Red, Blue, Green, Yellow…. Shoot em’ all!! #Friday Fictioneers

“The red one, dad”, my son squeaked, bringing back all the memories that flooded deep within.

It had been a year since dad had left us and gone.

He had seen me become a father.

Today as I stand near the shooting balloons game on the beach, I think of him again.

PHOTO credits Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford

All the Saturday evenings that I spent playing this game with him flash before me.

It takes me to the day before he died. He had caught me drinking in depression. 

A promise he took from me and breathed his last. The balloons looked similar to stacked bottles. 

This is a 100 word fiction written for the Friday Fictioneers brought about by Rochelle Wisoff- Click here to read the prompt and here to read the other entries in the link-up.

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I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to write as frequently as I can.

Winter Bucket List!!

With the rainy season just passing by and leaving us with a few spells here and there it's time to welcome the season that brings with it serenity and tenderness. It's time to welcome Winter!!!

Winter has always been one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. There is a kind of feeling where emotions outplay you. It is that time of year where you find yourself luring into romantic sounds, you find yourself squeezing inside think blankets, when your mornings are nothing but a silent quarrel between you and your alarm clock and it is also that time of the year when the climate lets you fall in love with itself.

Winter always reminds me of Christmas. The carol singing, the crib decoration, Santa Clause, Stockings, gifts etc.

Following my fellow blogger Nabanita, I landed up on the link up activity on Fall Bucket List. Since, Winter is my favorite season I planned to put up my Winter Bucket List:

1. South Mumbai: I moved into Mumbai a couple of months back after my marriage and since then I havent had the time to explore south Bombay. I did visit Marine drive and Delhi Darbar :) but I wish to walk and explore the entire South Bombay on one weekend.

2. Cook from my heart: As I said in one of my previous posts, I never enjoyed cooking before my marriage, but now I do trying out stuff on weekends when I have time. So this is up on my list. I will try new recipes and ofcourse put it up on my blog too soon :)

3. Adapt in my new office: With marriage, there has been a lot of change that has come around in my life. One of which is I landed up working in a huge organization where I still haven't found proper friends and it is sickening to go to such a place everyday. I am going to try and make new friends and stop cribbing about this.

4. Fitness: Fitness is something that I have given up owing to the lack of time which supposedly is something I shouldn't be using as an excuse. I am planning to get back to working out as much as I can and planning to get back in shape.

5. Creating a small Garden: It has been on my checklist to create a small garden in my balcony with tiny pots where I can sit and enjoy the evenings by sipping a cup of hot Coffee in Winter. I hope to get that started soon.

6: Write and Write: Now that I have made it a point to write as much as I can, I wish to continue this with passion and determination.

There goes my list, Now if you have yours, why don't you put it up on your blog or drop them down in the comments section? Who knows it may motivate you to have a great Winter.....

I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Five Sentence Fiction - Grief

A five sentence fiction inspired by the prompt
"GRIEF"
Lillie McFerrin Writes


"The mad woman", that's what the passersby called her. 

I saw her standing at the same place every morning on my way to work; shabby and tattered, she stood with a small white basket.

She would dance on the road, obstruct traffic, make some noise so that someone would look at her, have pity on her and drop a penny.

It so happened that on one such day, she stopped me; I dropped a few coins in her basket.

She smiled back and said, "God bless you", but all I could see behind that smile in her face, was "Grief".


I am a Write Tribe ProBlogger with a commitment to myself to write as frequently as I can.

Operation Con-Narco

This post is inspired by the contest, "100 words on Saturday" at Write Tribe. 

The topic is, "I knew it was my last day there". I managed to weave a story of 100 words that includes the above line. 

Operation Con-Narco

Colossal amount of time had passed since I was sent to the enemy land for an imperative mission. Operation Con-Narco was devised to gather information on the barbiturates that were administered to the soldiers of our country to reveal furtive information. Delegated on this mission a month back, I seduced the doctor who was vitally responsible for the research of the drug. With the chemical equation in front of me, I heaved a sigh of relief as I transferred the information on a secured mail. Seconds later I heard the door open, I knew it was my last day there.   

The summer's day tale

                                                     

There I go to flaunt my WOW badge again. A second post at blogadda that became post with the "WOW" factor :)

It was the second last day of school. As always, I parked my bicycle in the stand and ran to my classroom. I threw my bag on the third bench in the last row and ran outside the class to the back gate of my school.

The grass was my refuge whenever my black shoes were filled with mud. I hurriedly rubbed my shoes on the grass to look neat and tidy. 

“I hope my ribbons are in place”, I murmured to myself and adjusted the ribbons tied on my hair. He would be here in no time and my lips will unknowingly broaden to flash a radiating smile which would make my eyes jealous and they would widen up in excitement.

Just two more days and we would part ways. I may never meet him again.

I don’t know if I would be able to tell him how much I liked him.

There was a deep anxiety inside and I didn't know what this feeling was as I was very young.

