Marriage Vows

Sia and Mohit have been married for two years now. They both live in an apartment in Mumbai Suburbs. Theirs had been an arranged marriage, just like the majority of weddings happen in India.
A few months of acquaintance and a formal conversation, eventually ended with both of them getting tied by the sacred knot known as marriage.
After the first few months of the nuptial period, life had been the mundane struggle for both of them to make the ends meet.
Sia has always been a carefree, "live your life to the hilt" kind of girl. She has aspirations for her career as well as her love life. Mohit on the contrary is a laid back, self indulgent and again carefree enough to care about the future. Sia is a devoted yet chilled out wife. And so is Mohit, a husband who never refrained Sia from living her life her way, atleast that is how it appeared to be.

Sia works as a banker with a MNC. Her hectic schedule would keep her occupied enough to block her thoughts from going astray.
Rhea, one of her colleagues at the office questioned her once," Sia, how can you live with such a casual attitude towards your personal life? " "What do you mean by that Rhea?" Sia was puzzled.
Rhea continued," I mean you never keep an eye on Mohit's whereabouts, who he speaks to, what he does when you are not around in town..Umm, you know what I am trying to say, if I were you, I would have never let my husband move so freely."
Sia gave a gentle smile and explained, "Rhea, you know something, if someone has to cheat, he/she can cheat anytime, no matter how much you keep an eye or play a watchdog. Fidelity doesn't come by control. If it has to come, it comes. I have seen many couples where husbands would dote on their wives,fulfill every wish,would never let an iota of doubt strike their wives mind, yet behind their back, the husbands would be living a secret life of love and betrayal. And that can be true for wives too.So it goes, What has to happen will happen. Emotion is a free bird,it flies where it wants to fly. "

Sure enough, Sia was not a typical wife,who would ask for her husband's time and attention.She knows what belongs to her will remain hers. Mohit never expressed his love to Sia in an overt way in these two years. Sia never complained either. There has always been an air of indifference around her.She never interfered in what Mohit did. More ever her job kept her on her toes all the time. She was frequent traveler on the business trips. Or is there something that she is hiding behind her cool demeanor. Perhaps, her own insecurity that she is not loved the way she wanted to.Her ambition with regards to her career may be soaring high, but her dreams about her love was crashing down with every passing day. But still she is quiet. Why? " Because, you cannot hold love in hand, you cannot put bars around it." She often tells to herself.
That thought had occurred to Sia many times. Why doesn't Mohit love her. Why he never does things that other men do for their women. She concludes, " Mohit is not the kind of guy who is expressive, he is pragmatic towards love too. He doesn't have the ability to decipher an abstract emotion, which needs to be felt without judgment. But , I trust him, even though he does not say I love you Sia, he will never break his marriage vows."

It was Monday morning. Mohit went for work, while Sia had taken a day off to finish some of the pending work at home. It was 5 in the evening. Sia decided to go on a shopping spree to Bandra which was at a considerable distance from the home. She shopped for some new curtains and bed linens. Sia was passing by the CCD, and decided to take a breather before heading back towards home.

She opens the door of the cafe. She is stunned. She finds Mohit with an unknown female accomplice. They were holding hands and smiling. She saw the kind of spark in Mohit's eyes which she rarely saw before .She felt the lump in her throat. Suddenly, Mohit lifted his head and just when his gaze intercepted Sia's look, she walked out of cafe. Mohit tried to call her cell phone, but she did not answer the call.
"Its over", Mohit received a text message.

Mohit hurried towards the home." Listen Sia, let me explain. I did not mean to betray you. I never ran away from our marriage vows. I was always by your side when you needed me.." Mohit begged .
Sia cut his explanation short, " Mohit, hold it there. You were never by my side when I needed you, because I never let you know when I needed you. And as far as betrayal goes, No you have not betrayed me,I have been betraying myself with the false belief. I am glad to know that atleast you love someone to an extent that you are willing to sacrifice our marriage vows.That was the kind of love I wanted to see in your eyes for me, but I did not know that it was never mine. I was wrong, that you cannot love anyone, that you do not have the ability to understand or express love. But, I am content to know that I was married to a man who can love and express just like everyone else. I wish you all the best."

Mohit cried, "Sia , wait! "

"Next time do not break your marriage vows " Sia left with the whip of air.

