Of Roses, Carnations & Marital Chords

By Aanzoomaan Khaleque

"""'Of Roses, Carnations & Marital Chords' is a collection of six short stories which explores the myriad features of modern love among the urban married couples. From love falling apart despite staying under the same roof, to finding love once again, the emotional trauma of miscarriage to the struggles associated with IVF. Dealing with the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: Apr 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9789361728020

Book preview

The Corner Cafe

A

s she sipped her hot chocolate latte, a sly smile crossed her lips. Oh! She knew that look so well. Those red roses and heart shaped chocolates to say it all. He had his hair brushed neatly at the back. As he nervously ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the clear blue sky, it seemed that he wanted the Sun and the Wind to wish him good luck. After all, it was his special day, a day when he had decided to shed all his inhibitions and bare his heart to his lady love; and finally propose to her.

While she rotated the ring on her finger with the thumb and forefinger of her other hand, she became reminiscent of the times when she had gone through a similar whirlwind of emotions. She could clearly remember the day when Kaushik had finally popped up the million dollar question to her and for Shruti; it had been the happiest day of her life or may be so she thought. Their alliance was given an immediate consent by her parents. There wasn’t any reason to say no. Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee, senior Neurosurgeon was one diligent, successful and handsome man, in fact he still was. He could make hearts flutter, and with his good looks and charm, he could give the young residents a run for their money. Theirs was a match made in Heaven, a dream destination wedding in Goa, the first of its kind in her family. With their marriage, two eminent families had got together and on the day of her marriage, she couldn’t have asked for anything or anyone better. She thought she could complement her husband and that he would complete her.

But that was five years back, today however things were different and their equation had changed drastically. As she walked out of the cafe, still holding the latte in her hand, she crossed paths with a beautiful young lady wearing an attractive floral dress, glistening eyes and a smile. Did she know this was happening today, that her man was going to make the big proposal? Well, in all probability she did. After all, it was Valentine’s Day eve and didn’t the flowers set on his table say it all......

Shruti

Seven years back, Kolkata:

It was the fateful midsummer morning of 22nd June 2013, when for the very first time, she had set foot in the psychiatric wing of Florence Hospital situated at Camac Street. A final year student of Clinical Psychology, she had applied for a four months internship programme with the Department. Her professor had clearly mentioned that Dr. Sujoy Ghosh was an expert in the field and her interest area being suicide and alcoholism, she had been very keen to learn from him. But there were only two vacancies and the prospective candidates were around twelve, which had made her pretty nervous. With her testimonials folder tightly clasped in her right hand, she drew a deep breath and gently knocked at Dr. Ghosh’s cabin door.

‘Come in’, said a crisp and sexy voice.

For a moment, a bout of nervousness engulfed her, she could feel her lips dry and she moistened it with her tongue. She swallowed hard, opened the door and with a smile on her face walked straight inside the room. Once inside, she was in for surprise, the person occupying the chair and the one who smiled down at her was clearly not Dr. Sujoy Ghosh. Her little online research and Dr. Ghosh’s LinkedIn profile picture weren’t quite a match here. In fact, this person was way too young and good looking, and could have easily graced the covers of men’s lifestyle magazines. With his white doctor’s coat on, he looked extremely professional. Silencing her line of thoughts which went haywire, she tried to focus on the person sitting right in front of her. For Shruti, he came across as the most attractive man she had seen. With his dark brown hair, olive green eyes and golden brown skin, he looked insanely handsome.

‘So, Ms. Shruti Dasgupta, you have applied for an internship? Do you have any previous experience?’

His sensuous voice broke the trance that she was in, and brought her back to the present.

‘Well, actually no Sir. But I have been an active member of the ‘College Research Wing’, and have contributed to a few funded projects, alongside my mentor.’

‘Ok, your interest areas?’

After around 12 minutes of complete Q & A session, finally when he was done, Dr. Mukherjee had casually asked her whether she had any queries, and till date she dreaded to think about the all messed up reply that she had given. Responding rather bluntly she had asked,

‘Sir, you aren’t Dr. Sujoy Ghosh, are you?’

Kaushik

Present day, Kolkata:

The commotion in the classroom was pretty unusual today. It followed a different rhythm altogether. The class was unable to contain their excitement, and ‘Ethics in Neurosurgery’, an otherwise important and interesting topic failed to make an impact and draw the attention of the students. It was the 13th of February, Valentine’s Day Eve, which was also marked as ‘Kiss Day’. Obviously, the prospect of kissing and sealing their love forever, while simultaneously paying heed to their lecture sessions seemed like a tad too much for the young minds to handle. His was the last period for the day, and he released the students a good ten minutes before the scheduled timing, thereby allowing them the time to weave and breathe in the magic of love, a potion he had already consumed and the consequences of which he had seen and was living every day. He had agreed for a series of special lectures as a guest professor in ‘Aryabhatta University of Medical Sciences’ at the insistence of his mentor and professor, Dr. Shouvik Chatterjee who also happened to be the current Dean of the Institution. As he closed his notebook and moved out of the classroom into the busy corridors, the hustle and bustle and the sweet fragrance of newly brewing and blossoming romance transported him back in time, to the day when he had for the very first time, chance encountered Shruti.

