The conversation - 7 (v2.0)

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Abha walks into the park where she usually meets her brother. The park is constructed around a water body surrounded by steel fence grills. Within a small distance to grills are benches and a walking track. As Abha enters through the gate and reaches the end opposite it, she finds that Rohan is already waiting for her. He is leaning on the grill and looking at the water. Hearing her footsteps, Rohan turns back and looks at her, only for a moment and then looks back at the water. When Abha comes beside Rohan, he starts speaking without looking at her.

"I want to tell a story sis," he continues, as Abha looks at him.

"There was a college-going guy, whose life was good and straight, but boring and uninteresting. He was among everyone but with no one. He was living for the sake of it. He was never responsible. He was escaping from tough situations. He adjusted whenever things went out of hand. He was so accustomed to adjusting that he lost the difference between being flexible and being in a comfort zone.

One day, a girl entered his class. He did not notice her for the first few days. After that, she approached him for help on an assignment. His first impression was her eyes, whose impact he had no idea of. He started getting close to her. He prioritized her over other things. He began to make an effort, which definitely paid off. Their friendship boomed.

By the end of college, he understood that he was loving her. He wanted to confess to her. However, at the same time, he was afraid of her rejection. He did not want to cut the friendship. Then, he made the grave mistake that was already a habit to him - he adjusted. He did not understand why she could probably reject him. He did not work on himself. Even though it was as painful as hell, he allowed himself to be friend-zoned with her.

A few months after college, he started to put the pieces together. His brain started sending him bad vibes whenever he talked to her. Even though he initially ignored them as usual, he could not do so after some time." Rohan stops and takes a deep sigh.

"Are you alright?" asks Abha. He nods.

"He started to think through his thoughts, only to be petrified of an inevitable possibility. Whenever he was messaging her, he was thinking about being with her, and then proposing to her, which made him anxious due to her rejection. If she should be convinced of him, she had to know him better. She would observe him closely. That's what he was afraid of. He was this lazy guy who would not act unless something went wrong for him. But if he continued to be friends with her, he could only end up as a friend, which was not what he wanted. A thought of him losing her forever had hit him. He wanted to be her family, not just a friend. Then he realized another issue - family! Proposing to her would never be enough. Not only her but also her family should accept him. Then he checked his financial status, a must-category to convince her parents. He realized that he was settled, but more was needed.

He started to fix things up. He had to make a two-fold effort. He had to settle into a good position as soon as possible, and he should become what he appeared to be. He needed another company, especially the one which could provide US opportunities. He had to work harder, which required him to move past his comfort zone. However, it did not take him much time to realize how tough it was to overcome his nature. He could not change the behaviour that defined his life for the past 20 years just like that. A year had passed, he had been failing, and he was getting tired of failing. While he was trying to push himself, his first heartbreak moment occurred when she told him her family started looking for a bridegroom."

Abha always wondered why he never proposed to her. Whenever she asked about it, he said he was waiting for the correct time but never shared what he was going through. But she sensed the change when he started to enquire about her daughter and asked to pick up and drop his niece from the school daily, which she welcomed.

"On that night, he did not understand what to do. He wondered whether she ever had any feelings for him. He did not know whether she was loving him. He did not know whether she knew he loved her. All he knew was that she never expressed such feelings, not even hinting at a minute possibility. She looked absolutely normal whenever she talked of marriage or relations.

The thing that she was not expressing any feelings took a toll on him. But he still did not want to give it up. He wanted her to think about both leading a life together. He doubled his efforts. He had become a more determined person from that night." Rohan looks at Abha's eyes. He walks from the grills towards the bench and sits on it, and Abha follows him. His face looks dejected as he rests his chin on his hand.

"Finally, the day arrived. She told him that a match was fixed. His name was Akshay. Both liked each other. His world collapsed on that day. He never faced such a massive breakdown. Whenever he used to feel low, he would reach out to his sister to dump his feelings. But it seemed like the destiny had other plans. He called to her only to know that she was busy with her work."

Abha recalls the phone call with him where he sounded dull. It was a few months back.

