The moment

"Damn these couples" I frowned.
Funny story how, till about a month ago, it used to be "us couples" for me and now, its not only "these couples", its worse. I hate the sight of a couple even remotely near me. Funny story how this transition took place. Maybe we'll talk about it some other time.As for now "Damn these couples". And why was i cursing couples? ...Read on

I was on my way to Ahmedabad from Gandhinagar in an auto at around 11'o clock in the night in my jeans and T shirt on a awfully cold December night. Why??? That's another funny story.Anyways the cold was getting unbearable and the journey had just begun. I tried without success to keep my mind off the cold. The auto driver's humming wasn't helping either.I tried humming some song on my own only to realize that metal songs are no good when hummed.The stupid break up of mine led me into hearing heavy metal songs and now I cant even hum when i feel like.Stupid breakup.

I noticed a couple stranded on the road waving to my auto for a ride. "Just what i wanted", i thought to myself. I could use some company. Maybe they will have some song of theirs and we could all play antakshari on our way.I had it all planned out. The first song I was gonna sing would be my all time favorite Antakshari song "Mehndi laga ke rakhna". I had the auto pulled over and offered them a ride. The guy looked fine and the girl was kinda cute too. Ok honestly, the guy looked fine and the girl was HOT!!! Well what can I say "God helps those, those who help themselves" I grinned to myself.

So now it was the three of us on a rickety ride to Ahmedabad. My antakshari dreams were shattered. While I was sitting there like a jerk giving my widest possible smile and waiting to spell out my grand Antakshari plans to them , there she was relaxing on his shoulders and there he was holding her hand. "Damn these couples"

I couldn't handle it anymore. I have never been silent for more than 5 minutes in my entire life and this was unbearable.I had to say something. Humming songs would have looked stupid now. This is intolerable. I need to voice it out. And I exploded in my blatant shamelessness, "Can I know your story?"

"Excuse me?" asked the guy.
"I am sorry to intervene but this long journey is driving me nuts and the cold is unbearable too. Could you just tell me your story so we could get through with this trip?" said the shameless me.
"What story?"
"Every couple has a story. You know, their special story. I am sure you guys have one too. Oh by the way, you two are a couple right?". Oops awkward question I thought.
"We're married" was the girl's reply.
My dreams were shattered for the second time that night.Not that I cared that the guy was married but the Hot girl was married too.
"Ahh...great. So tell me. You got your special story?" I inquired.

"hmm...Actually... there is one..."

This is the story that he told me. Its exactly how he told it to me. The story of Keith and Kaya.


"It was the last day of our school.Our farewell party actually.We all were dressed up for the occasion.I was looking like a fool as usual and Kaya was looking stunningly gorgeous in her black dress.Kaya never liked the kind of loud music that they played at such occasions. And I never liked anything that she didn't like.It was like this ever since we met. Ever since the beginning.Kaya just gestured to me from a distance and we quietly slipped out of the party. She walked her way up to the terrace of the School's main building.The view up there was divine. It was rather unusually breezy and cold for a March night. On a regular occasion I would have offered my coat to Kaya but that night something was holding me back from doing so.Kaya and I hadn't talked for about 6 months now since we had our first fight. In fact I was rather delighted when she asked me to come with her to the terrace.Little did I realize how awkward it was gonna be after all the cold vibes we shared for the last 6 months.
It so happened that after being her best friend for about 3 years now, it seemed pretty natural for me to ask her out. I thought it was the perfect timing. So on her birthday I told her that I loved her and would like to take her out for dinner. For some reasons, I was confident that she would agree to it. Never did it occur to me in my most pessimistic dreams that she could refuse my proposal. And that is what she did.
She thought it would be awkward for us from then on and so she shunned all contacts with me. She stopped calling me, seeing me, going to places with me. She stopped picking my calls, barred me from coming to her house. It had been like this for 6 months now. Eventually we all got busy in our college admission procedures and all these things took a backseat. But Seeing each other on the farewell night brought back all the memories. My parents were going to move out of out city to Delhi and therefore my chances of coming back to this city were scarce. I knew it pretty well and I guess she realized it too. That could explain the silence lurking amongst us. We didn't know where to start off from.
She walked up to me and slapped me right across my face. I was expecting an apology. This startled me.
"What was that for?" I asked furiously.
"Couldn't you try a bit harder?" there were tears in her eyes.
"WHAT?" I couldn't believe she would say this.
"Fine. I didn't talk to you.I didn't meet you. But that shouldn't have stopped you from doing so?"
"This is ridiculous. Didn't I try? I did everything to make up for it but you wouldn't listen. You just turned a blind eye towards me."

"I am sorry Keith. I cant do this. I cant commit myself to you." she declared.
"Its ok Kaya. But we can still be friends, right?" I didn't meant it at all but that seemed like the safest bet.
"I am still angry with you. You could have tried a bit harder?" she smiled while saying this.
"Shut up. You are just trying to lessen your guilt", I said.
"I'm gonna kill you"
She stretched out her hands to hug me but was held back by her conscious.She then held my throat and feigned to choke me.
That moment stood still.
I wanted to hug her. So did she but we didn't. It seemed inappropriate. Instead we just glared into each other's eyes and the moment stood still.I remember that instant of time as it happened yesterday. It kept haunting us for the rest of our college lives when we studied in two cities miles away from each other.That moment help us stay together through thick and thin through all these years.The moment seemed like a century of time.We were both infuriated at the way the last 6 months had turned out for the both of us but at the same time we were delighted as to the way things were moving now.We realized that this was it for the both of us. We wouldn't be meeting each other ever after this.And so we wanted to cherish this moment that we had with us.We knew there was never gonna be a similar time in our lives and..."

"But you guys were wrong, right?" I interrupted."I mean look at you. You guys are together even after so many years. So you guys did meet after that."
"No we didn't." was Keith's response.



"Keith, we are about to reach there." Kaya said feebly.
I noticed Keith leaving her hand and she sat straight too.Kaya had the auto stopped near a car and stepped out of the auto and got into the car.Keith asked the auto driver to start driving.
"Woaah...what was that all about?" I inquired.
"It was her husband's car",he said.
"What? but you told me that you guys were married."
"We aren't married to each other.We are married to two different people.Sheessh...grow up man."
"huh? what?" this was getting way too confusing for me.
"OK fine! we lied. We aren't married.It just felt good when you referred to us as a couple and we just played along."
"So how does your story end?" I had to get to the depth of this.

"Well...we never met after that.we kept in touch through phone and email. Got too busy in our studies and career to actually meet each other. She went abroad and got married while I was here setting up my business firm and eventually got married too.
Her husband had to come to Ahmedabad for a business trip and she accompanied him. That's when she came to know that I was in town too and we decided to meet up. We just met to commemorate our "Moment". When I saw her today it was like we were here together yesterday.Nothing seemed to have changed.We were the same Keith and Kaya who "almost" hugged each other on the roof that night. And that's it. That's our story." He finished speaking

I was spellbound.I didn't know what to speak at all.Keith got off the auto after a while and i reached the Ahmedabad railway station.Why was I there? I had come to pick up my ex girlfriend.She wanted to meet me for the one last time before we called our relationship off.


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