Storieo

Author: Akshay A Kumar

  • It’s all about loving yourself

    It’s all about loving yourself

    Devi Sharma was her name, she was the second child and she had one elder sister, Divya. Devi was very cute and innocent as a child and turned very beautiful when she grew up. She belonged to an upper middle-class family. She and her sister were put in the best school in the town, her father was a reputed engineer, she lived with her parents in a beautiful and huge bungalow. She had the best of outfits, and she could afford to visit various exotic locations as a part of his father’s monthly holiday trips. Yet, Devi was never happy.

    Yet, Devi was not happy, why? Was she a greedy girl? No! Had she a bad Character? No! Was she ugly? No! Was she jealous? No! then why was she not happy? It was because Devi had no freedom, everything for her was decided by her parents, her clothes, footwear, even the profile picture on her social site accounts, her friends, the way she should speak, sit etc., and everything was coaxed on her rigidly which made her very depressed.

    But, in vain, her parents never understood her plight, they continued coaxing because they thought that they could only decide the right and best for her, and her choice would lead them to shame in the society.

    On the other hand, her sister Divya was very happy, because her parents gave her more love, affection, and support since she was ugly, she blackmailed them every time crying, describing her parents about the attitude of the society towards her ugliness and got whatever she wanted, Devi couldn’t do that because she was just opposite to her sister a very pretty girl, moreover very innocent, following the ethics and moral values that she had learnt from her teachers, and she also did not like ugly tactics to get something and wanted to work hard to earn her own things.

    One day it so happened that while coming from school, she went to her friend’s house adjacent to their bungalow, her mother saw her, and so she was relieved, she thought that probably she would not have any issues, she only came back in 30 minutes, but her mother beat her black and blue, she abused her for having an affair with her friends brother and father too, while actually Devi didn’t even know that her friend had a brother and neither her brother or father was at home, she tried to explain her mother a lot and make her believe and take in confidence, but in vain.

    Devi completed her school somehow with fear, fright, and depression and scored less, but her parents never understood her. When she entered junior college, her parents never gave an opportunity to show her talent and participate in any competitions, while she was very talented, she loved dancing, acting and was good in sports too.

    This was the second terrible incident of her life, her principal called her and said “Dear Smita, I know that you are very good in dancing, because your cousin who is very intelligent and talented himself has appreciated you a lot, and secondly the main dancer is sick there is an inter school competition now and you have to replace her, go home with my son immediately and dress to the best you can and come back soon, All the best dear”.

    Hearing this Devi’s Joy knew no bounds, Her mams son was 3 years younger to her, Devi had a kind of feeling that going home with a 3 years younger boy would not create any issue, but her expectations were smashed off again, She was again beaten, called characterless and abused for having an affair with this small boy too, and was not sent for competition.

    Devi did not understand what to do because everyone in her family had the same mentality, very orthodox, very dominating, and then the 3rd incident in her life was all the more terrible, Her father had some kind of issue in the office and was threatened to be killed and beaten.

    Devi loved her father irrespective of all the odds and differences, and then she got to know that her neighbor uncle had solved the issue for her father, she was very happy.

    One evening when she was sitting in her garden casually, she saw her neighbor Uncle and smiled at him, she was very grateful to him for helping her dad, but disgustingly even this was taken wrong, her father banged her head on the wall terribly pulling her hair and so her mother and sister and again depressed her.

    This time Devi could not take the pain of being blamed and criticized her character for every single boy or man whom she tried communicating with anyway and she tried committing suicide by burning herself, but she was saved, however, her parents yet did not understand her depression, in-fact they said that if she commits suicide the society will blame her for having a disgusting affair with someone who refused to marry her and her family would also be held for shame!

    When she was preparing for her impending exams, her Cousin’s marriage was there, Devi requested her parents to let her stay at home so that she could study, but her parents rejected and taunted her again with no fault of her. Devi was depressed and there was no one whom she could share she tried doing it with her school principal, but in vain, No one actually understood and helped because her father was a well-known man in town.

    With fear and fright she completed her graduation, and then her parents got her married to a guy Ankit who looked like an uncle to her when he stood beside her, who was not handsome while Devi was so beautiful, he was an engineer but a ruffian who made her work all the time treated her like a slave, never bought anything for her, never took her out, made a mess for silly mistake like salt, pepper etc., and even beat her black and blue.

    Devi tried explaining her parents but of no use, as usual, her brother in law had got the marriage proposal for her, she tried explaining her sister and brother in law but all of them had said that it was her fate and she had to accept it. Then it so happened that her aunt supported her to complete her Post Graduation, Devi was relieved because of studies at least, she got the opportunity to stay away from her dominating family.

    She came across a friend who understood her plight and gave her ideas and suggestions and the strength to fight back, she even helped her to get an online job, she taught foreigners online and earned her living, her husband tried to pull her living too, while actually, he did nothing for her though he had lot of money.

    Devi was now independent and got guts to give it back to everyone who insulted and hurt her, she took a divorce from Ankit.

    She was free, at last! And did you know what she did to further do justice to herself?

