Page 9 of That Same Old Love

Mahi felt humiliated about what Samrat had done and didn’t want to stay at the party anymore. She was about to turn and leave.

Maybe it was a bad idea to come, even if she had wanted to apologize. She was getting to that part with Sidhu, until Samrat interrupted her.

She sighed and was heading towards the exit.

“Oh hi, Mahi. Didn’t think we’d find you here. What a… surprise. Remember me? I’m Disha.”

Mahi vaguely recognized that the woman in front of her was one of her juniors and also Ananya’s only friend in college.

Mahi had barely interacted with any of her juniors in a friendly manner.

She had only teased some of them mercilessly in their first year.

Later on, in the second year, she left them alone, except for Ananya.

Disha didn’t look thrilled to see her either and barely cracked a smile.

“Well, I was about to leave. I just realized I had something due tomorrow,” said Mahi.

Disha smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh come on. Tomorrow is a Sunday. Whatever work you have can wait. Come with me and meet our college group. They can’t wait to see you again. Sort of a reunion, no?”

Mahi had a gut feel that it wouldn’t end well. But she was here to mend fences and apologize to Ananya and Sidhu. She couldn’t do that with Sidhu, so she had to try it with Ananya.

Mahi followed Disha who stopped at one of the tables with few other women who were already seated there, and one of them was Ananya.

Soon introductions were made. Ananya was about to get up, saying that she had to check on Srishti.

“Come on, Anu,” Disha said. “Srishti and her friends are preparing to get ready for their performance. We still have thirty more minutes, until the show begins. Let the kids have fun getting ready without our intrusion.” Then she looked at Mahi.

“Oh I think the performance is going to be G-rated for sure. Thank god for that, considering we are in the cell phone videos and social media era.”

One of the women at the table looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Mahi and her friends had performed during one of our annual day functions. Let’s just say the guests were… entertained well.” Disha’s tone meant they were anything, but entertained.

Mahi still remembered that day. Their college staff was pretty conservative and had some very strict dress codes back then.

They wanted all the college function performances to be done only in Indian wear.

Mahi and her five close friends decided to perform a popular upbeat ‘item’ song that needed a ton of practice and approvals.

On the day of performance, right after Ananya and her group finished their synchronized classical dance; it was Mahi and her group’s turn.

To say people were speechless or shocked was an understatement.

Mahi and her group were dressed in the most minuscule blouse that was barely a strip of cloth and wore a long ankle length lehanga baring the midriff with nothing else in between.

There was absolute silence during their performance, followed by wild cheers from the boys of their college.

Their university deans and professors were left red faced.

They suspended Mahi and her notorious ‘gang’ for almost two weeks.

At that time, even though her mother showed her hell at home, Mahi felt it was worth the suspension.

Her stuffy professors never made eye contact since then, and stopped preaching about evils of dressing in ‘western clothes’ .

Mahi missed her friends like crazy and wished there was some way to connect back with them.

She couldn’t ask Sidhu for their details because he wouldn’t want to fondly reminisce and then give her their contacts.

And Samrat had been mostly a loner back in college, and had only a handful of equally nerdy friends, who barely moved in her circle.

Mahi had been snooping into social media and left some messages to some of her friends, but none of them answered back yet.

Disha was watching Mahi. “You know if one were the kind to judge, you would be considered a bad influence on a girl as young as ten, don’t you think?

But since we are all enlightened women of the current century…

maybe we won’t judge you based on what you did back when you were nineteen. Or should we?”

“Oh but wait. It wasn’t just at nineteen right?

” Disha pretended to think. “You have a ten year old, too, right, Vani?” she asked one of the women.

“Would you let your daughter meet and be friendly with a woman, who was with… say… I don’t know, maybe more than three men that we know of?

” Disha looked at Mahi. “I think there were at least three, right? The college boyfriend, then the husband, then the man with whom there was an extra marital affair, and then I think there is a work in progress with a kind neighbor.”

Vani looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know… ”

Disha looked at Vani. “Oh, come on. You would still give that woman a benefit of doubt, and allow your adolescent child to engage with her in anyway? Hmm… pretty big minded of you. Okay, what if the woman did personal harm to the child’s mother?

” Then looking at Mahi, “Humiliated her countless times?”

Vani looked shocked. “What?”

Disha continued. “And what if that woman was once in a relationship with the said ten year old girl’s father and later cruelly dumped him for greener pastures?

It wasn’t the girl’s father’s fault. His love was pretty blind and he had no guide dog to drag him away from the bitch he was in love with.

But anyway, would you allow your husband’s ex-girlfriend to start a strange relationship with your daughter? ”

“No way!” said Vani.

