Keeping the Promises

by Gajjar, Dhruv

  “Sorry M! My intentions were not to…” Gajju started giving his rational explanations, but with all their astonishment, Angie filled another glass.

  “Whatever it is, I’m liking it,” she said and consumed it in seconds.

  “Yes, I want another too,” M said and followed.

  After emptying all of that vodka mixed coke, their eyes went groggy. The guys were just observing their moves. After all, they had seen drunken girls for the first time in their life.

  “Hey M! Look at Ansh’s shirt. Cool no?” Angie uttered.

  “Yes, why should boys have all the fun? We should wear that too. Dhruv! Tell us where your wardrobe is?” she demanded.

  “M, come and sit down…”

  “Your wardrobe, Dhruv!” She demanded, exceeding her aggression.

  “Upstairs!” Dhruv answered in helplessness.

  They both went upstairs. Ansh looked at Dhruv with impeccable amount of anger.

  “Sorry bro!”

  “Does it matter now?” He couldn’t even say, ‘I told you so!’ because he didn’t. They waited about five minutes and heard them stepping down.

  Guys’ eyes widened like saucers after what they saw. They saw girls wearing their full sleeve shirts with folded sleeves and well, just shirts. Yes, everything below their six inches of thighs, which their shirts were covering, was visible. They were staggering while walking which were making their shiny white legs even more salient. This was fascinating. Ansh and Dhruv both were trying hard not to look at each other’s girls but some things are beyond human control and this was one of those.

  Angie came over, sat on Ansh’s lap and whispered, “I love you Anshu!” She kissed him on his neck, which made him feel diffident, and he glanced at Dhruv. He was holding M in his arms. She was already asleep.

  “Let’s do it again Anshu!” Angie whispered again and kissed his lips. Ansh too got carried away – forgetting about the presence of his best friend – and kissed her deeply. After they finished, Ansh looked up. Dhruv was standing there – waiting for him to finish.

  “You go upstairs. I’m staying here.” He said and took M to the living room and gently placed her on the sofa.

  Ansh tried to copy him and lifted Angie in his arms.

  “Third time, thanks to you bastard!” He grinned. Dhruv smiled back and they went upstairs.

  After a five-hour sleep, Ansh woke up. Angie was already awake, had already freshened up and changed her clothes. Hopefully, she well remembered what happened and she was not miffed at Ansh. He felt relieved. They stepped down and went to the living room and saw Dhruv sleeping there on the sofa with M in his arms.

  “Aww, how romantic!” Angie mumbled with her cute voice.

  “And erotic too!” Ansh winked referring to M’s revealing legs. Angie slapped him on his arm and held his hand.

  Who would have thought that Ansh would be the one getting benefit from Dhruv’s plan instead of him?

  ‘Yeah! That’s what luck is all about,’ Ansh mumbled.

  I looked up and saw M throwing her naughty smile at me.

  “Ansh and Angie are going to kill you,” she guffawed.

  “Don’t worry ma’am, I have their written consent,” I meekly answered.

  “Mithu! I’ve penned some lyrics for you. Can you please cite them for me?”

  “Of course ma’am,” I bowed my head in obedience and stood up.

  “It’s in the drawer.” She pointed her finger at the wardrobe. I opened it, pulled the drawer out and took a paper from it. I smiled as I saw the lyrics. I stood beside her and started singing with the worst singing skills of mine.

  If I ever leave this world alive

  I’ll thank you for all the things you did in my life

  If I ever leave this world alive

  I’ll come back down and sit beside your

  feet tonight

  Wherever I am you’ll always be

  More than just a memory

  If I ever leave this world alive

  If I ever leave this world alive

  I’ll take on all the sadness

  That I left behind

  If I ever leave this world alive

  The madness that you feel will soon subside

  So in a word don’t shed a tear

  I’ll be here when it all gets weird

  If I ever leave this world alive

  So when in doubt just call my name

  Just before you go insane

  If I ever leave this world

  Hey I may never leave this world

  But if I ever leave this world alive

  He says I’m okay, I’m alright,

  Though you have gone from my life

  You said that it would,

  Now everything should be all right

  He says I’m okay; I’m alright,

  Though you have gone from my life

  You said that it would,

  Now everything should be all right

  Yeah should be all right.