    She launched a global dance Academy along with her friends who had a similar taste for dance like her which has now become a global phenomenon!

    image courtesy – ijustlovemovies.com

  • The fight 

    The fight 

    It is 11:45 pm in the night, Ajinkya wakes up to find himself in a house. Almost immediately he can sense the melancholic mood in the environment. He feels a pain in his head and he can see blood coming from a deep wound on the left side of his head. He tries to remember the events which led to this injury and fails to remember anything, not even his name. Suddenly he finds himself to be in a strange state of amnesia.

    He tries hard to get some clue which could help him find his identity. Ajinkya tries to break the lock of a cupboard where he believes there must be some document may help his to find his name. But, it strikes him that it may be possible that the house may not actually belong to him and any document sans photo would not be foolproof evidence to identify his details.

    As Ajinkya struggles to decide his immediate plan of action, there is some movement in the balcony which goes unnoticed by him. A young man of average built sneaks into the hallway and is trying to locate something and he goes into the same room which Ajinkya is currently in.

    Ajinkya experiences a sudden jerk when something hits his back and turns back to see an unknown person is trying to kick him. He pushes that man with some force and tries to get away from him but the man is strong enough not to budge. That man is also laughing at him hysterically trying to hit Ajinkya with a shoe at the same time. Ajinkya in a fit of anger punches the man and then tries to hit him with the cricket bat lying in the corner of the room.

    The punch does enough to shock the man and when he sees Ajinkya approaching with the Bat, he is unable to do anything. Before he can say something, he feels the full force of the bat on his jaw and the shock on his face gives way to unconsciousness.

    Ajinkya inspects that unconscious man to find him breathing and feels a sense of relief. But at the same moment, there is huge thud on the main door and lot of voices are audible outside. He can clearly hear people saying

    “Today, we are going to finish Ajinkya”

    “Ajinkya, Open the door or you are a dead man”

    “Hahaha…. Coward is hiding I think”

    “I think Mirza has already killed him”

    “Uski fat gayi hogi”

    Ajinkya starts sweating to find a number of people waiting to kill him. He can’t remember what he had done to piss off so many people. But he says to himself – whatever I did but I am not a coward. He looks towards the unconscious man and deduces that man must be Mirza, who must have come to kill him. But the question is, “Is his name really Ajinkya? If not, then Ajinkya must be the guy to whom this mess belongs”.

    Whatever the heck, he has two options – either to run away taking the balcony route or face his enemies. He believes that he is not a coward the way his enemies called him just now. He is ready to face them – Let the last survivor win. Making that particular cricket bat his only weapon, he tries to open the door. He is ready for any consequence which could follow.

    As the door swings open, half a dozen people barge into the house. Before these people can react, the bat comes down upon them.

    Something has hit Ajinkya on his face and it is flowing on his face from his eyes to his mouth and he thinks it is blood. But then he remembers hearing something near the door a split second before he opened the door – the exact moment at which he was swinging the bat at them. Reality dawns upon him albeit slowly. It gives him the shock of his lifetime. The blood which now was near his mouth is starting to taste sweet. He silently looks at the time and closes his eyes to believe that this day never happened.

    The time was 00:00 and the sound was nothing but the same familiar song,

    “Happy Birthday to you Ajinkya,………….”

  • The love that failed to reciprocate

    The love that failed to reciprocate

    Stopping by the market, she filled her basket with varieties of fruits, vegetables and some necessary groceries for making a delicious dessert. She made sure she did have enough time to cook the menu she had decided. He was to meet her after seven long years. Her excitement was growing every minute, so much so she couldn’t focus on anything.

    Her husband observed her from a distance and came closer to help, trying to be supportive. He wasn’t even half as thrilled as his wife, with the arrival of their son. He would have preferred him to stay where he came from; even if they were given the least importance, Amal wouldn’t have taken the decision to get married to someone his parents would object.

    On an ordinary day, the queue at the cash counter would have tested their patience, but very strangely Amal’s mother seemed very calm and composed compared to her spouse who was cursing the poor system of the hypermarket. On their way back home, she spotted a toy shop and insisted that they pick something up from there for their grandchild, for their son’s daughter. He scorned at her suggestion, but reluctantly slowed his vehicle and tried finding a parking space.

    The shop was as fantasy oriented and as colorful like a child would love a massive choice of Barbie dolls and soft toys. The toys were arranged in age order, and also an apparel section ranging from infants to ten-year-olds. Sharda seemed clueless, she walked from one stand to the other in awe, wondering what would be the best toy she could choose for her 2-year-old granddaughter. He saw his wife smiling at herself, wondering what was this unconditional love that a mother has towards their children no matter how they behave, or how they abandon their parents.

    He saw his wife filling her trolley with items that were more than required. Unwilling to hurt her, he placed his credit card on the counter and looked at his wife, who was still randomly looking through the clothing sector, and selecting a baby pink dress which had fancy frills on it and also came along with matching booties, underwear and a hairband. She animatedly gestured at her husband asking if she could pick that up as well. He smiled and acknowledged, signaling his approval. She came running happily toward the cashier who was waiting to close the billing.

