On a Rainy Day

A call that disrupts your happy dream leads to an eventful day, such that you wish that day to be a dream.

On a rainy day, I heard the sound of rain drops but I when I looked out of the window the sky was clear and sunny. I deviated my thoughts to ‘the big’ moment of my life. All those chairs were occupied, the mike was set , looking at their notebooks and pens I heard my name being announced , thinking of how far I have come I began up towards the stage. I could see all producers and creative directors of the Indian television industry, anxiously waiting to hear me speak about how they did it all wrong.  

As I began transferring my thoughts into speech a strange noise overlapped my voice and  I realized that no one could hear a word of what I spoke (not even me). No one could hear the dialogues but just the quirky background music…. I didn’t know what was happening . The sound was so irritating that I immediately closed my eyes and covered my ears with my hands. With the sound becoming intense and louder with  every passing second, I forcefully opened my eyes only to realize that it was all a dream .  

Everything around me had changed apart from two details �" The sound of torrential rains and the irritating sound that made my dream mute. I looked around and traced my phone flashing under my bedsheet  and then all the loose ends connected. I could see the mobile flashing but had to turn the whole bedsheet upside down to reach it. It read ‘ Messy calling…’ .

 Mishti A.K.A Messy is my best friend.

Best friends are the only successful choices that we don’t intend making and after a few years we rest our failures on the premise -‘Unplanned and natural is the only way to a happy life’, when deep within we know that the statement makes no sense. I met Mishti at a bar, to be precise outside the bar. How we met and became the best of friends is a tale. 

I picked up the phone and said, “It is 8.00 am and I would proceed with this telephonic conversation only if you are dying.”

There was a long pause which made me suspect some network problem, owing to which I entered my terrace and got all wet in the rain…. Yes, this time I not only saw it, but felt it.  I came rushing back into my bedroom and couldn’t believe the words I heard- “I’m getting married in the next  5 hours”.

Everything went quiet around me until I heard my own voice say, “Are you pregnant ?”

 “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you anything Kriti. Please stop your imagination, get ready and come to pick me up in exact 2o minutes.  I’ll wait for you at the ‘Mewadwala's ice-cream car', I’ll tell you everything in the car.”

“If you are getting married at 1pm then why did you call me at 8am? Can’t we leave by 12?”

“NO, there are a lot of things to do ...''

“Please define those ‘lot �"of-things’ and be precise”

“I’m getting married and I can’t be more precise…. Meet me in an hour . Bye!”

Messy had cut the phone but I kept thinking about ‘the lot of things’ when my phone rang again. This time it was a message from Messy, it read �"‘Stop thinking. You have 20 minutes to get ready”.

I hurried with every single activity.I did everything else apart from bathing and breakfast.  I opened my closet and a huge pile of clothes fell off all over me when I realized that I shouldn’t be the centre of attraction wearing jeans and some silly top that read ‘I’m what I’m’  as everyone else will be wearing a sari or Patiala. I quickly selected my flashy red Patiala wore the matching jewellery , put on some basic make up  and left my place. When you need something the most you never find it, I couldn’t find an umbrella and I was running out of time. I stepped outside my house  and saw Asian Paints workers painting the wall. Their umbrella’s were lying around in the passage . I walked very confidently and picked up one of their umbrellas. My day had begun with stealing a painter’s umbrella.

Life didn’t surprise me,it was raining cats and dogs and I couldn’t spot a single empty ‘Rickshaw’. After 15 minutes I finally found one. The last thing on my mind was to step out in this rain. Ohh How I hated rains. I prayed to God  to not have Mishti make me dance around the city in this outfit.  As I was nearing the Mewaadwala, I saw the image of a girl wearing  polka-dotted half pants and a black sleevless top covered with loose hair, becoming larger with every step . Yes, it was Messy.

 “I thought you were getting married? So it was all a lie?”

“It was a half-lie?”

“So what was true and what was not of what you said.”

“I would have never got married if you had not come today?”

 “I'm in no mood of match the column. Who is the boy? Your dating pattern is damn confusing. The last person I knew of, was Vicky.”

“Not he…. I broke up with him 6 months ago”.

“But last month you’d told me that you went on a date with him.”

“Yes, we had just met as I was going through a bad phase with Gurmeet.”

“You dated Gurmeet , I’d thought it was your rule no. 5, No dating best friends’ ex?”

“Shamita is just a friend , you are my best friend.”

“When did you wipe off the prefix?”

“When I decided to date Gurmeet.”

“So you are getting married to Gurmeet ?”

“No…. Jairaj”.

“What , who is Jairaj?”

 “I met Jairaj 20 days ago and he is a great guy. I have never been in so much love ever before.”

“That is what you tell me upto the 20^th day of your every relationship and you want to get married on the 20^th day. Tomorrow you might not want to.”

“He is a Gujju Businessman.”

“Okay then…. Right Catch”.

"I told Shesta about it 10 days ago. She asked me to mail our horoscopes to her.  I mailed it to her the next day. A week ago she replied saying, he is going to get married on the 1st of this month, but I won't…..  So if it is not me he will be getting married to someone else. I even spied on him for 2 days, he doesn't even look at any other girl. Hence, to avoid any mishap I've decided to get married to him today. Ishall inform everyone after the marriage.”

