A Story That Kept Me Awake

“Baba, I really wish you didn't take up this shift.”

I smiled at my beautiful, loving daughter. She always cares too much about me. As I do the same for her. She needs to go to dance school. She loves dance, my lovely girl. I want her to learn at a proper school and these school fees are expensive. I want her to have a shot at all her dreams. If this is one of her dreams, I want her to achieve it. I am a taxi driver. I had decided to take up the night shift at the cab company I was working for. It was unofficially called the ‘After Hours' shift.

However, this is not really my story. This is the story of how one passenger helped me stay awake on my very first day at this new shift. I am getting ahead though. I must begin where all stories begin. At the beginning.

My taxi was booked to drive a gentleman from Ranaghat to Behala that night. It was a 3 hour journey. The gentleman sat next to me instead of behind like everyone else does. I looked at him curiously and switched on the meter. He smiled at me and said, “Raju ji! I will tell you a story. In this way, you and I can both stay awake on this very important night.”

Curiosity peaking, I asked, “Why is this an important night, Sir?”

“Call me Nikhil please. And it is an important night as it is the night leading up to my best friend's wedding. There is another reason the wedding is so important. I will tell you that only if you start driving.”

I laughed a bit and started the car. A little way into the journey, I asked what the reason was. I was always a good listener and stories were my favourite. My daughter told me many stories about her college and her friends.

Nikhil kept a thick cream coloured card on the dashboard and loosened his tie. It looked like a wedding invitation. He was wearing a black suit and was carrying a bag with one of those sleek computers. He was also carrying a long garment bag. He drummed his fingers on his lap and said, “I must get to this wedding no matter what, Raju ji! Because I love her.”

I said, “Nikhil bhai, you have caught my attention and ensured that I will be as awake as I can possibly be. But you'll have to explain more.”

Nikhil laughed and relaxed back into his seat as he pulled his seat belt on. He said, “Raju ji...this is going to be a long ride. I will start at the beginning. We can only hope I can finish the story by the time we reach the hall.

I was at the wedding of a classmate who got married while we were still in college. It was pretty uneventful until I got to the ice cream counter. I picked up the spoon and had just begun to enjoy the first bite of Vanilla when I heard a crisp female voice:

“Oho yes aunty! I am married."

The aunty, with great relief in her voice said, “Where is he beta? Introduce karao."

I had just taken the next spoonful and focused my hearing to listen to what the girl would say next. I shouldn't really have bothered, I guess. The next thing I knew, she had tugged me by the arm and turned me around to face the aunty. All this while, I had a spoon in my mouth. It turns out I was the girl's husband."

I laughed and took a turn into the highway. I could picture Nikhil bhai with a bewildered expression on his face at finding himself married. I gestured for him to continue.

Nikhil pulled out a biscuit packet and tore into the first one, offering me the second. I shook my head politely. He munched on the cookie and said, “The aunty looked at me happily and said to the girl that she had found a prize catch. I think I heard “What a good looking chap! Naina is so lucky." But I can't be sure as I was a bit dazed. I felt the arm around mine tug at it and I looked at my "wife" for the first time.

Her eyes were light brown. That was the first thing I noticed about her. Her eyes. They were full of mischief and light. Then she went ahead and closed one of them and broke into a big smile which brought on full display, her dimples. I broke into a smile of my own looking at that and dropped the spoon from my mouth that I was so cleverly still clutching like a five year old. It fell with a rather loud clang and I bent to pick it up. She laughed and said to the aunty, “My husband is as clumsy as he is cute. Don't you agree, Aunty?"

I regained my posture and decided to play the part to the hilt. I placed a hand on the small of her back and said, “I only do that to make you laugh, sweetheart." The aunty looked as pleased as could be and said, “God bless you both. You make a lovely couple. I hope you stay together forever." With that, she moved to the ice cream table behind us.

My new wife smiled and mouthed “RUN" as soon as the old lady's eyes were averted from us. Not needing another warning, I broke into a jog. When we reached the gate, I realized that the girl had her hand clasped with mine. It felt nice. It felt right. Even then."

I had the biggest smile on my face. Then I realized what Nikhil bhai had said at the beginning of the ride. I looked at him briefly and asked, “But Nikhil Bhai, you said you were going to your best friend's wedding. She is marrying someone else. This ride just became so much more important."

Nikhil got a faraway look in his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. He then placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “Raju ji, the story is yet to go on. We are at the very beginning."

“Please continue."

