Wanni and Brian

Most of the times when people want to show love, affection they show it through some sort of a physical contact. When its love between two people from the opposite sex, it is deemed and expected that they marry and live together.

When I was in school, secondary school, I had heard someone say, love is a very difficult thing to get, meaning, you may have boyfriends now, but from amongst millions only one will get to marry the guy she is in love with.

In movies also, I was always shown a boy courts a girl, girl shows attitude for some time and then falls in love with the boy. Then they face resistance from their families and after lots of drama and tears, all fall in place and they marry, to live happily ever after.

But in real life, I came across a story or rather a real tale of these two people whom I’ve known for some time now. Some time as in I’ve known Wanni for more than 18 years now. Met her recently, coincidently. Like fate wanted me to meet her and write about her, her experience with love.

I’m sharing this with my readers obviously after receiving permissions from both and also after changing their names, but other than that the rest of it is true.

He saw her at a family gathering, a picnic of some sorts, when he was just in his teens, class 9 i.e.14years old, to be precise. She was in class 7, not even in her teens, just 12 at that age.

The next time he noticed her was during Navratri, a Gujarati celebration of dance and music, which has spread throughout India and amongst all Indians now. 

Their parents shared quite some common friends because of which they often bumped into each other at family and social dos. Then he asked her to be his friend, those days a Hindi song “kya tum mujshe dosti karogi” (will you be my friend) was very popular. He sang that holding her hand in his car, while their respective mothers were in the front seat. She blushing, (should be) said “NO”; that’s what a a decent girl of those days was expected to say!

All this went on for some time, he used to come with the excuse of going for a walk while trying to see her board her bus early in the morning, and then waiting with binoculars in his balcony for the same bus to bring her back in the afternoon.

Finally she relented, and agreed to be “just friends” with him. And they went on like that for some time. Planning and pushing their respective parents to organize more outings and picnics so as to be able to just see each other. Those days there were no mobiles or the internet, so they had to use the telephone to talk to each other when their parents were out.

Though a strong bond it was completely platonic, it was those small somethings that are nothings that made them click and stick to each other. Things like talking from underneath the blanket when his brother was sleeping with him, or keeping a place for her near him while playing games with other family members, so as to be able to hold her hand, play with her fingers.

But then one day, his mother came across them and found out, and as seen in all Hindi movies, they were made to move away. He was made to promise never to get in touch with her and she too was told to keep distance. But they managed to sneak out at times and talk or meet up somehow. But both knew a future together was not in store for them.

Soon after this, his mother started a mad girl-hunt for his barely 18 year old son. And she found her match in a 16 year old girl, very pretty, very beautiful, just how she wanted her “bahu” (daughter-in-law) to be who was more necessarily from his caste also.

He was engaged, to a much prettier girl, someone who had lots of dreams and love in her eyes for him, he too was much in love with her also.

I don't know exactly how things were for him after that, but I know this much that, as Wanni’s parents were unaware of things between her Brian, and his mom, made her attend all those socials like old times, but this time she had to see her Brain with someone else, holding her hand and looking in her eyes, like how he used to do when they were together. She also had to attend his marriage and show her enthusiasm and enjoy it too.

 

In a way she wanted his marriage to work out and wished him happiness but also was sad that it dint work for her. But as she was still young and had lots to see in life was confident she will meet her better match too.

During the same time, she had finished her school and moved to a new place for college, met new people and more boys. But Brian was always around, somehow destiny used to make them meet and they used to pick up threads from where they had left.

It dint matter that he was married, she was dating someone else, or they dint have a future. They had their bond, their something special, yet platonic.

She also got married to a very caring and loving guy with whom she shares a very special relationship, but still Brain is Brain for her.

Time flew away, years have now become more than a decade, they both met so many people, so many special people, some still there some left, but they are still there for each other. Wanni and Brian.

They were separated by tons of excuses that were by relationships, by time, by distance, by families, by responsibilities, but destiny kept them together, through Love. Being together need not mean being physically together. Just knowing that there is someone for you somewhere is more than enough.

For me this is the best love story that I have come across in real or in reel. It taught me one thing, love is not about getting married and having sex, its about you, its more than that, coz no matter what you have your feelings are yours.