L is for Love Stories

Love stories – we have all seen them in movies, read them in novels and books, some of them we ourselves starred into.

But the ones I am talking here are the ones I saw them unfolding and blooming over course of time.

 For my graduate studies, I stayed in a girl's hostel for 3 years. Those 3 years away from home in a very conservative town taught me a lot of new things. I made so many new friends, faced so many setbacks and learnt so many things about relationships; most importantly that not everything is what it looks like on surface.

As I jot down these stories here, I need to say that in no manner, am I trying to judge any of the folks mentioned here. I was not in their shoes, so I cannot even imagine what we're the circumstances that led to way finally those stories turned to.

A close friend A, right from the first day claimed his unrequited love for a girl from his neighborhood. Always bought gifts for her when went back home. But finally ended up marrying someone else and the reason was "the girl wanted to be a working professional. And I didn't my mom to be cooking in the kitchen even after having a bahu in the house" and the funniest part, ever since he got married, he never stayed in his home town. He has been travelling for his own work with his family while his parents stayed in the home town.

Another friends S & R, whose love story seemed too filmi and too dramatic to be true, they made it against all the odds and ended up being together. Seeing their pictures, married and with cute kids (thanks to FB) reminded me how we used to make fun of their hand holding, hour long talks outside hostel gate and all the cute gifts in girl's room.

Another friend M, who was the most introvert in our group and whom we last imagined to have a great, fell flat into love, that too at first sight with the girl he met at a relative's wedding. Even years after they have been married with 2 cute kids, I still remember the day he told us and we all coaxed him into going to meet her to her place. That too with her parents and her brother and sisters in the house.

These are just some of the stories I watched happening over a span of time. Many more happened, some with happy endings, some with not so happy ones. But in the end, life just keeps going on.