That one day...

He got hold of that cigarette, but before he could light it... before he could light it... 

Days were rough, times were tough! He thought about the dreams he had, dreams that he would always have scattered somewhere, somewhere down his mind, down his thoughts, thoughts that gave rise to a new meaning to what he believed in. He always had a desire. Desire to make it big. It hadn't been one of the best days, weeks or even months at work until now... The rupee was crumbling, his stocks were going down... The gold funds he had earlier were no longer his... He had cashed out a month ago... A cash out for his emergency fund. Yet in his mind he had a bigger dream, a bigger dream of working hard on his commisions and getting more money with the commisions on his clients... But the days were rough and the times were tough! Things he had dreamt of, desires he had to fulfil... 

It had been one of the worst months for him. He was thinking of ways and means to get back his losses on that one day... He was holding on to the profits he had already made from some of the better portfolios that he had been meticulously tracking. He had a very good ratio when it came to success, especially in commodities... that was up until he cashed out! He always thought that this month was going to be something he would have looked for... He had a few sheets of paper at his desk, an analysis on some of the very key stocks he had close to his heart... But it wasn't something he expected to happen so soon. Crashing and burning all the way and trying to jump up and bounce back again. Bounce back again into the game! It wasn't until he realized that some of his calculations had been off... And been off so much that he didn't account for the evening that the news broke! The news of his life!!

The biggest strokeplay was yet to happen! A strokeplay that would change everything about his dreams! A strokeplay that would be the most impactful one for him and his agency... But he didn't know that up until that one day... Especially since he hadn't been trading the earlier day and was out in slumber cause of his illness... Such deep sleep that he had forgotten to put his phone onto the charger as well...

Like any other day, he woke up at 7:00 in the morning, to his tea, scanning his bed for his pair of spectacles and grabbing the cup close to him while quickly opening the door and picking up his copies of The Economic Times, Mint and a couple of other newspapers... quickly scathing through the headlines he went to that page, the page he always checked first. Yes, he was tech savy and had that app on his iPhone. An app for all that he could get those details of the stock market just like in the newspaper... 

But he always liked the newspapers better... For he liked to stay in touch with his roots. Reminded him of the days when he smashed the keyboards in disgust, in disgust when some last minute number crunchings at the closing hours didn't go through, some deals that didn't go through at the last moment, some tradings that were left to the afterhours market... Volume game, NIFTY, PUT, CALL, some targets that had to be met on the same day.... But nothing was as lifechanging as that one day...

By the time he woke up in the morning, he read the news... and he instantly realized what he had done... In a moment there was a flurry of emotions... He quickly started to search for something... He couldn't imagine that this was happening to him. He was totally at a loss of expression and a loss of words and just kept staring at that one headline in the newspaper... Cause that was the one that changed everything about his life and he knew it...

And it happened on that one day... Slightly his expressions changed, from the heaviness that he had for the past days, in fact for months... it all changed as he looked at the sun shine across the horizon across his balcony window... That was the strokeplay that was about to happen, a stroke of genius or a stroke of luck... Things had changed forever for him... All because of that one trade he didn't make the earlier day, and that one that one day... That was the one huge chunk of stock that soared like an eagle! An eagle that took flight into the sky... This was that one big break he was always looking for... He could feel his heart pounding with a lot of adrenaline rush... He could feel that happiness that he always dreamt of!  Slowly he eased the frown off his forehead and reached into his pocket to find his smokes...

He quickly got hold of that cigarette, but before he could light it... before he could light it...  

Punch That Shit Outta me...

Work's going to be tough, but tough's never the answer... Answer's always in the liberation...”

All this while he had always punched hard, punched as hard as he could.

“One day... One Day...” swinging away he always told himself this...

It had been over a year he threw a punch in the ring... In front of a huge audience as this... A punch without which there was no answer... He had been fighting too hard. Too hard against the snort, too damn hard against the dope... But he knew it wasn't over. It's now or never. He'd puked his life down the drain all this while... But after all the blow, he had tried hard, hard to see himself out here... One last time...

