Lost Identity

“Hey! That was a nice serve!”

“Thanks, but what should I do about my back hand?”

“Don’t feel conscious about it. I always told you that it’s very strong for a person of your age.”

Ruchi Saxena remembered every word her coach had told her as she religiously dusted the trophy she had won as a 13 year old. Tennis had been her first love. She remembered every match she had won. Everybody who saw her playing was sure that one day she will become the next Steffi Graf. They loved her tennis just like she loved her tennis. But she could never realize why it was because of her sports that she was admired by her teachers and not because of her academic records. After all she never got a second position in class when she had lost so many matches in tennis.

“Your essay is good Ruchi, but its cursory examination and not curseory.”

“Thank you Miss Mary. I will correct that right away.”

“By the way, congratulations on winning the match yesterday.”

Well, as I said she could never realize why it was always sports. After all she was not a prodigy. There were so many better players than her. But that was way back in school. First love don’t last a life time, every fifteen year knew that. And Ruchi was not just another fifteen year old, she was the state topper. And she had more important things to do than tennis. Like astro-physics for example.

Sometimes Ruchi would take out her academic certificates and feel awful about her second position in her graduation. So what if she went to St. Stephens. The guy who secured the first position never experimented physics beyond the textbooks. More over he had such a bad dressing sense. I mean, was it too much to ask if he would just tuck his shirt in and have a decent hair cut. She on the other hand had written papers that got published in science journals and was also voted the best looking girl in Delhi University. That was only sometimes. For today, Ruchi dusted her silver medal as fondly as her tennis trophies. For today she was happy for everything she had achieved in her life. She also took out her Best Looking Girl award which was well hidden behind her many trophies and felt proud about it. With it came the smile she had almost forgotten which she used to give to the countless guys who used to ask her out. Or was the smile given when she used to let them down. Every body used to admire her, even the girls, for she was no Scarlet O’Hara.

Now she wonders whether it was for her looks or for her brains that her husband fell in love with her. It was during her IIT days as a research scholar that she met him and life had been so beautiful ever since.

“Mr, there is some problem with the damn thing!”

“Well, missy this damn thing happens to be a PARAM.”

“What’s so super about it if it won’t even recognize who I am?”

“Are you this smart always?”

“Who are you; I mean why take it to your heart if I call this dumb thing a dumb thing?”

“Well lady, I designed it!”

It turned out that he was lying. I mean not a complete lie because he was indeed in the team from CDAC who designed the super computer, but nevertheless it was not entirely him. He however was able to let Ruchi log on to her terminal in less than five minutes. But it took him more than five weeks to ask her out.

“Will you marry me?”

Engineers can be so tactless.

“Well, don’t stay in that Siberia of yours for long”

“Well what can I do if a super computer needs supper cooling?”

“Your brain’s numb”

“Well smarty, what does it mean, yes or no?”

“It means you are dumb.”

“Ruchi, I love you. I am going back to Pune tomorrow. You are too pretty….”

“Stop babbling.”

Ruchi had never felt that pain ever in her life. It was always so comfortable with him around. And now that she was getting so used to having him around, he was going away. Did she love him?

“Ruchi…”

“Shut up!”

“I will come back next week.”

She travelled faster than light back to those first dates with him every time he called her by her name. It was so romantic. All those long drives to Lonavla over so many weekends. It turned out that he was not dumb after all. She loved every word he said to her. It was a dream she never wanted to come out of. Even her research paper for which she won an international award seemed worthless every time she saw his face. Yes she has always loved him.

They married a year later. She never told yes to him. But it was never required. Even today after ten years of a married life, Ruchi loved him. She never thought she would love anyone more than him. But for once in her life, she was wrong. But today she loves someone else. For once her husband had to wait. She loves Siddharth, her 5 year old, the most demanding man on earth.

For Siddharth, she was not just a mother. She was the world’s best chef. Everyday he would come home from school and order her to cook whatever he felt like. He would run around the house and create havoc. He would shout and break things. And long after he would tire out he would make her read what Harry Potter was doing in Hogwarts. Exhausted of all his energy he would fall asleep in his mothers lap. She would then search for his shoes and socks. She would clean his room for the second time in the day. And then she would watch him sleep and feel happy. Yes, she loved him more than anyone in this world.

But now Siddharth is not yet home. He is in the school and probably doing well. He has two bright people for parents after all. Maybe she should call his teachers up and make sure he is all right. But then, today it can wait, she is expecting a phone call.

Ruchi had left her job in ISRO after their marriage. She could not stay away from her husband who was in Pune. She never regretted it. She had a house to run and she wanted it to be perfect.

“Why don’t you get a job here?”

“Why, you got fired or something!”

“Well it seems a waste to see a person like you idling at home.”

It was only because she knew that he was tactless, that Ruchi did not get angry. But she knew that there was an element of truth in his words. And now even Siddharth is old enough and spends the day at school.

Yesterday, she had applied for a job. And she knew they will accept her. She knew her identity too well. She was the one who achieved so much in her life. She was happy about it. In a few minutes time, the phone would ring and she would start working again. Before that she had to cook pasta for Siddharth. He loved it. She loved the fact that he loved it. Life has always been good to Ruchi. And yes the phone is ringing.

“Hello”

“Is it Mrs Akash Malhotra? Can you come for an interview tomorrow?”

THIS IS A STORY ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY A FRIEND.... AND WHAT I TRY TO DO IN SO MANY WORDS, SHE DID BETTER IN ONE LINE.