LiFE.... AS IT COMES (CHAPTER 15)

Sheila had the look of pure disbelief on her face. She couldn’t believe her ears. Tam’s childhood was none of her business and it didn’t sound quite astounding to her. What surprised her was the present.

Danny caught the look on her face and rounded on her.

“What? You don’t believe me?” he shouted at her.

Composing herself and choosing her words carefully, Sheila replied back confidently, “No, as a matter of fact. I don’t believe you.”

“What? You think am lying? You think am making this all up?” he shouted again.

Sheila mused over what she had heard and then replied.

“No. You are not lying. You are merely overlooking some facts. Tamanna never loved you. That was evident. Not only to you but to us too. And I find it really hard to believe that a simple makeover, and ignoring her would make her fall in love with you. That too in such a giddy manner. I just don’t buy it!” she said.

Danny stared at her for a long time.

“See Danny! It’s not really your fault. You did love her. But something is amiss here. Yes. In your version Tam appears to be a rude, selfish girl, and in some level I do understand your hatred and love for her. But what I don’t understand and would really like to know is that why this sudden change in Tam? What did you do to her? The things that you had cited before were not reasons enough. I want the complete story. And I want it now. I mean it Danny.”

Her hard voice no impact on Danny. Sheila was desperate now. She had to know what he has been doing with Tam.

“And why will I tell you huh? Why? Who are you?” Danny was frantic now. Never had he guessed that Sheila would raise the very questions that he had been refusing to answer himself.

“Because Danny I am on your side. I understand you. And I will stand by you and make sure Tam ends up with you. But for that you need to be honest with me. Don’t you always say that after Tam I am your best friend? So, won’t you tell your best friend now?” Sheila was more than desperate now to get the information out of him.

If to get the information I have to pretend that I support him, she thought fervently, then I will do so.

“You will?” Danny was looking up at her, his eyes beseeching.

“Sure I will!” said Sheila as she sat down beside him and held his hand.

“You see when I first went over a makeover, I called Tam up to tell her. She just congratulated me for growing up and kept down the phone abruptly. That’s all. It really hurt me. Later I came to know that she was over at some guy’s place. And the anger was driving me insane. So I decided that if I ignored her she would come running to me. I ignored her for over a week but she neither called nor messaged.

When I called her again, it seemed she never even missed me. Moreover she never even realized that I was ignoring her. It was then the final straw. So I lied to her that Rohit has gone missing. And nothing was bringing him back.

I also lied to her that Rohit may come back only if he hears some big unexpected news. And maybe Rohit was lurking around her flat and all and tracking her every move, waiting to meet her when she was alone. But he needed some big reason. So if the both of us pretended to be seriously and madly in love, then Rohit might come forward and meet us.

For years I had tried every trick in the book to make her fall in love with me and each of them had failed. Every time. I never in my wildest dream believed she would fall for this bunch of crap. It was sounding fake to my ears so I thought she would see through it any moment. But she did not.

She just heard that Rohit was missing and to get him back she had to pretend to be in love with me. She agreed. She hadn’t seen Rohit for 15 years. And she was dying to see him. What ever you guys saw her doing was all an act. She was so much into the act that at times she called me Rohit.

I ignored it thinking that at least she was with me. The moment you guys turned your back she turned away from me and bid me goodbye. We never even kissed! She was doing it to convince you guys and the moment you all turned away she stopped in the midway of her charade.

But Sheila I did it all to get her. I did not want to hurt her. Please don’t tell her the truth. Please let me get a slice of my heaven!”