  “You changed the lyrics M!”

  “Just a couple of letters, Mithu! But so relevant to our situation, no?” She simpered.

  I remained silent; in tears.

  “Seems like I’ll have to put my cancer cells inside your tears, so they start hiding instead of shedding.” She smiled again and I missed a beat, again.

  “You know I would gladly embrace them. Anything more for you ma’am?” I bowed at her.

  “Yes, the promise!”

  I nodded and she continued, “Promise me! You’ll regain your fitness and become that old handsome Dhruv Gajjar again.”

  “Haha… With pleasure ma’am, I promise.”

  “By the way, do you remember from where I got these lyrics?”

  “How can I forget that wonderful day, M?” I winked.

  After two hours, she opened her eyes. She was wearing my shirt, only the shirt. My eyes were locked and confused in between her soft pink lips, her sharp blue eyes, her smooth silky hair and last but not the least, her milky white legs. Two hours passed in those coupled minutes, as I was lost in observing my girl’s beauty while holding her hand. These things are more fascinating than sex.

  “Was I asleep?” She asked with groggy eyes, adding another fragrance to her beauty.

  “Yes, my love.”

  “My head is paining atrociously Mithu!”

  “I know baby. It’s a trademark of hangover. Let me take care of it,” I pulled her head down to my lap and started massaging it gently while kissing in between.

  “Where are Ansh and Angie?”

  “They are upstairs. Making out – third time.”

  “Do you want to Mithu?”

  “Yes, but not now! Only when my queen will demand it.”

  “I’m demanding baby! Let’s do it.”

  “You don’t need to lie, my love. I can clearly see that you are not ready. I felt sorry about getting you drunk…but now I don’t. This is enough for me.” I winked and put my fingers on her legs and let them run. She giggled and moved closer to embrace me in her arms and gently whispered in my ear. “I love you Mithu!”

  And I replied back, with a passionate kiss. After that she started playing, with my buttons.

  “What am I supposed to do now? In your shirt?” She was trying everything to test my patience.

  “This is immensely tempting baby! But what about a movie?”

  And she punched me on my chest. I switched on the TV and started to switch channels. She suddenly held my hand.

  “Wait Mithu! That’s my favourite movie! P.S. I Love You…”

  It had just started. Gerry was dancing semi-nude trying to please his Holly. I winked at M. We had discussed this scene so many times and I promised her to perform a strip dance for her. Then M almost jumped on my lap when Holly got the first letter from Jerry.

  “Don’t worry M! You will receive these same letters after my death,” I chuckled. She patted my back.

  “I’m going to die first.”

 
“Forget it M! I am.”

  “No, I am.”

  We fought for a while on that. Then the beauty of Ireland just took our breath away; at the park where Gerry and Holly first met. M held my hand, even tighter at the moment.

  “Mithu! If possible, we’ll go to Ireland for our honeymoon.”

  “Of course we will, my love!”

  “And will take a walk in the same park.”

  “Just walk? I was thinking about making out right there.” I chuckled, she guffawed.

  “Your kind suggestion will be considered.” She winked, and I kissed her.

  A beautiful end left tears in M’s eyes. Filmy! But it did me a favour. She gifted me an everlasting passionate kiss. We were lost in each other’s lips, tongues and arms but suddenly some beautiful lyrics amused us.

  If I ever leave this world alive…

  What if there is a secret residing within you that you are not allowed to share with anyone? What if there is someone who you are missing badly and yet you have to believe that they are complete strangers to you? It hurts – even to me it does.

  We are sitting at Angie and Ansh’s place to hear the further narration. After having scrumptious food cooked by Dhruv and Ansh, we sit in their room.

  He pulls out his Mac and starts reading.