It was time he pulled it together and went out in the ring. Fought like the tiger that he was known as. There wasn't any other way... Not going down, not going down on anyone else's terms, as he'd say.

He had trained hard, he had punched the shit out of the sack, he'd thrown blows that he couldn't possibly ever throw... The hardest ever... Never ever had he looked at his face in the mirror until now... Detesting the time that had gone by and that his sorry ass never came through in the time he whiled away in the darkness of the imperceptible faucets of his crooked little molten pot of a brain.

That was all he had to do... It was the last day of his career, maybe the last match ever.. But that wasn't just the end of it all...

It wasn't until the 6th Round... Wasn't until then he realized, what had happened... There wasn't even a hook that came his way... Cause he had knocked the jesus out of his opponent by the time..

Yet he slipped... like a dog on the porch... sudden seizure... A moment of darkness and it was all over... Slowly as it would seem to the overdosed mind, a figment of his imagination was staring at his soul, numbing him as the last breath passed out of his body without an ache.. Aches that the body was used to for decades...

The last punch... The last punch he spewed his rage against an opponent he had fought all this time... With a grin on his face he told life... 'Punch that shit out of me... Bitch!' Punch that shit out of me...

One Day... One Day indeed...

Sunaina - Chapter 1

September 1989

She was wondering what to do? The most difficult part for her was to realize what she had lost. Sunaina thought about the many times that she wanted to just give up everything and move on into the new direction that she had chosen for herself. Every time she has had the thought of giving up on her life and starting something new, she always thought of what her life would be without her daughter. Her daughter was the only thing that she cared for. Something that she cherished forever and someone who she could do almost anything for.

After years and many years of hard work and being a single parent in a city that was full of strangers, Sunaina had never felt so lonely especially because of all the pain that she had already gone through. Living alone in a country which was alien to her was easier than living at home being tortured by her past and the thoughts that haunted her life forever. She had left her country and her city with her daughter when she was 21 years old. After a life that had always felt so promising in that little town of hers, she chose to leave it all for one reason and one reason alone. She did not want her daughter to be haunted by the past that had always been a curse to her. She knew it would be difficult for both of them to live in the same town, the state or even in that country where she would have to answer endless number of questions which she did not want to answer.

She chose to take her kid and leave the past forever. A past that she did not ever want to think of. She had thought of a new life. A life that she thought would mean a lot of happiness and a lot of success for her and the only thing that she cared about the most. Little did she know that this journey would be short-lived...

May 1999

The May heat was deadly and it was a gloomy Friday that undid all her dreams till that day had dawned upon her. What was difficult was that her life earnings had been put in a home that was going to be built in a span of three years from this day. She had to survive her life with her daughter living on the edge. She had to account for every penny that she spent on little things that mattered the most especially now that she had given all her savings into a small house that she had got for her daughter and her. Life was difficult with her customers becoming scarce as her age began to become a factor for her. Certainly she did not want to think of any other options and made sure that she got the house far far away from where anyone knew.

Her daughter was getting older and she was now studying in a small school. Sunaina wanted to make sure that all the sacrifices she made had to yield some results. Some results that she thought would be fruitful enough for her daughter. her world. The times were getting tough. With her growing older, and her business going down she was left with very little options than just work at the bar. She had to make sure that she should save more or somehow make sure that she could make both ends meet. It was time enough that she stopped the atrocities that life dished out against her.

She had to make sure that life became easier for her and there was a way out to make sure that her and her daughter's life became more easy. But she did not know what to do. Not yet.. But soon she would come out with a way to make her life and her daughters easier and live life like she had never before...

