The café was bright and brimming with unseen energy. The tables were mostly full, except one or two. At one corner sat Trisha. She just finished her tea. She paid for it and then closing the book she was reading, she prepared to leave.
Someone yanked open the café door. A young man entered, must be in his twenties. He looked around, chose a table right beside Trishaâs, pulled the chair and sat. He looked distraught. Frantically, he punched at his mobile, put it at his ear and waited.
âHello? Pooja? Please donât disconnect. I still donât understand why you are breaking up with me! We can work things out. I swear I will never let you downâ¦..No, wait⦠listen to meâ¦.Pooja? Are you there? Pooja?....â
He sighed and disconnected the call. His face screamed the language of hopelessness. There was a story in him wanting to be told.
Trisha walked up to him.
"Hi, waiting for someone?"
âNo.â
âCan I join you, if you donât mind?â
âYeah, ok. Sorry, but I am not in a very good mood.â
âHi, I am Trisha. Sorry, but I overheard your conversation. Felt like asking.â Trisha sat down.
âI am Ronit. Thatâs fine. I was loud anyway. Thanks for asking though. I just broke up with my girlfriend.â
âYou or she?â
âWell, she broke up. And I am brokenâ⦠he shook his head, smiled wryly.
âWhat are her reasons?â
âShe is being pressurized for marriage by her family. She says she cannot marry me because I am yet not financially soundâ.
âIs she entirely wrong about the assessment of your financial situation?â
âNot really. But I am trying to get where I have to. All I wanted is time! It could have been worked out right?â
Trisha smiled. âLet me tell you a story. Care to listen?â
Ronit sighed. âYeah, sure. Go ahead.â
**********************************************************************
Four years ago. Bangalore.
âBhaiyya, that Ganpati idol on the dashboard looks so beautiful!â
The driver grinned, without turning though, his eyes fixed on the road. I was on my way to the Airport in a cab, I was flying back home from Bangalore.
âMadam, were you here for work?â
I thought for a moment.
I said. âWell, no. I was here to meet someone. Actually⦠my fiancé. He lives here.â
This time, the driver turned around for a second â âOh, Congratulations Madam! Whenâs the wedding?â
âThank You, Bhaiyya. Three months away!!!â
âOk Madam. All the bestâ.
âThanks again.â
The driver reached for the glove compartment and brought out a small golden idol of Ganesha.
âHere Madam. Take this. Gift from me.â
I was amazed at the thoughtful gesture. âOh thank you so much Bhaiyya!!! Itâs beautiful!!!â
It shone in the afternoon sun and was so tiny it could be held in the palm. I put the idol carefully inside my sling bag.
The phone rang.
I smiled. It was him. I answered.
âHello?â
âHi, did you reach the airport?â the voice came floating by.
âNot yet.â
âTrisha, I need to tell you something.â
The voice sounded grim.
âYes, tell me?â
âTrisha, I wanted to tell you this earlier, but somehow couldnât bring it up.â
There was a pause.
âI canât marry you, Trisha.â
For a moment, my heart stopped. âSorry?â
âNo, I am sorry. Youâre too good for me Trisha. I guess I donât deserve you.â
âWhat are you saying⦠I donâtâ¦.â
âTrisha, I am just building up my career. I donât even know where Iâll be landing a few years from now.  What if youâre not happy with me? You are such an amazing girl, independent and free. I donât even have a great place to stay. I know our parents have decided our match, but I just feel I am yet not ready.â
Tears filled my eyes. The coolness of the AC inside the car didnât seem to work anymore.
Finally I spoke. âWe can make efforts to make situations good for each other, right? I mean thatâs what life partners are all about? I know we havenât interacted a lot. But we can! Thatâs why I came down here to meet you, right? Letâs keep ourselves a priority for each other, then everything else should work out I am sure!â
âNo Trisha, I have to be honest with you. I donât think I am ready for marriage. I donât want to take the plunge just because my parents want me to. I hope you will understand.â
âEveryone in my family and your family is aware that weâre getting married. Can we just make this work?â
âI donât want to make you wait for me, Trisha.â
There was silence.
âI am sorry, Trisha.â
âYou should have thought about all this before. You didnât. Donât say sorry to me. Say sorry to yourself. Youâve not let me down. Youâve let yourself down.â
I disconnected the phone.
Suddenly the world came crashing down on me. I looked at the window pane on my left in a bid to hide my tears from the driver. My dreams were shattered. What was I going to tell my parents? Relatives? Friends? People wonât stop talking, right? How could he do this?
I reached out for my bag for a tissue to wipe my tears. I felt the Ganesha idol I had just kept inside. I fished it out and held it in my hand. A drop of tear fell on it.
