The good and the bad and everything in-between

"Wait till you meet Joey.. you will LOVE him!"

I heard this sentence (or rather variations of the same) repeated over and over by different people that day... usually followed by a couple of other lines of description, such as "He is so funny" or "He is great!" or just "He is CRAZY!!!" 

It was my first day at office and once everyone was introduced to me, I was allowed to spend the first day just idling around the office, getting to know people... and basically understanding everybody's role in the office. It also happened to be the day when this seemingly popular "Joey" was on a leave... and thus all my new colleagues, intent on showing me that this was a very cool office, kept on telling me stories about Joey, who was apparently the 'livewire' of the office. "He is from Kerela, you know.. with this Big moustache and crazy hair and he has this very funny accent... But he is AWESOME!"

Trust me... by the next day even I couldn't wait to "meet Joey"! And then when I finally met him - this stick-thin guy with the Big moustache and crazy hair and weird accent and lopsided smile... I knew I would be one of the people who tells the new joinee... "Wait till you meet Joey; you will Love him!!"

But life has a way of striking the best of us down when we are least expecting it. The same happened to Joey... He had been in love for a couple of years... But a hasty court marriage, followed by a lot of bollywood style filmy drama and Nasty divorce left the poor guy gasping for breath and wondering how his life had come to this... 27 years old and already a divorcee. He acted as if his life was finished. Everybody at the office did their best to support him emotionally, to try to cheer him up and eventually, down the months, he did start laughing and cracking jokes again...but you could see it in his eyes... He had changed...


The divorce left us with only the shell of his former self... the inner core seemed to have withered away. We watched in despair and did all that we could... but how do you teach a guy to learn to trust again...? He seemed to doubt all his relationships and his ability to judge a person...

And then one fine day, Fate took pity on him and Rita walked in into his life. Smiling, bubbly, conventionally beautiful with a propensity of shocking people with her ribald humour when she opened her mouth. She met Joey at a community function and was attracted by his quick wit (now that's my guess... though its open to discussion as to what might have attracted her!) Anyways, for whatever the reason, she set her cap for him... and pursued him with all her heart, confidence and cracking humour. And I don't know exactly how she did it... for Joey by that time had turned into one cynical and dark fellow; but she definitely thawed him out...

One of my colleagues had once asked Rita why she was settling for Joey; a divorcee & a grouch... to which she had simply said... "There was a lot worth saving in him... don't you think so??" and she added with a wink "Besides... Maybe it was just time for him to get lucky!!"

And she was right.. maybe it was time for him to get lucky... The difference she was making was quite easy to note... There was a lightness to Joey's step and sparkle back in his eyes and a perpetually silly grin stuck on his face...

This month as they both bind themselves in "Holy Matrimony", I wish them both a lifetime of happiness and togetherness...

As I browse through their engagement photographs, The smiles on their faces are proof enough of their love and commitment to each other.... And I can't help but think; that even if Rita never does another good deed in her life... she has still secured her place in heaven... afterall... She saved a Man's soul...