© Copyright 2010 Srini. All rights reserved

Eleven

• It had been six months since Somesh was unemployed. He tried hard to get a new job, but was unsuccessful. Somesh had worked as a hotel manager for more than eight years of his life. Tall with broad shoulders and muscular built; he had a strong jaw line. His short hairstyle with fine shades of grey and a trimmed moustache made him look all the more charming and anyone who heard him speak would certainly be impressed by his style and pleasing personality. Usually dressed in a slick black suit that bore a logo of his hotel, a red tie, he looked dashing as ever. His rimless glasses gave him a more sophisticated look and his smile would make you feel at ease. Most clients who talked to him felt comfortable and mostly dealt with him with their requests.

• He had been doing well, but they fired him because he could not please a female client of his, who was staying at the finest five star properties in town. Something he wouldn’t do for any amount of money that was paid to him, for he was faithful to his wife Saritaa, whom he loved a lot. The client accused Somesh of theft and got him fired. That was the beginning of his struggle. His struggle that brought a lot of disrepute in the hotel industry for him, which is very closely-knit in a city like Mumbai and your reference checks could do as much harm as the people knowing each other in this line of business. Somesh had a four-year-old daughter and a sixty five year old mother to look after. His wife had stopped working after she had given birth to Ritu, and had been a stay at home mom since then. He was not comfortable to ask her to start working again and he was bothered, as he was unable to secure a job in the market even a couple of levels down. He had tried many places but his bad luck and even worse reference check always made him lose face. These six months that he had been looking for a job had drained him off his self-belief if not anything else.

• Today lady luck shone upon Somesh, he was selected for the final round of interviews at one of the decent hotels in Mumbai. ‘The Intercontinental Grand’ around the corner, a few blocks away from ‘Not Jazz by the Bay,’ overlooking the sea face of Marine Drive. The place was located strategically, had many elite customers, and offered a real retreat for them. Although he was being interviewed for a different post, one that probably paid him lesser than what he was earning before, he was more than happy to take up this job. He set out in search of a new ray of hope; one that he felt would end up on a positive note. Early that morning he had an egg white sandwich and orange juice. He wore a light blue shirt and his lucky tie; he set out for the interview. His looked oozed an amount of confidence that would probably change the face of his struggling life and give him a new beginning. One that he desperately wanted, much similar to that night four years ago, a night he would remember throughout his life.

• ***

• “Saritaa, I’m here sonu’ He said as she was being taken into the maternity ward.

• They had waited for nine long months and the doctor had warned them earlier that there might be complications as Saritaa was very thin and had struggled a lot throughout these nine months. She was slender and even though almost as tall as Somesh she drooped a little bit. Over the nine months, she had taken good care of herself and somehow managed to gain some weight, yet she struggled to a certain extent. She had long hair before marriage but she trimmed it post her three months into pregnancy. Having had to deal with hair loss as well. There were many such frustrations that she dealt with each passing moment in those months. Every day seemed like a huge struggle for Saritaa with several tests being conducted, Somesh tried his best to ensure that utmost care was given to his lovely wife who looked even more beautiful while she was pregnant. That entire wait had ended after these nine months. Saritaa was screaming loudly inside the maternity ward, right from the time her contractions started. This was one pain and suffering she had anticipated and was trying hard to hang in there. All the suffering, she knew would ultimately bring her joy that has no definition.

• He took the ten o clock train fairly packed with regular office goers. He had to travel from Borivili all the way to Churchgate, from where he would walk by to ‘The Intercontinental.’ He caught the train as it came into the platform. It was a starting train; he hopped in real quick and found himself a seat next to the window where he could relish the breeze. It was humid that day as it was the onset of monsoon and just last night there was rainfall that made the weather more humid. Even though he could smell the whiff of fresh earth after an odd shower or two, he could also feel the heat and humidity intensified especially after the rain had come and gone. Now the sun was shining bright in the sky and he hoped his fortune would too, as this day ended. He was thinking a lot and trying to figure out how he would get this job and how he hoped that there was no reference check, at least for the job that he had applied for. He decided not to give the reference of his last job and show gap in his resume, anyways there was a gap of six months. So he decided to take a risk hoping it would pay off. The train started its journey and he was all set to go wage his battle and come out victorious. He thought a lot about all the pain that he had gone through, all the uneasy moments that he had had. In the past, he had suffered a lot because he had been extremely honest. A little tact this time, he hoped would probably get him what he needed. It was not as though he was robbing a bank or slitting someone’s throat. He wondered how these six months of staying at home had made him a different person altogether. A person that he had become especially with his principles and limits that he had followed all his life. This was something he had to do and this was the time for him to make it or break it. Maybe this tweaking would benefit him and not really do any harm to anyone else. Anyone else he knew at least.

