Me You & All of Us

Flight of Steps

2010-02-17T22:24:00.001-08:00

Flight of Steps

As usual he was busy with his work at office and today it was worse than other days. The day started with a very bad squabble with his wife and she was as usual complaining about so many things that he thought were childish. He lost his temper as usual and had to shout at her to stop the babbling. Then, as he was already late, he had to break atleast two signals to keep his appointment with his client. Then the client was so adamant that he was not even ready to hear him out and he was almost sure now that the account can be considered gone. Reaching office he couldn't find any of the files he was searching for the day and everything was going haywire. He was still breezing with anger about the fight he had with his wife in the morning and he couldn’t comprehend what was happening in their lives. Now it was already dark outside and still he was shuffling through the files he had at his disposal. He came back from his thoughts hearing his mobile ringing. It was his wife.

"Yeah, tell me".
"But, I can’t come home now".
"What!!?.......what do you mean? Going where?"
"But...But you cant go like that. You must be joking."
"But am sure we can sort this out.....Hello....helloo......oh Shhhit"

He sat still with the mobile in his hand. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His wife was leaving him forever. She who lived with him for the past 5 years was just disappearing from his life like that. All those 5 years seemed to be flying back to his memory. Those first years of sublime happiness. Then those years of hard work to earn more so that he could lead a more lavish lifestyle. During those years did he forget her? No. But did he give her the attention she needed. May be not. But. Everything had the ifs and buts. Now he wanted to see her and talk to her immediately. He just remembered what she had said to him. She said she was leaving the home with all her belongings so that he won’t have another obstacle on his way to success. She said that was it she just couldn’t go along like this rather she would be happy to be left alone and so on. She also said that she has left down a note in the bedroom and that she is keeping the key as usual under the doormat.

He was out of his wits and he didn’t know what to do. He just wanted to get out from that office cabin. He rushed out from the office and didn’t hear any of his colleagues wishing him. He drove his car like someone possessed and wanted to reach home without delay. He reached his apartment building in no time. Oh God. No... Not again - He swore under his breath when he saw that the entire building was dark due to a power failure. It was just two weeks back that there was a break-in in one of the apartments during one such power failure. He just ran through the steps and reached the second floor. His trembling hands got hold of the key under the doormat and he opened the door. It was pit dark that he found it difficult to find his way to the bedroom.

Suddenly he heard a footstep outside the front door. He listened carefully. He could sense that someone was opening the door slowly. The intruder was trying not to make any sound while entering the room. He rushed towards the door and waited for the intruder. The stranger entered the room cautiously. He suddenly pounced upon the intruder from behind and caught him by his neck.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked the stranger and tried to overpower him. The stranger was struggling for breath.

There followed a heavy shuffle between them and the stranger tried to overpower him by holding his hair. He was now down and the stranger took something from the nearby teapoy and struck with it on his head. Blood rushed out from his head and a huge cry came out from his throat. The stranger struck him again and again. All the lights in the room lit up at that moment. The power supply was back. The stranger was sitting astonished on his stomach and he was lying still.

"What...What are you doing in my apartment? How did you get in? My God what is happening? What have I done? The stranger was shocked to see him.

The stranger no longer seemed to be a stranger but the one who lived just below his apartment.

He vaguely remembered that his apartment was in the third floor and he had just ran the flight of steps and reached only the second floor apartment which was right below his apartment. He was no longer breathing while the apartment owner was calling the police still unsure how to report the incident.

Graceful Exit

2009-02-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

He walked slowly, his old age making his walk laborious, seemed happy to reach his destination – the only bus stop in the village. Just when he entered the bus shelter, the two youngsters who were sitting on the only bench in the bus shelter stood up and gave way for him to sit down. He politely refused and just stood inside the shelter leaning on to the dilapidated wall. He just watched the youngsters , a boy and a girl, enjoying their moments, talking incessantly as if there were no tomorrow. He smiled with happiness filling his heart seeing their gaiety and youthfulness which took his memories to his younger days.

He suddenly seemed tensed and looked at his watch. He started moving his posture now and then and the tension filled his face so much that the youngsters assured him that the bus will arrive soon and offered their seat again. But he didn’t even hear them and was busy counting down the seconds in his watch. The bus came at the right time and the youngsters boarded the bus holding their hands together. A broad smile came to the old man’s face and he now sat down on the lonely bench. The bus took off while the youngsters looked at the old man. He was sitting still on the bench; the broad smile on his face was of ultimate bliss.
His wrist watch was just lying down upside down on the bench.

Language of Love

2007-10-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

She was a flower seller in the same street as he earned his bread singing in the street.

