Gone By (49 page)

It was the first week of September. I began to attend my daily college. The only thing I had was to spent my time more with books. Most part of life I had began to spent in constructing something new into my life. Peter did always showed me up at any moment I would be needing his help. He never failed to offer his helping hand. He wanted to know the reason why I had been skipping my college hours for the last few weeks. I had explained him by the last week when he had visited me for the second time. He never thought I would be going through such circumstances which would lead me into the darkest phase of my life. I could gradually reframe my minds and set the beats of my heart to normal. Maybe it was better to ultimately forget her. I had destroyed all the letters she had wrote to me. Now I’m left with nothing of her. Even the memories I held had been washed away. Nothing to keep reminding about her that was the motive which I had initiated in my new life. Even if the scars left a mark I needed to covered with the intense sorrow I had for the last few months in my life. Days began to passed like I was unknown to her. Neither I did gave much stretched about her anymore. Perhaps the importance between us was lost long ago. There remained no reason to rejoin and back up the things. Every intentions that I created for the later part of my life never had anyone indulged except for myself. Perhaps, I began to chase something more valuable and beneficial crossing the way I had been following since the last few years. If it was said to begin a new life I had only one option at that moment of my life. I wanted to try my hand in business. Keeping aside my studies simultaneously I began to create a new world of my own. Dimensions of my thinking began to orient in better direction. I had one company to follow me, that was Peter. His intention and aim were no similar than me. Very ambitious and hard working with new generation of thinking skill he possessed. We both were very much sure about what we were doing. We thought of progressing ourselves in the field of business. Where money speaks more than words. Decided to join an enterprise. To start a business of our own. We firstly had initiated with the online marketing. We began to chase like the all other professionals do in course of their promotion of their own business tactics. We were yet to build ourselves. Had under gone many training processes within the course of time. Apart from the college hour we would attend the only thing we have in our hand was to promote every single field of our marketing
policy
.

Gradually within months we began to handle capital in a better position. Peter did become one of the best speaker all  around the network. In course of his absence the business dealing were handled by me. Though it was small business but we felt great doing our jobs as professionals. We began to make money in thousands. Shared our lives like the best buddies in the world. We have converted our own personal rooms into offices for dealing our business associates. Lot a time we had visited Pune together never thought of meeting Anannya. I had no more that intense desire to see her. I knew not why. Maybe the long apart made me feel that way. Moreover she had been sharing her life with someone else whom I yet don’t know. I never intended to come back in her life in any form. When she had gone I had no more reason that she would want me to see.

It was one day, I was seated in my room. I had the paper works done of our business faculty. Peter shuffled in and sat settling another chair. He was quiet happy that day. I knew not what was the reason behind. We have got our network flow smoothly, even the cheques came in our hand. We never  ran short of money for the last few months. He was quiet for seconds but glared at me with all kinds of expression he could bloom out.

“What happened” I intended to know.

He passed a short smile at first and picked up the paper that was laid on the table. Gave a short glance of few words that were printed on it.

“Do you miss her” he spoke suddenly.

I didn’t expect he would ask me that.

“Whom you’re talking about” I acted like I had no idea what was he talking.

“I mean do you miss Anannya” he pointed out directly.

I stood upright out of my chair and shuffled towards the window side. I ignored to reply him back initially. Gazed outside through the open window for a while.

“I can understand what you have gone through, but you need to go on with your life” he added. “I know that Peter” I added and turned my face towards him.

“You have been my very good Friend and I know you’re not at all happy”.

“I appreciate your concern on me, but I’m fine now” I squinted.

“Look I’m here to help you”.

“Help me in what” I intended to know.

“We can go up to meet her” he added.

“Look Peter it’s been months we have never talked to each other. She wanted to end up the things. So, let it be”.

“Can’t you just see her once. I know she won’t be back but just once you can meet her up” Peter glared at me.

“Look, my friend I’m not in mood to talk about her anymore. She is happy with her life, she’s got a better person that’s the reason she never turned back to me. And I just want her to stay happy that’s it” I flared out my tone.

“Alright it’s up to you. Anyway congratulation with our business” he walked off.

The moment he walked out I couldn’t resist to bang my fist on the table. Everything flared out of anger and I couldn’t hold to burst it out. I know there was nothing issue but something struck me hard when he talked about her. I had buried all my intense feel for her since the time she had gone out of my life. But, Peter did ruptured that thought out of my mind. For so long I had determined not to talk nor intend to see her anymore, indeed I realized I would be as dead person for her now. But, that day Peter did induced my deeply buried feelings and sentiments which were uprooted by his quick visit to me. I sat back to my chair with my head laid down on the table.

I was seated by the window side, even the breeze added to my loneliness that night. It’s the mid night that passed away. An hour shifted from the mid hour. I recalled the day I had spent with Isha. She had new plan for the next coming day. Two days we have spent sitting idle in the beach. The clock ticked almost 1:00am. I did closed my diary and pulled the curtain of the window and off to bed. I was late to wake up the next morning. Isha had been the alarm for me. She wanted me to get ready as soon as possible. Shuffled down to the lower floor of hotel building. Claimed breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We then followed to move for the day. She said she had a client to meet up with. Perhaps she’s got a new friend here. She wanted me to introduce to her new friend. Hired a taxi and drove to her residence.

After thirty minutes inside the car we were finally into her friend’s residence. We were welcomed into the house. Gave us a place to sit into the decorated drawing room.

