tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364721272024-03-07T14:28:50.631+05:30the world of tabinessTabiness doesn't believe in the world being black and white.. For her, it's made up of greys!!! Somewhere in between, she has found the answer to balancing it all out.. Her joys, her sorrows, her questions, her answers... She writes when she feels like.. She writes bout wats close to her heart!!!Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-27104058397466411882011-07-17T15:51:00.000+05:302011-07-17T15:51:17.197+05:30Goodbye Trixie<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GHaH5nztAtzhdpaWzETeWXt5tmTcl1ehaiUD5bZ0d_HE8MKLAiQWJaAM_yCwt1-KeT5Or7VY5FocS4kNp9mXqEHyrk4WeT-sXXbPbz9EKaN1Uof4uGr9k5_6-jcV0Jh55n79sw/s320/Trixu.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Over 12 years ago, a bundle of joy was brought into our house. When dad and Tess carried her into the house in that shopping bag, little did we know that our life was about to change forever! For day one, we called her ‘Trina’ and she didn’t respond to the name. So we decided that it was time to change the name. ‘Trixie’, we decided it was; and believe it or not, she responded to the name from the moment she heard it for the first time. So TRIXIE it was to be. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Day 2 of her being in the house; and we were still not used to having a lil four legged baby running around in the house. When mom opened the door that morning to get in the milk; we heard a yelp. Trixie had also come running to the door to check who the ‘intruder’ was, her watchdog instincts in place ever since that day. Mumma hadn’t remembered to check for the lil one, and had accidentally opened the door onto her paw. We all checked her for any other signs of hurt, and noticed that her paw was bleeding. I still remember how much everyone had cried that day. Although in retrospect it may sound funny and silly, but we were genuinely upset that day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, we all cried for her once again. Over 12 years later, we bade goodbye to the love of our life. Trixie was gone – forever this time. She will be sorely missed. I still can’t believe she won’t come running to the door to wag her tail till it threatens to separate from her body. I can’t believe she will never lick my nose again. I can’t believe she won’t scratch my leg when she wants to be touched. I can’t believe there will be no endless barks on the night when the other dogs of the area decide to sing in harmony. I can’t believe I won’t have to kick her off the bed coz she was taking up more place than I could ever do. I can’t believe I’ll never see her again. I’ll miss you, my love! I’ll miss you! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Trixie – a friend, a sister, a lover, a dog!!! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-42779049467794895122011-05-16T13:48:00.000+05:302011-05-16T13:48:25.283+05:30Other Dimensions To Tabiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hello All My Beauties and Handsome Men...<br />
<br />
Here's a lil hi and hello to everyone... I thought I'd present to you my brand new blogs... Up and running since today, I hope to cover different topics on both.....<br />
<br />
Although both blogs seem related only to women, it wouldn't hurt my male friends to be informed!!!! Would love to see you guys there...<br />
<br />
Given below are the links to my 2 new blogs and the first blog posts on each one of them -<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lamisticafeminina.wordpress.com/">http://lamisticafeminina.wordpress.com/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://all-a-woman-wants.blogspot.com/">http://all-a-woman-wants.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
Hope to see u there!!!! </div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-13730211390970053752011-04-14T19:11:00.001+05:302011-04-14T19:11:11.307+05:30The Freedom from Creative Whore-ness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sv_H84amIz0UMi3CgdJfKb9HZe8etR86xPavm9uukK5CYt88pneokBWvexNhhduDhDdxF4ZL1i_8DDz6jHHJJ8z0DxqM_8RZU4pyK7jMj3wbXa8AhgelhLpahE2Vp2X1QPNBIA/s1600/1281856116_freedom-big1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sv_H84amIz0UMi3CgdJfKb9HZe8etR86xPavm9uukK5CYt88pneokBWvexNhhduDhDdxF4ZL1i_8DDz6jHHJJ8z0DxqM_8RZU4pyK7jMj3wbXa8AhgelhLpahE2Vp2X1QPNBIA/s320/1281856116_freedom-big1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Letting Go<br />
</span><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>The Alchemist</i>, Paulo Coelho</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There comes that time in your life when the whole universe begins to plot against you. It’s almost as if you’re forced to do things that you didn’t think it was the right time to do. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I find myself in just that spot today. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">For the last couple of weeks/months, I have not even been thinking about my blog. Let’s rephrase that one. I’d almost forgotten I had one. A year seems to have gone by before I went through that mad ‘writing’ phase; where every night had to see one blog post or I would drop dead on the sidewalk next day. The possible cause of death would be pinned at ‘<i>non-writing asphyxia’</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Fast forward to today. Almost one year into writing jobs, the writer in me had begun focusing her energies on other tasks at hand. There always seemed to be something or the other to be written about; or so claimed the men signing the dotted lines that led to your paycheck at the end of the month. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My creative self had become but a slave to the whims and fancies of men who wanted to abuse it for their personal and professional wellbeing. My creative self had turned into a whore!!! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The last few days gone by, however, brought with them a fresh wave of change. Suddenly I had the urge to pick up a book again. Just not pick it up; I wanted to read books again. I chose to look out of the bus window, observing life in its’ mundane self, rather than dial the first number I saw on my phone. All these observations and lines read have culminated in this post. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I would hereby like to call this post ‘The Freedom from Creative Whore-ness’. Yes, that’s what this is for me. It’s a start of me breaking the shackles that have held my mind captive for all these months. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Believe it or not, it took some convincing to even get started on this post. This was because, for all these months I had convinced myself that this part of me was dead. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(Ironically, in between writing this post, one of the ‘men’ mentioned above happened to call out to me. I shall channel my energies towards finishing the ‘job’ with him, and then get back to being my free creative self). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Now that I get back to being my free creative self, I feel throttled again. Such is the price you have to pay for turning your passion into your profession. It’s weird how mortifying the thought seems now. What if I will never be able to let the short stories jump off my keyboard anymore? What if those failed attempts at sonnets remain just that? What if I am never allowed to reach the full heights of my writing potential; if that sort of a peak exists! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I guess only time will tell whether I will complete the half-written story that precedes this post; or whether I will completely lose myself to the needs and wants of the never-satiated men that I work for. Only time will tell.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But for now, I shall celebrate the choice I have made to set out on this journey of re-finding the gypsy-writer within me. The one who didn’t shy away from topics that people hypocritically ignored; the one who didn’t care what people thought of her because she chose to shine the spotlight on taboos – that woman is who I am waiting to be, once again! This post shall not be edited before it is posted; because this is what I want to encapsulate within it – The Raw Me. The ‘me’ that I was used to being. The younger me, who didn’t care about grammatical errors; as long as the essence was flawless! That me shall be back someday, in her element. She will be back with a new fragrance so strong that the whore writer shall be overpowered. </span></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-71772354242887306112011-01-25T16:45:00.000+05:302011-01-25T16:45:09.764+05:30The One (Part 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>A New Morning </b><br />
<br />
I woke up, all groggy headed. Weddings normally do that to me, I thought. I turned to the person sleeping next to me. I wouldn’t normally let anyone sleep in with me, but I’d made an exception this time. <br />
“Good morning” I said, sleepily, stifling a yawn. <br />
“Good morning” he replied. <br />
“Did you sleep well?” he asked. <br />
“Yeah. I did. Would you like some coffee?” I asked. <br />
“Sure” he mumbled. His back was still facing me. He had shoved his head under the pillow. <br />
I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the kitchen. I got down to making some coffee, and hunted everywhere for something to tie up my hair with. I hated my hair on my face while I was in the kitchen. <br />
“Good morning” he said, once again, as he came and held me from behind. <br />
“Sugar?” I asked him, as I moved towards the shelf to fetch out the container with the sugar in it. <br />
“Two spoons, please!” he replied, walking towards the couch. <br />
“Here” I said, placing the cup in his hand, while I sat down opposite him. <br />
“Do you know you look pretty even without makeup on?” he said, as he got up and came and sat next to me. I smiled and looked at him. I should have blushed at a statement like this one, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. <br />
“Thanks for letting me stay the night” he said, as he continued looking me in the eyes. <br />
“Don’t mention it” I told him. <br />
“What’s the matter, Lisa?” he asked me. <br />
I looked up at him. “Nothing!” I replied, nonchalantly. <br />
