The phone rang and I rushed to pick it up.
“Hello” said the caller.
“Hey Sheetal, how are you? How was the reunion ? “
“Amazing”
“Howz everyone?Radha,Sailu,Smita,Priya ,Sonali,Vijay,Rohan….?”I just spoke up as many names as I could remember from my batch in a breath.
Sheetal was among the few friends I was in touch with since I moved to US.She almost called me every week From India giving me all the updates she had from her so called”links”.
Sheetal had just returned from a reunion organized for my graduate class.
“Oh,everyone is doing great.
Radha still wears those old fashioned dresses.
Priya is good but you know what she has many problems with her inlaws.”
“I never knew she’s married?”
“Yup,she is. Actually her husband is wonderful.Highly qualified n all.Solid salary hogi re uski.They have a bunglow in Juhu.”
“Wow great. She was such a slow learner but she got lucky.”
“yeah,but arey when she goes to her inlaws place na she has to wear ghunghat”
“ok “
“What ok? In this modern world who wears ghunghat and all”
“hmm”
“And Sonali got divorced.She has a 3 years old kid.Bacche ke liye adjust karna chahiye na.”
“hmm sad” I replied
And our converstion continued for a while.
Some friends got what they deserved some didn’t.
That night I was thinking about Sonali.” Bacche ke liye adjust karna chahiye na.”
Sheetal who thought wearing a ghunghat was a strict no-no thought Sonali should make a BIG compromise.
Sonali whom I hadn’t meet for nearly about 7 years ruled my mind for a couple of days.I spoke about her to my husband.
Some part of me had started hating her.
She was a mature girl. Always among brilliant students and a pretty good actress.She won the best actress award for all the dramas she acted in.I always felt the guy who will marry her will be lucky.
But maybe as days pass by things change.
That night mom called and thought I was sounding nervous.
I told her about Sheetal’s call.She never knew who Sonali was,so I had to explain her from start to finish and after 30 mins I hang up.
The following week Sheetal called back and I said I was upset for Sonali.
She told me that she saw Sonali with another man last night.She was having dinner and seemed happy.
Maybe he’s just a friend I thought but I started hating her more.
I was then in India for a vacation.I gave a visit to mom’s place and then she took up Sonali’s topic and we had a long converstion.Mom gave me example of a few “K” and Saas bahu serials in which a few mad ladies took divorce .Grandma told me how my generation has changed compared to theirs and we don’t call and treat our husband pati parmeshwar .To be true my 4 hours visit to mom’s place was highly influenced by Sonali,a person no one except me had ever met.
On my way back ,I accidently met Sonali. As soon as she saw me, she gave me a hug. Her touch said it all.She was sad. She told me she tried to save her marriage but couldn’t. She was working for a MNC and had just return from a corporate dinner. I have to work hard and pretend to be happy at least for my kid.
She said, ”Very few people recognize my fate smile and you know I am a very good actress.”
She passed by and I thought to myself how much I have hated her for past few days.
Just a phone call had changed my, my husband’s and my parent’s thoughts. I wondered “Do I have to make a phone to fix the matter up?”
Original story:http://achefsmelody.blogspot.com/2011/06/phone-call-and-relationships.html