It was a moonlit night and it was their first clandestine meeting at night. Both of them sat down side by side on the ground behind the bushes. He just touched her forehead and said “I love the way your hand waving back your hair from your forehead”.He gave a tender kiss on her forehead. “Just tell me you love me a lot,” she whispered. Taking her hands in his, he whispered in her ears “I want these hands to be in mine for the rest of my life”. He kissed on her each fingers. She moved closer to him. He put his hands around her shoulders and kissed her eyes.“The way you look at me make me tremble. I will never allow tears to appear in these beautiful eyes.” She was trembling with emotion. She thought, “All the men say beautiful words to their loved ones. Love makes one blind. How did I feel him different?” He kissed her cheeks and said, “I love these wheat- coloured cheeks.I will never allow the wrinkles to appear on these cheeks.” They lied down on the bed of grass on the ground side by side and he kissed on her lips. Her lips trembled and she opened her mouth suddenly and both of them embraced locking their lips. “Whatever may happen, we will face the world together. We will live as one, not two individuals, for the rest of our lives.” He kissed on her neck and her embrace became stronger. “I wont leave you whatever may happen, the world seems so beautiful with you along my side” she said. He kissed on the tip of her nose. ”I will allow only sweet smell to enter your beautiful nose.” She looked in his eyes and whispered in his ear “Will you marry me?” He smiled at her, kissed her ears and said “ I will talk to your parents tomorrow itself, will they allow you to marry me?” She kissed him on his cheeks “Will you love me like this my whole life? After all why did you love me so much?” “ I love you with my whole heart. When you are near me, my heart fills with happiness that I feel like crying. But tears won’t flow out.”

“Hey, it’s getting late. I can smell the fragrance of night. Now I have to hurry up to reach home before its too late” she whispered in his ears.“Alright, Let’s go back. We will go together till you doorstep,” he said. Both of them stood up and walked side-by-side holding hands and they reached the roadside.

They were getting ready to cross the road and she hold his hands more tightly because she always helped him to cross the road as he was blind. “Hey watch out. Walk fast I can hear the horn of a vehicle turning the corner.” He knew too well that she didn’t hear them, as she was deaf.

Did he win or lose?

2007-01-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

It was all over. The loneliness of living in a room for 25 years.Looking at the four walls dawn to night. All the struggles to stay alive. Everything came to an end.
All the years of reading had made him wiser than any other person of his age.He must have had a dream of seeing the outside world one day. He must have been the only one who knew that the end was nearing. The cruel fact that he was born paralysed and couldnt move below his waist and all the diseases he was born with, did not prevent him from his quest for knowledge and his zest for life. He knew about everything going around in the colourful world outside through his younger brother (my friend) who gave him a detailed account of the day's happenings and his mother who looked after him like the pupil in her eye. She opened up a gate to the outside world through the books she brought home from the library where she worked as a librarian.
It was late night when I reached the house and there everything was ready for the funeral.His mother and brother had no expressions at all. They knew it could happen any day.But it would take years for them to accept the fact.His father was sitting alone at a corner staring straight into darkness. After the funeral trying to console my friend, I walked to the gate of the house as I had to catch my return bus in time. Someone sitting in the porch was talking aloud to another person who had just arrived on the scene."Hey, Its long since we have met. How is your family? When are you going back? How many days leave did u get?"Suddenly I wanted to get out of the place as quickly as possible. I walked faster to get my bus in time. I was lost in thought. I couln't understand the paradox called life.Did he win or lose? Did he lose this precious existence called life or did he win by escaping this prison called life.
Anyway may him rest in peace.

