5 o'clock in the morning..

It was 5 o'clock in the morning when he walked out of my house, and I was half hoping he would return to kiss me with the same passion he had when he’d just arrived. Every time we had tried to say goodbye, we had ended up in each other arms. Why was it so difficult? He wasn't the first man I had been attracted to. I wasn't the first woman he had been with. He wasn't my first kiss, and I wasn't his first fling. Then why couldn't we just let it go? It was not love, I knew, but nor was it lust. It was as though we were hanging somewhere in between. Bound by that connection, a relationship that was impossible to be labelled and a feeling impossible to name. This feeling that could stay for a while or maybe forever. This feeling that could be for someone you have known for years or someone you’ve just met. This weird feeling of knowing that you are not falling for someone, but rather falling with someone; even when both of you are aware that there is nobody to catch you.

What made last night so special was the fact that deep down, we both knew it was the last time. The last time that he was going to touch my skin and awaken a million butterflies in my stomach. The last time I was going keep my palm on his heart and make it skip a beat. The first time had it’s own charm, and we would never forget it. The emotions were running high and the passion had both of us sweating. But the last time, the realisation that it was the last time, made it so difficult. There were no emotions going wild, no cupid playing in our heads, but it was as if we had been pushed off the cliff, into an abyss that we couldn't fall further into but didn't want to get out of either. So we were both trying to fly in between, trying to keep our minds and hearts in place and that was the best part about us. We liked the thrill, the rush, the rawness, the feeling of risking it all. 

What happened last night was as though a sudden flicker of light shot into the darkness to help us see each other, but deprive us of doing anything more. This light was there only to let us see chosen parts of ourselves and black out the rest. Last night, we completed each other. We finished those unfinished stories, we came to a full circle.  And that is probably how it was meant to be. We were destined to add pieces to complete stories that had long been craving for fulfilment in our heads. Last night, we let go of everything that was holding us back, everything that wasn't letting us move forward, everything that wasn't in it’s place. We arranged the pieces of our jigsaw puzzles to get a final picture and when that was accomplished, we decided to toss it all out of the window. That was the beauty of it; this wasn't something easily available to us, it wasn't something we could feel and touch and see everyday. It was intangible, but it was also the answer to  rows of sleepless nights and endless thoughts and useless emotions. It was our Ithaca. 

We valued it, because you can start taking anything and anyone for granted when you know that they’re not going to leave, they are not going to disappear, they are not going to fade away. But if you know that you have just one chance - to touch someone’s life, only this once to fill the gaps, to give them everything you have and everything they need - you’d give your best shot. 

Last night, we exhausted ourselves, we emptied our hearts and minds of every tiny detail that disturbed us, stopped us, disgusted us. We let the power of that one moment, burn us, extinguish us and then give to us; the chance to take another form, another birth, another life. We gave ourselves the chance to be whoever we wanted to be, because sometimes, just sometimes, you need to break yourself completely, so that you can create yourself all over again. Last night, we put down our weapons, we destroyed our pasts and we poured out everything we had ever held onto; all the half-finished sentences, half-written stories and all half-expressed emotions that we could never show to the ones we wanted to. We let ourselves be carried away with the wind and then just mix with the ground beneath us; mix and then cease to exist. 

It was 5 o'clock in the morning when he walked out of my house, and I was half hoping he would return to kiss me with the same passion he had, when he’d just arrived. But I knew that he would not, and I knew that he should not, because when he walked out of my house this morning, he gave both of us a chance to rebuild ourselves, to start afresh. He gave both of us a chance to close the doors of the past. When he walked out of my house, he walked into his future, and I picked up the left over pieces to throw them out of the window and sleep peacefully, knowing that life was going to be alright.

Sabrina

Business tycoon and well respected man, Patrick Jane receives a letter that cuts through his very bones. Along with his reverted money comes doleful news, revealing that Marie has fled from the orphanage. Within the ken of the orphanage, she was last seen on the streets of Rue de Berne, the very famous place for prostitution in Geneva. Patrick immediately sets off to find her.

