“You can’t run forever, Dhruv. The more you run, the more the bitter past will try to catch up,” Prerna counseled.

“She asked me out for coffee last evening. All I could manage was to say a ‘No’. My body was drenched in sweat. This is the third time I have refused her. She tries to strike up a conversation at the slightest pretext. I am planning to take a transfer,” Dhruv blurted out. 

Prerna watched an array of emotions, splash on her dear friend’s face. They had parted ways after school.

Dhruv was now a banker. Prerna had followed her dreams to become a psychologist. Their paths crossed again when Dhruv booked her counseling session. Only when he met her, did he realize that the psychologist was his old friend.

In the first session, Prerna learned that Dhruv’s wife had left him and their 2-year-old daughter for another man. She remembered Dhruv’s mother too had deserted him to pursue her dreams. Prerna realized that Dhruv was too broken to handle the second blow. He suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. It got worse when women tried to befriend him.

His good looks and pleasing mannerism attracted women. Each time a woman approached him or even suggested an evening together, he would get panic attacks. If she persisted, he would take a transfer to a different city. His only focus was his daughter.  

When he lived in a different city, he sought online counseling. 

Prerna had started him off on CBT*and two years of therapy had healed him. But he insisted on meeting Prerna each time a lady tried to get friendly with him. He felt intimidated.

“May I know the mysterious woman trying to woo you?” Prerna teased. “Medha works in my bank and has recently moved into my neighboring flat. And Ahana seems to like her.” Dhruv’s eyelids fluttered rapidly.

“Dhruv, don’t you miss having a partner in your life? Instead of running away, embrace your fears. Talk to Medha, spend time with her, and get to know her. I think you need to give her a chance. Why can’t you both start off being friends?  And if you are hell-bent on running away, I will neither see you nor give you online consultations. Go find another counselor to vent your thoughts,” she clamored. The last sentence didn’t miss its target.

Prerna noticed this was the first time Dhruv had walked out of her cabin without arguing. This was certainly a positive sign.

Prerna had known instantly who Dhruv was talking about. Medha had recently recuperated from depression. She had lost her 10- year-old daughter and her husband in an accident. Medha had mentioned a single father, she was drawn to. Through her interactions, Prerna learned that Medha was a kind-hearted and genuine person. 

Prerna hoped against all odds that the two would hit it off together. Their companionship would assuage the deep wounds within them that therapy or counseling failed to reach.