Life is all about Nothing!!

When was the last time you fought with a friend over a petty issue? How many such relationships would you have destroyed in the past twenty years of your life by fighting over unnecessary things? I am sure the answer is many. In some cases things might have reconciled but in most the relationship once broken is gone forever. Consider the story of a guy called Naresh. Naresh was a smart handsome guy in college enjoying his single life until one fateful day…

It was another boring lecture session. The whole class was fast asleep as usual; the lecturer droning away in the distance. The monotony was broken by a chirpy voice, “excuse me ma’am”. I looked up slowly, my eyes half open. I saw a blur image of a white object wafting across the room. Failing to find it impressive I went back to business. ZAP!! Lightning struck. I looked up straight and focused. My vision became clear. I was electrocuted. It was a pretty girl in a white salwar. She had long flowing hair that wavered in the turbulence behind her as she wafted through the class.

All I could hear were the clicks of her stilettos as she walked up towards me. She stopped short and settled a row ahead. The rest of the day, all I could see was shiny black hair and all I could smell was perfumed hair spray. Whatever I ate was tasteless and my touch felt numb. My sensory perception was gone. I was a dead man; Killed by the sight of a girl.

I decided to change that. I knew she was the one. I had always wondered why I was alive and now I was sure this was the answer to my twenty years of existence. I took my time and planned my moment. The moment that I would ask and Ananya would say yes.

The day came. Operation PTA (Propose to Ananya) was ready to be put into action. Having infiltrated her group of friends, I got minute by minute updates of her whereabouts. My field agents (read friends) coordinated. I positioned myself. The target came into sight. I launched myself. I perfectly intercepted her and after a few flyby’s, popped the question. She stared at first. Then her eyes grew big with shock as the question sank in. Her facial reactions made me wonder if I looked abnormal to her. As she continued staring, I didn’t feel good about how things had gone so far. That very moment I regretted not having perfected apparition. Harry Potter would have been disappointed with me. As I stood awaiting a counter attack, her reactions mellowed. Her lips curled the other way round. I saw pink cheeks. Mission complete.

Fast forward 364 days.

One year of bliss. We had had the best possible moments in our almost flawless relationship. Life seemed so perfect. As we counted down to the 365^th day we decided to play a game. We would see who would be able to call the other first at the stroke of midnight. Sounds childish?? So what?? We were in love after all. Time flew by and it was 2300hrs. I would not miss. I made my phone call on the dot. It kept ringing. I tried again and again. It just rang. What was this girl doing?? How could she forget?? Where was she?? These were the thoughts than ran in my head. As I got increasingly frustrated, I gave it another shot. It kept ringing, and suddenly she attended the call. “Hey” was all I could say before she cut in. “Naresh, listen I’m busy I’ll call you in 5 minutes”. Click. She had cut the call. “What could be more important than me? What is it that had her full attention where she couldn’t spare even a few minutes on me?” I wondered. Brooding over her indifferent attitude on today of all days, I just patiently waited for the call that never came. I fell asleep. It was 0800 in the morning.

I hurriedly got dressed and went to college. I was waiting to pounce on Ananya the minute she entered class. Her ETA was 0925 normally. It was 0930 and the bell rang. No sign of her. 15 minutes after the lecturer started her usual drone, an “excuse me madam” came from near the doorway. Today there was no white angel. Today she came like a dirty vamp, crumpled dress, messy hair, tired eyes and the works. She clearly had not slept much and woken up late. She walked up to the staff, mumbled something and walked towards the bench. Her usual place, right next to me was waiting, but she sat in the first row. Steam emanated from my seat. 3 hours of fuming came to an end when lunch break arrived. I quickly got up to go talk to her, but she scurried off long before I could catch her. I was beginning to have doubts. She seemed to be avoiding me.

I went hunting for her in my vast campus and finally spotted her between some trees. The next moment I lost my breath. She was talking to some guy who then handed her over some package. They then left the place on his bike. I was confused and lost. What was happening? Who was this guy? A myriad of thoughts ran through my mind. Too much was happening to quickly. I could not relate the occurrences throughout the day. Thinking about it just taxed my mind too much. I hopped over to a nearby coffee shop right after college. What better way to relax one’s mind than a hot cuppa??

As I downed my beloved beverage, I saw a familiar figure walk into the shop. That familiar figure was holding hands with another recently seen figure. Ananya and the guy she met at the tree. As I saw them stroll in like a close couple, everything dawned upon me. The jigsaw puzzle fell into place. My girlfriend was cheating on me! The coffee lost its power. My brain just lost itself. No espresso shots could cure me at that moment. She turned around and saw me. Her face changed. She walked towards me. I stood up. This was the moment. I had to speak my mind out and that is what I did. I told her what I knew and what I thought of her. Her face changed again. I thought I saw confusion and shock in her face. But I didn’t care. Surely a girl who dared cheat on her boyfriend could fake a few expressions as well. I walked out of the place, leaving her standing there, the centre of attention at the coffee house. I felt like a new man.

Fast forward 2 days

I happened to meet a friend of mine during lunch. We were having casual talk when suddenly he asked “Dude how is Ananya’s dad now?” “Ananya’s dad?? What about him??” I asked. “Dude didn’t you know?? He met with an accident 2 days back. He was pretty critical. How did you not know?? Even her cousin came by to college to talk to her professors asking for leave for her. The guy on the black Yamaha R1. I think they admitted him in A.R. Hospital. The small clinic next to the Starbucks on T.R Road. How did you not know??” My brain felt like it was in a Whirlpool washing machine…

Fast forward 2 weeks

A boring lecture as usual. I am half asleep as usual. A new chirpy voice near the door says, “Excuse me madam”. A blue object wafts through. I look up and am electrocuted. Again…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above story is totally fictional and any resemblance to anyone out there is purely coincidental. It is just an attempt to narrate a serious issue with humour. If you didn't find it humourous, I'm sorry but your idea of humour need not match with mine.. :P

The story is just meant to explain how conclusive we people can get, jumping to conclusions at random, without giving a second thought to it. Just think about how different Naresh’ life would have been had he not jumped to conclusions about his girlfriends’ activities. Take a stand to act from nothing. No prejudices or opinions about others. See the difference that it makes in your life...