I, love and you. When these three words are strung together to form one sentence, the reactions followed are usually horrific. When your mom overhears you say those words to someone else on the phone, oh God save you! If your dad hears it, your phone will probably be taken away from you. If your friends hear it, you’ll be subjected to a lot of sniggering, teasing and what not.
Why? What is so wrong with saying “I love you” to someone you love? Does it HAVE TO be your ‘lover’?
Sad life we live, don’t we?
There was a very expressive girl named Suzzane. She believed in voicing whatever she felt. What was in her heart was on her lips. If she loved her friends, she made sure they got to know it. For her “I love you” was a very simple way of saying what the words mean. I. Love. You. Simple as that. There were no hidden facts in those words. All was plain and simple. Of course as aforementioned already, people’s train of thought always went in the wrong direction. Some sniggered, some made fun of her and some even scowled at her. She had once written “I love you” on one of her guy friends’ Facebook Wall and all his friends nearly ate him alive for ‘hiding the truth’ from them.
Oh, did I mention she had a lot of guy friends? She easily said those words to them too – no strings attached – but people failed to realize that. When she made a new friend and suddenly said it to him when he made her happy or feel better, his first reaction would be “Whaaat?!” and then his mind would say – thankfully say – she is really expressive and she doesn’t mean it ‘that’ way. She was carefree. She didn’t bother what people said or thought. Some even called her promiscuous but she couldn’t care less. Okay they have a problem if she said those words to a guy. Leave the girls alone at least? “Gay!” would be the response most of the time. Again, sad life we live, don’t we?
“I love you!”
“All right then, bye!”
Click.
This was the response she always got from one of her closest and dearest friends, Vikas. She never complained but once in like 23 times, it pricked her. One day she decided on asking him about it.
“Hey, I need to hang up now. Mum’s calling.”
“All right! I love you!”
“Okay then, bye!”
“Hey Vikas!”
“Yeah?”
“Why do you never respond to my ‘I love you’? You don’t love me?”
Pause.
“As a friend!” she hastily added fearing he’d take the wrong meaning. “Only as a friend! You know I say that to everyone na?”
“Yes. I do. But I never said those words even to my family!”
For him, his family was the priority. He was never closer to anyone else before.
Well, before Suzzane walked into his life and made him realize there were others outside his house worth his love.
“Why? Don’t you love your family?” she asked.
“I do.”
“Let them know then.”
“Is it necessary?”
“No, it’s not. It will just make them smile. Come on, you could do that much to make someone you love smile, couldn’t you?”
Pause.
“Not wanting to be overtly proud or seemingly arrogant but I know every time I say it to you, you smile. Don’t you think your parents deserve it too? Your sisters? And you know what the best part is? You aren’t even lying or trying too hard! You are simply voicing what you feel! Words can do magic and I know you realize that.”
Longer Pause.
“Hey! Mum’s yelling. Will talk later. Bye!” came Vikas’ reply then.
“Sure, bye!”
Suzzane also loved channeling her love through various media such as personalized gifts, surprises and a few loving texts. They were enough to cheer her friends and that is why she was adored. Same scenario came up with Vikas once. He was dull one day and was barely talking properly. She was not really okay either but her motto was “Friends First!”
She decided on cheering him up and worked towards it all day. She sent him little self-written lame but sweet little poems and texts to make him smile at least once. They couldn’t meet up because both had college to attend. So she made sure by the time he checked his phone in the evening, he had a lot of nice stuff to read and feel happy about.
[You must be wondering why he would wait to go back home to go through his text messages. Well, that was just how Vikas was. He never touched his phone when he was out. He only attended calls and hung up within 30 seconds. Weird slightly, yeah!]
He reached home in the evening and went through his text messages. 17 texts from Suz. He read each and every one of them and his smile – his gorgeous smile – only grew wider with each. He called her immediately.
“Hello?”
“HEY!”
She smiled at the enthusiastic greeting.
“Feeling better?”
“Much better! You really know how to cheer me up!”
She smiled again.
“I just know how to voice my feelings.”
“You sound low, you okay?”
“Oh, I am fine! And, I am so happy I managed to cheer you up.”
He sensed something was wrong and he could easily co-relate it to her awful pangs of loneliness. She was a happy girl to the world but somewhere inside, she felt very alone. That feeling surfaced sometimes. He knew not to ponder her further.
“You sure did! You are amazing!”
She laughed.
“I am not!”
“You are!”
“Hey, have to go! Dinner!”
“Sure!”
“Bye!”
“Hey Suz!”
“Yeah Vik?”
“I Love You.”
Her loneliness and her sense of depression were replaced by the best smile she ever smiled.
Indeed, simple words could weave magic.
