Lilies in the Cupboard

Brief moment of spiritual love despite all odds

Lilies in the Cupboard !!!!!!





It was windy and the salt air played with her hair. Her feet sank into the sand as the last waves continuously lapped at her feet. She felt unusually aroused by the feel of the water in her feet. A small silhouette with hair and dress tugged and flying to one side by the wind, Udita was the picture of mysterious beauty of a shapely young figure staring at the vast sea

Udita ruminates on how she always felt on the seashore- Small and humble. The sea is so vast, so endless and so mighty and she is just a speck on the face of the earth which she realizes only when she sees and hears the Sea.

Anshu had been surreptitiously looking for her without showing any evidence to the office team. It is his farewell party in a resort on the beach side. He would be leaving for Delhi the next day forever.

He comes to know from her friend that she has gone to the beach. He desperately wants to go to the beach too, but he would have to be careful while sneaking out. He did not want anyone following him. She was his sub ordinate, reporting to him, elder to him by two years and worst of all recently married.

But these things do not matter to him. He believed she was the only one in his recently joined and recently quit organization who was intelligent, funny, and a fun person to be with. Most importantly he felt an uncanny connection to her. She could predict whatever he felt and she could lift his spirits like no one else. Not that he loved her. True he had felt like kissing her and hugging her at times, but the feelings never lingered so he did not think much about it.

He looks around and sees all the loud mouthed, pretentious, dangerously ambitious crowd of sales people reeling under the effect of free booze and gyrating ridiculously to the loud music played by a DJ who was playing probably the most important gig of his career. He sees the Zonal Manager lurking at a corner. The cunning shrewd leader of all the dancing puppets was eyeing every person in the room, mentally noting the people exceeding the boisterous limit allowed on his scales.

Anshu is not sure how to exit the room. The Zonal Manager’s visual horizon has captured him as well. He checks his phone, starts dialing a number and hurriedly walks towards the door. To the world it seemed like he had to attend to an urgent call which he missed due to the loud music.

Once outside the hall, Anshu heaves a sigh. His ears are still drumming as they slowly adjust to the soothing silence outside. He quickly heads towards the beach, not really sure why or where he should go to meet her.

As the sound of the roaring sea greets him, his feet stumble upon the rocks that form a haphazard path to the sea shore. It is late and the last bit of sun is peeping out above the sea as if it were waiting for him to come for the final goodbye.

Anshu makes his way carefully along the rocks and as his feet touch sand, he stops and looks around. He spies her almost immediately- A lone figure on the long beach. Clouds have gathered and the last few sea lovers were slowly retreating. But where she stood, she was alone, wrapped in the wind, her hair and her dress. “Is she wearing a frock?” his heart skips a beat. She looks beautiful and sexy. He feels ridiculous, yet warm. He pushes aside the niggling thoughts and makes his way towards her.

Udita closes her eyes as she feels tiny pricks on her face “it is going to rain”. How she loved the rain. - Rain, sea and wind-the things she loved most and together. She feels a smile slowly building on her face. She can also by instinct feel somebody’s presence besides her. She opens her eyes and turns her head. It is Anshu, eyes and lips smiling down on her. She couldn’t stop the warm gush of blood racing through her veins, pumped by her now hard beating heart to her cheeks, ears and back of her neck. She feels elated. She had half hoped he would come. Sinfully, she had come to the beach for the very reason today.

“Well, what are you doing Madam” Anshu asks, eyes smiling.

“Nothing” she pauses “I just love the sea. The sound scares me, especially as darkness is settling in. but it is this fear and thrill that pulls me towards it” Udita smiles looking at the last remains of the dying sun’s glow in the sky

“Hmm” Anshu loves to hear her talk. She always talks beautiful poignant things. She can be funny, dominating, philosophical, poetic, and practical all at once. He looks at the Orange sky thinking of something as intelligent to say. His arm is slightly touching her arm, he has put it intentionally, apprehensive that she might shy away. Udita doesn’t move.

“You know Khosla is standing and slyly observing everyone on the dance floor. Sardarji is totally sloshed and making weird hip movements with Pramod and Khosla doesn’t seem to approve at all” He laughs

“Really “Udita laughs returning to her normal chatty self " “I know how these people dance and I can imagine Khosla’s face”and they both get into a spate of fitful laughter.

Just then as a cue, the rains beat down on them

Squealing like a teenager and feeling like one too, Udita races towards the trees behind with Anshu running behind her. He runs ahead to take the lead and puts out his hand. She holds his hand acutely aware of the size, warmth and strength of his grip. Her heart beats wilder than ever, but she doesn’t show her nervousness.

