A NIGHT. A MEET. A CHANGE.

                                          

Simran's Diary

Saturday, January 2020

2:00 a.m.

Sup Diary?

Today was a different day...huh...not like yesterday when I said it was a different day because mum didn't talk about my marriage, anyway she talked double about my marriage today...

It was just a different type of different day today...okay??

So I was really tired of making my dinner myself and I landed in a  restaurant near my house, which I have not seen before. It was a dark one with little compartment-like structures for each table and as I passed them I found the place more like a depression release salon. IT WAS NOT A BAR. 

I took a whole round of the restaurant which was like all the tables stuck to the four walls leaving spaces for the exit, cook's room (yeah I tried to peek in, as always) and the waiters in insane red clothes were moving everywhere. 

The tables were all occupied so I was going to exit but a waiter came to me and said: "Ma'am can I ask you a question?"

"Noooo, fine ask" I very well know it was a weird reaction, but the two sections of my brain work completely different from each other. 

The waiter said with a giggle "So ma'am are you leaving because all the tables are full?"

"Yup"

"Ma'am, actually they aren't, look over there" he pointed to the left ending corner "that's empty!"

"I don't think so. Look someone is sitting over there"

"Please ma'am, believe me, ones you go and sit there that guy will leave at ones" the waiter pleaded

"Fine, but if he complains, I'll not be responsible" I warned him.

"Sure ma'am" he made a circle by moving his head

I walked near to the table and stood there for some time because the thing I was going to do was extremely ridiculous. I looked at the waiter, who was now looking at me expectantly. I nodded and sat in front of the stylish guy. 

"Fine! I'll get up from here" he shouted getting up and then announced "friends let's go these waiters won't let us be here"

Well I admit, his voice scared me for once but then something surprising happened, suddenly every customer moved out with an angry exhale and in a minute or two, the restaurant was empty with no customer.

The waiter smiled at me widely and went on to cleaning the tables leaving me in a confused state. I had just sat here and everyone moved out! But the waiters moved here and there smiling, something completely different from what they were some time ago. 

A waiter came to me and asked for my order, I was so blank that he had to repeat (but with zero irritation.) "Oh, I'll take...Can I tell you after some time I have not decided yet" I scratched my head, but still without any irritation he smiled and handed me a meal menu and went away smiling?

I ordered a normal salad after much thinking. It was nine in the evening and the waiters were leaving and at last just the waiter remained whom I had first met, who disappeared and appeared again and again deeply absorbed in his work.

I finished my salad and let out a quiet burp. I heard someone behind me "I'm happy Radhika you remembered and took out time to call me... and certainly you are the only one to remember my birthday" he laughed shyly 

I thought that I was acting too creepy so I rang the bell for the waiter to bring me the bill. The guy behind me was more alert now "Okay Radhika I think the customer wants the bill now, bye, take care" 

I stood up and saw two tables behind, the waiter was hurrying out of his chair and a cake with some candles was kept on his table. He came to me, gave me a towel and hot water, and came with a bill again "hope you enjoyed your dinner ma'am" he smiled widely.

"Yes, I did enjoy" I smiled and then whispered, "if you are going to tell my mom she wants me to grow slimmer, honestly What's special in a salad that I'll enjoy it?" I kept the towel away and reached for the bill "I'm sorry for listening to your private talk with someone but I heard it's your birthday, so wish you one more round around the sun" 

"Ah... thanks ma'am and truly I also don't like salad" he rolled his eyes and I laughed. "But ma'am as you have wished me I ought to invite you to my party...er... it's not a great one, actually, it's just me but please have a bite of cake for my birthday's sake"

 I looked at him, he was genuinely asking me or maybe I thought he was because I had not had a cake for months, my mom didn't even allow me to eat a bite on my own birthday.

"Why not? Sure I'll come to your party" 

We ate the cake and talked..."See I'm really confused like how did you know that when I come here and sit, these trespassers will look for a way out" I took a sip of cold drink kept near me.

"Ah...just a thought" he giggled. 

"So you keep thinking about stuff because you have not got any friends?" I regretted as soon as I asked the question, Why on earth can we not take back what we said? "Don't take it seriously, I just thought that you don't have friends because you were sitting alone at your own party"

There was a sudden change in his expression which he again changed to a smile "yeah, but today I have you attending my party!"

