Yes!! It's Love Of Its Own Kind...

It all started with a random friend request. Damini was at her wits end why on earth the boy whom she admired all her school years would send her a friend request at 1 in the night.

Friday nights were her "me time" cocooned in her corner with her hot cuppa and a book. Her phone buzzed and jumpstarted a new chapter of her life. A chapter which had love but no lust, discussions but no arguments, leg-pulling but no snobs. Just perfect!! The way she had always visualised a close relationship. The rules were loud and clear to disturb each other on chat as and when possible but no forwards. All ears to each other's problems and outbursts both anxious and hilarious.

"Reaching your complex gate in fifteen minutes, meet me". The message in her inbox triggered her thoughts. Such a message would have been a welcome one for teenagers freshly in love. Damini and Anirudh were gladly on the other side of forty. God knows what daredevilry was Anirudh up to this Sunday morning with rains lashing the city.

Rains, her favourite song "nahin saamne" and a long drive with her favourite, what a better way to spend much earned Sunday. But the demons in the mind can spoil even best of moments. Why do virtues, emotions and fear of society keep triggering? Why can't relationships just be? Why do we need to name every relationship? As always Damini was physically there but mentally fighting her demons.

After, a long and refreshing drive, some tea and bhajji at the "nukkudwala," Damini still couldn't understand the reason behind Anirudh's daredevilry.

"Is wifey off to official tour, Ani?"

Anirudh got the clue and he took out some documents and handed over to her just before dropping her at her complex gate.

"Read them and see you tomorrow at the airport, and don't call during the day as am off to inlaws for our monthly family day."

This encrypted instruction irritated Damini. All men are same!! She mumbled in her head and kept the documents safely in her study. Sunday being family day household chores were endless.

Taking her cosy afternoon nap she just woke up with a bang, Ani's words "see you at the airport tomorrow," she hurriedly took out the documents and started reading. And what a man Ani is, she thought, was completely floored, wanted to give him one tight hug. He had enrolled Damini and himself for the "Inner Engineering" program which the Isha foundation was organizing for his office team. Though only friends and family could only come along, God knows in which category Ani had enrolled me popped one more of her demon. Ani knew how desperate she was to do it but who would take care of her household for seven days and a residential programme was just not allowed by her family.

From her dreams, she fell with a thud on the reality 1 week,7 days o gosh!! And Ani' s phone was going unanswered. The way to a man's heart and mind is his stomach, she prepared familiy's favourite to convince and slowly rolled out what was going in her mind. An outright no which she knew would be thrown to her face. But help came from an unexpected corner, her teenage daughter who was a witness to her mental health issues decided to help her by managing the house.

Those whom you love and those who love you should give you wings to fly and not clip them and cage. That was her reality today. Those for whom she breathed each moment could never realise what Damini wanted and yearned for. But the one who loved her thought about her. God has his ways and his angels. And here she was with her angel flying off to Coimbatore.