That was seven years back, when Kaushik had to step into the shoes of Dr. Ghosh, because he had got busy with certain emergency and the interns who had applied for a position in the psychiatric wing had to be interviewed. Till date, Kaushik considered it to be a conspiracy of the Universe so that he could meet his future wife. When she had stepped in, it felt like a whiff of fresh air had set foot inside the closed cabin. With her hair tied neatly in a bun, a line of kajal and light crimson lipstick to match her natural honey skin tone, she looked mesmerizingly vulnerable and beautiful in a different sort of manner. She was wearing a white doctor’s coat which was a part of her college uniform, but beneath it he could clearly see a beautiful chikankari kurti with matching jeggings and stylish high heeled pumps.

After a round of questions and following answers, when finally the interview was over, he was relieved that Shruti stood a chance to surpass the others and join the Department, the final call though rested with Dr. Ghosh. The ultimate punch however came in, when on given a chance to clarify any query i.e. if she had any, she had rather bluntly asked him that in all probability he wasn’t Dr. Ghosh, and almost immediately the look of horror on her face, upon realizing the blunder that she had just committed on being rather candid about the entire affair.

Kaushik had realized that very day; that this young lady would not be easy to woo and their preferences and choices might be poles apart. But he had chosen to ignore his own hypothesis and decided not to analyze and investigate the details further, the consequence of which he was living (or may be regretting) every day.

Shruti

Present day Kolkata......

Shruti reached her workplace just in time. She placed her satchel neatly on the arm of her chair and immediately went outside to the playground, because the Morning Prayer sessions were about to begin and RK hated it when someone missed them. Dr. Rushlan Khambatta was a religious man. He was also one of the best de addiction specialists (for drugs, alcohol and substance abuse) in the country with over three decades of experience in the field. Having worked with a number of reputed clinics and hospitals in India and abroad, he had finally volunteered to return back to India, precisely to Kolkata, his hometown where he had opened his own NGO, ‘Spandan- Voice for Progress & Change’ with aide from Corporate Houses and Government grants. He was a wonderful person to work with, and Shruti had learned and mastered her craft under his guidance and mentorship.

Once the closing prayers were said and the session concluded, she quickly retreated back to her room to get ready with the materials of her planned activity for the day. She had planned for a ‘Get Rid Of Your Inner Fears’ exercise, wherein participants were needed to write their biggest fear on a sheet of paper and put it in a bowl. Once everyone was done, one after another they had to pull out a piece of paper and discuss the fear at hand, and also suggest ways and means to overcome and defeat it. The basic idea was to share feelings, their deepest emotions and develop empathy for their fellow mates. Shruti was sure that it was going to work for most of them, except for Arya Karthikeyan. He was time and again proving to be one difficult case and a real challenge to handle. A senior from her college, a brilliant student and an efficient engineer, the reason for his current state of affairs was still largely unknown, and it was yet a mystery as to how or why on Earth, he had landed where he was presently. Shruti remembered the times when she had tried to counsel him and got weird replies in return. A simple question such as, what was his expectation from the place had led him to answer or rather put forward another question in return.

‘Do you think I should change the colour of my walls?’

Shruti had tried a few more times, before coming to the conclusion that he was a real moron about whom nothing much could be done, but ignore.

Kaushik

Present day

On the way to the hospital, Kaushik stopped at the ‘Corner Cafe’ to grab a bite and his favourite black coffee with cream. He loved the sensations that the place had to offer. The strong whiff of roasted coffee beans and hazelnuts in the roaster machine, combined with a lovely smile of the young lady behind the counter helped to soothe tensed nerves. The framed motivational quotes at the backdrop, a vintage heritage rickshaw and an old world ambassador altogether, transported its visitors to Kolkata of the pre independence period. The interiors were remindful of the ‘Old Zamindar Bungalows’, and its grandness and heritage.

As the waiter brought his order, a smile crossed his face. He remembered Shruti’s weird take on black coffee. As much as she loved the place, in an equal proportion, she loathed his drink. She had always tried various tactics, all in vain to dissuade him from drinking his cup of beverage. The most ridiculous one being, that drinking black coffee made one’s heart turn black and it as well sucked out all the love from one’s heart. Of late, it did begin to feel that probably she was right, and he should try and give up on his drink, if that was all needed to whitewash his heart and make it operate like before again, like good old times.

As he was about to leave the Cafe after making the bill payment, he got a call from his mother. Quickly he picked up to answer,

‘Hya ma, bolo.’

(Yes mom, tell me)

‘Baba, kemon aso? Aar Bou maa kemon ache?’

(How are you doing son? And how is daughter-in-law?)

