" Love That Turned As An “Unsuccessful Love Story”

It was the year 1966, and I was a fourth-year student of engineering, in the last of my teens, an age vulnerable to different attractions, especially love and sex. Ritu, the nickname of Rekha Rao, a close friend of my sister, was good looking with a good physique, an arts student. She used to visit our house frequently as the house was nearby, also on the way to my engineering college, which gave ample opportunity to meet her while commuting to college. There were no restrictions for our meetings as both families were pretty close. As time passed, our friendship headed towards a deeper relationship. We started liking each other without knowing whether it was just a liking or love in the offing.

It was a hot afternoon, and I was on my way back home from college when I saw Ritu’s house. I felt like going in to have some cool drink. My knock on the door made her open it, but with a big yawn and partially opened eyes.

“Krish, do you believe if I say, I was dreaming about you and you have appeared like the devil,” she teased me and hit my chest. With a push, I entered and shouted in a low voice, “You stupid girl, get me some cold water first.” She came with water, but instead of handing it over, she sprinkled some water on my face, which irritated me, and I tapped her bums.

Telling me “You nasty fellow,” she came to fight with me. I just pulled her and held her with my arms around. She slid away and went towards the kitchen, saying, ‘I will get you coffee.” I went nearer to the kitchen and asked, “Is aunty not at home?”

“Stupid, if aunty were there, would you dare touch me? She has gone to her sister’s house.”

“Then why didn’t you join her? What are you doing sitting alone at home?”

She came out with coffee, gave me the cup, and sat beside me.

“How sad for me? I was expecting my boyfriend, and you appeared like a devil,” she taunted.

I gulped the coffee, got up, and turned towards the door, saying, “Ritu, call your boyfriend and enjoy.”

She thought I was serious and pulled me back to the sofa and started hitting me.

In the melee of her hitting and my protecting, we had a lot of physical proximities, and we got excited. In a reflex action, Ritu came closer and kissed my lips. That triggered my romantic love, and I too reciprocated with much closer intimacy. Immediately, we came to our senses, and Ritu ran away to the room. In perspiration, I went to the sink nearby and washed my face. It was more than 15 minutes; she didn’t come out of the room.

“Ritu, I am leaving,” my call made her come out shyly, and I said goodbye with a caressing handshake and rushed back home on my Rolls Royce, the Raleigh cycle. The whole day I was in a world of hallucination.

I had not met Ritu for the past 15 days as I was busy organizing our college tour to North India. The previous day of my departure, when I told mom about my plan to visit Ritu’s house, she expressed her willingness to join me. Both started walking and reached at 6 PM. Mr. Rao, father of Ritu, opened the door, and her mother joined us later. I was telling about my trip to Rao uncle, but my eyes were looking eagerly for Ritu. Aunty understood my restlessness and told me, “Ritu is in the room. You can go there.” I entered the room and said, “Ritu! I will be away for three weeks, roaming around north India, looking at beautiful girls. How do you like it?” Her reaction was strange. She didn’t show any interest in my words. After keeping silent for some time, she said, “Go wherever you want. Don’t come back to me,” and lied down on the cot. I was about to go nearer to her to ask the reason for her callous behavior when there was a call from mom. I came out in utter disappointment, telling Ritu, “I will meet you after my return from the tour.”

It was Saturday afternoon when I was back in Bangalore, carrying a lot of sweet memories after 3 weeks. I was tired and went to bed after having a bath and sumptuous food prepared by mom, which I had missed for so many days. Also, I was restless and anxious for the next day, to meet Ritu and share my wonderful experiences. I got up leisurely at 9:30 and went straight to the kitchen to have my first cup of coffee. As I was enjoying the coffee, came a thunderbolt from my mother. “Krishna! Ritu’s marriage has been fixed.” Her words pierced my eardrums, and I shouted, “Amma, don’t make such wild jokes. I can’t relish it.” She was perplexed by my reaction and said, “What is wrong with you? Two days back, Ritu’s mother, Sumangala, had come to our house to inform us.” I kept down the half-finished coffee glass on the floor and came out of the kitchen. I got ready in a hurry and left the house, denying the breakfast offer from mom.

The door was opened with a big smile by aunty, and she asked me to take the seat.

“Krishna! Your Amma must have told you about the engagement of Ritu. She is marrying Keshav, a nice boy like you, an engineer at HAL.” She was in all excitement. “Aunty, where is Ritu? I want to congratulate her.” I said. “Krishna, she is not at home. She has gone with Keshav and his family to buy some saris,” was the reply. Immediately, I got up from the sofa and said, “Convey my congrats to her, Aunty. I will meet her after some time.”

“Krishna, wait a minute, I will give sweets.” She handed over a packet, and to my dismay, said, “Krishna, you better avoid meeting Ritu here on. I know, you are quite smart to understand why?” In fact, it was really a very tough task to control myself from flaring up after hearing her. I rushed out, and aunty closed the doors. That was not just the closure of the doors of her house, but a closure of the relationship with Ritu once and for all. I bid “Adieu” to Ritu in absentia, with a hole in the heart which was detected after decades when I developed a heart problem. The next I met her was at her wedding after 3 months.

I conclude my story by saying, “Me and Ritu met and became just friends, fell for each other at the wrong time, and our love ended as an unsuccessful love story.”