Touch of Life #BringBackTheTouch

Sarah was depressed. Not for a day or two, but since 5 months. There was no reason for her depression. From the outside, nothing seemed to be shady. She had the perfect job in an ad agency. She was pretty, talented, smart and sensible. She had worked hard for the past 5 years in her job and she was a go-getter ever since she was a child. Sometimes, success makes you lonely and it was the same for Sarah. She was a loner. She never had friends. She never had a social life. She never interacted. She spoke less and kept to herself. But she was the best at work. Not that she never had the urge to make friends or share her deepest problems with anyone, she just felt she never had time for it. And by the time she felt that it was necessary for a friend, she had forgotten how to make one.

After attempting suicide a number of times in the past month, she realized that she needed a lot of courage. She finally decided to jump from the bridge near her house and end her life. It was a breezy winter evening. She wrote a suicide letter in black ink saying that no one was responsible for her death and folding it into two she gently placed it near the lamp on the study table. Latching the door, she decided to walk her way to death. All the memories from her childhood flashed before her eyes. She remembered her parents and her brother whom she loved so dearly. She pictured their faces when they would see her dead body. Nothing could stop her from choosing her destiny.

It was late in the night and the bridge was almost empty. She climbed on it and walked to the edge. Saying a small prayer, she said sorry. Turning around, she confirmed that no one was around. Gathering immense courage she pushed the lower half of her body to take a leap into the sea with open arms. It was as though she was embracing death. At that minute she felt a touch. She felt a hand clasp her. She felt touched. A quick shiver ran through her spine. She felt like a coward as she was caught doing the most dreadful thing.

“Hold on”, she found a male voice behind her.

“Do not jump!! I will hold you”, she turned to see who the savior was.

Behind her stood a young lad in his late 20’s, who stood there holding her hand in amazement. She turned and he was lost in a stare-off for 30 seconds. He helped her on the way down from the bridge and dropped her to her place without uttering a word. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them left each others hand as well. There was a strong unspoken conversation that had taken place with that touch.

The next morning, Sarah found a bouquet of flowers at her door with a small not in it. “Smile, for not everyone knows that he would live the next day” – Love, Roy

Roy stood below her balcony to wave her a good bye. This happened for a couple of days. Everyday there was a new note. Sarah didn’t make up her mind to speak to him. Finally one morning, when she opened the door instead of the usual flowers she found Roy standing.

“I just moved in as your neighbor a day ago. Can we be friends?” Roy tried to charm Sarah.

The reluctant Sarah finally opened the doors of friendship. She had found a friend, she had found a confidante and she had found the love of her life. A few months passed and Sarah and Roy were found walking by the bridge where they had first met. This place no longer haunted her anymore. She thanked God for having given her Roy. The touch of Roy’s hand reminded her everyday that there was hope in the life that she had lost. The touch brought her happiness and vanished her fears and depression. The touch rekindled her zest for life. It was the touch that brought life into her drooping existence.


This post is inspired by a topic at Indiblogger Happy Hours called #BringBackTheTouch  http://www.pblskin.com/
 

 

#Five sentence Fiction - Falling and Failing!!

 

 

A five sentence fiction inspired by the prompt

"Falling"

Lillie McFerrin Writes

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I stood at the tallest building, gazing up at the sky and thanked God for helping me achieve whatever I had wanted.

 

At that very minute, I remembered the person who was instrumental in my successful music career.

 

 It was my Grandmother.

 

I had been rejected by 10 music directors and I sat wailing in her lap.

She then comforted me and said those priceless words that resounded in my ears even today, "Falling and Failing are filled in the baggage of every successful person, It's upto you to strive hard and lighten your baggage"

 

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

I host the 10/10 Tuesdays prompt with Deepika. Do visit here

# Friday Fictioneers - Let the light in

PHOTO PROMPT Copyright-Rochelle Wisoff-Fields

The last time they met was at the farewell party in college, the day he had performed with his band, "Rock-crashers". 