18 years down the line, a college fling had resulted into an unexpected pregnancy for Patrick’s girlfriend. Marie was born and soon left outside an orphanage in Zurich. His girlfriend had left him soon, never to be re-encountered. Patrick secretly sent money to the orphanage every year. His wife Nadine and daughter Ana were oblivious about Marie's existence and Marie was told her parents died in an accident. Secrets covered the lives of the entire family.

Patrick searches for his daughter only to find her in a brothel. He is agonized as he couldn't adopt Marie; neither will his family accept her, nor would Marie accept him. And disclosing this arcana would ravage both, his life and Marie's too. He couldn't risk his reputation and stable family life anymore.

On meditating, Patrick chances upon an unwonted notion. He decides to disguise as a transgender and befriend Marie. This seemed the sole way to help her. While in his masquerade, he could be a moral support to Marie who didn't have any friend. He had to find a body double that would replace Patrick while he was with Marie. No suspicions would be raised and he could balance both his lives. And the answer to his quest was Claudio, a perfect duplicate of his. Patrick takes the form of a new entity as a transgender- Sabrina.

He provides money to Marie and proves to be a friend to support her. His struggle to equipoise his life with that of Claudio and Sabrina takes form of an inverted U, that starts off on a good scale but soon attracts problems. Patrick supports Marie; mentally and monetarily by being Sabrina. He even takes her out of the brothel and promises a good job. Nobody doubts his absence as Claudio is too good at playing Patrick’s role. But, fate takes Patrick's game in his own hands. Nadine, Ana and Claudio (as Patrick) die in a car accident. The fateful fortuity is all over the news.

For the people, Patrick is dead. His companies are to be vended and hidden in the form of Sabrina, Patrick sees his life being sold while he is still alive. A tough choice was to be made, whether to continue his life as Sabrina or to reveal himself. Finally, money wins the day and Patrick leaves Marie, relinquishes his transgender disguise and reveals that he is alive. The appalling case is taken over by the Swiss Intelligence Agency. And after long deliberations, the identity of Patrick as truly being himself is accepted. Patrick admits of being Sabrina and fathering Marie. And more chaos and rumors start off.

But, amongst vivid rumors and interrogations from the paparazzi, Marie stands alone. Inside the room of her brothel And while the investigation takes place, Marie is reduced to nothing. The mounting exasperation that tightenes in her throat turns in the worst of awful thoughts and in a fit of anger she sets out to confront her father. The doorbell on Patrick's frontdoor rings and when he opens it, his daughter emerges with a pistol.      

Part Four

Hours passed. Around mid-afternoon, he got up and brought some coffee for himself and the others. “Thank you, beta”, said uncle, managing a faint smile. He put his hand over uncle’s shoulder to show his support. How easily does grief bring people close to strangers? He sat down beside the couple. The girls were resting in another room. She rushed to uncle and aunty and pulled them towards the room. “She’s opened her eyes, you were right. We should be positive. She’s asking for you and aunty.” As the couple went inside, she looked at him, tears of joy in her eyes. Suddenly, they were hugging each other. That tiny figure fits so perfectly in his arms. It felt good, amazing. Something that he had longed for since the first time he saw her, was happening right now. Stating that it was anything but magical would be an understatement. They remained like that for a few seconds, not letting any air pass between them. She broke from his embrace suddenly, looked at him for a second and rushed to tell the other girls. He just stood there, amazed and confused by what had just happened.

Everyone gathered outside the room. He stood beside his friend but made sure he could see his beautiful lady from there. Did he just call her his beautiful lady? Oh, he was losing control. He felt his phone vibrate just then and wondered if it was his girlfriend again, who through some black magic knew what was going on in his mind and had called to pull him back to reality. But, it was just Vodafone..trying to irritate him at this hour of the night. It worked though; he got a little distracted and returned to the seats outside the ICU. He was expecting many emotions to rush inside him at that moment. But all he got was emptiness. He didn’t know what to feel. He wasn’t one of those guys who cheated on his girlfriend for a newly found fling. Nor was he one of those guys who went around changing girlfriends. But this was new; he had never felt something like this before. Never before had he wanted his singlehood so badly! He wanted her. He wanted her presence around him, his life. But he knew it would be wrong. He was already in love. And they were made for each other; him and his girlfriend, or so he thought until he hugged this girl. What was happening to him? He needed some sleep to clear his mind. 

