Anya was is a dilemma, as the old flame was about to be rekindled,
when she had bumped into her once lost love, who had left her at such a
time in her life, when she was almost ready to spend the rest of her
live with him. But due to his familial commitments, Vinay had backed out
of their 5 year old strong relationship and walked out on her, though
heavy heartedly.
Little did they know 10 years later, they would
cross paths again, only to blow up a turmoil in their almost steady
lives….Vinay being in a troubled marriage and Anya being a committed
relationship with Rumi, her work colleague turned fiancé of 3 years…and
they were about to tie the knot that fall…
It was after Vinay’s
departure from Anya’s life, Rumi had somehow come to fill her largely
void life and had all the offerings of an ideal lover and a perfect
husband material… their work relationship was amazingly synchronized and
spending almost 8-9 hours of each waking hour with each other, work
wise, it wasn’t much of a miracle to have fallen for each other…
It was the 11
th
of November, Vinay had stormed onto the dance floor almost 4 pegs down,
and was dancing away to glory, enjoying himself with his work
colleagues, and just when he was in a trance, he thought he saw an
aberration, for he could not believe his eyes, that it could ever be
true, so he looked hard and to his disbelief it was really Anya dancing
with her friends having the time of her life…To make himself doubly
sure, he went close to her and stood there watching her, dance….
Vinay
could not believe his eyes, it was Anya right in front of him…the love
that he himself had lost and had repented for each day of his waking
life, since his marriage had not done any wonders for him and his wife
had walked out on him.
Meanwhile as he stood there, Anya danced
away to glory, as she too was enjoying her last days of being a
bachelorette, since her wedding with Rumi was to consummate the
following month post which he was to whisk her away to Thailand forever.
And being the free spirited person Anya was, she wanted to enjoy her
freedom to the core, so she had her guys and girls dancing next to
her…and was having a time of her life… when one glance from within her
trance of booze and excessive dancing, made her feel alive…as she
noticed Vinay standing in front of her…
As the crowd danced away,
these two naïve beings, stood in the middle of the dance floor awestruck
and in that one moment their whole life flashed in front of their
eyes…The time they had spent talking on the phone for hours, hours of
long walks and rides taken, fooling around with friends doing absolute
dumb shitty stuff, struggling to complete each other’s assignment after
spending hours together making out like crazy while exams were on,
finding every possible reason to be with each other every minute of the
waking hour of the day and then again be on the phone at nights…both the
families writing the kids off, as they were so inseparable, it was
horrendous to believe that they actually never got married, for the
whole world, thought otherwise, that they were committed and married for
life…
But life had a different story charted out for them…and one
fine day, when Vinay’s father succumbed to a cardiac arrest all of a
sudden, as he had lost his entire empire that he had built from scratch
due to one wrong move of entrusting his partner with a power of attorney
giving the complete responsibility of the company to him, since Vinay’s
father had wanted to move to the US for expanding their bearings
business, the partner took complete advantage of the situation and
dissolved all Mr. Merchant’s stocks and removed him from the post of the
promoter and Chairman and completely took over all his businesses
pretty much in the countries they had presence…quoting to the lawyers
that Mr. Merchant was no more interested in running the bearings
business and was planning to set up shop in the US, that is why he was
in the US at the time and could not be reached, since he had asked not
to be disturbed, as he was gonna sign a very important deal with a
leading automobile company, which he was looking to acquire.
Things
had changed drastically for Vinay, considering he was in the last year
of his MBA and the news of his father passing away abruptly to a shock
and the reason behind the same had completely taken over Vinay, who
wasn’t vengeful for his blood though, but wanted to somehow get back the
lost empire that his father had strived so hard to build. And the way
he had planned to do, that was to get doubly rich and buy out his own
companies from the partner who had cheated his father. But how he was
gonna execute this humongous task was a challenge in itself, soon the
thought of growing rich, engulfed Vinay and he could think of nothing
but getting back at the partner every waking moment of his life.
