5~The advice
"No Adrija! It has been more than half and hour.
I seriously have to go!" I sternly said as Adrija and the twins tried to coax me.
I glanced at my watch and see that's it's already past ten.
My mother would have been already slept but I still need to check up on her.
Recently, she has not been feeling upto the mark, she has concurrent headaches and nausea.
"Dhree, enough. You can plan a day out on Sunday. She's right, let her go", Yash bhaiya explained, taking my side and I nodded. Adrija pursed her lips together and mumbled, "Fine but we'll go to shopping on Sunday, yes?"
"Promise", I said. Adrija looked at her elder brother, asking him to drop me back home. He nodded and signalled me to move towards his car.
"Wait, let me bid goodbye to aunty", I hastily murmured and ran back inside Adrija's house. Opening the door with a bang, I run inside the living room to find Adrija's parents and Dr. Adhyay's parents laughing.
"Aree Akriti beta, come, sit with us", Adrija's mother warmly said when she noticed me. Adrija's aunt too patted on the sofa asking me to sit beside her when I said, "No aunty, I just came to say good night. My mother is waiting for me".
Her mouth parched in an O and she said, "Oh! Okay okay, you should go then. Have you hired a cab?"
Before I could answer, Adrija popped in and informed, "Mom, Adhyay will drop her. He also has to go to the hospital and her house is on way". Dr. Adhyay's mother, that is Adrija's aunt smiled knowingly. What was the supposed to mean though? She said, "And he agreed?"
"Yes aunt Mishika, he easily agreed without any hesitation", Adrija said, smiling ear to ear. Is there something I am missing? Adrija's mother, too looked at her aunt and both of them exchanged a knowing look.
"Okay then, take care beta", her mother said and I nodded with a smile. I followed Adrija out of the house and asked, "Why were you guys smiling?"
She giggled and shook her head, saying, "Nothing". I was not even a bit convinced but I didn't ask anything further. Dr. Adhyay, when saw both of us, opened the front door of his car, urging me to sit inside.
"I see, chivalry is not dead brother", Adrija commented, as I sat in, adjusted my skirt and kurti. Dr. Adhyay might have murmured something which I couldn't hear but whatever it was, Adrija giggled. I am sure there is something I am missing here.
"Byeee! When you reach home, call me", Adrija chirped and push closed the door. I waved my hand at her and said, "Let's meet on Sunday then, good night".
Dr. Adhyay sat on the driver's seat and the blazer he was holding in his hand was thrown on the backseat. He started the car and asked, "Can you guide me the way to your apartment complex? I do not know where you live".
"Yes sure, I'll tell you when we are on the main road", I said and he subtly nodded.
For some reason, I found his nod very charming and nice.
He turned through one of the streets of the colony and backed his car, leading us onto the main road.
All throughout, I was looking at his facial expressions which didn't even change a bit.
I was almost on the verge of concluding that this man loves his poker face when he looked in my eyes and said, "You are staring".
I immediately looked down, my ears getting warmed that he noticed me looking at his manly features.
He grinned, as I perceived from my peripheral vision.
He must be used to it, he is so good looking after all.
He must be very used to the attention of females.
Who wouldn't like a man like him, except me of course.
"Left or right?" His coarse voice brought me back into the present. I looked at the road which was bustling with vehicles and people.
"Left, one left and two rights", I said, telling him the way to my complex.
He nodded and turned the car towards the left.
I rested my head on the seat wondering how did I even end up here.
Dr. Adhyay and I didn't had much conversations even when we were in school.
He was my senior and my best friend's brother.
Except a few incidents, we never talked and today he is courteous enough to give me a lift to home.
"I came to know that you left your job at Infosys", he suddenly questioned, his eyes still at the road. I hummed.
"May I ask why?" He asked again. This time, I looked at his well sculpted face and answered, "I wanted to focus on writing and I felt suffocated in Bangalore anyway.
I realised that I don't belong to a cubicle".
He glanced at me with an amused smile. He must be thinking how stupid I am to leave a high paying job for writing, I know. Everyone says that.
"You proved my physics teacher correct LOL", he joked with a laugh. I wriggled my eyebrows, not understanding what he meant by the statement of his.
Upon seeing the confusion drawing upon my face, he answered, "My physics teacher used to say that an IITian does everything except engineering. He was an IITian himself, you know".
"Oh".
"Yes, one of my friends from school too switched his career from engineering. Now he is an IAS", he said with humour evident in his tone. Maybe, I am not the only one with an insane mind to leave a good job and running after something else.
"Did you not ever feel to switch your job?" I asked curiously. He chuckled and replied, "Never, I always wanted to become a doctor and I am very much content with my profession."
"That's good that you are so sure about your profession, your life. I don't even know whether I made the right decision by taking writing as a full time job", I said with a sigh.
He looked at me with a smile and comforted by saying, "Don't worry, it's normal to feel this but after some time, you will get used to this feeling and will embrace the new beginning of your life, your profession.
