Short Story #9: Beyond genders

She hit the ‘delete’ button. She didn’t want to see his picture again.

‘Tch’. A long breath. ‘I can never tell him that I love him’

Sigh. ‘He would never accept me’, she whispered to herself as she tossed her mobile phone into her bag.

She had a hundred thoughts running on her mind as she kissed Ash on his forehead and nose, and left for work.

It has been 5 months since she moved to Mumbai. As she walked across the slums, she heard someone whistle followed by loud laughter of two men. She saw them staring at her bosom. She was angry, yet chose not to react. Adjusting her saree, she continued walking past them. This had become a routine now.

She crossed the lanes, when her phone rang. She dug through her bag to find the ringing mobile phone. “Hello”, she said.

“Mam, this is Veena,” said a hoarse voice on the other end, “Would like to speak to you”.

This was her second client that morning. As much as she loved her new counselling job, she preferred the calls were only during her working hours, unless it was an emergency.

“Is it an emergency? Can I call you back in about 15 minutes? Will that be fine, Veena?”, she asked crossing the road. As she crossed the busy narrow road, she noticed a tiny kitten stranded in the middle of the road. She didn’t wait for the response from the other end, but disconnected the call and just ran across the road, threw her hand up in the air to signal the speeding cab to stop and picked up the kitten. Barely two weeks old, definitely shaken and trembling from fear now, the white-ginger kitten couldn’t have looked more innocent, she thought. She dropped the kitten near the bushes a little away from the road, where she spotted the mamma-kitten, warning with her finger raised, ‘Be with mommy. No crossing the road, meow’. She smiled as she walked back, watching the mother kitten lick her little baby’s face.

She reached her work desk in her small office premises and as she greeted her four colleagues, she sat down to check her mobile for important messages and mails.

News update: Hit by Demonetisation, Delhi's Transgenders Write to PMO for Help.

She clicked the link open.

“Most of the transgender community in India have been never a part of mainstream society. They earn a living by either begging or dancing at weddings & birth ceremonies. The worse off take to prostitution. But the recent move to scrap Rs 500 and 1000 notes has all of them in dire straits”.

She scrolled down further.

“Everyone thinks we can go to the bank and solve our problems. But most of us do not have any savings. If we all earn Rs 4,000 one night, then we divide it among out guru, chelas and helpers while the rest goes for make-up, clothes, and food. We hardly have anything at the banks,” said Roshni, a 30-year-old transgender at a Laxmi Nagar shanty.

They complained of discrimination from the common public at the long queues near ATMs and banks. “Firstly, many of us don’t have bank acoounts because of the identity issue we face. Secondly, some of us who managed to get an account were often pushed aside by men and women at these lines. Centuries of prejudice cannot fade away so soon,” said Sakshi, a transgender who stays at Laxmi Nagar during the day and spends her night at Paharganj.

She hit ‘exit’ and dialled back to the client. “Veena?”, she asked, “I’m sorry I had to put the phone down then..hmm..please tell me about yourself?”.

After a few minutes of patient listening, she said, “I completely understand what you are going through. The journey to self-acceptance is a long one. I understand you have just recently had your sex-reassignment surgery. It might be difficult to start afresh without the support from family or friends, or sometimes it might just hurt when the society sees as you as an outcast and mocks at you. What you need to accept is that the ‘normal’ lens is different for each of us. Aren’t we all unique and different from each other? I have been there in your shoes and I know how it feels. I have lived a confused teenage trying to discover myself. I came out when I was 22 and fortunately by then I had completed my masters. I’m sure I wouldn’t have had access to good education if I had come out earlier. With the help of one of the support groups back in Tamilnadu, I was able to accept myself. I had a successful surgery and could see myself transform the way I always wanted me to be. The world is going to be unfair to us. From public spaces to health services, education to employment, or even basic utilities like accessing restrooms could be a struggle for us. But at this stage, you should embrace yourself confidently and love the transformation you have had from Veera to Veena. Finally you can be what you wanted to be when you were trapped in a body you couldn’t identify yourself with. So, are you a part of any support group there in Chennai?”

After a few ‘hmmm’ and ‘okay’, she said, “I understand. Ultimately, there is nothing to stop you from who you dream to be. There are so many famous transgender professionals in India, from lawyers to journalists, TV hosts and models, artists and authors, bank professional, police officer, school principal, times are changing in India. We have been included in the census, recognized as the third gender, we have been promised to have toilets built for us, it might take a while, but yes, the world isn’t that bad after all.”