• “No harm done,” he said as he started to read the newspaper to ward off his fretful moments.

• ***

• “Ahhhh, Somu.” She yelled as the pain was getting excruciating…

• She was struggling, exulting in the labour room besides Somesh. She was in so much pain that she bit Somesh several times on his arm. She just could not take the suffering, something she had prepared herself for. While she was in pain, Somesh was getting even more concerned. Desperate to know what the result would be! He really was hoping that his wife gets relieved of the pain soon.

• “Sonu, I’m here. It’s going to be okay,” he kept telling here, as he stroked her back and caressed her hair while the doctor and the nurse was busy delivering the baby.

• Somesh had reached Churchgate and he woke up from his slumber. He had gone to sleep while reading the newspaper. He realized he had reached his destination the minute he was awakened by the buzzing commuters trying to jump into the running train to get their share of window seats. He got down, went to the public toilet to freshen up. He washed his face, tucked in his shirt, readjusted his tie and combed his hair neatly. Finally wore his specs that he had carefully removed and kept aside.

• “All set, you can do it Somesh. You are the man.” He thought, pepping himself up.

• He went to the hotel and waited in the lobby for more than half an hour, then, he was called to fill a form and other interview formalities that needed to be done. By the time all was done, it was about lunch. So he had to wait for an hour or so before they interviewed him. He called his wife from the lobby and told her that he would not come home before 4:00 PM. As he sat there, his nervousness growing, he was waiting, patiently looking at a small wall clock in the lobby that had an antique yet a classic touch. It was the wall clock with a pendulum, ticking away to glory and he was watching the pendulum go back and forth. It gave a strange feeling of time that was so precious. Every time the pendulum swung, he tried to count how many times it swung a minute, is when he would realize, how much every second is worth. The lobby had a nice pair of chandeliers, which matched the ambience of the soft sandalwood paint. One would generally get the feeling of being in a place that had the tranquility, which could last for eternity. But in Somesh’s case, it was otherwise. Every little second that passed by and every time the pendulum swung, it killed him, for his anxiety grew. He was hoping this day would bring him immense joy and open a window of opportunity to fulfill all the dreams he had set for his sweet little ‘Ritu.’ The Directors who were going to interview Somesh were busy in the boardroom let alone taking an interview, they had not had their lunch up until 4:30. Somesh thought of giving another call to his wife and letting her know that he would not come home until 6:30. But a sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

• “Are you ready for your interview Somesh?” Priya from HR asked Somesh and he nodded in affirmative. He looked up signaling to God and hoping that this day turns out to be a day that he would never forget. He prayed anxiously and hoped that this eleventh day of the month would end his suffering finally.

• “Eleven was a good number,” He thought to himself, being a firm believer of Lord Ganesha.

• Eleven is the number that suited him and something that gave him respite amidst all the fretfulness. Soon the interview started and his anxiety converted itself to a little bit of pressure but later on eased itself out. They were interviewing him for an hour at least. He had to also give them some practical demonstration of certain fine skills that needed to be possessed by a line manager which by the way was something Somesh had mastered over the time but since he’d not stepped into those shoes for a long time, he felt a little rusty.