“Is something up? Do you like have a boyfriend or something?” he asked, all concerned. <br />
“What would make you ask me that?” I shot him a questioning look. <br />
“Well, for starters, I had to beg you to dance with me. I know you would have never asked me to stay back at yours’ had it not been for my flat tire. Plus, it’s not like I looked at any other woman at the wedding. It was obvious I had my eyes on you. I didn’t even make a move on you last night, in spite of sleeping in the same bed. What’s wrong with you? Why are you so cold towards me?” he asked. <br />
“Alston, I have always been like this. Why do you think I’m still single?” I asked him.<br />
He smiled. “Well, I thought you were single because you’d been waiting for the right one” he said, while pointing his thumbs towards himself. <br />
I smiled, and playfully hit him on the hand. <br />
“Oh damn, I didn’t realize the coffee was in your hand” I said, when I looked down at the shorts. They were covered with the coffee that spilled over thanks to my playful hitting. <br />
“Well, technically, they are your shorts. So I don’t care!” he said. <br />
“Bitch” I yelled, as I got up to fetch some tissue. “But I must admit, you look good in my clothes” I yelled from the kitchen. <br />
I gasped when I turned around to run into the living room; because he had sneaked up on me in the kitchen. He was standing right in front of me, his face as close to mine as it could be. <br />
“Lisa, I really think there’s some potential here. What do you think?” he asked. <br />
“C’mon Alston” I choked, “You’ve hardly known me for 24 hours” I said, trying to move away from him, and succeeding. “Plus, you’ll be back in Nottingham before I say ‘Yugoslavia’.” <br />
“Why Yugoslavia?” he asked, perplexed. <br />
“Focus, Alston, focus!” I said, hand on hips. <br />
“You’re right” he said, head hanging low. “But if you do change your mind about the UK, and decide to head there some time, promise me you’ll call me!” <br />
“I promise you I will call you” I said, as I gave him one of my world-famous teddy bear hugs. People often told me that my hugs cheered them up. That was the last time I saw Alston. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Girls Just Wanna Have Fun</b><br />
<br />
“Ae kutti” Andrea yelled into the phone. <br />
“Haan bol na, Kameeni” I replied. I loved talking to her. It always brightened my mood. Two years into her marriage and she was still the same person. <br />
“I have some news for you”, she said, all excited. <br />
“What’s happening?” I asked. <br />
“Josh and I are flying down to Goa next month.” <br />
“That’s great. Second honeymoon?” I asked. <br />
“Nope! You’re coming with us too!” she said. <br />
“Is that so?” I asked. <br />
“Yup! And do you know why we’re going?” she asked. <br />
“How would I know?” I replied. <br />
“It’s your 29th birthday, you fool!” she said, all excited. <br />
‘Damn! I’m old!’<br />
“Wow, 29, eh? I sure am growing old” I said. <br />
“Let’s do this. Please don’t say no!” she pleaded. <br />
“Okay, okay!” I agreed. “Who else is involved in the plan?” <br />
“We could call Prateeksha, if you’d like. She and Saurabh would be more than happy to come along. It’s your birthday, after all!” she said, referring to Prateeksha, my school friend and her husband Saurabh. <br />
“Wow, do you want to call any more married couples and remind me of how single I am?” I asked. <br />
“Well, I knew you would say this; and I was almost hoping you would. So then there’s alternative number 2” she said, the excitement evident in her voice. <br />
“And what’s alternative number 2?” I asked. <br />
“An all girls trip” Andrea squealed. <br />
“I wish you could see my raised eyebrow right now” I told her over the phone. <br />
“Prateeksha, Priya, Candice and Karen have already agreed” she said. <br />
“So the whole couples’ thing was never on your mind, was it?” I asked her. <br />
“Nah!” she replied. <br />
“Let’s do this” I replied, enthusiastic. <br />
I was turning 29. I was in a job that I loved, an apartment that was the envy of most women my age, and a lovely set of friends. But I was still single. However, the last time I’d been reminded of my singledom was perhaps about 2 years back, when I had gone to Andrea’s wedding date-less. I’d taken up a new job post the wedding; and work hadn’t left me any time to worry ever since then. <br />
I turned around to stare at my laptop once again. The minimized window was a blinking orange. He’d sent a reply. Did I want to see his reply? I wasn’t sure. I just shut down the laptop without seeing what he’d said, and ran in for a shower. I was late for my lunch date. <br />
<br />
TO BE CONTINUED.... </div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-44330897223140810472011-01-21T04:35:00.003+05:302011-01-21T04:36:34.698+05:30The One - (Part 1)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Cigarettes Were To Blame</b><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I walked out of the hall; my clutch in hand. I couldn’t take it anymore. The music was getting to me. I walked up to the terrace; and looked around. I was alone. I opened my clutch, and removed the cigarette packet I’d managed to stuff inside at the last minute. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Thank God for small mercies”, I heard a voice behind me say. I turned around. It was Alston. He was the best man, and I’d had the traditional dance with him, given the fact I was the maid of honor; but other than that, I didn’t know him at all. I flashed him a courteous smile, and said “You couldn’t be more right.” </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Can I rob you of one?” he asked, gesturing at the packet. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Sure”, I said, as I offered him the lighter as well. He took the lighter and lit my cigarette first. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“So, Lisa, what do you do?” he asked, as he flicked his cigarette. “Well, I am in between jobs right now”, I replied, hoping to end this small talk as soon as possible. I’d come up to the terrace because I wanted to be alone. Plus, I wanted to finish the cigarette before any more audience joined us. I also knew that Andrea would want me back soon. I was her maid of honor, and it was my duty to be with her at all times. Thankfully Andrea knew that without a smoke break I wouldn’t have been able to function; and so she’d let me slip away when she was busy with Joshua. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Well, and what were you doing before this?” he asked. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“I was copy editing for a company that is into educational books”, I replied, hardly interested in the conversation. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“That’s nice” he replied, an earnest smile on his face. </div><div class="MsoNormal">That was when I realized that I was being a complete bitch. Here was this cute guy being nice to me, and he was Joshua’s best friend; and Andrea was mine. The least I could do was have a real conversation with him. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“So Joshua, I hear you’re in Nottingham now!” I said. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Oh yeah, which I wasn’t here to witness the whole Andy-Josh affair unfold” he said, while looking at me. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Oh no no no!” I said, shooting him a worried look. “Don’t ever let her catch you calling her that. She hates being called ‘Andy’” </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Oh, is it?” </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, Andu is better; and even ‘Andre’ works, but definitely no Andy. She hates it” I said, with a serious tone. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Noted, madame” he said, playfully. His smile was sort of cute. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Shall we?” he said, as he gestured for me to take his hand. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Alright”, I replied, while stubbing out the cigarette with my expensive pair of heels. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“That’s a lovely toe ring you have on” he replied. </div><div class="MsoNormal">‘<i>He sure is observant’ </i>I thought to myself, as I looked down at my orange toe ring and smiled. “Thanks” I said. </div><div class="MsoNormal">As we walked down the flight of stairs, he held onto my hand. I didn’t mind it though, because he didn’t have the grip that screamed ‘pervert’. It was a nice, firm grip; and it was helping, given the fact that I didn’t expect to be climbing up and down stairs in these new heels. </div><div class="MsoNormal">We entered the hall; and I shot a look at Andrea, and she smiled back. I excused myself and walked towards her. She looked resplendent. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Congratulations, you!” I said, as I hugged her. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Thank you, my love. By the way, I am going to throw the bouquet in your direction”, she winked at me. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Puhleez!!! Spare me the trouble. Give it to someone else. Weddings are a headache” I joked. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“So, I see you and the best man have been bonding” she said, as she leaned in to smell me “Over a smoke, I suppose!” </div><div class="MsoNormal">“You know me all too well” I responded. “Yes, we’ve been talking and the talking was accompanied by the smoking; but no, no serious bonding or anything. You know me, don’t you, woman?” </div><div class="MsoNormal">“There you are” he said, as he walked up to me.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The groom” I said, as I mockingly bowed down to him. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“You look stunning” he said, as he bent over and planted a kiss on my cheek”. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“You don’t look half as bad yourself, Josh” I replied, as I lightly punched him in the stomach. ‘<i>He’s perfect for Andrea’ </i>I thought to myself. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“You’ll get yourself one soon enough” Andrea whispered, almost like she’d heard my thoughts out loud. How did she always know what it was that I was thinking?