“It’s just infatuation, Suzanne”, My elder sister had warned me.

With a million confusions at the age of 14 I was unsure if my hormones were changing and playing cynical notes of symphony in my heart.

“Suzzane….. “

“Suzanne……………….” I felt a hand on my shoulders trying to wake me up from a dream. Startled by the voice, I turned.

It was him, he was standing in front of me in body and spirit......... and my mind and soul had suddenly stopped functioning making me search for words....

“Rishab….hmmmm…. ahem…”

Unknowingly, I waved him a “hi” although he stood just a feet away.

“Suzanne, It’s our second last day at school and we still haven’t exchanged our phone numbers. Can I have your number?” he casually asked me.

“Of course, give me a paper I will write it for you” , He pulled out  a paper from his book and gave it to me. I hastily penned my phone number with a broad smile on my face.

School got over and within a month, Rishab had called me twice on my phone.  

Daddy had got transferred and we were moving out of Guwahati  to Delhi. 
Sheena, my sister was excited as we were going to live in the capital city of India. Everyone at home were elated, but I sat in the corner waiting for everyone to leave me alone for sometime so I could pick up the phone and dial Rishab’s number to inform him that I would be leaving the city soon.

It was the 31^st of May 2003, a hot summer day when Daddy, mummy, Sheena and I left out of our two bedroom apartment on Lokhra road in Guwahati.

We crossed our school and I screamed, “Daddy wait, please stop the car”

To everyone’s surprise I ran out of the car in speed and went straight to the third gate.

I wanted to see him once before I could go, but he wasn’t there.  He had called me earlier that day to say that he would wait at school for me. 

"Where was he? "

“Maybe he never felt the way I felt for him”

“I was such a fool to be crazy for him”

I sat on the grass and sobbed till Sheena convinced me to get into the car. Mummy and Daddy thought that I was going to miss school.

Years passed and after that summer's day, I had never tried to contact Rishab. Life had changed and I had begun to move on. Maybe I was angry that he didn't turn up that day or maybe I was ashamed that I was such a fool to be mad for someone who didn't deserve my affection.

8 years later I was invited for a reunion party at school in Guwahati. On having convinced mom and dad I left for Guwahati.

Although I had decided that I would never step into my school again, I deeply wanted to go for the reunion because of a very obvious reason.

The school hall was decorated and I caught a glimpse of all the familiar faces. As I slowly began greeting everyone, the blood started racing in my arteries because in no time I would be greeting Rishab.

My eyes kept glaring at the door.Half an hour had passed and eventually I had begun to loose hope. The next few minutes were lost in the visions from the past until something unexpected happened.

"Looking out for me?" A familiar voice reached my ears. Rishab stood behind me in a black blazer and looked stunning as ever.

I tried not to reveal my excitement on seeing him. I didn't want to be fooled again. But to my surprise he leaned forward to give me a light hug.

On asking the waiter to prepare a drink for him, he held out a glass of coke. "There's too much of commotion here. Come with me" He pulled my hand and led me towards the back gate of our school. I was truly awed. 

"You look beautiful, Suzzy", He said with a softness in his voice.

"And you look dashing Rishab...." I paused and said, "As always !!!"

We spoke about work and I got to know that he was working as a software engineer in Australia. He suddenly deviated from the topic and began talking about the days we spent in school.

"I am sorry Suzzane, I couldn't make it that day when you left Guwahati" He began to answer me the question I dared to ask him.

"I was helpless" He said with pitiful eyes."I had slipped from my cycle that day while coming to meet you and fractured my right leg. I couldn't even contact you later as I didn't have your phone number."

His eyes gleamed intensely as he tried to justify destiny that had torn us apart on that summer's day. I looked into his eyes and in a minute forgot all the anger that was buried deep inside.

"I had a confession to make Suzzane" he came closer to me just an inch away and said, "I had a mad crush on you when we were in school, I just didn't have the guts to tell you. I would wait to see you every morning near this gate"

Had cupid actually struck him? As I couldn't believe my ears. Was it a dream? My heart began to play a million romantic bollywood numbers.

That evening I confessed about the feelings that I had for him in school. We spoke ignoring all of the other classmates. It was actually a reunion of two hearts who were separated by time.

He dropped me at my hotel and I stepped out of the car.

"Suzzy"

"Yes Rishab" I turned to hear him.

"Will you be free tomorrow morning before you take your flight back home?"

"Yes I would make myself free Rishab"

I waved him a bye, turned 180 degrees and I blushed thinking that he had actually asked me out.

The stars sparkled above me and the moon smiled as I blushed reminiscing every single minute of the day.

Wondering what would happen the next day I fought with my pillows trying hard to cross the sleepless night and meet him again

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Write Over the Weekend theme for this week

… And I Blushed! Write a post this weekend by including this phrase anywhere in your post. Let us know when, where and how it happened.

                

Swindler in disguise !!!