“Hey..Isha” a voice sounded husky.

I turned to look and saw a beautiful lady. Her smiling face did gleamed out. She came down through few inches of stairs. She went on to hug Isha and then it was my turn to introduce myself. I gave her the complete identity of mine. Priya Malhotra she introduced to me.

“So, what do you do young man” she questioned me.

Isha smiled peeking at me before I could reply her back.

“Well, I have been pursuing my graduation in Engineering”.

“That’s wonderful” Priya added.

Now, Priya was a well known historian around the city. She had achieved remarkable level in the field of history and culture so far the following years. Her marriage, had just completed few months.

“Isha, how far your progress in thesis” she asked her.

“Well, I have been working up with the materials I had collected from you” Isha responded quickly.

“Will it be enough or you may need some more about Indian history” said Priya.

“Perhaps it would be gentle enough for my thesis if I could get some more about the Indian history” Isha said.

“Ok I would love to give you more” said Priya.

“Other than obtaining your degree what you have been doing. I heard something about you from Isha” Priya peeked at me.

“Well, for the past few months I have been busy writing a Novel” I replied.

“That’s very great work you have been doing” Priya gave a brief smile.

“He had been a good guy” Isha added.

My face gestured at her. Knowing nothing what she would say. I knew Isha had been boasting about me. But, that wasn’t so effective on my part. I never wanted anyone who’d talk so much about what I do in my life to others. But, Isha had been something different in my life. And to my knowledge she was the only one with whom I had been sharing the deepest secret of my life. I never wanted her to feel that she would ever miss me the moment she’d be back to Houston.

Everything I let her do what she wanted. Moreover she had been trusting me for so long which I never wanted to create a new reason to break that trust.

“I would love to get a signed copy of your Novel” Priya muttered.

“Surely..I’ll remember that” I added.

Isha was offered with some documents. In fact, it was a whole bunch of papers which she had to unfold later.

“Here contains all the information that you want” Priya handed that bunch of papers to Isha.

Isha gently accepted from her.

“So, you have been a great historian. I have read about you” I muttered with an applauding tone.

“Thanks for that wonderful appreciation. I have been struggling to uplift the department of historian in the country. Recently, I started a new project” said Priya.

“So, you’re alone in that project”  I intended to know more about it.

“Well, it’s me and my Husband. He has gone to Delhi for its recommendations” she added.

“I would love to know about that, how so ever it sounds interesting” Isha interrupted.

We spent more than hour with her. In the later part of the day we engaged ourselves into our own world of fantasy. We were back to the shore again. As usual we roomed one part of the beach area and comforted ourselves. Isha was seated by my side. Isha had been helping me in completing my diary. Although she doesn’t know anything about the story until I would narrate her.

“So, you’re still in business” Isha muttered.

“Business”.

“Yeah! You and Peter”.

“Oh! Yeah I’m still in business” I answered.

“I know you wrote the diary last night” Isha squinted.

“Yeah..I did”.

“How did you know Priya” I was keen to know about that.

“Well, I met her when I was alone here. You weren’t there”.

“Oh! I see that” I said softly.

“Hand me your diary” she took the diary from my hand.

Flipped out the page where I had written the last night.

“You have been skipping out your college hours for a week” Isha questioned me again.

“Yeah! That’s why I’m here”.

“I’m so sorry I did harmed your life for no reason” Isha said.

“No, it’s not your fault and I’m not harmed dear” I replied with strong clue of no fault. She nodded her head.

“You have always been special to me. It’s because of you I could write the deep scars I had in my heart, I wouldn’t be here if I would not meet you. I feel I’m lucky I met you” I said looking deep in her eyes.

She stared at me for a while. We were as usual sitting at the shore but this time we were not far from the rest. It was that same crowded place where people spent the evenings with their loved ones. She had my diary in her hand. She wanted to write up the next lines of my story. She had been very keen to know with all the things I had been narrating her for the last few days. More than me Isha was eager to write my whole book. She asked me to narrate again. As usual she had been sitting beside me. I knew she was in complete zeal in completing my story. I would definitely credit her more than myself for the work she had been joining with me. Now writing a story sitting along the beach shore was a different kind of experience which I had been experiencing for the last few days of my life.

My life began to take turn out of nowhere. It leaded me into a path which I couldn’t think of doing myself at that age. Our business had been expanding as we extended our works to various connection we could. I wouldn’t forget the way Peter and I did contributed ourselves in developing our business market. We did enjoyed with every visiting meetings we conducted. We were indeed a business man by that end of the year. Something beyond I couldn’t think of that,
although we were not expert but we began to learn the
rules of
being a professionals . Yes, that wouldn’t happen if Peter wouldn’t have contributed himself in joining my hand. It was the last month of 2011. Yes, the winter wasn’t much freezing. I had just completed my exams and was preparing to fly back home within few days. Peter had left me early. He fled to Delhi where his Parents had been dwelling. For the timing we had stopped working on our business. Though it wasn’t that big business, there was no loss that affected our financial background. We still had lots of cheques to spent which we thought of spending at home.

On the second week of the month I flew back to home. As usual my Dad had been waiting for me in the Airport. This time I could see Mom standing beside him. Mom waved me her hand from distance as soon as she saw me. I smiled after a long time. I embraced both. Headed towards the parking lot where our car was parked.