</div><div class="MsoNormal">“May I have the pleasure of this dance with you?” I heard a voice behind me. It was Alston; he was back. </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Sure” I said, placing my hand in his. “Here, can you hold this for me, Priya” I motioned for one of the bridesmaids who took the clutch from my hand. I walked to the dance floor with Alston. </div><div class="MsoNormal">I may have not paid heed the first time I danced with him, but he sure could dance pretty well. The song playing was ‘Karma Chameleon’. The pace was good. He began doing the ‘East Coast Swing’ (or as the laymen called it ‘Jive’). I burst into an ear to ear smile. I loved dancing, it always made me smile. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Alston was cute, and he could dance. He was making me smile; but I still wasn’t attracted to him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>‘What’s wrong with you, Lisa?’</i> I thought to myself. </div><div class="MsoNormal">He, however, seemed to be doling out all his attention on me. He’d not asked any other girl to dance with him. ‘<i>Enjoy the attention for now’</i> I said to myself, as we danced on. </div><div class="MsoNormal">I looked at Andrea; while I continued dancing. “In your direction” she said, as she gestured towards the bouquet, and she winked at me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-65988633828968600502010-05-27T14:25:00.000+05:302010-05-27T14:25:25.856+05:30Back !!!The last time I actually sat down to type out a blog post was in the month of April... Yeah, Yeah!! I cant believe how lazy I have gotten...<br />
<br />
The good thing --> I cant afford to be lazy anymore... Starting 1st June, I start the new job... So no more lazy afternoons for me (unless my office can afford it)...<br />
<br />
The bad thing --> No lazy afternoons... Isn't tat bad enuf???<br />
<br />
The best thing --> I am going to be blogging for money!!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!! And for those who think that will take the fun outta writing, all I have to say is 'QUIT BEING CYNICAL'...<br />
<br />
I hope all goes well !!! And tat I actually actually enjoy doing this job!!!<br />
<br />
Am off for now!!! Hope to be hitting on these keypads sooner than later!! :) :)<br />
<br />
Mwahs!!!<br />
<br />
Tabi!!! Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-26614793483882566362010-04-28T22:25:00.000+05:302010-04-28T22:25:14.441+05:30Real Unreal - The end!!!After he’d run away, Ruth walked up to the door, a sinister smile spread on her face and shut the door. <br />
“Aarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh” he sat up in bed, as he yelled. Cold sweat had formed beads on his forehead. His palms were sweaty. <br />
He walked over to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. He couldn’t remember much of what had happened the previous night. All he knew was that he was angry. For some reason, his anger was directed towards Ruth. <br />
He walked down the stairs; the house was pretty dark, with the curtains still pulled. <br />
“Mom, dad, Ruth; where is everyone?” he shouted, in vain. No reply came.<br />
Suddenly the door bell began ringing. “Tim, is that you, son? Open up, it’s me, Mrs. Jones.”<br />
Finally, he heard a familiar voice. He walked up to the door; and opened it. Suddenly there were a lot of flashlights in his face. He shut the door behind him. He went hysterical with all the lights. <br />
“Tim, open up, son!” Mrs. Jones called out. <br />
“The lights” was all he managed to say. <br />
“No more lights, I promise you”, she said, reassuringly. <br />
Tim opened the door. This time there were no flashlights; but there was one more man with Mrs. Jones. <br />
“Arrest him, officer!” Mrs. Jones declared. <br />
“Why? What? Why are you arresting me?” Timothy yelled, in despair. “Where are mom and dad?” he demanded to know. <br />
“You want to know where your mom and dad are! Come with me”, said Mrs. Jones. She led him to his parents’ bedroom. There was blood splashed over the walls. But what was even more grotesque was the fact that his parents’ naked bodies lay splattered over the bed. Their organs had been gutted out. Numerous slash-marks covered their body. <br />
“Who did this?” Timothy yelled. <br />
“You did”, said the police officer. <br />
“I wouldn’t… I couldn’t…” Timothy pleaded. <br />
“Handcuff him”, ordered the senior FBI official. <br />
“Where’s Ruth?” Timothy asked. <br />
“She’s missing!” Mrs. Jones said. “Tell us, what did you do to her?” she asked accusingly. <br />
“I didn’t even touch her” Timothy shouted; but nobody seemed to be paying any heed to what he was saying. <br />
“What’s the murder weapon in question here?” asked the senior official. <br />
“An old shovel sir. We found it in the trunk of his car. It is splattered with blood marks”, responded the forensic expert.<br />
“We also found this shirt that was crumpled up and dumped in a bag. It was lying in one corner of his closet. It’s covered with mud.”<br />
“Maybe he was wearing it at the time of the murder”, the forensic expert suggested. <br />
“What about the wound on his leg. He’s limping” said the senior officer. <br />
“He must have hurt himself during the act; or maybe it’s a ploy to distract us.” <br />
The senior investigating officer nodded his head in approval.<br />
“Excuse me, sir!” said one of the junior officials who had just rushed in. “They have found 3 bodies near the lake. Onlookers, including students, have identified the bodies as Ms. Kimberley Hedger, Mr. Nathaniel Hedger and Ms. Ruth Johansson.” <br />
“No… No… No… This can’t be happening. I didn’t do anything” Timothy said, as he sank to the floor. He passed out. <br />
Timothy was produced in court two days later. All the evidence was pointing straight at him. The court was left with no option but to pronounce him guilty. He was to serve ‘life imprisonment’. He was being spared a death sentence. He didn’t even know why he was being tortured to live so. <br />
He was thrown into an empty cell. He landed hard on the stone cold floor. He curled up into the fetal position; and cried himself to sleep that night. <br />
<br />
<br />
IN THE END<br />
“Tim, Tim, wake up”, came a voice. <br />
Timothy sat up; the sunlight was streaming into the entire cell. He looked at his hands and his feet. He felt much better than he did last night. <br />
The knocking on the door continued. “Timothy, Timothy, wake up.” <br />
Timothy looked around confused. He wasn’t in a cell. He was in the warmth of his own room. <br />
He scratched his head, wondering what exactly had happened. He opened the door. His mom stood at the door, her smile intact. <br />
“You’re going to be late for your submission. Didn’t you tell me that you had some submission to make today?” she asked, as she walked into his room, and began straightening his bed. <br />
“Ummm… Yes…” he replied, still unsure of what was happening. He mechanically began walking around the room, picking up all the books that were scattered all over the floor. <br />
He freshened up and walked down the stairs. As he was walking down the stairs, he felt a piercing pain on his right thigh. He winced in pain; and sat down on the stairs. <br />
“What’s it, son?” Mom asked, as she ran to his rescue. <br />
“It hurts”, he said. <br />
“Wait, let me have a look at it” Mom said, as she pulled up his shorts. <br />
“I can’t see anything” Mom said. Suddenly the pain disappeared. <br />
Timothy hurried through breakfast. “I’m leaving, Ma!”<br />
“I’ll come with you”, Ruth yelled from her room. <br />
“You’ll make me late” he yelled back. “I’m off, ma!” he said, as he picked his bag off the chair. <br />
Ruth held her hand against the door, blocking his path. “I told you I’m coming with you” she said; as she drummed her nails on the door. <br />
Timothy froze in his tracks. She was dressed in black, from head to toe - black leggings, with a black strappy top, with black ear-rings. <br />
He pulled her strap off her shoulder; and there it was – a pink heart shaped tattoo, with some writing in the center. ‘N & R’, it read. <br />
“Hey, how did you know about this?” Ruth yelled, as she quickly pulled the strap back up. <br />
“What’s it?” Mom yelled from the kitchen. <br />
“Nothing” Ruth yelled back; as she dragged me out of the house. <br />
“Ruth, is it Nathan?” he asked her, as we sat in the car. <br />
“Sweet Mother of Jesus!!! You have got to stop freaking me out like this!!! How did you know?” she exclaimed in shock. <br />
“Nothing, I just had a hunch”, Timothy said. He kicked under his seat; and his foot met metal. The shovel was still there. <br />
“Did Nathan tell you?” Ruth asked, excitedly. <br />
“No, but his sister did”, Timothy said. <br />
“Oh great, so now everyone is in the know”, she smiled and said. <br />
“Yes, and like they say ‘The more the merrier’”, said Timothy, as he smirked at himself in the rearview mirror.Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-30107311181120791022010-04-26T18:04:00.000+05:302010-04-26T18:04:20.162+05:30Real Unreal - 2DO NOT DISTURB<br />
Timothy stopped the car outside the book store. “I’ll be right back”, he said, as he jumped off the car. <br />
Ruth looked at the rearview mirror; and adjusted her make-up. She was hoping that she didn’t have the ‘after sex’ look on her face. <br />
“Sorry about that”, Tim said, as he sat back in his seat; and revved the engine of the car. <br />
“What was that all about?” Ruth asked. <br />
“Ms. Hedger asked me to pick up a book for her. I need it for some referencing this semester.”<br />
“So does she need it, or you?” Ruth teased. <br />
“She’s my guiding professor; it’s for both of us to use”, he replied with a straight face. <br />
“I didn’t mean to offend you, sweetie pie”, she said, as she mockingly pulled his cheeks. <br />
He brought the car to a screeching halt in front of the house. “Don’t you mess with me, Ruth! You want me to keep mum about your little ‘tattoo’ or not?”<br />
“Oh yes, I so want you to shut up and never again mention the ‘T’ word”, she said. <br />
“So who is he?” Tim asked. “Is it someone I know?” <br />
“No, not really”, she replied truthfully. <br />
“Mom, we’re home”, Tim yelled, as soon as they walked in the front door. <br />
“So how was your day, kids?” mom asked, her warm smile intact.<br />
