Strange love...

Yesterday morning when I called on my friend Rohit, he was crying. I was startled, it is not everyday that you see a grown man cry unless, of course, if he had had a drink too many. Now, I know it for a fact that my friend is fond of a drink or two, but drinking on a Sunday morning is unthinkable even by Rohit’s standard. So I realised that it must be something serious.

I tried to calm him down. I made him sit down, gave him a drink of water and tried to console him. I don’t know if it was my overbearing attitude or the glass of water but he seemed to calm down a bit. I knew it was not prudent to open the subject again, but my curiosity got the better of me and I heard myself asking him about the reasons for his strange behaviour. He was silent now, barely moving almost as if he is in a trance. I repeated my question and this time he displayed some interest in replying. He went to the other end of the room and brought back an old notebook. He opened it and handed me a photo of a young girl. Judging by the appearance of the photo, I conjectured that the girl must be of our own age for the photo looked old and tattered.

I started constructing stories of teenage heart-break and failed relationships.
Rohit said, as if reading my mind, “It is not like the way you think it is. It is not a failed love story. On the contrary it was a success. It was a love story unlike any other love story. It was unique.”
In my time I had come across many real life love stories and they were more or less the same. The story starts with boy and girl loving each other. Then it branches off, either they live happily ever after or they never find the courage to admit their love and get into arranged marriages. So I was sceptical about the uniqueness of this story. But I decided to give my friend a patient hearing, owing to his present condition.
He started telling his story.


10 years earlier…..

Rohit said, “So you are going to marry him. What about love, what about me?”
Riya was smiling. She replied, “You don’t understand. You will never understand.”
“Sure I don’t understand. You love me, but you are going to marry him despite the fact that your family likes me. What does he have that I don’t? We love each other, our families are happy, so what is your problem? How am I to understand this?”
“I cannot be with you, Rohit. If I am with you, I will loose the purpose of loving you. Love is a means, it is not an end.”
She paused as if thinking of something convincing to say to him. She loved him, it was true. She was not saying all this just to evade him. It was not easy for her to elucidate her point of view while her mind was apprehended by inchoate thoughts. But she instinctively knew that she will not marry Rohit, only to save their love.
She said, “Believe me, if we marry then we will never be as happy as we are today. So please let me go,”
She kissed Rohit and walked away. Rohit wanted to say something, he wanted to run after her and stop her but he stood still. He let her go.


5 years earlier…..

Rohit felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see the familiar face of Riya. She looked more beautiful and more radiant that the last time he had seen her, 5 years ago.
Riya said, “So, how are you?”
He replied, “Still in love. And now, even more in love with you than before. How is your life?”
She said, “Still married and still in love with you.”
He was astounded. He interrupted her and said, “Then why don’t you leave him and come back to me?”
She was calm. She replied, “You will never understand love. Love is not in getting what you want but in not getting what you want. You just said that you love me more than before and I also love you more than before. So you see our love is still going strong.”
He was baffled by the cold logic of her arguments. He muttered, “To hell with your philosophy, I want to be with you.”
She replied, “If we are together, then love is replaced by a lesser emotion on account of our familiarity. But by being apart, our love is increasing on account of our longing for each other. Is it not better to be in love and be apart, rather that being together and not being in love?”
He said, “Then, what is the point of love?”
She smiled. She leaned close to him and whispered, “Love is the purpose of life and without love there is no life. And the only way to preserve love is to stay apart.”

She kissed him and walked away. He was starting to understand her. He did feel the need to go after her or to stop her. He let her go.


Present…..

Rohit had tears in his eyes.

Now this was a truly unique love story. However one thing bothered me. If this indeed was a successful love story then why was Rohit crying. I did not have the heart to ask him this. Love works in mysterious ways and just when you think you have seen it all, it shows you something different, something unique.