He was woken up by his friend. “Coffee?” she asked, passing him a cup of Nescafe. They sat in silence for a while. Things had changed so much in the past one and half day. He remembered talking to her in CCD, laughing and making fun of each other. And here they were, with coffee in their hands again, but complete silence. “We are taking her back home. Uncle knows a Doctor there who can treat her. She is out of danger. Thank you so much for being there. You’re a great support!” He raised his hands in objection, “Hey, that’s what friendship is about, honey. Don’t thank me for being a friend.” They smiled at each other. 

His phone rang again, this time it was his girlfriend. He excused himself and went outside. The fresh air hit him hard like reality replacing imagination. “Where are you? I wanna know!” she shouted. “Baby, please Arnab Goswami mat bano yaar. Wo ek hi kafi hain!” He tried to calm her down with his stupid joke. “Very funny!” she said in an irritated voice. He knew he would have to explain her everything. And he narrated the entire incident, skipping the romantic encounters with the girl. He was walking on the lawn outside the hospital, talking to his girlfriend. The sun had replaced the night sky and the rays made their way through trees. Finally, he went back inside. Uncle and his friend were talking to the Doctor. “We will take her to the hospital in our town then. Thank you so much, Doctor”, uncle was saying. He motioned towards the ICU, but the bed was empty and so was the room. He must’ve talked for really long over the phone. He turned around only to find the pretty face. “Thank you, she will be alright. The doctors back in town are very nice. We are taking her in an ambulance, in case. She’s out of danger though.” she told him, smiling her sweet, innocent, magical smile. “Oh yeah, of course. She’ll be alright”, he replied. She shook hands with him, smiled and went to where everyone else was. 

One by one everyone came and said goodbye. Uncle and Aunty thanked him genuinely before leaving. His friend came, hugged him and said, “I’ll see you soon, okay? Be a nice boy. Bye.” Everything happened so quickly, he couldn’t quite register it. Since the accident, things had slowed down so much that it suddenly seemed like the situation was playing in fast forward. He walked behind them, absent minded. They were leaving. She was leaving and he hadn’t even cleared his confusion or wished her goodbye properly. He was gonna be stuck with it now, stuck with her memories for quite a while. Dammit! What was all this confusion? He had a whole day, week, month, as long as he wanted now; to figure it out!

Part Three

Like most people, he woke up in the morning to his phone. 7 missed calls. He narrowed his eyes to take a good look at the name. It was his friend. He immediately called her back. “Come to St. Joseph’s hospital. Room No 52. Now!” She disconnected the phone. A chill ran down his spine! Was it because of her? Had something happened to her? He got up from his bed and quickly got ready. Never in his life had he been in such a rush. 

He met his friend who was standing outside the room. She looked calm, staring at some invisible spot on the ground. He put his hand on her shoulder. The minute he looked at her, she burst into tears, hiding her face in his broad chest. He was equally scared because although he didn’t know what was happening, he sure knew it was really bad. He let her cry, fighting his own fears. What was happening? He was getting restless. Just then he saw the beautiful girl walking towards them. She looked older now, with her hair tied back and her eyes swollen from all the crying. He was relieved in a way that she was safe. But then, something was wrong. She walked towards them and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. It brushed his hand and even between all the tensions around him, he felt a current pass through his body. She signalled him to wait while she took her friend to the waiting room beside. She emerged out in a while and sat beside him.