    They had been informed through the mail that Amal would be arriving on Saturday midnight, India time, and would be there for lunch at their place on Sunday. Though they wanted to greet them at the airport itself, he asserted that they would prefer to go to a hotel to freshen up, and that was what Emma would prefer too. Emma was their daughter in law, whom they hadn’t met till now. Sharda’s husband’s anger and stubbornness had prevented her to even see their picture or even their baby’s. But now, after seven long years, her husband’s thoughts changed, when he realized that his wife was unhappy, depressed and dejected. Her silence spoke a lot, and he decided to change the present for better days to come.

    She always was an early riser, but today was different, there was a mystical element to her life, she looked livelier and the glow on her face which was missing all these years was back. Very rhythmically she moved in her kitchen, sorting out her tasks one by one, and very calmly following the necessary procedures. She had selected an array of dishes of Indian cuisine but made sure that the seasoning and spice were minimal, considering the type of palate Emma was used to.

    Sharda’s husband was on his regular schedule that morning, completing his two hours of exercise and Yoga, he sat at the table expecting his elaborate breakfast but was disappointed to know that breakfast included only a cup of tea and two toasted slices of bread with butter and jam. His wife excused herself since she had a lot to catch up with the extravagant lunch for her son’s arrival and would not be able to involve a sumptuous breakfast as well. He accepted her explanation and binged on the toasts, hoping that their son wouldn’t disappoint his wife.

    It was half past one, and there was no news from their son. She patiently waited for their arrival, while her husband tried reaching the hotel where they were staying. At around 2 pm, the doorbell rang and she rushed to open the main door. On their porch stood their son, with a pale complexioned woman, who had an infant in her arms, that was blissfully sleeping cuddled in her mother’s chest. Sharda acted in a reflex, and hugged her son and daughter in law, with tears streaming her eyes, inviting them inside.

    It was a rather awkward feeling for Amal to be back home after a long pause, and it took more time than expected to break the ice and initiate a conversation with his father. As they settled themselves on the off white leather couch, Sharda busied herself with setting the table for lunch. Emma was awfully quiet and preferred it that way throughout the time she was at their residence. The wide display of food shocked her, but her appetite was low and ended her meal with only one plate of biryani and a cup of yogurt. This saddened Sharda, but she was pleased with the thought that at least she ate Indian food. Amal enjoyed his meal, and Amy, their daughter was in her best mood. Sharda’s happiness knew no bounds; she couldn’t distract herself with food, and her only focus was on her son and his family.

    Post lunch Sharda spent time connecting with Emma and Amy over some scrumptious dark chocolate cake. But the exchange of words did not be more than a few lines. When Sharda handed over the goodies she had bought for Amy, Emma accepted it gratefully but didn’t bother to unwrap the gifts or even show it to Amal.

    They decided to leave by 7 pm, which his mother resisted and requested them to stay back at their residence for the next few days they were in town. But very politely, they refused the offer and preferred to stay in the hotel. Amal’s father was a mute spectator to all that was happening and watched the gloomy expression on his wife’s face when their son was leaving. Amal’s father took him to the side and asked if he would be revisiting them again, and hearing a negative response, he was taken aback and hurt. Sharda held herself together and tried not to let emotions take a toll on her. They bid bye to their son and his family at half past 7 in the evening and shut closed the door behind them. With a very heavy heart, Sharda descended on the couch and took her last breath.

  • Passing on the debt

    Passing on the debt

    Rajiv was a very famous business man in the whole city and he was extremely successful as a business man. The biggest quality in Rajiv was that he was extremely rich and a very down to earth person, he was not proud of what he was or how rich he was. He always used to help others and respect his elders, he was an honest man in all sense.

    One day he was on his way back to home from the office in his brand new costly car, he suddenly stopped his car underneath a building which was under construction and many people were working on it. He suddenly saw a little boy who was carrying bricks from one place to the other. Rajiv kept on looking at that boy for a while and while looking at him his mind drowned into the thoughts of his past.

    Rajiv’s parents had died when he was a kid and he spent all his childhood with his relatives who never really liked Rajiv, in fact, they used to treat him in an ill manner and they treated him more like a servant rather than a relative. They didn’t send Rajiv to school, in fact, they asked him to earn money by doing work. Rajiv used to work all day long in buildings which were under construction, and whatever amount he used to earn his relatives used to snatch that amount from Rajiv.

    One day in scorching heat Rajiv was working in an under construction building a man came to him, who appeared to be very rich and well off because of his luxurious dress he was wearing. He asked Rajiv that why doesn’t he go to school? Rajiv told everything about him and told how his relatives make him do this work and how they snatch all the money that he earns. After listening to Rajiv’s story that man asked Rajiv,

    “Will you come with me? I will give you good clothes to wear, I will give you good food to eat and I will admit you in a good school as well and I will bring you up like my own son.”