It had been years since she had met the heartthrob of her college.

Sara had loved Ben secretly but never had she gathered the courage to speak to him about the deepest feelings of her heart. 

After 5 years, she had seen him outside the coffee shop and followed him to his studio. It was in tatters. 

She pulled the curtains and let the light come in. She was determined to fill his life with the same brightness.

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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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#Five sentence Fiction - Commotion & Confusion!!

A five sentence fiction inspired by the prompt

"Confusion"

Lillie McFerrin Writes

*************

Hither and tither, it flew around creating a ruckus.

I jumped high and low, from sofa to chair.

I wished I had wings like it and shrunk in size to get inside every hole and pillar.

In confusion, I screamed pulling down every corner of the house.

After a long struggle, I managed to spring and catch it tight; it wriggled in my hands, the MOTH that was little and tiny.

*************

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

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.

Learn to Remember

"He is suffering from Alzheimer's", I heard the doctor speak to my daughter.
I stood outside, eavesdropping on the conversation. 

I have to learn to remember, he cautiously explained.

Which school would teach me that? I wondered. My thoughts drifted into another world. It was a lonely world where I knew nobody.

"Grandpa", an angel waved at me from a distance. Who is she? Why is she waving at me ? I am clueless. Exasperated, I sit in the steel chair close by.

My thoughts drift back. I find my granddaughter. I realise that now its time to learn to remember.

The world celebrates World Alzheimer's Day today. Visit this link to read the informative post written by Corinne.

The 100 words above are written to convey how every victim who is suffering from Alzheimer's,  feels.

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.

#Inspirati presents- Mystery looms large (Episode 3)

To read the previous Episode. please click here.(Longing Hearts)

**************Episode #3*************

In the cramped streets of the suburbs of Santacruz, live thousands of people in houses that almost overlap each other. There is no definition of storey here. The houses can be of different shapes and sizes and if you by chance land up in that area of the very first time, you surely will need a GPS to get out of it. 

Although hundreds of people lived comfortably in this area, very few of them dared to walk into the 6th lane. It was called the abandoned lane. Unlike the other lanes in this area, the 6th lane wasn't crowded. The movement of people was restricted. There was only one commercial shop and that was of a barber at the beginning of the lane. No one dared to cross his shop and walk ahead without prior permission. At approximately the last house in the lane sat 2 people in their vileness desire, laying out a nefarious plan. There were three more people in the room, all well-built with broad shoulders holding guns of the Lee-Enfield make. Their eyes told stories of the number of crimes they had witnessed and been a part of. 

The 2 evil minds who were working on the ploy seemed to be completely engrossed in their work as the light-bulb above their heads flickered. 

"When will you be able to bring the samaan?" one of them spoke with a hoarse voice which could break the bulb into pieces if raised. 

"I am trying master", the other one spoke in a feeble voice. She was scared. Drops of sweat fell from her forehead and reached her lips. The salty taste lingered in her tongue. Holding the corner of her cheap cotton saree, she wiped the little sweat that remained near her temple. 

"Jaldi karo", the man asked her to be quick in her work.

"Saheb, Did you finalize on my payment?", she spoke as though it required a bucket full of courage to speak those words. 

The man immediately placed a phone call and spoke something in Urdu, which the woman failed to understand. 

"Finish the work first. My boss has a big heart. He will give you what you deserve.But that depends on how well you do the job and bring me my samaan. You know where you have to bring it, right? ", He emptied the last few drops of the local liquor into a glass as he spoke. She nodded in response.

"Leave now", He screamed and everyone in the room stood still. The woman could feel her blood race from her toe to her head. She got up immediately to leave. Her thoughts were submerged in the loud laughter of the man that echoed within the walls of the room.

*********************

Cyrus Daruwala, a final year law student, tried hard to flip the omlet on the frying pan. Even, after she teaching him a number of times, his omlet would always be broken into pieces by the time he removed it from the pan. 

