You and I, in this beautiful world - Part 2

Continued from here - Part 1

At last, the blessed day dawned bright and happy. Ma’s kitchen was churning tasty treats nineteen to the dozen. The house smelled fresh and fragrant. I pottered around impatiently, not knowing whether to panic or to look forward to our long awaited first rendezvous. And then, just like that, the clock struck 7 and you walked in, in your black shirt, neat formal pants, impeccably shined shoes and a big fat zit on your face as if to match the fiasco on my own countenance. It was unknowingly your ultimate gesture of solidarity. A woebegone me from just a few seconds ago promptly forgot all about the spotted cheek and surreptitiously fawned over your tall, lanky frame, kind mannerisms and soft, molten chocolate like voice.

Stealing a few moments to ourselves, we went for a walk. The lush green beauty of the Army cantonment that we walked through was reduced to a haze as we greedily drank in the deliciousness of just being together, in the same time zone. Eventually when you mustered enough courage, your large hand closed in on my tiny one and cheesy as it may sound, with that you forged our bond forever. In that moment, I knew that you and I were destined to hold hands and face life in its entirety – the laughter, the tears, the achievements, the downfalls, the joy, and the heartache. All of it together.

Three quarters of a year later we were engaged. As an engagement present to ourselves, we planned a clandestine vacation in Europe  (you can read about it here, here, here, here and here). You flew down to Stuttgart, Germany where I was stationed for a 6 month assignment. From there we embarked upon a holiday that felt like a fairy tale at the time. In the streets of Paris, Rome and Berlin we learnt nuances of each other’s personalities like never before. Little nuggets that can only surface when two people spend enough time together. Things like – how an empty stomach can literally make us turn on each other, how much we both love history and the sights and sounds of ancient cities, how your cautious meticulousness can drive an impatient me up the wall and how my spontaneity baffles the planner in you to no end. We had our share of moments when we stood across from each other, daggers drawn, ready to argue to death but then those were pleasantly interspersed with moments of comfortable companionship.

Like most Indian weddings, ours was a frenzied affair, chock full of inane rituals and ceremonies. While both sets of parents were going out of their minds trying to keep every little detail in order, we were just following instructions that were being hurled at us at the speed of 250 miles a second. For me, my friends, who turned up in surprising numbers, were the saving grace. The private little mehendi ceremony we had quickly turned into a bachelorette party that I always wanted but didn’t have the time to plan. 8 girlfriends and cousins, bottles of spiked Coke, a mehendi waala at his wits end, noisy confessions of eternal friendship, a rather embarrassing dance performance (with half hearted, most unsynchronized thumkas) in front of amused uncles, aunts and parents were the highlights of my last night as a single, carefree soul.

6 months and a project later, I packed my bags, dropped in my resignation, bade farewell to family and friends and moved half a world away to California to finally begin my life with you. I was at last ready to give up my nomadic dispositions. Little did I know, the universe had other plans in store for me. Nonetheless, blissfully unaware of events that would transpire later, we immersed ourselves in the humdrum of everyday life. I, for one, had the time and the will to learn how to cook, keep a neat and organized house and put my feet up and relax. You, unfortunately, weren’t as lucky, as you worked hard to find your bearings. As it turned out we weren’t meant to grow roots in California after all. We soon moved to Texas and then a year later I moved again to Michigan for work while you continued in Texas.

Sometimes when I sit back and think of the serpentine trajectory of our life together, I feel a sense of achievement and loss in equal measures. Achievement because whether we like it or not, time and again distance has proved beneficial for our individual growth as human beings and loss because hundreds and thousands of moments that we could have experienced together, laughed at together, wept for together, have simply slipped by into Never Neverland. For better or for worse, we have both changed in our own little ways. I do not know if these changes will let us evolve and understand each other better or cause scars that will heal with time and fade away into a dark past. Even so, in some remote part of our grey matter, they will remain as memories, from which we will continue to learn and grow.

As for now, I believe that it is Divine desire to not let the drama in our lives wane and so we go on with our long distance relationship and 'frequent flier' lives (frankly speaking, after all this time I think we have become pros at it!). Despite all this, I am certain that after a prolonged period spent at the bottom of the deepest ocean we will soon find ourselves riding a high wave. Till then, here is a lot of love coming your way.