INTROVERT ED

AN OLD MAN'S ADVICE

After the office, I was sitting at bus stop, there was only me, in this night, it was just me, few people walking by. I worked a bit over time one more time, I was not able to move on from that all. Because for my life I will have this regret that I could get her that day itself, but my stupid mind didn't allow me to, the girl I have been looking for this many years would have finally be mine, but my life went whole opposite, I now work overtime, make myself busy as much as I can, I don't want to even think of her, she is still posting photos with Kunal, they are on dates every next day, it has been weeks from that but every time I just see her profile with that ring on her hand, I get sad. She tried to contact me a few times after that, I did not pick up the call, she messaged me that she wanted to talk to me on call, I left her messages seen and after a while she left, didn't talk to me back again, now she enjoys her life with Kunal.

I heard the thundering sound, the rain started to drip again, I stood up and saw the clouds outside bus stop, the rain started. I got out and felt all those water on me and after a while she came back to my mind, I saw us both dancing right in front of my eyes. I stopped myself from thinking about her but I could not. The bus came in, I took my bag and went in the bus, took the ticket and went to my house, while coming, some people were celebrating there birthday, all lightings and music, I walked through that place, I did not have even a single look at them.

'Beta, can you please come in, I have some important work for you,' uncle said, he was always sweet to me, our lovely neighbor, no matter what happened he was always there for me. Now, he needed me, I can't even utter the word "no"

'I am coming,' I said and went in, I walked on those white tiles, the tube light was on and the Tv was going on, some serial was playing, the sofa was a bit tilted and the table was clean, he went inside kitchen.

'Uncle, should I come in?' I asked.

'Sit on the sofa and switch off the TV, I am coming,' he said from the kitchen.

'Okay,' I said and took the remote and switched off the Tv and sat on sofa. I waited for a while and then he brought two big plates in his hand, I got up and took them and said 'I will take this, give it to me,'

He smiled and sat on sofa beside me.

'Why two plates, uncle?'

'It is for you and me, my son delivered this to me, he was busy with work at his office, today he was coming here to celebrate it but was not able to, so he sent this, how can I now say that I don't need this food, I need him,' he said and shed a tear.

'Uncle, don't cry,'

'On his birthdays, when he was a small kid I was not able to come, I used to say my wife to take a cake for him, I was also busy with my days, today I feel the same,' he said.

'Happy birthday, uncle, you have turned....79 years, right?' I said.

'Yeah, 79 years, living this long on this planet is more than a blessing,'

'Right,' I said, the plate had biryani, 2 rotis and bendi sabzi with dal and a sweet.

'I can't eat that food, it will cause me acidity, it will make my stomach upset and also will give me a very bad report of sugar, but I don't feel sad now about food, as I enjoyed this all as much as I could in my young age,'

'I can't eat this all, uncle,' I said.

'Atleast you will have yours, but for now, I want to say, I have been seeing you sad from many weeks, I know that there are ups and down to life but being happy is our decision, right? If I did not enjoy the food at that time, I would regret it now as I am not even able to consume this all, same is with happiness, if you don't smile, laugh now, at your old age you will be only left with laughing exercise, this is the age, you need to smile, you need to laugh,' he said.

'But, uncle I lost what I liked the most,' I said.

'That girl?'

I looked at him and nodded.

'So, you will cry for a person who just left you for nothing? You will cry for them? You think your life will stop without her?'

I kept quiet.

'My parents, my wife the most important people from my life, I lost them, did my life stop? They all left me and went to God, did I all day just become sad?'

'But, I loved her, did you ever fall in love?'

'Love, that was the name of my wife for me, it was never sangeeta, it was always love, because I loved her, she spent the life with me from 23 to 73, she was always there for me, and now I am happy because I see her smiling up there in heaven, she is now with Gods, having a happy after life, love does not mean having them with you, love means seeing them smile, love is seeing them happy, love is something, nor she forced me to do it neither I forced myself, it just happened and if it happened, it will never end, for you, the girl never allowed you to stop loving you, you started and you will end it, it is nothing to her, you see her happy, you should be more than happy for them,'

'I could have even loved her with having her,'

'Maybe, you both were never meant for each other, but that does not mean, you both can't keep a special place for each other in your heart, remember that happy moments with her,'

'But, our story remained incomplete,'

'Some stories have better ending when it is left in between, not everything is meant to complete, somethings just feel more good incomplete,' he said and did a gentle movement with his hands on my hair.

I looked up at him and smiled.

'Start a new life, Anirudh, get new peoples, talk to them, have fun, this is the age,'

'Thank you, uncle,' I said and laid on his lap, he moved his hand on my hairs slowly.

'Be happy, beta,' he said softly.

After some time, he said 'Now we can even have the food,'

'Before that, you will have some food,' I said.