NOTE: This is the Part 2 of the story. For Part 1 click here!

The cab moved slowly through heavy traffic and incessant rain. The sudden on-slot of rain had created panic and people began rushing home. Within a short time, the highways were packed with traffic, roads began to flood, local trains started getting cancelled. It was evident from the news on radio that their ride was going to take longer than expected.

The driver looked at his passengers from the rear-view mirror. The girl’s tears had dried and her eyes were red from the crying. The guy sat awkwardly, his eyes fixed outside. They were lost in their own worlds. They kept looking out without speaking a word, having briefly exchanged a few words a while ago. The driver had overheard their conversation. He knew it was a bad thing, listening to people’s private conversations; but being a cab-driver, he had no choice. He had to hear everything his passengers said and pretend he didn’t hear anything. He had to pretend he was invisible. Even if he felt bad for his passengers, he couldn’t say anything to help or console them. It was none of his business.

The driver turned the volume of the radio up. The map had updated and was displaying every route they could take in a bright red colour, a few closed roads, numerous detours, and an expected time of arrival at more than two hours. He let out a sigh and upped the radio volume further; and just then, having realized something, he tuned the radio to another channel. He checked the time, his favourite show was about to air.

After a bunch of advertisements the show began. A deep husky voice introduced itself. “नमस्ते मुंबई!! मैं हूँ आपका Host और दोस्त RJ निखिल। आप सबका ‘कैफियत-ए-इश्क़’ के इस नए Episode में तह-ए-दिल से स्वागत करता हूँ। Show वही है, आपका चहीता। मैं भी वही हूँ; बस हमारे Callers नए होंगे; उनके मसले, उनके Experiences नए होंगे, और साथ होंगे कई सारे नए-पुराने, भूले-बिसरे गीत! तो चलिए शुरुवात करते है ग़ालिबके इस खूबसूरत शेरसे, 

अर्ज़ किया है, मोहोब्बत में नहीं है फर्क जीने और मरने का, उसी को देख कर जीते है, जिस काफिर पे दम निकले।”

The radio jockey’s voice faded out and an old Hindi classic started playing. The driver felt cheerful and began to hum along. He didn’t realize the volume was so loud that his passengers got distracted from their trance. She looked ahead and saw the mobile mounted on the stand. It showed two more hours until their destination. She shifted in her seat to get away from the speakers mounted on the door by her feet. By doing so, she unknowingly moved closer to him.

He looked at the radio and the driver and felt irritated. He tapped the driver’s shoulder and said, “भाई, ज़रा volume कम करना!”

“Oh sorry brother!” the driver, who was engrossed in his sing-along apologized and turned the volume down.

The guy leaned back and settled in his place. She didn’t return to her original position. She wanted him to realize that all was not lost. They could still make it work. He too, was thinking about every possible alternative instead of breaking everything up like this. They had tried talking about everything and ended up fighting. And now both of them were thinking of a way to reconcile, but no one had the courage to say it. So much had been said during their fights that saying anything contrary almost felt like taking a back foot now. So they sat there, inches away, but miles apart from each other.

The show on the radio went on. After each song the radio jockey attended calls from his audience. Callers told him their stories, either with a happy endings or otherwise. He replied according to the mood of his caller. In between calls, he recited some more shayari and shared some anecdotes from his own experiences. Sometimes he played songs befitting the situation his callers found themselves in. Other times the callers dedicated songs to their loved ones.

During one call, the guy on the phone said that he had a huge fight with his girlfriend and now they hadn’t spoken since a week.

“Yeah! I mean usually she calls back when she is not angry anymore. So I wait for her to calm down. But this time she hasn’t replied to my messages, hasn’t answered my calls! I don’t know what to do?!” the caller asked, his voice shaking.

“No, no, don’t worry brother! Tell me one thing, do you love this girl!?”

“Yes Nikhil! She is the love of my life! I don’t know how I’ll live without her!”

“Then have faith in your love Mohit! Sometimes, you know, it’s difficult. But if you feel that she is the love of your life, and if she feels the same, she will come around. I don’t know what misunderstandings you guys have. But if you are listening to this Harleen, know that Mohit is devastated. He doesn’t want to lose you! so please, please talk to him!”