"Bro, you've called at the right time. I am about to call you", Abha squeaked.

"Ohh, what happened sis?"

"Do you remember the conference I have been talking about? I am selected for it!"

"Wow, that's great!"

"Yeah, I have to start tomorrow. It's a week-long programme. A lot of experts from all over the world will attend. I am super-excited!"

"I wish you all the best! You deserve it!" 

"Thanks, so what about you? Is everything all right?"

"Me? Yeah, of course, everything is fine. Just called normally."

After the call, he wanted to scream. A scream loud enough to be heard by every living being on the planet as if he wanted to be empathized with his situation. He did not have that many friends, at least no one close enough to share his pain. He had gone numb.

"The initial days were so conflicting. He had always thought to attend her marriage, as that could be his last memory. But he could no longer want to see her marriage. Afraid he could not be stable seeing someone tie the sacred knots. He wanted to go to a faraway place. But he could not do it. By that time, he was surrounded by so many responsibilities. He was a dependable employee. He had a niece to pick up and drop at school. In fact, those responsibilities made him survive those initial days, after which he started to think. Again."

People say that girls are a distraction during college and career days. But here, a girl is responsible for making her brother better, Abha thinks.

"He had been left with no option but to accept the reality. From the position of imagining a life with her to living a life without her, it was quite a journey for him. He was at nowhere, while she was preparing for her marriage. He dropped the idea of proposing to her. Expressing his feelings at that stage would make no difference. He believed in her choices. He wanted to be happy for her. In fact, he got what he wanted - her friendship. All this was going fine and he was very stable, till she gave him the wedding card. On that day, she knew it." he stops.

"Hey, he did not tell it, right? She heard it."

"But even later.."

"The pain he had been carrying was too much for anyone. That was bound to break one day. What he did was completely normal. I even can't agree that he was at nowhere. He had indeed become a better person. I have been observing him, right? Effort always gets paid off, bro. We just don't know when we will have a visible result."

Both sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Can I come to your home today? Not feeling like going to mine."

"Yeah, sure."

Abha starts her car while he sits beside her, looking through the window. Throughout the journey, Rohan does not speak anything. She does not ask him anything. After thirty minutes, they reach Abha's home. Rohan immediately settles on the sofa upon entering.

"Just try to freshen up. How about a cup of cardamom tea?" Rohan nods. Abha smiles at him and runs her fingers through his hair before walking towards the kitchen. Rohan goes for a face wash.

While he is away, Rohan's mobile rings on the table near the sofa. Abha looks at the caller ID, which says "don't care". At the same time, Rohan returns.

"Hey, who is this caller ?" Abha shows Rohan his mobile.

Rohan looks at the caller ID. "Yeah, no one sis."

"How about you elaborate on that?"

"Well, it's the HR."

"Of your company?"

"No."

"Then? Tell it clearly! Should I explain the meaning of the word 'elaborate'?" Abha raises her voice.

"Fine. It's from another company that I have applied to previously. They called last week to inform me that I had been selected, and I rejected it. Then they asked to reconsider, as the company offers a better work environment, compensation, etc. So they have called to know my decision."

"What do you mean by better compensation? How much better?"

"20 times," Rohan says as if that doesn't matter to him.

"What? Why did you reject it?"

"I applied it when I was, uh, trying for better opportunities. For her."

"So you now reject it for her?"

"I was no one before her. I don't want to be anyone after her."

"I don't think that's a good decision. Imagine how sad she would feel if she came to know about it. She still wants the best to happen to you, Rohan."

Rohan realized she could be right. He takes the mobile from Abha's hand and quickly dials the HR.

"Hello? My name is Rohan."

"Yes, that's me. I am sorry. Actually, I need some more time to make a decision. Can you please tell me whether that is okay?"

"Thank you." Rohan cuts the call and turns to Abha.

"Happy? I have not rejected it."

"You did the right thing, bro. Some decisions are not meant to be taken hastily."

"I think you need to make a decision about the tea."

"Oh my God, I forgot!" Abha runs into the kitchen.

**End of Part 7**

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