“Mine was great. I am making great progress on my university assignment. Ms. Hedger is happy with my progress”, said Tim. “I don’t know about her day. But she sure looks flushed”, he added. <br />
“Do I?” Ruth added, shocked; as she touched her cheeks. <br />
“Don’t listen to him. You look beautiful, as usual”, Mom said reassuringly. <br />
“I’m going to be in my room. I have some work to do on my assignment”, said Tim. “I’d like to not be disturbed. I’ll come down in time for supper.” <br />
Mom smiled at him. <br />
“He’s pretty much Ms. Hedger’s pet these days”, Ruth said, teasingly. <br />
“C’mon girl, give him a break. He’s working hard on his assignment. I’m sure he’ll do really well. Ms. Hedger is a distinguished lady who is extremely well read. She is the best guiding professor he could have ever asked for.<br />
Tim closed the door behind him; and latched it. He closed the windows shut; and looked around the room. He loved the feeling of being alone. He hated crowds or even noise for that matter. <br />
His thoughts raced back to the conversation he’d had with Ms. Hedger that morning. <br />
“You’re doing great, Timothy. You’re much better than when we started out. The progress you’re making is great”, she’d said. He beamed with pride at the thought. ‘I’m doing great. She said she was satisfied with the newer efforts’, he thought to himself. <br />
His thoughts were shattered by incessant knocking on the door. “Tim, Tim, open up!” Ruth yelled. <br />
“What is it?” he yelled back. <br />
“I need a ride to school”, she screamed. <br />
“Take the bus, I’m busy!” he responded.<br />
“Please, I’m begging you”, she said. <br />
“Oh! Alrite, give me 5 minutes, you go and sit in the car.”<br />
“What’s the emergency?” Tim asked, in an irritated tone of voice. <br />
“Not something I can talk about right now. Just drive, will you?” she sounded all panicky. <br />
As soon as they reached the parking lot, Ruth dashed off in the direction of the Eastern House Building. <br />
“I’ll be in Ms. Hedger’s office. I had some doubt that I needed a clarification for”, Timothy called out. <br />
“Alrite, I’ll be back in 10”, she called back. <br />
She ran jogged up the stairs to the bathroom. She had forgotten to dispose the used condom; plus she had dropped one of her notebooks there in the bathroom. She couldn’t seem to see it in her bag. She was worried that if anyone found the two items, they might get linked together; and she could get into big trouble. <br />
When she entered the bathroom, it was empty. She bent over, to check if any of the toilets were in use. No one was there. It was completely empty. <br />
She started looking for the notebook all over. She hunted for it frantically. She slid her hand under the wash basin. Suddenly, her hand hit something hard. She pulled it out. <br />
“Oh thank God!” she said, as she heaved a sigh of relief. Her notebook was in her hands; safe and sound. <br />
She walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face. ‘Now all I have to do is come up with a believable explanation about why I panicked so much about one silly notebook’, she thought to herself. <br />
Tim walked up to Ms. Hedger’s office. He was about to knock, when he heard a male voice from the inside. It was followed by some muffled moaning sounds. <br />
His curiosity got the better of him. He bent over, and put his eye to the keyhole. What he saw inside was enough to churn all of his insides out. <br />
He turned the handle on the door; and tried to open it. But it wouldn’t budge. They had locked it from the inside. <br />
“Open up. It’s me Timothy”, he yelled.<br />
After what seemed like an eternity, the door was opened by the man. Tim glared at him in anger. <br />
“Shush! Don’t say anything. You close the door before he says anything. We can’t let this go out”, Ms. Hedger instructed her partner in crime. <br />
“Would you care to explain what it was that I just saw, Kim?” Timothy asked Ms. Hedger a.k.a Kimberley Hedger, a divorcee, aged 34. <br />
“Sit down, Timothy”, Kim tried to intervene. But it didn’t seem to be working. <br />
“I thought you said he is your brother”, Timothy gasped. <br />
“That he is”, Kim replied. <br />
Timothy could feel the bile rising in his throat. No, this couldn’t be happening. This was the only woman he had ever loved and longed for. She was in his mind, a picture of perfection.<br />
That ‘perfect’ picture was crumbling; right in front of his eyes. He couldn’t deal with it. <br />
“You incestuous bastard”, Timothy said, as he lunged at Kim’s brother with all his might. <br />
“Stop it, Tim!” yelled Ruth; she had just entered the room. <br />
“Ruth, you stay out of this. This is none of your business”, Tim threatened. <br />
“None of my business, eh?” she said, as she walked over to where Tim was standing. <br />
She turned to face Kim’s brother. She looked him straight in the eye; put his face in her hands; and began kissing him passionately. <br />
“This is my boyfriend, Nathaniel, a.k.a Nathan”, Ruth began. “And this here is my gorgeous brother Timothy. I wish you could have been acquainted under better circumstances.”<br />
“Ruth, you’re in love with this scum?” Timothy asked in disgust. <br />
“Yes, I am” Ruth replied. <br />
“Do you… Do you know what they were up to when I walked into this room?” asked Timothy.<br />
“What?” Ruth asked. <br />
“I’ll tell you, baby. My sister and I were just loving each other, as we usually do” said Nathan, no hint of guilt in his voice. <br />
“Do you know what they mean by ‘love’?” Timothy shouted. <br />
“Of course I do, silly!” Ruth replied. “Nathan had already confessed to me that he’d lost his virginity to his sister, Ms. Ledger.”<br />
“You knew about this?” Timothy yelled even louder. He was sure he was going to throw up anytime soon. <br />
“Knew this?” Ruth taunted. “I’m a part of this, hun”, she said, as she walked up to Kim and kissed her passionately. Nathan looked at them and smiled. Kim slid her hands under Ruth’s top and began caressing her. <br />
Timothy could watch no more. <br />
“Get off her, you bitch!” he yelled. He didn’t know which one he was angrier at right now. <br />
He walked over to where the two women were standing; and pulled Ruth by her hair. <br />
“How could you be party to all this slime, Ruth?” he asked, his eyes telling the obvious story. He had been let down; by his girlfriend and his sister. <br />
Ruth looked him in the eye, unapologetically; and said “If you’d like it, you could join us too. No one would ever have to know. Plus, our motto here is ‘The more the merrier’.”<br />
This statement was more than Tim could handle. This was the nail on the head. <br />
“I’m out of here”, he screamed, as he turned to run away from all this madness. <br />
After he’d run away, Ruth walked up to the door, a sinister smile spread on her face and shut the door. <br />
<br />
(TO BE CONTINUED...)Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-85248124770547666682010-04-21T15:41:00.004+05:302010-04-21T17:04:54.725+05:30Real Unreal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcJ0KDI-hMwaQC2zllY0q-VBm89oScjf93BdFhtuKPeq1QYeiR_Xt_EQvkvuYCeXDkDbTXZE3BdNeO0NAXqilSky3MuGNkn42vpFReKHMbzOkQ6SV0EOqaLz8jf7mWEVxnhUHIQ/s1600/house_shadows_xlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcJ0KDI-hMwaQC2zllY0q-VBm89oScjf93BdFhtuKPeq1QYeiR_Xt_EQvkvuYCeXDkDbTXZE3BdNeO0NAXqilSky3MuGNkn42vpFReKHMbzOkQ6SV0EOqaLz8jf7mWEVxnhUHIQ/s320/house_shadows_xlarge.jpg" width="298" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: red;">IN THE BEGINNING </span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><br />
</span><br />
The handle on the door turned. *Click*, the door opened wide. He walked into the room and kicked his shoes off. He unbuttoned his shirt as fast as he could; the feeling of ‘filthy’ was all around him. He opened his closet, pulled out a small black bag from inside. He stuffed the shirt inside the bag; and shoved it into one corner – to be forgotten. <br />
But, honestly, he would never ever be able to forget the presence of this unwanted item of clothing in his room. ‘I’ll burn the shirt off, later in the night, when everyone’s sleeping.’<br />
“Tim, are you ready for dinner?” <br />
“Yes. I’ll be down in a minute”, he yelled. <br />
He went over to the door; and latched it from the inside. He looked all around him. It wasn’t safe here anymore. It was his own room; but still everything seemed so alien. He walked over to the window; and shut it tightly. <br />
He stripped off every piece of clothing on him. He was now stark naked. He stood in front of the mirror and inspected his body closely. Did he have any marks that would give him away?<br />
When he was satisfied that his body didn’t have any physical evidence to give him away, he walked over to the shower. He stood under the shower; and turned the knob to let the icy cold water fall onto his already ice-cold skin. <br />
He knew the water couldn’t clean him. Nothing could clean him. He was not dirty on the outside. He was dirty on the inside. But he couldn’t tell the truth now, could he? <br />
He couldn’t let all of his hard work go to waste now. <br />
It was too late to repent. <br />
He had to hold on to his guilt; and move on to a better future. <br />
He walked out of the bathroom, with only a towel covering him waist under. He once again looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were beginning to show signs of not having had their due rest. <br />
‘I must try and sleep well; or my dark-circles might turn out to be a matter of worry for mom and dad. I must avoid any kind of questions that might come up as a result.’<br />
He walked down the steps slowly; as he clutched onto the railings for support. He had to be careful, lest he aggravates the wound on his right thigh. <br />
“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked mom, trying to sound cheerful. <br />
“Potatoes and some fish” she replied, without looking away from the dishes. <br />
“Where’s dad?” he asked. <br />
“He’s gone to the cops”, she replied. <br />
He froze. Did she say ‘cops’?<br />
“Umm… Why the cops?” he asked, trying to sound casual. <br />
“There’s been a case of some money being swindled out of their company’s account. Dad and Mr. Jones have gone to the cops to lodge an official complaint.” <br />
“Do they suspect anyone?” he asked. <br />
“Not really. They are pretty clueless at the moment. They are wondering who would want to do this to them. Mrs. Jones is also very worried about the whole scenario.” <br />
