Charu Vashishtha Gulati

Drama Others

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Charu Vashishtha Gulati

Drama Others

Did You Say Something - Part 8

Did You Say Something - Part 8

4 mins
188


A sudden jerk, which could be because of the speed breaker or broken road, let her woke up. She found herself lying in my lap. She was totally embarrassed. Her countenance said it all. I was embarrassed more than her, as I had committed some kind of debauchery.


“We shall reach the next stop in just five minutes”, I said just to mitigate the embarrassment for both of us. In reply, she started crying. Certainly, this time she was not in a state of happiness.

“What kind of a person you are!” she yelled still crying. I kept quiet. I felt relieved a bit thinking at least she uttered something.


“There are other persons also traveling in the bus. At least you can keep your pitch in a low volume.” I was trying to assuage her by any means necessary, even if it needs scolding her. It had the desired effect. She stopped crying. She again held her head against my shoulders as if they are meant only for supporting her head. She said softly,” I don’t want to let these moments slip away just because of some accident. I was developing a strange feeling that the girl is expecting some impending danger which would push her into oblivion from which she might never return back.


 All of a sudden she drew her head from my shoulder and perched herself in a straight position.

She was serious. Meditatively she asked, “Do you believe in love at first sight?” I was surprised and disconcerted. Instead of concentrating on an answer to her question, I was curious about her persona. She was a bit incongruous and definitely eccentric. Now coming to her question, the answer was not simple. I had some doubts. Might be she was thinking that I had fallen in love with her and just to make sure she was asking this question. If the answer was, yes definitely next question would be “Do you love me?”.


Given her eccentricity, she could do anything anywhere without any notice. I was perplexed. Moreover, she would insist on a straight answer and would not let me beat around the bush. On one thing I was firm, whatever she might be, I would never ever hurt her. She was everything to me. I was all hers. I had been through that vast ocean in her eyes. There was not even an iota of blemish. I had to be very watchful in answering the question. Finding no way out, I decided to depend on my instinct which said to me, if she was asking about me being in love with her, she would have asked it straight away. By that time she had become a little impatient and was coaxing me for an answer. I had to answer.


“No”, I said.

Hearing the answer she became ecstatic. Her pleasure knew no bounds. 


She said,” love is the most abused word since eternity. How many wars were fought for the procurement of one’s love? How many wars were fought for the love of one’s own country? How many crimes were committed to procurement for one’s love? How many suicides were committed to not procuring one’s love? How many hate love stories had ruined mankind in some or the other ways? How many riots had taken place for the love of one’s own religion? How many people seeking absolution from sins were related to the procurement of love? How many? How many? Etymologically love relates to desire. Love is itself a contaminated word. It should never have been used for purity. How one could say that his love is pure. It should have been replaced by the phrase “like and desire” or a new word should have been coined by etymologist Here word “desire” is a replaceable one and because desires are myriad no single word was coined by etymologist for this phrase. How on earth, could one use the word ‘love’ for his sister and in the same breadth for girlfriend or wife? For sister, it should have been the word ‘like’ and for wife it should have been a phrase “like and testosterone if required.” For your kind information, I often use the word “congenial” in place of the word “like”.” Then she finished her observation about the word “love”.


Thank God, I thought, she didn’t know just now I had been through a trauma called love and I heaved a sigh of relief.

“So we like each other at this moment and when shall we need testosterone, we shall be loving each other. Is that right?”

“As long as one understands these subtleties, then one may continue with the word “love”.”

“This is the last Bus stop on this route”, announced the conductor.


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