Encapsulation

Jhelum was very excited. She had been waiting for this day all her life. It took ten years to materialise. She always knew that she would make it someday as she had the potential in her; although hidden. At times when her hidden potential came to the forefront, it would make her further determined to achieve her goal.

The meeting was to start at 10 a.m. and continue till 5 p.m. with occasional breaks in between. Anyone and everyone who was a who's who in the I.T. industry of the eastern region would come and that meant...She was waiting with baited breath.

She dressed herself up in a bright, brown-coloured, yet sober, saree, right for the grand occasion. She had got up very early, preparing herself for the occasion so that each piece fit in the right block. Finally, at 9 a.m. she was ready. She gazed in front of the mirror for a long time before she made the move. Like all her life, she was the first to arrive at the hall. The hall had a sombre look which, it seemed to Jhelum, was also prepared for "the" occasion.

After a few minutes of waiting, stalwarts started arriving. They shook hands with Jhelum and exchanged greetings. With each arrival, her heart pounded more and more, which astonished her all the more, realizing that the past ten years had done nothing to lessen the intensity of her feeling even a tiny bit. She just hoped that this time around, it would not be one of those endless and elusive waits, which she has been so accustomed to all these years.

Bodhisotto, as usual, dressed himself up immaculately for the big occasion, complete with his usual famous brand of aftershave. He always had a penchant for all things associated with the Upper Crest, the crème de la crème, be it his daily aftershave or the organization in which he served. This was the sole reason why he had always aimed high in life and had crushed  aside things which, he felt, would be detrimental to his career, including Jhelum....Standing in front of his mirror, he desperately wished to meet Jhelum once and what better occasion than today. She had always wanted to see him "big", at the top. She had always visualized a "webpage" in his name with all his credentials, at a time when having a site of one's own was no child's play. Now that all her dreams about him had materialised, she was not there beside him and all because of him. How he hated himself at times...."Bapi,you are getting late." The call brought him back to the present in a jiffy. It was Rina, his wife, reminding him of the time. Rina was gorgeous and beautiful, unlike Jhelum. Jhelum was cute and innocent, just like a freshly blossomed flower when he had first met her. A pat on the back from Rina forced him to leave his house for the meeting. Rina waved at him and wished him all the best.

The weather was crisp and bright, matching the occasion. Bodhisotto, with an aura of confidence, surrounding him, started driving, whistling his favourite tune, the Hindi remake of a famous English song.

Jhelum was getting impatient. It couldn't be that he was not one of the invitees. After all, when she, being the Project Coordinator of a software consultancy firm and a relatively new entrant in this field, could be invited, how come the Regional Manager of the I.T. department of a famous MNC be left out, she wondered. She glanced at her watch now and then and also at the door of the hall, lest she miss his entrance. She kept wondering how he looked now, was he the usual fat, pot-bellied, yet smart guy, like he was ten years back when she last met him or has he reduced, what with so much work-load on him for the past few years. By now, he must be having a few streaks of grey hair, signs of maturity and experience. She remembered how he had laughed at her "first grey hairs" when they had last met during an examination, repeating the words of an advertisement of a famous hair dye and prescribed her to use it. Even then, she was so desperate to get him. But slowly after that, she had resigned herself to her fate and started regrouping her little bits and pieces of life to be what she is today.

"Good morning everybody," the voice startled Jhelum and she looked up to find her man standing opposite to her, giving her a caressing look just then, as usual. Jhelum just stared at him. She could not smile, could not even flit her eyelids, lest he disappears from her sight. Bodhisotto, was equally startled to find her. For the umpteenth time, his telepathy had worked.

The meeting progressed in the usual lines. The immaculate orator that Bodhisotto was, rarely did others get a chance to air their views. Jhelum got the scope to speak with him a couple of times and each time she noticed that he was very much the same, his words, as ever, bringing forth an air of confidence, which, to others, must have sounded arrogant. He was forthright in his views about the project and Jhelum like twelve years ago could not help but second his views. The other members must have felt strange for Jhelum had spoken otherwise with them over phone.

