A lot happened over a coffee...

This is a graphic representation of an evening where one of my closest friends S was in war mode with F over the movie Jodhaa Akbar's review. I have tried to recreate the proceedings with my inputs as i was a silent spectator to the interesting scenes


Accompanying Snap: Scene 1: S decides that since we are criticising the movie, he would spend his time in a cafe with us designing a website for his workplace. Flared nostrils and arched eye brows tell the story of his disapproval on our accusations that the war action sequences in the movie were carefully lifted from Troy and were the best part about the movie. Much to his chagrin, the uncomfortable and awkward positioning along with swollen air filled cheeks help him stay quiet over his decision that movie was perfect and our unnecessary critical overview of the same was
an attempt to spoil his fun as he basked in radiance of satisfaction having feasted his eyes on some pretty costumed and otherwise sights of the film.



Accompanying Snap- Scene 2:
F decides to invoke more by sharing her expert views on how casting Aishwarya as the Rajput princess worked due to her waxed expressionless face, which is perceived as the proud augustine look and elegance when it is stiffness and inability to express in real. She is not unmotivated by the development of S retracting back into his shell even in our presence as she thinks continuing a bit more would force him to react and finally resurrect him for the evening



Accompanying Snap- Scene 3:
Its time for S to ponder deeply about his decision to keep shut when his dislike and need to stop this blasphemy far exceeds the results achieved by the so called dignified silent stand. He tries to look further engrossed in the website but his face says it all that he is searching for a repartee to shut us up while keeping it visibly separate from the topic of movie as he would like to appear to be considerate on everyone's free will





Accompanying Snap- Scene 4:
F seems content with the fact that S has already begun to think of breaking his self imposed spell of Silence. She is waiting for his shell to break open and for him to openly admit and say that he does not want us to discuss the movie. She looks at me meaningfully as if she wants to communicate her next move via telepathy. But as they say you can take an employee out of call centre but you cannot take call centre out of the employee, she went in for the cliche..



Accompanying Snap- Scene 5:

Knowing S's soft spot for technology and his geek-hearted existence, F decides to flaunt her collection of images, video and music stored carefully on a call centre employee's most crucial device i.e. Phone. Her expression is a mix of pride for this brilliant move and the resources to pull it off. She knows she is winning and somewhere down the line, movie and its review has gone for a toss and now it is about whether or not she can crack the da-S code.



Accompanying Snap - Scene 6:

S on the other hand is slightly amused looking at the extent of attention his small act of indifference can get him. Feeling good about the attempts F is making to win him over, he breaks out into a gradual sideways elevation of his lips and finally smiles as if just to say that okie, even if you did not like the movie and I would not like to hear about it, we remain together, its okay. He wastes no time and begins his favourite act of friendly sharing and caring i.e. bluetooth swap of data.

Finale:
The big dark cloud of melancholy has bursted and war a-la- jodhaa akbar is resolved without even a single dialogue.. only if Ashutosh Gowariker had witnessed this epic coffee session

, he would have casted them to play the loggerhead lovers on screen in reel life as they appear in real life. And if we decide to chronicle this evening nostalgically into a movie, the end credits would roll on the backdrop of F's glorious smile of contentment, friendship and victory. Although, we didnt begin this friendship fairy tale with once upon a time, i am tempted to leave it at ... and they lived happily ever after.

It was Love (part 1)

It was love. It didn’t seem like it on day one but yes it still was. This series is narrative of my most cherished relationship. Hope you like it

My phone rang at 2 am and I stretched my hands to pick it unwillingly, just to avoid the noise. As I answered the phone, the voice on other end said Hi love, Rohit here. It took me a whole minute to realise it was indeed him on the other side. All I could remember now was that we were in our off phone calls phase , which was a regular feature after our break up a few years back and that he was breaking the ice with this call.

He was in India. He sounded excited and I on the other hand was struggling to make sense out of my words and sound sane. I realized Hyderabad was not exactly the city where he would find friends to talk to at this hour and no one from Bangalore - his native town in India would speak about what he wanted to discuss. He was visiting to ask for hand of his lady love in marriage.

Last time we spoke, he was at his scared little school boy routine fearing the outcome of her family knowing he has one false eye, which only a few people in this world knew including me. It was a big deal when talking of marriage as though him being North Indian was not enough to put them off. I remember when he told me the first time about it lying in bed by my side, all i thought was It doesn't change you one bit for me. Why should my love for you change if you have one false eye? Well, I have a false tooth cap over my cavity on left side of my jaw. Don't punish yourself love by thinking it makes you any less than anyone.

But I guess I couldn't tell him now what I thought and I had to make do with some statements about him being more than his physical self and a properly functioning body, its the mind and the heart that matter equally. I geared up for my agony aunt type counselling session inspite of my sleepy state and told him that he need not worry as he was perfectly loveable. I told him that his actions bore testimony of what he had for her in his head and his heart.

There I was talking to my most cherished lover encouraging him to jump to the other side of fence because I knew what family and the girl meant to him. It's not like it didn't hurt me but I was immune by now. Being with him on our roller coaster relationship, I had to be stronger as the moment required it.

He proceeded to mention that it is the first time that he is putting all that he has on stake including his big ego. Traveling from US for a girl was something unthinkable when in his 3 year relationship with me he had visited Mumbai only twice for weekends, when we had been as close as heartbeats through that time. I knew it was difficult for him in the face of his friends boycotting him due to his expression of interest in a girl and his willingness to begin a traditional family after years of alternative lifestyle. They saw it as a criminally convenient route that most Indian gay men take.

None of them had any idea, how Rohit had always been the kind who learns from experience and trying to fulfill all his dreams was the only way to go for him. He never believed in gay relationships and was happy with just one night stands till we struck a chord. Now he was ready for the next change. They weren't. I was not sure if I was but knew it nonetheless that I would break his heart into million pieces if I stood along with the world holding him guilty for his pursuit of happiness.

What we spoke for rest of an hour is blurred in my memory but I remember we weren't ready to keep phones even after an hour of sharing updates on lives, what we dislike in ways we react to people, situations and moreover what we see right in each other's lives. Somehow our conversation wandered from him and me to us. We had not seen each other for many years now and needed healing from all the burns of our break up which hadn't yet been fully cured. Ever since we had ended up fighting on phone, chats and emails every time except this conversation tonight. He took a pause and said I miss you and hearing it made me melt within and jump at the same time and I replied I miss you too honey.

With our near choked voices, we were fumbling to express our desire of seeing each other just once and when we did, I thought that its silly to think of meeting him now and like this. Every time my inner voice said no to his insistence of my traveling to Hyderabad to meet him for the last time, I felt guilty for denying myself an opportunity i had been waiting for. In middle of his offer to pay for one side of airfare and my pleas of not being in any state to bunk work that morning, he suggested that I take the evening flight after work and offered to book tickets online right now.

I knew that now was the moment to end the call, I promised to try and see ticket availability and to inform him over email about the schedule since he was not carrying his US cellphone and leaving a message in his room would not be a great idea in his absence. After saying goodbye and cutting the phone, I asked myself if he deserves this and got a reply that I deserve to see my love after so many years.

I took the evening flight and landed in a city where I had never been. While I was trying to find his hotel that I had never seen on roads I did not know , I realised the reason for this quest. I knew once again that this is love.

(to be continued)