âMadam,â I was startled when the driver spoke. âThe airport has arrived.â He stopped the car. âCan I say something Madam?â
Did he realise I was crying? I wondered.
âYes?â I sniffed.
âMadam, that Ganesha idol I just gave you, that will take you to your destination, no matter whatever obstacles you face on the way. See, like, I am a car driver, I know my destination, I know my way, so Iâll follow that. On the way, I might face traffic, blockages, bumps!!! But Iâll cross them anyway. Our life is like that. Sometimes, I might also have to take a different route, might take longer, but destination will stay constant and I will reach it anyway. You are starting a new life. That Ganesha idol I just gave you, will protect you and show you what you have to do in life, Madam. Best of Luck. Shall I stop the meter?â
âHuh??!!!â I stared at him. Collecting myself and my thoughts, I said - âYesâ¦. And Thank You so much for your wishes.â
********************************************************************
âYou must have been devastated.â Ronit said.
Trisha shrugged. âHappens. Yeah it was tough initially, but I bounced back. The driverâs words were the real savior. The incident changed my life for the better.â
âTime heals everything, right?â
Trisha raised a brow.
âTime? Are you kidding? In that case, every broken heart and every misled mind would have got mended and bounced back within the same time frame, right? Like, how the doctor prescribes antibiotics? Give yourself a week, and youâll be cured? No way!!! Time is never a factor at all. You are. I was. I had to decide whether I wanted to hold on to it, or let it go.â
Ronit looked on at her. âBut it hurts.â
âWhy should it? When I think about the incident now, I only have a lot of gratitude for him! When someone says he doesnât deserve me, and that I deserve more, I think he has done the right thing to let me go! Your girlfriend, sorry ex-girlfriend, you should be thankful to her. She has chosen to set you free to focus on your career.â
âBut she could have stayed with me. Why did she have to leave?â
âBecause she wanted to. Simple. I think you should wish her well in her life, if you really love her.â
âI still donât understand.â
âBecause you are choosing not to see, Ronit. This is your chance, I suggest you trust yourself.â
The café suddenly broke out in a loud cheer. Trisha and Ronit turned towards the door. A huge crowd had gathered around an idol of Ganesha that was being taken to a neighbouring pandal.
âItâs Ganesh Chaturthi tomorrow,â said Trisha. âGanesha, the one who diminishes all obstacles.â
Ronit smiled.
Trisha turned to him and continued.
âRonit, sometimes the hurdles are within us, but we tend to look outside most of the time. The obstacles may seem on the outside, but to win, it is you who must be willing to take the leap. Where thereâs a will, the ways do open up. We have to find the Ganesha within.â
Ronit nodded.
Trisha looked at her watch.
âIâll have to leave.â
âBut you didnât have anything.â
âOh I did have some tea, I was here a good half hour before you came in. I was moving out anyway, but stopped to talk to you.â
Ronit smiled. âThanks for your time.â
âNo problemâ, Trisha said, as she rose.
She walked a step and turned back.
âGanesha is also about fresh new beginnings. The Universe constantly sends us signals about things we need to know at any given point of time. You just have to learn the language. I hope youâll remember this. All the best.â
Ronit rose from his chair. âSure. I will. Thank You for sharing your story, Trisha. Pleasure meeting you.â
âSame here, and stories are meant to be created to be sharedâ. Trisha winked and smiled, turned and walked out of the café.
Someone on the street called outâ¦âGanapati Bappa!!!â
The entire café broke out in a loud cheerâ¦âMoriya!!!!â
(All stories and pictures of Trisha's Anecdotes are the author's copyright.)
What is the first thing you do when you feel thirsty? You pour yourself a glass of water and drink. Ever thought of the correlation between your need and the water? You didnât, right? Neither did I. Not until I met her.
Last December, I was holidaying with my friends in the North East of India. We were walking back after visiting a waterfall. I was walking slightly behind, stopping on my track to click pictures. The environment was divine. It was past mid-day. Birds chirped, and sunlight trickling though the foliage of the surrounding trees making it a perfect setting for a movie scene. It had rained the last night thus making the path a tad slippery. With utmost care, I treaded along the steep hilly terrain. A few steps ahead, I noticed a girl, her back towards me, taking pictures on her mobile. She also tried taking a few selfies, thatâs when I went up to her and said â âDo you want me to take a picture of yours?â
She turned to face me. She was of my height, with dark brown skin, big dark brown eyes, black crisp waves for hair. Â She was dressed in a grey tee, blue jeans, and wore sneakers. A beige cap sat on top of her head. She carried a trendy red sling bag. She gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen.