A few ‘hmm-hmms’ and nods later, “Ha ha, yes, please assure them we are not sexual predators. I know it could be hard, but the world needs education. A lot of people do not know that ‘transsexual’ is independent of sexual orientation.  Do you think everyone understands bigender, pangender, genderfluid, agender, cross dressers? No, even we do not understand them completely. So if people are against us, if they discriminate us, it could be because they do not know about us or what we feel and they perceive we are abnormal. Remember, there are so many good people out there. I am blessed to work for an NGO that supports more like us, I have a great boss who has provided me accommodation and my life is almost what everyone calls ‘normal’. I’m sure you’ll catch up with the pace of life soon and love your life unconditionally.”

The conversation ended in a few more minutes. “Not at all. My pleasure, Veena. We are always here for you. Just a call away. Good luck and take care.”

She checked her messages. There was a message from one of her new clients, a 17-yr old.

“Mam, yesterday when Vanita and I were walking to a local shop, Vanita got ruffled up by some young men. I screamed so much for help, none came to our rescue. They started hurling abuses at us for being sex workers. I shouted at them asking if it was really our mistake. It is them who don’t let us study or employ us, nobody does anything to help us and we have no choice. I’m feeling threatened in this area, we did report this to our Guru. Can we call you?”

Sigh. “I hope Vanita is doing okay. I’ll call you in sometime. Don’t worry”, she replied.

It wasn’t an easy job talking to her clients all day, telling that they need to accept the unfair world. How can she calm them down telling her it is okay to be cursed?

She spent the afternoon writing down an article titled ‘My long battle ahead’ for a magazine. She also jotted down some points for her advocacy research paper on Rights for Transgender Communities.

She wrapped up her work early and rushed home to find Ash waiting at the window, wagging his tail and running around excitedly at the sight of his companion.

She opened the door and hugged him tight, as Ash licked all over her face.

There is so much love in this world, she thought J

Short story #8: The wait of pride and faith

She waited for the bus, anxiously looking at her watch every few seconds. It was 5.45 already.

As she peeped to see if the bus was there yet, she noticed the big-bellied man with briefcase stare at her again today. Uncomfortable, she adjusted her already-perfectly-pinned dupatta and thanked God as she saw the bus arriving towards the stop. She got in hurriedly and sat down for the 25-minute journey, hoping there wouldn’t be any traffic. She stared out at the orange sky, the sun shone like a bright glowing ball; both of them watched each other go home, as the wind blew on her tired face.

This was her life every evening. She rushed back excitedly from work to be with her 6-year old daughter, Aaryahi. Her little sunshine.

‘Aaryaaa!’, she happily screamed out, as she reached the first floor of her apartment, unlocking the door to their flat and removing the electricity bill sheet stuffed in the handle of the door.

‘Mommy!’, came the joyous little shrieking voice, as the girl came running out of the neighbour’s door, with arms open to hug her mother. Mahima hugged her daughter, pushed the small fringes from the girl’s forehead and kissed it, as she thanked Mrs.Deshpande, like she did every day. Of course, she has been kind enough to offer taking care of her daughter every evening after school until Mahima returns home. A fifty-something petite widow, she had no children of her own and pampered Aaryahi like her own granddaughter.

“Mahi.. The doodhwala had come to collect his monthly bill.. “, Mrs.Deshpande started to say..

“Oh aunty, I’m sorry.. I forgot to give you the money! How much was it?”, asked Mahima, anxiously. “600 rupees.. I have paid him... Not a hurry, give me later”, said Mrs.Deshpande with a sweet smile. Mahima thanked her again and gently closed the door.

“Mommy, do you know what happened today in social science class? Ruhi and Preeti were fighting over a notebook and then Braganza Ma’am….”, it went on. Mahima patiently listened to her daughter, as she changed her into her karate clothes and packed her little bag. She fed her a few pieces of apple and a glass of milk as she quickly gulped down a cup of tea.

“Let’s go, baby”, chimed Mahima, as she buckled the belt of the small red helmet on Aaryahi’s head, held the tiny hand of Aaryahi and rushed her down. They both quickly hopped on the scooter and left. As they scooted through the busy evening lanes of Andheri, Aaryahi was filling her mother in with stories from her school. “Mommy, let’s go to the beach, please mommy’, chirped Aaryahi.