"Good evening, Gentlemen. I see the wine would not be sufficient to satisfy your famished stomach.", the waiter in a black and white suit chuckled at the two men who had been sipping their wine for quite sometime.

Handing over the menu he suggested, "Why don't you try some of our finest delicacies? How about tasting Petite Lamb Shank and grilled Merguez suasage?"

"Frank, that sounds perfect for dinner, ain't it?" the taller among the two spoke in a shrill tone.

"I agree with you Dylan." the other man raised his brows and tilted his face to one side agreeing on the menu.

"Your order would be ready in 15 mins, Sir", the waiter returned with the menu card.

The grand shimmer at the epicenter of the restaurant mirrored the vehicles that passed on the street opposite to the restaurant, Bloomsbury Bistro where the men sat enjoying their dinner. Black wheels of Nissan Juke screeched at the Whitaker Mill Road exactly opposite to the restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina.

At the steering was a young woman with a nerdy face in her late 20's.  Her appearance didn't seem to harmonize with the black Prada that looked vivacious on her. The cold winter had deteriorated her and her fingers were cliched to the steering wheel while she tapped her legs in nervousness.

"Hannah, I really think this is the best move.", the blonde who sat beside the steering wheel comforted her.

"Dylan is a pro at it, I am sure Frank will confess his infidelity today", Hannah bit her lips as she spoke in anger but deep within she wanted Frank to be innocent.

Dylan tried playing with the second button in his shirt as he adjusted the mike that he had hidden inside. He kept looking at the shimmer to see if he could find Hannah across the street.

"I will lift my glass as a sign for you to be more vigilant." Hannah picked up her binoculars and adjusted her focus to the shimmer.

"Give me my earphones Siena, I've received the signal", Siena rushed her hands through the back seat of the car and pulled out the earphones.
Hannah connected them to the receiver so she could here the conversation.

"Dylan, man my wife, Hannah makes scrumptious grilled Merguez Sausages. You should come home sometime to try them." Frank boasted about Hannah's cooking skills.

Sienna glanced at Hannah and patted her on her thighs warning her not to get carried away. Hannah's fierce eyebrows dropped a  little and she went back the most beautiful moments that she had shared with Frank.

"Honey, these sausages are delicious........" Holding the sausage in one hand and his mouth full, Frank pulled Hannah and held her around her waist, "Am sure not a single soul could surpass you in the entire Raleigh"

Hannah pulled the microwave door as it squeaked and pushed Frank aside smiling. "Oh Frank I am totally in love with you" She ran back into his arms missing out on the door of the microwave.

Their love had grown over the past two years and Hannah, just like every woman in any part of the world was proud of her husband and she knew she would never be the victim of betrayal until that one night.

It was 12 in the night and Hannah was woken by the beep on Frank's mobile. It was a message that read, "Baby I miss you !! come back soon !!"

The sender had no name and Hannah hadn't spoken about it to Frank. However, each day the suspicions increased as Hannah began to question Frank's behavior and character.

Suspicions led to questions, questions led to frustrations and frustrations snaked to fights and arguments.  Frank denied every doubt and that was when Siena had advised her to hire a detective so Hannah could do a reality check.

"You pay me good Hannah and I will give you the truth", Dylan promised Hannah
"Money can be arranged Dylan, I want the truth in any condition", Hannah urged.

Dylan posed as a client and scheduled a  dinner with Frank the next day at Bloomsbury Bistro. Little did Frank know that Hannah was invited too.

"The deal seems to be clear Dylan, I shall ask the VP to contact you soon.", Frank assured.

"Thank you so much Frank, Would you mind if I ask you a question?"

Frank nodded in agreement.

Outside in the cold winter sat the two woman in a Porche listening to the conversation. "He wouldn't get the half a million dollars that my dad had promised him, if he walks out of our marriage." Hannah reminded Siena about the deal her father had made with Frank which he would receive on their third marriage anniversary.

"In just a span of two years, I've had three marriages. How do you manage to keep the same ring on?" Dylan  got personal with Frank.

"Hannah is a wonderful lady Dylan. I cannot dream of another woman in her place. She holds me through every thick and thin."

"Yeah, she surely is Frank". Dylan agreed not able to figure out why Hannah had ever doubted a man like Frank who had spoken so many good things about her in the past 2 hours.

"Maybe you were wrong Hannah", Siena objected.

"I am so glad I was proved wrong Siena, I need to apologize to Frank for having doubted him", Hannah wiped the tears that fell out of happiness.

"I am sure you should Hannah. You should be getting home soon for it. I will take a taxi home", She got out of the car waving at the smiling Hannah.

The street was crowded with heavy vehicles. A speeding car suddenly stopped and Siena got into the car. "Alexander road",Siena adjusted her dress and ordered the driver.

She felt fingers snuggle up to her waist and turned with a naughty and sensuous smile.

"Oh my baby I am so glad you didn't blurt out anything.", She hugged the man sitting next to her.

"Yes Honey, you just have to wait another ten days for the third anniversary and then we would have the half a million dollars", Frank kissed her passionately.