He could smell her fragrance. She was nervously playing with the corner of her kurta. In a reflex move, his hand covered hers and he gently squeezed it. She looked up at him; her eyes sparkling with tears. Finally, she managed to speak up. “We were going to the beach. It was early morning and the roads were quiet and empty. We were crossing the road at our own ease when suddenly a car came by at full speed. Before we could realise anything, it had hit her. She’s in a bad...very bad condition. The doctors aren’t even sure if she’s going to...” Her words got lost in the tears. He held her in his arms. “Everything will be fine, don’t worry”. “I hope so”, she said, looking him right in the eyes. She looked beautiful like this also, he noticed. He wanted her, he badly wanted her.

The doctor came by, talking to an elder man and his wailing wife. “Her parents,” she said. The doctor and the couple talked a little more before the couple came towards them. She got up and the lady hugged her, not giving a break to her tears. There was silence for a while, broken only when the father spoke, “They are going to observe her for few more hours. But, I’m sure my daughter is going to be okay. We will pray for her, and be positive. Sab theek ho jayega, hena beta?” he looked at her. She nodded her head and more silence followed...

Part Two

The group of girls returned from their shopping spree which might’ve qualified to be the quickest one in history! He looked for her among them, but she wasn’t there! Where was she? What was going on? His thoughts took off once again and he got desperate. Equally puzzled as he was, his friend inquired about the girl. They got to know she wasn’t feeling too well and had retired to the hotel. Surprisingly, he couldn’t hold back his concern. “Is she fine? Does she need medicines? Shouldn’t we take her to a Doctor?” The girls giggled again, like the last time. 

“Relax, she’s fine. Just tired I guess”, one of the girls replied. Phew, he was relieved. But, he couldn’t see her and he badly wanted to. In his mind, he already started making plans. The girls said goodbye and started walking back to their hotel. He immediately offered to walk with them, under the pretence of “protecting them”. His friend looked at him, and he knew she was thinking about his actions. Her eyes were full of questions and confusions. He was shocked by his behaviour himself. But, he had to see her.

They reached the hotel and good nights were exchanged. He looked up at the windows of the building; some dark, some lit up and wondered which one of them was hers. He walked back to his apartment and his phone started vibrating. Wi-Fi in the house, no data pack on the phone does this to you. He saw his mobile - 124 messages from 14 conversations on his WhatsApp, 6 unread emails on Gmail, 2 friend requests and 5 notifications on Facebook. Facebook! How can he forget it? He quickly started his laptop and went to his friend’s profile. Like he had guessed, the girls had put up pictures from the trip so far. There, he spotted her! And a beautiful smile replaced the wrinkles created by the concern. 

He easily found her and spent the next 15 minutes completely stalking her public profile. His cursor kept hovering over ‘send a friend request’. He was about to send her a request when his phone beeped playing “1 thing 2 do 3 words 4 you...” Of course, right timing! It was his girl friend. “Hey”, he said in a low voice. “Where have you been all this while? Koi aur toh nahi mil gayi na?” She asked the most cliched questions. “I am not feeling well, let me sleep. I’ll call you later.” “Oh my God, kya hua? You want me to come over? You never take care of yourself!” He could imagine the face she was making on the other side of the phone. He smiled and said, “It’s alright. I’m just tired. Goodnight.” “Goodnight, love you” she replied.

 He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and shut his laptop. Sleep wasn’t going to come so soon, he knew. He looked out of the window at the dark sky and the beautiful moon and stars. “What harm could one time do? Just spend some time with her, get to know her. She’ll leave soon and you can return to your normal life.” The night was really provoking some bold thoughts. “Am I insane? I have a girlfriend! It is this mere attraction and would go away with the night”, his sane mind said.  He chose sleep over everything else and closed his eyes. For a moment, everything was under control. Suddenly, he could see her coming out of the cluster, shaking hands, smiling, walking away. He got up, more wrinkles on his forehead than before. 

Walking towards his laptop, he slowly opened her profile. Staring at the screen for a few seconds, he changed ‘Add Friend’ to ‘Friend Request Sent’. Enough for a day, he realised and went back to his bed, hoping to catch some sleep.

Part One

He looked at the beautifully dressed bride walking towards the mandap. All eyes were set on her as she made her way towards the to-be husband. He just stood speechless, admiring how perfect she looked. He could hear people behind him commenting just how lucky the guy was to have such a perfect wife. 6 years back, this gorgeous woman was his, even if only for a moment, all his. And today, she was getting married to the man she loved.

