Love Mirrors Understanding

“Want a cup of tea?” the waiter’s voice broke her reverie.

“Black with a tinge of lime and ginger,” Anita replied with a smile.

“Only tea, Ma’am!” he exclaimed. “Would you like something to eat along with the tea?”

 “No. Just tea please,” she reiterated.

The waiter, a young man, could sense that this beautiful woman was restive. Her frequent glances in the direction of the doorway were indicative of her waiting for someone to arrive. He brought the steaming hot black tea and placed it carefully on the table. She smiled and started sipping the tea slowly.

Two persons clad in formal attire entered the Café at the same time. One was a young, tall and handsome man in his twenties. The other, also tall and handsome, seemed slightly older, maybe in the early thirties. The waiter was curious.

‘Who among the two would join the woman at her table?’ he wondered.

Surprisingly, both of them went towards her.

“Hi Anita,” said the younger man.

“Hello Vikram,” she said. He sat down beside her.

“Ma’am, I am Tanish from Kevin Financial Solutions,” said the elder man. “I have an appointment with you regarding the strategic planning for our business venture.”

“Yes Sir,” she said and introduced the two men.

They shook hands. She then ordered tea for the two men.

The waiter was disappointed. He had expected one of them to be her boyfriend, or better still, it could have been a love triangle. He had been ready to witness smoldering emotions, a lover’s tiff and tears. But this turned out to be an official meet.

‘This woman is too lovely to have an exclusive business meet,’ he thought.

He had no idea that Vikram was the woman’s fiancé. 

But wait! Was there something interesting after all? 

Anita and Kevin were walking away leaving Vikram to finish his tea.

“Hey Anita,” called Vikram. “You can’t do this. I came expressly to spend some time with you. Why can’t you finish your discussion here?”

“No,” said Anita turning back. “When I have given an appointment to someone, I am bound to keep it. We can meet after that if you like.”

‘So Vikram has come unannounced,’ thought the waiter. He was waiting for Vikram’s next reaction.

Vikram was frustrated. He had left early from office and come to the Café, knowing well that Anita would come here for a cup of tea at this time. He had planned to take her out for lunch and then spend an intimate evening with her. As it is, they were getting very little time of togetherness as he was located in Hyderabad and she in Mumbai.

Anita and Vikram had been classmates at college. They were close friends too. Both had graduated in computer engineering, after which Vikram had left for further studies to the USA. Anita had pursued her MBA in finance in Mumbai itself. It was when they were in different corners of the world, that they realized that they missed the daily banter and mutual company that led to so many arguments, advice and laughter. Anita had immediately responded to all his chats on Whatsapp or Facebook messenger. Skype interaction and video chats followed. Both of them could not define the moment the friendship turned to love. After finishing his post graduation and doctoral studies, Vikram joined a huge multinational conglomerate in a very senior position. When offered the transfer to India, he grabbed it and landed in Hyderabad. He would very often visit Mumbai as his parents were stationed here and every time he would make it a point to meet Anita. Soon he took her home to meet his parents and being from the same community, both his and her parents did not voice any objections to their getting engaged.

Vikram knew that Anita was ambitious. She wanted to pursue her career and she wanted to taste success in business. He knew about her idea of initiating a financial consultancy company. She had told him about a prospective client, a big company, who had approached her for financial strategy planning. And this Kevin was a representative from that company. He understood the importance of the meeting. Yet he had never expected Anita to leave him there and walk away with that man Kevin, albeit for an official meeting. On pondering over, he reconciled himself to the fact that as an outsider to the business deal, maybe it was better that Kevin and Anita talk over the finer points of the deal without his distracting presence.

And after all, he knew his Anita very well. After the deal was finalized, he would be the first person she would inform about it and maybe even discuss it with him before inking the agreement. He was confident about his fiancée and her thought processes. He decided that he would wait for her call.

The waiter was watching him curiously. ‘Was he the woman’s lover? Or was he just a friend? Maybe if I offer him a drink, I will be able to make out. If he accepts the offer of a drink, he could be a jilted lover. If he doesn’t, probably he would be just a friend. Let me try.’

“Sir, shall I get you a drink, a beer perhaps?” the waiter’s voice jolted Vikram out of his reverie.