Love that was not meant to be # Part 1

When the eyes first met, there was a stillness in the air, time seemed to have come to a standstill. It was love at first sight, things that are heard only in fairy tales or read in the romantic novels.
The spark in the eyes lit up the entire room. Unspoken words said a thousand things. This is the story of Robert and Julie. A story about love, hope, dreams and heartbreaks.

Do you believe in the concept of Soulmates? Have you found your soulmate yet? A person who knows you inside out and you know there is no one else who can take their place. A person who you stumble upon unknowingly every now and then, as if the Universe wants you two to be together.

Read on... as the story unfolds...Robert and Julie, about their love, a love that saw no sorrow , no pain,no obstacles, just dreams, hope and life.
 But something happened, one fine day, when the sky fell down on its knees and the two had to part their ways, even when the hearts were connected by an invisible thread of love and emotions.

Robert and Julie..................Love that was not meant to be ...


**A good write-up,as per me, is something that is comprehensive,connecting,reader- friendly, is able to draw the pictures in the mind of the reader without having to use very flashy words. My intention is to be able to write up stuffs that stirs the emotions and connects the mind.



It was the summer of 2000,the Sun was at its fury's best.The Earth was visibly parched and demanded for a drop of nectar to quench its thirst.Julie, a high school nerd was walking down the street after attending her tutions. "How am I supposed to pass my Mathematics exam, I don't understand where I will land I if do not score well in the year end assessment, no university will take me in ". Julie was in pensive state,a plethora of thoughts crossing her mind.
"Excuse Me, Could you please help me with this address ? " asked a tall lean guy with sparkling brown eyes and a young adult charm.
" Walk straight, first turn left, and the third house that you see,as you enter through the big gate", Julie replied indifferently.


"Mama,I am home" Julie threw her books aside and fell down in the bed, all tired and exhausted.
Mrs Foster was in the living room, talking to a guy. Julie peeped through the door to catch a glimpse of the uninvited guest.

" Come here Julie, meet Robert, he happens to be your brother George's classmate". Julie, who was a shy and withdrawn teenager entered the room, her eyes looking down , as she came and sat in the sofa right in front of Robert .

" I will get some coffee while you both sit and chat. George will be back in sometime from his violin classes." Mrs Foster smiled and left the room.

Eyes first met, Robert and Julie gazed at each other with an innocent smile on their lips. Julie realized, this is the same guy who was asking her for the directions, and she was so lost in her thoughts.This is the same guy who was many a times a part of her conversation with George and now she sees Robert right in front of her.

The shy and reticent Julie started the conversation " So, what brought you here?" " I wanted to congratulate George on getting admission into the University of Virginia for his masters." Robert replied. " I see you and George are very close friends. He often talks about you." , Julie struck a conversation with the supposedly stranger almost instantaneously without any hesitation.

Robert laid his hand on the algebra book that was placed on the table.The page was bookmarked with a pen " So what are you studying ?" he asked Julie while turning the pages of the book.
" I am studying for my pre-university exams . It's way too difficult to manage. I find it so tough.Everyone in my class is scoring more than me.I don't know..." Julie kept on speaking incessantly and suddenly she stopped, as her eyes crossed Robert's glance, which was continuous without a blink in the eyes.That smile was infectious and soothing.
The silence in the room was not intimidating to Julie. Robert was 7 yrs her senior, but still the look into his eyes gave her a sense of familiarity. The mysterious charm attracted her towards him. She wanted to know him more. So was with Robert.He was getting smitten by Julie's childish and sweet demeanour.

The conversation was cut short with the sudden arrival of George, a handsome young man in his early twenties with green eyes behind the glasses.


"Hey Rob, what a pleasant surprize! Where have you been all this while? I tried to reach out to you at your hostel but your roommate said you went out without information." George was excited to see Robert after five long months.

"I had been to my home. There had been some trouble with the lawsuit concerning extortion of the ancestral home and other assets by my foster uncle.Lots of running around from pillar to post has happened. Anyways George, I am so happy that you get to live your dream. Congratulations! " Robert replied with a sudden dip in his tone but spark in his eyes.
Julie could sense something wasn't perfectly alright with Robert, but she mantained her silence.