Watching her walk, he went down the memory lane.. 6 years back, he met her for the first time. He had been keyed up to meet his childhood friend after quite some years and she said she was bringing some friends. They had all come to his part of the state to spend some time with nature and enjoy the beach. It was an all-girls trip, so he knew he was going to be the only male around them. Not that he was nervous or excited; he was in a relationship with a wonderful girl since two years, a happy relationship for that matter. His train of thoughts was broken by a very familiar voice as he turned around to face his friend. She looked the same after all these years he noticed. Geeky glasses, chubby cheeks and the ever-so-cute smile. He returned her cute smile with a broader one. 

She turned to introduce her friends one by one. And as she called out the last name, a slim figure came forward from the cluster of girls to shake hands with him. She had a smile that could melt any heart and little brown eyes that sparkled with excitement. She was so tiny that he probably looked like The Hulk in front of her. He tried to imagine how it would be like to hold her in his arms. He was dazed and couldn’t take his eyes off her and could’ve imagined more if it wasn’t for his friend who coughed to interrupt his day dreaming. He looked up with a smile that said I-know-you-caught-me. “She looks like one of my friends”, he managed between his urge to look back at that girl and hide his embarrassment. “Control dude. She probably thinks you’re an idiot. And oh, how can you forget? You have a girl friend!” he soliloquized. Luckily, his friend rescued him and told everyone she’ll see them later. The girls exchanged goodbyes and turned to walk the other way. He waited to see if she turned around or if he could catch a glimpse of her face again but snap, he was caught again. 

“Stop trying to do that, you have a girl friend and that’s where you must concentrate,” his friend said as she pulled him inside CCD. They sat there for about an hour talking about life and everything that had changed since they last met. He constantly kept praying she would talk about the girl whose smile had not left his mind all this while. He lost his patience and finally asked her, “So who are all these friends you’ve come with?” Who was he kidding? This girl in front of him, who was now grinning, knew him inside out. “She’s my junior. We share an apartment, all of us in fact. She is single, if that helps”, at which he smiled like a little kid eating his favourite candy. “But, you have a girlfriend and she would eat you up alive if this reaches her”, making a face at him, she finished the sentence. He knew it all along, but there was something that kept pulling him towards her. He had to be with her, even if for a few hours. He just had to. 

That smile on her face...

 As she made her way through the crowd... She could sense all the eyes that stared at her; some talking about her character, some wondering about her past, some envious, some admiring, some making fun, some feeling sorry, some busy in their own world and some – just smiling. She tried smiling at all the staring eyes, more to comfort herself than others. Only if you noticed her closely, could you see that they were nervous smiles. Only if you noticed her closely, could you say that there was a lot behind that pretty face, a lot behind that beautiful smile and a lot behind that evident silence. She went to her table in the canteen... Yes, her table. She liked to call it that way. It was in the farthest corner of the canteen and overlooked the beautiful garden below. She smiled at seeing the “love birds” in the garden, sitting hand in hand, looking in each other’s eyes, talking, blushing, laughing. She wondered how many of them were going to make it till the end. She looked at the crowd around her, laughing, enjoying, teasing and having fun! And she wondered again, if she could ever be like that. Her books were the only friends she had.

                He was sitting at his favorite place too, the table right in front of the girl. She was cute, he thought. No, pretty. Maybe, she was beautiful. Duh! He gave up. She was just wonderful, simply wonderful. He thought of the first time he had seen her. It was before a year at the same place, at the same table, smiling as she read some book; Wuthering Heights it was, he remembered. The wind softly teasing her hair, making them fall on her face. She tucks them gently behind her ear unaware that he was going crazy over every action of hers. Amazingly, even after a year, he still went crazy by merely seeing her. If only he had the skills of Rumi, he would write pages and pages about his love for her; a love that had risen from pure admiration. And it wasn’t just her appearance, she was one of the few sensible girls he had come across; intelligent, smart and mature. But she was a mystery; nobody knew anything about her past. What was known were rumors, assumptions, talks and gossips – and he didn’t believe in any of it. He believed in her. He believed in what he believed to be true. Or rather, what he wished to be true!