As they reach a banyan tree and stands below it, Udita starts brushing her hair and parts of her body that got inappropriately wet. At that moment she forgets everything except for the annoying thought that her hair was probably a mess and clinging to her scalp. As she furiously tries to bring a bounce, by jumbling and combing her hair repeatedly with her fingers, she suddenly realizes that Anshu is standing extra close to her. She stops fidgeting with her hair and catches a whiff of his aftershave, a nice expensive smell. Heady under the smell, she could not gauge how and when their lips met and Anshu was kissing her softly. The warmth returns to her face rushing towards her legs making her knees weak. She has never experienced such a feeling before. She kisses him back tentatively.

Few moments later, as Anshu lifts his head, Udita slowly opens her eyes and stares at him. She could not decipher her feelings. Myriad emotions start a war in her chaotic mind. She knows Anshu is a mess too. Jumbled and torn with love and confusion, Udita hugs Anshu and feels him hug her back strongly and almost protectively.

They stay motionless for a long time, the sound of the rain and the roar of the waves being nothing as compared to the Havoc in their minds.

Udita’s mind slowly calms down. She entangles her feelings one by one. “I never knew a kiss could be so nice yet without romance linked to it” she muses

“I am sorry; I don’t know how that happened” Anshu looks genuinely sorry and sheepish as they separate unwillingly from each other.

Udita turns to gaze at the black tousling waves of the sea. Anshu was patiently waiting for her reaction. He had always sought her for any dilemma or in crossroads. Even today he knew she would put right the moment. He was scared not because she might disapprove but because he did not understand his own feelings. The kiss was not like anything he had shared with his past girlfriends. Kissing a girl had always flared passion and had sizzling chemistry involved. This was very different.

“It feels nice. It feels pure. It feels” Anshu broods silently

“Spiritual” Udita’s soft voice startles Anshu out of his reverie. “It feels almost spiritual”- Udita turns to him smiling slowly.

It never failed to amaze Anshu, how Udita always spoke his mind and always framed his thoughts into the right words.

“Yes, it does.” Anshu smiles, relieved yet shy for the first time. “I love you Udita” Anshu says softly.

Udita feels amused, she knows exactly what Anshu is thinking and she thinks the same. She knows that Anshu is waiting for her opinion and her direction to the moment.

“I love you too” Udita replies “you are like magic in my life. You make me feel happy when I am down; you understand all the complex philosophical things I say. You make me laugh. You share your deepest secrets and you listen to my deepest fears without being judgmental. You are the best friend I have ever had”

“Same here Udita” Anshu says “Right now you are telling me things I was about to say. But I don’t know what to do about the future Udita” Anshu looks at her sad and imploring.

Udita smiles and touches his face. “Let’s take this moment and cherish it for the rest of our lives. It will be our silent secret which will bring a smile even in the toughest times. Let us neither regret the moment nor expect anything from this moment. Let us get on with our lives as before. We will never be in touch from today. You have a happy long life like me”

“You have heard of skeletons in the cupboard”Udita continues seeing Anshu looking at the ground

“Yes” Anshu looks at her

“Let us put lilies too in each of our cupboards. This moment will be our lilies in our cupboard” Udita smiles “ while we run away from the skeletons, we will look at the lilies from time to time and relive this magical moment”

“I suppose it is the best idea” Anshu replies, looking at her. “But promise me you will be mine in the next life” Anshu brightens up and says with a smile.

‘You bet” Udita laughs. “ I am leaving now. You have a safe flight tomorrow. I wish you all happiness in life” saying this Udita turns towards the hotel and starts walking in the sand.

The Rains had stopped and the beach was bathed in a milky hue. Udita looked up and smiled at the moon smiling back at her.

“Udita” Udita stopped and turned at Anshu’s voice

“Yes” Udita asked

“Thank you for my lillies” Anshu said smiling and winking.

Udita smiled back and waved her last goodbye to her brief encounter with love, spirituality, friendship and a wonderful stoppage that brought a fresh wave of a beautiful distraction in her journey of life. She loved her practical, simple husband very much and she did not feel any guilt. She had not betrayed him. She will always love and care for him till she lived. All she had done was add a few lilies to her cupboard.

Reviews

[Vandana Chaudhury]

Its a true story, far from a literary masterpiece and is not even remotedly applaudable. Still i would want people to read and give me an honest reveiw.