• Meanwhile the anxiety had transferred on to Saritaa, who was at home and it was way past evening. Her husband had not yet come home nor had he called. She was wondering what had went wrong and why Somesh did not call her up as she was getting really worried about him. She had finished all her chores, washed the clothes put Ritu off to sleep and cooked dinner as well. Usually she went to the park with Ritu and Somesh’s mother, but today his mother had gone to stay with one of her cousins so she was all alone and feeling all the more apprehensive. She was trying to ward off her angst by watching television. Usually packed with the same old boringsoaps full of twists and turns which you would get used to by now especially after watching so many of them. She was surfing the channels when she happened to tune into a news channel.

• “Seven bomb blasts in a span of eleven minutes! Terror strikes Mumbai again…”

• ***

• “Doctor, when will this pain be over?” she asked as she struggled to deliver the baby.

• The doctor told her in front of Somesh that there were some complications, the baby had changed its position and it was an awkward situation for them to get this through.

• “We may have to do a cesarean.” She said to Somesh.

• There was utter silence in the room. Even as the news continued to play on the television, Saritaa could hear nothing. She was deafened with a silence that took her out of the frame. She was petrified. For minutes she couldn’t move, she just lay there sitting on the couch with a chain of thoughts surging her brain and flooding her with all the nightmares that she had ever dreamt of. All of those dreadful images just struck her and paralyzed her in the mind and in body.

• She slowly regained composure and tried a little bit to think. What should she do? The first thing that she thought of was to call him up on his cell phone and soon she realized that he had forgotten it at home.

• “What to do? What do we do doctor?” Somesh asked the doctor as Saritaa overheard. The doctor asked Somesh to calm down. She said everything is under control.

• “I know there are complications, but don’t worry she’ll make it through and so will the baby.”The doctor went out to get some more medicines and surgical tools while she asked the nurse to take care of Saritaa.

• Saritaa didn’t know what to do. She thought of calling Somesh’s mother and try to find out if he had called her at her cousin’s house. But she stopped herself; she did not want to take that risk, as her mother in law was a heart patient.

• The fact that she has not called up yet, means she may not be aware of the blasts that have occurred. She thought of trying to get a resolution herself before taking any drastic steps. She just could not imagine it had to be this day that Somesh had to go for the interview, cursing herself for not reminding him to take the mobile. By the time the interview might have been over, he would be coming back in one of these trains. Though Somesh didn’t travel first class, her heart was still thumping not knowing where her husband, her life her soul mate was. Most of the bombs were placed in First class compartments that is what she heard on the news. She began to think of many other things. Things that she did not want to think of. She tried calling Somesh’s friends and asked if he had called him. Most of them said they have not heard from him for a long time. They offered help and said will call her if he called them. She just did not know what to do. She could not even remember the name of the hotel that Somesh had been to for the interview. She was trying hard to remember but she felt numb.

• ***

• “These painkillers should help you reduce the pain. But you will also feel a little anesthetized” The doctor told her.

• So desperate she was that she did not know what to do. She was scared. Scared stiff! Worried, if her husband had been one of those caught in the blast? She started crying, for that was the only emotion that whizzed out of her, being overwhelmed by the amount of thoughts that hovered around her mind. With the tears, rolling out of her eyes and the loud crying even Ritu woke up and she sensed the pain that her mother was going through and she started weeping as well. After a while of shedding her emotions out, Saritaa wiped the tears off her face and became grittier. She regained her composure and thought with a calm mind. What is the most logical thing that she could do at this moment? What was it that could either make her find the name of the hotel that Somesh had been to or get the contact number for that place.

• She began going through Somesh’s files. She razed through the closet as she began looking for interview letters, brochures or anything that could help her recollect the name of the hotel. But to her disdain, she found nothing. Her determination became stronger with this failure and she tried to think of more means and ways of trying to get to her husband. That is when it struck her; Somesh had called her in the afternoon on her cell phone. Maybe that could give away his location. It seemed like a landline and could be a nearby location. She had her fingers crossed, dialed the number and waited with desperation. Desperation, that either meant a world full of emptiness or an utmost delight never imagined ever in her life. Maybe experienced it once before.

• “Good Evening, Intercontinental Grand. How may I help you?” a sweet voice of a young receptionist buzzed Saritaa’s ears as soon as the call was connected.