That’s
when life gave Vinay a second chance, his paternal uncle owned a small
used cars sales company in Canada, and he was looking to expand in the
US, knowing about Vinay’s burning passion to make it big, he thought
Vinay would be a safe bet, considering he is family, so he made an offer
to Vinay which he could not reject and the next flight he was in the
US, signing a deal with his uncle who had offered him a small amount as
start up and left the rest to him, how to scout business and make his
mark in the US after providing him a few inventory.
Meanwhile,
back in India, though Anya was a soul mate to Vinay, she had thoroughly
understood and supported him in all his decisions, somewhere in her
heart it was killing her to let go off him, when they were in their last
year of MB A and they had decided to tie the knot after finishing their
studies and Vinay was to join Anya’s father’s garment business, which
used to manufacture garments for foreign markets. And Mr. Singh had
always considered Vinay as family and offered him to run his company.
But being the person Vinay was, he could not have taken such a huge
favour from anyone and had the burning desire to stand on his own two
feet, besides the rage of becoming filthy rich in the fastest period
possible was ravaging his mind every breathing minute.
So with a
heavy heart they had parted ways, firstly they thought they could
survive the long distance relationship, but since Vinay was moving
indefinitely to the US and Anya still not sure, what she wanted from her
life, they had hit a dead end…Since Anya’s brother had drifted away to
US, and ended up marrying a firang, and completely wrote off his family,
Anya somehow felt responsible towards her family and she could never
think of leaving them, and settling so far off, that she does not even
get to see them. So Anya was torn between the love of her family and her
childhood love, meanwhile, with Vinay’s father’s death, he had
completely changed as a person. He could think of nothing else but money
and bicker and fight with Anya at any given chance. Basically he was
frustrated with life, until the time his uncle had made him the offer.
So
Anya thought, a little break from her, might set him straight, but
little did she know, the strings of love were so weak that Vinay
wouldn’t even care keeping in touch with her, once he got to the US.
Soon the weekly phone calls became monthly and then they disappeared
altogether, no calls, no mails, it became a dormant relationship, lost
in translation. And the sad part was he never even bothered to
officially break up with her, he just practically left her lingering in
her past life, not letting her transition into a break up stage….Which
eventually after a whole year of yearning and waiting around for him to
come back she lost track of time and eventually buried him in her heart.
Anya
eventually gave up on him and moved on in her life. She got herself an
financial analyst job in a MNC and started her career…soon bumping on
her way, meeting Rumi and then their being on another roller coaster
ride of love, but this time, it was real, Rumi was unlike Vinay, he was
totally into her..and took care of her completely…Something that Anya
had longed for in a very long time. She had totally forgotten what it
was to be loved….
With each passing day, she kept on drowning into
Rumi more and more, until one day, they decided that they have to take
their relationship to the next level and had exchanged rings on their
own, considering it as the engagement…and later informed their parents
of their decision…
But as months and years passed by, Vinay
completely forgot about Anya, and had bumped into Patie, a girl who
kinda was a knight in shining armour for him, since she was the daughter
to an automobile giant. They had crossed path at a summit for
automobile companies where Patie was representing her company as she was
the President of her company. And over the years, Vinay too had begun
to climb the ladder of success whilst running his uncle’s used car sales
company, he too had acquired some roller bearings companies and some of
this competitors by acquiring them and was able to make his mark in the
market in the used car segment..But as he had a burning desire to do
big in life, his ultimate aim was to own an automobile company and enter
the market with a big bang…
There was such exuberance in his
speech and his passion showed across when Vinay was portraying the sales
figures for his company at the summit, and that caught Patie’s
attention, later she walked up to him, since she was thoroughly
impressed and made him an offer then and there, as they were planning to
expand their business in Canada, she asked him if he would be
interested to move back to Canada, but only this time, he can run their
Canadian office as the CEO. Basically she was proposing an acquisition
of his used car division and promoting their set up in Canada, since he
had a great network of clientele in both Canada and US.
