Sapno Ka Shaher

Tough Day...

The clock struck 10 at night. The working people had returned to their homes after the hectic schedule of Monday. Dhondu was almost taking a nap by lying his head on the table.

Sameer was sitting on the mattress spreading his legs and a pillow clutched in his arms. He was lost in today's happenings in the acting class. He was so disappointed with himself today. Only two classes were left now before the finale on the 28th, and today he had been so incompetent with a scene.

What are you doing Sameer... You have to focus... Don't think about the other things... only the acting matters...

He was just consoling himself. He sighed and tried to stop his chain of thoughts he was immersed in since evening.

The three months course of Sameer's acting class was overall a good experience for him, which was about to conclude now. He had learnt so many new things in the class which he never thought were a part of acting while watching films. He learnt about the getups, how just changing clothes actually affects your body language, how to get into a character and how to project a voice in different situations. He never thought he may have stage fear, but that one unprepared audition in front of mere assistants in a producer's office had forced him into that zone. The humiliation he faced that day had pierced through him, making him register that the school-college life was such a bliss where he was a hero for everyone. But after joining the class, he always had twenty onlookers who were his fellow mates. So the stage fear was actually gone by now. He had also shed inhibitions of performing a mediocre person when he walked on streets selling samosas one day. Shergill Sir was true that day; a hero could be anyone, who emerges as a winner at the end. How these bollywood movies had put a blindfold on the audience, with their unethical perceptions about a hero!!! He realized. He came to know that the trust game he played on the first day wasn't just a game, but it actually helped him in putting a faith in his co-artist. He had discussed films, film actors, their biographies and their specialities in the class. He learnt a few basic dance steps too, sometimes classic waltz and sometimes he danced on just random songs from movies.

He was satisfied with his own performances in the class, but today was different. He was nothing close to the expectations of Shergill Sir and he was upset with himself too. He had returned home late in the evening, spoke only when he was asked about something and came to the bedroom immediately after dinner, forgetting yesterday's promise to himself to reduce Naina's stress. But the reason was such, at least for him, that he couldn't avoid thinking about it.

A sound of a latch broke his reverie. He turned his face to see Naina coming in, locking the door and sitting on his left... without any book today. Isn't she studying tonight? He just smiled at her, getting a same beautiful smile in return. Naina grabbed a cushion from her back, put it on her lap and gestured to Sameer to rest on it. And it was the moment when he realized that he can't fool Naina, that he cannot hide anything from her for long. She gauges the situation quickly. He silently agreed to it and rested his head on her lap, sleeping parallely to the wall.

They spent a few minutes in tranquility. Naina was raking her fingers through Sameer's hair, applying a little pressure on his scalp so as to give him a massage. She was stroking her thumbs on his forehead and brows to relax him. His Naina was a doctor for him, a doctor of his mind. She would ease out his worries in seconds. He never needed another specialist to visit, because all the cure of his tensions, fear, anxiety, restlessness, stress, rage, disgust was his wife... his Naina...

He grabbed her one hand and kissed on the back of her palm once... twice... thrice... He rubbed his palm with hers and kept it on his heart, as if wanting her to know that his heart beats only for her and he is nothing without her. He closed his eyes, not letting her dive into it.