FUEL FOR LIVING - PART 8

“HHHHuuuuuTTTtccchhhh” Vidya sneezed. She had been sneezing for the past ten minutes.

Anand handed her a cup of warm water. “Oh! Vidya! You caught a cold so easily! I am so sorry!” said Anand and sat beside her.

They had enjoyed their share of the rain for almost an hour before being forced into the house by Vidya’s sneezes.

“Yeah..I...…HHHHHuuuutttccchhhhh. Not your fault.” Vidya wiped her nose on the tissue paper. Her nose was reddened. “I will have to take leave tomorrow. If I sneeze like this in my office, my colleagues will go crazy! They are so petrified by this cold! ” said Vidya and drank the warm water.

“Oh! Alright! I’ll come and take you to the doctor tomorrow.”

“HHHHHuuuutttccchhhhh….ok”

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The next morning Anand was at Vidya’s place by 7, preparing breakfast.

“I could have managed Anand, you shouldn’t have troubled yourself.” said Vidya sipping her coffee.

“Come on Vidya! I have taken the day off too, and am glad to be doing something useful.” He said and continued to beat the egg.

Vidya felt touched by his concern. Anand never seemed to think twice before doing anything for her. She couldn’t help but feel elated by the love he was showering on her.

------

After preparing the breakfast, Anand was busy helping Sindhuja get ready for her school.

“Buddy, I think you are getting it all wrong!” said Sindhuja with suspicion as Anand gathered her hair in his hand and combed through it. The comb didn’t come out and Anand tried to pull it out.

“Ooouccchhhh” Sindhuja pulled her hair away from Anand and frowned at him.

“Oops, I am sorry I hurt you. On second thoughts, you go to your mom and get it done. We’ll start for your school in another ten minutes” said Anand.

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“Bye buddy! Bye mom!” said Sindhuja getting down from the car and running towards the school.

“Bye darling.” Said Anand and drove away from the school towards the hospital.

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“Anand, my in laws were really happy when I told them about you!” said Vidya to Anand as she kept the phone back on hook.

They were back at home after visiting the doctor; finished their lunch and Vidya had just spoken to her in laws.

“What did you tell them?” asked Anand cleaning the dishes.

“I told them that I have a wonderful person here to take care of me and Sindhuja. I told them you are a good friend of Venkat too. They asked me to thank you on their behalf. And, they will be here this Friday I believe; coming earlier than planned. They got their visas and tickets too. They don’t want me to struggle alone here.” said Vidya in a low voice.

“That’s very sweet of them! It is certainly good for you!” said Anand, wiping his hands and proceeded to get the tablets for Vidya. “Our trip to Island will have to wait for now then.” He said as an afterthought.

They walked into the hall.

“I hate tablets Anand!” said Vidya making a disgusting face.

“I hate them too, but they will help you feel better! Here, gulp it down!” he said and handed over the tablets and some water to her.

She swallowed them and sat back on the couch.

Anand looked at her. The wrinkles under her eyes were darkening day by day and it annoyed him. She was over working. He knew that. He was glad that her in laws were coming, but at the same time he knew it would lessen the time he could spend with Vidya and Sindhuja and it thwarted him.

Vidya feeling better the next day, resumed office. Anand continued to pick up Sindhuja in the evenings to spend time with her. He would then pick up Vidya from office, have dinner with them at their place and then head home.

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These seemingly last days with each other, made Anand and Vidya closer; they would sit at nights talking for a long time about the past. They shared more about themselves and were puzzled at how different their thoughts were, yet how similar.

“I hate politics Anand; never can understand what drives people to it.” said Vidya one night.

“Power, Control and Money!” replied Anand.

“Hmm...Politicians are turning our country into a laugh riot! All they do is blame each other and let the common man suffer.”

“Yes and it is us, who let them do it. We are all too busy in our lives, our pleasures, and our anguish that we seldom pay attention to our country. A bomb blast today will hover in our minds for a week or so, and then we carry on with our lives. And then wait for the next bomb blast to protest and it dies out too. It has become a routine.”

“Hmmm….That’s true.”

Such conversations had become habitual. They never wanted the nights to end, couldn’t let go off each other.

Some times, a strange silence would drift in the air, and they both would sit in the garden staring at the sky.

“I have always tried to see if I can see Venkat’s face in the stars.” said Vidya looking at the stars. She folded her knees, drew them close to her chest, and wrapped her hands around them.

“Effect of too much Hindi movies, I believe. Vidya, Venkat is in your heart, your mind. You needn’t look for him any where else. He is within you, loving and guiding you.” said Anand.

“That’s what I tell Sindhuja.” said Vidya resting her chin on her knees.

“And that is what is true. Deep in your heart, the memories that you hold of him will keep you both united. No one will ever be able to steal the lovely moments you have shared with him. His love for you, the affection he had for you, everything will forever be part of your life.” Anand said looking at her. Vidya smiled.

“You have been loved, and that is the most precious of gifts, Vidya.” Anand said with a smile and turned his head to gaze at the stars.

Vidya looked closely at Anand; she admired him for his ability to so easily bring her out of the blues. Anand wasn’t being loved by her, he didn’t belong to her, and she didn’t belong to him. Yet here he was sitting and sharing his life with her; telling her that she is lucky to have been loved once. But for him, she would have sulked through out the night, the way she often did back in India. She would have shut herself in her room and cried her heart out. She would have cursed Venkat for leaving her, the God for taking him away. But now, she was calm, a strange feeling of contentment ruled her, and she felt oddly at peace. The talks continued for some time, and as it was their last night together, they didn’t want it to end.

It was getting quite late and Anand reluctantly started to his home. As Vidya stood at the door waving at Anand, she remembered the first night when he had come home, and how disturbed he was to hear of her loss. She realized their relationship had come a long way from then; this relationship they shared was different from the friendship they shared in college, somewhat different, somehow better. Though she wasn’t sure whether their relationship had any future; or whether they would just part once again as friends.
To be Continued.....