“No, thanks,” he replied.

He was ready to get up and leave. But the waiter was not to be dissuaded.

“You seem a little tense, Sir,” he said.

Vikram looked up at the waiter’s face. His face seemed very familiar. He was about to mention it to the man, when suddenly he recognized him. It was Sunil. Sunil had been a classmate in college too. And, it had been common knowledge that he was head over heels in love with the daughter of the Principal of the college. But the girl had no reciprocal feelings for him. In fact she had complained to her father about a boy from her class stalking her. The Principal, on coming to know that Sunil was the student concerned, had taken stern disciplinary action against him. But within a week, his classmates were given to understand that he had left the college. They had discussed the episode then and had presumed that he could bear the thought of being around in the same college surroundings as the girl who had jilted him. 

Now Vikram was in a dilemma. ‘Should he let on that he had recognized Sunil, or should he just go away?’

He decided on the latter action. Apparently, Sunil had not recognized him.

He said, “No. I am not tense or anything. I have to go back to work.”

Paying the bill, he walked out. 

“Oh my God,” he thought. “Such a brilliant student he was, and now he is a college dropout working at a Café as a waiter. I wonder whether he ever got over his first love.”

Just then his cell rang. It was Anita.

“Vikram, I am really sorry for leaving you like that and going away. But the meeting was important for me. We had a discussion, but there are some specific conditions to be included from their side. Are you still there at the café? I want your thoughts on it before I take this project on.”

“I just left, Anita, but we can meet wherever you are now. Just message me the address and I will be there.”

Just as he had presumed, Anita wanted to discuss everything with him. He was happy that he had not made a scene at the café and had hidden his frustration at not being able to spend time with her. Now they could meet in peace and maybe spend more intimate moments than he had expected.

Within a few minutes, they met at her office. Anita was looking slightly worried. She discussed with him at length. In the end they decided that she could take it up with a few changes in the conditions newly put forward by the company.

“Thank you so much Vikram for listening to me so patiently and giving helpful inputs, even though I almost snubbed you at the café,” she said totally relieved and grateful.

“That’s what I am here for,” said Vikram with a smile. “To provide a shoulder to lean on in times of stress,” he added with a smile. 

 His thoughts wandered to Sunil’s predicament. He thought of telling Anita about Sunil, though there was no way that she would have known him, as Sunil was his classmate in Junior college before he joined the engineering college. Anita had studied in another Junior college and they had come to know each other only after they joined engineering.

“Anita, do you recall the waiter at the café?” he asked.

“Yes. The young man with a smile that seemingly hid a lot of sorrow,” she replied.

“How did you guess that?” asked Vikram. “Do you know him?”

“No, Vikram,” she replied. “But his eyes did not mirror his smile. And that struck me as odd.”

“Well, you are right,” said Vikram. He then narrated the episode of Sunil’s one sided love and the way he had dropped out of college though he was a brilliant student.

“Did you speak to him, Vikram?” asked Anita horrified.

“No. Apparently he did not recognize me and I did not want to embarrass him,” said Vikram.

“Thank God for that!” exclaimed Anita. “The fact that he is doing something for a living shows that he may have come to terms with the episode. But being reminded of that insult by the Principal and his daughter would be really painful for him. Let him be. He is still young. He will probably meet someone soon to partner him for life once again.”

Her words seemed to be prophetic as the next time they went to the café to have tea together after a couple of months, it was as a married couple and the new found intimacy in their relationship was evident to the waiter, Sunil.

He came up to greet them and take their order.

“I am so glad that you both are here again, Ma’am,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, thanks,” said Anita.

This time his eyes were bright and cheerful too.

 “I wanted to give you some happy news. I am getting married next month,” he said happily handing them an invitation.

Vikram was elated. But Anita’s hand gripped his to caution him from blurting out that he knew Sunil and was happy for him.

“Thanks for the invite,” said Anita with a smile. “We will try our best to attend.”

As soon as Sunil went to bring their tea, Anita whispered, “Let bygones be bygones. Don’t you remind him of the past! He is happy now. So let us be customers at the café for him always.”

 Vikram nodded and tightened his grip on her hand in gratitude. They went home with their hearts on song and peace in mind.