"Cheer up mate ,everything will be alright." George tried to bring Robert back from his sullen state and started playing Bach Chaconne on his violin.The ambience turned serene.
Julie and Robert lent their ears with an applause, but somewhere deep inside they wanted to speak to each other. The eyes did the talking.
Meanwhile Mrs Foster got coffee for everyone with honey pancakes as a complimentary addition.The evening passed by peacefully. The Sun had set and the birds returned to their nest

"I must take your leave now.Thanks for the coffee and succulent honey soaked pancakes.It was nice meeting you Mrs Foster, and ofcourse you too Julie." Robert stood up and bid a bye to everyone.
Julie kept watching Robert until he disappeared from the view. But she could still feel his presence, smell his perfume in the living room. She picked up her algebra book and started turning the pages, as if imitating Robert's act of going through the pages of the book and re-creating that moment when her heart skipped a beat for the first time.

                                     Chapter 2

                                       


Julie is not able to get Robert out of her mind.His brown eyes seem to have mesmerized Julie. She was smitten by his charm and soft voice that exuded warmth and care. "Will he see me again?, will he give me a call? Did he find me too short ? Did he notice that I know nothing about make up and looking presentable ?" a plethora of questions ran through her perplexed mind.

Meanwhile, the desire to know Julie became more intense inside Robert's heart too. He wanted to speak to her, befriend her, and may be more....

"Trrrin ....Trrrrinnn..." "Hello, Can I speak to George? "Robert called up at Mrs Foster's number.

"I am sorry, George is not home, Is that you Robert ?" Julie's voice softened as she heard Robert's voice from the other side of the phone. "Yes Julie, I ...I actually wanted to speak to you. How have you been doing?" Julie was appalled but joyful in the heart. Frightened because she had never spoken to a guy before except her classmates. Joyful because she wanted to speak to Robert. "Robert, I am doing very well, I really liked it when you came here last week".
Robert was beaming with a smile and excitement. " Julie, I don't know why but I missed you, you have a very cute smile and your eyes are full of kindness." Now that was some really unexpected conversation which was an impromptu.
"So how is your summer job treating you ?" ,Julie tried to maintain the flow of the conversation.
"Its going great , and how is your exam preparations coming along?" "Rob, I am working hard day and night to score well ." They spoke for about half an hour about each other's likes and interests.
Something so well connected them. They never met except once but still confided in each other, laughed and shared joy. It was not late when they realized that they have fallen in love with each other.
"Jules, I want to tell you something." Robert was hesitant but confident at the same time.
Julie knew what was waiting for her, but she played innocent child. "Yes Rob, tell me!" .

"Jule, I love you !" Robert spoke in a soft whisper.

"Come again ?" Julie could not believe her ears. " Ha , ha , ha..no nothing ." Robert changed the
mood of the conversation. But the message was conveyed.

Months passed and their bond just grew stronger and stronger. Not a single day passed when they would not speak to each other.

But one fine day, Robert told Julie - "I am going home, there is some urgent issue and I need to be there. I will give you a call once I am back to city". Julie bid him a bye with a heavy heart.
She had no clue what the issue was and how long it would take for Rob to come back.

Meanwhile Julie's liking towards Robert came out in open air. George got to know that Julie is going around with Robert. Both of them have been having long distance relationship sustained over the phone.

"Look Julie, Rob is my friend. He is a good person but I want you to focus on your career and not run into guys and especially him. You don't know yet about his background and real person. Even I do not know much about him because he maintains a secrecy about his personal whereabouts. Don't fall
in love with a dangerous guy like him. I am warning you." George tried to explain Julie as a considerate brother.

Julie was tight lipped. First of all she was embarrassed that George got to know all about her love affair and second of all, she was confused. Her brother's words were crossing her mind day and night. What is it that Rob could have kept a secret from her....

It was the snowing winter evening. Rob was back to the city. And as promised, he gave a call to Julie.
" Hello Jule, Rob here." "Sorry Rob, please don't call me up again." Julie had received the call , but out of fear of her brother who was standing right next to her, she ignored Rob, even when she was delighted to hear his voice after good three months.

Rob is a tough resolute. He believed every word that Julie said. He decided not to call again.

Julie kept hoping that he would call back and she would be able to explain to him about her hostile behaviour. But the phone never rang for her.After a month, she tried to contact him through his flatmate's number, but it ended up with disappointment. Rob had shifted to another place and another job and no one was aware about his whereabouts.