Living alone in a single bedroom apartment in Delhi meant that Cyrus had to do all his chores on his own. Adjusting the big spectacles that almost covered half of his face, he stirred the soup on the stove and amidst its flames his thoughts ran back to the early morning phone call that he had received from the person he loved. Or supposedly he thought he loved, owing to the recent fights that had crept in between them. 

"Cyrus, since how long am I trying to reach you. Can't you just answer your goddamn phone?" Her voice that had been sweet in the initial days of their courtship had turned out to be sour in the last few months. 

"Jennifer", Cyrus who managed to whisper her name in his sleep continued speaking, "Jennifer, I slept late last night, owing to my project related work. Can you once try and understand that I don't roam around clicking photographs, but I have a serious job to do?" He replied fuming in anger

"Roam around? Serious work? You think earning money is easy for me?" Jennifer retorted before Cyrus could speak anything furthur.

"There is no use talking to you. I called up to inform you that I will be out with Vijay for an entire day shoot. Do not disturb me till then", With that Jennifer slammed the phone and all that Cyrus could hear was the beep sound.

The heat that passed from the stirring spoon to his hand brought him back to the present. 

As Jennifer packed her bag for the day, she slid into her beige colored shorts and a blue colored tee. The accessories in her hand jingled as she picked up her camera and walked toward the Endeavour that was parked outside her house in the plush green city of Kochi. Vijay, her colleague and confidant, helped her with placing the luggage in the vehicle. 

Vijay drove the vehicle and took a reverse as they rushed into the calm streets of the serenely beautiful city. Jennifer's face clearly showed that nothing was right. Vijay who cared for her, knew that if not for him, Jennifer would have been happy with Cyrus. But, Vijay couldn't let her go. He had fallen in love with her ever since he had stepped in to work with her for on all her assignments. He knew he only needed some time more and he would pull Jennifer completely away from Cyrus. 

Jennifer's gaze fell on the chinese fishing nets as they crossed the backwaters in Kochi. She reminisced the first time she had met Cyrus and her thoughts took a steep turn rewinding to what had happened two years back. 

Jennifer had walked out of the Port Blair Airport and waited for a cab to reach the hotel where she would be staying to complete her photography assignment. 

"May I help you Madam", she turned to see a tall, fair-skinned man with curly hair dressed in a mundu standing in front of her. He looked dashing. 

Cyrus was completing the dare given to him by his bunch of friends as they stood waiting to catch their flight back to Delhi. He was given the dare to dress up like a Malayalee and escort a woman to the taxi. As he was wandering around trying to find out the right woman, his eyes fell on a girl who was dressed in casual clothes with a camera in her hand. She looked attractive in her dusky complexion and there was something in her, her aura or her attitude that drew his attention. He couldn't take his eyes off her and using the bet as a bait approached her.

Jennifer allowed him to carry her bags. She had never met him before, yet she felt a strong trust factor that let her fall prey to his plan. Cyrus caught the first cab approaching and the two of them sped through the city of Port Blair in search of the hotel where Jennifer's room was booked. 

Cyrus kept cutting the numerous phone calls he had received from his friends as they waited for him relentlessly at the airport. Cyrus had no clue of what he was doing. He didn't want to let her go. He felt a deep connection that had sprung between them ever since he had seen her. She was smart, attractive and independent. 

"Thank you so much! Er..... I didn't get your name" She collected her luggage from the rear of the cab as she spoke to Cyrus. 

"Pappachan, Madam", Cyrus lied to her. "You want Guide Madam? I can take you around", he instantly asked her as she made her way inside the hotel. 

"Hmmm. I really don't mind as I will need someone to help me with my assignment", Cyrus agreed instantly as he had just completed a tour of the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands with his friends. 