“Not today, baby. I will take you there on Saturday, okay?”, promised Mahima, as two young boys whizzed past on an expensive sports bike, driving zig-zag, missing Mahima’s vehicle by inches. Aaryahi closed her eyes in fear. ‘Weren’t you scared, mommy?’, she asked innocently. “No Aarya.. we both are wearing helmets, we are safe .. but did you see that those two bhaiyyas were not wearing helmets? So they are the ones who should be scared of getting hurt while driving like this.. don’t worry,”, assured the mother whose heart was racing in the thought of what could have happened.

Mahima dropped Aaryahi in the Martial Arts Centre and left to the market. Aaryahi was the youngest student at the martial arts class. Her colleagues often asked her why she wanted to put her little daughter in the martial arts and football classes when she is too young for them. She smiled and said, ‘I am training her to be tough, to face the big bad world’. Isn’t that why she named her after Goddess Durga? Strong and fearless, she thought.

Mahima parked the scooter a little away from the crowded corner of the market and went purchasing vegetables and necessary groceries. She also bought a beautiful watercolour set and some craft materials for Aaryahi’s school project. She heard a faint sound of music and then she realized it was her phone ringing. By the time she searched through her bag to get to the mobile, it stopped ringing. 3 missed calls. From Major Dev. She dialled him back, the line didn’t get through.

Her heart was racing again. It has been a week since her husband Rohan had called. But it wasn’t abnormal, she thought, as she dismissed any possibility of scary thoughts. She has been assuring herself every single day of the last 8 years that ‘Rohan would be fine’. Being the wife of an army officer is never easy, she was always told. Yet she had gone against her family’s wishes to marry him. With the vows of the wedding, she had also vowed to be strong and support him the most.

She had stayed true to the vow. She had been strong, independent and understanding. She did everything possible to make life normal for Aaryahi.  There were days when she missed her dad, there were days when she didn’t remember him much. There were nights when Mahima shed some silent tears missing Rohan. As much as she was proud of her husband spending sleepless nights to guard the country, she also had her own fears and nightmares that she silently suffered through. There was always a cloud of uncertainty looming over their lives. She met him for a month every year and waited eagerly for his phone call every other day. It had been 10 months since he had come home. One more month to go before she could see him.

Why had Major Dev called? Was anything wrong? The tensions were severe in the Indo-Pak borders after the recent Uri attack and surgical strike. She remembered watching the news clips where the martyrs were brought home. A chill went down her spine. As she shook her head subconsciously, she hated herself for letting her mind travel through these thoughts. She looked at her watch again. 7.30. Time to pick Aaryahi.

She pushed the thoughts away temporarily and smiled as she picked Aaryahi up. “We learned a new kata today.. Heien Yondan”, she shrieked happily as she got on the scooter. “Wow..will you do it and show me after we reach home?, asked Mahima. “Sure mummy, KIAI”, Aaryahi playfully screamed and giggled and punched her fist up in the air.

The ten minute ride felt like ten years. Terribly worried, she was only hoping that her worst nightmare wouldn’t come true. Why did Major Dev call? She couldn’t stop wondering. As she parked her vehicle and went up to the first floor, Mrs.Deshpande was waiting by her apartment’s door, ‘Mahi, can you please come inside for a minute?’, she said. Growing more anxious by every passing second, Mahima rushed inside holding Aarya’s hands.

She thought she was paralyzed for a moment and her heart skipped a beat. She saw her husband standing there, arms open, tears welling up in his eyes. She couldn’t believe what she saw. The moment seemed frozen, those few seconds when Mahima and Rohan started into each other’s eyes, a lot of unuttered words exchanged silently. The silence was broken with a loud ‘DADDDYYYY!” as Aaryahi ran to hug her father. He bent down on his knee, held her close to him and kissed her cheeks. Mahima joined the hug and smiled through sobs of happiness and relief.

“Rohan..Rohan..I was..very worried..”, Mahima spoke through sobs. “I know.. I know, Mahi.. I wanted to see you both, I couldn’t be away.. So, here I am”, replied Rohan. There were no words to describe what they both felt.

The next few minutes were their happiest. Rohan lifted Aaryahi up in the air and played with her. Mahima couldn’t stop hugging him while still in tears. It was an evening filled with the biggest surprise for her. All those fears and anxious moments faded away as she held his hands now.

“I wouldn’t be able to take my yearly one-month off this time.. but you understand, right? It is an emergency situation. War could break out any time. So I thought I’ll visit home early for a week and get back”, he said.

