Best of My Dreams - Sweetest Mistake (1)

Whole world is set for the New Year. This year it seemed to be more splendid for no reason. Whole of Kolkata is decorated for the New Year eve. For every individual it’s going to be a beginning of something but for me it’s the end of something. 

It’s the last day of my professional life. She decided this for me long back when I was 28. I am 45 now. She is a kind who expects only words filled with love and affection and nothing else. I wonder how fast the earth rotates and it rolled over nearly half a century that soon! I experienced, 2 years love as my friend and 25 years friend as my love! She is Priya. 

Whatever my work, I have never left out this day to celebrate. This day is special – really special. My kids are flying back to Kolkata from Chennai for this special day. My elder daughter Aishu, research scholar at Chennai nuclear research center, is straight forward, simple and exactly opposite to her mom – exactly like me! My son Abishek just joined IIT Madras for his engineering and is returning home from hostel for the first time for his semester holidays. He is much of studious and sincere guy and exactly opposite to his dad – not like his mother even! But I see me in him when he was much close to his mother! 

For my children, it’s a long wait of 10 years to know their parent’s marriage story. I and Priya have prepared and censored certain areas and say the story crisp to our best friends. My children were my best friends; in fact I had all my relations as my best friends and all best friends as my relations! 

I went personally to pick up my grown up kids at the Railway junction. Kolkata’s platforms are one of the longest and I had 30 more minutes for the arrival. I left Priya in home as she would prepare something at least today! I was all alone in the busy platform and I ended up calling up my sweetheart. That was the usual practice for me as she will never let me feel alone. A little bit of romantic dialogues to start the conversation for which Priya easily fell off and said, 

“You have never changed even at 40’s!” with her sweetness filled voice and creamy shyness creeping up the cheeks. 

“I am feeling young today! I feel like 20+ still!” I replied.

“Much girls around?” she questioned.

I said, “Holiday rush. All hostellers moving back home!”

A pause which travelled years together within fractions and a silent smile prevailed at both the ends.

“Nostalgic uh?” I continued.

She smiled to herself and said “Come home soon honey!” and hung up the call.

I was smiling at those guys who were walking along the platform with water bottles and books for their girl friends’ travel. “They were making memories” I said to myself. An announcement of the much awaited Jan-Shatabhdi bullet train came and it’s the last few minutes for the arrival.

It’s all about my Mistakes!