• She was relieved to a certain extent for the voice reduced her stress a little bit. She got through the hotel and yes, now she remembered the name as well. How could she forget this place? ‘The Intercontinental’ around the corner, a few blocks away from ‘Not Jazz by the Bay’ overlooking the sea face of Marine Drive. A place, that Somesh and Saritaa frequently visited during their early years of courtship. The romantic sunset and how they held hands while they saw the Sun go down and the time stood still while they enjoyed each other’s company.

• “I’m calling for Mr. Somesh Ahuja; he had been there today for an interview. I was wondering if you could tell me if he’s still there or if he’s left” She stuttered as she spoke to the receptionist, eager to know about her husband.

• “Let me check the register and I’ll tell you.” She flapped through the pages of the register where everyone had to sign in and out every day as they came for interviews. Saritaa kept tapping her fingers on the dining table as the receptionist was looking for Somesh’s name in the register.

• “Oh there it is, hmmm, well mam, strange… It’s 7:30; usually interviews don’t go this long.” She replied. She said she‘d check with the interview co-coordinator as HR would have left by now and then she’d call her back. Saritaa said she will call back in ten minutes and hung up the phone. Those ten minutes again took her back to the miserable moments and thoughts that surrounded her mind and that is when she went inside the kitchen. A place, which also had a small temple of their own with Lord Ganesha’s idol kept besides other deities. She began to pray hard and as she did, her faith in Him began to rise. She began to feel a great bit of comfort and her confidence rose. She recited her prayers for ten minutes and was about to call up the hotel again, when her cell rang.

• ***

• “Wow… my baby girl.” Somesh said as he looked at his beautiful baby while Saritaa could feel it.

• She could feel the baby coming out and the pain easing out slowly. Minutes later Ritu was born, she slowly contracted and eased her grip on Somesh’s hand. She was exhausted, tired out of the three and a half hours of labour that she had gone through. Every sweat on her body and every blood that she shed made her feel that it was all worth it. Even before she could see her daughter, the nurse took her away to follow the regular practices. Saritaa was so exhausted that she went in deep slumber the minute the laborious process was done with. Later that morning the doctor introduced Saritaa to a sweet little part of her own. Her wailing sound was the sweet sound of music to her ears and meant the world to her. She was so happy that she did not know how to rejoice this moment of happiness. That is when her tears rolled out to fall on Ritu’s nose while she was still sleeping in the warmth of her mother’s arms.

• “Saritaa, I’m so sorry… I couldn’t call” a voice that eased her so much that she couldn’t control her emotions that she just screamed with happiness followed by tears of joy. It was Somesh on the phone. He had taken a long while because there were many other candidates as well and they did not allow anyone to step out, due to restrictions best known to the management. He was unaware of the happenings outside and couldn’t even imagine what his wife must have gone through all this while. Finally, both of them were relieved and the relief that they shared was something both of them did four years ago. A moment that gave her the feeling that motherhood was something she wanted and something she will treasure for life. A day both of them will not forget ever. The eleventh day of July, a day that would end his suffering finally. He got the job and he stuck to it for several years. No harm done indeed. Yes it was the tweaking that had helped him get through this job, but at the end of the day, no harm was done as he was the best candidate for this job and he deserved it more than anyone else in that room on that day.

• A day where he jumped into a window of opportunity to fulfill all the dreams he had set for his sweet little ‘Ritu.’

• Copyright 2009 Srini. All rights reserved

A conversation indeed!

• It had been a while we had met,


• Talked about love, life and goals we had set.


• For ourselves we had no dreams in particular,


• Yet we had a belief which we shared together.


• With that belief we decided to go with the flow,


• Make the most of our conversation before we go.


• Yes, to each other we had a lot more to say,


• Cause of destiny we met, and in a very strange way.

