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.