The Happy Ending

There are stories. Millions of them. Many of which end in “and they lived happily ever after”. The happy endings. Such are the stories people liked. And such were the stories of his movies. His acting skills were applauded by everyone. Our best actor of the year. Requests for interviews flooded him and he was humble enough to oblige them. But to act off screen wasn't as simple as it was on screen. That one question he dreaded, that one question he avoided haunted him in every interview. He smiled outwardly in reply while his insides churned and burned. At the age of 35, the world doesn't seem to be happy with just his acting skills or dance moves. They wanted to see him married. Because that is what a society wants. A tall, rich and hansome guy married. They didn't care if he was uncomfortable with the question. All they wanted was an answer. “When?” and “With whom?” Rumours were spreading that our hero might as well be a gay.

On a cloudy evening, he sat sipping toddy in his farm house, far from the lime light where he could cast away his smiling mask. He sat amidst the mangrove trees where the cool breeze caressed his face and blew his silky hair off his forehead. He sat there sipping toddy with blurred vision of his teary eyes believing that nature could heal his pain. When he thought he had finally found peace, the koyal sang. The melody of its voice stung his heart and his wound bled, his pain rose. With the song, came the rain. It came down as fast and heavy as her memory attached to it. For him the rains not only brought the scent of damp soil but also the memory of their first rain together, their first kiss. The memory of the water dripping from her hair onto her marble skin. They had played like two innocent children, splashing water onto each other. They giggled like they had drunk, danced like mad. They hugged each other because that was the best to do in a rain. It was ecstasy. What more did he want but her by his side for the rest of his life? But alas! The dark clouds thundered in warning scaring his lady love. The thunderbolt of his superior caste hit him and his love for her. His lady love was kidnapped and threatened. Because that is what a royal lineage demands. A rule breaker to be punished, an intruder to be bullied. All he could do was pray for her safety. He promised not to taint his family with his love. Because that was the only way to ensure her safety. He did not fight for her because it wasn't a scene of his movie. Such were the rules of the society. His forefathers were the kings who ruled the land. He couldn't insult the royal lineage. But he realized this a little too late. She left him and with her took away a piece of his heart. His heart still bled from this wound.

Today, she was taken away by someone else. Someone who was not as superior as him in caste. Someone who was not as rich as him. Someone who was not as tall and handsome as him. But someone whom she felt safe with. Someone who was manly enough to take care of her and her needs. What else could pain him more than seeing his girl happy in someone else's arms? Almost half a decade later, he couldn't get over it. Her memories haunted him. He regretted for not fighting for her, for not protecting her. But regrets couldn't undo the done. He lay there under a mango tree while the koyal quenched its thirst, while the peacock found its dancing mate, while the toddy in the pot stood diluted with rain. He lay there sprawled, craving for her presence, starving for love.

Today nature had stung him like never before. He decided to take it without protest. He lay there drenched. His blood shot eyes, red with the incessant downpour of tears that refused to stop their duet with the rain. Finally, she came as his eyelids got heavier, as his head lolled drowsier. He knew that nature might betray him but his toddy couldn't. She came as dry as dust. She came for him, to shower her love. To tell him that she loved him like the good old days. She came behind his shut eyelids where they didn't taint family's reputation, where they weren't born of any caste, where there was nothing but love. He drifted into his world of dreams, into his happy ending.