Star-Crossed?

 They dragged the mattress, one side lolling sadly to the ground, picking up dust along the way. The two girls carrying the contraption didn’t have the necessary muscle mass or height to be able to hold up the weight.

But they tried. Valiantly.

“Should I make a pivot joke now?” asked Romi.

Priti rolled her eyes, “You’re not Ross! Just lift and let’s get to the terrace”.

They both nodded and climbed the last few stairs. The door to the terrace was open. It had been this way for the last few months. The enforced lockdown converting even the ordinary homebody into someone who desperately craved the open sky. Children, dogs, old women alike flocked to the terrace at different hours of the day, to escape the humdrum of the pandemic. Sometimes they played a simple game of fetch with their pets. The building kitty party group even had tombola events every alternate Saturday. The pandemic had stolen a lot from them, but most of all, it had stolen the sense of leisure.

And electricity.

Continuous power supply suddenly seemed elusive. Almost as if the general feeling of ‘FUNK’ had even hit the power plant.

No electricity meant that the girls decided to have a mini camping trip. Romi had suggested dragging the mattress to the terrace. Their landlady, who shared the flat with Romi and Priti, was away for the weekend. This made it very easy for the girls to agree on the plan, since Mrs. Kakkad wasn’t around to remind them that the mattress was hers and they weren’t allowed to move it around willy nilly!

The girls finally reached the terrace and proceeded to lay the mattress on the ground.

Two more trips to the flat and they had pillows, blankets, two cups of hot chocolate and some twinkly lights set up on the terrace.

“Bliss!”, sighed Priti, laying down on the queen size mattress.

Romi copied the motion, folding her arms under her head, looking up at the night sky in wonder.

The stars called to her, the moon shrouded in a mist that was equal parts smoke and equal parts fog.

“What are you thinking?” asked Priti.

Romi smiled faintly. “What if every person we have ever loved and lost is represented in the night sky?”

“What do you mean?” queried Priti skeptically.

Romi turned to face Priti, “What if every man you have ever loved and lost because of shitty timing, became a star in the sky?”

Priti snorted. “I refuse to believe ghosting Gopal is something as brilliant as a star!"

Romi giggled, “Not him for sure.” Priti nodded. “But what about the good ones?”

“The good ones,” Priti asked, curiosity coloring her words.

Romi nodded, “Correct people, but wrong timing. The tortured heroes! The ones who never got over some deep trauma in their life?”

Priti twisted her mouth, “Like junkie Jinesh?”

Romi shot Priti a irate look. “You’re being deliberately obtuse!”

“Then?” asked Priti, sitting up. “Do you mean abusing Abhishek?”

Romi sat up as well, “No!”

“Then?”

“Uff! You are killing the mood!”

Priti snorted, “You sound like me ex!”

There was a beat of silence. 

Then both girls burst into silly giggles. 

As the hilarity subsided, Priti asked again, “What did you mean?”

Romi looked up again. The stars, the few that were visible in the polluted sky, twinkled in the darkened city. The lack of artificial lights made the stars look brighter than ever.

“You know, sometimes you meet someone and they’re amazing. But the timing is just off?”

Priti nodded. “Like you and Rohit?” This time her voice was soft, sympathetic.

Romi nodded. “Every time two people who are right for each other meet at the wrong time in life- “

“What if a star is born every time this happens?” finished Priti.

Romi just looked at Priti, her heart in her eyes. “Yeah? You think that’s possible? You think its possible that its not random? That its not just fate playing games? Maybe this happens so often, because thats how stars are born?”

Priti looked up at the sky again. “So that the night isn’t dark and lonely?”

Romi nodded, “So that the stars remind us that we’re not alone!"

The girls sighed in unison, their silly story giving them a smidgen of peace.

And for one moment in time, only a small stolen moment in time, it made sense to them. 

Why two people who seem destined for each, often meet when the timing isn’t quite right!