Anyways, there are already so many engineers out there, writers are underrated.
I believe that a good book is far more important for the society and we need good writers to spread the right message in this modern era".
I smiled and joked, "You are not bad at comforting, I didn't expect that Doctor". His lips turned into a grin as he said, "There are a lot of things I am good at. I just don't show my talents".
I shook my head with a smile and look down. He focused on driving and took a last right turn. He stopped at the entrance of the society and rolled the window open. The guard who was on duty peeped inside the car and when he saw me, he allowed us to go in.
"Which building?" Dr. Adhyay asked. I pointed at the second building in the A block. He stopped the car in front of my building and said, "Good night Akriti". I smiled at him and wished, "Good night Dr. Adhyay".
"Call me Adhyay. I am not that old", he joked but something inside me snapped when I saw his beautiful smile under the moonlight.
I have seen a million people smiling, some fake, some true but I swear, his smile is the most beautiful one.
It radiates positivity, kindness and comfort.
And his dimples are the cherry on the top!
Of all the doctors I have seen and met, he for sure is the most handsome one.
"Good night Adhyay", I whispered, feeling his name on my tongue.
It seemed so good yet so foreign to me. Something is happening and I don't know what it is!
I stepped out of the car with the strange feeling and heightened heart beats.
I turned to walk towards my building when I remembered something.
I ran back towards his car. His eyebrows scrunched when he saw me retreating back and he once again rolled the window of the car and asked, "What happened? "
"I forgot to ask about that disease you talked about. I don't know how to pronounce it. Stupid Adrija didn't let you speak and now I am curious that how this disease compelled you to leave alcohol", I blabbered in a single breath.
His head fell back on the headrest and he chuckled. That was really..really..seductive.
"Seriously? You are asking me about cirrhosis at this hour?" He asked with amusement. I innocently nodded, trying to roll my tongue to spell it but failed miserably. He slowly spoke, "It's cir-o- sis. C sounds like S here".
I repeated how he spoke cirrhosis. "Cirrhosis? Yes, what is it?" I hurriedly asked. He smiled again and explained, "It's a liver infection due to excessive drinking and smoking. Its destroys your liver to such an extent that you need to get it transplanted".
"And what if we don't get a transplant?" I asked, picturing the whole situation. He clicked his tongue and whispered, "You die a gruesome death".
"My! That's horrible! Thank God you left drinking, I wouldn't want to die because of alcohol!" I exclaimed shaking my head. He chuckled and nodded.
"Precisely my point. But, people just leave things on future and then suffer.
As the saying goes, prevention is the best cure", he said, like a doctor he is.
I never understood biology, never in my entire school days but he made this particular problem seem so simple and interesting to know about. How does he does this?
"Anyway, I'll take my leave, I have patients to check up. Good bye Akriti", he said and started the car. I smiled and waved at him.
"Take care and drive slow", I yelled as he turned the car.
I saw him smile through the transparent window and he dashed away until his car was out of my side.
He is different, so different.
I don't know if he is like that with everyone but he seems so good, so charming. I wish, every man was like him.
Shaking away these thoughts, I walked inside the building and pressed the elevator button. But, all I could think was of my best friend's brother and his smile. Why did it had to be so beautiful and calming? Something about him is attracting me.
As soon as I unlocked the door of my house,I instantly went to mumma's room to check on her. She was reading a book with her spectacles up. I sighed in relief and took steady steps towards her. She smiled when she saw I was back and removed her spectacles.
"How was the day?" She asked and I shrugged my shoulders. She patted on the bed, signalling me to sir beside her. I did what she wished too, earning a smile from her.
"Akriti let me tell you something". I nodded, not sure what she wanted to say.
Usually, she is asleep by this time but if she is awake, it only means she was waiting for me.
I look at my watch to find that's its eleven.
I got so late just because I could not say no to my best friend. I left my mother waiting for me.
"I was young, like 22 when I met him". She said and took a deep breath. She is talking about her ex husband. Yeah, but why is she telling me about him, my good for nothing father? I am trying to forget him, whatever shit he has ever done but now she is bringing up the topic again. Why?
"And we fell in love, or I thought so. At 26, we got married and a year later had you.
"
I nodded, knowing the rest of the story.
It was just an hour after I was born that he deserted mumma.
He left us in the hospital alone on that stormy night.
That foolish man left a weak woman and his daughter alone without any support and not even a single person supported my mom, as if it was her fault.
Her family came the next day and bashed upon her for not satisfying her husband.
They mistook my mother as an object! And the audacity of those people to suggest that she throw her daughter in an orphanage and reunite with her husband.
But my mother took her stand, she earnt enough to give us both a decent life. I never felt anything less!
"What I mean to say is that think before you do anything.
I made the mistake of loving the wrong man but you shouldn't.
History shouldn't repeat.".
She said, cupping my cheeks as tears flowed from both of our eyes.
I know! I won't give my heart to a man because they all are the same. All of them! Even Adhyay.
