Forever: a short story

Anshu promised a million things to Tara. Tara loved him. They were childhood friends. They grew up together. Though when they separated because of Tara's dad's transfer to another city did they fall in love. Interestingly even though at school they only shared a common friend circle, later they were the ones who stayed in touch, connected well and became best friends.

For one long year Anshu loved her without confession. The distance was painful. He wanted to hold her in his arms, look in her eyes and say the three magical words. But soon he realized it was not happening in the near future. Tara went for a family vacation. It was a long trip. They could not talk. After many days when Tara's number flashed on Anshu's phone he was overwhelmed with emotions. Tara has asked him not to call her whenever he knows her parents will be around. So it was obvious Anshu could not call her when she was on a family holiday. Tara's parents never connected with her. They loved her ofcourse but they belonged to two paradoxical ideological sects. They failed to relate. Where Tara went on a trip was a coastal land. A serious mishap happened. All the media and news covered it. Tara's phone lost network. She could not call anyone. Her parents' phone too had the same issues. Anshu loved her too much to land her in any trouble by calling her himself. This man who was an atheist went to the temple and prayed for hours. He wanted back his sweetheart safe and happy.

Their vacation was extended ofcourse but to no good. Luckily with Anshu's prayers she came back as he wanted. Anshu could not resist after that. He proposed her.

For five months he waited. After that Tara took her time. She said yes but decided to say I love you only when they meet. For one and half years they did not. Though everything was planned. They were getting married. Anshu's family and Tara's brother knew and favoured everything. Anshu called her up one day. He said “I am coming to Delhi in July. Her happiness had no bounds. She repeated those wonderful words a thousand times to him that she had forbidden herself from saying. Anyways it was a cliché. She had said it many times already. After all they had been together for one and half years. Anshu had bought her a ring, bent on his knees and proposed her on video chat. She had given him a million hugs and kisses there. They shared everything. Before going anywhere, Tara would first show up on video chat so that Anshu is always the first to see her pretty side. Anshu loved her. She loved him.

The day they met, Anshu did not get her the ring. He hit her and pushed her rather. She kept crying amidst a huge crowd. It’s Delhi. Nobody cared, sadly, not even Anshu this time.
The other day Anshu broke up. He dropped her.

It was December when he had called her to announce the meeting. What happened in six months? He got into drugs. He became addicted. Hostel ruined him. Smoke became his new love. Drugs became his new soulmate. He started hating being loved. He became rough. He lost himself. And Tara lost him. She tolerated a lot of verbal, mental and emotional abuse. But she waited. She was patient. She believed the day will come when Anshu will put that ring into her delicate finger, she will kiss him, hug him and everything will get back to normal. Though, the worst happened. The fairly tale day turned out to be a catastrophe. She got abused physically too.
"My ring"
"What ring?"

"Anshu?"
"What? I threw it long back. I need to get drugs. I am rotting in Delhi at my relatives'. Mom has damned me to stay here for two days".
He met her probably for some pleasure. But she was now pale, dull and monotonous for him. He left her the other day. That meeting for Tara was everything while for Anshu it was reduced only to get a chance to breathe some fresh air, get out of his relatives place and smoke.

She tried to reach him every day for three months thereafter. One day he finally picked up the phone just to make Tara realized he is sleeping with someone else – daily.  

Tara's education was done. She wanted to marry him in three years, when both of them will be ideally settled. Anshu was initially in a hurry to marry her while Tara convinced him to settle down first. Eventually it was only Tara who wanted to get married. She was ready to give up all her dreams; she did not even want to complete her studies at the first place. It did not happen.

A few months later  when her brother visited her, he asked "When is Anshu meeting me? When is my princess' future groom showing up?" she stayed silent. Tears spoke. He hugged her and said "marriages are made in heaven". Tara grew up. She grew up to realize a prince will come. She can’t chase one. He will come when he has to. We cannot run ahead of time. Marriage will happen and it will happen to the one it has to.

The bottom line is, no matter what plans we make for ourselves, life is full of surprises. Not every love story is a fairy tale. Not every love story has a happy ending. Though, until a story is complete it does not end. A chapter may end at an abrupt note but a story does not. “Marriages are made in heaven”. It’s so true. No matter how much you give in love, only if you have to, you will get married. There is a divine control, a predestined fate, a readymade plan for all of us. Marriage is a big deal, it is a second life and we get it only the way it has been determined. The hardest part maybe waiting. But, it will happen only when it has to. While the wait is worthwhile, the impatience is futile. No one can run ahead of time and catch hold of that special person. 

And eventually no matter what we have earlier planned, we know why it did not work out that way, we know what our story had to be, we know why we got what we did, because in the end that is what had to be. 

Marriages are made in heaven, truly. All we can do is keep dreaming, keep expecting, keep patient, keep waiting, and it will come when it has to, answering every question.

Like Anshu and Tara who met when they were ten. Who remained friends for twelve years. Who fell in love. Who decided to get married. But ended up nowhere. They may be strangers today but that is not the end. It happens that we meet someone we think is our soulmate but that is only to understand they are not. They are not the type of people we are meant to be with. Marriage will happen. There is somebody for each one of us. A forever together story is meant for us, each one of us. And that will come at the right time, in the right place, the right moment. And when it does, there is nothing more beautiful in our lives, nothing else.

Ojaswini