The next few days passed by as Cyrus toured around with Jennifer right through the beautiful islands of Ross, Jolly Buoy to the various beaches of Wandoor, Kala Pathar and Laxmanpur. Cyrus managed to save himself from any doubt that lingered in Jennifer's mind owing to the mismatch in his looks and his roots. Thanks to his mother who was a malayalee ,  Cyrus could speak Malayalam flawlessly in spite of him being Cyrus Daruwala, a Parsi. His parents had divorced a few years ago due to the differences of culture between them.

Cyrus and Jennifer had spent the whole of 15 days in each others company. Cyrus had forgotten that he had to get back to Delhi and complete his semester. Before he could confess his love to Jennifer, he felt it would be right if she knew who he actually was. 

On the last night before Jennifer could fall asleep, Cyrus stole some moments from her and took her to the balcony of her hotel room. Under the moonlight and with a few glasses of wine gulped down, he spoke his heart out to Jennifer. Jennifer had turned furious and sent him out of the room. She had felt cheated.

Cyrus tried his best to convince her, but she wouldn't budge. Jennifer returned to Kochi and Cyrus flew back to Delhi. After a few phone calls and a few emails, Jennifer finally realised her love for Cyrus and flew to Delhi to tell him that she was madly in love with him. 

They were truly deeply in love. Cyrus meant the world for Jennifer. She found reasons to travel to Delhi for assignments as Cyrus was studying and he did not have enough money to frequently travel and visit her. The cupid had struck and there was no way they thought of turning back. 

Things had however taken a sharp turn when Vijay entered Jennifer's life. Cyrus had become extremely possessive about her and started to take control over her life which affected their relationship and also nudged the free-spirited Jennifer. 

As Jennifer crossed the Mattanchery post in Fort Kochin, she felt a drop of tear roll down from her left cheek. She found herself hissing and trying hard to hold back her tears as she missed Cyrus. She missed the love they shared. Her heart ached. She longed to set things right between them. There was a deep hole that had been pierced in her heart due to his behaviour. 

Cyrus, on the other hand had made a decision and he packed his bags. 

 To be continued.....

Read the next part of the story here


“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.”

Handing him over!!

We sat near the garden area of the café which was decorated with multicolored pots. 

 I decided to think from his perspective which was difficult.

“I killed them! All three in a row! Husband, wife and child!” His answer was cold.

Without wasting time, I signaled to the men in khaki.

                                                                         ---------------------------------------------

Linking this to the Fiction Challenge ,'From 15 to 50‘ , hosted by The Moving Quill

PROMPT FOR THIS MONTH

Word prompt: Perspective

Phrase Prompt: ‘Three in a row’

Picture Prompt:

A village boy's dream

Manohar Kumhar’s sole ambition in life was to get himself clicked by a “Gora Aadmi” (a foreigner). Born and bred in a small village of Araria in Bihar, Manohar lived to fulfil this dream. It all began at the early age of 7 when Pitambar Kumar, his neighbor and friend had posed in front of a foreigner. Kunti, the village heartthrob whom Manohar had secretly fantasized had sat on Pitambar’s porch the entire evening listened to the entire incident.

Owing to the great deal that had been made about the photo in the entire village, Manohar in his sheepish wisdom thought that this achievement was almost equivalent to winning a Nobel prize. Adding fuel to the fire, his mother who was Manohar’s choicest companion said, “Bitwa, use Pitambar ne toh kuch kar dikhaya. Kuch toh baat hai usme!!” Manohar was jealous that his mother had praised another boy

His mother and Kunti were not the only one who were impressed by Pitambar’s success. A silver colour chariot, covered with flowers was made for Pitambar and he was lifted by 5 tall men and taken around the village. Pitambar had the photo with the Firangi Babu in his hand. It seemed that Pitambar had reached the gates of heaven and met God and returned. He was a hero.

That was when a fire had arisen inside Manu aka Manohar. The fire that wouldn’t die till he accomplished his dream. Manu wanted to be famous like Pitambar. Every morning Manu would peep into Pitambar’s house and have a glimpse of the photo before he started his day.

