Naina And The Writer

“Let’s do one thing. Let’s go back to my apartment. We’ll go to my bedroom baby. Just you and me - for two whole hours – you and I will – discuss! I will convince you to postpone your trip to New York.” I was living in Bombay. This was where it all began.

We had our own lives to tend to. Neither thought we’d have the time for each other. I had just started my career as a writer. Correction – I was hoping to make a career out of the tales that my imagination managed to create. She was into advertising big time. So big, there was almost going to be no time for me. She was about to leave for New York in a week’s time. She was going for some three- four months. There was no way I was going to be able to deal with that. The biggest problem was the financial situation.

“It’s a big project and it’s going to help me grow immensely. They are one of our biggest clients. A writer can work anywhere in the world sweetheart. Why can’t you come along with me to New York?”

“Darling, who in the world is going to finance my stay there? Hello, I don’t even have a single published article. I have not begun earning yet! Besides, you know I want my first novel set in India. In Bombay! We’ve been over this already. I can’t work in New York. It’s impossible. As much as I badly want to be with you, NYC is out of the question baby please.”

Wait. Halt. Time-out! I am supposed to be convincing her to post-pone her trip. But you know what my real intentions are; I want her to cancel it for good. I don’t want her to go at all. I’m not being selfish. It’s only that I can’t take staying away from her for so long. I’m not giving up here. This time I’m making sure she cancels it for good. I’m not being mean. Come on everything’s fair in love and war.
This is me – Arzaan Khusrau – hunting for ways and means to hold my lady-love back. I was madly in love with Naina – Naina Subherwal.

“It has been our dream all this while to work at least for two years in New York Arzaan! Don’t make this hard for me. You know you always do. Please baby, not this time.”

It was true. I always made the process of Naina going away from me, even for a day, sort of difficult for her. I never did it on purpose. But I just couldn’t do without her for too long. “This is mania sweetheart, not love.” I always agreed. I was madly in love with her and I had no problems whatsoever in loudly admitting that.

Except, it was serious this time. It included moving across continents. This was definitely major and I couldn’t be as relaxed as I usually am, even in the most paranoia-inducing situations.

I tried everything. Right from “why can’t you do one more project here and then we both go to New York…” to “will it help if I touch your feet Naina?”
Nothing worked. She kept her stance simple, just like my writing style. But she wouldn’t budge. Almost that entire week, love was war for the both of us. But to my rather great dissappointment, I could see only one way out of this.

I would have to go to New York. I changed tact. I began the process of convincing myself now, to move my arse to the fast paced city, which hopefully would remind me of my dear Mumbai and I prayed with all my heart that New York could feed my imagination with things enough for me to be able to weave an interesting yarn.

I began telling myself a lot of things. I repeated all the striking features of the city inside my head everyday. Hard rock café. Times square. Madison square garden. Central park. The empire state building. Queen’s. Brooklyn. S’barro’s. The statue of Liberty. Starbucks. Even NYPD Blue. “It’s going to work out Arzaan. You can do it man. As Naina always says, “ek lekhak duniya ke kisi bhi koney mein kaam kar sakta hai.” You just have a mental block. You're getting inspired right here!Once you get rid of it, you’re good to go. You can and you will write your story in yes, you guessed it right! New York of all the places on this planet!”

Three weeks later, Naina and I landed in New York and it was beautiful. You know something; to be honest, the only reason I got to NY was my love for Naina. All the excuses to apparently convince myself were just a formality. I wouldn’t even term it fake reassurance. It was purely love that dragged me here. The things Naina did to me and made me do.