Diya Rai – Middle of a Puppy Love
Sneaking out to the balcony with the cordless telephone, Diya Rai dialled Karan’s number which Mahima had given her the previous day. Her hands began trembling as she held the phone. She had never lied to her mom or cheated on her family members, but the thrill of doing something secretly for her so-called ‘love’ was exciting enough. Though her mom had been loitering around her bedroom, she was brave enough to bring the cordless telephone from the hall and tiptoe to the balcony without being noticed by anyone. After a series of rings, Karan attended the call. Diya’s heart began pounding with fear as she contemplated what to speak with him. She was new to love and all such stuff. So she didn’t know where to start. Nevertheless, she took the plunge fearlessly.
“Hello.”
“Hello Karan, this is Diya. How are you?” Her voice was rather shaky.
“Hi, Diya, I am fine. How are you?”
“I am good.”
“Seems you are nervous. Just chill, girl!” Karan’s easygoing attitude came to the fore.
“Oh! Ha ha ha..” Diya broke into a teeny-weeny laugh.
“Wow! Your laugh sounds like honey to my ears.”
“Thank you, Karan. Don’t make me blush.”
“That’s what lovers should do, Diya. Now, make me blush.”
“Stop it, Karan! I can’t do.” Diya felt embarrassed. She wished he would stop there.
“Just try.”
“Okay…”
“Come on, Diya.”
“Okay, you are the handsomest boy in the world and I am crazy about you, Karan…..” She dragged her words to make it sound romantic.
“Wow! Good try. But it sounded as structured. It should come in a flow, Diya.”
“Ha ha! Okay, I will try my level best next time.”
“So, what are you doing now?”
“Thinking about you.”
“Arey! Now this sounds lovely, darling. You know, I haven’t even started studying for my board exams.”
“When are they commencing?”
“March 21st. It runs till April 2nd.”
“Uff! Start studying, Karan. Then you’d feel pressured when the exams near.”
“That’s not an issue, Diya. I’ll just skim through the books and pass the exams.”
“Nice to hear that. Had your lunch?”
“Yeah, I had. You?”
“Of course, I had aloo paratha with dahi. You know, my mom is the best chef in the world. She makes yummy aloo parathas.”
“Hmmmmm…I can get the smell of the parathas here. Well, it seems that you’re a foodie. Our conversation was rather dull initially. And the moment I started about food, you began raving about it.”
“Ha ha ha..Well, food makes my world go around. Especially mushrooms.”
“Mushrooms?”
“Yeah, mushrooms, haven’t you eaten them?”
“They are toxic, Diya.”
“Karan, aren’t you even aware of edible mushrooms? Haven’t you heard of mushroom fried rice, mushroom biryani and all that?”
“Nope, I haven’t.”
“Then, let me take you to a restaurant when we meet.”
“Voila! I am honored to have such a sweet girlfriend.”
“You’re making me blush again.” Diya suppressed a smile.
“Proud that I make you blush!” Karan chuckled.
“Okay, I think I need to hang up now. My mom might barge into my room at any time to search for the cordless telephone. And mind it, Karan, don’t ever call to my landline number. Always let me do the dialling. Is it okay?”
“I am okay with it. I don’t want to put you in trouble.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Okay byeeee..”
“Bye…” Diya hung up immediately, deleted the dialled number and scurried away to the hall to place the telephone back on the base.
‘The boy I am going to marry is soooo sweet!’ Diya smiled at her reflection in the mirror. As she was placing the phone, her mom noticed her.
“Diya, what are you doing? What makes you take the phone?”
“Ma, it was slightly off the base. So I was correcting its position.” Diya’s heart thudded.
“You’re bluffing, Diya. Minutes before I noticed that there was no phone on the base. I was actually on a lookout for it, when I noticed you. To whom did you call?” Mamta Rai’s stern voice triggered various reactions in Diya.
“I..I didn’t call anyone, Ma.” She began stuttering.
“Then? How come the phone is in your hands?”
“I..I just took it to save the contact of one of my friends.”
“Is it? Then why did you lie earlier?”
“I am sorry, Ma. I thought that you wouldn’t like my friends’ numbers in the telephone. That’s why I bluffed.” Tears welled up in Diya’s eyes.
“Hmmmm. So you’ve started lying to me, eh? Look, I am your mom. I always have an eye on you. Don’t think that whatever you do goes unnoticed. Now give the phone and go back to your room!” Mamta hollered.
“Sorry once again, Ma.” Diya replied meekly and handed over the phone.
‘Has Ma got to know that I called someone?’ A cold fear gripped her heart.