“And what would you do and say to the woman, if she shamelessly turned up to one of your family events by brainwashing your daughter for an invitation?” Disha asked in a dramatic tone.

“Have my husband kick her out from there, making it obvious to her that her games won’t work on him,” Vani replied.

“Good decision, Vani. Very good decision. You heard her, Mahi. Now you can either leave on your own steam or we will have to wait until we find Sidhu to throw you out. But he might be busy mingling with the invited guests.” Disha’s voice was cold.

Vani looked shocked.

Mahi had been watching Ananya all the while, when her friend was tearing her apart and insulting her. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, Ananya. I can’t say it wasn’t deliberate at that time, but all I can say is that I’m not the same person anymore.”

“Stop your drama, Mahi. And while you are here, maybe we should ask you to stay away from Samrat too. He would never be interested in you. Maybe you think it’s easy to trap him, but he is really interested in someone else for keeps. Someone more suited to him.”

Mahi ignored Disha and continued to look at Ananya. “I haven’t deliberately sought out Srishti and would never harm her or let anyone harm her.”

Ananya felt uneasy in her stomach, as though whatever was happening was wrong.

She even felt sorry for Mahi, but she held back.

She had confided everything to Disha the previous day.

So she had already known that her friend would rip Mahi apart and drive home the message to stay away from her family.

But Mahi had been so quiet all the time.

The old Mahi would have turned aggressive and challenged them, or even mocked them. She would never have apologized.

“Wow. Really Oscar worthy,” Disha continued. “And you haven’t really commented on leaving Samrat alone.” She looked at another woman at the table. “Don’t worry, Preethu. Samrat would never go for trash and he loves talking to Varun.”

“Disha… Samrat and I are not together. We have just met a few times in some parties, that’s all. And Varun is pretty friendly with everyone.” The other woman’s tone was uncomfortable.

“Oh, come on. Anyone with eyes can see that you both are meant for each other. Anu likes you too and so do her parents. Who wouldn’t?

You are beautiful and successful, and not a washed up or a used up immoral person who involves children in her schemes.

I can confidently say that Samrat hates Mahi. ”

Everyone was quiet at that statement.

Disha looked at something behind Mahi. “Anu’s family is heading our way. Mahi, seriously, we would rather avoid a scene in the party. So please get out of here, right now.”

Having heard enough, Mahi got up, “I’m really sorry about what I did Ananya, and the only reason I’ve come here was to apologize. I know it’s difficult to forget, but please try and forgive me.” She was about to step away when something crashed into her.

It was a tray that held drinks. Mahi’s cream colored dress was covered with red wine, some rose scented drinks and lots of other drinks that were luckily all cold. The front of her dress was wet and almost clinging to her transparently.

The server looked distraught and was picking up the glasses quickly. He also wondered why one of the guests signaled him to their table and then pushed the tray on another guest.

Disha told him it was okay, and asked him to go away to continue serving drinks to other guests. “Oh no. Look what happened. Now Mahi has to leave. How sad.”

Preethi got up immediately with a napkin to offer Mahi, but Disha dragged her down. “Leave it Preethu. She’s not worth helping.”

No one else from the table moved or offered to help.

“Mahi! Are you okay?” Sidhu asked.

“I’m… fine, Sidhu. It was just an accident. I wasn’t watching where I was going, that’s all.” She was trying to pull her dress from sticking to her skin and it was a losing battle.

Ananya’s mother offered her shawl. “Here, you can use this.” She placed the shawl around Mahi. “Your name sounds familiar.”

“Oh, she was your neighbor, Aunty,” Disha informed. “Don’t you remember? The same girl who had falsely accused Samrat of cheating during our college.” Disha was outraged of the attention Mahi was receiving from Ananya’s husband and parents.

Ananya’s mother was quiet as she assessed Mahi. “Oh, I remember you now,” she softly said. “How have you been? Convey my regards to your parents. And Mahi… it’s okay to get stains on the shawl. I have another one that’s exactly the same.” She smiled gently at Mahi.

Mahi felt humbled by the woman in front of her whom she had inadvertently caused much grief. “Thank You.”

“Did you drive here, Mahi?” Sidhu remembered that Mahi never drove during their college days. He usually drove her and sometimes their friends around.

“No. But I’ll call a taxi service. They are pretty efficient. You all should go or you might keep Srishti waiting for her performance.”

“There is no need for a taxi. We have several drivers available. I can ask one of them to drop you home. Let me find one.”

At Sidhu’s offer, Samrat intervened. “Sidhu, you should all go now. I can find a driver to take Mahi home. I’ll join everyone in a few minutes.”

Sidhu nodded and led the group at the table back into the main hall.