Even after a year of being here, she couldn’t gel up with anyone. Neither did she talk to anyone, nor did anyone talk to her. In the beginning people tried to talk, but her overly introvert nature drew them away. People talked about her, she knew. Her silence was considered an agreement to whatever was spoken, she knew that too. She had seen rumors destroying the lives of many, and before she realized, she had become a victim of the same! There was a time when she was happy, carefree, loud, perhaps more enthusiastic than the whole crowd around her put together. She had cared for no rumors, no gossips. And it wasn’t until that one day.. The one day of her life when everything she’d built, every relation she had counted on and every dream she had seen, came crashing down and changed into nothing! 

He wondered why this girl had ended up in this small-town college, far away from her home. Why wasn’t she talking to anyone in the college? She was older than her batch mates, perhaps a year or two. He wondered what the reason behind that was. Why didn’t she ever mention anything about her life? Her parents, her friends, her family, anything! He wanted to find out more about this wonderful girl of his dreams. He wanted to know everything about her. Not that it would alter his love, just to understand her better. But how? She never spoke a word with anybody. And he, didn’t have the courage to go and talk to her. He doubted if she would even recognize him as a classmate! But somehow, he felt that this girl had a lot to say, a lot to share. She needed someone, he was sure. But then why did she build this wall around herself? A wall too strong for people to break in and too opaque for them to see what’s inside.

She had lost all the courage, all the hopes, had totally given up on life after that incident. It was like a blow on her face and what had followed, was only worse. She never had the guts to approach anyone after that. She had been played with, deceived up to the extent that left her numb; full of emotions, yet empty. And right now, she saw a man walk in the canteen. For a minute, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The same face, the same curve of his cheek bone, the same beard that tingled her face every time his lips had touched hers. The same man she had loved, she had dreamt of having twins with, wanted to spend her old age with. Memories rushed like a bullet train tearing its way through the woods. She was still confused between reality and hallucination when he made his way through the crowd, towards a boy sitting on the table right in front of her. Immediately composing herself, she hid her face in the light yellow dupatta she had been wearing, quickly collected her things and made her way to the door, trying to be as unnoticed as possible.

But luck, or rather destiny had not played with her enough. She ran right into the dread she wanted to avoid. Her dupatta exposing her masquerade, she came face to face with him. And what followed was something she wasn’t ready for. She saw his eyes, burning with mixed emotions – anger, surprise, hatred, fear, and as she hoped in the farthest corner of her heart, a little guilt. His fists clenched and she looked at the strong arms that had always scared her. “You whore! What the hell are you doing over here?” the man shouted at her, making everything around her stop. The laughs, the people, the noise, everything! It all seemed to zero down on her. She could hear that one word ringing in her head, hitting her like a hammer. Whore? After whatever happened, he called her a whore? She bit her lip, pleading her tears not to come out just this once. “How dare you come in front of me again?” said the voice, this time louder and fiercer than before. 

He was shocked! Why was his friend insulting the wonderful girl, talking to her in such an indecent language? How did he know her? He asked him to stop insulting her like this, but his friend went on. “This slut, this bitch.. You know what she does, man? She goes around sleeping with men and then accusing them of rape! She tried to trap me as well, but I exposed her plan to everyone and then she had the guts to blame me! Seriously, me? After she was trying to come all over me, she blames me dude, for raping her!” and the man lifted his vicious gaze from the girl and looked at him. He was speechless at this. He looked at both of them; the man, his best friend who was accusing the girl, and the poor girl, red with fear and embarrassment and almost in tears. Somehow, he didn’t believe his friend. 