"What about your parents, can't they come?" I looked into his eyes which were getting glassy.

He took a sip of cold drink and said "they are... they are not in this world anymore"

"Sorry... but look I'm here, your friend, you don't need to grow dull, and anyway it's your birthday" 

"Yeah! Let's do some real party" he stood up banging the table "I got a place nearby maybe you'll like to go there, walking distance" 

"Are you sure?" Well, I think that he is a nice guy but I have just met him, I can't go with him!

"It's just a party... don't come if you don't want to." He removed his apron and arranged some things on a table and went to wash his hands, too cleaned my hands using tissue and thought if I should go or not. He is taking me somewhere near so I can go there, can't I? But he is a stranger, I can't go out with him, could I?

"Okay, I'll come, unless we'll go there walking" I could easily run away walking if he tries to cross limits.

"Do you think a waiter of this restaurant could possess a car or something?" He laughed and I too joined. Then he went to the door of the cook's room and said "I'm leaving, the restaurant is empty, take care" 

A gurly voice said from inside "Okay" 

The night was cold and it was going to snow soon, I had my coat and cap on but the waiter didn't have anything woolen to hold on to. 

'Hey you have that friend Radhika, I heard, why is she not here? I mean doesn't she know you don't have any friends?" I questioned

He giggled "Actually Radhika is my ex-wife, we got divorced six months ago, now she lives abroad" he looked at me, his face too serious and then he gave a fake smile "And it's not a curse to not have a friend, and it's not even a blessing to have friends "

There was a silence between us but the surroundings were filled with horns and noises, like a perfect example of Newton's law of conservation of momentum, where our system is not affected by any kind of force.

After ten minutes we were standing near the river on a bridge, I didn't try to look at the river, the thought of heights took the life out of me.

The place was filled less than half with beggars, newlyweds, and people who simply want to cross the river. It was freezing cold near the river but the scenery was dazzlingly beautiful. Colorful lights from the city made everything visible even though there were no lights on the bridge. The river from far was beautiful and also half-frozen mirroring the skyscrapers.

A cold blow made my face freeze, I wrapped the coat tight and rubbed my hands, he giggled.

"Don't you feel cold? You don't even have any woolen clothes" I frowned at him.

He ignored my question and went on "You like the place? I used to love it and no doubt I still do" 

"It's beautiful, I have never come here before, though it's close to my house. But why is it so dear to you?"

"It was my parent's favorite place, they used to bring me here and play with me. I met Radhika here and it was the first place we came to visit after marriage and I came here when my parents died and when I got divorced,  it is basically a place of night and day for me" he looked down at the river.

I sat down near the rally "I would call a place of night and day my best friend"

"No, I won't do that." He sat beside me "I have had friends, but no one was like this place, who would just be here, ready to listen to everything, ready to swipe every tear that comes" 

"You've had friends but not true friends. Just tell me how many friends have you had" 

"It's not...

"Just tell me"

"3" 

"And I know who they were, your parents and ex-wife, right?, This clearly shows you just don't give your trust to people" 

"It's not that easy, you know giving your trust to people, making them your place of night and day. And it's not like I've never tried to give my trust to people, just that they broke it all"

"Everything deserves a second chance," I said in a soft voice."And why did Radhika go away?"

"She told she was uncomfortable, she thought I didn't believe her or something like that" 

"Maybe she was right" 

"You're my friend or her's" he was angry now

"You're not a first standard student, stop acting like that" I frowned, he stood up and started to walk away. 

I too stood up and ran in front of him  "trust me, I know I'm telling you something that you will hate but it's something you need to listen and pay attention to" 

He closed his eyes and breathed deep with his mouth, after some time he opened his eyes and tears flowed down his eyes soon after he was in my arms crying like a baby.

"Calm down, my friend" I rubbed his back.

We sat down again where we were earlier, he was fine now, he giggled and said "I think I found a place other than this bridge of my night and day" 

I smiled and shook hands with him "My Friend, My place of night and day also"

We parted at 1a.m. when he promised me that he would call a party tomorrow for me and his colleagues he also said that he would try to call Radhika again and talk to her and tell her that his life is incomplete without her...

So that was the different thing today dear diary.

Good night, see you soon...