August 2, 2015.
‘Hi, this is Reet this side; I request you not to text Hritisha on her phone and do not ever call her. Please, I request you’. I got a text from Reet at 11:15 AM on Facebook messenger.
I was literally shocked after getting this message from Reet. I ran towards the conference room in the office and was about to call Hritisha, but then I could not as Reet requested me not to do so.
‘Why? What happen?’ I replied to Reet.
‘I will tell you later, but please don’t call her, please. Her phone is not with her.’ She replied.
After receiving the texts from Reet I realized that there must have been some serious problem because Reet never messaged me before.
‘Please tell me now, please’ I requested her.
‘I can’t tell u now’ She replied.
‘Anything serious?’ I asked her.
‘Yes, It’s serious. Do not try to contact her until she contacts you. Please.’ She replied.
‘But what is the problem?’ I could not stop myself to ask Reet repeatedly.
‘Now I have to go, bye, or else I will also be in trouble’ she replied.
‘Please yaar Reet, at least tell me something.’
‘Siddhant! Why don’t you understand? Hritisha’s phone is with dad.’
‘What?’
‘Yes, now bye.’
‘Bye, please take care of Hritisha.’
I was quite scared and tensed after that. I could not understand, suddenly what happened to her. After informing my line manager, I left office that day and directly went to the temple before reaching home. I begged for Hritisha’s safety from Sai Baba and took an oath that; I will do fifty-one fast, without eating and drinking for the whole day on every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I went directly to the washroom as soon as I reached to home. I still remember I cried for almost 2 hours continuously.
‘Oh, God! Please take care of her.’ was my only prayer until I received Hritisha’s call.
‘Hi Siddhant’ Hritisha finally called me.
‘Yaar Hritisha? What happened to you? Where were you?’
‘Listen carefully; now I am in huge trouble. Please forget me and move on.’
‘What are you saying? Is this a joke?’ My heart was broken. I could not understand why she said that.
She started crying over the phone while consoling me.
‘What happened bachhi? Please tell me.'
‘Papa is not accepting our relationship; there is a huge fight between us since morning.’
'Why? What is he saying?'
'I told you before; He doesn't want me to settle down in abroad.'
'May I talk to him?'
'Nahi jaan, not now, everyone is quite angry and upset; I will speak to them later on when everything will be under control'
'OK. I would wait then.'
'Stop crying bachhu. I will handle everything. Don't worry.'
'Hmmm.'
'Achha I guess someone is coming, I'll talk to u later, bye'
Hritisha disconnected the call immediately. I wept the entire night; it was difficult for me to sleep.
At 2:30 AM, while Hritisha was about to leave for office, she texted me 'Good morning mottu'
I opened the message in no time.
‘Online? You are not sleeping.
‘No. I am not feeling good.’
She immediately called me and heard my choked up voice.
‘Please stop crying; I don’t want someone to cry for me; it makes me feel guilty.’ She said.
I was reading our old messages repeatedly and checked all 900+ photos of Hritisha thrice.
I realized that only her smile could make me strong enough to fight with the world. However, her smile became my weakness at that time. I had lost her, maybe.
'Breakfast kiya?' She asked once I reached the office.
'No' I replied.
'Why?'
'I am not in a mood to eat.'
'Fine, I will not also eat then' Hritisha said.
'Shut up. You have to eat, or else I will shout on you'
'Why? I am also not in a mood to eat.'
'Haan baba. Kha lunga' I said I will eat something later.
'Meri Kasam?'
'Haan bachhi, Teri Kasam.'
'Good boy; Love you.'
'Love you too bachhi.'
I was amazed by her tough behavior after such incident. I knew she was not happy but she was pretending to be fine and as if, nothing has happened. I wished to be as strong as her.
'Okay bye, for now, I have to finish some pending works of last four days.'
'Okay, ji.'
'Mood theek karo and have breakfast.'
'Hmmm.'
'I am going inside; Bye TC'
'Bye, TC. Miss you.'
My colleagues noticed my changed behavior. I was very much happy on the previous day and this sudden and unexpected change in my life broke me from inside. I didn't talk to anyone for the whole day; my eyes were full of tears, but I controlled them not to come out from my eyes. Everyone asked me what happened to me all of a sudden. I refused to answer them and requested them to leave me alone.
Hritisha informed me about her inconvenience in talking to me, as her mother was near to her. The same thing happened in the evening; she went offline at 7:00 PM as her dad was about to reach home after office.