Years passed and the village still worshiped Pitambar. When electricity was brought into the village in the late nineties, Pitambar’s house was the first to receive this luxury. When Manu and Pitambar turned 20, Pitambar was married to Kunti and every single person from the village was invited for the grand fest.

Manu who was still dreaming of meeting a Firangi lad, went up to his mother one fine morning and said, “Amma, Hum nikal rage hai isa jahannum se. Hum jaw rage hai she her ko”, Saying this Manu left his village which he considered to be hell and left to look for a job in the city and pursue his dream.

He caught the train to Pune as Pitambar had once mentioned that the foreigner had come all the way from Pune. For him, Pune was considered to be a foreign land.

Having stepped out of the train, Manu spent the first few nights on the platform. During the day he would wander around the city in search of a Gora aadmi.

  

Whomever he managed to spot was either inside a taxi or a van. Many a times he ran like a mad man behind vehicles. It took him a while to realize that he has to earn some money to fill his stomach. He missed his mother who fed him. At times, he would walk to the rush to catch the train back to Bihar, but the sight of seeing Pitambar laughing away gloriously held him back.

He decided to work. However, no one would give him a job owning to his lack of education. He finally decided to work as an assistant to a sugarcane juice seller. He would wash the glasses and would get 10% of the profit every day. It was enough to fill his stomach at the end of the day.

People would laugh at him when he would reveal his dream. Mockery was all he received in return for letting people know something that was really close to his heart. Poor Manu spent 8 months figuring out different ways to meet a Firang.

He would stand outside IT parks in the afternoon wondering if he would meet some foreigners there. Weekends were spent outside the airport. He left no stone unturned and no temple unvisited. After earning for 8 long months he finally saved up some money to own a small portable cart to make sugarcane juice and sell it.

One fine day he woke up early in the morning and took the cart to make some money for the day. He cleaned the glasses and began to sort out the sugarcane. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he began to rotate the machine. A few seconds later, he felt a flash of light. Ignoring it to be the sunshine, he continued his work. A flash of light fell again.

He lifted his head to find a man standing in front of him with a camera. It took a while for him the sink into that moment. It was his dream coming true. The very fact that everything was finally happening brought tears of joy in his eyes. He smiled as his face formed few wrinkles around his sweaty cheeks. Tears fell enormously but he continued to smile. A Gora Aadmi was finally clicking his picture.

His mate witnessed this incident and offered to click a photo of Manu with the foreigner. The firing babu placed his hand around Manu’s shoulder, while Manu wiped his tears and gave a broad smile.

That evening he caught the train to Araria and held the photo close to his heart. He knew he was going to be the new Hero in his village. Wait, Manu’s mind was was brimming with thoughts. This boy from a small village had not only made his dream come true but his journey had been incredible. He realized that he was molded to face challenges, he was capable enough to stand on his own legs and he knew how it is to save up money and manage his finances even if it was meagre. He was not only going to be a Hero in his village, he had risen in his own eyes. He knew his Amma would be proud of him and say, “Bitwa Tune mera naam roshan kiya!!”  (Son you made me proud)

Crushers and Crackles - Part 2

To read the first part of this story click here.

 "Would you like to have some desert, Maam?" the waiter pitched in and asked Nina who was trying to stuff the large rumali roti that she had ordered. Jatin slurped the last spoon of the soup and stared at Nina trying to connect to her. They were sitting opposite to each other in a cozy restaurant with extravagant interiors for the fifth time and yet there was nothing romantic about the couple.

Their parents had introduced them  a month ago during a family function and Jatin had wished that time could have stood still the minute he had seen her. He knew she was the one for him. In the past one month, Jatin had tried his level best to make his way into her heart. Like every newly engaged couples, he sent her flowers and tried to make each moment special when she was around.

It wasn't the same for Nina. She barely responded to Jatin. He noticed her never-to-bother attitude and tried to break through the walls she had securely built around her. However, all he received in return was her mere, "hmmm" and "Umms" to whatever he spoke. Nina was engrossed in her thoughts even when she was surrounded by a large crowd of friends. Ever since the morning she was defeated in love and her trust  was broken, she never thought of getting back to her normal life.