    Rajiv always had a special place in his heart for the school and studies so he immediately said yes to that man but asked that man to take permission from his relatives first. That man went to Rajiv’s home and asked his relatives if he can adopt Rajiv. His relatives at first were reluctant to let Rajiv go but they were greedy for money so that man offered them some money to take Rajiv with him.

    That man was the famous businessman Mohan. He had many factories which were running in the city and he was an extremely rich person, he didn’t have any child. Mohan took Rajiv with him and treated him like his own son. He gave him a good education, Rajiv was very intelligent and he proved himself in the education field. He completed his education and looking at his abilities and his intelligence Mohan handed over all his business to Rajiv because he was now getting old and he needed the support of any person who could support him and handle all his business. He had brought Rajiv like his own blood son and he had full confidence in Rajiv that he would always live up to his expectations. Rajiv didn’t only live up to his expectation, in fact, he delivered more than his expectations and he did everything what a father expects from his son. Mohan was like an angel for Rajiv who had brought him up and had given him a new life.

    One day Mohan called Rajiv and said “My son I want to tell something to you. I was very poor when I was a little kid, my parents died when I was a young kid I had nowhere to go and no one was there to take care of me. My father Raghu adopted me brought me up, gave me a good life and whatever I am today I am because of him. He guided in every aspect of life just like I guided you, I am here because of him. Rajiv my son I am very old now, I stay sick for most of the time as you know and I will die any day. I wasn’t a promise from you.”

    “Father please order what you want I am bound to obey you. I will do anything to fulfill your wish.” Rajiv said this with tears in his eyes and with a shivering voice.

    “I was in debt to my father Ragh, because he brought me up and gave me a new life, I brought you up and clear that debt from my life I paid that debt by bringing you up and giving you a new life. I want you to continue this process as well, I want you to bring up a poor child like me and you and clear this debt from your life too”. Said Mohan with tears rolling over his cheeks.

    “I will make sure that fulfill your wish I promise you that”. Replied Rajiv.

    After few days of this Mohan died due to cancer and Rajiv was shell shocked at it, he loved his father A LOT.

    Rajiv suddenly came out of all those thoughts and again started looking at that poor boy who was carrying bricks from one place to the other, Rajiv decided that he will adopt this child and will clear the DEBT from his life forever.

  • The dirt called EGO

    The dirt called EGO

    “And the best student award goes to Mahadev Verma of 10th D”

    Hearing the huge round of applause, he felt elated!! In fact, the happiness clouded his vision, and he could hear his heart thump. Like a superhero, he was gliding through and reached the stage to collect his prize. He just grabbed the glittering yet heavy trophy from his Principal who was looking quite charming in her violet saree. After all, it’s the Annual Day and it is the valedictory function which can be said as the most anticipated element of the function rather than the various cultural programs that preceded it.

    As he went back to take up his seat in the front row, he was enveloped by a lot of people mercilessly complimenting him continuously. He felt very odd at the moment. He feigned as if he had a call from his mother and went away to the back of the big ground which was the venue of the celebrations. Deep in his mind, he had some hope his parents would call him. But no; they had some other bigger priority than their lone son.

    He ran up to the parking section and saw his driving yawning out of utter boredom. His presence made the driver turn happy. After all, he could have a tight sleep after dropping his Chota Sethji back to his home. Soon, they reached home. A posh bungalow to be precise. Now, he was eager to inform his Mother about his achievement. The maid opened the door when the continuous doorbells assaulted her eardrums!

    Ignoring her he went running upstairs to his mother’s room. He opened the door and saw her busy chatting with someone on her laptop. Probably, a conference meeting. She directed her glance towards him and put her index finger on her sealed lips. Stay Silent! That is her message. He went down and spent few minutes on his phone. His mother came down and asked him “Why were you shouting my boy?”. By now he has got pissed off. Her eyes went to the majestic trophy kept at the corner table beside him. The inscriptions read – BEST STUDENT 2017. Her eyes went moist with tears of joy.

    She hugged him still crying. This melted away his anger.

    “Congrats Mahi. Let us celebrate! Ohh, now it’s too late. Let us go to your favorite restaurant tomorrow. For now, let’s gorge on the Chicken Biryani I have bought for you.”. Mahadev was happy now. At least his mother was acknowledging his victory. “Let’s go to dinner with dad. Call him also!! Meeting him once a month is not enough for me.”

    His main joy was that he could show it to his father. They meet once in a month. His father is almost never impressed by him. His father is the chairman of the local Chapter of Rotaract and will be proud when he hears about his son’s prize. At least he could now boast about his son’s achievement to them. So all that had to be done is hope that his mom arranges the dinner the next day. He forced her to call his father. Initially reluctant, she gave in.

    “He has agreed to come for the dinner.”

    “Great mom!! Let’s go to the Kamal Restaurant.”

    Then he proceeded to call his dad. “Hello, Dad, as Mom told you; I have won..”

    His father interrupted, “Good Mahi. See I am busy now. Let me hear more about this during the dinner. Don’t trouble your mother too much.” This was rather an abrupt end to a long awaited call.