“I understand, it is okay.. I’m glad you came”, she said, not telling him that she was scared for him, as both of them exchanged understanding glances.

The next seven days, their home was filled with so much laughter and happiness. They cherished every minute together until it was time for him to leave.

Mahima waved him goodbye, holding her daughter closer and blurredly watching him disappear around the corner of the road. She had hope and faith to grip her, until she saw him again.

This is just one story out of a million more stories. Dedicated to the families of 1.5 million active personnel in the Indian Armed Forces. The brave men who choose to dedicate their lives to safeguard the country, leaving behind a love-filled home and family members waiting to hear from them.

Salute ... Jai Hind!

Short Story #7: First rain.

The sky was turning grey, as she left the house, locking the door and rushing as she heard the lift close. She knew it was about to rain, yet she hoped to reach the mall before it poured in. She hopped on her scooter and looked up at the dark sky.

“15 minutes, please..” she said, looking up, pleadingly, as it started to drizzle.

12 minutes and 4 kilometres later, she stopped at the entrance of the mall to realize that she was completely wet. The rain was lashing out and she was wondering how she could sit through a movie with wet cold clothes.

“Isha.. Ishaa!!”, she heard someone yell her name.

She turned to see Akhil, standing right there at the entrance. She waved back as he ran towards her with a small smile, ‘Hey.. Riya just messaged to say she can’t make it, thanks to the rain… looks like it’s just the two of us. Are you sure you want to watch the movie now while you freeze through 123 minutes?”

“Haha.. but I want to watch ‘WARCRAFT’!”, she said, with an almost-innocent pout on her lips.

In less than a few nano-seconds, her face brightened up. “Akhil, why don’t we go to Worli sea face? It would be awesome in rain”, she beamed.

“ARE YOU CRAZY? Sea face?! Now?? Isha, it’s raining cats and dogs”, exclaimed Akhil, perplexed.

“I know, ha, that’s the point. First rain of this monsoon. Well, honestly, I haven’t done something as crazy before. Let’s go. We are already wet and what we have got to lose?! Such a romantic weather!”, said Isha, with child-like excitement in her eyes, “No, I promise I am not hitting on you,”, she giggled as she nudged him.

A few seconds later, Akhil hopped on her scooter and they were on their way to Worli. It was a 25-minute ride in heavy rain, while they spoke very less. They had been friends for six months now. Isha had confessed she had a crush on him, she loved his company and she just loved having him as a friend. Akhil too loved the company of this 23-year year old cheerful girl. She was a great friend, someone who would smother him with attention.

Isha carefully made her way through the wet roads to the seaface, parked the vehicle and they hurried across to the other side.

Isha gasped at the view of the sky from there. Dark angry clouds, lightning running vertically from the sky to the sea, the faint view of the sea link. The sea seemed to be unfolding into nowhere beyond, like the sea and sky weren’t any different. As the thunders clapped, the rain got more aggressive.

Isha loved what she was experiencing. As they walked in rain, she couldn’t stop exclaiming, ‘Oh my God, this is so beautiful.. I’m loving this..”, and Akhil couldn’t help not noticing the twinkle in her eyes as she said that repeatedly.

He was enjoying this moment. It was a perfect scene, like in the movies, he thought. He watched as a lot of people had joined them there. Many couples and families who wanted to celebrate the first rain of the year were gathered there. The city’s spirit was unbeatable.

When he was snapping out of some thoughts, he noticed Isha crying. He could see her red eyes swelling with tears.

‘Hey..are you alright? Why are you crying?’, he asked, holding her by her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

“I’m..I’m just overwhelmed.. I guess, this is too much to take in..’, she sobbed, “being a brontophobic (phobia of thunders/lightning), I have spent all my life fearing thunders.. I remember how I trembled every time a thunder clapped.. in the last few years, I have consciously overcome my fears.. I have come a long way.. and today, I am here, relishing every bit of this moment, not scared of the loud thunders anymore”.

Akhil just hugged her right there, not knowing what to say.

“I’m so proud of you, Isha. Yes, you have come a long way and I’m glad you are enjoying this right now”, he said, watching her sobs pause.

For the next ten minutes, they walked in silence, just watching the waves crash on the rocks. They sat there for a while, in one of the lonely benches.

Isha decided to break the silence. “I am loving this day..so overwhelming.. I’m so happy right now, I feel like singing aloud”.