“Thanks Nikhil!” the caller’s mood got lifted a notch.

“Time is the best healer! Let some time pass. I know you will be restless, I know you fear that you will lose her. But sometimes, you have to let go. Sometimes it’s not right to try to control everything. You can control your actions; but you can’t control her thoughts or actions, right? So keep doing what you think is right! Keep trying everything you can to save this precious relationship, and trust me, when the time is right, she will talk to you! And I hope that she does soon!”

“Thank you Nikhil! felt so much better after talking to you!”

“That’s great! So now tell me, would you like to dedicate a song to her?!”

“I know this is a predominantly Hindi radio channel. But if you could play ‘Fix you’ by Coldplay, it’s Harleen’s favourite song! And I want her to know that I’ll be there for her!”

“That’s a wonderful choice! और मैं हमेशा कहता हूँ की Feelings को, जज़्बात को, भाषा की डोर नहीं बांध सकती! इसीलिए इस Show पर भी हर भाषा में वार्तालाभ होता है! Harleen, if you’re listening, know that Mohit is there for you!” The radio jockey took a pause and continued in Hindi, “और गाना शुरू करनेसे पहले एक शेर याद आगया जो मैं जरूर सुनाना चाहूंगा। किसका लिखा है वो तो फिलहाल याद नहीं पर अर्ज़ किया है,

छुरी का तीर का तलवार का तो घाव भरा, लगा जो ज़ख़्म ज़बाँ का रहा हमेशा हरा।

Choose your words wisely friends. Because words can hurt like no other weapon! And the wounds you inflict with your words, remain fresh forever! ‘Fix you’ coming right up after this very short break!”

The couple sitting at the back of the cab felt awkward by the whole conversation. It felt as if their story resembled with a million other stories. And only a few lucky ones got a chance to repair the damage in time. The reality hit them hard like a rock. There comes a time when all you can do is fight. Maybe this was that time in their relationship. But they both didn’t realize that this would pass and they might still be together at the other side. And now that the thought had occurred in their head, their egos stood in their way. And still none of them could say anything. The silence persisted.

The cab was stuck at a signal for a long time now without moving an inch. The driver got irritated and got out to check what was wrong. With him gone, it was just the two of them now. Left all alone, with a deafening silence and an inch of space between them. The song was being played but they couldn’t hear it. The rain drops hit the roof and the windows of the car made noise; but they couldn’t hear it. The cars behind them kept honking without a reason, but they couldn’t hear it. Sometimes, when you say everything you don’t want to say, all that remains at the end is this. Silence. And it’s so loud that it makes you deaf.

His hand moved first; an inch closer to her without him having any control over it. He turned his head slowly to her and put his arm around her. Her body leaned towards him without having a shadow of doubt. A few hours ago, they had said things that were never meant to be said. And now when their egos wouldn’t let them speak, their bodies began to talk. No language was needed for this communication.

The world around them became a blur. Tears flowed, not of sorrow, but of the guilt that both of them felt for hurting each other. Apologies were made and accepted all in that tight embrace without having to utter a single word. They looked deep into each other’s tearful eyes and knew in a moment that all was not lost. They still loved each other. They still wanted to be together. And with all still looking bleak and impossible, they couldn’t give up just yet without fighting together till the end. It wasn’t necessary to find solutions to each of their problems right now. All that mattered was being together in it.

The silence between them which was there a little while ago was filled with tension, anguish and anger. And now, the same silence was bringing out completely different set of emotions. The rain, which an hour ago felt like a curse, suddenly became a blessing. The parking lights of all the cars around them felt like blinking stars spread out for them to witness the magic. The rain drops noisily hitting the roof of the car suddenly felt like melodies of eternal bliss.

The driver returned to his cab having cleared his lane of traffic. He stole a glance at his passengers sitting in an embrace and a smile appeared on his face. When he had changed the channel to put on his favourite show, a naive part of him had wished that the show would open his passengers’ eyes. Having heard so many encouraging stories on the show, he had complete faith in the power of love. And he knew too well, that sometimes silence and darkness don’t mean emptiness; It just means that you need someone to throw a light, so that you can see.

The End

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