“How much money is involved in this whole scam?” he asked. <br />
“About fifty thousand dollars”, she replied. <br />
He could almost feel his throat drying up. “That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?” he asked, as he filled a glass of water for himself. <br />
“Yes, it’s quite a bit. This is exactly the reason why we’re all confused about who could have pulled it off.”<br />
“Must have been an insider”, he suggested. “Who else could have pulled off a heist like this?” <br />
“You’re right, son!” she said, as she came and placed a plate in front of him. <br />
“You eat and go to bed soon. I’ll wait up until Dad returns home” mom said. <br />
“Alright” he said, as he helped himself to some potatoes. <br />
He wanted to get done with supper as soon as possible. He couldn’t look his mother in the eye. He didn’t want to be around her anymore. He focused on eating his dinner quietly. <br />
“Tim, there was a call for you in the evening”, she said. <br />
“Who was it?” <br />
“Some Nathaniel”, she said. <br />
Tim dropped his fork. “Who did you say?” he asked; the tone of shock apparent in his voice. <br />
“Nathaniel.”<br />
“But he’s… It couldn’t be him… He’s… ”<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">DRIVING HER TO SCHOOL</span><br />
“Good morning, honey” mom said. <br />
“Good morning”, he replied. <br />
“Where’s dad?” <br />
“He got back late last night; he’s still resting”, she responded. <br />
“I have an assignment due today. So I’m going to rush off now”, Tim said, as he slid his chair backwards to get up. <br />
“I’ll come with you”, Ruth yelled from her room. <br />
“You’ll make me late” he yelled back. “I’m off, ma!” he said, as he picked his bag off the chair. <br />
Ruth held her hand against the door, blocking his path. “I told you I’m coming with you” she said; as she drummed her nails on the door. She was dressed in black, from head to toe - black leggings, with a black strappy top, with black ear-rings. <br />
“Fine”, he said, sternly. <br />
“Bye ma!” she yelled, as she closed the door behind her. <br />
“Didn’t you want breakfast?” Tim asked her, as he strapped his seat belt on. <br />
“I’m on a diet”, she replied. <br />
“What for, Ruth? You’re pretty slim anyways”, he commented. <br />
“But Jonathan is having a pool party next week. I need to look my best to fit into the bikini I bought from the mall last week”, she said, with a smirk on her face. <br />
“You superficial creature”, he taunted. <br />
“Taunt all you want, you ugly man! Your sister isn’t pretty just because the God wants her to be. This takes a lot of efforts, young man!” she said, as she playfully showed off her body. <br />
“Is that a tattoo I see?” Tim asked. <br />
“This. Yeah. It’s a miniscule one!” she replied, trying to cover it. <br />
“Does mom know?” Tim asked. <br />
“Nah, she doesn’t. Do me a favor, let her remain unaware”, Ruth looked at him, pleadingly. <br />
“What does it say?” he asked, inquisitively. <br />
He pulled the car into his daily parking spot in the campus. Ruth slid the strap of her top off her shoulder. It was a pink heart, with some writing in the center. ‘N & R’ it read. <br />
“What’s ‘N’ for?” Tim asked.<br />
“You will know when the time is right”, she winked, as she got off the car; and skipped off to class. “Thanks for the ride, bro!” she yelled over her shoulder. <br />
“Crazy woman”, he said, shaking his head, as he got off the car and walked over to the West-wing of the campus. <br />
He walked right up to the first floor of the building. He walked right till the end of the corridor; and knocked on the large heavy teak door. “Come in” came a female voice. He turned the handle door open; and walked in, shutting the door behind him. <br />
The placard on the outside of the door read ‘Ms. Hedger – Head of Department, Canadian Literature’. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET</span><br />
Ruth rushed to the ladies’ cloakroom on the 2nd floor of the Eastern House building. She shut the door behind her. There were some girls retouching their make-up. She waited patiently until they got done. <br />
Once the last one had left, she walked up to the door; put up the ‘Cleaning in progress’ board outside the cloakroom. She then shut the door, and latched it. She looked to see if the coast was clear or not. When she was assured that it was, she walked over to the door with the blue paint smeared across it; and pushed it open. <br />
“The coast is clear”, she announced to him. <br />
“I was craving for you, you hawtie. Come to daddy”, he said, as he looked at her which would have made a hardened rapist look like a toddler. <br />
He pulled her into his arms; and went for her neck with the thirst of a vampire. <br />
“Go easy, boy! Easy! I have a surprise for you”, she announced.<br />
“What is it?” he said, in her characteristically scruffy voice. <br />
She moved a few steps backward; her eyes affixed on his. She slowly pulled her top off to reveal her bubble-gum pink bra, it had little red hearts on it. <br />
“I like what I see”, he said, scratching his chin. <br />
“Not the bra, you freak!” she said, irritated.<br />
“What then?” he asked, genuinely confused. <br />
“This”, she said, pointing out to the tattoo. <br />
He rubbed his rough finger along her smooth skin. “It’s beautiful”, he said. He bent over, and planted a kiss on the tattoo that was on her shoulder. But he didn’t stop there. He kissed her on the neck, then on the ear and then he looked at her in the eyes. <br />
“I love you, Ruth.”<br />
“I love you too, Nathan.”<br />
He placed his arms around her tiny waist, as he pulled her in to kiss her lips. He kissed her passionately, yet gently. He held onto her with one hand, and with his free hand, he slid down the strap of her bra that was sitting firmly on her right shoulder.<br />
“Are you sure about this?” she asked. <br />
“I have never been surer about anything else in this world”, he whispered in her ear. She let go of her inhibitions. <br />
He pulled his hands up to her bra strap; and he unhooked it with precision. <br />
She moved backwards; and gently dropped her bra to the floor. He looked at her in awe. <br />
“A work of perfection”, he said; as he walked forward. <br />
His hands lingered close to her breasts; unsure of whether to touch them. Ruth took his hands, and placed them on her skin. “They’re all yours”, she said. <br />
There was no looking back from there. He kissed her on her lips like it was his last day on earth. She kissed him back with equally feverish passion. <br />
He turned her around to have her back against his body. She bent over the wash-basin; as he traced a path along her back with his kisses. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked way younger than him. She was after all, just 16. He, in turn, was already 24; but he looked older owing to his scruffy stubble, and long pony tail that was part of him. She loved him more than she had loved anything in the world. <br />
It was hard to believe that all this had begun just 7 months back. It was Peggy’s 16th birthday; and the girls were at Togo’s to celebrate the cause. <br />
“Happy birthday, girl”, Ruth wished Peggy, as she arrived at the table. <br />
“Thanks darling. Come, take a seat”, Peggy offered. <br />
“I will. Excuse me, I’ll be right back”, she said, as she excused herself to visit the ladies’ room. On her way there, her eyes fell on the gorgeous man who was seated at the bar. He was looking right at her. There was something about that look that pierced through her skin, to get the better of her. <br />
When she returned to her seat, she kept turning behind to catch a glimpse of him. <br />
“What’s up, girl?” Peggy asked. <br />
“Do you know that fellow, sitting there by the bar?” she whispered in her ear. <br />
“The guy with the pony tail?” she asked. <br />
“Who is he?” <br />
“Heard he’s related to someone on the faculty. He’s here to do some research on his thesis.”<br />
“Interesting”, she said, as she touched her chin with her index finger. “Wouldn’t really hit you as being the ‘academic’ kinds, would he?” <br />
“Not really; but he’s attractive in the ‘bad-boy’ way. Isn’t he?”Peggy added. <br />
“Ma’am, these are from the gentleman there by the bar”, said the waitress; as she placed the Virgin Pina Coladas on the table. <br />
Ruth and the others turned to the bar; he was looking right at them. He flashed a smile. <br />
“Maybe, you should thank him when we’re done”, Peggy suggested. <br />
“I must”, Ruth said, as she rose from her seat. But when she turned around, his seat was empty. <br />
“He left”, she said, the tone of disappointment hung in her words. <br />
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll bump into him at the campus”, Peggy had said. <br />
“Goodnight girls! See you tomorrow morning”, Ruth yelled, as she crossed the street. She lived a block away from Togo’s. As she was walking, a car screeched to a halt right next to her. She bent over to see who was driving the car. It was him, the mystery man from the bar. <br />
“Need a ride?” he asked. <br />
“Not really, I live close by. But thanks for asking”, she responded. <br />
“Would it be okay if I walked you?” he asked. <br />
“Sure, I could use the company”, she added. <br />
He had parked the car and walked back with her. “Alrite then, this is me!” Ruth said, as they neared her house. <br />
“This is where you live, eh?” he asked. <br />
“Yes”, she replied. “Alrite, goodnight”, she said, as she turned to walk away. <br />
“I still don’t know your name”, he shouted out. <br />
“Ruth”, she smiled. <br />
“I’m Nathan”, he said, as she walked away, a smile plastered on her face. <br />
They’d ‘accidentally’ bumped into each other the next day on campus as well. And that’s how it had begun. They had somehow managed to keep things under wrap. Nobody knew about their little ‘affair’. Nathan had wanted to keep things under wrap; because a family member worked on the faculty. “It wouldn’t be right for us to announce things as yet, plus, with you being younger than me, I’m not sure how people would deal with this just as yet”, he’d said. <br />
Keeping things this way suited Ruth too. Her older brother Timothy also studied in the same school. If he ever found out about her relationship with someone older than him, he would freak; and in turn, her parents would also get to know the truth; and they would definitely freak a lot more than Timothy. She might as well end up being ‘grounded’ for life. <br />
