I Have a Dream – 2

Yup, I dream in color. I dream fantastic details. Most dreams end with the “The END’ flashing accompanied by theme song music.

Like the other day, I dreamt of Seejo. Now that is weird first because I NEVER dream of Seejo. He may be a part of my dream world (gag gag) but he is never the main focus more like the character actor who has hardly two lines in the movie. But this dream was solely based on Seejo & Me. And set in a typical Kerala mileu. In a house than resembled a movie “tharavad”.

And so Seejo stays in this tharavadu. I stay in the neighbourhood. Seejo & I have a “thing” for each other. Apparently it is well known within the family and everyone sort of approves it. There is a function in Seejo’s house…some wedding, perhaps of a  cousin. Lots of guests. One of the guests is a distant relative. Now this girl is a “gaanv ki ladki” (movie stereotypical).  Very simple girl but stubborn and she wants to get married to Seejo. She makes a fuss, the elders tell “let us wait till this wedding is over and then decide.” . Simple Girl meets Seejo, Seejo brushes her off with a “Don’t be silly”. As a long time neighbour, I attend the wedding celebrations too. I hear the rumors about this girl too. We are not very concerned about it , though.

Wedding is over. people are leaving. Elders decide that due to (undisclosed) “family obligations”, Seejo should marry Simple Girl. They are vaguely apologetic. Seejo disagrees but there are lots of relatives to “make him understand”. He fights them at first but then in the end agrees very reluctantly.

Flash forward to a couple of years later.

Seejo is married, has a one and a half year old kid. He is sitting at the breakfast table. His wife is making breakfast (fresh dosas or something very cliched). Seejo’s kid is sitting on a chair next to him. Seejo is trying to eat his food, his attention is divided between trying to make sure that the kid doesn’t topple over, the food he is eating but mostly he is lost in thoughts. His wife is chattering away…It is apparently a good marriage on the surface. He has no real complaints.

Seejo has just heard through the village grapevine that I am back for a visit. Apparently I left the village shortly after and went to the city.  Although I have come back sporadically to meet my folks in the village, Seejo and I never really connected after that. He met my sister this morning while she passed by Seejo’s house. My sister mentioned that I may come to his house today to meet him and his family.  Seejo realizes that his wife is asking him some questions– he comes out of his reverie, apparently some cousin sister is not feeling that well. Wife thinks she should pay her a visit, and then perhaps go over and stay with them for a couple of days. There are other families nearby that she can visit too.  What does Seejo think.?. Seejo doesn’t really care but encourages the idea— yes, you should go and meet her. Take a break for a few days.  “Are you sure”, asks the wife. “Yes Yes”, he responds ….and then he walks off.

So wife leaves. Seejo waits for my visit. When I meet Seejo, I am feeling sort of sorry for him. I also think it is weird that I am feeling sorry—cos his life is actually well settled. But Seejo and I had PLANS. We wanted to go travelling, get away from the village where we spent all our lives. And now I did it…I managed to get away but he was still stuck here. So there is a feeling of sympathy for Seejo. I ask how he is doing. He nods–he is ok.

Somehow we decide to “live it up”, in the few days that Seejo’s wife is not there. We plan to do (weird reason—but dreams are weird) hot air ballooning the next day. That was how we plan to kick off our adventure. We talk a lot —it is like the two years never really happened. I spend the night with Seejo. We were supposed to get up early and go for our hot air balloon ride. We are happy the next morning. I look out of the window facing the back of the house, and I see a rickshaw arriving, It disappears from my view to go around the house to the front gate.  It is Seejo’s wife. Seejo looks at me, I look at him. We know that this is the end. Seejo moves to the front door to meet his wife. She decided to come back after visiting the sick cousin…the other people who stayed close-by were not at home.. Seemed like a bother to stay there, she is explaining to Seejo.

I walk away out through the back exit—my house is across the road from the back. The dream freezes. It is like a corner view of the house with both the front and back exits seen. Seejo is standing facing the front main gate with his wife…I am on the backdoor pathway  with my back towards the house.

Theme music plays. I am sure there was a THE END somewhere too.