Cupids and Crossbows

A Surprise Encounter - I

Why do people have to work? Why do people have to earn money? Well, if I am going to start speculating life then I should start with why does mankind have to evolve?

For the stone age man, the greatest challenge would have been to hunt good prey or keep the fire going in his cave. He would be satisfied with a tummy full of food, a fire to keep him warm, and a cave that could shield him from weather or other predators now and then. No need to wake up in the morning and cross the town in a moving contraption that I shamelessly call my car which fails the whole purpose of reaching your destination fast, because of its poor condition and the irritating traffic. No need to toil in front of a computer turning your brain to mush. No need to put on fake smiles to deal with morons and big-headed suppliers on most of my workdays. All for what? Just to earn the three meals of my day?

To be honest, humans have complicated life by trying to make it easy for mankind to live. We claim our era to be technologically advanced when in reality we have become nothing but a bunch of brain-dead robots. As Einstein said, 'When technology surpasses human interaction, the world will have a generation of idiots. How damn true that is. When that final thought settled in I couldn’t help but wonder how I would be better off living my life as a cavewoman than to deal with yet another day of my mundane life. I was tempted to shed my clothes and run into a forest and join some tribe to live the rest of my life away from all the s**t I was complaining about earlier. Then again I don't know how to hunt and it wouldn’t be long before I get kicked out of there as well. That last thought irritated me further and I banged on my car horn angrily taking out my frustration on it.

"Move it jerk" I shouted at the car before me earning a middle finger from the guy in front. He fixed me with a murderous look before he shouted back, "Open your eyes, woman. It's a f*****g traffic jam." I slumped back noisily against my driver’s seat making Sarah bounce in her passenger seat beside me. She yelped when her lipstick smeared across her cheek leaving a red trail contrasting her pale skin. "What the hell Dhee?" she demanded throwing a glare my way before rummaging through her purse to find some wet tissues to wipe it off. "What has gotten into you today? Why are you throwing a tantrum like you are PMS-ing?" she asked while fixing her makeup.

I would have talked back to her on any other day. But I was tired. Tired of whatever was happening in my life lately. I let out a deep sigh and rested my head on the steering wheel closing my eyes to get a hold of myself. If you want the truth, I was stressed by the recent turn of events as you might have correctly guessed. When I am stressed my mind wanders to unknown territories and pops up philosophical wisdom out of nowhere which is the only reason for my earlier rant about mankind.

It had been two weeks since I stumbled upon my friend Rishi and he was staying with me since then. In all my years with him as his best friend, I had never seen him break down like he did on that day. After an hour of crying, his tears had died down to sniffles and sobs. I had slowly treaded the territory after handing him a glass of water, to ask what had happened for him to lose it like that. He was silent for a long time. When I was making up my mind to leave him alone till he composes himself, he surprised me with his words.

"You know how they always say love gives you the strength to face any situation, overcome any problem and surpass any difficulties in life?" he started slowly his voice hoarse with all the crying. I had no idea where he was going with his philosophy. Yet I didn't interrupt him either and let him talk his mind while I listened to his words intently. "That's total bullshit” he cursed sounding more

defeated than angry. “Love makes you weak. In fact, it's the only weakness that makes you question the purpose of living through its loss" he finished with a sad sigh staring outside the window like he was reliving some painful memories.

"On the other hand, when you possess love, it becomes the sole reason that keeps you going, even amidst the turmoil and chaos that surrounds every other aspect of your existence," I added, joining him by the window and sharing a reflective look. I felt his eyes bore into me for a long time making me conscious. I could see it in his eyes. A multitude of questions that he wanted to ask me but was trying not to as he didn't know how to and where to start. To be honest, I was grappling with conversation starters about his life just like him.

"Why did you leave, Aadhira?" he asked after a moment of silence. I was surprised by his question. It was direct and to the point. He didn't beat around the bush. Here I thought, he was hesitating to bring up the past. Now as it was out there in the open I have to answer it. I cannot avoid it like I am avoiding his eyes right now. "You know why," I said looking away from him all the while managing to keep my voice from cracking. "If you are trying to make me believe the reason that everyone else is believing, then you are making a wasted effort. I am not buying it and I am damn sure that you wouldn’t believe it yourself" he said. I cringed, cursing him in my mind at how well he knows me more than I know myself. However, I didn't say that aloud.

"I know you, Aadhira," he said looking me straight in the eye. I was slightly starting to wonder if my friend had somehow developed mind-reading powers in these six years that I had been away as he had phrased the exact thought running through my mind. "I know you because I am your best friend" he affirmed which made me happy to hear him finally acknowledge it. "You are not someone to throw away something valuable to you no matter how big the problem is. Or how much it hurts you and forces you to take the easy way out of the relationship. The love between two people is more important than any problems and no issue is worthy enough to tear that bond" he said with wistful eyes. Somehow I gathered that his last sentence was not meant just for my relationship alone. I remained silent as I was not sure if I wanted to give him a reply. Well, what could I say to him when I had a hard time convincing myself of my decision? However, I had done it and it's in the past. Right now there is no need to snoop into it again when all of us had moved on with our lives.

"You know what happened to Prithvi after-?" he started to explain. I quickly interrupted him not wanting him to continue, although my heart was already starting to beat at an inhuman rate on just hearing his name. "I don't want to hear it, Rishi. It's in the past. Some things are best if they stay there in the past" I said with a newfound strength masking my emotions as much as I could. My next words were too damn difficult and the lie tasted vile as it rolled out of my tongue.

"I have moved on," I said sounding stern but still unable to meet his eyes. He let out a deep sigh and glanced in the direction of the guest room where the sounds of Justin's laughter were echoing as Kyle and Jason were caught in yet another verbal fight about something silly. They had been playing video games since the morning. Grown men over thirty and they still act like kids. I shook my head at that thought and quickly turned to Rishi when I saw his eyes still gazing in Justin’s direction as if he could understand what I meant by moving on. My mind was blaring with a big red sign that he was assuming something that was most definitely not what it looked like. "It's not what you think" I rushed out but he was not looking at me, his eyes turning back to the flower bed outside the window and the fencing beyond. He remained silent neither explaining himself nor contradicting my reply. It looked like he was not going to explain his assumptions in detail.

When did he become so wise? What happened to my naive friend who never had any idea that Prithvi and I were dating when we were back in college? Now all of a sudden, he was able to pick up the subtle emotions swinging between Justin and me. Well while Justin's feelings were obvious, I try to conceal mine as much as possible. Not like I was head over heels for Justin now, mind you. It's just that, I was confused? Well, I don't know. Thinking about it was giving me a headache and nothing else.

"She wants a divorce," Rishi said out of the blue shocking me and confusing me at the same time.