To new beginnings

A lot has changed since our last post in November 2018. A comfortable life in our cozy home with intermittent vacations had become the norm for us until a phone call one evening on our way back from work turned our life around! On most days, I would pick up R from the train station on my way back from work and head home together. This evening of November was no different. I was manoeuvring my way through the traffic trying to reach on time, but R kept calling. I thought he was mad at me for being late, but when I finally answered one of his numerous calls, he just said- “Hey! Come lets go to Copenhagen!” My heart skipped a beat. He was just offered a new job in Denmark. I was very happy for him and us, but I do remember crying my heart out when we sat in our favourite spot of the house, sipping our favourite wine knowing that this was the end of one beautiful chapter and hopefully the start of many more to come!

The next month passed in a tizzy. R visited his parents and then we took off for a short break to my ancestral home in Assam. I grew up visiting my grandparents in this house and had spoken to R at length about this quaint house in the lap of nature. The experience this time was as rejuvenating and refreshing as ever. We would wake up to birds chirping and sleep with the sound of crickets outside our window. The sun kissed winter mornings on the bank of a pond in our backyard surrounded by coconut trees made for a postcard picture. It was a perfect tropical getaway where we relished the local delicacies of fresh water fishes and sipped on the sweetest coconut water ever! All this while we played humble assistants to my father who took to the fishing nets and impressing us with his catch.

The night of 2^nd January 2019 was filled with bittersweet emotions. R was leaving to start a new life in Copenhagen and I was uncertain about when I would join him. With R leaving, it was curtains on our beautiful home as well. It just didn’t have the same warmth without him. I moved in to my parents house while R and I adjusted to our new lives in two different countries. R was finding his feet in the new city, and had many stories to tell everyday. Thanks to the marvels of technology, I felt connected with him every step of the way.

Over the last two months, I have been living his experiences of Copenhagen vicariously through our regular Facetime calls. From trying to learn the correct pronunciations for Danish words to finding out more about Copenhagen’s cycling culture, it has been an interesting learning curve for us. I have grown up in tropical weather and have never experienced snowfall. The thought of cold and wet weather dampens my mood. But the picturesque views of white spray painted streets and stories of people cycling their way through these snow covered streets, stopping by a local bakery for a cup of hot coffee and fresh cinnamon roll makes me want to embrace the Danish life. R has beautifully mingled in the Danish way of life, he cycles 15 kms everyday. He is all about healthy living these days albeit the weekly sin of gobbling croissants and cardamom swirls from his favourite bakery Juno. He sends pictures of people lining up at 10 a.m. to get a pastry at Juno. The way he describes the baking process in the open kitchen of Juno and the heady aroma in the shop, I can almost smell the freshly baked breads sitting miles away in India. If not for anything else, I am sure we will do justice to our beloved bikes to burn off the calories we add in Juno.

My plan is to visit R for his birthday in April, a good three months after he left for Copenhagen. As usual, my countdown timer was in place and the result was way too daunting, a good 100 days to go! The other day I told R, I am thrilled to see that the wait time is finally less than 40 days and it is time for us to start planning my upcoming holidays in Denmark. R played along, and I had no idea about what he was brewing. Last Wednesday, 6^th March, it was business as usual for me at work. My manager told me about an important business meeting in the afternoon, however, he seemed unusually relaxed and kept me engaged in pleasant conversations! Minutes before lunch, he came to my desk and announced that the guests had arrived. As I stood up to greet the guests, I was stumped. R was standing in front of me! For a few seconds I froze, till I realised this was real and I wanted to hug him tight.

What followed was loud cheer by my colleagues who were also moved by R’s surprise. I stood there feeling the blood rush to my face as I tried to fathom what had happened. R spoke with me from his Copenhagen home the previous night, and took the flight at night to Delhi while I was asleep. R later confessed that it was so difficult to keep up the secret dodging all my pointed questions in my quest for knowledge! His only accomplices in this plan were his sister and my manager. I have never been this surprised in my entire life. What ensued was a string of surprises to my parents, his parents and the extended families. The emotions captured on camera will be cherished for a lifetime!