The year was 2009 when she had entered college. New friends and new life… That was what it was all about. She connected with Sagar almost instantly and they became the best of friends. He would wait for her at the college gate and they would proceed to the lecture hall together. The endless chatting in the College Canteen ranged from comparing the abs of Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham to sharing stories of their childhood – hers in cosmopolitan Delhi and his from a small village in Jharkhand. He was her best shopping buddy and came up with best suggestions on what to buy and what suits her. She could even discuss her make up stuff with him. Even her sister wouldn’t bother when she discussed the difference in the shades ‘Really Red’ and ‘Red Velvet’ in Revlon; but Sagar would pay attention and even tell her that he thinks ‘Fire & Ice’ looks even better. He was a keeper all the way and none of her girlfriends came close.
She always knew it and there was never a need for him to spell out to her what remained unsaid. It was just too obvious. Which was why it irked her family and the reason why her girlfriends thought she was insane. It was just too obvious. He did mention that he cannot discuss all this with his family and that he was already kind of disowned by them. Her parents thought it would pass once college is over. So, when her father saw her perched on his back and shouting and screaming amidst the din of DJ and disco lights on her graduation party, he was horrified. He declared that it had gone far enough and needs to be put to an end. She was forbidden from meeting him now. He kept trying to see her but in vain as she was grounded. Eventually, he messaged her to keep in touch if possible and left Delhi for his further studies. Few months later, she was married off in to a business family and settled down as a home maker.
Today, he was coming back to Delhi after years and had contacted her to see if they can meet. She couldn’t have been happier and was in high spirits for days. Her husband had agreed to take care of their 4-year old as she prepped up to spend the day with him. She fussed over what to wear and as usual her husband could not come up with a reasonable suggestion. He was always like that and she thought about how she had missed Sagar all these years for this very reason. She hovered her eyes through her open wardrobe wondering what Sagar would have suggested for today. And her eyes stuck on a bright red Leheriya Saree with Rainbow stripes. Sagar had never seen her in a saree but she knew in an instant that this is exactly what he would have suggested. It was just so appropriate.
All dressed up she drove through the streets of Delhi, parked at the designated spot and almost ran through the crowd. They had agreed on the spot and the time, for otherwise it would have been impossible to spot him in the crowd. She was about to call him but then spotted him from a distance. The smile was intact though he had grown a beard and carried a big flashy stud in one ear. She ran through the colourful crowd and almost jumped over his back from behind. He turned around and squealed with joy. It was the longest hug she had given someone in a long time. They both had surely missed each other. Somehow they were teenagers again. And soon she was walking hand in hand with Sagar as his boyfriend walked beside them; their rainbow Tees and her Rainbow saree perfectly blending in the colours of the Delhi Queer Pride Parade.
© Nishtha
Khurana, 2019. All rights reserved. The text as well as the pictures are both subject
to copyright and are the property of the author. Please do not copy or
reproduce without permission.
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