So they continued to meet secretly. Before hours and after hours, preferably, while on campus. They kept the meetings off the campus at a minimal; because, if someone they knew bumped into them outside, they wouldn’t have had a viable excuse. While they were on campus, some plausible explanation could always be made up. <br />
She was panting heavily, as she got off him. She looked at him and smiled. <br />
“You’re awesome. Do you know that?” he said. <br />
“Tell me something I don’t know”, she teased. “Alrite, I’m super late for Physics now. See you later, hun”, she said, as she planted a firm kiss on his lips. She hurriedly dressed up, straightened her hair. Before leaving she looked at him and said; “Get out of here before someone catches you.”<br />
<br />
<br />
(TO BE CONTINUED...)Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-80549971475477919972010-04-11T16:16:00.004+05:302010-04-11T16:46:33.395+05:30Mumbai vs. Muscat...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0iWHyj7sHwtHbE9vrfQA72QxHTuhSoDxHHp9E8gzw74bYt8tBhB02NGMB3SfYuiwlE1M9-5pQ5gyQ0InkaLoboICivLyASTvCWcLgIW0KOTTrXu61RZLfv92SQqpQcw3fNVBbg/s1600/Desktop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458831883483368818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0iWHyj7sHwtHbE9vrfQA72QxHTuhSoDxHHp9E8gzw74bYt8tBhB02NGMB3SfYuiwlE1M9-5pQ5gyQ0InkaLoboICivLyASTvCWcLgIW0KOTTrXu61RZLfv92SQqpQcw3fNVBbg/s400/Desktop.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>(Please note: This was written 2 weeks after I’d landed here)</strong><br />I had my first stay-over pyjama party at a school friend’s place... I was around 10 years old when this happened... We three little girls spent the night at Akshata’s place and slept in her brother’s room... He had a bunk bed... Akshata and Aditi slept on the lower berth, while I made myself comfortable on the upper berth...</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I hardly slept that night... Why? It was because I was in a bed which wasn’t mine... You always know the feel of your own bed and can tell it apart from any other beds that you sleep in... I say this with absolute confidence, because as a child I had the good fortune of staying only in one house; unlike some kids who have parents in the army or the navy, owing to which they spend their childhood years moving around a lot... (I’m sure they have lovely experiences of their own... Not meaning to demean anyone here)<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">I had only two mattresses on which I have spent the whole of my 22 years until now... I obviously know what my bed feels like... There are very few other beds in the world that I have gotten accustomed to...<br />But why am I talking about beds here, eh? I have a point that I am getting to...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Being a person who is so fussy about the bed she sleeps in; how much more fussy must I be about the country I live in!!!<br />My only prerogative being that, I need to live in a place that I can call ‘home’...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>I am Tabitha Thomas... 22 years of age... Turning 23 this October... I am currently in Muscat which is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman... </strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">This is my 2nd visit here... My first visit was when I was 18 years of age... In fact, I had celebrated my 18th birthday here, in Oman.<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">On my second visit here, I notice that things have hardly changed here... The roads are still the same... So is the Malayalee-Omani ratio...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">So why is it that I feel the urge to write about things this time? May be because I realize that our memory has its’ own limitations to take into consideration... I may not remember the more intricate details of my current trip a year or so later...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">The first thing that strikes you about this place is the fact that it is much more peaceful than the bustling Mumbai that I come from... (After spending 20 odd years in Mumbai, I guess any place in the world will seem peaceful.) The first thing that seems missing in the scene here is auto-rickshaws... They are what contribute to the maximum chaos in Mumbai... </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">There are very few two-wheelers on the road... (The high temperatures during the day are the main reason for the same.) There are hardly any honkers on the roads here... (The existent honkers are Indian; you can be assured of that...) People seem more cordial... I have had drivers stop their vehicles, so that pedestrians like us can cross the road... I have also noticed Dad stop the car for other pedestrians too... It’s a classic case of everyone following in each other’s footsteps...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">People actually follow the rules here... You will very rarely see people jumping signals... The tough punishments and high fines that the offenders have to face act as a natural deterrent... Nonetheless, it seems like a joy ride, driving here in Oman...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">However, getting a driver’s licence here is like hitting your head against a stone wall... You might get the wall to have cracks, but at the expense of a bleeding head... They have something they call the ‘drum test’ here to ascertain your driving skills... They place drums/barrels at equidistant positions... They are placed in such a manner that there is exactly enough space for your car to turn through them... They obviously take into consideration the dimensions of the car you will be using for the test...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">The deal is this... You need to swivel through those drums without touching them... If you happen to touch the drums, regardless of whether they fall with the impact or not, your plea for a driving licence is rejected... The idea is that you have to make it through without touching the drums/barrels...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Sheesh.... Sounds like a pain in the posterior end, doesn’t it??? It’s so much easier to get a driving licence in Mumbai... If you are adept at placing your leg on the accelerator and the brake; and can rapidly manage to interchange between the clutch, accelerator and the brakes, you’re doing fine... Or you have the easy way out... Bribe the ‘kaka’ who is with you... Simple!!!<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Who has to really drive in Mumbai anyways??? If you can keep your cool during a traffic jam, you’re the man!!! On that basis I shall go on to give the following vote...<br /><strong>Oman – 0<br />Mumbai – 1</strong><br /><br />I have been sitting at home, here in Muscat... I do not have much to keep myself occupied... Hence, I have been keeping myself occupied with cooking and some booking (reading books, I mean)...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">The best thing that could have happened to a lost soul like me was an ‘internet connection’... We already had the laptop; so all we needed was a valid internet connection...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Little did I know that getting an internet connection here would be like a big head-ache... If you wanted to get a connection here, you would need to apply for a landline, then apply for a modem, and then get your precious connection...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">The other option was that of getting a data card, which would be worked by your cell-phone service provider... This is the option we settled for because the earlier option (Landline-modem-internet) would take around 2-3 weeks to become active...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">But things weren’t as easy as they sounded... If you take up the data card system, you had to choose between 2 options -<br /><strong>a) </strong>You could purchase 24 hours worth of internet access for 1 Omani Rial.<br /><strong>b)</strong> You could purchase 72 hours worth of internet access for 3 Omani Rials.<br />We chose option a) the first time... This meant we had to have at least 1 O.R. (Omani Rial) worth of charge left on the sim card... And then, once we sent a sms to our service provider, the internet service would be activated... And we could then use the internet service for the next 24 hours... But at the end of 24 hours, we would have to either renew the service, or it would expire... We could activate the service next when we needed it...<br />If you were to use the internet everyday with this service, it would mean you would have to shell out around 30 O.R. every month, which in Indian money would roughly come up to around Rs. 3600/-...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Expensive, eh??? And I used to complain about shelling out 1000 Indian rupees every month to get an unlimited usage connection from MTNL in Mumbai... Seems like a frivolous complaint now... At least I had access to the internet everyday... And I didn’t have to be tense about how long I was using it for...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Oman – 0<br />Mumbai – 2<br /></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">If you need to shop here, you have a zillion places to go... This is the hometown of every shopping centre in the world... In Mumbai how you find a pan-tapri at every corner or nukkad as we call it; that’s how you find supermarkets and malls here... They are scattered all over...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">This is the only place to pick up your weekly quota of veggies and groceries... You do get a large variety of veggies here... They come for pretty reasonable prices as well... (The section with the chocolates seems the most tempting, for obvious reasons... I doubt I have ever been this tempted by chocolates while I was in Mumbai.)<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">On the over all, the things seem cheaper here... But are they that cheap when you convert it into Indian rupees... Not really!!! I am doing these calculations because at the end of the day, the savings made here are going to be converted into Indian rupees when we return to Mumbai... So the more we can save, the better it is for us...