*****
Diya wished Karan for his board exams by making a call on the day before. Fortunately she didn’t get into yet another misadventure with her mom. Soon, her calls increased as she wished him for each and every exam. Though Karan advised her not to call him and get into trouble, she didn’t budge. She felt happy to speak with him. What mattered to her the most was her happiness. There was no compromise on it. Hence, she turned into a daring one and put up a come-what-may attitude when it pertained to her love affair.
It was April 1st. No, Diya wasn’t in the plan of fooling Karan or anyone else. She was dying to meet him. Though it was Karan who had proposed to her first, it was she who became obsessed with him thereafter. Karan was experienced in love, but Diya was a newbie. And so, everything relating to Karan was exciting to her. She hopped onto her bicycle and spoke with her mom, “Ma! I am just….”
“Diya! You’re on the bicycle? But you don’t have painting class today.” Mamta Rai exclaimed.
“Uffho! Ma, I just came to tell you that. I am going for cycling. I would like to meet a few friends and talk with them. Can I go?”
“Of course, you can. Cycling is a good exercise,” said Mamta Rai, straightening her curls with her index finger.
“Thank you, Ma.” And off she went. As soon as she was in the next street, she stopped by a roadside shop which had a payphone. She dialled Karan’s number.
“Hello! Who is this?”
“Hello Karan, I am Diya. Calling from a payphone in my next street. Would you like to meet me now? Have you studied for tomorrow’s exam?”
“It’s Geography. There’s nothing to study, Diya. I will come. Where should I meet you?”
“Vishnu Street corner. Okay?”
“Okay, I will be there in 5 minutes.”
*****
“I stay in Romin Apartments. Don’t you know that?” asked Karan surprisingly.
“Hell! I didn’t know that, Karan. You know, if I open my bedroom window, your apartments will be seen from the next street.”
“So I think we can have a balcony love story going on.” Saying so, Karan chortled. The lovebirds were cycling through many streets, having sweet talks and getting to know each other.
“My mom will kill me. But I can meet you by telling that I am going out for cycling.”
“That’s good. Well, where is your painting class?”
“It’s in Ramratan Street.”
“Oops! We’ve passed by that way. I hope you don’t have any problem. Wouldn’t your painting teacher complain to your mom that you were with a guy?”
“Not a problem, Karan. Even if she complains, I can manage by telling that you’re my classmate in school.”
“Cool! Come we’ll have some golgappas.”
The duo gorged on delicious panipuris. Though Diya wasn’t a fan of that street dish, she obliged, because Karan liked it. She was too much in love with him to refuse him.
“Okay, tell something about Reena. How was your love story with her?” Diya threw a bombshell at him, while slurping the spiced water.
“Don’t ask me about that. You know very well what happened. Well, her parents are like demons. Thank god, we broke up. Otherwise I’d have been turned into minced meat.”
“Ha ha ha..cool down! I won’t ask about her anymore.” Diya understood that Reena’s topic was making Karan pissed off.
After having a few more talks, Karan accompanied her till her home.
“Bow wow boww wowww bow!” A small puppy ran towards the main gate.
“Is that your puppy, Diya?” asked Karan excitedly.
“Yes, his name is Britto.”
“I have a puppy, too. Her name is Lyka.”
“Wow! That’s amazing, Karan. When shall we meet again?”
“After my exam gets over, we can meet frequently. But you have to call me. Okay?”
“That’s for sure.” Smiling, she entered her home-sweet-home and announced her arrival to her family members.
That night, she slept peacefully with Karan’s thoughts. Being in love felt magical.
*****
In yet another meeting of Diya and Karan, they were joined by Ranjan, a hefty boy who claimed to be Karan’s best friend from childhood. As the trio kept cycling, Ranjan popped an incredible question at Diya, “Seriously, have you lost your mind, Diya? Why did you decide to love this guy?”
Diya was taken aback. She didn’t expect such a question. “Why are you asking like this?”
“Karan is somewhat like a rowdy. And he has also tattooed Reena’s name in his hand. How can you love someone who is not relieved of his past completely?”
Diya’s eyes bulged out and she glanced at Karan. He, in turn, signalled to her that Ranjan was bluffing. Enigma crept over her as she didn’t know whom to believe. Then, Karan rolled up his sleeve in his right hand and showed her that there was no tattoo.
“Thank god! He doesn’t have any tattoo, Ranjan. Don’t try to separate us.” She retorted swiftly.
“Foolish Diya! Why didn’t you check his left hand? It’s there!”
“I don’t need to check. I know about my Karan.” She snapped.
