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Jab We Dobara Met

Kahi to, kahi to, hogi woh duniya jaha tu mere saath hai,
Jahaan main, jahaan tu, aur jahaan bas tere mere jazbaat hai…….

Both of us had loved this song when he had first listened to it. It is such a bittersweet song and everytime I listened to it before we dobara met, I cried. Today, we were listening to it again, just the two of us, together on a long drive, holding each other’s hand.

Hoti jahaan subah teri palko ki kirno main
Lori jahaan chaand ki, sune teri baahon main…….

We listened to the song in silence until the following lines….

Jaane na kahaa woh duniya hai, jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse, itni khafa nahi.

Jaane na kahaa woh duniya hai, jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse, itni khafa nahi.

And then we looked at each other and said almost in unison “right here, right now.” That duniya the singer yearns for is here, now, for the two of us. We listened to the rest of the song in silence, and for the first time in my life, I felt that I was truly living in the present. Earlier, it was always either remember when we did this or next time we meet, we’ll do this. It was never in terms of today. And now it is. I now realize what it truly means to live for today, to cherish today, to truly live in it and enjoy it.

I was very nervous about how things were going to work out or if things would work out after such a long time away from each other. And it was awkward for the first few minutes, until we walked together from the terminal to the parking lot or something like that. Then it was just like we last met yesterday. It just felt normal, like we were never apart. It may sound cliched but I fell in love all over again with him.

Kahin to, kahin to, hai nasha teri meri har mulakat main……

This coming together after such a long time has made us both even more emotional. Okay, I admit I was a romantic fool to begin with, but now the tears well up at all the tiny things that I only thought of and only dreamed about. Simple things like going to the supermarket together and picking out daily necessities, like going to the mall together and sharing that big Rocky Road icecream, like sitting next to each other looking out at the beautiful lake, not saying anything to each other yet being completely content, or like singing loud and dancing like fools on the “Aai Paapi” track from Kismat Konnection, all of these fill the heart to the brim. I realize how trivial yet so very important these things are. The things I took for granted before we were apart and together again.

I admit that sometimes there is trouble in paradise too. Yea, we fight. Over stupid things. We have begun to learn of each other’s annoying habits, some small, some big, and have started to either live with them or nagging about them over and over again. And its been slightly difficult but I have learned to not sweat the small stuff. Well, almost. He is still not completely settled yet and we are still in the process of getting him his green card. However, despite all that, I am so very content and at peace right now.

B misses home, but that’s natural and expected. He did say today that for the first two weeks he thought, “Wow! I am here,” and now he says that it does feel like home. Like we went away for 10 days and when we returned he said “Its so good to be back home.” He already likes Taco Bell, California Pizza Kitchen, Papa Johns, bagels, Red Lobster, all things that are American, and oh yes! he’s put on some weight. He says he will lose it once he gets into the routine of working and all. Yea right!, I say.

Ma and Pa love him and my little brother thinks he is the coolest dude ever. My sister, MY SISTER! Even she has started warming up to him. He started playing cricket and met just one another Punju player in an all Gujju team and that was like his shining moment of glory!

At the risk of sounding diabetic, I have to say that I never thought I could love anyone like this. That I could be even capable of loving anyone like this. That I could bare all heart and soul for love and be so vulnerable. I get so fidgety when he is not home and I am. It was like this before and it was just fine, right? Its different now. Everything is so different now. This change is good. This year is good. Started off a little bad but 2008 is turning out to be not that bad actually. Touch wood.

Jaane na kahaa woh duniya hai, jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse, itni khafa nahi.

Jaane na kahaa woh duniya hai, jaane na woh hai bhi ya nahi,
Jahaan meri zindagi mujhse, itni khafa nahi.

That duniya is here. Right here, right now. “Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours.”

Shama, I started to write all the juicy details you asked for and came up with this