"Happy Anniversary dear" Anand spoke as he lifted his glass of wine.
Ritu didn't speak a word. He had come back home late from work. Anand had never once come on time for his wedding anniversary celebrations. And this was a special year. Their 10th wedding anniversary. They had been married for 10 years. But they had been in love for the past 20 years. Ritu wanted to spend this anniversary alone with Anand, reminiscing about their life together.
"Do you remember the first day I met you?"
He looked at Ritu, who was not interested in giving him an answer.
"You were leaving home for tuition. Your scooty, your old worn out scooty wouldn't start. I had just moved into the building and as I was parking my bike next to yours I saw you scrambling with the kick-start. I offered to help. But you just shoved me away, as if I were a scum and you left to your tuition walking, your face red with irritation. You looked like a tomato."
Ritu was silent. As if not interested in Anand's small talk. She knew he was just trying to calm her down. She was in no mood to talk to Anand. She just remained silent.
"Do you remember our big fight?" He continued.
"You did not do well in your exam and you did not tell your marks to your parents. Whereas I announced my marks to my parents, who in turn informed your parents and you were caught red handed. How much I laughed that day" Anand laughed loudly at Ritu's plight.
"You called me to the terrace and asked me to explain why I had to announce my marks. We fought and you walked away, determined to never talk to me again in your life. But Ritu, that is the day I fell in love with you. Irony isn't it? To fall in love with the girl who screams at you mercilessly?"
Ritu was getting restless as he narrated this incident. What was Anand's point? That Ritu was always losing her temper and that Anand was the one who compromised? She was annoyed at him. But she sat still.
"Do you remember how you wanted to get drunk on the eve of our wedding?" Anand giggled, his boyish laughs suddenly seemed to surface.
"You asked for vodka and pepsi. I gave you only a tall glass of Pepsi and told you I had vodka mixed in it. How much you laughed and danced that night Ritu. You were not even drunk but you were doing the drunken dance! And you should have seen the look on your face when I finally told you there was no vodka in that glass. You silly girl."
"And Ritu do you remember the first time you made biryani for me?" Anand kept his glass of wine down on the table.
"It tasted nothing like biryani"
"ha ha ha ha ha ha ha" he laughed out loud
"But we ate. We ate and laughed. Laughed and ate. We finished the biryani and swore to each that we would always buy biryani from Nawaz uncle's place."
Anand was silent. Humming. Slowly. He turned to look at Ritu. She was calm.
"You are so beautiful, Ritu" Anand spoke
"And you are beautiful because you have given me so many memories to live. Sweet, sour, bitter. We have had a great life together."
Anand took Ritu's picture in his hands. He brushed his fingers on her lips. It was their honeymoon picture. They had gone to Shimla. Ritu had her arms wrapped around Anand. She was trying to keep herself warm from the biting cold. She looked happy and comfortable. Anand looked proud.
"Ritu, how can someone as beautiful as you bring so much pain on herself?" Anand asked slowly
"Do you remember how I cried when you were lying on our bed, lifeless and dead? You don't remember. That was the last time I cried, Ritu. I cried till I dried myself out. I can't cry anymore. Even if I try to, I can't.I drink hoping to cry. But I can't cry"
Anand looked at the empty chair beside him. Ritu's dupatta adorned on it. Anand rocked on his chair. Humming. Slowly.
"Do you love me, Ritu?" He asked the empty chair beside him and dozed off.
Ritu didn't speak a word. He had come back home late from work. Anand had never once come on time for his wedding anniversary celebrations. And this was a special year. Their 10th wedding anniversary. They had been married for 10 years. But they had been in love for the past 20 years. Ritu wanted to spend this anniversary alone with Anand, reminiscing about their life together.
"Do you remember the first day I met you?"
He looked at Ritu, who was not interested in giving him an answer.
"You were leaving home for tuition. Your scooty, your old worn out scooty wouldn't start. I had just moved into the building and as I was parking my bike next to yours I saw you scrambling with the kick-start. I offered to help. But you just shoved me away, as if I were a scum and you left to your tuition walking, your face red with irritation. You looked like a tomato."
Ritu was silent. As if not interested in Anand's small talk. She knew he was just trying to calm her down. She was in no mood to talk to Anand. She just remained silent.
"Do you remember our big fight?" He continued.
"You did not do well in your exam and you did not tell your marks to your parents. Whereas I announced my marks to my parents, who in turn informed your parents and you were caught red handed. How much I laughed that day" Anand laughed loudly at Ritu's plight.
"You called me to the terrace and asked me to explain why I had to announce my marks. We fought and you walked away, determined to never talk to me again in your life. But Ritu, that is the day I fell in love with you. Irony isn't it? To fall in love with the girl who screams at you mercilessly?"
Ritu was getting restless as he narrated this incident. What was Anand's point? That Ritu was always losing her temper and that Anand was the one who compromised? She was annoyed at him. But she sat still.
"Do you remember how you wanted to get drunk on the eve of our wedding?" Anand giggled, his boyish laughs suddenly seemed to surface.
"You asked for vodka and pepsi. I gave you only a tall glass of Pepsi and told you I had vodka mixed in it. How much you laughed and danced that night Ritu. You were not even drunk but you were doing the drunken dance! And you should have seen the look on your face when I finally told you there was no vodka in that glass. You silly girl."
"And Ritu do you remember the first time you made biryani for me?" Anand kept his glass of wine down on the table.
"It tasted nothing like biryani"
"ha ha ha ha ha ha ha" he laughed out loud
"But we ate. We ate and laughed. Laughed and ate. We finished the biryani and swore to each that we would always buy biryani from Nawaz uncle's place."
Anand was silent. Humming. Slowly. He turned to look at Ritu. She was calm.
"You are so beautiful, Ritu" Anand spoke
"And you are beautiful because you have given me so many memories to live. Sweet, sour, bitter. We have had a great life together."
Anand took Ritu's picture in his hands. He brushed his fingers on her lips. It was their honeymoon picture. They had gone to Shimla. Ritu had her arms wrapped around Anand. She was trying to keep herself warm from the biting cold. She looked happy and comfortable. Anand looked proud.
"Ritu, how can someone as beautiful as you bring so much pain on herself?" Anand asked slowly
"Do you remember how I cried when you were lying on our bed, lifeless and dead? You don't remember. That was the last time I cried, Ritu. I cried till I dried myself out. I can't cry anymore. Even if I try to, I can't.I drink hoping to cry. But I can't cry"
Anand looked at the empty chair beside him. Ritu's dupatta adorned on it. Anand rocked on his chair. Humming. Slowly.
"Do you love me, Ritu?" He asked the empty chair beside him and dozed off.
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