Blogger: Cinderella
Blog: http://intelligensia-cinderella.blogspot.com
"He was walking along the valleys of the mountainous terrain of Simla. It was slowly getting dark and the little houses along the valley belt had already struck up their lights, illuminating the divine twilight that the sky was spreading across now. The highway was visible towards his right, up at a higher altitude and he could see the red, blue and the yellow lights of the vehicles speeding by.
The walk was slow, rather lazy, a contrast to the others who were taking brisk steps and speeding past him. Obviously, hurrying home. Winters at this time of the year was when Simla slept right after the evening was over.
He looked up to the sky and felt a li'l drop on his nose.
"What the hell.." he said to himself. His hotel was till another 15 minutes walk and there was no way he was gonna get a rickshaw at this hour. What had started as a slight nuisance of the clouds took the form of a slow drizzle now. He looked around, trying to search a place where he could stand for a minute or two until the drizzle stopped.
Who on earth will want to get wet in the rain, in the freezing evening of late December, that too at a place like Simla ?
The drizzle was on a rise now and he started getting anxious for a place. Suddenly his eyes fell on a house, slightly bigger that the ones near it, with a pronounced portico and a garage space.
"Lets get in there.", he said to himself and ran in.
A minute or two passed and the wind was blowing faster now, swooshing the air and making strange noises. The light inside was on, and the windows were open too. Buy there wasn't any sound of the rush that occurs to close the window and shutters when it begins to rain. No sign of life, yet the house looked very much in inhabited and posh, so to say.
O the other hand there was some activity going on in the house, though not of the type he was expecting.The magazines were flying outta the table and the racks, and falling hither and thither. The gusts of strong wind that was blowing now, flew the pages of the books open, that lay on the granite centre spread sitting in the centre of the room.
Books, magazines, newspapers were everywhere he noticed now. On the shelf that hung on the wall that stood in front of the window he was watching through. On the sofa, that cowered the centre spread, on the rack that stood at the far end.
And all of them were flapping themselves in anger perhaps. The wind was blowing them all. And yet no one seemed to care ?
"Whats wrong with this place ?", he said in silence again.
"Maybe I should have stayed on a bit longer at the Starbucks coffee shop with that company client. And could have left after this damn rain got over, he was even offering me a lift. Damn !!"
Just then a car, appeared to coming in his direction from the gate. It did, and placed near the garage. He peeked on.
The door opened and a woman disembarked from the backseat, just the silhouette of her Saree visible from where he was standing. She slowly started walking towards him and this brought a certain uncomfortability and a slight twitch in his stance.
She saw him from a distance, just a few steps away and he began to think,
" Now she's gonna say, 'Who is it ?' and I'll say 'Your son-in-law from America ma'am. Damn, I should have stayed back at Starbucks."
But no, instead her face lit up instantly in a glow that he hadn't seen in a long time, specially from a person who was meeting him even after an eternity.
" Abhisekh ???!!!!!! "
Is that you ?? I had no idea you were gonna come. Why dint you call us ? I could have sent the driver to pick you up ? And how long have you been standing here ? Are you wet darling ?
Come on in. You seem tired. "
He let out an impish smile and walked in after her.
" Sit down. Oh my God, this house is in a mess, I had no idea, I'd left the windows open. All the books look like they've been just strewn around.
Give me one moment darling, I'll just set this up. "
He continued looking at her without a word and gave a slight nod to what she was saying. She must have been in her early fifties. Graceful, poised and quite a beauty for her age. He saw her arrange the room in a jiffy then take her cell-phone outta her purse and punch in some no. and put it to her ears.
" Honey, you wont believe who's here at home now. No, its Abhisekh. Yeah,
I know you're surprised. Yes, you gotta be here right now. Come soon. "
And she put the phone on the centerspread. A Samsung D820. Fine taste, he wondered while she walked inside. A few minutes passed by and he got up and walked over to the window to see whether the rain had stopped or not.
" Huh...and I was thinking of a ride by the Penang ferry. Lord you're great." , he said himself.
" Here you are dear. You must be cold. I have your favourite tea here. C'mon lets have a sip while we talk. "
He walked back and took his seat while she handed him the cup. He took a sip and she started.
