What is more important

Some Letters (III)

Dear Readers, the structure of this chapter will be a bit different. As opposed to narrating the story through a third part, this chapter will tell a story to present the context to the letters discussed in this chapter.

Ranvijy comes out of his room after writing the letters. He is in his night suit and comes out to find his dad siting on an armchair, reading a book and looking out of the window. He sits close to him. He sits there silently for a long time before Mr. Gujrial lifts his eyes from the book, removes his glasses and hold them in his hand. He closes the book and places it on his lap: “Son, is something bothering you?”

Vijy speaks immediately. His voice is a little louder than normal: “No dad. Everything is fine.”

Gujrial: “What do you want to say son? I think I do not have to tell you that I am your safe space, and you can share anything with me. Now tell me what is bothering you.”

Vijy: “Dad, I told you about the kid named Kartik in my class?”

Gujrial: “Yes son. Is everything fine? Did he say you something bad?”

Vijy: “No dad. Absolutely not. He is a really nice kid and I want to be friends with him. I just do not know how to go about it as I am not sure if he wants the same too.”

Gujrial: “Son, every new step requires a little more effort than following the same routine again and again. I think you should not hesitate by thinking what he wants. I believe you should give your best shot and leave the rest to him. In the end it is going to be his decision. But I believe my son is a wonderful person and he will be a great friend and as you are great you will also find a great friend. I want you to try it but do not rush things. Let them take their time and everything will be fine soon. Tomorrow, try to make small talk to him.”

Vijy: “Ok, I will try.”

Gujrial: “Also, for any kind of advice you can have me. If you think things are a bit difficult, you can ask me, and we will sort things out together.”

Vijy nods: “Dad.” He stops and gulps. He is afraid to ask what he is going to ask and does not know how to put his thoughts into words. He wants to share his feelings with his dad but is reluctant.

Gujrial: “I think I told you that you can trust me and can tell me whatever you think I should know. However, I think I should know everything.” The last words come out of his mouth with a chuckle.

Vijy: “Dad, it is about Sameen.”

Gujrial moves in his chair so that he is more alert: “I am all ears.”

Vijy: “When I met her before coming here, I told her about mom not liking me and about your fights. I was fascinated by her life, a peaceful one, or you can say that I was jealous. I told her that I liked the vibe of her home. However, I do not know why I felt good after talking to her. I thought I could talk to her for many hours. Also, when we were leaving, I looked into her eyes and something weird happened in my stomach. I thought I was getting sick. I was having a tingling sensation in my tummy. It was like butterflies were flying in my tummy. What is it, dad? I have never felt like this before. Is that wrong? Am I a bad person? Are you mad at me?”

Gujrial smiles and sits beside his son. He puts a hand on his shoulder and continues: “Son, I know you are young, but I think you need to understand some things. Sameen is a beautiful soul and anyone who meets her will like her. There is nothing wrong in liking someone. This feeling is not bad unless it becomes your obsession, and you start suffocating and hurting the one you like. Also, unless you do not push anything on her and do not violate her or anyone else in the process, you are good to go. Moreover, you are not a bad person because you like someone, and I am not mad at you. Rather, I am proud of your choice. Vijy, I just want to ask you for something.”

Vijy: “Dad, I think you should order me and never ask me.”

Gujrial: “Never ever hurt her. Stay there for her all the time and never leave her alone. If she likes you or not, if she is your friend or not, just be by her side. You must be her safe space and she should be confident that there is someone she can always rely on. Someone she knows will always be there for her.”

Vijy: “I promise you dad I will do as you say. I will always respect her and never violate her boundaries. I promise that I will always be there for her. Also, dad, I wrote a letter for her. Should I post it?”

Gujrial: “You must post it, son.”

Vijy: “Thank you dad.”

Gujrial: “Your welcome son.”

Vijy leaves to go to his room. He gets the letter out of his study table drawer and puts it with other letters which he has to post in the morning. He lays in his bed and sleeps with a big smile on his face. In the lounge, Mr. Gujrial sits down with a big smile to write to Luthra and tell him about today’s incidents. The next morning, Vijy posts all the letters to his dad before going to school.

To,

Dearest Amma.

1972,

Hello!

I hope you are doing great just like me. I am very happy today. I know I should be slow in saying what I want to tell you, but I can’t control myself. Kartik is trying to be my friend too and we are doing really well. I am very happy that I made a friend. He is a wonderful person. Today, he asked me if I had any other friends and I told him about uncle Luthra. He told me that he had met him and that his mom was Sameen’s mom’s cousin. He knows about Sameen too. I am glad that we were not total strangers. Uncle Luthra’s topic made our communication easier. I think I will find Luthra in my Gujrial but I am not sure.

I also think that I have found literal Luthra to my Gujrial. My smile is reaching my ears and I am giggling as I am writing this. I think you can guess that too and I can tell you that you are right in your guess. She wrote back to me. Amma, I got her reply. Can you imagine that? I informed dad about the letter as soon as I read the letter and I jumped into his arms. He was so happy about everything. He is always happy about my everything and this time he was surely more than happy. He jumped with me and danced a little too. I am so, so, so happy and relaxed. She wrote to me that she was happy for me and would like to visit all the places that I have visited with me. She also wanted to visit the places that my dad and her dad used to visit. I am so happy that I can not even tell you anything else. This feeling is more powerful than anything and I am sad and worried, but I am more than happy; happier than anything on this planet.

I wish everyone to be safe there and hope you are awesome as well. Just write to me whenever you have time.

Goodbye,

Ranvijy Gujrial.