    On the other end, he was rather relieved. His son has done it again. Yet again he has another chance to meet her. Though he was relieved when the divorce went through about a year back, the separation did hurt him badly. He still had his ego to contend with. He was not ready to accept this and resolve the issues. But still wanted to meet her whenever he could. And the only way he could do that was through his son. He made it a point to meet his son at least once a month. And thus meet her also. So he called her “Riya! Mahi had called me. I want to give him some gift. What do you think I can buy for him?”

    “Come on, you are also his parent. You should know something about him also.”

    “Come on Riya! He lives with you. So I just want to know what he would like now.”

    “He just wants your presence. So don’t disappoint him.” And the line went dead. Another much-awaited call resulting in a disappointment.

    On the other end, there was another person who was rather relieved. She had done what she could to please her son. She loves him very much and readily talked with the one person whom she would avoid under all other circumstances. She even initiated the talk. But still, her son hardly notices this. He takes it for granted. He craves for the acceptance of his father and grossly neglects the one person who is ready to sacrifice anything for him. How could she make him realize this?

    “Hello Mahi, should I pick you up from school? I thought before going for dinner with Dad we will go to your favorite ice cream parlor.”

    “No need Mom. I will come with my friends as usual.”

    “Ok. Just be careful.”

    “When did you make the reservation?”

    “It’s at 8.30 in Mauryas as you wanted.”

    “Great Mom. Just don’t fight with him again today. I want a peaceful dinner with Dad.” And the line went dead again. Another call ending in disappointment.

    If only someone had the will to break the vicious circle of ego.

  • The shrewd judgment

    The shrewd judgment

    He stood at the edge of the cliff. All he needed was a push. A gentle push.

    The water below looked blue. Crystal clear. As if it was eagerly waiting for him.

    He mentally calculated the distance to the rocks below. If he would have been in his swanky office complex now, he would probably have been standing on the balcony of the third floor.

    The only difference was that this was not his office and there was no balcony here.

    He reminded himself that he had quit his job some time ago. He had a menial job punching on his workplace for some client whose only reasons for hiring people in India were that finding labour here was much cheaper. He was paid, but not much. He used his brains while working, but not much. In a nutshell, his life was like most of the white collared, educated, salaried labour class that this country specializes in producing. No, his work life was not that problematic. The problem was something else. Something more profound. Something whose roots lay deeper. His life appeared pointless. His money appeared worthless. His clothes, his shoes, his watch and all his material belongings seemed pathetic. His life was not so bad a couple of months ago.

    The daily journey to his office was mostly uneventful. He had to endure the typical sights and sounds of the torture chamber called the “public transport in India” every morning. Every day his neatly ironed shirt got hopelessly crumpled within the first ten minutes of the journey. Weird smelling hair oils on random heads chocked his nostrils every day. And the shoes. He had the habit of polishing his shoes every day till he had started working. The commute to office changed all that.

    On normal days, the number of feet that may have left their mark on his shoes could be somewhere around ten. On some days, it went up to twenty. Hopelessly, he had given up polishing before he left for his work resorting to using the services of the poor boy near his office who worked in a makeshift arrangement where he not only mended shoes but also polished and shone them. He was a person he met daily. He had dirty hair and probably two sets of tattered clothes which he wore on alternate days. His lips were dry and his finger nails were dirty. He looked no different than any rag-picker that anyone from outside India loves to take a photograph of and show it to his wife back home. He had big brown eyes though. Those eyes were beautiful.

    Their initial interaction remained strictly business related. The boy polished his shoes and he paid him. Not a word was exchanged for the first couple of months. Gradually, their meetings got informal. It took some time but smiles were followed by occasional chit-chat. The duration of their interaction still remained limited to those five minutes per day only partly because of the fact that he had a habit of reaching his workplace right before his shift was about to start.

    Two weeks ago, for the first time, the boy had a request to make. By then, their occasional chit-chat had turned into crisp conversations with more meaningful sharing of information. At the outset, his request seemed strange. This conversation was different. It had money involved.

    The boy had requested him to lend him some money.

    He had promised to return it though. “Why do you need the money?” had asked the boy.

    The boy had not replied but he had probably seen a tear drop at the edge of his eye waiting to gain verve and roll down his cheek. The boy had wiped his eyes with his dirty hands before that could happen.

    “I think I have to go see the doctor.”, the boy had said.

    “I have been coughing a lot of late. There is a lot of blood. I am scared.”, the boy had said crying.

    He had stood there unmoved. He was not sure he believed the story. A lot of similar stories from a lot of urchins he had met on the roads had an almost similar, albeit slightly tweaked, theme. “Bulls**t”, he had thought to himself.

    “I shiver at night too. I have no one in this world who I can call my own. I am lonely. And scared. Please help me, sir. I have no money.”, the boy had continued.

    “Yeah right! As if this was the first time I am hearing something of this sort from someone of your social standing.”, he had thought to himself.

    “Let me see what I can do for you. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine. I am there for you. I will take you to the doctor tomorrow.”, he had told the boy softly caressing his hair.