Nikhil resumed, “As I was saying, we were at the gate. We slowly walked out of the hall and it was dark already. The street lights were illuminating the streets with a yellow glow. I felt the same glow within me after meeting her. I gathered the courage and asked her, “Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me?" She smiled and said, “It's quite late. After hours, as Mrs. Sharma for whom we put up a show inside, would say."

My face fell noticeably and I guess she caught it. She slipped her arm through the crook of my arm and said, “I have to walk back home though. Would you like to accompany me?"

I replied happily albeit cheekily, “As your husband, it is my humble duty to do so. I only ask for one thing in return."

She looked at me quizzically. I leaned closer with a racing heart and said, “Your name."

She threw her head back and laughed. I think it was safe for me to say that that night was brighter than the day.

“Naina." I suppressed a grin and thought how apt it was. I started, “My name is ..."

She interrupted me mid-sentence and said, “Nikhil, I know. Don't you think I would know my own fake husband's name?"

“Well better than being in my situation with nothing but a mouth full of ice cream and an aunty's expectant gaze upon me. How do you know who I am?"

She giggled and said, "I know your name. Not who you are. For that we'll have to take this walk."

“By all means. How do you know my name though?"

“Oh at least half the female population of the Botany department knows the Journalism cutie, Nikhil. At least by name."

I looked at her with a big grin on my face, slowly savouring her flirtation in my mind and asked, “So you're a Botany major?"

“Quite the investigative journalist, eh?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

I shook my head laughingly and said, “I am not into that kind of journalism. My interest lies elsewhere."

And where does it lie, my good man?"

“I like to watch TV."

She laughed again and said, “Don't we all! TV is one of Jeet's favourite topics."

I looked at her carefully and asked, “Who is Jeet?"

And my ears heard the answer it was dreadfully trying to avoid, “My boyfriend."

I kept walking without showing that my heart had actually sunk a little. Then with a sad smile, I asked, “Why wasn't Jeet playing the dutiful husband today?"

She kicked a stone off the street and mumbled, “He is busy. He's the Student Body President. He's busy mostly all the time."

I looked at her and asked with a note of incredulity colouring my voice, “You're with Jeet Deol?" She smiled with great pride and nodded."

Nikhil bhai was now playing with his tie looking down remembering that fateful day. I asked him slowly, “Was he a famous man?"

Nikhil let out a snort and said, “He was the most well-known guy on campus. He was literally good at everything he attempted to do. And he was a good guy. Worst of all, he was Naina's high school sweetheart. I could never compete.

Anyway, I asked her, “Why was I playing your husband today?"

Naina shook her head in exasperation and said, “Because that lady followed me around for fifteen minutes asking me when I was getting married. After making polite noises for most of that time, I got tired and decided to have some fun of my own."

I nodded with a smile. She continued, “At my wedding, I will put up a board at the gate. It will say “No presents or bouquets or nosy questions please!"

At that, I laughed. Did she have to be this funny? Then she went ahead and added, “I will also have proper music at my wedding. Not this shehnai and tabla business. I will make sure Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi are serenading me while I tie the knot with my cutie-to-be. What do you think?" She looked up at me, brown eyes crinkling at the corners.

I looked at her, smiled and said, “I would love to be at your wedding."

She stopped and faced me to say, “You know what, I'm sure you will. I will make sure you do all the important work like making this board and coming up with the playlist. Okay?" I replied solemnly, “Whatever my wife says, I must do." She laughed and flounced back on her heels reaching a gate. We were near her building by then. She opened the gate and said, “You know something? I have this feeling that we'll be great friends."

I closed the gate as she looked at me. I said to her, “You know something? I feel the same."

I had driven most of the way and was about to reach the destination. I looked frantically at Nikhil bhai and asked, “What happened next? Did you ever tell Naina ji how you felt about her? Are you going to tell her now?"

I looked at him confusedly. By then, we had reached the hall. Nikhil bhai looked at his watch and said, “I'm sorry Raju ji. I have told you why this wedding is so important to me. I must go in immediately. I request you to join me. I will tell you the story as soon as I'm done with what I absolutely have to do."

And with that, he had picked up his bags and rushed out of the car after paying me. I had to go back as I knew I had another shift coming up. But I could not leave without knowing if Nikhil bhai stopped the wedding. As I was about to get out of the cab myself, I spotted the wedding invitation on the dashboard. I grabbed it and pulled out the card to read which hall I had to go to. I read the card slowly and out loud:

We would love to convert what began as a joke on a fateful evening into our most beautiful reality.

Nikhil Weds Naina

P.S. No gifts or bouquets. Only nosy questions please. They might lead to happy occasions like this one.

Love,

Nikhil and Naina.