“Mch! Then I cannot do anything. You’re going to suffer, Diya.”
“Don’t you have any sense, Ranjan? What kind of a friend are you? If he is your best friend, it doesn’t mean that you can speak anything about him.”
“Chod dho, Diya. You’ll understand later.”
For the rest of their cycling, Ranjan did not speak anything, while Diya and Karan bantered as usual.
Once at home, Diya began having mixed feelings. ‘I have met Karan only three times. But in all those meetings, it was I who had asked him whether we can meet. Though it’s a protocol that only I should call him, he never showed any interest in initiating a meeting. Does that mean he doesn’t love me?’
However, she brushed away such thoughts and made herself feel good about him.
*****
Another 15 days elapsed. Each time Diya had called Karan for a meeting, he kept telling her reasons. He even made elaborate explanations for his inability to meet her. Though she took everything lightheartedly, somewhere at the corner of her heart she felt miserable. She felt that Karan wasn’t completely into the relationship. Hence, she decided to talk to Mahima about him. She cycled away to Mahima’s house which was situated near her old school. Ringing the bell fiercely, she bawled, “Mahi! Are you there?”
“Yeah coming, Diya.”
Mahima made an appearance after two minutes.
“I need to talk. Can you take your cycle and come?”
“Sure. Wait, I will consult my mom and then come.”
Mahima’s mom, being the jovial woman, allowed her daughter to cycle along with Diya. Soon, the girls were riding through streets.
“What do you think about Karan, Mahi?”
“Karan? Why are you asking to me? You guys are in a relationship, right?”
“Yes, of course. But I think he has another dimension to him which he is concealing from me. Do you have any proof that he truly loves me? What had he spoken about me in your tuition?”
“Well, let me remember….yeah! He said that you are a sweet girl and you’d make the best girlfriend in the world. Also, he was going to design your name on his skin with a compass! We stopped him from that.”
“What the heck! Is that true?”
“Yes, of course. Why should I spin stories? He began behaving like a psycho. We had to stop him.”
‘Oh my god! Karan truly loves me. Why did I suspect him? And why did I pull Mahima into this?’ Diya thought regretfully.
“Thank you, Mahi. You’ve rekindled my faith on him, but don’t tell this to anyone.”
“Stupid! I am your best friend. You can count on me.”
“Have you ever fallen in love, Mahi?”
“Love? Though I have played the cupid between many youngsters, I have never fallen for anyone. I think that 12 isn’t the right age for all these things. We should study well, complete our education, get settled in a job and then find someone to love. If we fall in love at this age, we might get distracted from our studies. I am of this opinion, but I don’t have any qualms about others.”
“Oh! That’s good.” That was all Diya could reply. She knew that Mahima was indirectly hinting at her. Hence, she kept quiet.
*****
Can you meet me in Vishnu street corner? Diya typed on her mom’s new Nokia 1100 and sent it to Karan. There was a reply after a minute.
Sorry, I have some work.
Ok, take care.
Karan did not reply anything after that. Diya sent him a picture message which had a few hearts and the words I love you, but there was no reply for that too. Fed up, Diya deleted the messages and placed the mobile back on the table.
No more messages, conversations or meetings happened between them for another 15 days.
*****
Diya was enraged immensely. Suppressing her anger, she picked up the cordless telephone and climbed to the terrace. She dialled Karan’s number and waited impatiently for him to pick up.
“Hello, Diya. How are you?”
“I am fine, Karan. How are you?” She spoke through gritted teeth.
“I am awesome. What makes you call suddenly?”
“Today is my birthday, Karan!” She exploded, at last.
“Oh my! I completely forgot, Diya.”
Immediately tears rolled down Diya’s cheeks. “How did you forget, Karan? I thought that you’ll meet me at least today and give me a gift.”
“I am extremely sorry, Diya. Wish you a happy birthday!”
“Thank you.” She replied rather bluntly, wiping away her tears.
“Okay, I have some work now. Call later.” Saying so, Karan hung up in a jiffy.
“Hey Karan…” But Diya heard the phone click. She felt heavy at heart. She had set her expectations high and thought that Karan will buy a gift and meet her, but she was visibly put off by the way he was treating her. She was hurt miserably. She didn’t have anyone to share her feelings. She was violently in love with him that her feelings were beyond control.
‘Am I traveling on the right path? Does Karan really love me? He has changed a lot. It has been a month since I’ve met him. He had cleverly avoided my requests to meet him by quoting lame reasons. He is also ignoring me. How can I believe him now?’
More tears flooded her eyes.
**********