• We hadn’t met in quite a long while and it had been certainly a long time since we actually allowed ourselves to flow into the reality that we had built for ourselves. We have had a strong belief in our own expression of thoughts and somewhat felt a strong connection to begin with. It’s as though we were made for each other and could talk on for eternity and over again. How can I forget the way we met each other. It was surreal, surreal but true. Now when I look back at how we met and where we are at I feel a certain sense of disbelief as to why it all happened in the first place. Life is so unpredictable and life is so strange in it’s own ways. It keeps leading you to so many paths and so many new unexplored locations that you keep wondering where to go?

• It had to be a nice time, a few starters, a couple of drinks and a conversation that we usually have not necessarily about something. That’s the best part about the conversation we have. It doesn’t need to have a meaning nor a reason but it enlightens us and yes we get to know how much more we are just like each other. That made a difference to our relationship, a belief that is impending to tell us something, a sign that we always knew in our hearts.

• We started talking about our lives and for the first time we actually opened up to each other and felt great to be listened to. With each expression that I saw on her face it felt as though she was in tune with what I had to say and for the first time I felt uninhibited to talk about my feelings and tell her how I perceived life and how I went about my beliefs. It felt sweet to know, how I expressed my deep thoughts was actually understood by someone.

• We always had this chemistry together and she always had told me that, but despite all that this day was certainly remarkable in all the times we have had conversations because of the fact we were able to actually relate to what each other was saying without the fear of being judged nor being misunderstood. How I wish life was this clear. So many times there are misconstrued communications and beliefs that are completely incorrect and relationships begin to get into the humdrum of certain same beliefs. So many times expectations are more when there are names to relationships, so many times assumptions disturb a portrayal of a relationship in particular and that is why we want to make everything like this society has for us. The society tells us to be true, tells us to be right and probably tells us to do what they want or they perceive as truth. How difficult it is for everyone to understand that?

• It may not be truth or for that matter mean anything to anybody, yet it has to be told. It needs to be heard by everybody, but not really important as long as it meets the norms of the society. The world is a place for us to wear these masks and clothes that they want us to and in fact everyone is more than happy to do so, with a different penchant for keeping it that way.

• How I wish someone understood these feelings and truly it was a day to remember for she did understand what I said that day and we let ourselves flow into the reality that we had built for ourselves. Thanks a lot for making my belief in our relationship strong and hope life has more for us.

• © Copyright 2009 Srini. All rights reserved

Runaway Bride

• 
  
  “How could she do this? How?.” I asked Ramesh”

• 
  
  “She loved me...” He said

• 
  
  “I guess our time was not right."

• 
  
  “There is no such thing as a ‘right time’” he said...

• 
  
  ***

• 
  
  We wondered what to do. We were in a huge mess. He loved his girl a lot. Ramesh could do anything for his girl. Even she would go to great lengths to restore their faith and belief in the love they had for each other. I had to do this for him; I had to help him. Both of us thought of things we could do. It had been a week since he had met Jenny. Her parents had grounded her. Ramesh was desperate; he couldn’t live without her. He had to do it. They wanted Jenny married off. That’s what happens in this society, a society that is built on the worlds weirdest morals. Yes, the times have changed. Even ‘arranged marriages,’ nowadays have become, sophisticated. Nowadays there are a few blind dates and a few get to know sessions after which they go ahead with the decision to marry the person, whom you know only for a few weeks. There was no such thing done in her case. Jenny was to be married to a person whom she had never known nor had she met. She did not know what to do. She loved Ramesh and couldn’t marry anyone, just like that. Her own house felt like a dungeon of darkness, in which, she was locked up. Her memories with Ramesh and her solitude helped her to survive so far. Her mom kept a close eye on her. They took her cell phone away, she was completely disconnected. Disconnected from the world and left on her own, to face a future, a future that she never knew.

• 
  
  “Let’s go to her place and take her away.” Ramesh said.

• 
  
  “Are you crazy man? What if her mom calls the cops? You could get into trouble.” I told him.

• 
  
  “So f**K it… I don’t care.