Around a mile away, Hannah stood at her kitchen making grilled Merguez Sausages.

This post is part of  Contest 8.. on WriteUpCafe.com

This story is written for a contest on WriteUpCafe and inspired with the following theme.

"There are two men sitting in the booth of a diner eating dinner together and talking. A woman sits outside in a parked car, watching them through the window. Who are they? What is their relationship to one another? What are the men discussing? What is the woman thinking? What does she do next? Write a story that opens with this scene and explores these questions."

The Woman who loved unconditionally !!!!

(Yippee Mine is a WOW post !!!!)

“I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world."-Mother Teresa.


Writing a post for WOW - brought about by Blogadda, has been on my cards since the first time I happened to have a look at it. And the topic for this week was as follows,

Who is the person from history that you would like to meet and talk to? What would you like to ask?

Numerous people made history, they brought about a change and they still do through their ideologies and philosophies. My mind raced through them and when a choice had to be made I stumbled upon a chosen few.

Adolf Hitler - the man who empowered the entire German fraternity. But I was wondering what would I question him about.
Abraham Lincoln- a very famous man or even our country's leader Mahatma Gandhi......

Not being convinced with the above options my search continued. There were many such names that crossed my mind, but I was searching for one person who would make me smile when I write and that was when I decided to write about that one lady who taught the world to love !!! And she is none other than our country's very own, "Blessed Mother Teresa"

Born as an Albanian, she had joined the order of "Sisters of Loretto" and she had been teaching in one of the schools in Calcutta. As she had stated saying that it was when she received "The call within a call", she decided that ignoring the call would be breaking her faith. Her faith and her unconditional love for God made her serve humanity in the most fittest manner.

Blessed Mother Teresa picked up the homeless, the sick, the destitute from the roads, the gutters and sometimes those who were abandoned outside her home. She had once said, "The biggest suffering a man can ever get is solitude and loneliness." 

She pledged to be a mother for all of those who were blind, crippled, homeless, aged and lonely. In the earlier days when she didn't have funds for her convent, a rich man had spat on her face when she had asked him for alms. But mother had patiently cleared it and asked him again, "Thanks for what ever you gave me, but what will you give to help my poor people".

I was only 9 when Mother Teresa had passed away, I am lucky to have been a part of the generation that could witness such a tremendously compassionate person. Although I do regret the fact that I never got a chance to see her. 

In history if there is any person I would like to meet then it ought to be our "Blessed Mother Teresa". She found love and Jesus in every person she saw. And she taught even a dying woman to forgive her son who had abandoned her. 

Wherever she went she spread love, because she knew that every human being on earth wants to be loved, wants to be taken care of, wants someone to call their own and for those who didn't have anyone, she stood by them. She held their hand and showed them the world. The home she built was not for her to live, but it was for all those lonely people who were in need to solace. 

Did you know that the fingers in Mother Teresa's feet were in a criss-cross fashion?

Many people would donate old and used slippers and Mother would segregate them ad pick the oldest and most ragged slipper and use it as her own, giving the other better ones to the people in her home. 

A Nobel laureate and a woman who with a simple white and blue bordered saree touched the lives of millions and continues to do so. 

  One of her sayings that I have always looked up to is, "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." 

If I ever get a chance to meet her, this is what I would ask, "Didn't you ever get angry on the man who spat on your face?" 

And I am sure show would blaze her radiant smile and tell me a no. 

I would ask her to teach me to smile in every situation, in every manner because a smile is something that costs very cheap but when we have to spread it we treat it as something very expensive. 

Well after doing a lot of research to write this post I am all set to read her Biography. Hope you too are !!

Have a blessed week ahead and do not forget to spread your smile !!!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.......

To Shop, Hop to Shopper's stop....

"Cynthia, I totally forgot to mention about Ravi's wedding", My cousin was discussing with me about her tour plans. She had called me from the States an hour before her flight to India for a visit.
She hurriedly tried to tell me the details of the call, "Cynthia, could you please shop some clothes and accessories that I and your Jeeju(her hubby) could wear for the wedding. I was so lost in getting stuff ready for the visit that this totally slipped of  from my head"

"Sure, Didi I will buy it for you both", I was all the more happy to help her out.(I was being selfish in one way because I love shopping and this just gave me another chance be lost in the beautiful world of shopping :P)

I logged onto the Shopper's stop website as my cousin had been very particular about it. She had given me a list of detailing about her clothes and her husband's which kinda made it easier for me to select stuff for them.
"Go in for a light coloured Saree, you know I prefer elegant stuff", I remember her mentioning about it.