Akhil laughed, but encouraged her to sing. Isha sang rain-songs from Bollywood and definitely gained a lot of attention from the passers-by. He loved seeing her happy. In fact, that’s what drew him to her, she was always happy and vibrant. Being an introvert himself, he appreciated someone who can be so lively.

“I wish I could make the time pause for a while now, I want this to last longer”, she said, tch-ing.

She looked into the eyes of Akhil and said, “Akhil, you know how much this means to me, right? Spending some quality time with you”, she smiled. He nodded, understandingly.

“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but I just thought I’ll let you know, you mean so much to me. I like you, I care for you and I expect nothing but your company as a friend”, she smiled sweetly.

He drew a great deep breath before he began. “I know.. I understand. And Isha, I did mention to you that I have a crush on someone, weren’t you ever curious to know who it is?”, he asked.

“No, not at all”, smiled Isha, looking down at her shoes and picking something of out of the bench, subconsciously. “Akhil.. I never wanted to know much. I like you, and I have told you how I felt. Your relationship with anyone doesn’t matter to me. I like your company and I demand no more than that. In fact, when I don’t know who your crush is, I am happy thinking of the tiny possibility that it could be me. I don’t want to break that mysterious bubble of happiness”.

“Let’s go..I’m hungry, we should stop for some breakfast”, she chirped and started walking towards the scooter.

Akhil smiled and agreed. He followed her, still letting all her words sink in. He thought he shouldn’t wait any longer before he told her that it was her. He was excited.

  

Short story #6: Aloo Parantha aur chai.

“Bhai, ek mild do”, Aditya told, across the counter where chai glasses and cigarette packets were almost-neatly arranged.

As the shopkeeper handed over a Classic Ultra mild fag to him, he used the hanging lighter and lit his first cigarette of the day.

The temperature that morning had dropped to 2 degree Celsius. It was a beautiful day. Fresh snow capped the blue mountains. The cold breeze seduced him out of the cozy bed to the outdoors.

He was lost in the nothingness when he heard the shopkeeper tell him in a soft sing-tune, “O Sirji.. thoda dur jaake karoge please..ladies hain yahan pe..”, as a woman clad in a black jacket and denims standing at the counter turned to see Aditya.

The woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, looked almost intensely beautiful. There was something about her that made him stare longer at her.

“Yes, madam?”, the shopkeeper politely asked the woman.

“Chai aur ek gudang garam”, she said, looking around at her choices, much to the bewilderment of the shopkeeper. Kind of puzzled, he handed her a cigarette and a cup of tea.

Aditya smiled and slowed his puffs down. He watched her sip her tea and smoke.

A high wavy ponytail, a face not made-up, deep stares. She was intriguing. After what seemed like a small time-lapse, he watched her walk away. As she sat on her bike, she wore her helmet and zoomed off.

Like a fire of curiosity had been aroused in his belly, Aditya felt the urge to know her. He paid the shopkeeper and rushed to his bike. He wanted to follow her, he wanted to know her better, he had to.

He rode from the mall road to the Leh-Manali Highway before he could spot her black Thunderbird. 

Watching the beautiful white Beas flow, he rode through the blue mountains from where the white snow melted and dripped down. It was a 45 minute drive, 34 kilometres up the highway to what seemed like heaven.

She pulled over on nearing a ‘shanty town’ of roadside restaurants and restrooms - Marhi.

Aditya stopped and took a deep breath, as if absorbing all the overwhelming beauty the place held. A busy little town, surrounded by the white Himalayas on all sides, it looked like a paradise of peace. The place was bustling with a lot of excited travellers from buses and cars halting for breakfast.

She parked her bike and relaxed herself on a chair outside a small restaurant. Aditya followed.

“Hey chotu.. ek aloo parantha aur chai leke aao”, she told with a smile, to the 14-year old guy who was running around serving hot food.

As Aditya neared her table, he was sure he wanted to talk to her, but hesitated to approach. He has never spoken to a random girl, never before.

He could hear his own heart beating, with tons of anxiety fluids and gases within him waiting to burst. He pulled up some courage, walked up to her and asked, “Excuse me .. Are you an NGC traveler?”

She turned around, a little startled. She gave him a knowing look and said, “I noticed you at the cigarette shop. I am not unaware of you following me all the way here. Why don’t you sit down and talk?”

Taken aback by this response, he literally mumbled a “uh..i mean..thank you” and sat down, still unsure if her reply was warm or sarcastic.

“I’m Tara..”, she said, extending her hand and offering to shake his.

“I’m Aditya”, he replied, shaking hands with her and with a broad relieved smile.