‘Sob bhalo..It’s all good, maa. How are you?’ 

‘Ami bhalo.’

(I am doing well)

‘And masi?’

(And aunt?)

‘Masi is trying, baba (son). Trying to cope after meso’s

(uncle’s) death, wish you and Shruti could be here.’

‘We would have loved that, maa. But we have a busy schedule. We will try to join you though. Tell masi, that we love her and take care.’

‘I sure will.  Take care, baba (son). Bye.’

After hanging up, Kaushik pondered about the situation that he was in. 15 days back, his uncle had expired and his mom had flown down to London to support his aunt. She had wanted him to come along, but with loads of things and mess to clear in his own life, he had politely declined. Anyways, he simply sucked at comforting people. If at all he had mastered that skill, in all probability his life could have been way better. His mom understood his concern, because she had been witness to one of the most tragic chapters of his life, the closure of which was still due, and one which he was still figuring out. 

Shruti

Present day home.....

Shruti reached Magnum Heights, her apartment at Salt Lake. As she opened the door, an eerie silence greeted her. This same house used to be her home until the awful incident, the incident which had changed her home and its inmates forever. She remembered the day when she had for the very first time, set foot in the house. Her mother in law had decorated a special brass aarti thali with coconut, kumkum, diyas, akshata (whole grain rice) and marigold petals to welcome her daughter in law home. Though not a traditional Bengali ritual, but Kaushik’s North Indian friends had planted a kalash at the doorstep, and Shruti had kicked a pot full of rice to set foot in her home, symbolizing the entry of wealth and prosperity. Both she and Kaushik had housed the same level of excitement, as that of a child at the prospect of sharing their rooms, beds, possessions, dreams and living their life together. The joy of being there for each other, in itself was a dream that had come true.

In their initial marital years, they had indeed lived like a dream. Starting with honeymoon in the serene Maldives, to midnight birthday surprises or naughty Valentine gifts topped with wine and sex, they had enjoyed it all. Life felt blessed with Kaushik. She remembered their happiness as they discovered each other’s interests and habits; equally joyous was the exploration of each other’s bodies. His flattering and flirtatious eyes on getting aroused just by looking at her in her lingerie, or when she came out of the bathroom with wet hair and looking all fresh. Their bodies entangled together and their tantalizing love making, his manly smell on her body, she loved them all. As precious memories came back, suddenly, a pang of guilt engulfed her and a tear drop escaped her eyes. Was she responsible for where they stood today? Who was to be blamed for the irreparable cracks in their marriage and relationship? Was there no remedy to clear the rust from their lives and bring back their untainted love, just like good old times?

Shruti went inside the kitchen and as usual found a new sticky note attached with a scribbled message that read, ‘I will be late, got to complete a research journal. Will have dinner outside, please don’t wait.’ She felt something unexplainable happen to her, as if something had got stuck in her throat and she felt choked. With great difficulty she opened the freezer, took out a bottle of chilled water and landed her bottoms on the nearby couch. As she poured cold water on her face and tried drinking some, she felt her face warm and sticky, and that’s when she realized that tears had flooded her eyes and now were running down her cheeks. Today however, she had no intention of stopping them. With nobody watching, she didn’t feel the need to appear strong and let the tears flow at their own sweet will, thereby wetting every single inch of her face. 

Kaushik

Present day

Neurology Wing, Florence Hospital.....

It was for the umpteenth time that he had lied to her. Considering his current unsteady mindset, a research article in a journal was out of question. In fact, over a period of time he had lost a number of opportunities that had come his way, and there wasn’t an ounce of regret for the same. Even today, he considered heading to his mother’s apartment and staying put there, until next day morning, till he was certain that Shruti would have left for office. It simply amazed him at how over the years, they had mastered the art of conveniently avoiding each other and minimizing expectations from one another, almost to the level of it being rendered nullified.

An incomprehensible fear housed and lingered inside him. It was the fear of facing her, the fear that the psychologist in her would penetrate and dissect his innermost feelings. He dreaded seeing that unforgivable look on her face, for abandoning her in the most crucial and vulnerable phase of her life. It was an ugly irreversible chapter of his life which couldn’t be erased, and a black mark with which he was learning and getting used to living for the rest of his life.

Memories drifted to the past when for the very first time, all of a sudden he saw her muffle up her mouth and run inside the wash room to retch her insides out in the basin. Her beautiful face had become all pale and as droplets of sweat covered her face, he could see and sense the tension in her eyes. He tried to calm her down by embracing her and assuring her that it was probably just indigestion and they could see a doctor the next day. She had retorted back by saying,

‘Arrey, doctor babu, ki je boka tumi? You know nothing, baba.’

(Oh come on, Mr. Doctor, you are such a fool, aren’t you? You know nothing.)

She coyly encircled her arms around his neck and continued with a playful tone,

‘I think I might be carrying our child, Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee. What’s your say on that?’

Her voice and the look of tease on her pretty face still remained clearly etched in his memory, and every time it