Deck me up:
"Sarees" The tab caught my eye and I started my search for a saree that would be gorgeous for a wedding and which was a little light in colour. After going through a number of varieties of sarees from netted to Georgette to designer ones, I landed up choosing "Ashika Net Embroidered Lehenga Saree"

Match me too:
Once the main dress for the evening was ready It became simpler to choose the accessories. I noticed that the saree had designs in the shape of a flower. "Bingo, that was going to make my search simple", I thought.
A saree, "What next? Any guesses? Well .... I had to decide on something to adorn her ears and her neck"
I kept searching for a necklace which had some design of a flower and yipee, Shopper's Stop had exactly what I was looking for, "Zaveri Pearls Flower Design Set" (My gosh I was envying it. It looked tremendously inviting :))

My next stop was, "Earrings" (Thanks to online shopping, everything seemed to be only tabs away :P) To suit a silver based necklace I went into the "Fine Jewelry" section and I found exactly something complimenting the necklace- "ASPEN Earring Model No: E0141AWD" The star design suited the necklace and looked similar to a flower .

My cousin had once told me that she fancied watches a lot. What more could match her desire than a Fossil watch ? "Fossil - Womens Watch - ES3018"

I tried my luck with a few RINGS. I found one that was trendy and stylish suiting her Saree."Lucera Silver CZ Ring RF5011"

She never walked out of her house without her mobile and a pack of tissues. I wanted a clutch that could suit her requirement and leave a fashion statement too. A light ping clutch with silver work on it caught my eye. "Haute Curry Clutch - ICORCL1"

Walking in style :
Last but not the least I had to select the perfect footwear. A flowy lehenga type Saree would be perfect on high heels. And my search was complete when I found the perfect one that suited the colour of her Saree and would make her look terrific. A well dressed woman with the wrong footwear spoils her image. So I had to be extra careful in choosing the sandals "HAUTE CURRY - Sandals"

Well I matched everything together and this was what I pictured her as --- A gorgeous beauty.

                                                 

My next task was a Herculean one as I hardly have experience in choosing clothes for men. But there is one motto of mine that made it very easy for me find the perfect clothes for my brother-in-law. Well, the motto says that one can guess ones personality by the kind of clothes he or she wears.

My brother-in-law is a very soft spoken person with a dynamic personality. Keeping this in mind I started my search to make him look equally dashing.

Dress in style :
He was a businessman by profession and someone who didn't like wearing sherwanis and pathani suits. So I wanted to go in for something that was professional yet something which set up the festive mood. This was what I went in for "Blackberrys-Mens Slim Fit"

To match the suit I wanted the perfect cufflinks. I found one that matched exactly with the suit "Infinity Cufflinks -09025S"

He was a man of few words but a someone who loved having a collection of pens. So I chose a fine pen that would look elegant on his suit. "Vettorio Fratini Ball Pen - BELLAGIO1B"

My next stop was to choose a watch for him and being a brand freak I went in for an espirit watch "ESPRIT Timewear - Mens Watch - Atrium Chrono Brown".  My cousin had asked me to purchase a wallet for him and I searched for something that would compliment hos suit "Hidesign - Mens Wallet"

My last stop was the footwear section. I loved it when men wore shoes which were pointed towards the toe. And I found one that suited my requirement "FRANCO LEONE - Mens Formal Shoes".

I tried to ensemble my selection for my jeeju and this was what I had selected.

With everything ready, I am waiting for my cousin and my brother-in-law to be dressed in their best.

This post is written for the contest "The perfect festive look" brought about by Shopper's stop www.shoppersstop.com. If you are a part of Indiblogger do vote for my post.

The Perfect Summer Romance

He raised the accelerator of his bike and raced away leaving behind dust particles on my face. I walked the whole way home wondering if I had a second chance to save my relationship. But I knew it was over. The answers that I would have to give my parents were lingering in my head.

“I told you to be careful”, my mother would say.

“How would I search another suite for you?” my father would accompany.

Making up my mind to face everything bravely, I walked into my house and sat in front of my parents.

“Beta, Kyahua, why do you look so upset ?” My mom asked me lovingly. (I knew her love would go to ground zero when she would get to know my answer)

“Maa, paa, Rahul rejected me, He says I don’t look as beautiful as I looked in the photo that was sent to him a few days back. He says it would be shameful for him to go out with a dark skinned girl like me.” I said this and heaved a sigh of relief.

“I told you to take care of your skin, you are always playful. Tomorrow I will send your photo to another boy and he will also reject you. This is what you want right?. You never listen to me”, my mother screamed. (Exactly as I had thought and in the same tone)

“It’s ok beta, you compose yourself, I don’t think he is a suitable boy for you”, my dad convinced me.

I went into my room, locked it and stood in front of the mirror. I touched my face and thought, “Had it not been for the trip to Goa, my skin would not have got tanned and Rahul wouldn’t have rejected me?” Thread of thoughts got entangled in my brain when my phone rang.

“Hey  Meghna, wassup? How are  you girl?” It was Kyra on the call. (We had become friends on my trip to Goa.)“Hey Kyra, good to hear you. How are you doing?” I enquired.

“Well, good !!! But you don’t seem to be good what’s wrong.” Kyra smelt something fishy in my tone.