    His words had seemed to calm the boy. He thought he had taken care of the matter.

    He had it all figured out. He would not break the boy’s heart right away by showing that he did not believe in his story but there was no way that he was falling into his trap and letting him get away with what he considered blatant extortion. From the next day onwards, he had started using the second entrance to his office, the one on the other side of the building.

    He had started a practice of packing his neatly polished pair of shoes in a plastic bag and carrying them while his commute to work, which he suffered wearing a pair of sandals and then changing into his shoes before he entered his workplace. He avoided the first gate even at the end of his shift, even though he was pretty sure that the boy would not be there then, just to be sure that the boy could never see him again. He thought that he had done pretty well in his attempts at avoiding the boy.

    Today had been a different day than all the previous days though. He was just about to enter his office building through the second gate in a slight hurry since he had to change into his shoes before entering the office and he was running out of time. It was then that he saw the crowd near the first gate. It seemed odd. There appeared to be some policemen trying to control the crowd. He walked towards the crowd partly out of curiosity and partly because he felt a gentle force pulling him towards the scene.

    What he saw, froze the world around him. There was the boy on the ground, covered in blood. There was blood all over his tattered shirt, around his lips and on his chin. There were open wounds in his body. Blood had oozed out of them and had coagulated. He appeared skinnier than when he had last seen him two weeks ago. He looked pale and dead. He walked away cursing himself for being judgemental about that boy’s plea.

    He quit a few days back. Some deep introspection made him feel he was just a liability to Humanity. The dent to his self-esteem was quite deep. He felt it right to end his life that day. And he was a person of instincts.

  • Flickering faith

    Flickering faith

    “Don’t you ever show me your face again.” My wife yelled at me.

    “Don’t worry darling I will never be back,” I yelled much louder than her. We both had a furious fight. It was our routine to fight on different petty topics. It was now like having a meal; it was so common for us. But this time, I thought let us finish this up. I want a divorce, that’s it. I called my lawyer.

    “Nithin, prepare the divorce papers as quickly as possible,” I said in anger.

    “Are you sure inspector? I mean maybe you can patch up with your wife once again. If you want I can even provide a marriage counselor.” He was my friend, he wanted good for me. He never wanted this divorce to take place. Just because of him, I was able to withstand this marriage for 4 long years.

    “No Nithin, I want you to prepare…..” I had to stop because my phone has put the other caller on hold. “I will talk to you after a minute. I have some work to do. But see to it, you will take my side during the court proceedings” I cut the phone and picked the other caller.

    “Yes, Raghav what happened.” Raghav was my junior inspector.

    “Sir, one girl has committed suicide here in Malad area.”

    “Oh, you proceed. I will be there within a few minutes.” I said and left.

    *******

    “Sir, an overdose of sleeping pills.” Raghav showed me an empty bottle of sleeping. Girl’s body was lying on the bed and her parents were weeping and shouting her name. I tried to console them. But all went in vain. It was difficult for them to accept the death of their only child.

    “Any suicide note or something?” I asked Raghav. He gave me a letter. It was her suicide note. I started reading it.

    *******

    I still remember that first smile we shared while looking at each other in our relative’s marriage. I still remember our conversations on Facebook. I started with ‘Hi’ and then you took over the conversation for hours and still when we meet face to face, we both pretended to know nothing about each other. It was a fun exercise for us.

    Eventually, we became best friends of each other. We shared every joy and every sorrow. We were like a single soul in two different bodies. We loved same movies, same food, same kind of music, we had everything in common. Even in the night when my mobile’s screen lights up I remember you and found your name flashing there.

    I don’t know when this friendship turned into love. I tried to tell you but was afraid to lose our friendship also. I knew that you also loved me, but you never took a step forward. I waited for you until the end. But when I heard about your marriage talks, I felt like losing you. That’s why I told you everything I felt about you. You said nothing. It was heartbreaking for me. You didn’t talk to me for so many days, I thought that I lost myself!

    Hope you will be there for me in my next life.

    Yours Lovingly,

    Disha.

    *******

    Aditya was his name, her boyfriend’s name. When I send Raghav to his home and told him about Disha’s death. Aditya family was in shock. They said that they were planning of marriage of Disha and Aditya. Aditya wanted to give a surprise to Disha. Then Raghav heard a gun shot. It was from Aditya’s room. Aditya was dead. He shot himself.

    *******

    I was stunned, after seeing the love of Disha and Aditya. I always thought that love only exists in stories, not in real life. 

    I loved her, my wife. The first thing which I remember after seeing the love story of Disha and Aditya was the memories of my love with my wife. Yes, we fight but that’s our way to show love to each other.

    That day I entered my house and went to the kitchen beside my wife and hugged her. She allowed her tears to flow down her eyes and she smiled with happiness. And I was equally overjoyed.

    I wished for the reunion of Disha and Aditya in heaven.

    cover picture courtesy – 123RF.com

     

  • ‘her’

    ‘her’

    Another drink will help, well, maybe it should help. He filled up his empty glass and gulped it down his already burning throat. ‘Pain kills pain’, he thought. He smiled with teary eyes. Once the burning of his throat stopped, that same pain came back from his pounding heart. The weight of someone’s memories, some unfulfilled dreams, promises & desires, all together on his heart. He could feel the painful heaviness. He felt the need for another drink.