"So how's Priti ? She dint come with you ? That girl, her work will kill her someday. I'd told her to come when you were coming but she was a bit apprehensive about it coz of her job. Is your job keeping you so busy dear and where are you staying by the way ?"
" Oh, in a hotel hear the Penang lake. I'm alone as always. "
" Hmm...so how are you guys doing. Priti hasn't called in a long while. Is she always this busy or is it that she's not bothered anymore. Tell her to call me up more often. And son, dont you think you should drop in a call at times. After all I'm like your mother too.
And yes, you're not going anywhere tonight. I'll make you your favourite chicken sandwich. And then your uncle, you and me can have a long chat. "
" I'm sorry auntie, but I need to go. I have a client waiting for me and I also have to catch my flight tomorrow noon. I gotta pack for that. "
" Then you should have come here earlier. You dint have to wait till the last moment. I dont know anything. I'm not leaving yo until your uncle's home to see you. Till then kindly stay son. Its so nice having you here. "
Time passed on. They chatted. Talked about different things. In the middle if it somewhere the husband arrived. And they chatted some more. Soon it was time to get up and leave.
"I'll have the driver drop you" he said, and summoned the guy. He bid adieu to the couple and left with a smile on his face.
The drive back was very short, yet he felt like an eternity had passed and that he had gone into a very different world. Different from the world he resided in this day. All the while he kept glaring at the car's dashboard display. Its numbers and signs looked like they were telling him a different story, a saga of God's miraculous ways and wild coincidences.
He reached his hotel, changed to his pyjamas and lied down on the bed, in the posh ,richly furnished room. He closed his eyes, to shut the images from haunting him any more. But his mind was determined to play tricks and kept making him go back to the evening until he dint know when he fell asleep.
He woke up to a slow ringing of phone. The watch showed 7 am.
"Who could be there , now ? Room service ?? I'd told them not to disturb be until I called them."
Picked it up anyway.
"Yes ?"
"Sir, sorry to disturb you at this hour. But there's a gentleman here, who insists on meeting you right now."
"Yeah ? Who's it ?"
"Sir we asked him but he said you dont know. He never could tell it to you."
What on earth is that ?
"Alright, send him in and yes, two cups of tea please."
He rushed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush as fast as he could.
Came back to the room and tried settling his things lying around when he heard the doorbell.
He said a silent prayer, "Lord, let it be not that client of yesterday's evening, using another dirty trick to waste my time with futile trials of convincing me with his crappy ass proposals.". And opened the door.
Outside the door beside the boy was standing a tall, slightly chubby man in a pin-stripe blue suit. Gray hair, and wrinkled eyes, and a warm smile. He held a packet in his hands and wore the look of an expectancy on his face.
"May I come in ?", he asked.
"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry I..."
"No, that's OK. it happens when you are seeing someone you dont expect to come to you even at your funeral."
"Please take a seat. And I must admit I am quite surprised."
"Last night was a very strange night for you as well as for me Mr....."
"Shivanesan, or just Shiv."
"Yeah, right. Shiv. The way you came to my place and Bina ushered you in without as much as a question from you. I'm surprised and apologetic at the same time."
"I dont understand."
"I'll tell you.
Priti is my daughter's name and Abhisekh is his fiance. They stay and work in America, used to stay perhaps. 6 years back they were killed on a flight to India. They were coming here for their marriage. My wife, Bina, lost her sanity coz of the crash and still believes that they are alive. She's totally fine, walks and talks and has a healthy and normal life just like any other human being except the fact that she hasn't accepted the death of her daughter and future son-in-law. Everyday she wakes up with this thought in her head that it was just a few days back that he had talked to Priti and Abhisekh and that they are gonna come here and get married someday.
Yesterday, when you came she mistook you for Abhisekh and acted accordingly. And thank heavens you dint reveal yourself then. I have not seen my wife so happy in a long time as much as she was when she saw you yesterday evening.
I am so thankful to you son. You dont have any idea how grateful I am to you for what you did. Tell me what can I do for you"
He sat there, his face gleaming with joy while, he, sat there looking at the old man, for whom he was an angel right now, totally clueless as to what he should say to him and why did what he did yesterday night.
Meanwhile,the old man spoke again.
"But I just wanted to ask you one thing. Why did you not say anything when Bina mistook you ? What kept you mum ?"