  7 February

  In front of M that day, was a plate not full of her favourite orchids, but of lush red roses. She opened the envelope and there was nothing in this world capable of stopping her from breaking into tears.

  You can touch these roses now, ravishingly beautiful just as you,

  You can smell the perfume it produces, just the way you do,

  Soon, they will wither and die, just the way you will

  You can take that away from me.

  “Mithu!”

  “Hmm?”

  “Tell me how much you cried while writing this?”

  I didn’t answer. My answer was dumped in the dustbin around the corner. I pointed my hand to the dustbin where she saw over fifty torn pages and grinned from ear to ear. What she forgot to notice was they were all wet.

  “I’m going to kill you, Dhruv!” Angie growled and ran after me from the bed. She finally read her lovemaking part and was confusingly miffed at me. Yes, confusingly, with a pleasured smile on her face. She wondered how I got so much information about them. The answer was obvious. The person, who was still in love with her, truly madly and deeply, provided it. She too knew it and wanted to hear it. M and I were enjoying her visible blush when I told her that she provided every romantic, erotic, dirty detail to her ex-boyfriend who was soon going to marry her. Yes, I would drag them both to their wedding.

  Ansh didn’t come over that day. He knew he could narrate everything to me over the phone or in person, but he could not bear me express his feelings when Angie was around. Angie somehow had the courage for that – and I wonder for how long that would last. After having the delicious sweet-corn soup – obviously cooked by me, they both were prepared to hear the narration, about which M and I had been constantly teasing Angie.

  I started reading

  “What dude? Are you nuts?” Half of the food was spitted out from Dhruv’s mouth as Ansh told him his ridiculous decision. He was going to do ‘Aththai Tap’- a fast where one cannot eat for eight straight days and is only allowed to drink only boiled water, and that too before sunset. Angie was doing it, and after trying everything to restrain her – he failed. Her family had already made the announcement and she too was keen on doing it, so did Ansh. Dhruv felt like he almost dropped his ears and could not believe his friend’s foolishness and he too, as a wise friend was trying to stop him.

  “Dude, are you nuts?” He continued… “Eight days without food and just on boiled water? This is suicide, man!”

  “I know Gajju and that’s why I’m not going to let her do that alone,” Ansh firmly answered.

  “Ansh, what she is going to do will be considered as a tapasya. Your attempt will be considered as only starvation. We’ll be in Ahmedabad on weekends, so you think that your mom will let you do that?” Dhruv’s question was obvious and logical, which made Ansh think for a while.

  “I’m going to stay here this time,” he declared. Dhruv again tried to convince him and the argument lasted for several minutes, but just as Ansh had failed to convince Angie, Dhruv failed with Ansh.

  “Then I’m going to stay with you too,” Dhruv said.

  “No bro, you don’t need to. I’ll manage by myself here.” He surely didn’t want to trouble Dhruv in this task.

  “Done talking? Now listen! I’ll be here with you for these eight days of your so called “fast”. You will be resting all day long. You won’t even stand up to drink water, understood? Otherwise, I’m not going to let you do it.” Gajju sternly announced; Ansh couldn’t help but nod.

