The Conversation

Hi everybody, long time since I paid some attention to my first blog. Now that I am done with the love story blog (for those who want to read it, click here) I felt it's high time to resume what I like best, short fiction. So what's in store this time? It is a short script, fully conversation based (like those drama scripts) and I have just two characters here viz Ankit and Dr. Sunil. Dr. Sunil is a psychiatrist cum counsellor. Ankit is a 18 year old boy having his own personal problems and has been made to visit Dr. Sunil by his mother to help him cope up with them. The whole script is a session between the two in the doctor's office.

The original concept is by my brother Akshay and the story has been written by me. Hope you enjoy the proceedings, and hope I did justice to your idea bro.

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Dr. Sunil: So finally you are here, sitting right infront of me in my office. I hope you are comfortable.

Ankit: Yeah, big deal. Look, I'll make one thing straight. I have least interest in sitting here and talking any shit. I am here because my mother didn't leave me another option. So whatever it is, let us get done with it fast.

Dr. Sunil: Most of my patients feel that way during their first visit. It's quite natural. First of all, do you know why you are here?

Ankit: I don't give a damn what anybody has told you or what anybody thinks about me. It is my life and I am going to live it the way I want to. Nobody, including you can change that.

Dr. Sunil: Nobody wants to take your right to live the way you want. It is just that there have been certain incidents that have made your mother worry about you, and I would be helping you sort out your problems. Plain and simple.

Ankit: My problems eh? What the fuck do you know about any of my problems?

Dr. Sunil: No, I don't know anything. That's why I want you to tell me. Let us start with the year 2004, 6 years back when your parents got divorced. How did you, as a 12 year old accommodate such a situation?

Ankit: You had to bring that up, didn't you? Everybody does. Everybody just expects that a child would keep mum when his parents are just short of strangling each other, that I would be fast asleep in my room while they yelled and cursed each other the whole night. That I could be calm and composed while they just fought over me in front of everybody in that courtroom. I am just a piece of chocolate right, come just fight over me to see who gets it.

Dr. Sunil: Your history says that about five months after the bitter divorce, you were apparently arrested with possession of cocaine.

Ankit: Why apparently? Yes, I had the dope with me. So did a couple of my friends. But they were let off. Why? Because of their rich dads. And me, I wasn’t even left with a person whom I could call my father. You don’t know what it is like to have a father yet not meet him.

Dr. Sunil: No I don’t. But I do know what it is not to see your father at all. Mine died before I was even born. But we can leave that part aside for now. What I am more interested in is what made you go after drugs?

Ankit: Nothing made me. I started it by choice. What else was I supposed to do? The dope was the only thing which kept me sane during that phase.

Dr. Sunil: So do you regret that? The dope I mean.

Ankit: Regret? Hell no, but I do regret calling those bastards my friends, real cowards without any balls.

Dr. Sunil: Nobody can help you when there is no regret inside you for what you have done. But after that short stint in juvenile prison, your record has been clean and that is something to be happy about. But it seems recently your behaviour has changed a lot. Your mother says that you have been very withdrawn and secretive about your whereabouts and what you do. What do you have to say on that?

Ankit: Oh man. That lady doesn’t stop. What the hell is wrong in wanting a bit of privacy? She wants to know everything damn thing. Can’t I have a bit of life of my own?

Dr. Sunil: There is nothing wrong in wanting some privacy. The thing that worries her is you being out for entire nights without her knowing where you have been. As a parent, I can tell you, that can get very worrying. You have the right to go wherever you want, now that you are an adult. But it is still your duty to let your mother know.

Ankit: She would just freak out as usual and come up with some lame excuse just to make me stay. You ever had any problems at home doctor?

Dr. Sunil: (Slightly taken aback at the sudden shift) In fact I do. Why do you ask?

Ankit: So how do you go about solving it? Visit another psychiatrist?

Dr. Sunil: If you think that any psychiatrist can help mend a troubled marital relationship, then please do recommend, I won’t mind seeing him. But this isn’t supposed to be about my problems.

Ankit: See? You are yourself running away from your problems and all the while trying to solve mine. How can I trust your judgement in that case?

Dr. Sunil: Alright. So what do you suggest?

Ankit: I suggest that let this be a two way communication. You come out with your problems first, and then I tell you mine.