I narrated the entire incident and said, “You know ! Kyra, the sun in Goa was bad and I got totally tanned. Wish Rahul gave me a second chance.”

“Chuck it girl. You will have better options. I got a ticket extra for a trip to the Andamans. Join me na. It will be a great experience. And don’t you be reluctant because of your tan. I’ve got a special magic for you.”

She gave an idea for an exciting adventure and hung up.

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“Hey Kyra”, I caught a glimpse of her at the airport terminal in the Port Blair (Andamans)

“So good to see you Meg, I am so glad you made it”, Kyra hugged me and introduced me to the other members of the group.

“So where are we going first” I enquired

“We are going to check-in to the hotel and then drive to Corbyn beach” Kyra announced.

And we checked into the hotel  whereKyra and I shared the same room. We freshened up and started to get ready for the beach.

It was a 15 minute ride to Corbyn beach and on reaching the beach my excitement had died down. The hot sun shone brightly and I was all the more reluctant to step out of our car. Seeing me in a state of “Whether – to-get-out-of-the-car-or-no”, Kyra asked, “What’s wrong with you , Meg? Aren’t the waters inviting?”

“No Kyra, I am scared to get out in the sun.You know the whole Rahul thing right?”, I replied.

Kyra came close to me trying to take dig for something in her handbag, she said, “You remember the other day I spoke about a magic, this is it. She came and handed over the magic.”

“Lakme Sun expert?” It read on the outside. “Yeah this is my magic. You know why everyone calls me a sunshine girl? You know, Why I love travelling even in the hot sun? Its because when I have this magic with me, why worry about petty things like skin tanning?” Kyra concluded.

 Assured with Kyra’s faith in her magic potion, I applied Lakme Sun expert for the first time.  The evening sun fell on my face and to my astonishment it hardly pricked. “Was I imagining or was the magic actually working”

We were enjoying in the water when something caught my eye. “Coconut Water!!” I screamed.

“What happened Meg?” enquired Rohini, a member of the group. “My grandma always told me that the best way to beat the heat is to drink coconut water” I suggested. “That’s a good idea Meg”, Kyra replied.

We gulped the water and discussed out plan for the next day. We went in for a oil massage too to keep the body cool and not suffer from a sun burn.

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Ross Island was our plan for the next day. Situated in the Andamans, we had to take a boat to reach this island. Water was the only medium of transport. Tall trees, dilapidatedchurches, a museum were the adorning features of this island. (That’s what I thought, but little did I know that there was something else unusual that was going to happen)We had some Amla that was sold in that island. Again this was my mother’s technique to save myself from the heat.

The sky roared and suddenly it started pouring like cats and dogs.Me, Kyra and the entire group found shelter under the shade of thatched coconut tree leaves.We were playing with the drops of water falling from the shade of dry coconut trees. Our vision was blinded due to the fierce rain but something very unusual caught my eye. In the shade next to ours stood another group similar to us and amidst the rain I heard a voice which had once been very close to my heart, saying “Kritika, come and join us, it’s fun.”

My heart skipped a beat when I heard him. I turned to see him holding the hands of a girl and calling her.

“Kyra, see that’s him”, I pulled Kyra’s arms pointing my finger in Rahul’s direction.

“Oh, that’s Rahul, he is a stud though. Well, who’s  the chick with him, trying to miss the fun”, Kyra retorted. Thoughts of Rahul and the girl lingered in my mind when I heard someone call me.

“Meghna”, A young man waved his hands towards me.

“Yes”, I replied turning to see someone wave at me, whom I hadn’t seen before.

“MeghnaSahai, the high spirited girl, the topper of school, How have you been?” He spoke in a flow. Taking a closer look I realized that it was Akash, my best buddy at school. (who had been my childhood crush too)

“I am doing good Akash, It’s been so long. What a pleasant surprise to have seen you inthis paradise”, I replied.

Akash and I caught up onold stories when he happened to introduce me to his friends and that was when I saw Rahul again, “Meg, this is Rahul, my friend from office and this is Kritika, his fiancé..”

 Turning to Rahul he said, “Rahul, this is Meghna, my school buddy”, He introduced me to the person who had lost his identity in my life. I ran searching for Kyra to tell her what I had heard and I tried not to cry all along.

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I sat with Kyra in our hotel room still filled with memories of the evening when my phone beeped. It was Akash. I felt my pulse take a hike seeing his call. He said he wanted to meet me and hung the phone saying, “Meg, I have something to say. Will tell you when I meet you in person”

I looked at the mirror with another fear of dejection. Kyra enquired on what Akash had said and she tried to soothen my negative thoughts, “What is Akash loves you, Meg? What if he proposes to you tomorrow?”