The day she had met Sunaina, she couldn't hold herself from confronting Vikram about it, who on the other end replied very casually, "You never asked me if I was married or not Nina"

 "Then why did you ask me to move in with you, Vikram", Nina retorted. 

"I asked you to move in till Sunaina could come back. Don't tell me you wanted to move in forever?" Vikram chuckled. Vikram's careless attitude and nonchalant replies made it palpable that she had fallen prey to a notorious man who was never going to be bothered about her feelings. For days she pleaded with her manager to transfer her so she could be out of Vikram's sight, but all her attempts were futile. With her concentration completely lost, she began to perform poorly. Her mentor was no longer by her side to support her. With her diminishing performance, she was among the lot that was laid off by the company and given the pink slip.

Over the past two months, Nina, who had found her happiness outside the streets of Valsad was back home trying to recover from the wild heart ache. She was slapped by her father when she mentioned about Vikram, who was the reason why she did not want to get married. With no support from her family, she had to give in to the idea of getting married to Jatin. 

The snares of the past hovered her present, which she couldn't make peace with. She knew she was playing with Jatin's life but the options before her were meager. She managed to make her way back to Pune with an urge to find a new job and get married to Jatin.

That evening at dinner as Jatin sat engrossed in her beauty, Nina was unaware of her feelings. She wasn't sure if she would fall in love a second time. Her life had taken a swing and she didn't know where she was heading.

 Deciding that she should find her way out of the mess, she got up. "Jatin, please wait here till I get back", Nina stormed out of the restaurant and caught a taxi. Minutes later she was back to the restaurant with a woman accompanying her. Jatin watched Nina enter the hotel and waited for her to come towards him. Instead, she moved her footsteps in a fast pace and walked to the opposite table.

 "What a surprise, Vikram?" Nina began. Vikram sat with a woman holding her hand in a loving manner. On noticing her, he immediately let go off the woman's hand and began to introduce his counterpart, when the other lady who had followed Nina from the taxi came to light. It was Sunaina.

 "Is she the next female who is supposed to move in with you for a while, Vikram", Nina's confidence knew no end.

 She turned to the woman seated at the table, "Well, I am sure Vikram wouldn't have told you about his beautiful wife Sunaina", Nina pointed out to Sunaina which left the woman who was seated dumbfound. 

Turning to Sunaina, she spoke, "Oops, Sunaina, I will do injustice if I do not correct Vikram's introduction about me, I am Nina, Vikram's ex-girlfriend"

Having said this, she stormed outside the hotel leaving the crowd perplexed and Jatin clueless. A while ago, she had heard a familiar voice when she was seated with Jatin. On verifying if it really was Vikram, she left the hotel, deciding to teach Vikram a lesson. With her anger finally vented out, she felt relieved. Standing outside the restaurant, she wasn't scared about the world anymore. 

She wasn't scared if Jatin would accept her or not. She had finally broken through the shackles and risen above. Reminiscing every minute of the evening as she walked back home, she realized that her confidence was back and she could face the world without any guilt. The heart that was crushed and crackled had finally become strong and powerful. Nina knew that she could fall in love again.

She had found her victory in her defeat.  Silencing her qualms, she walked back home cheerful and regaining her confidence which she had built almost a year ago when she had walked out of the streets of Valsad. 

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.   

Crushers and Crackles - Part 1

Ferociously, she slammed the door behind and walked out of the restaurant. She had never tried to fight with her low gutty spirit and upsurge from the shell that she kept herself hidden in. But today she had finally managed to break through and roar her hatred towards him.

Nina Shah had just fairly mocked someone and slammed him hard at the very point which he would never want to be hurt. Born into a conservative Gujurati family, Nina was enslaved by the realms of culture and its dogma. It was only because of her work location, did she have the grit to ask her parents to live away from home.