    He took the bottle & tried to empty the already empty bottle in the empty glass to fulfill his wish of letting ‘her’ go out of his heart.

    He felt pity for his foolishness. Tears fell down his red eyes. He heard someone sobbing from the next room but ignored it. He had much to worry about other than that sound.

    Balancing himself, he tried to get up from the couch on which he had spent the maximum of his time after getting married; at least he made himself believe that. The symptoms of being in an unhappy married life.

    Somehow he walked up to the corner table on which laptop was eagerly waiting for him. He had sleepy eyes but still, wanted to see something else other than the bed.

    He logged on the laptop and opened up the secret folder where his life was hiding from the world.

    ‘This folder is empty’.

    He closed his eyes when realized what he had done a few days back. The question was not that what he did was right or wrong but the question was, what could be the remedy of it? How he’s going to let ‘her’ go. How?

    He looked around, a room with memories, those quite and calm sleepy days and naughty nights; there was no feeling, there was nothing that they had left to share with each other, except that one photograph on which his gaze finally got fixed upon. Photograph of his marriage. How badly he wished to see ‘her’ instead of her.

    He wanted to cry, or rather howl in pain and let everyone know what he is feeling right now but he stopped. A promise stopped him, a promise of never crying. ‘How cruel you are!’ He thought and smiled in pain.

    Finally, he decided to hit the bed next to the lady whom he never loved but got married in hope of moving on in life, just like ‘she’ did. He was not angry at her, how could he ever be? He was just following the road that ‘she’ paved for him but nothing worked for him and may be, for ‘her’ too.

    He looked at the clock, 2 ‘ o clock, time to sleep. He forwarded towards the bedroom where his wife was still sobbing. He felt bad for her. Three or maybe four lives may get destroyed because of one illegitimate love. He had to let her go and give his wife what she deserves.

    He grabbed her from behind while falling on the bed next to her, rubbed her wet eyes and when she turned, he faked a smile too.

    He could see ‘her’ in his wife. He knew he was hallucinating but still hugged her tightly and asked the Almighty, ‘How can I let ‘her’ go!’.

  • Good and the BAD

    Good and the BAD

    A hectic night lay ahead .. Dia sat exhausted on the bench of a nearby park. Five years had passed by since the untimely death of her father. She had lost all hope of getting the pension of her late father for her helpless mother and a sister 10 years younger than her. The government officers were ruthless in this regard and always left dumb ears to her plea. Initially unaware of the predicament; gradually she understood their hidden demand; which was a hefty sum as a bribe.

    As time passed by, Dia realized that there was very little hope that she would ever get her father’s pension though it rightfully belonged to her family. Dia could not understand why she was expected to pay a huge amount as the bribe for the pension money which was rightfully hers. There was no source of income for them, as her mother is an arthritis patient since few years otherwise she would have been contributed something by doing her earlier job as a sweeper at the nearest school. And, her sister was a prodigy. She had been quite popular in her school as she had won laurels for various activities such as Debate, Singing, and Basketball. She was equally good in studies and always notched high marks. Now, she was in her 10th grade. So, Dia felt it would be an injustice if she becomes the reason for her sister discontinuing further studies.

    Her dark lipstick glittered in the darkness and her red saree draped around her slim figure made her look distinct in the crowd. Many guys at the park were looking at her. They were helpless; such was her beauty. She used to love the attention she got. But not now; as she has come to terms with her life. The beauty she once revered was probably one of the main reason for her present condition. During her time of studying, she was always indulged in relationships with many guys, one after another. She was a spoilt kid she knew but she felt she didn’t deserve such a cruel punishment. She looked lively yet she was lifeless, she was alive yet she was not better than the dead.

    Life had never been supportive to her, yet the smile on her mother’s face when she would return home the next day was enough to keep her going. Initially shocked to hear from Dia about taking about ‘THAT JOB’; even she had to give in. As sometimes hunger makes you blind. Good seems to be a luxury then. Dia too wanted her sister to achieve all the happiness in this world which she was denied. She wanted her sister to study hard for the exams and be a topper and she could go to any extent to fulfill her father’s dream. The thought of a prince charming riding towards her in a black horse out of sheer darkness was only a dream which she still cherished in her lonely moments. At times she was full of remorse that she had so recklessly decided to quit school out of sheer boredom. Her father had tried his best to make her understand the importance of education, but she hardly cared. Today life would have been quite different if she was educated, maybe she could get a decent job to support her family.

    A car screeched to a halt near Dia. A bulky guy jumped out and walked fast towards Dia. She woke up from her thoughts and adjusted her hair and saw her reflection in her purse mirror. Two soulless eyes stared back at her which were definitely not her own. She had ceased to be herself and totally lost herself in the fast life of the big city. Dia was very well aware that there was no turning back. The men spoke to her for few minutes and offered her some money. One of them opened the door for her rather roughly and she entered the car. Her client, an old man was waiting for her in the car. Seeing her, he became excited. The bulky guy was given the order to drive the car swiftly to the nearest hotel.

