THE SOUVENIR

Chandru was rushing back and forth between the gate and the door. His eyes were constantly monitoring the clock since he was looking for someone. He was progressively approaching his boiling point as the minutes passed. He checked the Ola app for an update, but the cab's location was still the same. A call calmed him down before he looked into other choices, and the cab was at the gate in a matter of minutes. Today is a huge day at work for Chandru. If everything goes according to plan, he will receive his long-awaited promotion. As a result, he prayed to all the gods, pleading with them to grant him some luck just for today. He had gotten up early because he had an important meeting in his office to present, but he was already running behind schedule. He was constantly giving instructions to his colleagues over WhatsApp while travelling to his office. Unfortunately, he clicked on a "Google Memory" icon that appeared on his screen, and it transported him back to his college days.

"Hi, I'm Raveena." She extended her hand to introduce herself, after tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Chandru," He said, after wiping his hand on his outfit.

"You were too good and funny as Shin-Chan!" She praised his Adzap performance with his squad.

"Thank you so much," He replied with a modest grin.

"Good luck!" She wished for him and walked away.

By the afternoon, the cultural event had concluded, and Chandru was enjoying lunch with his friends at the Ethiraj canteen. Chandru felt a pat on the shoulder at that moment. It was Raveena, the same girl who had wished him success earlier!

 "Doesn't that appear to be a victory celebration?" She gave a wink.

"Haha. That's not the case. Before leaving for college, we wanted to satisfy our hunger so that we could sleep soundly in class. " He retorted with a rejoinder.

"Are you planning to leave? I was thinking about inviting you for a cup of coffee." She inquired.

"I'd love to join if you paid." He made a joke.

By the end of the day, Raveena and Chandru had become good friends. They exchanged WhatsApp numbers and started to follow one another on Instagram. They kept in touch with one another on a daily basis, and their friendship expanded day by day.

"Sir, we have arrived at your destination," the cab driver announced. Chandru was engrossed in Rav's thoughts and remained oblivious to the rest of the world. When the cab driver raised his voice, he finally responded. He entered his office after paying the fare and tipping the driver.

While entering the elevator, Chandru recalled a quote: "Temporary people always give us permanent memories." And now it all made sense to him. Before heading to the conference room, he washed his face in the restroom. He entered the conference room, greeted his colleagues, and started preparing for the presentation. Despite the fact that his eyes were glued to the laptop, his mind was obsessed with Rav.

"Hello! Are you Ms. Raveena from Ethiraj College?" Chandru inquired of Raveena as he entered the conference room at MOP.

"OMG! What brings you here, Chandru? You never told me that you are attending this business management event." She was taken aback.

"Aren't you aware that MOP girls are more attractive than Ethiraj's? And how could I pass up the chance to find a girlfriend?" He sounded a little odd.

"Stop being such a jerk, you idiot! I would have kicked you out of college if they hadn't announced my name." She buzzed out to the stage with her partner to give the presentation.

"Are we ready, Chandru?" a voice inquired.

He felt a touch on his shoulder as he heard a voice from behind him. It belonged to his MD. Chandru quickly regained his composure and gave an affirmative response to his MD.

"Gentlemen! Meet Ms. Akshaya, the Project Coordinator at Jinx-Tech. Since Mr. Manoj Gupta, MD of Jinx-Tech, was unable to attend today. She has travelled all the way from Bangalore to be present at this meeting. Let us all welcome her!" exclaimed our MD.

Despite the fact that Chandru was familiar with Akshaya, he didn't have time to speak with her because the meeting began quickly. The meeting went off without a hitch, and it was quickly adjourned for lunch.

Chandru's plate was full at the cafeteria, but Rav's thoughts were consuming him.

"I had no idea you had such good presentation skills, Rav. You were incredible!" Chandru complimented Raveena on her business plan presentation.

"Thank you, doggy. Can we go out for lunch? I'm hungry!" She said.

"Do you mind if I join you?" An unknown voice cut him off and brought him back to reality. It belonged to Akshaya.

"No!" Chandru invited Akshaya.

"Do you remember me?" Akshaya inquired.

"Of course. You both gave a presentation at MOP. We didn't get to eat lunch together that day." Chandru remembered and responded.

"Haha. Great. I didn't expect you to show up!" Akshaya was ecstatic.

"Neither do I!" He laughed.

"How are you, and where have you been all these days?" She inquired further.

"I'm fine. I was hired through campus recruiting and never left Chennai. How are you? " He stated.

"I'm doing great. Since I was hired by Jinx-Tech, I moved to Bangalore after UG," She explained.

They ate their meals in silence, and Chandru debated whether or not to ask Akshaya about Raveena. When he finally worked up the nerve to ask her, she was interrupted by a phone call.

The meeting was resumed shortly after lunch, and it was a success. Chandru got his long-awaited promotion, and MD decided to celebrate with the team at the cafeteria that evening. Akshaya was also invited.

