks mentally and practically irregular and in one word, crazy, but I was duty-bound to do this and the same condition I had put before my father when I told him about Angie. Now it’s up to you whether you accept me with this or not.”

Angie was ambivalently looking at Ansh and Mr. Shah simultaneously but unable to understand the uncanny condition her boyfriend had brought up.

Her father gazed at her and asked, “What do you think about this?”

Angie’s heart echoed,
‘
I badly want this dad!
’
but she remained silent. He then looked at his wife and as she knew her daughter’s wish better than anyone, she nodded with a smile.

“Okay then, if it’s your final decision, then let’s work on the finance.” He shrugged and picked up the papers. Angie, who had just witnessed a historical moment needed to go somewhere alone to celebrate it with herself and she stood up.

“Should I make some coffee for everyone?” She offered.

“I’ll help her in that,” Ansh voluntarily stood up.

They both headed towards the kitchen and the first thing they did there was a luscious kiss. She kept rewarding Ansh with her kisses for making this happen.

“When did you plan all of this, Anshu?” She asked, with her head on his chest.

“The day you moved here.” He kissed her head.

“What? I thought you didn’t want to see my face then. You were so miffed at me!” Angie said, moving her fingers through his head and finally giving him an opportunity to kiss it.

“Was I? Who told you that?” muzzled Ansh and brushed her lower lip with his tongue before entering her mouth. The kiss lasted for several minutes and luckily, no one came there to interrupt them.

“Angie!”

“Hmm!”

“I need to tell you something.” She didn’t look up, and remained still in his arms.

“Hmm?”

“This wasn’t my idea.”

“What?” She looked up, straight into his eyes.

“M, she took a promise from me. No one – not even Gajju – knows about it. She knew that dad will have to leave his home for you and she said, ‘When that comes up, you’ll have to make this wacky yet amazing thing happen’. I was just simply trying to keep a promise I gave to her.” Angie burst into tears as she heard it; her best friend did this from her deathbed? She was indeed a genius and after this, Angie knew she’ll never be able to find enough words to thank her. Not just Dhruv, she had made her life special too.

Ansh who too was having tears in his eyes, kissed her cheeks.

“I was planning to propose you in a different way after the convocation, but since you left me embarrassed and afraid before the whole campus, I didn’t have any choice left.” He chuckled.

“Oh poor baby! I’m sorry! I…I…didn’t know what to do then. I was so annoyed by your constant ignorance!” She put both her palms on his head and kissed his forehead.

“It’s okay, my love! Alas, this was bound to happen.”

And then, together they remembered their best friend M, who was now among the stars and just like Dhruv, they too were feeling her hand on their heads from the sky.

No one, not even god can write a perfect end for you! Unless he’s dying
.

Epilogue

I
Dhruv Gajjar, am sitting along with my best friends, Ansh and Angie, who just postponed their honeymoon for me; and the love of my life, Nirali, who pulled me out from a deep sludge and made me realise the value of my life, which I’d completely lost after M. And M, how can I forget that genius? When Ansh first told me about the promise she took from him, I had nothing apart from tears to offer. Angie was right, from her deathbed, she had made our lives special; but what is it that was bothering her?

“What is it Nilu? It’s been fifteen minutes since I finished my narration and you’re just sitting pale?”

“Dhruv, Ansh, Angie, I don’t know what my future will be with you all after this, but I have to tell you something. But before I speak, I want to tell you that you guys mean an entire world to me and like you three, I too was bound to a few promises,” replies Nilu.

What? Promises? From whom?

She grabs her purse and pulls out two envelopes from it. Wait! I’ve seen them somewhere…Oh my…How did she have them? Yes, same sky blue and purple envelopes which M had asked me not to touch.

“How do you have these envelopes?” I snap. Realising that my gaze makes her uncomfortable, I move my eyes away from her.

She holds my hand and says, “It’s better if I read these letters out to you.”

The three of us nodded and she opened the first letter.

Dear Nirali
,

First of all, I want to thank you. Inadvertently, since you brought the most special gift in my life, Dhruv Gajjar. Yes, I’m his girlfriend. M*****. I don’t know whether you know it or not but you were his first crush – to be precise, his first love. He always saw a shadow of you inside me. He used to say, the only difference between us is your specs. My intention of writing this mail to you is not to narrate our love story. Actually, I’m not his everlasting love; not anymore. We are not breaking up either. Actually I did, because I don’t want him to know that I’m dying. Yes, what you read is true, I’m dying. I’m in the final stage of Neurofibrosarcoma – a peripheral nerve sheath tumour. The tumour cells are rapidly spreading to every part of my body and eventually they will eat my body and free my soul. Only I know how I’m managing to type this mail to you. But before I die, I want to do something extraordinary for him. Something that no one has ever done for any one, not even in any book or any film and for that, I need your help. I’m following your updates on Facebook for a while and from there I got your email id. If you had and still have feelings for him, then reply to my mail; but only if you are sure about your feelings
.

       
Our eyes are widened like saucers, what in the holy lord’s name was that? A mail from M! It nudged deep inside my heart and perhaps she knows it too. She knew that my reaction to this would be absurd and that’s why she didn’t tell
me. But then, how can I be angry at something related to M? I took her hand in mine and kissed it to give her the strength she needed – just the way she has done all my life.

       
“Go on Nilu. I’m with you and nothing is going to change between us after that,” I said.

       
She cleared her throat.

       
“Then I met her, we had a lot in common. It didn’t take long for us to be friends and I bonded with her parents also. Dhruv, I can’t compare myself with her because she loved you with a different passion. We both loved each other, but we had that fear of rejection; she didn’t. I still remember her words:

       
“Nirali you know it’s not easy for me. I really don’t want to go. If I had a chance to be with him, I would. I don’t want to share his love with you or anyone and I mean it. But I have to do this hard job. I had to end the curse on my family here. I can’t see Dhruv sacrificing all his life looking after me where I’m on a wheelchair, waiting for my death. Even if I undergo surgery and sever off my leg, the cancer will come again. It will not stop coming till I leave my body. I’ve seen my grandfather dying with the same disease and I know how it will retaliate. I know Dhruv, he will give up everything to look after me, and I’m going to die anyway. I’m going to die sooner or later, but I don’t want to leave a depressed and good for nothing boyfriend behind. I’m doing this because he is not going to see a girl ever unless I send one for him. And I choose you. You were his love and he still has feelings for you, I’ve seen that and now I understand why – because of the person you are. I’m not imposing anything on you against your will; take your time, assure your feelings and decide. You don’t have to indulge yourself into anything just because I’m dying. It is going to be your decision.’