‘I am a pearl and the world my oyster.’ She sang softly opening the door of Kiara’s heart. 1,2,3, she counted and there it was, the smile that lit the whole neighbourhood. Kiara walked on the pavement with a spring in her step, a glow on her face like the soft bloom of the first flowers of spring. Her joy for the world to see, a desire so strong that it almost had a form. Oh! Darn, she forgot to introduce herself – ‘Hello! I am love and I make the world go around.’
‘What a cartload of horse****.’ Another voice responded, 'I make the world go around!' She mocked, knocking to see if Kiara’s brains were indeed in its place or had taken leave of absence. With love around it would not be the first time her faculties and common sense would have left her.
Love was nothing but black magic, which totally made you lose control and before you knew it, you were left in a lurch, devoid of your career, goals and everything else which was required to have a comfortable and successful life.
Arghh! Love made her mad, ‘Sorry even I forgot to introduce myself - I am Ambition, and I think the world will be a lot more focused had love not been around to stupefy it.’
‘Pray don’t listen to despicable ambition, her language is almost as vile as her conduct. She has been responsible for the condition of the world single-handed, all this war, the discrepancies in stature in the world. Very ruthless business.’ Love said worrying her bottom lip, for she could see Kiara’s smile falter a little, her tiny brow scrunched up trying to ascertain the best course of action.
‘Vile indeed, need I remind you of the battle of Troy? The Ramayana? Where seemingly well-balanced people lost their perfectly sane head? Love should not be the antithesis of hate; it should be opposite of Logic!’ Ambition was not to be held back; she nodded her head almost willing Kiara to choose the right path. Her path.
‘Tch! Those were not battle of love; they were rather for lust.’ Love corrected.
‘Potato – Po-tah-to.’
‘How can you say that? Love and lust are as much different as... as… Aah! It doesn’t matter, they are different. Don’t you see how happy she is? Do you not see the way her face lights up every time the phone rings? And would her business be there for her as she walks into an empty home? Would it be there to comfort her in long cold nights?’
‘She can get a bloody heater for the long cold nights! What about her sense of achievement, what about her sense of creation? Do you really think she’d be content with just love? Do you see her face when she is successful? To give up on that and be faced with hours of wait to get that one phone call? Worst, chipping away parts of yourself to perfectly fit with another human? Where is the sense of self? Where is her individuality?’
‘Don’t give me crap about individuality, it’s nothing but a garb that people, who can’t let go of control hide behind. What would a self-centred ass like you know about letting go, about losing control, about loving someone so much that he/she becomes more important that your “sense of self”.’ Love abandoned all congeniality.
‘And when that person decides to up and leave? Taking with him/her a part of you that you’d never recover? What would you come home to then? Who would comfort you in those long effing cold nights that you’re going on about? It’ll be work that she’d find solace in, goals that she’d chase! You put in hard work in your career, you reach places. In love you are left with nothing but uncertainty and bucketful of tears!’
‘And what happiness would that be, if there is no one to share with? Heartbreaks are an experience, and even though hurtful, they are necessary for us to grow as a person! And this spiel of yours is sheer escapism, “I don’t want to get hurt so I won’t fall in love”. I don’t want to be run over, so I’ll not walk on the road?’
‘So! you admit, being in love is like being run over?’ Ambition exclaimed gleefully.
‘I said nothing of that sort!’ Love turned her nose up, ‘All I am saying is if you don’t choose love, you will not get to feel the sense of euphoria.’
‘And all I am asking is do you really need it?’
‘Will you two please shut up!’ Kiara admonished; the two stopped their bickering, startled. Their mutinous gaze told Kiara that the interruption was not appreciated.
‘It was just like her to spoil it for you, I saw how happy you were when the day began!’ Love whimpered akin to a petulant child.
‘More like made her see sense, stopped her from destroying her life!’ Ambition was brutal in her pursuit.
‘I think I made my decision.’ Kiara walked out of the room.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Read Rituparna's debut novel, Unloved in Love, to know what decision did Kiara make. It is now available online and in all major bookstores.
Comments