Life Beyond Love, a novella, Chapter- 11, Mr. Fantastic

A new life started with Akash. A new Aatri came back home, so full and contented always flying, dreaming, smiling, over-enthusiastic on trifle things.

“Hi Aatri, what a great change!”

 Sikha Aunty pricked as I was humming a recent movie song while arranging my strayed articles in my room. The smell of faint Bokulas was wafting in the room, carried by the wet morning breeze. It had drizzled all night, celebrating my homecoming.

“Aunty, change is the universal law, do not you agree?”

“I agree, that Chitora has done some magic on you,” she riposted making herself comfortable in my bed with a pillow under her head and honing her next bunch of questions.

“Oh yes, Aunty everything was so cool and fantastic.” I retorted in a casual tone with the false hope that it could diminish her spirit of questionnaires.

“Did you meet any Mr Fantastic there?”

“No, not at all; not so sure. Ummm, maybe.” And then noticing her dubious look at my stammering vocal explosion, I accepted my defeat, “Oh aunty, I think so.”

“Really? I’m pleased to hear but be careful anyway dear, don’t break your heart at this age.”

I sighed and collapsed beside her keeping my job aside, “Then I think I should follow the strategy of Rajesh Khanna.”

“What is it?”

I knew she would be curious enough regarding the three, ‘woods’- Tollywood, Bollywood, and Hollywood.

I hugged her and poking my nose in her soft cheek spilled my beans out, “Rajesh Khanna advised his daughter Twinkle Khanna always to have 4 boyfriends at a time so that she had not had to suffer from heartbreak any time.”

“Is it true?”

“Yeah. All the film stars and their followers are stuck in this stigma.” I declared with an ‘I know everything’ tone.

“So how many have you Aatri, to prevent your heart from breaking?”

“None, except only one – your Mr Fantastic.”

We both laughed away the morning rooster to fear.

“But don’t tell Mamoni anything, please. It is not so serious type, you know.”

“I will not. You know baby. And there is no use in telling her. She is out of everything.” She sighed.

“I knew.”

Sikha aunty was my friend for every topic to discuss under this sun. I could share any problem with her. Though I did not disclose anything directly about Akash, I knew I could trust her in any situation in future.

She left us within a week and the hectic routine started all alone again.

The college was closed and I got enough time to study and prepare for the final exam. The thought and memory of Akash kept me mesmerized every time and I started missing him intensely. I didn’t know whether it was love or just infatuation but I felt that I could not keep myself away from him anymore. It was for the first time I started feeling myself a woman wishing to be completed in someone’s love. The day passed with his thought and the night with his dream. And I wished to be with him till the last moment of my life.

To be continued…

munu.ruku2020

Hey, I am Munmun, the phoenix fabulist who wants to tell you stories. I love to read stories and I love to weave stories. I feel life is an amalgamation of multiple stories, colourful threads, and threads of pain, pleasure, hope, and hopelessness. We just need to pick those hues and arrange them, knitting them with our own emotions and perception. So let’s celebrate the stories of life.