She ran out of the canteen, directly towards the girl’s hostel. She couldn’t take it anymore! She had expected her past to leave her when she had left that town, that college, those people, those accuses. But it didn’t! It came right back to her, right when she was trying to cope up with a new life, right when she thought she could finally move on, right when there was a faint ray of hope. It had been hard for her to start this new life and when it seemed she was finally adapting to it, her past proved to be an obstruction; just like the mountains that block the rain clouds, turning the land behind it into a desert. She could never forget what had happened. After being raped by her own boyfriend, she had had to face the humiliation of people ignoring and talking about her, rather than believing her. She had been taunted by people that it would have definitely happened with her willingness. And then that man, the same man who tagged her as a whore forever, had very proudly announced that he never loved her, that she was the one crazy behind him and wanting to get into bed. Why would he mind if the girl wanted to be a slut? “One he didn’t have to pay for”, he had said between vulgar laughs. And what had happened today, was the final blow. She couldn’t stay to see her life being ruined again. She had gone through it once, and it was more than enough. She couldn’t face it again, she couldn’t fight again, and she couldn’t see herself trying to cope up each day with the horrors of the past. She wanted to run away from here, away from these people, away from accuses, away from pointing fingers, away from rumors! But there was no place left where she could go now, except for one; near her parents. And now, she knew it was time for her to go there.  She wanted to leave, as quickly as possible. She closed her eyes for a moment, smiled at the memory of her parents. And then, she took steps towards them.

Nobody moved from their place in the canteen, nobody uttered a word. It seemed like all of them were frozen, deeply pondering on what had just happened. He was not one of them; leaving his best friend staring behind him, he had run behind her. But, she had locked herself in the room. He banged on the door, pleading, shouting, for her to open the door. But she didn’t. And as he turned silent, he heard was a soft thud in the room. Fear gave way to panic and he immediately looked around for something to break open the door. His eyes fell on the fire extinguisher and with trembling hands, he managed to break in. He let out a cry of horror on seeing what was inside. His wonderful girl was hanging lifeless from a rope on the fan. Others had come rushing in, hearing his shouts. They started dismantling the rope and bringing her down, but he knew, it was too late. Too late for them to save her. Too late for him also; to confront her, to support her, to dry her tears, comfort her, to make her smile, share her pain and, to give her life. And between shock, loss, terror, pain, he glanced at the beautiful face, again. She was smiling, he noticed. But it wasn’t the nervous one she always used to carry; it was an innocent smile, exactly like a newly born baby. And through the unstoppable flow of tears, he too, smiled.

An original short story! :)

Because I was unable to post in the last few weeks, I'm going to give you a double doze this time! Bear with it, dear readers! ;)
This post deals with a book written by Sudha Murthy; Gently falls the Bakula. As a result of a school assignment, I tried writing an extention to her story. It is just my imagination and holds no resemblance to any person living or dead!

Saving the Bakula

         Shrimati and Shrikant had been married for more than 10 years now. And it had been two years that Shrimati had left Shrikant, who failed to fulfill his duties of a husband. No, she had not given a divorce to Shrikant, for that would’ve spoiled his reputation in the society, she only left. Their marriage had been perfect till then. But, it was the “reputation thing” that spoiled it. Shrikant was so obsessed with having a nice reputation in his wide ocean of IT that their marriage, Shrimati’s dreams, her happiness and everything was secondary for him.

          Shrikant was an IITian and Shrimati had done her Masters in History. She even had a scholarship in one of the most prestigious universities of US waiting for her. But for Shrikant’s sake, she left behind all her aspirations, gave up her career and stood beside him; like an ideal wife. Shrikant loved his wife, but lacked the quality to set priorities in his life. He was so ambitious that he spent day and night working for the firm and Shrimati gradually became only a means of giving him support and being a good hostess for the numerous parties Shrikant threw in honor of his clients.

          Shrikant still remembered the day Shrimati left him. It had been a normal day --- Shrikant was doing an over time at his office. As usual, he had asked his Secretary to inform Shrimati that his traveling bag must be ready, for he had to catch his flight to Germany soon after dinner. It was normal for him to be a busy bee; that searched for nectar in the flowers. In Shrikant’s case, the clients were his nectar and their companies, Shrikant’s flowers!

