Conversation

"You know, you shouldn't do that" said Adarsh.

"Do what?"

"Make me a wimp"

"You are not a wimp. You are simply someone who got screwed!"

"Are you trying for irony here or are you simply being mean?"

"A little bit of both, I guess."

"You name me Adarsh, and then you give me a crappy life!"

"I haven't written the ending yet, you know"

"Which is why we are having this conversation."

"Now don't you go around thinking you have any kind of say in what happens to the story. In this space, I rule."

"Its my life, won't you hear me out?"

"You are a figment of my imagination."

"So be it. Play out the conversation in your head."

"So what do you want?"

"To be happy" he said simply, a faraway look on his face.

"Don't we all?"

"Yes, but this isn't the real world. You just said so. Why won't you give me a happy ending?"

"But then you will go away, and I will have to think up one more person!"

"Having a crush, are we?" with a smirk.

"Nope. I can never have a crush on someone who eats french toast with mustard."

"Hey! That is normal. Besides, you decided that, not me. Remember??" and he gives a you-are-so-loony look.

"Whatever. So, what do you want?"

"For you to be like Jane Austen.. give your characters all that they desire"

"Are you speaking for yourself or are you a spokesman for the rest of 'em?"

"Well, I didn't think of that, but why not? Except for the dead girl, I am sure everyone else would love the idea."

"No."

"What, you raised my hopes for nothing? Lets back up to what I want."

"So what is it gonna be? Revenge? A second love?"

"Hmmm I want to be different. Those options are so...normal."

"Says the guy who only wanted to be 'happy'"

"Alright. How about an adventure? Somewhere in the rain forest. Or the Antarctic. Ooh I know, like that book by Matthew Reilly, "Ice station". That would be so cool."

"But that would be repeating something that has already been done, wouldn't it? Nothing new."

"There are very few things that haven't been done before..and I am just an ordinary guy..With extraordinary dreams." he added, with a self deprecating smile.

"You know, you are kinda cute. Don't worry, I know what to do."

"You mean, you knew what you were gonna do all this while, and just pretended like I had a chance?" Adarsh said, with more than a hint of annoyance.

"How do I put this. Ah I know: Yes."

"You are evil."

"Ha ha. You don't think so."

"Says who?"

"Me. Just you wait."

A few keystrokes later...

"You, my dear Rush, are an angel." said Adarsh.

"Thats more like it."

The Aftermath

Adarsh sat at the table, reaching for the newspaper unconsciously, and stopped short. The other chair was empty, and Varsha was not sitting across him, trying to avoid giving him the paper. She would be at his table, he thought bitterly. Drinking her morning coffee with her usual assortment of fruits. She would have her face puckered in a frown, as she tried to concentrate on the sudoku puzzle in the paper.

She had moved out almost right after he found out about her affair.

How could she?

He felt like a fool. A cuckolded husband, is probably what everyone thinks of me now. He used to think he was immune to gossip. Immune to what others thought of him. And then this!

The silent questions, the disappointment, the worried glances, the shattering of what his friends thought was 'an ideal marriage'. The worst part of it all, was the pity he saw in his friends' faces.

He so wished he could take the coward's way out. Why am I stuck with the shards of glass when it was she who broke the mirror?

And then there were those that tried to help. By setting him up on blind dates. He hadn't been on a "date" in almost fifteen years. Except of course, with Varsha. What was he supposed to talk about? How his heart was wrenched apart?

How could she?

Was it so easy to throw away what seemed like almost a lifetime of togetherness? He wanted his questions answered. But he couldn't stand the thought of seeing her and not being with her. He couldn't understand how things could change so quickly; how she could be so happy while he missed her every second of everyday!

Some of his friends tried telling him that time heals. He didn't care. He only wanted the numbness in his chest to go away. So he could start living again.

He didn't know how, but he had to, of that he was sure.

How could she?