The entire staff celebrated the success of the meeting and Chandru's promotion with a cake in the cafeteria. The MD proposed a toast to Chandru and his crew, and everyone in the cafeteria raised their glasses in unison. Chandru expressed his gratitude to everyone for their thoughtful gestures. For the first time in five years, he felt pleased and vibrant.

Later that evening, when Chandru was waiting for his cab, Akshaya invited him to share the cab with her. Despite politely declining the offer, he eventually gave in to her repeated insistence.

Chandru broke the long-held uneasy silence within the cab.

"When are you leaving for Bangalore?" Chandru inquired.

"It'll be tomorrow evening at 7:50 p.m. Indigo." She responded.

"There's a flight leaving in one hour. Why don't you take that?" Chandru recommended it.

"Arey yar. My company has already reserved a business-class ticket for me. They've even reserved a suite for me at the ITC. Actually, it's under my MD's name. Whatever! Luck was on my side," She said.

"What a lucky fellow!" He stated.

"Are you married?" All of a sudden, she asked him.

"Definitely not!" He retorted right away.

"Are you in a relationship?" She countered.

"I wish I could be. But I never had the chance to propose to Rav." He confessed.

Akshaya was caught aback by his response, and the cab came to a halt at his house before she could respond. Chandru thanked her and walked away.

Later that night, recollections of Rav tormented him. As a result, he continued tossing and turning in his bed. He got out of bed and headed to his closet. He took an envelope and a gift from it. He sat in his bed and placed the gift beside his bedside table. He took the letter from the envelope and began reading.

"Rav. You are a powerhouse. You arrived into my life like a bolt from the blue and became an inevitable part of my existence. Not only do you make me feel good, but you make everyone else feel good as well. Anyone would be drawn to your infectious smile. Despite the fact that we often squabble and quarrel over insignificant matters, these profound chats occasionally provided me with insight into life's perspective. When I'm stuck, your words give me hope that I can get unstuck. You've always been there for me when I needed a shoulder to lean on. You are the kind of person that everyone wishes they could have. However, you are mine. That is something I can gladly claim for the rest of my life. Will you be mine? "

When he finished reading his letter to her, a tear fell from his eyes. He never had the chance to tell her how much he loved her. He had planned to surprise her on her birthday, but he was unable to do so. Rav vanished just a few days before her birthday. As a result, the gift has been sitting in his cupboard since she left him.

The next morning, Chandru received a message from an unknown number.

It stated, "Hello. This is Akshaya. I obtained your phone number from MD. Are you free in the evening? It's about Raveena, and we need to talk in person."

Chandru paused for a moment before responding to her message, and he eventually responded favourably.

After a few minutes, he received another text from Akshaya that said, "CCD at Forum Mall at 4 PM."

The evening had just begun, and people were hurrying in and out of the Forum's premises. But inside the CCD, Chandru's eyes were looking for Akshaya. Akshaya emerged from the doors a few minutes later and apologised for keeping him waiting. Chandru's eagerness to learn more about Raveena was palpable in his eyes. This was picked up on by Akshaya, who began the conversation with a sip of coffee.

"Why didn't you propose to Rav?" She inquired.

"I never had the chance." Actually, I had intended to surprise her by proposing on her birthday, but I was unable to do so. My misfortune!" He responded.

"Oh, God!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Listen, Chandru. What I'm about to tell you may surprise you, but it's the truth. And I wanted you to know it. That's why I got your number and texted you first thing in the morning." She issued a warning, before continuing.

Chandru was perplexed by her statements, so he kept quiet.

"Raveena married my cousin in Dubai. Her marriage came in a flash since her brother and my cousin were business partners. Her entire family relocated to Dubai and settled with her brother shortly after her marriage. And.." She took a breath and stopped.

"And then what?" He let out a shriek.

"She died a year ago from COVID-19," Akshaya revealed the truth.

Chandru was taken aback by Akshaya's revelation of the truth. Moments thereafter, tears began to flow like a river from his eyes. He began to sob as he gripped his head in both fists. Words hardly left this mouth. He began to choke as he cried his heart out. Akshaya retrieved a glass of water for him and assisted him in regaining his calm. She counselled him to put Raveena out of his mind and move on with his life. Chandru left the room in tears and solitude.

Later that evening, Chandru chose to retain the gift as a souvenir of Raveena while storing it in the closet.

Before boarding her aircraft later that evening, Akshaya texted Raveena: "Mission accomplished. I'm about to leave for Bangalore. Happy Valentine's Day, Love. Let's toast it with a glass of wine. Kisses! "

Little did Chandru know about their lesbian romance!

"Despite the fact that LGBT relationships are now legal in India, they are still regarded as untouchables by our society. Fuck society!" Akshaya confronted herself with the difficult truth while flying to Bangalore.