Sitting in his office right now, Shrikant realized that in his close knit web, there was no space for their marriage, no space for the dreams they saw together, no space for all the promises he had made, no space for family time, no place for Shrimati! But Shrimati was there beside him, in thick and thin; supporting him, treating his guests well and trying to manage her husband’s busy schedule. But now, there was no Shrimati. There was no love, no happiness, and no warm welcomes at home; there was no home! It was just another apartment in the posh Bandra line, so huge and so quiet, that sometimes it scared Shrikant to live their alone. There was nothing to look forward to in life. Shrimati was gone and like a spider that gets entangled in his own web, Shrikant was trapped in the web he created for himself.

Shrikant was the CEO of one of Mumbai’s largest IT companies. He was on the epitome of his career and had everything he ever wanted. But, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Shrikant wanted Shrimati, rather needed Shrimati. With his world falling into pieces, Shrikant was near to depression. It was not like he lacked the presence of a woman in his life. There were maidens out there who were more than willing to have Shrikant. But it was Shrimati’s simplicity, her polite gestures and her never complaining attitude that Shrikant yearned for.

His friends had asked him to give a divorce to Shrimati and get remarried. But Shrikant knew it well; no one could take Shrimati’s place and that he could never love anyone except her. Shrimati still cared for him. She would send him regular e-mails, telling him about her studies, her friends, her new home and the love she got from the people around her. She advised Shrikant to take his medicines on time, to take care of himself and prayed for his good health. But Shrikant had nothing to tell. Unlike Shrimati, Shrikant had nothing but material wealth in his life. With every passing day, Shrikant longed more and more for Shrimati.

          This irresistible longing took shape of an important decision when Shrikant could no longer live without the lady who always gave him nothing but happiness. He decided to quit his job, something that was the most precious thing in his life and choose to go after the true diamond of his life; Shrimati. It was unexpected for people around him. Shrikant was a talented and important person in the company. But Shrikant was adamant and refused to change his decision. He wanted Shrimati now; he wanted Shrimati back, more than anything in his life.

His Boss, who was a good friend of Shrikant, advised him to stay. “It is a stupid thing” he said, “You’re doing so well in your career. You’re going to be promoted soon. You could get any girl you want. Why Shrimati? I can find thousand better girls for you. You don’t have to leave!” But Shrikant was firm as a rock and believed he was taking the best decision of his life. With over flowing emotions in his heart, Shrikant asked his Boss, “Why? Does it take more guts to stand here the rest of my life ringing up a zero? Making nothing out of life? She is the reason I am what I am today. It is Shrimati who had sown the seeds of greatness in me and when it was time for the fruits to ripe, I abandoned her. And what am I doing with life now? Earning, for whom? Living, for what? And contentment... well, I’m nowhere near it!” Shrikant left, with Shrimati on his mind and a smile on his face. He gave a sigh of relief. The door of emotions had finally opened and Shrikant packed his bags of confessions and left to get Shrimati back.  

          It had been 6 hours since Shrikant had arrived in Chicago. The same city where his wife had been dwelling for 2 years now, away from him. The same city that had opened its heart to welcome Shrimati, unlike Shrikant. The same city that loved, cared and treated Shrimati in the right way, again, unlike Shrikant. He took a cab to Shrimati’s place but didn’t know how to approach her. It felt so strange. This was the woman he loved, adored and couldn’t live without. Yet, this was the same woman whom he had hurt, neglected and ignored to such an extent that she chose to leave him.

He was standing outside Shrimati’s apartment now. Seeing a young boy give a bouquet of roses to a girl, he remembered how Shrimati would attach a Bakula flower with her letters when Shrikant was in Mumbai, away from her. And how those flowers, a symbol of their love, would bring a flood of cherished memories in the lonely hostel room. Nostalgia hit Shrikant so hard that he gathered up all his courage and took steps towards love, towards a new life, towards Shrimati, leaving behind promises unfulfilled, dreams unaccomplished and love unattained; pledging to make life better for himself, for Shrimati and for the beautiful future that waited. After all, he had to water the Bakula before it died completely.