Breakup & Algebra

The busy work schedule barely allowed the father to spend time with the apple of his eye, Ayra. He longed for weekend playtime with her. To his surprise, Ayra was unavailable over a weekend. Ayra & her best friend Rayansh were to go on a playdate. The wife had mentioned it was her turn to take the kids for an outing. Instead of missing out on the playtime, he pounced at the opportunity. He had smartly divided labour, the wife would pick Rayansh & he would take the kids to the play arena at the mall.

While he drove through the weekend traffic, the kids settled in the back seat of the car & chatted. Once they entered the mall, he held onto the kids as though his life depended on it. They were so full of energy & he was running out of it. He wondered if they were extracting it out of him. After plenty of games, the kids chose to jump into a bay of colourful balls. He was glad to station himself at one place rather than run behind them. He beamed at the friendship the children shared at such a young age. The wife had narrated, kids had bonded from day one at first sight & they were inseparable at school. The pair was the talk of the school, the cutest girl & sweetest boy.

Rayansh's curls & Ayra's pigtails bounced to the rhythm of their cheerfulness as they jumped. He found a vantage point to watch them & pulled out a flask from Ayra's bag. He sipped the cold coffee & watched them play. His eyebrows slightly knotted at the reflection, "I had to get to college to go on a date. These primary school kids are on their second playdate. To top it, it is the parent's responsibility to take them out! What will happen when they get to high school? What do I do? How do I restrict my daughter?" He quickly dismissed the typical one-track-minded views. While sipping coffee, he casually pulled out his smartphone & scrolled it. An email notification popped & he opened it. His eyebrows raised slightly & then fell into a tight knot. He groaned at the weekend work mail. He kicked himself for opening it & put the phone away.

The kids were oblivious to the blinding light & loud music; there was no hint of exhaustion. In contrast, Ayra's father's temples pulsated & sign of a slight headache appeared. He rubbed his temples with his fingers & checked his watch. Another 15mins & Rayansh's mother was to pick the boy. As he looked around, he saw a petite lady walking towards the arena & somehow, she seemed familiar. His eye's narrowed at the silhouette in blinding light. He gasped, "No! After all these years? Is that her?" He felt parched, his mind blanked & he was confident that he needed a drink stronger than cold coffee.

As she walked, her eyes searched the surrounding. She noted a man watching her from the corner of her eye. She could not reason why his image disturbed her. Distant laughter of children caught her attention. She turned towards it & spotted Rayansh. As her gaze moved, their eyes locked & hearts sank to the stomach. Now, she realised who it was! His receding hairline had thrown her off from the path of recognition.

She thought, "Oh dear lord, you have finally run out of mercy! Of all the places in the city, these two kids had to go to the same school & class, be best buds & go on a playdate. Really?" She steadied herself & slowly walked towards him. The last decade flashed on her mind. The first day of college, love at first sight, five long years of relationship, an awful & painful breakup. It was awkward for both of them. Neither of them knew what to say nor how to react. As she neared him, both could hear their heartbeats drumming in their ears.

She chose to be courteous & greeted, "Hi." He swallowed the last sip of coffee & stuttered, "Hello." She continued, "How have you been?" Her calmness & poise bewildered him. He responded, "I'm good & you?" She answered, "I'm good too. Thanks!" He questioned, "What are you doing here?" She casually replied, "I'm here to pick up Rayansh." She waived at Rayansh & the boy waved back. His heart sank deeper, "You are Rayansh's mother?" She bit her lower lip & kept mum. He stared at Rayansh & the similarities popped.

Rayansh had the same curly hair & a sharp nose as him. His heart raced & mind did the quick math. He mustered the courage to ask, "Is he...? He can't be! He is the same age as Ayra." She looked away & her body shook slightly. Once she was steady, she turned at him with teary eyes. She articulated, "Due to an infancy illness, he was late to school by a couple of years." He recollected his wife had mentioned it. He drew a sharp breath, "The years did add up! Rayansh was...!" All at once, his mind exploded with questions, emotions & feelings. He was on the verge of fainting & clutched the railing for support. Surprisingly, in contrast, she did not move, flinch or even bat her eyes. She stood composed, with her left hand folded across her waist, on which her right elbow rested. The right fist covered her mouth & she looked straight in the direction of the kids.