âSure!â she said. I took a couple of pictures for her.
âYou look like youâre travelling solo, are you?â I asked, not quite being able to hide my curiosity.
She threw her head back, laughing.
âIs that written all over my face?â
âNo, I just...â
She held her hand up, stopping me midsentence.
âYes, I am travelling alone. You?â
âWith friends, they are just a few steps aheadâ.
She nodded.
âSo what do you do?â she asked me.
I shrugged. âWell, I have just given up my job...and I am now taking a break for myself.â
âAh, exploring!â she said knowingly. âGood!â
âAnd you?â I asked her back.
âI am an observerâ.
I gave her a blank stare. Did I hear it wrong? âExplorer, did you say?â
âNo.â She looked intently at me. âYou heard me right. I observe. But you could call me an explorer too. Kind of the same thing!â
She half-laughed, half-giggled at her own joke. I simply nodded, and smiled, just because not smiling would seem rude.
She looked at my camera. âYou like taking pictures?â
I was taken aback by the sudden change of topic.
âHuh? Oh, yes, very much! I am a writer as well. In fact, I have just launched my website!â I blurted out.
âWow! Whatâs it about? Let me guess, your photography?â
âYeah!â I suddenly felt embarrassed, like I was blowing my own trumpet.
Sensing my uneasiness, she asked me the name of my website. I told her. She instantly looked up on her mobile and found it. Around a minute later, she sighed and looked back at me.
âHmmm...the main page picture â it is named as âInto the Unknownâ. Nice. You like adventure, donât you?â
âWell,â I shrugged again. âYeah, I guess so. Isnât life itself an adventure?â
She nodded. Her brows rose a bit; I think it was a look of admiration.
âYeah, so just relax and allow things to unfold. Just as you breathe in, you breathe out. You trust the process, right?â She said.
We looked at each other briefly. She was the one to break the silence.
âSo what next?â she asked.
I smiled and replied âThatâs my favourite phraseâ.
She laughed and said â âHey, I kinda like you. Would you like to do something for me, if I request you?â
âMe? What can I possibly do for you?â
âWrite my stories.â
âSorry?â I looked at her quizzically.
âYeah, I mean it. I want you to tell my stories to the world. How you wish to do it, will be your call. Donât worry, I wonât ask for credits or anything!â
I shook my head.
âWhat kind of stories?â
âMoments. Anecdotes. About life. Love. Lessons.â
âWell, I am sorry to say this, but would people read?â
She placed a hand on my shoulder. âI like your curiosity. Good, keep that up. We all need to take leaps of Faith sometime or the other. Into the Unknown, your words, remember?â
I got her point. I smiled back and nodded in agreement.
âWhy donât you share about them yourself?â I asked.
She took a deep breath, looked around at the sky above, the trees around, as if to take in the fragrant air.
âI am too busy observing, my dear. And I know youâll do a great job. You can take this as your âWhat nextâ...she winked.
âI am Tiara,â I said, extending my hand.
âTrishaâ, she said. We shook hands and exchanged email IDâs.
âLetâs go back upâ, I said to her.
âWell, you go ahead Tiara. I wish to spend some more time here, taking pictures. Go, join your friends.â
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, please!â
âIt was amazing to meet you, Trisha. Can I get a hug?â I was blunt enough, but I did say that.
We hugged for a brief moment. Some strangers, I tell you.
âJust be careful okay? Itâs quite steep in hereâ I said.
âHow does it matter, when you know youâre on the right track?â she said, softly. The twinkle in her eyes suddenly enveloped me in tranquil confidence.
We said goodbyes and parted. As I walked ahead, I felt a sudden surge of hope gushing through me. Was it the embrace? Or her smile? Or her words? I suddenly recalled I never asked her where she stayed. I stopped and turned back to ask.
She was not there.
I looked around. She was nowhere to be seen.
âTrisha!â I called out. There was no answer.
I was nearly getting worried, when her words came back to my mind.
âHow does it matter, when youâre on the right track?â
I smiled. I donât know how, but I knew she was okay.
A moment later, my phone beeped. It was her email, as if she had read my thoughts of concern that she was fine or not. The email had an attachment. It was one of the pictures that she had clicked a while back. She wrote a message â âHereâs my picture, whether you want to include it or not, how to include it, itâs your call. It is always your call.â
I walked back, smiling at the picture. She was a bit weird, somewhat like me. I was happy with the encounter. My curiosity heightened but comfortably calmed at the same time. To me, meeting Trisha was like the water that my Soul had been thirsting for, since a very long time.
(Note :- This is a work of fiction and does not mean to resemble anyone in real life. Images and story are copyright to the author.)