Life Partner

Krishnaa was standing poised as the ball rolled down the lane to hit its ten pin target. It was a strike and as most of the time she finished top of the board. Her colleagues were thrilled as apart from her individual win it was a friendly competition with their rival company. They all were behaving like a bunch of college kids and went out for a beer to celebrate their win.

In the evening she gets home and opens the door to her cosy living pad which was tastefully decorated by a designer. She liked to indulge herself as she liked living life to the fullest. She was always dressed her best even when she was lazing at home. She gets a call from the broker with who she had registered for finding a marriage partner. Being a divorcee she did not trust the online sites as she thought people place their profile there mainly for fun and not for a serious relationship. This was one of a high end broker who charges a bomb but comes up with trustworthy proposals. Vishal Sivadasan is the name he says and he would mail his details to her and she could get back to him.

Krishnaa’s marriage was an arranged one set by her parents and relatives and she at that time didn’t matter as she was more focused on career and she was fine with getting married to anyone, if that meant she didn’t have to do any work finding the right guy and parents did all the verification suited her. However it did not work too well and once they reached a stage where they did not have anything to talk to each they had an amicable divorce after 5 years.

However it was not that krishnaa lost complete confidence in the institution of marriage and hence she thought of finding a life partner she could share her life with.

She was waiting at the Italian restaurant that she chose Vishal who throug the broker had been told to meet her here. He reached on time which was a pleasant welcome sign for her. The details that the broker had sent mentioned Vishal worked for another IT firm like hers and was a bachelor since he just started looking for a partner now. He had already gone through her profile and was not unperturbed by the divorcee status.

As Vishal was walking into the restaurant he saw Krishnaa sitting at a table with an air of independence which was not to be mistaken for arrogance. This was the same look he had noticed in her pics that he had definitely gone through in facebook and liked. This was one of the first meetings for the purpose of matrimony that he had arranged. Of course there had been many a few years back when his parents had taken him around town. He had politely declined all and his parents had stopped them. Now Vishal had realized that he had reached a stage where he would love to share his life with a partner.

The lunch was a pleasant affair and atleast one person went back in love though that person was not Krishnaa. Maybe it was because of her previous marriage but she is very careful these days. She definitely liked Vishal, nothing not to like about him. However she thought it didn’t ‘click’ and this is what she told the broker.

When she went to her school friend’s wedding the next month she was actually pleasantly surprised to see Vishal there with his family. Vishal on his part had a ‘heart in mouth’ situation seeing her walking in a pastel lehnga. He had never imagined seeing her ever again. She came spoke to him and got to know that the groom was his cousin. She spoke to his parents and mentioned casually about her meet and how it didn’t work with vishal. They looked dazed and Vishal quickly filled them in; Vishal’s father threw the glass that he was holding and was about to start screaming when his mother and Vishal quickly took them out of the room.

Krishnaa stood rooted wondering what just happened because she couldn’t imagine anyone behaving like that to their children. Her parents were always the bed of support and love. They were in a different city but in touch and supportive of anything she did.

Vishal was used to his father’s outbursts since childhood as there could not be one sentence that can occur in their house that does not end up curdling his father’s blood.  He remembers the first time he understood was when as a kid he wanted to ask his father to come to school for debate that he was participating and he got a earful. He always had heard his father’s screams in the house but never took it seriously but as a 10 year old he understood it better. His father just was not made to live in matrimony, with kids or society. He just did not like to react or communicate and the only thing he could do is to leave him be the renowned table player he is. His job , his passion and his life. However today as every other time when Vishal witnessed this he felt an anguish that he or his mother could not help his father in any way.

As she got out of the daze and was at the parking lot she wanted to check how vishal was. As his face growing pale in the hall did something to her. She messaged him a sorry and that she didn’t know she was going to start something. Her next message surprised vishal and her too. She asked him if she could take him out for Coffee now. She did not receive any replies and was about to start her car when Vishal was at the door with the same look. He got in the car and they quietly drove to the lone coffee shop that was open at the midnight hour. As they got out Krishnaa couldn’t help giving him a quick hug. 

They did not talk about the incident and it looked as if their coffee outing was a continuation of their lunch. This was a start to a friendship between them which went on to last a lifetime.