The Runaway

Through Thick and Thin

****** 1 year later ******

ROHAN'S POV:

I'm so tired today. I just want to return home and sleep. But Drishti has not finished her work and I am waiting here in the office lobby for her. 

The last year has been anything but easy. It's been one year since we both ran from our wedding, since we left behind our old life. We both went through a lot of difficult settling into this new city.

I still remember that day when I returned from my interview, she had already packed everything and kept them ready to leave. We checked out and went to our new house, the one we called home for 1 whole year now. I have stayed in many houses before, way longer than this, but this one is the closest to my heart. Maybe it was because I had a great housemate. I remember on the day when we shifted, both of us wanted to celebrate so much but we didn't have enough money. We ended up eating instant noodles instead. We spent the next 2 days setting up our house and sending more companies our resume.

On the day she received an email that she was recruited, she was so happy that she came running to me and pulled me into a tight hug. She jumped and danced for hours until she was too tired. She then cooked up an amazing meal, unlike other days when we survived on instant noodles. Her happiness was so contagious. I started smiling only when I was with her. She could effortlessly put a smile on my face. We were so happy that night. The very next day, she accepted their offer letter and went to the company so she could start working at the earliest.

Within a day after she received hers, I also got my offer letter from the same company. I was so surprised by the fact that we could work together. I had applied for a few other companies as well but working with her seemed to interest me. She was ecstatic. She was more excited than me and she made me cook a meal for her. She was so gleeful that I found myself truly happy for the first time in my life. That day was the first time I thought that luck was on my side when I met her. She has become an integral part of my life now.

After our first day at work she literally dragged me to the temple to thank god. Though I myself am not much of a believer in god, I do believe in something more powerful above us. She made me pray and even got us Prasad (a devotional offering made to god which is then given to devotees to be consumed).

That weekend when we went to the market, she was smiling like a kid. Even though both of us didn't have any money to spare to spend on anything in the market she was content with just window shopping. She always had a smile plastered on her face throughout the evening.

Working in a new city, with new people was not easy. The first 1-2 months were so hard for us to fit-in. We ended up spending a lot of time together because both of us were too closed off to make new friends. We went to work together, ate lunch together, came home together and ate dinner together. We had decided that dinner would alternatively be one of our duties. We made simple dishes nothing fancy but eating while having someone to talk to is so much fun. Despite all the financial difficulties I was content, I was enjoying the struggle. Maybe it was because Drishti was my first real friend. I never made friends in the orphanage because they would always end up being adopted, then in college I was working at many places to pay my fees and then as an adult, I was working to make a living and pay my education loan. 

She crashed into my life without my permission and ended up becoming so important to me. She is my lovely little ball of trouble but I'd go through the trouble a million times if it meant having her. 

I remember when we both got our first salary, technically her first salary, we made plans to go to a costly restaurant and have a proper meal. But then came the bills. After paying the electricity and water bills, the rent and the other half of the advance, we were only left with enough to scrape through the rest of the month, let alone a meal in an expensive restaurant. She was so disappointed but we really couldn't help it. We were living on basic necessities and never did anything extra that would strain us financially.