Though
Patie was all beauty but she was so much of brains as well, which Vinay
could easily sense, and after one or two deliberations and meeting with
Patie, Vinay struck a deal and got himself a decent amount over his
company, a plush office in the heart of Canada, a swanky car and a white
picket fenced house.
With this stepping stone to success, there
was no stopping Vinay now, so sales after sales he began racing the
ladder of success. Meanwhile in this whole affair, he never realized how
much Patie had fallen for his charm, enthusiasm, hunger for success,
endless passion to reach the top, that she practically proposed him
pretty much in a board meeting once, as to how madly in love with him
she was and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him….She had again
made an offer to Vinay which he could not have ever turned down. The
next fall the two work crazy duo had walked the Isle and flown off to
the Bahama’s for their honeymoon…
But as they say, every good
thing comes to an end, so did Patie’s fascination for Vinay, the once
hunger for success which she adored, now bothered her to the core, since
Vinay could think of nothing but soaring higher and higher, and no
matter however high he got, he was never satiated. So Patie practically
used to long for him, when he would be busy in meetings, traveling
different countries to scout more business, acquiring more and more
companies and practically drowning himself in work, pretty much
forgetting that he was married and he had a life beyond work.
It was the 12
th
of December after two years on their wedding anniversary, Patie had,
had enough and finally decided to confront Vinay and was her last
attempt in salvaging whatever relation was left of them. But as usual
Vinay never turned up for their anniversary party and this pissed Patie
to the core, who landed up sending Vinay a divorce notice the next
morning, which Vinay did not ever care to go through and just signed it
across and sent it over, and in a fraction their marriage of 5 years was
instantly flushed down the drain. Because Vinay was always so full of
himself, that he could not see, what any one had did for him, first he
did not see what support system Anya was to him, and now he could not
see what Patie had done for him…For him, women were just a waste of time
and money…So he was better off alone is what he thought, pretty much
while signing the divorce papers…and he did not regret it a single bit…
Standing
amidst the dancing crowd, Vinay and Anya’s life flashed across each
other…and they just stood there staring at each other in disbelief..for
Anya there were so many unanswered questions and for Vinay it was the
realization that where he had reached in life and what the fuck had he
ended up doing in his intoxication of getting to the top, he was
beginning to realize he had been a complete ass throughout and had ended
up ruining not only his love relation with Anya, but his marriage with
Patie as well.…And none of them could ever forgive him….
And now
all the pain and hurt that he had given Anya, was also coming back to
him, making him feel like a complete failure love wise..Although he was
stinking rich now, having his business practically across the world…He
realized what a lonely and sad person he had become and what he had done
to his life, being blinded by his one and only goal of becoming
stinking rich and getting his empire back, which he had completely
forgotten over the years of getting success…
But
seeing Anya after almost a decade the whole past had flashed in front
of his eyes…And he soon was reminded of his lost goal…which he had
wanted to achieve, the whole reason why he even went to the US…And
before he could put one step ahead, Anya had stormed out of the pub and
was rushing to hail a taxi, when Vinay too pushes across the door of the
pub and comes out in a rage, as he was aware Anya wouldn’t wait to hear
his explanation and he had never contemplated a scenario where he would
ever cross paths with her…So all this was unexpected and surreal for
both of them, all those years of yearning and waiting around for answers
by Anya, she was in no mood of confronting Vinay, she was sure she
would have broken down and beat the crap out of him…for her anger,
frustration and dejection had no bounds…
And Vinay knew Anya would
take his case royally, and he knew he deserved, for all those lonely
years spent, without a clue regarding how he was doing, and not even
asking her how she was doing and having the courtesy to officially break
up with her, he just drifted off conveniently…and never cared to
call…Anyone else would do the same thing, what Anya had done, just run
away and never face such a soul in her life…
But considering what
Vinay had done to her and also Patie, good sense had finally prevailed