"Now, that was what has been freaking me out.", he said to himself. But yet, calmly he began.
" Years ago, when I used to live here with my parents I had met a girl called Priti and had fallen in love with her. We then got married and and later my job took me to America, with promises of a great future and happy life. But destiny had it some other way. An accident killed my wife one night and pushed me into the arms of loneliness forever. Ever since I come here atleast once every year to relive the memories my wife and me had build up here, during our courtship days.
Yesterday, at your portico when your wife called me in and started talking about Priti I thought she was talking about my wife. But it wasn't late before I realised that she was talking about some other person. But every time she uttered a sweet word about the Priti, her daughter, I felt she said a word of fondness for my wife. I know I shouldn't have done that but I just got carried away Sir.
And then when you came in and yet dint react to it, I just assumed I had struck up a chord somewhere in the middle of life where we were looking into each others eyes, trying to figure out who's the fool here ?"
With this he fell silent and it was just the morn' light that engulfed them all around. The two men sat there, for a long while, and sipped their tea. Perhaps the wind had done its talking and the air was conjuring the images together....
He finally got up and put forward his hand for a shake and said, "Bina and me will come to see you off at the airport today and you will not tell her anything of this. Let this be between the men. She sent you this packet to give it to Priti. I'm giving it to you. Give it to the girl you'll fall in love with, for I'm sure you'll find love again. Take care my boy."
With this he walked out the door. At the airport, Shiv met Bina again. They made small talk and then his flight was announced. He touched their feet and said looked into the old man's eyes while he said, "And remember, next time when you are gonna be here, you are not staying in any hotel. Dont forget this is your home too."
"Yes Sir", he said and left.
As the plane took off, he glanced out the window to see the couple still standing there, looking at the plane and waving there hands at him.
They looked like two children, with their arms raised up in the air, in prayer to the Lord, to give them back a toy they have lost, in dark of the night while they were asleep. With the hope kindled in their souls that God is there somewhere listening to their voice and that He'll give them their toy back.
He felt like God had given him something back in return.
He smiled and waved back.
Blog: http://intelligensia-cinderella.blogspot.com
"He was walking along the valleys of the mountainous terrain of Simla. It was slowly getting dark and the little houses along the valley belt had already struck up their lights, illuminating the divine twilight that the sky was spreading across now. The highway was visible towards his right, up at a higher altitude and he could see the red, blue and the yellow lights of the vehicles speeding by.
The walk was slow, rather lazy, a contrast to the others who were taking brisk steps and speeding past him. Obviously, hurrying home. Winters at this time of the year was when Simla slept right after the evening was over.
He looked up to the sky and felt a li'l drop on his nose.
"What the hell.." he said to himself. His hotel was till another 15 minutes walk and there was no way he was gonna get a rickshaw at this hour. What had started as a slight nuisance of the clouds took the form of a slow drizzle now. He looked around, trying to search a place where he could stand for a minute or two until the drizzle stopped.
Who on earth will want to get wet in the rain, in the freezing evening of late December, that too at a place like Simla ?
The drizzle was on a rise now and he started getting anxious for a place. Suddenly his eyes fell on a house, slightly bigger that the ones near it, with a pronounced portico and a garage space.
"Lets get in there.", he said to himself and ran in.
A minute or two passed and the wind was blowing faster now, swooshing the air and making strange noises. The light inside was on, and the windows were open too. Buy there wasn't any sound of the rush that occurs to close the window and shutters when it begins to rain. No sign of life, yet the house looked very much in inhabited and posh, so to say.
O the other hand there was some activity going on in the house, though not of the type he was expecting.The magazines were flying outta the table and the racks, and falling hither and thither. The gusts of strong wind that was blowing now, flew the pages of the books open, that lay on the granite centre spread sitting in the centre of the room.
Books, magazines, newspapers were everywhere he noticed now. On the shelf that hung on the wall that stood in front of the window he was watching through. On the sofa, that cowered the centre spread, on the rack that stood at the far end.
And all of them were flapping themselves in anger perhaps. The wind was blowing them all. And yet no one seemed to care ?
"Whats wrong with this place ?", he said in silence again.
