When hands-free actually set me free..

"Hi, Kritika"
"Hiii....Soham. Right? Collateral Department?
Yaa...you?
TA.
This is how it began. 'It'. An unforgettable journey...an hour long cab journey to be specific.
Long working hours followed by this equally boring journey back home had  made this working life stressful and mundane ..until that one incident happened. 'He forgot his hands-free back home' Sounds no big deal...isn't it? Not when someone as interesting as a young, enthusiastic and charming boy from Bengal accompanies you back home...listening to his playlist. Disappointing..I know.

Not to exaggerate the obvious..I found him interesting since the beginning..and won't mind having a conversation only if he initiated. Before you jump on any conclusion and start labeling me as old-fashioned..let me clarify. Well...I don't need to clarify. I am old-fashioned AF. Anyway....as they say in Bollywood...Jab tum kisi cheez ko puri shiddat se chaho...blah blah...so something of that sort happened. AND..I got to know that he's going to accompany me today. And icing on the cake was..He forgot to bring his hands-free today.

Not much  to my surprise..he initiated the conversation. It began with the introduction and few minutes later we were sharing the most insignificant yet interesting details about our lives. He was passionate about music and was pursuing MBA as well. I was interested in Fashion Designing during my school days but couldn't pursue it. He is an only child to a business man and a music teacher. I hail from a Punjabi family.

I expressed how I liked his voice...to which he reacted "When did you hear me singing?" And I replied.."when you were busy on your hands-free last time humming those songs". Which one? He asked. "ohh mere humsafar..kya tujhe itni si bhi khabar" I sang..laughing at my stupidity later. He joined me though saving me from embarrassment.  Then he asked about my weekend plans and ended up lecturing me about how I can utilize my weekends pursuing my hobbies instead of sleeping.

The discussion ranged from my favorite songs...to his past relationships giving an insight to how similar our lives were. Both of us are exploring our lives..trying to figure out what we want from our lives...striving to make a mark in our professional life..investing all our energy (that remained after such a daily schedule)  keeping people happy at home..struggling to strike a balance between the two.

At the age of 24...the two of us have been into two significant relationships that made our lives how they are right now..leaving behind memories that still break us apart every now and then and challenge us to surpass those memories and grow. Both of us have faced challenges professionally and personally..and yet have managed to make a decent livelihood with dignity and continue to do so.

No matter how difficult the nights turn out to be with memories from past haunting us and not letting us fall asleep..we wake up all energetic in the morning..put on a mask and leave for work..forgetting that the ones we sit next to..in the cab..or in the cabin...also try to hide the scars behind the masks...and stories behind their laptops...waiting for someone to,for once, forget their hands-free.