She pointed at the watch & yelled, "Rayansh, it's time to go!" The kids walked towards the adults. She told Rayansh, "Alright, say bye to your friend & uncle." His stomach lurched, "Uncle?" Rayansh tugged her hand, "After we play, we always have ice cream." She sternly stated, "We are late; it's time to go." Ayra whined & looked up at her father for help, who did not react& seemed weird. Rayansh was stubborn & declared, "Amma said, we can have ice cream after playing. You may call Amma & check." No sooner did Rayansh say "Amma" than her mobile rang. She picked the call & spoke, "Bhabhi (sister-in-law), yes I reached on time. I found him at the arena. We will grab an ice cream & then leave." The kids rejoiced; she bit her tongue & grinned sheepishly. He was thoroughly confused, "Did Rayansh say 'Amma' & she 'Bhabhi'?"

The kids held hands & led the way to the ice cream store at the other end of the floor. The adults walked a few steps behind them. He reeled from the shock, chaos & enquired, "Tell me? Rayansh is...?" She interrupted him & declared, "He is my nephew." The response wasn't convincing enough. He continued, "Rayansh has my nose & curls. No one in your family has it." Her laugh echoed in the almost empty mall. She calmed down & articulated, "During college, you had attended my brother's wedding. I had pointed out that, Bhabhi & you have same sharp nose & curls." He suddenly stopped walking & frowned at her, "But you said..."

She chuckled & corrected, "I did not say a word, you assumed!" He continued with the interrogation, "You turned away, trembled & were teary-eyed." She giggled & replied, "Your detective deduction was so incredible that I wanted to roll on the floor & laugh. I had no choice but to look away. The suppressed laugh gave me a tummy cramp & made me teary-eyed. I had to cover my mouth & look at kids to hold it back." Her actions did seem to make sense now. He was furious, "Why dint you correct me? My mind raced at rocket speed! You cannot even imagine what I went through in those few minutes." She reacted, "I exactly know what cooked in your head. I was curious to know how long would it take for your one-track mind to realise the misconception."

While he sighed with relief & wiped his forehead, she held her aching belly & laughed wholeheartedly. She then remarked, "Seems like you have forgotten that I am a prankster. It was enticing & irresistible. How could I miss out on such an opportunity?" He shook his head & chortled. He couldn't believe, after all these years, he had fallen for one of her pranks again! Unknowingly, the silly prank had rekindled an old spark, for the chemistry was in the air.

The quartet entered the ice cream store, kids with excitement, he with relief & she with a mischievous grin. The kids jumped at the counter to look at the variety of colourful ice creams. She declared, "After looking at it all, both are going to choose chocolate, so go sit at a table." The children obediently walked up to an available table & settled. She placed an order for 'Brown Bomb' & he chose 'Creme De La Caramel.' He stated the obvious, "Your taste in ice cream hasn't changed." She raised her shoulders & remarked, "Old habits die hard. Well, it seems like you have moved on." The sweet response hit him sharply. He recalled, they always shared a 'Brown Bomb.'

While they waited for ice cream, he paid attention to her. She looked & dressed the same as in college, except for her hairdo. He questioned, "Unlike college, your hair is short." She sighed at Indian men's obsession with long hair, from her grandfather to her nephew. She replied, "It's hard to maintain & there is hardly any left." The staff at the counter served ice creams; they picked trays & walked up to the kids.

The kids dived into the double scoop chocolate ice cream & chatter was on. He questioned, "Where have you been? I haven't heard about you even from common college friends." She wondered, after the grotesque breakup, which friend would even dare to bring up one's name in the presence of the other. She responded, "I am not in touch with any of them & not on social media. Also, usually, I am on the move for work internationally." Eventually, he dared to question her with raised eyebrows, "Married?" She slowly chewed the brownie ice cream combo & shook her head which conveyed a 'no.' He felt a dagger pierce his heart & chest felt heavy.

Around the same time the kids had finished eating, they picked their things & prepared to leave. She hugged & kissed Ayra. She looked at him with warm eyes & a loving smile. She expressed, "It was nice meeting you. Take care & bye." He was at a loss for words & only uttered "Bye." The kids waved their byes; she held Rayansh's hand & walked towards the exit.

As she walked, she couldn't stop thinking, "If they could hit it off so well now, what went so wrong then?" In retrospect, the reasons both had for the breakup seemed silly & irrelevant. Had they both set aside the ego & arrogance. Collectively introspected & put in some effort into sorting the issues; it could have worked out beautifully. She sighed & turned attention towards Rayansh's stories.

He stood at the spot where they parted & watched her walk away. She did not look back, not once. He wanted to stop her but couldn't reason or voice it. While Ayra tugged his hand, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket; the screen flashed his wife's name & picture. At that moment, his heart sank to his feet. As he raised his head, she had just turned the corner.

Take Away:

• Breakup is like Algebra; we look at our X and wonder Y?

• Some equations add up beautifully unless the balancing variable leaves & becomes an X. One may be a little too late to understand the value of such a crucial variable.