Dr. Sunil: Seems fair enough. Only thing is that you are too young to understand this issue.

Ankit: Try me. I may be more help than you think.

Dr. Sunil: Well, I have been married for about seven years now, have a beautiful three year-old daughter from that marriage. Life was perfect till about a year ago. My professional commitments gave me less time to spend with my family. Things had begun changing.

Ankit: So how did your wife react to this situation?

Dr. Sunil: Initially she kept quiet. Then slowly her frustration began turning into anger and yeah, we had some serious fights. But then, the fights just turned into total silence. Now we stay under the same roof, but are like total strangers. There is hardly any conversation, so much that even a passing greeting has become a rarity. I may have been a heck of a good doctor, but when it comes to domestic matters, I suck. You see, once you are settled professionally, the money and the fame ceases to matter. I want my life back as it was. That’s my side of the deal. Now it’s your turn.

Ankit: That’s quite a story doc. So now you want to know about my side? It’s way much simpler than yours. All those nights that I am out, I have been seeing somebody. That’s not a crime, is it?

Dr. Sunil: That depends on who that somebody is. I guess this somebody is a female.

Ankit: Yes, it is a female. And I love her, I can do anything for her. You know, all these years I thought God had cursed my life, showered me with all the pain and suffering that he could come up with. But then, when I met her, I realised that it wasn’t the presence of pain that made me suffer, it was the absence of love.

Dr. Sunil: Are we talking of real love or just casual sex?

Ankit: We are talking of both actually. It is real love from my side, but I am not too sure about hers. Sometimes I have a feeling she is doing it only for the sex. But you know what? I don’t care. With her, I can be myself. She makes me feel complete.

Dr. Sunil: If you love her so much, why have you kept your mother in the dark about it?

Ankit: She would never understand. She would just try to keep me as far as possible from her. And I cannot risk that. For once in my life, I have found someone who would love me for what I am.

Dr. Sunil: Ankit, your mother loves you very much. Every mother does. Why do you feel she won’t understand? It’s perfectly natural for a boy of your age to fall in love.

Ankit: I don’t think it’s normal for a 18 year old to fall for a married woman.

(Pause)

Dr. Sunil: Now that’s something we’ve got there.

Ankit: See? You don’t understand it too.

Dr. Sunil: I understand what it is to fall in love. I too had fallen in love with the lady I married the first time I saw her. But in my case, she was perfectly single. So is there a reason why she spends so much time with you in spite of having a husband?

Ankit: I don’t know, and neither do I ask her. Why bring unnecessary controversies when you are actually feeling good?

Dr. Sunil: That is not what you can call unnecessary controversy. It might be okay for you to spend time with her, but it is a serious issue that someone who’s married is spending her nights with an 18 year-old.

Ankit: They say love can make you do crazy stuff. Maybe this is just one of them.

Dr. Sunil: Yes, love does make one go crazy. But what’s going on, it is not love, I can assure you that. To me it seems that just the way you want to be loved and cared for, she also might be having a need for some male attention. Human beings want that.

Ankit: Yeah right. So now you want me to stop seeing her. Why the fuck can’t anybody stand seeing me happy.

Dr. Sunil: I am not at all implying that. I want you to talk to her. Find out what her problems are. Considering the amount of time you have spent with her, she might even tell you.

Ankit: That would be the end of our relationship doc.

Dr. Sunil: You know what, if there is any real love between you two, it won’t be. But if all this was just satisfying one’s physical needs, it’d better stop. The sooner you know, the better.

Ankit: (Choking) I really am confused. I do want her in my life. And I also know that the society in general would not allow it. But I will talk to her as you said. Maybe it’s time for things to be made clear.

Dr. Sunil: It’s never too late to try. I have realised it myself. The people closest to us are the ones we tend to take for granted. In my case, it has been my wife and in your case it has been your mother.

Ankit: I guess so. But could you do me a favour please? Don’t let my mother know of this affair. If I am to continue this relationship, I would tell her myself. But if not, then she’d better be in the dark. You docs keep these sessions confidential right?

Dr. Sunil: Yes, we do. Whatever you’ve told me is only between you and me. So you don’t need to worry about that. And I also would like to request a favour from you.

Ankit: And that would be?

Dr. Sunil: Could you please tell Anita that her husband still loves her and wants her back in his life badly?