Pune reckoned her for a job at one of the multinational companies and freedom loomed over her. Her capabilities were crushed inside the streets of Valsad which was her home. The conventional city that she bred in couldn't open the doors of opportunities for her. Eventually, her desire to experience the world outside the sleepy lanes of Valsad had come true. Settling in the crowd of Pune and its newfangled culture took her a while. Like every girl who was celebrating the glorious age of their 20's, she wished to hang out at pubs, spend the nights at the disc and enrich her taste-buds with the various flavors of the magical vodka.

 

However, she wasn't fascinated with the aura that city life brought with it and she always gravitated towards maintaining her low profile social status. Thanks to her upbringing in the small city of Valsad.

She worked in a team of ten in her company and was reported to her lead, Vikram, who mentored her from the very first day. The rapport built between her and Vikram was commendable and Nina had started to confide on him. His husky voice captured her senses. She would sometimes blindly listen to his voice without analyzing what he actually meant. What started off as a mentor - protégé relationship turned into friendship and before Nina and Vikram could cognomen their accord, they knew they had fallen for each other. 

Everything was bright and sunny in the first few days of their courtship. Vikram continued to be her guide and Nina could hardly keep her foot on the ground. Namely, because of the attention Vikram gave her. They began their mornings with a sumptuous breakfast at Vikram’s single bedroom apartment in the posh locality of Koregaon Park and ended their day with Vikram dropping her at her place in Kalyani Nagar.

“Why don’t you move in, Nina?” Vikram would suggest.

“We should give maintain our privacy ,Vikram. Anyway after we get married, I will be around you for 24 hours and you would land up being bored of me”, Nina would ridicule.

Like every couple, they both would have their lows and highs and it was always Nina who would make up for every fight. She overlooked Vikram's big fat ego which would stop him from apologizing. 

Life had suddenly taken an upswing and Nina was savoring the sweet fruits of her freedom. It seemed to be a cake walk with a cherry on top and a layer of free flowing white chocolate coupled with buds of dark chocolate. 

Weekends often started with a movie date and continued with a long drive to the lofty hill stations around Pune.

 Dreams however, didn't last long and Nina's fantasies were short-lived when one day they had a visitor at their breakfast table. Nina rang Vikram's doorbell like every morning. 

Today, however it wasn't Vikram who answered the door bell. 

Standing at the door was a woman in her late 20's. She had a baby cuddled in her arms.

"Kaun hai?" Nina could hear Vikram's voice enquiring about the person at the door.

“Arre, Nina I will be coming a little late to office. Can you leave the files at my office desk?” Vikram’s behavior left Nina stunned. She stood numb, fighting back the tears that were choking her throat.

“Sunaina, this is Nina. My colleague at work”, Vikram introduced Nina to the woman at the door.

The next sentence that Vikram was about to spurt out left Nina dumbfound.

“Nina, meet my wife, Sunaina and my son, Sudhesh”, Vikram behaved normal.

“You have a beautiful wife……. Sir”, Nina managed to speak a sentence and rushed out of the lobby.

To be continued...

To read the second part of this story click here.

55 fiction - Love in the cafe and Deathly mystery

I have been eyeing on writing a 55 fiction from a very long time. Thanks to the "Write Tribe", I tried writing this one on love and mystery. I have tried to write each of it in a single sentence accepting the challenge put forth.

Love in the cafe

He sat exactly three tables away looking strikingly handsome in a blue tshirt intriguing my heartbeats insanely and although we had never spoken to each other our eyes met aimlessly; sighing hopelessly I left the cafeteria to my work floor when a message beeped which read, “Hi, wondering who I am? Guy in the blue tshirt”


Deathly Mystery

Loosening his grip he dropped me on the bed and nudged a knife piercing through the veins in my stomach ,splashing drops of blood across ,I scream and wake up instantaneously realizing it was a dream and reach out to drink water ; my hands shiver as I find gory blood stains on the ground.  

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.