I had no answer to give to Kyra and slept off hearing “KabhiKabhi mere dilmein……” on my ipod after having a glass of butter milk

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Akash had said that he would meet me at Jolly Buoy island. It was 1 hour ride in the ferry from Port Blair. Kyra dressed me in a knee length white dress with a noodle strapped shoulder. I didn’t forget to use the miracle(Lakme Sun expert) that Kyra had given The miracle had worked over a period of time and I realised that the tan because of which Rahul had rejected had actually gone.Akash stood near a coconut tree on the island and I had seen him while getting down from the ferry.

“Man you look gorgeous Meg” He walked towards me. “Thank you”, I blushed.

“Meg it’s been in my heart since we were in school and when I saw you yesterday I decided that this time I won’t let you go. I was crazy about you in school Meg but never had the guts to say it to you. While packing my bags for this tour I never thought I would meet you. But you know how lucky I am to stand in front of you today and to actually tell you my feelings. I love you Meg and It has always been only you and no one else. Will you marry me?”

 I heard this, paused for a while and hugged him accepting his proposal.

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Kyra was sitting beside me in my flight back to Mumbai. I looked at her and thought, “Had it not been for her, Rahul would not have rejected me, My trip to Andamans would not have happened, The miracle of Lakme would not have worked for me, and finally I would not have met Akash, the love of my life.”

I sat back smiling and turned to Kyra and winked at her, thanking her in my heart( of course Kyra was wondering about my wink J)

This post has been written as an entry to the contest Lakme Diva Blogger Contest . If you are a part of Indiblogger, please vote for my post

Just a click away...... :)

“Wheeesh”, Sushma opened the curtains of her bedroom window early in the morning. The rays of the morning sunlight fell bright on her face and her fair skin glittered. Opening the window she closed her eyes and smelt the fresh air. She breathed in and out and tried to save the fresh breathe in her chest. This was her meditation as she had a long day ahead.

“Beep beep”, rang her mobile, she smiled hoping it would be the person she loved and picked it up to check.  “Good morning dear, Have a nice day. Last day to pay the electricity bill”, it was her husband, Raunak. He was out of the country on an official visit and Sushma had to manage the entire house on her own. She wondered “This Raunak does not even ask me how am I, he directly reminded me of the bill” She sulked as she hated standing in long queues to pay bills and this department of household chores was Raunak’s.

“Okay will take care of it darling ”, she messaged back to Raunak.
Sushma turned to see the clock, it was 7.00 AM. She made her morning tea and went to open the door for her newspaper. She was always a freak when it came to news. Her mornings were incomplete without her newspaper. But alas today there was no newspaper. “Oh my, yesterday was a national holiday, I totally forgot”.


She sat on her couch and suddenly it flashed her mind. “So what yaar, I have a TOI app on my mobile, cool I can check out the latest happenings on it”, She picked up her mobile and started reading the headlines. She got lost in her morning tea and taaza khabar.

 “Oh my god, I got to wake up Rohan”, she screamed looking at the time. Rohan was her 8 year old son.

She was making breakfast and waking up Rohan at the same time when she received a message on her Whatsapp messenger, it was her boss, “Sushma need you in office in an hour with the client presentation, I forgot to inform you last night that the meeting has been advanced and it is going to be at 10.00 AM.” Sushma couldn’t believe what she was reading. The presentation wasn’t ready and she had to reach office in one hour after getting her son ready to school.(And yes we forgot, dear Sushma had to pay the electricity bill that her dearest husband had asked her to do :P)


She told her auto-driver to race to the electricity office and then to Rohan’s school. As bad luck would have it, the queue was even longer than she had expected.
“Oh God, If I wait here, I am sure I will be sacked from office today”, she told herself.


 “Bhaiyya, take me to Lovedale school”, she told the auto-driver.
“Maa, why don’t you pay the bill through internet on your mobile, that day my friend was saying that his mom uses the internet for paying bills as well”, Rohan gave his mother an idea that Sushma couldn’t deny that it was a bad one.
“Hey Rohan beta, that’s a wonderful idea”, she patted Rohan’s head and logged in to the website where she could pay her bill. It took not more than 5 minutes and Sushma crossed her first hurdle for the day.
                                             

Rohan got down at school and Sushma's office was a half an hour long drive. “How am I going to complete my presentation in 45 minutes, I just don’t know”, she kept blabbering. “I think I can inform my junior, that’s a good idea Sushma :P”, she patted herself but her time to praise herself didn’t last long when she realized that her junior was on leave today. Disheartened she kept fiddling with her android phone trying to figure out some solution. She missed her husband. He had been out only for two days yet it seemed a whole year for her.
On the same day a month back she remembered an incident. It was their 10th wedding anniversay and Raunak had surprised her with something special. She opened her eyes that morning to see a parcel waiting for her. Opening it she found that Raunak had gifted her a smartphone.
"Wow Raunak, I so needed this ", she screamed and hugged him.

"Did you like the surprise baby?" Raunak asked.
"Oh yes dear its lovely", Sushma said in excitement. 
Raunak continued to describe the features of the phone, " It has an 8 megapixel camera, an android mobile, you can check mails, it has the best internet connection of Vodafone, it makes presentations.........", her thoughts suddenly stopped and she drifted back to the present seeming to be baffled.
 “Oh yes, why didn’t I think of this before, I can make the presentation on my mobile. Raunak had told me. How could i forget!!!!”

