Serendipity

16

It had been easy so far. The landlord's visit had given him a breather. But the climb was about to begin. However, the challenge couldn't have been presented to a better contender. Anuj was never one to shy away from tough negotiations. He took a deep breath and dove right in.

"Anupama, I'm sure you've read today's news," he began haltingly, taking a deep breath and opening the newspaper he was carrying to the article. He waited for Anupama to observe what was laid out in front of her and completely understand where he was coming from.

"After reading the news both GK and I repeatedly tried your phone but it was switched off. I was concerned."

She let out a deep sigh and relaxed. He was not angry with her. He was not accusing her. This was good.

"I didn't know how to react," she responded in a small voice. "I was scared. I thought you would get mad at me."

In that instant, Anuj understood the extent of societal conditioning and influence Anupama had lived under for the last 26 years. He noticed that her hands were shaking as she spoke.

He bent forward and took her hands in his, to infuse some warmth. But instead, she shivered even more. Being comforted was an alien feeling for Anupama. Everybody she knew had only sought comfort from her. No one had believed her worthy of being comforted.

"Is everything okay?"

She merely nodded, unwilling to say anything lest her voice sound squeaky.

He released her hand and continued. "I'm not mad at you Anupama, it's not your fault that the newspapers did what they usually do, create news out of thin air. This isn't the first time this has happened to me. This isn't going to be the last."

When she looked at him perplexed, he explained: "I'm rich, I'm famous, I'm the kind of person girls dream of getting married to, I'm the kind of person people want to read about. They want to know everything about me, my favourite colour, my first car, my favourite holiday spot, my favourite song, what I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when I go to sleep, why I'm not married, when will I get married, whom will I get married to.

"People accost me in public spaces and ask for selfies and autographs, click my pictures when I'm not looking and tag me on social media. I can't go anywhere peacefully, I am denied simple luxuries of life."

Anupama recollected some of these things from the supermarket the day before but to this extent, she just couldn't imagine. When she looked stumped, he chuckled. "Welcome to fame!"

Up until then, afraid of seeing anger in his eyes directed at her, Anupama had busied herself admiring her hands. However, now she was worried that should she raise her head and look at him, he would realize that she pitied him. Luckily, he was busy looking at her idol of Kanhaji to pay any attention to her body language that mirrored the thoughts running amok in her head.

"If anyone should apologize, it should be me," his voice broke Anupama's reverie. "I'm sorry, sorry for putting you through this. If you'd gotten into the car with anyone else other than me, it wouldn't have made headlines."

He wasn't pleased with what had happened. But he didn't believe in sugar coating or tweaking the truth.

She smiled at that. "Anuj Ji, then I should be the one saying thank you. After all, in my experience, normal middle-class people's names get published in newspapers only after they die, in the obituary section. My name got published before that."

Anuj looked at her in a stern manner. "If this is a joke, then it was in very bad taste."

"Sorry," but she smiled nevertheless.

He calmed at that.

"Don't be. You might not want anything to do with me after what I'm going to suggest."

"In my village, a saying goes, a dog's bark is always worse than its bite. I'm sure whatever you have to say is not so bad. So before you decide how I would, should react, tell me what you're thinking."

Just then Anupama's doorbell rang. Anuj and Anupama both ignored it. The ring was following by a loud knock and some banging. Anupama got up to open it but Anuj stopped her.

"Not before I've finished saying what I want to."

She sat down again. She'd ignored the ringing, knocks, and banging for half a day. She could ignore it all for a few more minutes.

"Anupama, what if..."

She looked at him and urged him on. Anuj took a deep breath and blurted out what was going on in his head.

"What if we confirm the news that's been published today?"

She stared at him in shock. Her smile waned.

Anuj had anticipated that. "Before you start jumping to conclusions, let me complete what I want to say. I'm not asking you to marry me," he said, "yet," he murmured. If Anupama heard that she pretended not to and continued to stare at him quizzically.

"I didn't wish for this to happen, but I'm a businessman Anupama. I know how to turn situations to my benefit. I've been receiving a lot of flak because of my single status - yes people think that men are not under societal pressure to get married but believe me they are. It's just not visible. I have mothers of every age and every background thrusting their daughters under my noses, women trying to climb into bed with me hoping I will eventually pick them to become Mrs. Anuj Kapadia. But I have no such intention."

"Do you want to get married?"

"Yes, if I find the right person. But I'm not going to just get married to anyone because that's what society wants me to do."

Anupama understood that only too well. Hadn't she married just anyone 26 years ago because society had wished it? Look where it had led her!

"So what's your proposal?"

"That we continue this dating act for the next six months. I intend to return to New York then. After that slowly the story will lose significance. Someone else will make headlines. By the time the media decides to circle back to me, the marriage angle would be irrelevant."

"But you can do this with anyone. Why me?"

"Because you're the only single woman in my age group I've recently encountered who hasn't thrown herself at me. 

"And because I like win-win deals, " he added.

"Among other things, as you already know, I've recently had the pleasure of meeting your ex-husband and his current wife. I believe the term they use to refer to you is behenji."

"It's the truth," she said, albeit rather dejectedly.

Turning her face to his, Anuj said: "The truth is only what you choose to accept Anupama. You can't run a jewelry store and not know the difference between a diamond and a piece of glass."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, beneath all those layers of conditioning, I'm sure there's an Anupama waiting to break free. Why not give her a chance? What do you have to lose? Six months?"

When he put it like that, it did seem rather simple. And why shouldn't she? She was divorced, she could do whatever she wanted. It wasn't illegal or immoral.

The knocking and banging became more incessant.

In the past, Anupama had never taken an impulsive decision. She'd always taken everyone's opinion into consideration and stifled all her wishes and dreams. Look where that had led her. All she had left in her life was loneliness.

Maybe, just once, she should listen to her heart. Even if she regretted it later, she would still have the memories of these six months. Anuj didn't remember her and yet he'd come when she'd needed the most to fix her soul. Just like he had during their college days.

She looked at her idol of Kanhaji, seeking his blessings for the decision she was about to take. The peacock feather adorning the statue fell. She had her answer.

Smiling she opened the door to a very angry Vanraj and an equally irked Kavya.