A painful purchase!

His glance ahead was nothing special

Just like on any other day, on any other road

The mud and gravel grabbed his attention

Trees and birds too, but people not much

The color of the dresses, the accessories that accompanied

Mattered lesser than the least to him

But the pointless glance fell on a dress

A dress that made his heart a bungee jumper

For he knew the dress, its color and fabric...

The embossed dots at regular intervals by the sides

The thin threads that hung by the ends of the dupatta

The color of the dress - a color he loved

For it reminded him of his favorite ice cream flavor

Even the smell of the cloth, he remembered

The same smell as his mother's starched sarees

And his glance slowly raised 

From the threads to the embossed dots to the face

And there he stared into the eyes

The eyes that had kept him alive for days.

Months had gone by since their last encounter

And he looked at her speechless

Like he had done the first time

Like he had done the last time

And she spoke the first word, her smile hugging her word

He replied, his smile failing to hug his'

The result - her smile's ego was hit by his smile's failure to show up
Her lips came to their normal

A moment passed as he looked at her

And unconsciously was placed an order with 'Memory' by his heart..

She looked at him, her smile peeping out again

But this time hugging the wave of her hand

And he looked at her helpless, as she walked away

Like he had done the first time

Like he had done the last time.

A pat on his shoulder made him turn

It was the delivery robot from 'Memory'

The order was handed out

It had bold letters printed on it - 'Pain'.

He received it with a smile 

After all, frequent deliveries of the same item 

Had made the delivery robot from 'Memory' his friend..

He was handed the feedback form

A minute it took, to complete his statement and hand it over

By when a delivery robot from 'Reality' had landed.

He looked at the 'Reality' delivery robot 

His mind filled with suspicion

"Why don't you start ordering from us?"

The robot meant business

But its question did not fetch a reply

"We offer you happiness.

We offer you opportunities. Why not buy them?"

The 'Reality' delivery robot pleaded..

He turned away, his stare falling on the 'Memory' delivery robot

"All they can offer you is pain! Why do you want that?!"

The pleading had become anger

The 'Reality' delivery robot was not at fault 

It was missing out on a valuable customer

"At least, let us know why you keep continually preferring 'Memory' over us"

It asked of him, the business strategy perhaps needed improvement

"It does not have anything to do with you"

Finally came his reply, his glance now on his received order

"Does it have anything to do with her?"

The 'Reality' robot asked, pointing its steel hand

He turned to look at the way it pointed

She was walking at the far end of the road

And he turned towards the 'Reality' robot

Replying a 'no' to its question.

"Why then? Why then? Why 'Pain'?"

The delivery robot shouted, its 'Reality' logo shaking with its frustration

"Calm down!" said the 'Memory' delivery robot

And handed its counterpart the feedback form he had filled

The feedback form had a question

"What makes you constantly order 'Pain' from us?"

And below it lay the answer he had written

The answer for the 'Reality' robot's question

The answer for his continuing relationship with 'Memory'

And the answer read,

"'Pain' reminds me of us."