A storm was brewing. It wasn’t the usual Man Woman drama – Oh no! That was for mere mortals. This was a tryst between Fate and Destiny.

Fated to Love or Destined to fall apart? The lives of Kate and Edward hung around on the strings of these two puppeteers! Each time one would pull a little harder, the other would let go. Each time they came a little closer, one or the other drifted away!

Edward shut his eyes as he felt the plane increase its acceleration on the runway. The past year had been strangely exciting for him. At 46, just when he had thought he had it all, he realised that life hadn’t even begun for him. They say faith could move mountains and this proved to be true, for a man as rigid as him.

For what was the third time in life, Edward Scott had been deceived by a woman. Did it really matter whether she was a romantic interest or maternally related? Did circumstance play a part in justifying deceit?

As the Boeing rose into the skies, he tried to make sense of his scattered life. There was a couple with a young toddler on the seat opposite the aisle. He watched intently as the mother helped him with his cereal, while the father adjusted his bib. He noticed the delicate tender mannerisms that each parent indulged the child with. Was he theirs’s by birth? He wondered.

Adoption is noble. And it is not uncommon to have it within the family. But it gets complicated as years pass by. His mind wandered into the room at Nuffield Health. The old lady on the bed and the man beside her. The angst on their faces, the fear in their eyes. He saw himself at the edge of the bed, looking at them, studying them. ‘Son’ - the word resonated yet again, giving him goose bumps, making the hair on his body stand straight at attention! He had acceded to the fact that he was a loner, that no one wanted him for him. He had made peace knowing that he would never be able to bare his all. He was moving along, just fine. Then why, he repeatedly kept the questions coming. Why did Fate have to intervene? Why did Destiny want to tease him with the dance of love?

A squeal from the little boy brought him back to the old couple in the room. He should have been smiling at the pearly giggle that erupted a few feet away from him and yet, Edward had never felt such heart wrenching pain. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for emotions. He didn’t know what to feel, or how. It almost felt like a joke that was being played on him. It felt as though the Heavens were pulling the strings at their own whim and fancy.

He stared at the monochrome ceiling as he drew the blanket over his body and shut his cabin. He needed to be alone. He flicked on the screen in front of him and scrolled down aimlessly at the list of movies. A choice on that list made him stop and he took a deep breath in. His ‘Pretty woman’ wouldn’t use him like the others, would she? His Kate would understand him, wouldn’t she? Absent mindedly, he pressed play. She loved this film. She often teased him about serenading her, just the way Edward had to his Vivian.

In every scene, Edward found himself relating to his life with Kate. Would he ever be happy? Would she?

He couldn’t let himself break, not at this juncture when Kate needed him the most. Yes, there was always the possibility that she could hurt him, just as the others had.. but this was a chance he had to take. ‘Wanted to take’, he corrected himself.

He was caught between women.. not in the physical sense but emotionally. And then it suddenly dawned on him.

As the cue came for the movie to end, Edward opened his eyes and smiled. He would have to flirt with both Fate and Destiny. Who would win and who would lose? Did true love really conquer it all or was it a mere fallacy? The storm was brewing and it was going to engulf everything that came in its way. The only way to stop it, would be if the course changed. And it would take the daunting task of both, Fate and Destiny to converge their power and work in tandem.

The question is – Would they?

The pilot announced their arrival into the Indian skies. In just a few minutes, they would touchdown in Mumbai. The past eight hours had given Edward a glimpse into the future, thereby connecting all the dots of his past. He had it all figured out, the only thing left was to put Kate through a trial by fire – literally.