Stumped at her stupidity I said, “Ohh please stop following that psycho horoscope lady, she has done no good to your life. She told you to leave your dream job…”

“And at my next job , no matter how demeaning it is ….I met Jairaj. Rickshawala yahan se right lena….”

“Where are we going?”

“To the temple. ”

“Have you informed Jairaj?”

“Yes. He didn't question me once…. He will be coming to the temple with his 3 friends.”

“Love is indeed blind”.

“See , I told you he loves me.”

“Can’t you just apply some common sense and think. If he loves you so much and if you know he isn’t cheating on you ….. how the hell will he get married to someone else?”

“That question is responsible for my de-glamorous look on my wedding day. I had 20 minutes but all I did was thinking…. Shesta has told me to get married by 11.30 am”

Now that I was convinced about the marriage I thought of its requirements“We need a pandit and a  Lawyer.”

“Pandit will be there in the temple and thanks to 'Justdial' for the Lawyer, Mr. Dubey. I contacted him a week ago and told him to get all the paperwork done ,see I have got all my documents in here.”

“Great … so …aa…”

“Kriti, Jairaj will be buying the mangalsutra but we need to buy garlands and sindoor”.

“That is fine we’ll buy it on our way.’’

We got down at a flower shop on the way.  Messy opened the Asian paints Umbrellla as rains hadn’t stopped by then.  She told the lady, “ Please pack these 2 garlands fast.”

The lady looked at me , smiled and said, “Marriage?”

I  too smiled and said, “Yes.”

The lady looked at Messy and said, “Why are you selecting the garlands , let her select?’’

Messy was about to hit the lady with the same garlands when I quickly paid the money and dragged Messy away into the Ricksha.

We reached the temple at 10.45. Messy wanted to sign the papers first i.e before 11.30 and then intended performing other traditional Hindu rituals. Jairaj hadn’t come yet. While Messy was on the phone yelling at Jairaj and the lawyer for being late I took the initiative to arrange the requirements for the traditional style wedding.

“Kriti it’s 11.15 and Jairaj isn’t come yet …. Now his phone is also unavailable. I think he is getting married to someone else.”

“How do you expect the network to function normally in these sort of  rains and Jairaj to not meet any traffic or water logging .”

“I don’t care, I want the signatures done before 11.30”.

No sooner did she say that and we saw Jairaj climbing the temple staircase fully drenched in rain. They hugged each other and pleasantries were exchanged between all of us. However, Mr. Dubey was nowhere in the scene.  Messy kept on calling him.

Listening to Mr. Dubey's -'I'm the best', dial tone, Messy said, “I think he has ditched us, I don’t know what to now..."

Messy was about to cut the phone irritated by the dial tone when  Dubeyji  answered the call. He was panting heavily.

In complete agitation Messy said, “Dubeyji  only two minutes are left…. Where are you?’

“I’m climbing the staircase of the temple…. I’m sorry I’m late. Why did you choose a temple with such a time consuming staircase?’’

“ Dubeyji  I’ll ask my boyfriend to build a temple without a staircase for you but please run faster, I am standing with my best friend  and my boyfriend and  his 3 friends, as soon as you reach here first get the signatures done before asking anything else….. anything else. This is a very crucial moment , you will just have few seconds. So quickly get the papers ready while your climbing, my boyfriend will pay you double the original amount.”

Seeing Dubeyji climb the staircase was like seeing  a potato being thrown towards the temple.  He ran  with a file in his hand and quickly glanced at everybody. 

He opened the file and asked everybody to sign on the papers. It all happened in such a hush-hush that everyone did as Dubeyji said without speaking a word. Once the signatures were done, Messy breathed a sigh of relief, hugged Dubeji  and said , Thank You. .

 Dubeyji asked for water. She offered him her pink water bottle.He wiped of his face with his wet handkerchief that made no difference to his face what so ever and said, “ I did it … on time”.

But what happened next was something that ignited fireworks in the rain.

Dubeyji congratulated Jairaj and then turned towards me and congratulated me as well.

Shaking my hands involuntarily with Dubeji I looked at Messy. I could guess looking at her face that she was definitely thinking what I was thinking.

With tears waiting to fall off her eyes she asked Dubeyji, “Did you think she is the bride and took her signatures in the respective column?’’

Dubeyji looked at everyone of us for around 1 second each and then looked at Messy , smiled and said, “YES”.

Messy screamt so loudly that the temple bell shivered . I didn’t know if I should have been consoling myself or Messy. I froze to death. Messy was rolling on the floor and crying.  Dubeyji didn’t understand anything. 

Messy  quickly got up to call Shesta. She said, “Jairaj accidently got married to my best friend in front of my own eyes….. now what do I do?”

Shesta said, “Ask the lawyer.” 

Dubeyji said, “There’s nothing much to worry about…. This matter can be fixed in a few court rituals”.

I’d decided to write about this incident once the matter was resolved. Yes I’m  single now and according to the court I was never ever married to Jairaj.  The rainy day was the 20^th day of Messy’s relationship . For now Messy is back  with Vicky and she says, “He is a great guy. I have never been in so much love ever before.”

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