Success in Love is... Part 4

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

National center for Biological Sciences has become my new home and the research activities were in full swing demanding round the clock commitment. These days I had become successful in avoiding the thoughts that had been haunting me for the initial days. I spent most time in the lab and returned to my room only to drop dead and be reborn in another 5 hours. Apart from the weekly calls from home, I was totally detached from the state of my origin. I was working 24*7 like the News channel’s tagline, as my dreams were filled with research, labs and conferences.

One such day, I came to my lab after a conference by 6PM and found the campus going crazy. No one was working; everyone was discussing something or the other, sitting in groups. I had to check if its reality, as the campus lawn has been in changed into a party hall and everyone was into the party mood. The Bioinformatics nerd who lives in the lab close to mine had metamorphosed into a DJ and was doing that with ease. My lab-mate popped up with 2 beers, came towards me.“What’s happening here? Why aren’t you in lab?”
“Hey! Today is the monthly day off and you know what everything is free”
“But this is a research institute and look out our Prof is coming here. Hide the beer”
“Don’t worry. He knows the routine”
As he said my Prof smiled with his glass of champagne and headed to the group of Profs to join the loud discussion about current National politics. 

We sat on the lawn just outside our lab. I got myself Coke and a plate of French fries.“Don’t tell me you don’t drink”
“No. I used to. But I stopped”
“What? How can anyone stop?”
“Sure you can. But I see that there is lovely story behind it” my friend’s wife came with her glass of wine and sat next to us. They had fallen in love in this very campus and tied the knot ignoring their parents’ threats. The campus had become their home and we, their relatives since then. I organized the register marriage when they took the decision and in turn became their most important friend. I loved the way they hold on to each other, a pair that can happen only in love marriages. They are equals in all respects and respected each other equally.
“Come on dude. How long are you going to make us wait? My wife knows karate and it includes throwing dishes”

I smiled and the scenes from my past started running between my eye lids.
The entire Bio department was in the Boy’s hostel roof and each carried a glass of various drinks. It was the treat organized after everyone in my class got placed and we wanted every junior from our department to share our happiness. The emotions were running high after a few rounds and the air was filled with various stories from past.
One of my classmates, who joined us in the second year after his Diploma, struggled initially with the foreign author books which were bigger than our pillows; he hugged me spilling his drink and said “Thanks for all the session you people took for me.”
“Come on man. This is a moment we have to celebrate our success. Now take my drink and enjoy the moment.” He had got the job with the highest package in our class; I was watching him with pride as he left me and hugged another guy spilling the drink I gave him.
 
The session went on till dawn after which we collapsed in rooms nearby not aware whose it was. I woke up by 2PM with a very bad hangover and found my cell phone after a lot of struggle. It showed 10 missed calls from her. I called her.
“Hello”
“Good you woke up. I want to meet you.”
“Not now. I have a bad headache”
“But this is important; I have to go to…”
“I will meet you this evening by 5.30. Bye”
I fell back on the bed and didn’t get up till 8. I saw another missed call at 6. I still had the headache and took the aspirin that my roommate gave and went to eat. I called her again at 9 to apologize. 
“It’s not a problem. I managed. But I am very tired. Going to sleep.”
“Ok. Good night.”
She wasn’t angry even a bit. After all who understands me more than her? I went back to sleep.

Next afternoon I called her to join me for lunch in canteen and she said she is already in canteen and have ordered lunch for us. I hurried down and saw her sitting in the first table. Since it was early, the canteen was mostly empty. I sat opposite to her and she gifted a big smile. 
“Think of something short and lovely”
“What?”
“Come on. Think of something and then write it in my hand”
She gave a marker pen and showed her right hand which had a big dressing usually done for a fracture.
 “What happened? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Yesterday I fell down in the hostel mess and the doctors had put a big bandage for a small wound”
“What? Is this a fracture? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were down with headache yesterday that’s why. By the way, did you take the aspirin I asked your roommate to give you?”
“Sorry.”
I said and felt very bad about myself. A simple 5 letter word is not enough to forgive myself.
She hit my hand with the marker and asked me write on the bandage. I wrote “Get well soon. I am missing your blows and hugs” and held the fingers that were out of the bandage for a few minutes. She came close and hit my cheek with her left hand and said “Don’t think you can escape from my blows. I still have one hand”
I started mixing the food in her plate for her to eat it with the spoon in her left hand. I had decided to stop drinking at that moment.

I finished the narration and noticed that my friend’s wife had a tear in her eyes and my friend had finished 3 beers in the mean time.
“That is so lovely. When are you going to bring her here and introduce us?”
I smiled a smile that I had practiced so long to hide my sorrows. 
“Heard that you dumbo. Now stop drinking for me”
“What?” he came back from his world of illusions to reality.  
“Please don’t break your hand dear” He said and she gave him a blow which wasn’t soft.  
“And you! Never say a story to quit smoking” he pleaded holding my hand.
 
I looked at the wine glass in her hand and smiled.
“See this is a non alcoholic wine and even I take this once in a while, not like your friend who needs a beer every night.”
i smiled and said, “It’s all in your hands. The most powerful person in the world is one’s wife”
She didn’t say anything. We watched the DJ for some time and my friend collapsed in between us after another beer. We carried him to their room and said our good nights and sweet dreams.

That night I had many dreams from future. But even in dreams I was aware that the absolute world never exists and constantly saw her being alone and I couldn’t reach her. I woke up to put an end to the lucid dreams and switched on my PC.
I opened the old mail I used in college which I hadn’t seen for days and there was a new mail from my HOD. The mail contained an invitation for the Convocation function which was being held on the last week of May, something which my parents were asking about in their last call. I had two minds as there was a conference that my Prof had asked me to attend on the same day. Next day my friend informed my Prof about the function in spite of my protests and my Prof asked me to meet him after lunch.
“So you think the convocation is more important than the conference.” My Prof asked me as I entered his room.
“Tough choice sir”
“No. It is important. Go to the function. After all how many convocations are you going to have in this life?”
“Won’t you consider me for the graduate studies?” I smiled
“Tough choice” He smiled. 
“Send that guy in, as you go. Let him take the trip to France for the conference. After all the couple should go on a honeymoon”
“Wow! Great! He is going to be very happy. I will send him right away”
I came out smiling and spread the most infectious disease to the couple and they started smiling.