The Phone Call (4th May 1994)

I want to tell you

My head is filled with things to say

When you’re here, all those words

They seem to slip away

- George Harrison, I Want To Tell You

They had spent a lovely day together. With their other friends. In his apartment. It was one of those days which he wished never ended. They were laughing, joking, and in general, having a wonderful time. He loved her so much. But despite the closeness they shared, he could never get down to expressing his true feelings for her. Maybe that in itself was the reason. They were so close as friends, he didn’t want to risk losing her friendship by admitting his true feelings for her. He kept it well hidden within himself. A couple of his friends who knew about this would always goad him to come out in the open about it. But he just couldn’t. And he preferred it that way.

As the day was approaching its end, he grew anxious. He knew she would leave any moment now, and he dreaded that. He just didn’t want this day to end. But it was yet just 5 in the evening. So he knew he had at least 3-4 hours more to enjoy being with her. However suddenly out of the blue, her best friend said she had to leave, and she too joined her friend about having to go. That took him by surprise. He thought she was enjoying the day as much as him, so her wanting to leave came as a shock to him. Contrary to his nature, he begged and pleaded with her to stay. But no matter how much he tried, she wouldn’t stay. “I have to be with her. I need to be with her”, she replied coldly.

He was devastated when she left. He was so mad at her that he didn’t even walk her till the door. He kept sitting on his chair facing the other way, not even wishing her a goodbye. She smiled and said bye to all the others in the room, and left.

His two closest friends sensed his mood change, and convinced most of the others to call it a day. One by one, everyone left and it was just the three of them. His friends tried to cheer him up. But no matter what they did, his sulking continued. Maybe because the level of enjoyment was so high that day, when his mood fell, it seemed that much more of a low. He didn’t even blink when they put on Baywatch.

It must’ve been around 9.30 when the phone call came. Instinctively he knew it was her. He didn’t want to talk to her, so he didn’t pick it up.

The phone rang yet again after a couple of minutes and his friends literally forced him to pick it up this time. “You never know, it could be someone else. It could be an important one,” they reasoned.

He was seething as her sweet voice wafted across the phone lines. “You know what, I’m missing you so much, “ she said, without even so much of an introduction or a hello. It was the last thing he wanted to hear. “Now look, let’s talk of anything but this evening please,” he implored, keeping his voice as much in control as was possible.

“I only want to talk about today,” she replied defiantly. She didn’t care that she was treading on the extremely thin ice of his patience.

“Cat and mouse, cat and mouse...I am fed up of this cat and mouse game”, he finally burst out, unable to keep a lid on his anger. It had been piling on more and more on him and eventually he had to break.

“There is no cat and mouse game. It’s just that you are too much a fool to understand or say anything. Tomorrow, if my parents decide to get me married somewhere else, will you be able to take it? “ she screamed on the phone.

He was stunned into silence by her last sentence.

He kept on replaying it in his head, his heart beating at least ten times faster than normal. At one point, he swore he could hear the beats.

“I....I...I would....”, he was stuttering and stammering badly.

“I would what, you idiot!!! Nothing you will say or do....just sit there and sulk.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His heart, jumping with joy, beating faster than RD Burman’s bongos, filled in a heady fizzy mix of happiness, joy and excitement!!!

“Why do I have to say it all the time. Why couldn’t you say it once? Does a guy have to say it all the time,” he knew his defense was a weak one but now he didn’t care.

“You idiot, at least say it now!!”

And he did. Finally. To the girl he loved most in the world.

***

The alarm buzzed at its usual 6 AM time. His eyes were wide open from before. He hadn’t slept the whole night as the past was playing in front of his eyes like a movie. He stretched his hand to the side of the bed to turn the alarm off. And then turned to the other side to see her sleeping. She looked as pretty asleep as she did always. She had a slight smile on her parted lips. He gently moved her hair from her face and kissed her softly. She murmured something and turned towards him, snuggling her head in his chest and sleeping a little more comfortably. His eyes went to the calendar on the wall in front.

It was 4th May 2018.

Happy anniversary, darling, he whispered softly, knowing she was fast asleep. He put his arms around her and shut his eyes.