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Oman – 0<br />Mumbai – 3</strong><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Here, when you get out of the house, you have to ensure that you are modestly dressed... And you do not owe this only to the Omani men who are used to seeing their women covered from head to toe... You have to do so to protect yourself from the million or zillion Indian and Pakistani men as well; who belong to the worker class... They are here in a foreign land, away from their families and especially their wives... They are sexually starved beings who might probably pounce on the first unassuming female creature that walks their way...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">To add to this, they can freely view soft porn on their television sets, with some channels being aired only with this purpose... How then can they keep their animal sides under control? The poor people... It’s not their fault... It’s the fault of Omani Television...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Given the complexity of this, it’s better to not provoke any of them and keep yourself as covered as you can... Like they say, ‘While in Rome, do as the Romans do...’ So all my skirts and shorts have taken a toss for kurtas and longer tops...ALAS... You can’t afford to be yourself here...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Oman – 0<br />Mumbai – 4 </strong><br /><br />There is one thing that majorly goes against Oman, or any other place in the world, other than India for that matter...<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">NO OTHER PLACE CAN BE CALLED HOME... Regardless of how many years I spend in any foreign land, that’s what it will always remain to me... ‘A foreign land’... I can never call it HOME... To it, I will always be an OUTSIDER... Cause I will never truly be a child of that soil... Will I??<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Oman – 0<br />Mumbai – 5</strong><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">I hope to be back in Mumbai by the end of April or the beginning of May... I am going to be missing Mumbai until then... Every aspect of it... The chaos... The skirt wearing days... The friends... The freedom to walk out of the house to catch a rickshaw even at 12 in the night... The freedom to give gaalis to the guy driving the car, because he pushed on the brakes at the last minute... The freedom to walk around with a friend of the opposite sex without people questioning your ‘intentions’... The freedom to eat yummy, butter-laden pav bhaji from the neighbourhood thela-wala... The freedom to have house parties and harass the sweet neighbour... The freedom to sweet-talk the cop who caught you jumping the signal... The freedom to say ‘namaste’ to any aunty or uncle from your building who you bump into at the mall... The freedom to call the place you live in YOUR HOME...<br />Missing Mumbai... They’re right when they say, distance does make the heart fonder...<br /></span></div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-20267776210063870212010-04-08T02:59:00.000+05:302010-04-08T03:01:17.609+05:30A matter of Luck - 2<span style="font-size:85%;">But after a sheer matter of luck, things had changed overnight for us... It had been 7 months since the incident...<br />Today, however, was a special day... It was exactly on this date, 27th Aug, that Sam and I had met for the first time... And 7 years later, today, we were still together...<br />‘I wonder if he remembers’ I thought to myself...<br />I opened his cupboard to pull out a fresh pair of boxers for him... I pulled open the drawer where he kept his briefs and boxers... The drawer, which normally opened quite smoothly, seemed a little jammed today... I tugged at it... But it refused to yield...<br />“Honey... What’s wrong with this drawer?” I yelled...<br />“What drawer, baby?” he asked, as he walked out of the bathroom... He already had a pair of boxers on...<br />“Oh... I thought you would need a pair of shorts... But never mind...” I shrugged my shoulders... <br />He came and hugged me from the behind... And playfully kissed my shoulder...<br />“I have something very important to tell you...” he said...<br />“And that would be?” I asked...<br />“I love you...” he said and planted a kiss on my lips... “I love you too” I replied...<br /><br /><br />We walked into Hawaiian Shack at 15 minutes past 11... “It’s not me... It was the traffic...” I pleaded with a flustered Angy...<br />“It’s a Saturday night... What did you expect???” she replied angrily...<br />“Hey Clifford...”<br />“Hey Jo... You look fabulous...” said Clifford as he bent over to hug me...<br />“She already has a boyfriend... You’re mine...” Angy joked while she pulled Clifford towards him...<br />Sam joined in the laughter...<br />Two drinks later, I was getting into the groove of things... I was enjoying the music and my feet were moving without any help from my brain...<br />Sam pulled me in close to him, he bent over until his chin rested on my shoulder; and he whispered in my ear, “So you wanted to know why that drawer was locked, right? This was why...”<br />The music changed to a slow romantic song... “You look wonderful tonight...” I gasped in delight as I recognized the song playing in the background... This was ‘our song’... The ‘Jo n Sam’ song...<br />Sam went down on one knee, and from his pocket he pulled out a small box... He flicked it open...<br />“That’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen... You’re so lucky, girl...” I could hear Angy squeal...<br />“Joanna Machado, will you do me the favour of marrying me?” Sam asked...<br />“Of course... I mean yes...” I replied, the tears not seeming to stop as he slipped the ring over my finger...<br /><br />Today, we seem so happy together... But this wasn’t how things had been until 9 months back... The distance had begun getting to us... I seemed cranky whenever he called... I used to miss him a lot... And I felt very lost without him... He would reprimand me for going out to a lot of work parties... And said that I could go out all I liked when he was here with me... His insecurity was getting to me... Did he doubt me??<br />Angy told me that all of this was normal; and men are used to getting a tad over-possessive when they were away from their women... She told me not to pay attention to it...<br />I started praying in all earnestness... I hoped for some way where he could come back from the ship safely and never have to go back...<br />Sam, however, wouldn’t be happy with a normal 9-5 job... I knew that all along... He was the kinds who was used to a luxurious lifestyle... Even when we were in college, he preferred the Barista outlet to the college canteen... I, however, was content with a vada-pav n a cutting chai... He always teased me about not having ‘élan’... He would take me to really expensive stores and buy designer clothes for me... But I preferred the hard-earned clothes I bought off Colaba Causeway and Linking Road, after having haggled with the shopkeeper for over an hour...<br />So if God had to answer my prayers, it would have to mean that Sam could come back to Mumbai; and it would also mean that he should have devised some plan to make a lot of money; and that too quick...<br />I wasn’t okay with any hanky-panky ways of making the money... So I prayed for white-money...<br />My prayers were answered... And how!!!<br />Sam was on board a cargo ship that belonged to ‘Star-line’, which is a US based shipping company... His contract was valid for 6 months; and he was due for vacation soon...<br />When the engineers went for a routine check up in the engine room, they noticed a technical failure that could have amounted to a huge blast in the engine room... The entire ship could explode... The captain of the ship asked the engineers to rectify the issue at the earliest... No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t seem to fix it...<br />After all had that was in their capacity had been tried; the captain gave orders to evacuate the ship... They lowered the lifesaver boats and rowed away to safety... On reaching a safe distance, the captain did a head count again, just to be sure...<br />“24...25...26...27....” he counted...<br />“Holy Mother of Jesus...” the captain gasped... “We’re missing one man...”<br /><br />In the meanwhile, Sam got up from his deep sleep... It was his day off... He had been in his cabin, snoring away to glory... He got up, stretched his stiff body... He walked out onto the deck, sleepily rubbing his eyes... He desperately needed some breakfast...<br />As he walked around the ship, something seemed wrong... The ship was quieter than usual... Where was everyone??<br />“ROGER... EVAN... SMITH... Where are you guys??” he shouted out loud... He hoped it was a prank the guys were playing on him...<br />He checked the other cabins... No one was there... While he was on his way to the control station, his attention fell on the place where they usually had the boats and other life saving material... It was all missing...<br />“They evacuated... Without me...” he gasped...<br />Sam ran up to the control station and tried to manually radio any port that he could... He felt a frequency coming in... It was from a port in the UK... They gave him directions to get to the port...<br /><br />When he got to the port, they questioned him about all the on-goings that had landed him there...<br />In the meanwhile, the officials had a team of engineers check the engine room... They realized that there had been a technical snag... However, they added that it had been a rather small problem... The engineers on board had probably not been able to correct it coz they were already in a state of panic...<br />They checked the contents of the ship... The ship was carrying electrical items to the shores of USA... <br /><br />They asked for Sam’s contract... On checking his contract they noticed a detail that was going to change Sam and my life forever...<br /><br />“Did you know your contract expired 2 days back?” asked an official...<br />“I hadn’t noticed, sir... I knew it was close to my time of leaving sea... But I hadn’t checked the date...” Sam replied earnestly... He wiped the sweat off his brow...