“So, what are your future plans?” I asked, feigning interest in her career. “Future?” she echoed, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Yeah, you mentioned wanting to get a PhD and do research, right?”
“Oh, yeah. I want to do my PhD in some foreign country, maybe Australia, and then continue there.” “Oh, super. So, it may need some money, right?”
“Even though there are scholarships, it’s better to have some of our own savings,” she replied. “Do you need money?” I asked, half hoping she’d say yes, and I’d be her knight in shining armor.
“Hey, no yaar. I have it. I didn’t tell you, actually, but after that incident with Vinay, I asked him for 20 lakh rupees, keeping this PhD in mind. I told him if he didn’t give me the money, I’d go to the police.”
“Oh, is it?” I asked, slightly taken aback by her boldness.
“Then, what? He arranged the money and gave it to me and then went out of India.” “So you are determined to be a scientist,” I stated.
“Hopefully. But we don’t what destiny has in store for us,” she said. “Yeah, exactly.”
“What about your plans?” she enquired.
“I don’t have any grand plans, actually. I don’t over plan much.” “You’re so cool-headed, that’s why you take everything so lightly.”
“Not like that,” I said. “Life is like this – we’ll plan something and life will have other plans, our plans will be destroyed, and again, we plan for something else. It’s life, man; a very short life and a very short time. Just take things as they come.”
“Hey, nice philosophy,” she chuckled.
“No. I just said what came to mind,” I said, “but a thing which I had in mind is to quit my present job.” “What?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Haha, let me complete. I don’t want to work under someone, with deadlines and all. I want to be a freelancer soon. I know every type of coding, and I’m pretty sound at designing, so I think of taking up work in freelancer mode so that I can work and travel.”
“Wow. What an idea! Very nice to hear.”
“Hi hi. Thank you,” I said, beaming at her approval. Then came the moment I’d been both dreading and anticipating. “What about your marriage?”
Anasuya burst into laughter. “Enough is enough, Vishu. I don’t want to experiment with life again.” “But…” I began.
“But what?”
“But Vinay was not your choice, right? He was chosen by your parents. In fact, it’s not even your parents. It was the horoscope that did the picking.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But you don’t know what I’ve been through. The trauma is not going to heal in my whole life.”
“I can understand your fear, Anu. But it was an accident, right? Many people meet with accidents, get bedridden and come back to a normal life after that. Everyone deserves a better life. You too.”
“Please leave it, Vishu,” she pleaded.
“No, I can’t leave it like that. Now, imagine what I’m saying,” I persisted. “Okay, tell me.”
“If someone proposes to you, a man with true love, will you change your decision or not?” “At first, I thought Vinay was a good man too,” she replied.
“Please leave that matter and respond to what I asked,” I insisted. “Okay, I imagined.”
“Then will you accept that love?”
“Not so easily. I need time to think about that. Only after a long thought can I respond.” “Okay.”
“Anyway, first I should get the divorce, then enroll for the PhD, and then I can consider it.” “Okay, I understand. But what things are you considering to define a good man?” I asked. “A kind, loving man is enough. There is no point in expecting too much.”
“Why? You can expect whatever you need.” “Hmm,” she mumbled.
“Oh, okay, then I’ll ask, and you give the reply, okay?”