“I’m sorry… I did follow you up here, but out of sheer curiosity.. Ah, don’t mistake me.. I was just ..just curious.. I was just wanting to know you..  a girl riding a bullet, alone.. in Himalayas.. I mean..Wow”, he blushed.  His fair cheeks grew pink, definitely not because of the cold wind.

Tara just shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, huh.. I live in Delhi.. I have been wanting to do this trip since a few years. I am glad I could make it now. The mountains had been calling me”, she said, with a child-like smile that was contagious.

Aditya just sat there, absorbing her words. He looked at how her dark brown eyes bore into his, innocently, as she talked. The more she spoke about her, the more he wanted to know about her. But before he could win his own battle about what to ask her, she popped out some questions, quite comfortably, like he had not stalked her there randomly.

“So, what do you do, Aditya? How long are you here in Manali?”, she asked, munching on her parantha.

“I just completed my MBA .. from Bangalore..I have a month’s break before I join the rat race of the corporate world.. Wanted to travel a bit before I try my hand at being a responsible adult.. I am here with a few friends who I have now comfortably forgotten”, he said with a little laugh, absent-mindedly looking at his watch, also starting to get confident at the conversation that he would not have imagined until that morning.

“What about you?”, he rushed to ask.

“I am a science teacher at a school.. I also write a bit as a hobby.. I wanted to have a week or two off, take a few inspiring stories back from here.. This is the much awaited one month break, just like how it is for my students..and yeah, I do want to see more of the world before I get old.. I must be a good ten years elder to you, my hair is greying”, she said, as she beamed.

Her smile was so infectiously warm, he thought. “That is so cool”, he said, “but..how did you manage to travel alone? I mean, your family?”

“It could be challenging, but it is fun, come on, this place is heavenly..I have been living alone for a few years now, I don’t have kids, I am not married anymore, so, no big deal, this –‘’

“Oh, I am sorry”, he said, apologetically.

“Oh, no, don’t be sorry.. may be, it was me who screwed up my own life, you’ll never know”, she whispered, winking.

“Sorry.. I didn’t mean anything..I hope I didn’t upset you by talking about this”, he said.

“No no.. It has been years and I don’t hesitate to let things go, if they have to..and I am very happy with my life right now.. so, chill, I’m not offended.. And if you may now excuse me, I will have to rush back to my hotel.. I will have to write something”, she said, getting up to pay her bill.

“Oh..heading back to Manali? But..aren’t you going to Rohtang?”, he asked, wondering.

“No.. I will come back here tomorrow, or sometime this week.. a writer’s mind is a huge place, you know. When I have something in my mind to write and I don’t, it’s like I’m living another life inside my head for too long, while the characters mould. It gets overwhelming, like too many lives collide, and I have to put them down in words and bring them into life.. “

“True. I understand. I am just ecstatic I met you”, he said smiling.

“I am glad I met you too.. Take care… Good luck!”, she said, as she shook hands with him and walked towards her bike.

He watched her drive back and he realized he was still smiling. She was an epitome of confidence. She taught him that one can be happy, irrespective of any situation life can throw at.

He went there back on the next five mornings looking out for her while, some twenty two miles away, she was snuggled up in her bed, writing a story about how they met.

Short story #5: A cup of rainbow

12^th May 2015

MOMOS!

Yes, that was what she was craving for. Like many of the other evenings.

As she walked down the road, she was visibly cheerful. Looking up at the cloudy afternoon sky, she was humming her favourite song, enjoying the breeze.

Ah, there it was! She was almost beaming when she found her regular momo stall on the footpath. ‘Bhaiyya, veg momo plate’, she almost chirped, as the friendly vendor gave his familiar smile and greeted her.

She was into the pleasure of relishing each bite of her steamed delicacy, when it started drizzling, heavily. Yes, it was in the middle of the summer. But it was Bangalore, one could never predict the weather. And that year in specific, had evening hail showers almost after every annoyingly-hot sunny noon.

She tried to fit in the large umbrella of the momo stall. The busiest road of Koramangala looked chaotic as people ran across to find shelter in the Hanuman temple and a small restaurant. As she watched one of the longest traffic signals (Sony Signal) turn green, she turned to find several vehicles honking loudly. The white car just on the other side of where she stood didn’t move. She saw the driver leaned back on his seat, eyes closed. He was not moving!