"Not every man is the same Akriti. Some have a golden heart and you have to find that man.
You are an adult and soon, you'll find someone but before that, test him, let him prove himself.
Love is blind but once the damage is done, it can't be repaired.
Once the glass is broken, we can't get it back".
I nodded, understanding what she wanted to say.
She smiled sadly and kissed the top of my forehead and I leaned towards my mom, my support system.
But little does she knows that I have already made my mind to not get trapped in this hallucination named love.
It seems beautiful in movies and books but in reality it's fake, it's harsh.
"Today was the day when I first met him".
She finally said so as to let me know why she was advising me.
Regret is all I see in her eyes when she talks about that man.
She gave her everything to him, she even left her job for his family, to satisfy them but in the end what did they do?
They all threw her when she was emotionally the weakest, requiring her family's support and love.
What was the reason? The reason was that the patriarchal family couldn't bear that the first child was a daughter.
Even my mother's parents didn't support her because according to them, fulfilling the wishes of the husband should be the topmost priority of a woman.
When my mother thought that her beloved brother would help her, he too took their side, breaking away all relations with us, but the audacity of these people.
When they came to know that I had started earning my name and a hefty sum of money, they started calling us, showing fake love and affection.
What a drama! I never let my mother talk to them because I didn't want them to fill her mind with toxicity at this age.
She has suffered enough and now as her daughter, it's my duty to give her the life she always wished for.
"I know mumma, I know". I cried and kept my forehead on hers, trying to calm myself.
Since childhood, I wished for a father who would play with me, put me to sleep, laugh and tell me stories but it was not in my destiny.
In my teenage days, I used to feel jealous of Adrija because she had a loving father, Aditya uncle who always pampered her, loved her.
I wished for a similar dad too,though Aditya uncle always treated me like his own daughter but blood is blood.
She cupped my cheeks and said, "I didn't have a perfect life, a perfect husband but I want you to live normally, have a loving husband, children whom you can pamper and a family.
I know you don't believe in love but not every man is the same.
You only find diamonds when you are ready to invest and search for them. Think about it Akriti".
"But mumma, how can I? How can I even trust a man when my own father left me? How can I expect a stranger to love me when my own father couldn't?" I asked, crying my heart out. She sighed and said, "Only time will tell sweetie, only time will tell."
I sniffed and wiped my tears. Putting up on a brave smile, I stood up and said, "Leave it mumma, it's already late. You should rest". She nodded and smiled, her smile was a sad one, the one which told me to ponder about her words.
I marched to my room and threw myself on the bed.
How will I even find someone who loves me and won't treat me like my father did with my mother?
Are these type of men even manufactured?
Who will even want to marry a woman like me who is perceived to be egoistic, cold and rude?
And even if someone does, would he treat me nicely?
I unlocked my mobile phone and opened Instagram, a great way to distract yourself from the sadness in the world .
I am not sleepy and definitely not in the mood to work on my novel but yes, I can scroll through some reels and posts.
I saw Adrija's pictures from today along with their family, that automatically brought a smile to my face.
The next picture was mine and hers. I kept looking at the pictures she posted today and in a comment found him.
I never knew he had Instagram too! He had written something sarcastic which I couldn't understand since I didn't knew the context.
I clicked on his profile icon out of curiosity.
I should not have done it but I did, I did it.
His profile opened and since it was a public one, I started scrolling through his posts.
He had not posted a lot but the few things he had posted were either about his college days or work.
I clicked on a picture where he was standing with Yash bhaiya and one more other man matching his stature.
The three of them were wearing scrubs and were smiling.
It seemed as if the picture was taken when they were very young, not in mid thirties.
He looked like he was just twenty five. I zoomed in the picture to see his face.
Unlike present day, he looked a lot younger but with age he has surely grown more handsome.
I sighed and laid on my bed. What am I thinking?
Why am I thinking about him? He is just an acquaintance, I shouldn't stalk him on social media and even think about him.
But, his smile! His features, his way of talking and his personality is making me feel jittery.
I have never felt this before and now that I am feeling it, I don't want the feeling to go.
Flashes of his face are making my heart race.
I stood up to change into my pyjamas and a comfy tee when my phone rang.
I groaned when I saw it was my editor who was ringing my phone at this hour of the day.
I picked up the phone and heard her chirpy voice.
She is always so enthusiastic and kind. She is in her mid thirties and has a cute son.
"Hi Akriti ! How are you?" She asked in her ever so enthusiastic voice
"Hi Mrs. Singh, I am good and I enjoyed the day. What about you?"
I replied.
"It was normal. Had a busy day with all my family here. Got a little free now. I am sorry if I disturbed your sleep. Acha, I called you to ask if we could meet today to discuss your book?"
She asked.
I ran my arms in my hair and said, "Nope, you didn't disturb me, I was awake. And yep, let's meet tomorrow?"
She said, "Okay, tomorrow at 2. Meet ya, good night".