Tea and coffee were served in between and Bodhisotto found to his utter wonder that "she" like ever, did not help herself to any of them. It made him pensive all of a sudden. If only like Jhelum, he had not changed, then maybe, it would not have hurt him so much today. How he wished he had stayed ruthless like before so that he did not have to crack from within, like in the last few years. His high ambitions, it was true, had helped him to rise up the corporate ladder but now that he had reached such heights, he was increasingly feeling that everything was futile. Because of this, he was also having a few altercations with Rina nowadays. He loved Rina very much and hoped that, like his namesake, he could also come up with a "middle path". In between all this, he remembered what Jhelum would always say that God was always watching the deeds of everyone and He would return each one's wrong deed at one point or the other, in this life itself. Maybe God was giving him his "fitting" response now, taking away all his peace of mind. He had played with the feelings of many girls and finally settled for Rina, his mother's choice. He had never cared for anyone's feelings, not that anyone had opened up before him, yes, no one, except Jhelum. That must have been due to her suburban background. He still remembered how she had burst into tears over the phone and that too from her office. The sudden outburst had no doubt taken him aback, but shrewd that he was at that time, it did not take him a second also to hide his actual feelings. But, still he felt that Jhelum had indeed understood and it was this reason which prompted him to deny everything - every word that he had told her, or rather, promised her, when Jhelum again called him at his office a few weeks later to confirm, yes, confirm his words of love. He knew that Jhelum must have wept to her heart's content after that call and he couldn't help but call her after one day to clarify that they were only friends, good friends, and he did not want to lose this "asset" of friendship but did not want to go beyond also. He knew that this would calm her somewhat after all the rudeness that he had shown to her.

"Mr.Ghosh", a grim voice brought him back to his senses. He quickly absorbed himself in the meeting once again. Till lunch, except for some fleeting glances with Jhelum, he did not get any chance to communicate with her. He saw to it that everything progressed such that the project would finally be awarded to Jhelum's company. He was at last feeling happy that he could at least contribute to a part of Jhelum's happiness.

Lunch was served exactly at 1 p.m. A sumptuous lunch was served and a break of one hour was announced. Jhelum was looking forward to this one hour where he could speak with "her" Bodhisatta alone. After having lunch, everyone went out for a stroll but Jhelum sat glued to her seat because she knew that Bodhisatta would never speak to her amidst a group. After having lunch, Jhelum kept staring at Bodhisatta speaking with his colleagues at the door. Bodhisatta was as eager to speak with her and parted with them quickly.

He came back to his seat and gave her his characteristic smile. Jhelum smiled meekly. She felt as if someone had taken away all her strength. They could not speak for a while and it was Jhelum who first asked about Rina and Samay. Bodhisatta was taken aback at Jhelum's "information bank". Like always, she had all his information, from where or whom, he did not know. Bodhisatta wanted to confide in her and speak out his mind, like he used to do, but he replied in brief after starting off with a bang. Bodhisatta could not ask her the same question, as he did not notice any vermillion on her forehead, neither any other overt signs of married status. He did not want to hurt her any more by hurling forth any further silly questions or remarks. But he also wanted to know about his "baby's" personal life, was she married, did she have any children or was she still single. He had heard from their common friends that she had married an engineer working in an MNC, but she had not invited any of them and there was no news of her after that. Jhelum asked him about his previous assignment in the States. Bodhisatta could not resist this time and started rattling off about the whole assignment, his stay at USA, the various people he had met there and last but not the least, how his English had been widely appreciated wherever he went. Jhelum listened to everything with rapt attention. How she wished that time would stand still but that was not to be. Very soon, the others joined back and the meeting started its last round.

At the end of the meeting, Jhelum's company had bagged the project and the deal was finalised. Bodhisatta was the first to congratulate her. Greetings were exchanged with others present at the room and hardly had she finished the formalities, she saw that Bodhisatta came close to her and bid her goodbye. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears and smiled meekly once again. He repeated his words, smiled and turned towards the door in a jiffy. He could not afford to show his true feelings to his "baby".

Everybody left one by one but Jhelum, citing some paper work, stayed back for a while. She went to the balcony to find Bodhisatta driving off. Though she knew that it had been a long wait and it would still be a long time before they met again, if ever, yet, she knew that the "encapsulation" that he had promised years back in class, was present very much till now and would persist till death and beyond - just like it was present twelve years back when he had first said, " Don't worry, baby, you are encapsulated". Jhelum looked up at the heavens and started walking ahead.