on him and he had wanted to repent every single second wasted loosing
these girls and now he wanted to make up for the lost time…So in no case
was he going to let Anya go, without a explanation, he knew he had no
sane explanation and that he was drunked and drugged by the addiction of
success that he had lost himself as a person, let alone the fact about
breaking up with her in a sane way, that is why the insanity…
He
ran after the cab, that Anya had hailed and soon asked another cabbie to
follow her and after a point, he caught up to her at a red signal and
soon barged into her car and just when she was about to alight from the
other end, he held her hand so tight, that she could barely move…Anya
was fighting her tears so hard, she in no chance wanted to break down in
front of him, she did not wanna show any emotion, but all the pent up
feelings were coming to the fore, and she could do nothing but break
down…
As he held on to her hand and kept staring her down, her
anger…in which she was loud and clear that he was an asshole of the
first order and how could he had done what he done, when they had such a
good thing going and how could he have left her at such a point in
life, when she was almost ready to marry him….That day she had realized
that he had never actually loved her but just sought her companionship,
for he never really understood the meaning of love, because if he did,
he wouldn’t have let her go this easily….is what Anya felt.
But
for Anya she had not known anything but to love Vinay and she would have
done that till her last breath, she often tried to find him in every
guy she met, but no one could ever fill the vacuum that he had left in
her heart. He was an unsung song that she had held so close in heart,
that only she could sing…and soothe her wounds off…Her love for Vinay
was beyond love, it was beyond sacred, it was beyond soulmates..it was
something that she lived for, she breathed for, she was destined for,
the reason why she was even existent. If she could ever personify her
love for Vinay, it would really have been sublime and not of this
world. And that they were meant to be, somewhere in the domain, where
there was no right or wrong, where there were no rituals, no morals, no
societal rules, regulations, no boundaries, no limits, no concept of
time…but just endless and pure, insane love…
So in that one moment
and that one expression of fighting her tears, yearning eyes swelled
with tears, and a million questions as to why, what did she do to
deserve this from the one she loved divinely and could not think of any
existence without…where did she go wrong, where did she fall short…why
did he have to leave this way….and why he never looked back…she could
have waited for him forever…and the look of so many why’s and many
unanswered questions….
And Vinay looked into her eyes, which was
full of remorse from his side and his willingness to pay the penance for
the sublime heart that he had ended up breaking, not once but twice of
two divinely, incredible women. He had felt like the lowest of low like
the scum on earth…and was willing to do anything to get to redeem
himself to her…
Now his grip had lessened as Anya had stopped
resisting and their breathing had lowered to a normal level and she was
in a position to listen, than the earlier feeling of having a nervous
breakdown and a head about to explode….And heart about to pump out of
her chest with the heavy breathing…of anger, detest, dejection…and all
the negative feelings…
Vinay knew he had this last chance to
redeem himself, and was sure he would never get to see Anya ever again
in his life, since life does not always offer chances to such
pricks…ever again in life..So he had this one shot and he had to give it
all….He went at her like a mad horse running helter skelter…in a
barn…He was all over the place, explaining to her, how lost in his own
world he was, how he went from owning his uncle’s second car sales
company to owning a prime automobile company in the Canada and then
expanding to the US, and meeting Patie, and ending up hurting her beyond
comparison and breaking her beyond repair…He was being thoroughly
honest with her…and she listened and listened could not fight back the
ocean of tears falling incessantly on his hands…
And in all this,
how he confessed to her, that he was blinded by success and never really
had the courage to come back and take her hand in marriage, since he
had changed beyond reason and he wasn’t the Vinay that she had first
loved…And he did not want to ruin her life and the only reason he had
ever married Patie was, she was the stepping stone to his success and
after which, he neglected her as well, and she eventually left him…
He
knew he totally deserved it..but today when he looks back, he realizes
the one person who he had ended up hurting the most in all this was her
