It had been a usual evening at the bar with her friend. Both of them were touching fifty and wanted to celebrate life in each other’s company. Ria noticed a man sitting at the table at the other corner of the bar chatting with somebody was throwing side glances at her. Why was he checking her out? She looked pretty as a picture. Despite her two grown up sons she had a well maintained figure, glowing skin, clear complexion and a fringe cut. In her short red dress and red lipstick she looked half her age and it was hard not to look at her. She continued to drink her wine as she chatted with her friend.

The next evening, the man was back at the same table in the bar.

Her friend nudged her “Hey he keeps looking at you! Maybe he wants to strike a conversation. Does he know that you are “the Dev Kumar’s ex-wife?”

“I don’t know if he does and I don’t care. He can talk to me if he wants to”, Ria replied.

“I think I know him, he is a film producer; he lost his wife to cancer a few years ago and comes here to drink often”, her friend said.

“Maybe you two should talk”, she added.

Life had not treated Ria very kindly. She had been married off to a struggling artist at a young age. Dev had struck gold as soon as he married her. He got his first big break in Bollywood and then there had been no looking back. He delivered hits after hits and his career graph rose and so did the news of his link-ups with his leading ladies.

She had watched all of it with humility and did not pay much attention to the media gossip, until one day she walked into her house after a holiday with her friends unannounced and found him in bed with a woman he had been linked up with. What followed was a divorce and Dev gave her an apartment, a big alimony and her two sons as they parted ways. Her sons were then in college and did not need her around much. They had been severely affected by the public gaze on their parents’ separation and wanted to stay away from the glare. They began to blame her for it and became very cold with her. Most of their interactions were now limited to demanding money for their college and living expenses.

A big vacuum was created in her life by the breakdown of the marriage and the hostility of her ex-husband and sons. She found solace in her friends who encouraged her to be out with them till late in the night. The bar had become almost a daily routine to get away from the hollow apartment which filled her with a sense of emptiness in her own life.

He came again the next day. Ria’s friend told her that she would step out for some time so that he could get a chance to talk to her if he wanted to. She was right; as soon as she left the man at the table got up and walked to Ria to make a conversation.

He introduced himself as Nirmal, a producer whose films had performed averagely at the box office. He said that he had seen her pictures in the newspapers during her divorce proceedings with Dev Kumar. They chatted for an hour. He told her that he had lost his wife to cancer two years ago and was left with an autistic son who had just turned twenty. His wealthy parents took care of his son while he was out at work. His films had not been doing very well but he still had a few projects in pipeline funded primarily by his father’s wealth. He was hoping that those would do well. Their pains resonated with each other as there was a big hollow that both of them were feeling after the end of their respective marriages.

The meetings at the bar continued and a month later Nirmal told Ria that he had feelings for her. Ria felt elated. Ever since her marriage had ended two years ago no man had held her hand and expressed his love for her.

Nirmal and Ria wanted to spend more time together so they decided to rent a house near the beach where they could be together without getting noticed by either of their families. Ria’s sons were away during the day and returned home late at night. They wouldn’t notice their mother’s absence since they were not actively involved or interested in her life. Nirmal and Ria began to spend most of their days together. They would come over to their beach house and walk to the nearby café for lunch, stroll by the beach and watch TV in their little den. Ria’s hollow life seemed to have found a meaning and a purpose. It was filled with her new found love and she was sure that this was the soul mate she had been craving for, for so many years.   

Nirmal too felt much at ease in Ria’s company. She was a matured  intelligent woman who had good advice to offer him regarding his work and his son’s education. She had all the qualities of a good life partner. Ria began to contemplate that Nirmal would one day propose her for marriage and she would say “yes, yes, yes” without a second thought.

One day after several months Nirmal came as usual to their beach house for lunch. He looked morose.

“What’s wrong”, asked Ria in a concerned voice.

“My parents”, he replied.

“What about your parents”, she asked.

“They want me to re-marry”, he said.

“Hmm – that’s logical, isn’t it”, she replied.

“Yes it is but they shortlisted a 28 years old girl for me! She is just eight years older than my son!”, he said desperately.

Ria’s head began to spin. It seemed like the earth below her feet was shaking. She had expected Nirmal to propose her for marriage soon.

He held her hand and said “I…I tried telling them that I already love a woman who is my age, she is divorced and has two sons”.

“And what did they say”, Ria asked faintly.

“They want me to marry a younger girl so that she can give them another grandchild. They said they are not willing to accept you with your two children”, he replied.

“If I rebel and don’t accept their proposal they will disown me and my son. And right now all my projects are funded with their money”, he added hopelessly.

Ria collapsed on the floor. All her hopes of having found her soul mate seemed like a pipe dream. He lifted her and put her on the couch and sat on a chair besides her in deep silence. Both of them were absorbing this new situation. She dozed off after shedding some silent tears. After sometime she woke up startled. Maybe they could still work out something. Maybe they could still make it happen. It was the first thought that came to her as she woke up. He was gone. And, soon, this bedroom, the house in whose eastern corner it sat, and the tiny garden outside with its gnarled old red hibiscus and the half-grown mango tree they had planted together, all those would be gone as well. It was the strangest feeling ever.

Ria went back to her apartment. Her sons were home for a change.

“Where have you been”, snapped the elder one at her.

“We are so hungry and there’s no food in the kitchen”, he said irritated.

“Oh ok – I’ll just fix you some pasta”, she said.

Her sons didn’t notice that she looked run-down and depressed.

She retreated to her room after serving them food and collapsed on the bed. She felt as if her world was crumbling again and she would never be able to get up.

Everything had lost its meaning and she felt paralysed due to the double whammy that had struck her life.

She spent the next few days mulling around at home. One evening her phone rang and it was her friend. She asked Ria if she wanted to join her at the bar. Ria assented. She wanted to change her mood after days of feeling miserable. She put on her black mini skirt and got ready to go to the bar. She was happy to meet her friend and began to update her with the details of what had transpired between Nirmal and her.

Her friend advised her to try and forget Nirmal since those memories would only give her more pain. They kept chatting and Ria started feeling lighter after days of heaviness. She noticed that a person on another table had his gaze fixed on her face. She looked up at the person who was looking at her intently. He was a white man who appeared to be in his late thirties. He smiled at her in a friendly manner. She felt a bit annoyed at his gaze. After a few minutes he walked towards their table and introduced himself. He was an American who worked as a journalist in his country. He was presently posted in Mumbai to cover the events in South Asia. He said that he wanted to make some new friends in the city and hoped that he would get a chance to hang out with the two ladies at the bar sometimes to get some lessons on Indian society and culture.

Ria and her friend told him that he could join them for a drink occasionally. He said that he was visiting Elephanta Caves the following day and would be delighted if the two of them could join him. Ria’s friend said that she could not since she was going to attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony. He looked at Ria hopefully. Her first urge was to refuse. She thought it was strange to go on an outing with a complete stranger whom she had just met. She looked at him and his eyes seem to be requesting her to join him for the excursion.

“Ok I will come with you”, she replied.  

“Great! So see you at the Gateway of India at 11 am tomorrow morning”, he said grinning at her.

“It will be a memorable trip for you! I promise”, he added merrily.