  The first day went easy for them. Ansh and Angie set some rules to survive eight days without food. Like they would not talk over the phone as it would make them more hungry and thirsty. They decided to use the technology of Skype with which they could see each other anytime they would want. Being a Jain, Angie had the experience of fasting where being a Brahmin, fasting for Ansh had always been eating fruits, salads and wafers. By evening, Ansh started having headache and dizziness, but he didn’t tell anyone about it. Not even his best friend Dhruv. On the second day, he could not hide it. His head started spinning and he could barely wake up. Everyone around him – Dhruv, Angie, M started worrying and tried to make him end the fast, but he was keen to do it. He wanted to feel the same hunger and pain that his girl was feeling. The only thing that was helping him to go through it was that he could see Angie on the screen and could feel her around. The third day got worse. He could not even move. Angie even disconnected Skype after having a belligerent war of words with him. She started cursing herself for allowing Ansh to do it. She was sitting on her bed, weeping on the foolishness of his boyfriend, when her father – Mr. Prasoon Shah, an open minded and an extremely friendly dad, unlike a common Indian father – saw her. At first, he thought it was because of hunger, but when she told him that her boyfriend was doing a fast for her, at first he couldn’t believe his ears. But when he saw Ansh, almost dying, he was proud of her daughter’s choice. Not because of the hunger strike that the stupid boy was doing, but when he talked to him, he saw a genuine, caring guy who could look after his daughter…perhaps better than him. It was he who convinced Ansh to end his fast by saying that he was planning to introduce him to his brother and father, so he needed him to be fit and attentive. Ansh unwillingly decided to end his fast, but that too on the next day. The others didn’t have any choice but to agree. On the eve of the fourth day, Ansh ended his fast with lemon juice. Dhruv and M did his parna, which Angie watched live on the screen. Later that night, the lovebirds were chirping romantically, thanking their destiny for giving Angie a best friend in the form of her father Mr. Shah. They were convinced they would not have to face any hurdles in their marriage now. The only person Angie feared was her Badepapa, who was exactly opposite to Mr. Shah – extremely unfriendly and a highly conservative person. He and his son Rishi were the only living hurdles for them. Eight days of Athai Tap finally came to an end and the lovebirds could not wait to see each other at Angie’s parna function.

  “I think this should be the place. You two go inside if you wish, while I park the car,” Dhruv said as they reached the given address.

  “No, we are waiting here, we’ll go inside together,” M said. Dhruv, returned a smile and headed for the parking.

  As the three of them entered, they saw Mr. Shah standing outside the door to greet them. He embraced them and escorted them inside. Ansh saw Angie’s grandfather, Badepapa and her first cousin Rishi standing there. Ansh had seen their picture before, so he could easily identify them. Clearly, Mr. Shah was giving Ansh the extra caring treatment, which bothered them. A kind of disdain started developing in their eyes for Ansh. Then Ansh saw his girl, sitting in a traditional dress, l
ooking gorgeous as always. She blushed at seeing Ansh and he felt another pinch of sugar. She was sitting on a stage. Everyone was coming to her, pouring different kinds of liquids and doing her ‘parna’.

  “I think she is expecting you three on stage,” Mr. Shah generously said, teasing Ansh for stalking his daughter. Ansh nodded and the three of them went up. As she saw Ansh coming, Angie started moving her eyes and lips provocatively and then bit her lip, a sheer turn on for Ansh.

  “Stop provoking me like this, my love!” Ansh muttered in her ears.

  M poured the liquids and they returned back to their seats.

  After five minutes, a voice came from behind them, “Excuse me!” Ansh turned back and saw Rishi standing there.

  “Yes?” He politely asked.

  “My father wants to see you all. Follow me.” As they went inside the room, they saw Angie’s father, grandfather and Badepapa standing there.

  “Bapuji, he is Anshul, the boy I was telling you about,” Mr. Shah said, pointing his finger towards Ansh.

  “What is your full name, boy?” Badepapa asked, not so gently.

  “Anshul Bhatt, sir!” He softly answered.

  “A Brahmin? Prasoon, you chose a Brahmin boy for Angel?” Angie’s Badepapa growled at Mr. Shah. The three of them were standing quiet, pale.

  “What’s wrong with that motabhai (big brother)? He is a well-educated, well-cultured and well-natured boy,” Ansh held his head high after hearing those praises.

  “He is not Jain, kaka (uncle). How could you forget that outcast marriages are forbidden in our Jain community?” Rishi growled at his uncle.

  ‘This is not something that Jainism enjoins.’ Ansh scoffed in his mind.

  Angie’s grandpa was standing quietly, just like Ansh, Dhruv and M.

  “Look son! She is my daughter and I know what is right for her and my decision is final,” Angie’s father replied firmly.

  “Since when did you start taking decisions, Prasoon? And you three, get out! This is our family matter, none of your business.” Badepapa admonished and the three of them walked out.

  Later that evening, thoughts were waving like nightmares in Ansh's mind.