The Leaps Suitors Take - III

Continued from Part I and Part II and continued in Part IV. Alternatively, you can click here or search for "The Leaps Suitors Take" in the tag cloud on the left bar or in the search bar above to get all the parts.

On hearing this incident, Grace had all but decided the names of Suitor 3’s and Sunflower’s children but Vel still remained stubborn. “You don’t get Suitor 2’s potential the way I do. One more time let her have a coffee date and you’ll see how the tables turn.” Radhika and Grace weren’t sure if Vel understood something they didn’t or it was his usual disdain for complying with the groupthink that made him stick to his point. So they just fervently hoped that Sunflower didn’t meet Suitor 2. At least not until there were four baby Sunflowers and Suitor 3s running around anyway.

But a week or two later, one evening, they found Suitor 2 lurking near the pillar where he usually met Sunflower. Grace, who had begun to take an intense dislike to him – whether it was because of her fondness for Sunflower or general objection to Vel’s ideas was anyone’s guess – narrowed her eyes and bustled over to Suitor 2, “Sir, you cannot stand here. A large party of err... Accenture’s senior management are expected here shortly so.. if you could wait elsewhere?”

He eyed her curiously. “I work at Accenture. Funny, didn’t hear about this party.”

Vel gleefully shot Radhika a thumbs-up from his position but she ignored him, focusing on Grace’s conversation… if she sauced an employee, oh they would all be in so much trouble!

“What happened, Vidur?” Another man addressed Suitor 2. He was in his mid-twenties, tall – almost as tall as Suitor 3 – and broad-shouldered. “He looks expectant and eager and yet,” Radhika reflected, “he carries himself with confidence”. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed that striking bespectacled face till then.

“Nothing. Seems we can’t wait here-“

“SAMBHAV!” A girl shrieked. Both the men immediately looked to Radhika’s left, as did Grace and Vel. Radhika, before she turned, cursed silently in her head knowing who that voice belonged to. And sure enough, there stood Suitor 3, surprised and… Sunflower, transfixed. “Oh my God! Sambhav!” She cried and this time she broke off her reverie. She dashed outside and flung herself into that new man’s arms, who immediately lifted her off the ground joyously, as if a matter of course.

Vel and Grace looked as flabbergasted as Radhika felt. She stole a sideways glance at Suitor 3 and then wished she hadn’t. Suitor 3 looked like someone had punched his guts.

Radhika saw Sunflower excitedly chatter away as she made introductions between Suitor 3 and others; her arm linked with Sambhav’s all through, as if both did not want to let go. Sunflower was over the moon and Sambhav, Radhika thought, looked genuinely happy. The party split in about five minutes – Sunflower, Sambhav and Suitor 3 heading out for coffee and Vidur going over to Tower 2 where his office was.

Vel later explained to her somberly that Sambhav was Sunflower’s friend from University and he had newly joined Accenture, after a stint in London. Sunflower and Sambhav were meeting after two years, making him Vidur/Suitor 2’s well-kept surprise. Vidur had called Sunflower when she was on her way down for coffee with Suitor 3, under the pretext of some book he had to loan her, “so can we meet at the lobby for five?”

Grace immediately proclaimed that she always “had a bad feeling about Suitor 2, why can’t he learn from Carlos and help Suitor 3 and Sunflower along?” 

Vel, who had been as shocked by the proceedings as everyone else, just nodded glumly. “Knew, that Vidur had something up his sleeve.” Radhika understood that even Vel didn’t want Sunflower going out of their chosen threee and none of them specially, wanted to go through the bother of naming a Suitor 4.

“Suitor 4 sounds stupid anyway,” Vel remarked sadly. “We know his name is Sambhav.”

But Radhika wasn’t ready to give up so easily. She couldn’t get the image of Suitor 3 pressing Sunflower’s palms out of her head. She remembered the rage with which the two stormed at each other… Grace’s graphic description of Sunflower’s disappointment in that elevator lobby… there was something poignant in their relationship. Yes, Sambhav seemed like a perfect match for Sunflower. But Radhika was instinctively convinced - and could bet everything she had - that Suitor 3 was the match Sunflower wanted.

In a while, she saw Suitor 3 walk back slowly to the office. There was no sign of the other two. “Still catching up, they’d be” Radhika assumed, surprised at the bitterness in her thoughts.  In all the months that she had noticed Suitor 3, he always walked briskly, his head held high. This slow, pensive pace did not suit him. He looked so dejected that she felt obliged to intervene in some way,  “Good evening, Sir!” she called out.

He turned his head swiftly in her direction and she saw that he recognized her. Recognized her and that brought with it memories of another girl. She saw a spasm of hurt flash across his face but it cleared in an instant and he acknowledged her wish. “Hey.. It’s a long day, you should get home!”

“Packing to leave Sir.”

He nodded and went on his way. Radhika wondered if she made matters worse. She had a headache.

That night, the headache became more severe; she contracted fever and was bedridden for six days. Ram went sick with worry. The profit from this being that his worry made him reckless. He came over to her home every day, heedless of all practical reasons he vouchsafed as to why that was usually a bad idea. She couldn't recall the last time she had talked and seen so much of him. She wished heartily that her illness was more serious. But his presence only made her healthier and she progressed from her bed to a wheelchair to walking with support and then without, in an astonishingly quick fortnight. 

The evening before she was going to rejoin work, Ram and her father spent a long time in the garden. She was a little irritated by her father’s lack of tact – Ram comes by oh so rarely, and tomorrow she was joining work too!  Couldn’t they hold their soccer discussions later?

And then Ram came inside. He grabbed her by her waist, twirled her around and said, “The next time you fall sick, fall sick as my wife. Marry me.” 

She stared at him, stunned and maybe that made him less surefire, as he meekly added, “please?”

(Continued in Part IV)