“I hope this product would bring equal appreciation to your firm as well as ours”, she stood in front of her client and her manager and completed her presentation.
"Thats a great work Sushma, you did it in such a short notice" Her boss congratulated her for giving an amazing presentation. She looked at her mobile, blinked and thanked Raunak deep inside for having given her an awesome gift.

Relaxed that the presentation was successful she returned to her cabin. She sat on her desk when someone knocked at the cabin door."Hey Sushma, i wanted some details about Ramnath Engineering College, your friend is a professor there right", Riya, Sushma's colleague enquired.
"Yeah you are right, I do have a friend but i have lost touch yaar.", she replied reluctantly feeling bad that she couldn’t help Riya who was very depressed lately.
"Oh that's sad, I relied on you for that yaar. I am leaving for admissions for my son and I was confused between Ramnath and another college." Riya spoke continuing, "Wait a second, is she your friend on Facebook?"
                                                    
"Yeah Riya she is, I can contact her right away through my mobile", Sushma sent a message to her friend and got the information for Riya in no time. Providing the message to Riya she got back to her office work. It was a long day ahead and Sushma got lost in her work when her boss knocked the door of her cabin.

"Yes please", replied Sushma.
"Sushma you have to leave immediately to a site to get the details for the next project, I hope you get the deal sanctioned", ordered her boss.
She left off to this remote village where she had to sign a deal with the client.
"Oh my I left my laptop in office, how can we view the documents regarding the deal?" exclaimed her client
Sushma remembered her boss's words that she had to get the deal sanctioned.
She picked her mobile to see if she had coverage and yes, :) she did have. Her client logged into her mailbox and the deal was sanctioned. Sushma returned to office and was astonished to see her entire team congratulate her on the deal. :)

       

The clock struck 6.00 PM and Sushma was ready to leave office when she received a call. "Sush, what's up, How are you?" It was her cousin Sonia on line.
Sushma was very excited to hear her, "Haan, Sonia tell me? How are you? I am doing good."
"Hey I am in town, and very close to your house. I am dropping home thike", Sonia told Sushma and hung the call.

Sushma who had been very excited about Sonia coming to meet her a few minutes back, suddenly realised that she hadn't made anything for her dinner. She rushed back home from office. On her way she picked Rohan from tennis classes which he attended after school and also did something very useful. She logged into a famous Punjabi restaurant's website and ordered the food online all for her dear cousin, Sonia who loved Punjabi food. 



Sushma and Rohan welcomed Sonia and relished the dinner with her. Sonia was delighted to have her favourite food with her favourite cousin. After dinner Sushma and Sonia sat on the couch discussing their life and work when Sonia received a call.

"That's so bad, I will catch the flight right away and come there, you dont worry." Sonia answered the phone worriedly.
"What happened Sonia? Is there any problem?" Sushma consoled Sonia.
"Yeah Sushma, my mother-in-law has been admitted in the hospital for chest pain. I have to leave for Mumbai immediately" Sonia replied
"Oh that is insane Sonia, don't you worry. I will check for the tickets", Sushma told Sonia to get ready while she booked the ticket for her through her mobile. Sonia thanked Sushma for all the help and left to catch her flight. Sushma prayed for Sonia's mother-in-law.

Sitting on her bed alone, thinking of Raunak she decided to give him a call.
"Hello Sushma, I've missed you, How was your day?" Sushma was relieved to hear Raunak's voice.
"I missed you too sweetheart. There is so much to tell you." She went on to tell him the happenings of the day.
"I must say your anniversary gift is awesome Raunak. My day would have been so different if not for my phone. I can't imagine how my day would have been without my phone"
She thanked Raunak and lay on her bed pondering. Her mobile suddenly beeped and she had received a message.
“Thanks a ton Sushma for the timely help. Admitted my son in Ramnath. Feeling so relaxed.:)” Riya had messaged and Sushma was smiling.

Sushma heaved a sigh of relief and switched on the television. To add to the events of the day she saw the advertisement of VODAFONE, it displayed at the end,"Wherever you go our network follows". It was so true. If not for the network and the internet connection on her mobile would she have survived the hurdles in the day.
She wondered with deep thoughts,
"Would my day have been the same without the INTERNET ON MY MOBILE???????"
                                                
She had the answers to all her questions. ”I paid my electricity bill, I completed my presentation, Facebook, Newspaper...... The entire world is in a palm sized instrument called a mobile phone. Thanks to Vint Cerf and Alexander Graham Bell. I no longer have to rely on wired cables and desktops to finish my work. I do not have to worry about anything when life is ---- "JUST A CLICK AWAY...."


This post has been written as an entry to the contest "Internet is fun on Vodafone"". If you are a part of Indiblogger vote for my post here