    Something fell from her purse and lay on the road. The car pulled up and sped away in the darkness. A small girl in rags came and picked up the glittering thing from the road. It was a small replica of Goddess Durga, which Dia’s father had gifted her on her birthday.

  • The Wallet

    The Wallet

    Aditya was in a hurry. He didn’t want to be late to the office at least this day, the day when he would be getting his first salary cheque. He took his leather wallet which had been gifted to him by his father. He had decided to keep the wallet empty till he got his first salary. He was excited because it was time for his wallet to be filled that evening. In a jiffy, he left home on his bike. On the way, he noticed a police constable waving to him to stop his bike. “Where is your helmet, young man?” asked the policeman.

    “Oh!” exclaimed Aditya. He had forgotten his helmet at home as usual. He was never caught before and hence was careless about wearing his helmet. But this time he knew he was sure to be punished. He pleaded to the policeman to leave him lying to him that it was his first time without a helmet. But the policeman was adamant to fine him. Aditya was getting late. He had no time to argue. In a fit of rage, he yelled at the policeman, “You guys are always behind people for money during month ends. Don’t you know it’s crime to take a bribe?” The policeman was taken aback. He replied, “And don’t you know it’s danger to drive without a helmet, eh? You, youngsters, think too much of yourself. Now take out the money you have or else I’ll take you to the police station.” Saying this, the policeman put his hands inside Aditya’s pocket and took out his wallet not knowing that it was empty. “Now I am going to take all your money. Let me see what you will do to me”. Saying this he left. Aditya tried to call him back to tell that it was his lucky wallet and that it was empty. But before that, the policeman left. In a sad mood, Aditya left for the office, cursing himself for not wearing a helmet. He swore he’ll never drive without his helmet again.

    The constable was happy that he had made a lot of money that day. “I’ll take my whole family for shopping this Sunday”, thought he. As he tried to open the wallet, a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back and saw a young man with a video camera in his hand. “Yes, what’s the matter?” asked the policeman. The young man introduced himself as a TV reporter and said that he had recorded everything in his camera. He showed the clipping of the policeman snatching the wallet from Aditya. The policeman was shocked to see it. The young man said, “Look, Mister, you know what will happen if I telecast this in our news channel? You will be expelled from your job. Do you understand?” The policeman was almost in tears. He said pleadingly, “Please don’t do that. You take this wallet, but please leave me. I have a family to look after.” The young man took the wallet left smilingly. The policeman fled from the place, thanking his stars for saving him and also swearing never to take a bribe in future.

    The young man cheerfully left for the nearby bar. He thought the wallet must be full of money and hence didn’t bother opening it. He ordered for drinks, had his fill and as he opened his wallet, he had the shock of his life. The wallet was empty! He tried to escape, but was caught and on knowing that he was penniless, was thrashed head to toe. They took his watch and threw him out on the road. Disgusted, he threw the wallet and walked away ashamed, swearing never to cheat anyone in future.

    A poor daily wage earner saw the wallet lying on the roadside. Slowly he slipped it into his bag and left toward his favorite place- gambling point. Thinking the wallet to have lots of money, he gambled like never before. On losing he realized that the wallet was empty. He not only lost his day’s earnings but got thrashed badly for wasting others time. He cursed himself for leaving his job and wasting time gambling. He could have earned so much had he just stuck to his regular activity. He swore never to gamble.

    The wallet landed in another man’s hands who fled the scene lest someone saw him. He got into a bus and was now relieved. When the bus conductor approached him for the ticket, he put his hand into his pocket only to realize that someone had stolen his wallet. He searched frantically but in vain. The conductor slapped him left right for trying to travel without a ticket. Meanwhile, some other people too complained of missing wallet. The conductor immediately asked the driver to turn the bus to nearby police station. Upon searching, the police traced out the pickpocketer and he was beaten black and blue. He swore never to steal. All the wallets were returned to their respective owners except one. They opened it and saw it empty, but just before disposing of it the constable happened to notice Aditya’s visiting card.

    At the office, Aditya was sad the whole day. He told his best friend Uday about the wallet he had lost. Aditya told him that the wallet was always lucky for him, be it during exams or during an interview. It was his father’s wallet and held an emotional value. His father was no more and this was the last gift from him. “It was my dad’s blessing”, said Aditya tearfully. The same evening the wallet was returned to Aditya by police. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He was thrilled to see his lucky wallet back. He thought he had lost it forever. Uday, too, was happy to see his best friend smiling. “See”, said Uday, “Your dad’s blessings are always with you.”

    Aditya hugged Uday and the same evening he put his first salary cheque in his wallet. “This is my lucky day. I learned an important lesson”, thought Aditya. Well, the wallet actually taught everyone an important lesson that day- the policeman, the TV reporter, the beggar, the gambler & the pick-pocketer.