The Diamond Rings: A Short Story

Last year I learnt a lesson of my life. It was a very happening year for me. I got the promotion news with New Year wishes and also a shock at the same time as they decided to transfer me to the head office at Bangalore. It is a replica of heaven for Indian coders. Their actual heaven is somewhere in U.S.A. But it wasn’t an excuse for a Mumbai lover to leave his place. I accepted the promotion after having some words and a promise to get back here in two years. I packed my parents’ bags also as this promotion would become a punishment for me!

I remember that day, a beautiful and work free ‘Bangalore Sunday morning’ in march, when we had gone to a prominent jewellery showroom in Bangalore to buy a worthy and wealthy gift for my mother. After all it was my mother’s birthday. There were many good looking girls came with their parents and my mother was showing me each one of them and embarrassing me each time. One girl, hardly 25, of them caught my eyes. She was naturally beautiful and looking mature at the same time. She was arguing with fiery words with a manager of that jewellery shop. My mother gave me an eye signal not to look at her. But I was interested to know the topic of argument as we headed towards the counter for a bill. I interrupted in that argument spontaneously; my unintentional and unnecessary act deeply surprised my parents.

That girl had received a diamond ring through a courier from that shop without a name of well-wisher. I sensed one more victim of e-shopping. But she got a same ring on the same day last year. I convinced her not to argue with the manager as he was an innocent in that matter. She thanked me when we were leaving the shop. My mother did not forget to take her phone number by speaking some ‘meethi baatein’. I got bored of my parents’ ‘find a girl and marry’ mission, I also wanted her contact number though. I controlled myself and contacted her after three ‘long’ days and asked her if she was able to find out the mystery behind those diamond rings. I talked with her some more time and ended with inviting her for a coffee. So I went to meet her again on our ‘coffee date’. I was surprised when she came as she was refusing in the beginning. She had worn an Indian outfit and forced me to feel love at first sight. Later we discussed on many topics, from her job to popular places in Bangalore to hang out. We met several times for a coffee or dinner after that day. But every time I sensed some stress behind her friendly and loving nature. Her strained smile did upset me few times and requested me to share her burden. I was feeling a growing closeness in our friendship.

Surprisingly one day she took me to her home when we had met for a lunch on one another Sunday afternoon. She had cooked food by her own and I was getting excited to taste it. But who knew that what was there in my dish. As we got into the house I found a little gorgeous and beautiful three year old girl playing with her toys. I got introduced to her daughter when I was feeling a jerk in my head. It was almost a year when I had met her first time but I never tried to know her personally. I was scared to ask about her husband. She chose to be silent. We had lunch and that afternoon ended with playing with her daughter. Her sudden move might be a signal for me to keep distance. I wanted some time to think on it. After that we talked on phone few times and it assured me that at least I hadn’t lost her as a friend.

On one fresh morning in the month of March I was sitting on chair thinking about her. And my mother was busy in searching new jewellery designs. Suddenly a thought came to my mind and I reached to ‘that’ jewellery shop. I was sure that she was going to get one more diamond ring this year. I requested deeply to manager to tell the truth. After some emotional punches that manager spoke out finally. Her husband was a military officer. He went for a secret mission with slender chance of returning. Before going he made a deal for those rings to send her one every year on their marriage anniversary. I asked him curiously about how much rings he had bought exactly and the number was unbelievable. I left the shop with a smile of satisfaction on my face as I learnt the true meaning of relationship!