The alarm beeps. Meera looks at the time, 5 to 12. She hears
the kitchen door squeak. She has been aware of the cautious movements outside,
the hushed hustle of 2 pairs of feet; one trailing the other in puffed bedroom
slippers. She puts the pen down, pushes the papers aside. The desk is a
clutter, and she has long given up on keeping it neat. There is just enough
open space to keep a journal and write in it. She picks up the pen to put it in
the pen stand, one of the numerous mugs that that were now used to house
stationery, there are paper clips in one, paintbrushes in another, and lazing
between them all is ‘that’ old paper cup with hearts, brimming with coins.
She turns towards the door. A minute to go, “should I barge
in on their preps, or wait patiently pretending to be busy and forgetful”, she
thinks as she turns out the lights.
The clock strikes 12, “Mummaaaa” a gay voice fills the room
and her thoughts. She smiles and picks up the 3 feet bundle of demands, kissing
her on her forehead. “Mummaaa, ‘appy annievalshary” a kiss is planted on her
cheek. Meera smiles again, walking towards the door, that is now held open by a
silhouette with a paunch. “Happy anniversary” the silhouette, now more like the
phantom in the dark, whispers in her ears as she passes the door.
***
He enters the room with heavy feet. She is snoring
peacefully. He grins mischievously through the wrinkles. He would love to
tickle her feet, to break her sleep and run a fake chase through the house only
to end back on the bed with her. The grin widens into a smile over the years of
desires fulfilled and unfulfilled. He slides into the bed besides her, careful
not to wake her up, places the rose besides her pillow and whispers in her ears
‘Happy anniversary’. She grunts a snore. He smiles and falls back on his side
of the bed. ‘All this excitement is tiring’ he thinks to himself coughing. He
turns to pick the jar of water on the side table. A thorn pricks him...
***
A cake lies on the table between candles that carefully draw
a heart. At a safe distance stands a bottle of champagne all set for a toast
along with a box in a red gift wrap and a hand-made card scrawled with crayons.
The guitar is resting on a chair. Just as she turns to the phantom with lifted
brows, he disappears, only to reappear with the guitar. Chords fill the
silence.
‘It was almost a decade ago wasn’t it? The first time you’d
played it over the phone.’ The words twinkle in her eyes. A nod responds from
the other side as the bundle slides down her arms to rush towards the phantom,
“Happy Annievalshly papa, let’s cut the cake now”. Meera picks the cam to set a
timer, the phantom picks a knife...
FLASSHHHHHH
***
‘Why do you need a timer, m a pro at self clicks’ she says
grabbing the cam from his hand as they squeeze into the frame with the cake.
‘It’s gonna be blurred, you are shaking too much, give it to
me’
‘No m not’
‘Yes, you are, you are high’ he grabs the cam
‘No, am not. Not. Not. Not. You are.’ she tries to grab it
back. He dodges her hand and almost topples.
‘You, are high.’, she says definitively grabbing his hand
just in time, planting a kiss on his cheek as she pulls him closer, snatching
the cam from his hand.
Regaining his balance, he rushes to the dashboard to turn
the radio on full volume.
‘....and the next request is by sms and it says Happy
Anniversary, and it comes from umm... vow this guy forgot to write his name,
the number is XXXX-XXX-XXX... and here’s the song’
‘Happy anniversary’ he screams rushing towards her.
‘Ha you forgot your name’ she says playfully dragging him
towards the bonnet, a cake awaits there patiently, to be slaughtered.
“Smaaaaayyyle...” she says pulling him in the frame with the
cake...
FLASSHHHHHHH
***
‘uddharko dekha kya?’
‘kya dekhne ka? chora chori chumma-chaati karrele hain, tu
kay ko dekhri?’
‘ae idhar dekh na... (waits) tere ko yaad nai na?’
‘kya wo?’
‘aajke ich din mila tha tu mereku’
‘tu din ginte baithi kya, tereku kaun bola’
‘mere ko yaad hay... sharukh ki picchar lagi thi thetar
mein, wo Zafar gubbare bechra tha dilwaale... bhot bheed lagi thi, aur tu saala
udharich poshter ka neeche das ka bees karrela tha.’
‘aur tu bakra dhoondh rahi thi udharpe’
‘haan, terekoich aana tha na halaal hone’
‘saali’ pounces on her and misses.
Laughs ‘hatt saale’
They continue to stare at the cake, couple and the car.
‘Tereko kuch bolne ka tha’
‘tu kab se puchke bolne lagi’
‘wo kya bolte wo.... wo... Happy ‘versary tereko’
***
‘She slept’ the phantom says walking towards her.
Meera is in the balcony, staring at the sky. He moves
besides her, his arm over her shoulders, ‘It’s a beautiful night’. She smiles
holding his hand. They stare at the stars dazzling the moon.
***
Down at the gate, a car honks, ‘I love you’ he screams. She
rushes back to him with a half irritated smile.
Many giggles and chuckles
later, they finally decide to call it a night. She runs away only to turn at
the gate... ‘I love you tooooooo’ she screams back. He triple honks and drives
away. She runs past the watchman, smiling at him. He smiles back, drawing out a
photo from his wallet. ‘I love you too,’ he says running his hands over the
photo , ‘Happy Anniversary’.
The clock strikes one. He is counting hours till dawn.
***
‘Youngsters...’, he says... Meera smiles at the girl walking
through invisible hearts hovering around her.
‘.. by the way you have to drop Su to school tomorrow’, the
phantom says stealing a glance at the watch.
She nods.
***
They are walking on the shore, under the stars. There is a
long trail behind them, their prints distinct, his hard, heavy, hers lighter,
barely there. They are running now with water splashing, like there’s nowhere
to go, just this shore to run. They could run till dawn, they could run
forever. Sometimes she leads him, naughty playful... sometimes he leads her,
cautious, concerned. They know they are in love, they know they could run
forever. And then he stops, he’s finally caught the moon on water. She joins him.
She touches the reflection only to send ripples through it, ripples through
him. He raises his head to the twinkles that stare at him, and then to those
over his head, and yells...
‘Bawwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo’
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