She almost panicked fearing the worst – maybe he had a heart attack, maybe he was dead or unconscious. She crossed the road and rushed to the other side and hurriedly knocked on the glass window of the car. She was getting wet in the rain and she could barely see anything through the slightly foggy glasses. The few anxious seconds seemed like minutes and the driver woke up startled. Whoa, a huge sigh of relief!

‘He was asleep? Asleep? Why didn’t I think of that?!’, she thought. Before the driver understood what was happening and steered away, she signalled him to pull over on the safer side of the busy road. Confused, he let other cars pass by and slowly moved off the lane and got out of his car.

She got a good glimpse of him, for the first time. White shirt almost neatly tucked in black trousers, a confused yet calm face with dark-rimmed spectacles. He must have been about thirty, but she could see strong worry lines on his forehead already.

“You fell asleep on the-‘, she started telling him and he said, ‘Sorry, I’m really sorry, but-‘, he said at the same time. 

She gave a little giggle and reached her hand out to shake his. “I’m Manisha..nice to meet you..”

“I’m Reyansh..Err..thank you so much.. Sorry, I ..I..kinda fell asleep for a jiffy, I guess”, said he, with a I-am-a-bit-embarrassed-now-but-thankful smile.

“That’s okay, but ..you are okay? I didn’t think it was a great idea for you to drive now. I was a little worried.”

“No.. I’m fine, Manisha.. Thank you so much.. I didn’t get to sleep much this week, it has been hectic.. but I’m fine..I can drive back now”

“Are you really sure? Why don’t we have some tea before you leave?”, she said and started walking towards the small tea stall nearby.

“No ..no..I’m really fine.. I.. “, he followed her, not very disappointed. He caught a glimpse of the faint rainbow that had just formed.

“Chandan anna..iradu tea kodi”, she said to her favourite ‘chaiwala bhaiyya’ and got two piping hot cups of tea and handed one over to Reyansh.

She introduced herself to be a freelance social researcher. She spoke about the weather, about momos, about how she thought he was dead behind the wheel.  He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked. It’s her smile and her kind heart, he said to himself. As much as he wanted to keep talking to her and thank her for being nice, he couldn’t. As he sipped his hot tea, he smiled and looked out at the rain drops ceasing to drizzle. He felt time freeze and he wondered why.

“Thank you so much, Manisha..I’m really glad you stopped me”, he said, wishing he could express himself better. He was lost. It was not every day that one gets to meet kind people like her, he thought.

It was less than ten minutes since he had met her. Minutes that had made quite a difference.

Before he could ask more about her, he noticed she seemed ready to leave. She paid for the tea, tossed her empty paper cup into a bin and hurried out, telling him with a bright smile, “Please drive safe.. Great meeting you, Reyansh”.

As he sipped his tea complete, he couldn’t help but smile and blame him for not being proactive enough.

‘It wasn’t a bad day, after all’, he thought.

25^th May 2017

He looked out at the window, at the beautiful rainbow over the city. From his apartment on the 15^th storey, the view looked spectacular, especially on rainy days. As he sipped on his cup of tea, he thought of all those times over the last two years when his heart skipped a beat on seeing a rainbow.

Short Story #4: Ki and Ka - just friends!

12.24 am Her mobile beeped.

She grabbed her mobile before getting on to her bed. She has had a long beautiful day. Yawning almost aloud, she read the messages.

It was a message from her new friend at work.

She scrolled to the older messages and she smiled reading (for the tenth time today) ‘You are one of the nicest people I know. I want extraordinarily great things to happen to you’.

‘Very sweet guy’, she thought. Since day one.

They exchanged a few messages for the next ten minutes -randomly, about work, life and philosophy. It brought them to one common favorite point. Poems.

He loved to read poems.

She loved to write poems.

12.34am ‘You didn’t read the poems in my old blog, did you?’, she asked.

‘Uh, no. I would love to read them. Send me the link of the blog, I’ll save your poems’, he said.

‘That’s very kind of you’, she replied.

‘Hey …want me to write a poem about you? J’, she asked, excitedly.

Two minutes and then her mobile beeped.

12.37am  ‘About me? Very funny!’, said he.

She put the lights off and got into the comfortable warmth of her duvet.

12.42am ‘Say yes or no. Should I write about you?’, she asked.

 ‘Ha ha..why would I mind?! But you don’t know me yet’, he replied.

True. It has been less than 3 months since they have known each other. They met once in a week at work, a few messages every now and then. She knew nothing about him. But she thought he was a nice guy and she believed it. A friend she trusted blindly.

