Is it too late?
It was one of those annual events organised by Bombay Chartered Accountants’ Society. These events never fail to invoke a sense of deja vu in me, as if I’ve been through all this before. The same felicitations, the same speeches, the same speakers, the same client-solicitings, the same back-stabbings, the same plastic smiles, the same anger, the same joys, the same faces, the same everything. But this time she was there too.
It was 6 years ago, in Delhi. I just couldn’t do enough. I was always compared to him, and always fell short. He was a CA, I was a student. He had a job, I had none. He was everything, I was zilch. I had filled their lives with so much nothingness that she wanted me out. The last time we spoke she said, “I love you too but please don’t talk to me ever again.”
She was sitting on one of those round dinner tables set in the front row, wearing a mauve coloured saree, very elegant, like always. Like always, she was the center of attraction, very confident, extremely intelligent, everyone listened to her intently. She had always exactly known what everyone was thinking. Everything she had always done was pre-planned, calculated, negating all the possible combinations but one. I had always wanted to be that one but …
The Eye Contact. It’s very important to look the other person directly in the eye, whenever you are talking to him. It shows that you are in command, you know the stuff, you are feeling good. Yeah! We had eye contact too. But then everyone stopped talking, they began to fade out. The world started spinning faster, I was being forced towards the infinite space, but she was very still. She took a step forward, moving to the center. But then everyone came back as swiftly as they didn’t fade; they all were standing up, clapping. The eye contact was lost. I moved towards the exit.
I could hear something buzzing continuously. It stopped. Started again. Stopped. Buzz again. I woke up and picked my phone and said, “Hello”.
“Hello Ishan, how are you?” The same voice, the same pitch, the same intonation.
“What are you doing?” It has been a long time since I’ve replied a ‘how are you’ with a ‘what are you doing’.
“Nothing much.” I wanted to say much but I think she knew I wasn’t going to say anything.
“So you broke the promise”, she said.
“Yes, I guess … ”
“Are you busy tonight? Lets eat together. 9 would be fine and don’t be late, he would be happy to see you.”
“Yes.” The line went dead.
I better get dressed. It’s 6 already. I should have started out early, the rush hour traffic would be worst now. It’ll take nearly an hour to reach there and one more to get through the check-in. I think I’ve time enough to complete this. The plane for Christchurch leaves at 8:30.
This time I wont break any promises.
- Ishan Dubey
Tags: Chartered Accountant, Bombay Chartered Accountants Society, ICAI, love, lost, pain, promise
Kunal Goel says:
good story. great comeback.
December 28th, 2005 at 12:14 am
Neha says:
well yeah. great to see u in form.
December 28th, 2005 at 01:51 am
chetna says:
My Gosh! U r improving…:shock:
December 28th, 2005 at 01:01 pm
Kunal Goel says:
against all odds!!!
December 28th, 2005 at 01:09 pm
Isaiah says:
Oh! cut the crap, I was never out.
December 28th, 2005 at 06:51 pm
Neha says:
well u were dormant for some time
December 28th, 2005 at 11:08 pm
Isaiah says:
Yes, but not extinct.
December 29th, 2005 at 12:07 am
Neha says:
comeback after extinction is kind of difficult.. wudnt you agree?
December 29th, 2005 at 12:42 am
duh nston says:
well, sometimes steven speilberg makes it easier
December 29th, 2005 at 01:54 am
Neha says:
took loadsa money honey. wont call it easy…
December 29th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Isaiah says:
I hate FX.
December 29th, 2005 at 11:58 pm
Isaiah says:
Can anyone praise the story?
December 29th, 2005 at 11:59 pm
duh nston says:
i dont recall that the dinosaurs paid for the fx
December 30th, 2005 at 01:43 pm
Isaiah says:
Yeah, exactly.
December 31st, 2005 at 12:05 am
shantanu arora says:
this is what comes spontaneously to me:
“write as if u r not bothered about the comments that follow, hence we will enjoy “HIM”
writing through u”
it was a real gud one
BRAVO
January 1st, 2006 at 06:37 am