• 
  
  “If you go tonight, you will have to deal with some tight security and her brother has contacts with the local MLA. Before the night is over, her brother and his friends will hunt you down and hand you over to the cops.”

• 
  
  “So what do you want me to do? Sit here and do nothing?”

• 
  
  No, Ramesh, we got to think of a practical solution.”

• 
  
  We thought a lot, to think of the easiest way out. That’s when I thought of this brilliant idea.

• 
  
  “She will be married the day after tomorrow, right?”

• 
  
  “Yes. We have to do something soon!”

• 
  
  “We will. Before she gets married we have to go to the church and whisk her away even before the wedding happens and get you guys married in the court. It’s near the church. The bridesmaid is a friend of mine. She knows about you guys and I’m sure she would help us in this situation. Besides her parents don’t know me and they haven’t seen me right?”

• 
  
  “No, they have not seen you. You can go to her and tell them about our plan”

• 
  
  “Great, I’ll also register for you guys and call my friends who can be witnesses at the court. I’ll make all the arrangements there. Once you are married, there isn’t much anyone can do.” So, we decided to wait for that ‘right time.’

• 
  
  Finally, the day arrived and we decided to go to the church. When we reached the church, we were surprised that there was nobody, no decorations, absolutely nothing that would indicate a wedding. We asked the church authorities, they said that the wedding was cancelled. We were surprised. 'Cancelled?' What on earth had happened?

• 
  
  “Why is the wedding cancelled?” Ramesh asked

• 
  
  “Something’s going on.”

• 
  
  “What happened, what about your friend? Did she do something? What am I going to do now? Did she tell on us?”

• 
  
  “Relax, it’s not her. I spoke to her last night she said she would go this morning to Jenny’s place to tell her about our plan.”

• 
  
  “Damn, man why didn’t she tell her yesterday?”

• 
  
  “I don’t know okay. Just let me think for a second here.”

• 
  
  “Then have they cancelled the wedding because they found out about us? Or it must be that brother of hers. He must have come to know through his spy friends.”

• 
  
  “If he’d have known, you and I won’t be sitting here, so chill.”

• 
  
  “Do you think Jenny must have done something?”

• 
  
  “Done something? What do you mean? What are you saying?”

• 
  
  “I mean, do you think she had any plans that would make her parents cancel the wedding?”

• 
  
  “I don’t know man. I don’t think that she would do anything like that. She is not that type of a girl.”

• 
  
  “Hmm. I tried to call my friend but she’s not answering, I don’t think she’s home.”

• 
  
  “What do we do now Srini? I’m worried.”

• 
  
  “Have faith dude. It’ll be all right.”

• 
  
  We thought a lot, with moments of silence we thought of what to do. There were many questions that came to our minds. Ramesh got restless as each minute passed by. Finally we gathered courage and decided to go to her house and try to find out what the deal was. That was our only option. We drove to her place which was quite a few miles away from the church. I decided to drive his car as he was not in the right frame of mind at that time. Her house was a small row-house on the outskirts of the city. While we drove to her place, there were many thoughts that raced into our minds as we wanted to find out what would have happened. It was something we had to know.

• 
  
  We saw a huge crowd outside her house. People in the courtyard talked quiet. Everyone wore black clothes. We looked at each other, aghast. Our hearts started beating fast. This was something we had never imagined before. When I said earlier, I was sure even she would go to great lengths to restore their faith and belief in the love they had for each other this definitely proved it for sure. Something I had never imagined to have happened. This was an event that moved me immensely, something that changed our lives forever. When we went inside, we saw a coffin. Lay inside, with a smile on her face, there was a smile that told us something. Something we probably knew all along but never brought it up all this while...

• 
  
  “How could she do this? How?.” I asked Ramesh”

• 
  
  “She loved me...” He said

• 
  
  “I guess our time was not right."

• 
  
  “There is no such thing as a ‘right time’”

• 
  
  He told me as he snatched the car keys from me and walked past all the madness to his car and went for away in search of his solitude.

• 
  
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