Month end Blues

2005-09-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

It was a saturday and more importantly 29th which denotes the month-end - every salaried person's frightening period..I checked my purse and found that I had just 35 rupees left in it. Though I could get an advance from the office I decided against it as the next day was a sunday and I was determined to spend my whole day sleeping and taking a full day's rest at home. No need to take an advance and again the next month budget going awry. While I was leaving office my colleague requests me to pay the rent for the cd i had taken from the library for him to watch. He had no change so will reimburse me monday. Oh sure why not, was my answer and there goes 20 bucks from my beloved 35. Still I had no problem as I was sure of the next day's plans.Sunday morning I woke up late hearing my mom scolding me and reminding me about the birthday of our neighbour aunt. She is alone there and its her 83rd birthday. We have been invited for lunch at her home. Yeah actually mom had reminded me the day before to atleast buy a greeting card for the poor aunt. "Ok now what is the problem here. I will buy a card now and we will go for lunch together. You give a hundred rupee note from the 350 we have kept for the gas". So sure of myself, I answered my mom. "Yeah sure but how can I give 100 from the 350 I had already paid for the cooking gas? Moreover from where will you buy a card today being sunday. No shops will be open today."She was smiling as she asked this. Suddenly I felt week in my confidence.I mustered courage and was not going to be easily bogged down by the economic depression faced by a middle class indian. "No problem (I can easily handle anything, money is not the biggest thing attitude), there is a shop in city centre(one of the posh shopping malls in the city), I can get a card from the Hallmark shop there".Though mom asked me to forget it because I may get late for the lunch as I have to go to the town and get a card at this time of the hour. I was already on my bike. Now I reached the ATM of my bank and put my card inside and the screen showed "please check your balance". With my fingers trembling I checked my balance and it showed below minimum balance and I realised that I cant withdraw anything from the ATM. Now panic struck me like lightning. Still I was not ready to compromise. I started my bike and rode towards the hallmark shop. Suddenly I was feeling so sad and still smiling. I looked in the mirror. My image seemed to be ridiculing me. Look at yourself. In an expensive shirt, branded jeans, shaded goggles and watch, you are riding on a bike of your own but with no money even to buya small card for the birthday of an old aunt waiting for you to have lunch.? What a pity?I reached the hallmark shop and here I was going through the cards but looking at the backside of each and every card for the price printed there. Today I liked almost all the cards againstthe usual distaste for most of the cards and atlast I got a good card which was small butwith good words printed on it. I looked for the price and it was 15.50. I checked my pursethoroughly for a 50 paise (even prayed and offered atleast 50 rupees to the nearby templeif I got a 50ps from the purse). I checked the purse atleast twice and atlast my hands gothold of a coin and I was so happy that it fell down while I took it out. I took it from theground and almost fainted when I found that it was a coin from UAE- 50 phils which was equalto 5 rupees in India ( I had kept that as a memorabilia) but of no use at this point of time.Atlast I found a card which cost just 15 rupees after a one hour search through the shopand reached the aunt's home in no time. Aunt received me with a kiss at my cheek and she was so happy to see me that she just kept the card among other gifts.I was the last person to reach there and all had finished their lunch. I just sat down atthe table and had my lunch alone.When I went through the course of events I just remembered the definition of money in my economics classes.--Money is what money does :-)

The Carpenter

2005-05-28T03:40:00.000-07:00

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor ofhis plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurelylife with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck,but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to seehis good Worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as apersonal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart wasnot in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferiormaterials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When thecarpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. Hehanded the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said,"my gift to you." The carpenter was shocked!! What a shame!! If he had onlyknown he was building his own house, he would have done it all sodifferently. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting lessthan our best into the building. Then with a shock, we realize we have tolive in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it muchdifferently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day youhammer a nail, place a board or erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourselfproject" someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today,build the "house" you live in tomorrow. Build it wisely!!
This is a piece of story i got to read somewhere. I thought it should be shared through this blog

Enjoying Life?!

2005-01-10T05:19:00.000-08:00

Hobbies!!!!!!!!!! Most of us think about such an activity only when we hear it isnt it? We are so tensed in the pursuit of something that we dont know what and have no time for ourselves and even 24hrs are not enough for us we think.Isnt it time we stopped a second and thought about whether we are so busy as not to have time for ourselves to just cool off or is it that we are trying too hardto get more and more out of life that in the end we just burn out? I still remember those days when i used to collect stamps and was so passionate about it thatI knew most of the country capitals byheart...but now...cant even get right the capitals of atleast 25 countries or maybe i havent thought about it...Who knows what is right and what is wrong....flowing along in the river called life maybe we are doing the right thing by not taking our concentration out from the chase for staying afloat

Book

2004-12-14T03:55:00.000-08:00

The book that comes once in a lifetime, it influences the reader to an extend that makes him believe in himself, that he can reach his goal if he has committment and the willpower to pursue a dream, that makes one dream a lot and never regret dreaming big.......it is THE ALCHEMIST written by Paulo Coelho...just read it and give comments

Friends

2004-11-30T01:14:00.000-08:00

They are found everywhere but you have to search for them and be ready to accept them as they are. They make us proud, happy, lively & life livable in this world. Without them one cannot think about anything positive. They are there when we need them. They hide and support us from behind when we dont need them. They are ME, YOU & ALL OF US...they are known as FRIENDS

Love

2004-11-27T01:04:00.000-08:00

It makes us enjoy life, think about the future, nostalgic about the past, creating energy, creativity & happiness all around. Its failure makes us hate life and everything around us, kill energy, creativity & happiness, makes us afraid about our future & sad about the past....it is that feeling of being called LOVE