12.49am

From what seems like miles away,

Daggers follow stares,

From the eyes where smiles live,

The eyes that helps new dreams be born,

Tall and manly,

The beard just ancillary,

To the handsome lad,

Who is a man of few words,

Few but precious each of them.

He absorbs silence,

He freezes time,

He melts hearts with what he says,

For he wishes well, I am sure.

He thinks I don’t know him yet,

I don’t care I know what I know,

He is a great friend, I am sure, 

What else do I need to know?

We all are what we show people we are,

Some are what they don’t show,

If that maketh the man, why not.

Here I am,

Watching the moon go yellow,

Writing to him.

P.S. I’m NOT hitting on you.

P.S again: This is what I could write in 3 minutes, you boy.

12.51am WHAAAAATTTTT?!! OH MY GODDD!! Freak!!, he replied, ‘Don’t make me cry’.

‘Hahahahahah… Chill, buddy’, she assured.

‘It is just that I am happy..’, he said.

She giggled at how innocently sweet he was.

Another message from him: ’No, wait.. “happy” is an understatement. Whatever you wrote about me, it might be true, though I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t.., but it was beautiful’

‘Hahahah.. so humble? J ..  It is true that I know so little about you, I don’t remember asking any questions to know about you… though I have told you so many stories about my life!’, she said.

‘But it is never too late to start knowing about you’, she said, almost immediately.

1.19am.:'Thanks a ton! I don’t know what to say!’, he said

1.20am: Stop thanking me, will meet you tomorrow J Good night, friend.

1.21 am: Good night J

And that is how one of the strongest friendships began.

Short Story #3: Choices, if any.

6^th April 2016: Shraddha had butterflies in her stomach. Right after her 28^th birthday last week, she had skipped a period and she knew what it meant. She smiled as she held her Preg Kit result showing two small red lines. She has been planning this for a while now; it has been 3 years since she got married to Abhay.

She, excitedly, called her husband who was at work, ‘Abhay.. Guess what?’

‘Hmm-hmm?’,  Abhay replied, lost in some work, ‘Anything urgent, jaan?’

‘I’m pregnant.. I’m pregnant..’, she chirped happily while Abhay laughed in joy.

After 10 minutes of sweet nothings with loads of excitement, she hung up.

She wished she could meet her family doctor, who was away with her kids in the US for the vacation.

She logged on to Practo and surfed for gynaecologists close to where she lived.  Too many options, too hard to choose, she thought.

‘Umm..Andheri East.. Friday.. 6pm to 8 pm..’, she mumbled, as she read the profiles and reviews of the doctors, and went on to click a few more options to make her appointment.

She installed 4 different apps that would give her all the information about pregnancy, safety tips, nutrition advices, tests to be made, packages from hospitals for maternity services, shop for maternity wear and all that she would ever need for the next 9 months. 

She was very excited about this. She was going to be a mother.

6^th April 2016: Indira walked the 3 miles back home. She couldn’t work much today, it was exhausting her. She had been nauseous all morning, like she has been in the past 4 days. She could feel a little bump in her belly and she feared she knew what it was. The 21-year old was married for a little more than 3 months now, the exact three months when she hasn’t had her periods. She hoped it was normal, as she hadn’t had regular menstruation in two years now. Saves a lot of discomfort, she always thought.

She confided in her neighbour Pushpa about this, who listened patiently even as she dried the clothes on the wall one after another, shooing a cow away from there.

‘Pushpa didi..what do I do now?’, asked Indira, worriedly.

‘Don’t worry.. I’ll be going to the (District) hospital next month.. Come with me, we’ll meet the doctor’, assured Pushpa.

Indira told her husband and mother-in-law about it that evening.

She had to wait one whole month before she could meet a doctor and get it confirmed. She was anxious. She also knew that the nearest health facility (District Hospital) was over 120 km away. There was only one Prathmik Swasthya Kendra for the 62 neighbouring villages, and the centre didn’t have a doctor for 10 years now.

She wished she knew more about what she had to when pregnant. She wished she could go to her mother’s place (village) sooner than she should.  

‘We also had 8-9 kids.. we never went to hospital, we never had any tests done.. don’t get influenced by what others say..’, she could hear her mother-in-law crib.

A hundred thoughts ran in her mind. She remembered how a pregnant woman in her village recently had died waiting to deliver, because it took the ambulance 3 hours to reach her village. Of course, this is why most women delivered at home, she thought. 

She was scared. She was going to be a mother.