"Maybe I should have stayed on a bit longer at the Starbucks coffee shop with that company client. And could have left after this damn rain got over, he was even offering me a lift. Damn !!"
Just then a car, appeared to coming in his direction from the gate. It did, and placed near the garage. He peeked on.
The door opened and a woman disembarked from the backseat, just the silhouette of her Saree visible from where he was standing. She slowly started walking towards him and this brought a certain uncomfortability and a slight twitch in his stance.
She saw him from a distance, just a few steps away and he began to think,
" Now she's gonna say, 'Who is it ?' and I'll say 'Your son-in-law from America ma'am. Damn, I should have stayed back at Starbucks."
But no, instead her face lit up instantly in a glow that he hadn't seen in a long time, specially from a person who was meeting him even after an eternity.
" Abhisekh ???!!!!!! "
Is that you ?? I had no idea you were gonna come. Why dint you call us ? I could have sent the driver to pick you up ? And how long have you been standing here ? Are you wet darling ?
Come on in. You seem tired. "
He let out an impish smile and walked in after her.
" Sit down. Oh my God, this house is in a mess, I had no idea, I'd left the windows open. All the books look like they've been just strewn around.
Give me one moment darling, I'll just set this up. "
He continued looking at her without a word and gave a slight nod to what she was saying. She must have been in her early fifties. Graceful, poised and quite a beauty for her age. He saw her arrange the room in a jiffy then take her cell-phone outta her purse and punch in some no. and put it to her ears.
" Honey, you wont believe who's here at home now. No, its Abhisekh. Yeah,
I know you're surprised. Yes, you gotta be here right now. Come soon. "
And she put the phone on the centerspread. A Samsung D820. Fine taste, he wondered while she walked inside. A few minutes passed by and he got up and walked over to the window to see whether the rain had stopped or not.
" Huh...and I was thinking of a ride by the Penang ferry. Lord you're great." , he said himself.
" Here you are dear. You must be cold. I have your favourite tea here. C'mon lets have a sip while we talk. "
He walked back and took his seat while she handed him the cup. He took a sip and she started.
"So how's Priti ? She dint come with you ? That girl, her work will kill her someday. I'd told her to come when you were coming but she was a bit apprehensive about it coz of her job. Is your job keeping you so busy dear and where are you staying by the way ?"
" Oh, in a hotel hear the Penang lake. I'm alone as always. "
" Hmm...so how are you guys doing. Priti hasn't called in a long while. Is she always this busy or is it that she's not bothered anymore. Tell her to call me up more often. And son, dont you think you should drop in a call at times. After all I'm like your mother too.
And yes, you're not going anywhere tonight. I'll make you your favourite chicken sandwich. And then your uncle, you and me can have a long chat. "
" I'm sorry auntie, but I need to go. I have a client waiting for me and I also have to catch my flight tomorrow noon. I gotta pack for that. "
" Then you should have come here earlier. You dint have to wait till the last moment. I dont know anything. I'm not leaving yo until your uncle's home to see you. Till then kindly stay son. Its so nice having you here. "
Time passed on. They chatted. Talked about different things. In the middle if it somewhere the husband arrived. And they chatted some more. Soon it was time to get up and leave.
"I'll have the driver drop you" he said, and summoned the guy. He bid adieu to the couple and left with a smile on his face.
The drive back was very short, yet he felt like an eternity had passed and that he had gone into a very different world. Different from the world he resided in this day. All the while he kept glaring at the car's dashboard display. Its numbers and signs looked like they were telling him a different story, a saga of God's miraculous ways and wild coincidences.
He reached his hotel, changed to his pyjamas and lied down on the bed, in the posh ,richly furnished room. He closed his eyes, to shut the images from haunting him any more. But his mind was determined to play tricks and kept making him go back to the evening until he dint know when he fell asleep.
He woke up to a slow ringing of phone. The watch showed 7 am.
"Who could be there , now ? Room service ?? I'd told them not to disturb be until I called them."
Picked it up anyway.
"Yes ?"
"Sir, sorry to disturb you at this hour. But there's a gentleman here, who insists on meeting you right now."
"Yeah ? Who's it ?"
"Sir we asked him but he said you dont know. He never could tell it to you."
What on earth is that ?
"Alright, send him in and yes, two cups of tea please."