and that he could die and donn a million lives, but would want one
chance to redeem himself back and give her the life that she had always
desired..if only she could give him another chance..and this he
said…without knowing the fact that she was already taken, and that
almost a decade had past she had seen him…and had practically written
him off her life forever….so taking him back would have been a distant
dream…
He
then moves closer to wipe her tears, but she stops him there and gets
off the cab, and runs away…with tears flowing incessantly, she has no
clue where she was running, but since Vinay was hell bent on not letting
this chance of talking to her go away, he runs behind her…and finally
she comes to a park and sits there and breaks down…He watches her from
far…and waits for her to lift her eyes…but she goes on crying…and
finally after half hour..he goes near her..and she just gives him a
look, as though it was too late and there was nothing he could do to
redeem himself and win her trust, not even as a friend, let alone the
fact of being with her…
Vinay tells her, he knew he deserved this
and much worse, and that she was being subtle on him, no other girl
would have even let him finish and let him speak his heart out..but Anya
being the kind hearted, and empathetic person she was and most of all,
yearning for an explanation from him, for so many years, was surely all
ears as to what made Vinay change…She had yearned for this closure and
finally got one…now she could live in peace…
Having confided to
Anya all that he had done in his life, good or bad things, Vinay too
feels light and feels that he atleast mended one ailing heart and could
die in peace…He told Anya, that she could continue to hate him for the
rest of her life, he would not mind, but he had to let her know, how
much he still loved her…for all the time, when he was successful, he
knew he missed something, but as he had killed his conscience, he had
buried her as well as a story of his past and never wanted to read it
again…until today, when she was right in front of him and he had to
reveal to her, that there was no one else but her, who he had always and
forever truly loved, but just never had the courage to live up to his
promises of marrying her and making her his bride….
He knew he had
screwed up and nothing and no one would ever give him a second chance
in life, but the mere fact that, God gave him this opportunity and
crossed paths with her once again in life, was a sign that, God did not
hate him beyond reason after all..And that he had a chance of becoming a
better person in life..now he could live with the fact that, for once
in life, he did the right thing…and confessed to the one he loved, no
matter he would never get her back in his life, but he could live with
that fact, that he at least got a chance to tell her, how much he loved
her...though he realized it late in life…but that is something that he
deserved…having hurt two women who loved him with their complete heart
and soul….
Anya without a word takes Vinay’s hand in hers, and
places a ring inside his palm and closes it..and leaves…without looking
back…And Vinay sits there with his hands over his head….watching the
love of his life, leave him once again…only this time, he feels a deep
crater of a pain in his heart, that she leaves behind…only to make him
realize how it feels to be left lingering in the wilderness of lost
love…and wondering bot' the fact that whether the one we love will ever
actually come back….
He
opens his palm and finds the ring, he once put on Anya's finger, the
day he had proposed to her during their senior year of college…and had
made plans of doing MBA together and after finishing studies they were
to get married….She had held on to his ring as an unkept promise from
him….never to be fulfilled eventually, but somewhere in her heart, she
had desired that one day he would come back, and make her his bride and
put on her finger the wedding ring she deserved and all those years of
craving would have just ended then…
But that day never came…and
Vinay was left with nothing but an empty life, full of fame and success,
but the one thing, he had craved for and not really known the
importance of, had walked away from him, in front of his eyes, and there
was nothing he could have done about it….but to narrate his story to
all those self centered beings, who do not realize what it is to cherish
true love, and not to repeat the mistakes that he had committed in his
life and not to let go of such a priceless treasure…
Coz money
will often come and go, but true love never comes twice..so you better
hold on to it as tight, while it is with you and never let go….coz God
gives second chances only to a lucky few and the ones who really deserve
it…and sadly Vinay wasn’t going to be one amongst them….
Cheers!!
Seeta
