Bittersweet moments….

Sam was the last person Niketan had expected to meet in a crowded shopping mall on a Saturday afternoon. Well, not meet, exactly. Come across. For, Sam – Samiksha that is- had not seen him. He had had a half day at office and his wife and kids had gone to his in-laws’ place to visit. They would be back by tomorrow. He had been bored and had decided to walk down to the nearby mall. Where he had spotted her.

It had been more than 3 years since they had parted. The rainy afternoon when she had told him that she loved Parthiv and not him, that she was going to marry Parthiv, flashed through his mind. Heck, he had thought he had forgotten her.

Niketan glanced at her. She was busy looking through some crockery. She had always been fond of China plates and bowls. She didn’t seem to have noticed him and was oblivious to his perusal. Oh, she had brought her son with her….. A cute kid, around 2 years of age. He had Samiksha’s nose and forehead, he observed.

She had worn a red saree. Red had always looked good on her – it seemed to make her rosy complexion even rosier. She had dressed up to the hilt, the way she used to when they were in college. She had worn matching red bangles. A large red bindi adorned her forehead and a long string of black beads, the sacred Mangalsutra, graced her neck. The thick red streak of vermilion in her forehead parting gave testimony to her matrimonial state. She had become even more beautiful after marriage.

She seemed happy, satisfied with life. May she always remain happy in life, Niketan prayed. People like her deserved the best. He tore his gaze away from her.

Niketan picked up a book at random from the rack before which he had been standing, without so much as glancing at the title or the price. He headed off towards the cash counter. No, he would not talk to her, as much as he wanted to. No point in disturbing her smooth life.

He ignored the dull ache in his heart. Did he still have a soft corner for her? No, of course not. No, sir. He had a doting wife and two wonderful kids. They were his world now. He had a home to go back to. He would just get out of the mall, go home and read the book he had just bought, and Sam would soon be out of his mind…..

PS: On account of deadlines and heavy pressure at work, stressful situations at home and threats from the home manager (read amma) that I would be evicted from the home if I do not overcome this net addiction, posts will now onwards be sporadic.