He rushed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush as fast as he could.
Came back to the room and tried settling his things lying around when he heard the doorbell.
He said a silent prayer, "Lord, let it be not that client of yesterday's evening, using another dirty trick to waste my time with futile trials of convincing me with his crappy ass proposals.". And opened the door.
Outside the door beside the boy was standing a tall, slightly chubby man in a pin-stripe blue suit. Gray hair, and wrinkled eyes, and a warm smile. He held a packet in his hands and wore the look of an expectancy on his face.
"May I come in ?", he asked.
"Yeah, sure. I'm sorry I..."
"No, that's OK. it happens when you are seeing someone you dont expect to come to you even at your funeral."
"Please take a seat. And I must admit I am quite surprised."
"Last night was a very strange night for you as well as for me Mr....."
"Shivanesan, or just Shiv."
"Yeah, right. Shiv. The way you came to my place and Bina ushered you in without as much as a question from you. I'm surprised and apologetic at the same time."
"I dont understand."
"I'll tell you.
Priti is my daughter's name and Abhisekh is his fiance. They stay and work in America, used to stay perhaps. 6 years back they were killed on a flight to India. They were coming here for their marriage. My wife, Bina, lost her sanity coz of the crash and still believes that they are alive. She's totally fine, walks and talks and has a healthy and normal life just like any other human being except the fact that she hasn't accepted the death of her daughter and future son-in-law. Everyday she wakes up with this thought in her head that it was just a few days back that he had talked to Priti and Abhisekh and that they are gonna come here and get married someday.
Yesterday, when you came she mistook you for Abhisekh and acted accordingly. And thank heavens you dint reveal yourself then. I have not seen my wife so happy in a long time as much as she was when she saw you yesterday evening.
I am so thankful to you son. You dont have any idea how grateful I am to you for what you did. Tell me what can I do for you"
He sat there, his face gleaming with joy while, he, sat there looking at the old man, for whom he was an angel right now, totally clueless as to what he should say to him and why did what he did yesterday night.
Meanwhile,the old man spoke again.
"But I just wanted to ask you one thing. Why did you not say anything when Bina mistook you ? What kept you mum ?"
"Now, that was what has been freaking me out.", he said to himself. But yet, calmly he began.
" Years ago, when I used to live here with my parents I had met a girl called Priti and had fallen in love with her. We then got married and and later my job took me to America, with promises of a great future and happy life. But destiny had it some other way. An accident killed my wife one night and pushed me into the arms of loneliness forever. Ever since I come here atleast once every year to relive the memories my wife and me had build up here, during our courtship days.
Yesterday, at your portico when your wife called me in and started talking about Priti I thought she was talking about my wife. But it wasn't late before I realised that she was talking about some other person. But every time she uttered a sweet word about the Priti, her daughter, I felt she said a word of fondness for my wife. I know I shouldn't have done that but I just got carried away Sir.
And then when you came in and yet dint react to it, I just assumed I had struck up a chord somewhere in the middle of life where we were looking into each others eyes, trying to figure out who's the fool here ?"
With this he fell silent and it was just the morn' light that engulfed them all around. The two men sat there, for a long while, and sipped their tea. Perhaps the wind had done its talking and the air was conjuring the images together....
He finally got up and put forward his hand for a shake and said, "Bina and me will come to see you off at the airport today and you will not tell her anything of this. Let this be between the men. She sent you this packet to give it to Priti. I'm giving it to you. Give it to the girl you'll fall in love with, for I'm sure you'll find love again. Take care my boy."
With this he walked out the door. At the airport, Shiv met Bina again. They made small talk and then his flight was announced. He touched their feet and said looked into the old man's eyes while he said, "And remember, next time when you are gonna be here, you are not staying in any hotel. Dont forget this is your home too."
"Yes Sir", he said and left.
As the plane took off, he glanced out the window to see the couple still standing there, looking at the plane and waving there hands at him.
They looked like two children, with their arms raised up in the air, in prayer to the Lord, to give them back a toy they have lost, in dark of the night while they were asleep. With the hope kindled in their souls that God is there somewhere listening to their voice and that He'll give them their toy back.
He felt like God had given him something back in return.
He smiled and waved back.
2 comments:
This is beautiful!
:)
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