Met By Chance Part 4

‘BHAGWAAN UTHA LO MUJHAY!’ (God kill me!) cried Myra

‘Oh miss! What happened?Neil gay nikla kya? I wouldn’t be surprised’ (Is Neil gay?) replied Tara

‘NO! He is not gay and what do you mean “wouldn’t be surprised”?’

 ‘Don’t change the topic, tell me what happened?’

‘Yaar meri life Ekta Kapoor ke serial ki tarah hai….’ (My life is like of Ekta Kapoor’s serial)

‘Oh meri drama queen, forget all that and come to the point’ (Oh my drama queen)

‘Yes, so we were in the restaurant and having lunch. Neil said that some cousin of his wanted to meet him and I said okay’

‘And...?’

‘Kya hai tujhay, dhang se sunn le na’ cribbed Myra (What is your problem, listen patiently)

Tara obeyed.

‘So that guy out of all people in the world turns out to be…’

‘Be..?’

‘Shashrek!’

‘What?!’

‘Exactly I was too shocked’

‘No I am not shocked, it had to be him. Made for each other by god’

‘Shut up!’

‘So what happened?’

Myra told her everything. Neil and Shashrek were cousins and were very close during their childhood. Since Neil was put up in Bombay, he didn’t meet Shashrek very often. At that restaurant Shashrek and Myra talked a lot. Neil was surprised at their coincidence. Myra made it very obvious that she was no more interested in Neil (Shashrek she was, obviously!)

‘What now?’ Tara asked

‘Now, we are friends’ confirmed Myra

And so it happened. Shashrek and Myra grew to become good friends. They started meeting with being called “just friends”. He never made Myra feel that way because he had a past too and Myra was unaware of it.

The reason for him wanting Myra’s or any high spirited girl’s company was that he got dumped by the girl he loved. She had always been his friend but one fine day…

‘Shashrek!!!!! Guess what!!!’ screamed Saina(his ex-love)

‘Saina calm down and tell me what happened?’

‘I am engaged!’ she said

‘What?’

‘Yes! I am so happy!!’

Silence and he put the phone down. Hard time for him, she married the guy she loved and left poor Shashrek behind. With time her memory went away but Shashrek became weary about the idea of “love”. With Myra he felt comfortable, she was different from him. He liked her but still just wanted to be “just friends”. Myra was fine with that until…

‘Myra kal Mr. Khanna aa rahe hai apne bete ko milane tujhsay’ (Mr. Khanna and his son are coming to see you Myra) said Myra’s father

‘Yeh kab hua? Matlab agar mein Chandigarh aaongi toh mujhay zabardasti ladke dikhaye jaayge!’ (When did this happen and I haven’t come Chandigarh to see boys for myself) Myra demanded

‘Bass Myra aaj tak humne kabhi tujhay kissi cheez ke liye force nahi kiya but we want you settled. You don’t think but we do and this is the right thing to do’(Myra we have never forced you but now you have exceeded your limit and ours too) said Myra’s father.

‘Papa you can’t do this to me, please give me time!’

 ‘Myra meine keh diya toh keh diya, kal tu ladke se mil rahi hai’

‘But Dad I already found someone’

Everybody stood in silence. Myra’s heart throbbed, ‘what are you saying Myra Arora?’ her mind shouted.

‘What?’ asked her parents in a unison.

‘Yes, he stays in Delhi and we have been meeting each other for the past three months’

‘Why didn’t you tell us? And when are you getting married?’ asked her overjoyed father.

‘Papa baat abhi shadi tak nahi pahuchi hai, we need time!’ Myra said

‘How much time?’ asked her father, serious now.

‘I don’t know, maybe a year or two’

‘What? You will reach your thirties’

‘Thanks for reminding dad’ said Myra sarcastically (she knew her age and she doesn't need a reminder for that, who does?)

‘No, it has to be within six months or you are getting married to someone else’

‘What are you saying dad? This can’t happen, Mummy say something! Ekta Kapoor ka serial nahi chal raha hai jo sirf dekhe jaa rahi ho, papa ko samjhao’( this is not Ekta Kapoor’s serial that you are watching, make dad understand)

‘Bol rahi hai na ki kar legi shaadi do saal mein, sunn lijeye na’(she is saying that she will get married in a year or two give her time) her mother said finally. Myra agreed with her.

‘Pammi chup reh, yeh baap beti ka mamla hai, don’t interfere aur ek baar jo commitment kardi…’( Pammi, you keep out of it, it is mine and Myra’s affair)

And the discussion went for a long time. Ultimately it was won by Myra’s father. After a few emotional blackmails even Myra couldn’t stand it anymore.

Now she had her father’s condition; six months to convince Shashrek to marry her otherwise some guy and an arranged marriage’

‘*#!#*#!’ she screamed in her mind.