<br />“Do you know what this means Mr.Sameer Rathore?” the official quizzed him...<br />“No, sir...!”<br />“Since your contract with Star Line Shipping Co. Has expired, it means you no longer are an employee of the company... And as we have understood from your narration of events, there was no other valid employee of Star Line aboard the ship when you brought it to this dock? Am I right?”<br />“Yes, sir...” replied Sam.<br />“By the virtue of the rules of the sea, any man who finds a ship without a captain or a valid employee on board is the rightful owner of the ship and all its contents... So what do you wish to do with the ship now??”<br />“I... WHAT??? I own this ship???” Sam gasped in disbelief...<br />“Let me make this simple for you... You can sell your ship and all its contents to us... We would be more than happy to pay the desired amount for it...”<br />If you even go to sell an empty ship and its spare parts as scrap, it seems that you can get money that will go into crores... Sam got to sell a ship full of electrical goods, that were brand new and in undamaged state at the time of the deal...<br />“Thank you very much sir...” said Sam, as he left the official’s office; armed with a cheque for an insane amount that would mean he would never have to work ever again... Forget about him... The coming generation could also just sit at home and enjoy the fruits of Sam’s luck...<br />And that’s the story of how Sam came back home to me... And that’s how a junior copy editor with a leading lifestyle magazine owns her own magazine today... That’s how we live in a 4 BHK apartment at Cuffe parade...<br />That’s our story... As they say, it was all a matter of luck... *wink wink*</span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-27847909741583517512010-04-01T04:28:00.005+05:302010-04-01T04:47:55.286+05:30A matter of luck<span style="font-size:85%;">“Bhai sahib, woh toh bolna ka daam hai... Dena ka bolo na” I argued...<br />“Kya madam... Apun ko to siraf dus rupya milta hai upar ka... Woh bhee aap chheen loge, toh apun khayega kya?” he argued...<br />“Main dedh sau ke upar ek rupya nahi doongi...” I shoved Angela’s hand off my shoulder... “Wait na... I’ll get if for less than 200... Just be patient” I whispered to her...<br />“Theek hain madam... Na aapka, naa mera... Ek sau assi mein final kar do...”<br />“Nahi nahi... 160 mein fix kar do... Chalo done done...” I shoved some folded notes into his hand... And I snatched the bag out of his hand... “Thank you, bhaiya... Dekhna... Main apne saare friends ko boolongi aapke dukaan pe aane ko...”<br />Angela giggled... “So who are all these ‘saare friends’ you told the poor guy about??”, she teased...<br />“Yaar you know me na...” I replied... “I can’t resist it when I see a good pair of slippers...”<br />“Yeah yeah!! I know...” she smiled...<br />“Alrite...” I said and jumped across the divider along with her...<br />“Alritee then... Shall we make a move??” Angy asked... “Sure...” I replied... “Do you want me to drop you anywhere??” I asked...<br />“Nopes... Am fine... It will be out of the way for you...” she replied...<br />“Cool... See ya at the shack then... 11:00 pm sharp... Don’t be late...” I yelled, as I crossed the road to get to where I had parked my car...<br />“Taxi...” I heard her yell, as I turned around to hunt for my car... All the little lanes in Colaba looked the same... I could never seem to remember where I had parked my car...<br />I found my darling car at last... There it stood, in all its glory, parked next to the silver Ikon...<br />I walked over to my car... Many women would have shuddered at the thought of driving a car of this size... But not me... I was a confident driver... Moreover, I would never drive after drinking... I stepped into my Honda CRV... I had been driving this set of wheels for the last 3 months now...<br />I pulled into the parking lot of Oceanic View Apartments, Cuffe Parade...<br />I entered the elevator... “Good afternoon, Mrs. Arora...” I smiled and greeted her...<br />“Good afternoon, Jo... Went out shopping, eh??” she asked, gesturing at the bags I was carrying in my hand...<br />“Yes... Girlie time out... I met up with a college friend; and we hit Colaba Causeway... Oh this is me...” I said, stepping out of the elevator... “Want to join me for a cup of coffee?”<br />“Ummm... I guess I could... Bittu is at school and Sanjay isn’t at home...” she said, as she stepped out of the elevator with me... “Let me help you” she offered, as she took some of the bags from my hand... I juggled with the keys and managed to get the door open...<br />“Home sweet home...” I proclaimed as I entered the house... “Please make yourself comfortable...”<br />I entered the kitchen and opened the fridge to fetch the milk...<br />“By the way Mrs. Arora, I have some exquisite red wine on me... Would you prefer that to the coffee?” I asked out loud...<br />“Sounds better...” she replied...<br />I brought out the glasses... As I poured out the wine, Mrs.Arora asked “So how’s the magazine doing???”<br />“Oh it’s doing great... We seem to have outdone most of the established names in the same category... And we’re just 4 months old... Let’s see how we do in the next coming months... ” I said while I offered her the glass...<br />“Lovely set of wine glasses you have there... I love your taste, Jo...” she said... “So what’s it like to own a magazine???”<br />“It’s a wonderful experience for someone like me; who never thought it would be possible to run something of my own...” I replied...<br />“To a new friendship” she toasted, as she raised her glass... “To a new friendship” I echoed...<br />“Let me see what it is that you shopped for today?” she asked...<br />I brought out the bags... We started skimming through the myriad of items I had picked up...<br />A multi-coloured dhoti...<br />A purple tank top to go with it...<br />A brown and black pashmina shawl...<br />A rustic looking hand held mirror...<br />A pair of purple slippers...<br />Pair of pink-silver slip-ons...<br />Couple of short asymmetrical geometrical patterned skirts...<br />Pair of wooden paduka-style slippers...<br />“Oh, these are fab, Jo... How much did you get them for?” she was almost squealing with excitement, as she held up the wooden pair of slippers...<br />“Guess...” I teased her on...<br />“I don’t know... Tell me...” she sounded impatient...<br />“A mere 150 Indian Rupees...” I said with pride...<br />“Dammit... How do you know so much about these tiny little places?? I can’t bargain to save my life...” she chuckled... “I should come shopping with you next time... What say, Jo??”<br />“You’re more than welcome...” I replied...<br /><br /><br />Dressed in a pair of pink and green shorts, with a tee that read ‘My friend went to London, and all I got was this Stupid Tee Shirt’; I sat down on the swing in the balcony... I was enjoying the summer breeze that was blowing... ‘The joys of being on the 23rd floor of the building’, I thought to myself...<br />Strange, how things change overnight...<br />Not even in my wildest dreams had I thought of staying a house in this part of the city... And now, not only did I stay here, but I owned a 4 BHK... That translated into 5.5 crores worth of property in Indian currency... Phew!!!<br />And guess what!!! I also had enough money left to comfortably buy 3 more apartments like this one...<br />The door bell rang, disrupting my thoughts...<br />“Hey honey...” I kissed him lightly on the cheeks as he walked into the house...<br />I took his jacket for him... I hung the jacket up on the stand and turned to face him...<br />“I need to take a shower... You wanna join me?” he teased...<br />“Shameless fool... Freshen up... In the meanwhile I’ll whip up something for you to eat...” I said, as I gave him a playful push towards the bedroom...<br />“Joooooooo... Gimme my towel please...” he yelled from the bathroom...<br />After living under the same roof with Sam for the last 5 months, I was sure that all men in the world were incapable of functioning smoothly without a woman around... If the world was a place without women, you would have had one set of very filthy unkempt men, happily scratching their crotches with one hand, holding beer with the other; and belching as they argued over the recent cricket/soccer match...<br />But that’s not to say we women are any different... If there were no men in the world, we would have really happy, content, overweight women with bars of chocolates in both hands... Grinning away to glory...<br />I chuckled at the thought...<br />“Coming...” I yelled, as I went to hunt for a fresh new towel... I had given the house-help an off today... I had a holiday from work... And Sam was also going to be home soon... I wanted some time alone with him... “Here...” I said, as I placed the towel on his outstretched hand; he bent over and gave me one of those ridiculously cute smiles of his... That was one of the primary reasons why I had fallen in love with this man...<br />Sam and I went to the same college for five years... During our junior college years, I had seen Sam, but he had never even noticed me...<br />Sam was really popular in college... I was just another noob, getting used to the Mumbai style of life... I had come down from Hyderabad... And was still not accustomed to the way of life here... But one thing that I was darn sure about was dancing...<br />That’s how we first met...<br />Sam and I were paired together for an inter-collegiate dance competition... He wasn’t sure if he was okay with being paired with a ‘nobody’... But I guess all that changed when he saw me...<br />It wasn’t long before the entire college knew of our little blossoming love story... Samarth Veersingh Rathore and Joanna Daniel Machado had become ‘Jo n Sam’... People could hardly take one name without the other...<br />After graduation, I went on to work with a leading lifestyle magazine... I always wanted to write... And this job let me do exactly that...<br />Sam, however, went off to training school... He wanted to join the merchant navy; just like his dad...<br />When he left for training school, Angy and others told me that it wouldn’t be long before we both moved on to greener pastures... But somehow, that didn’t happen...<br />We continued into a committed long-distance relationship... Even after he left to go on board, we were still as much in love as we had been 4 years back...<br />But after a sheer matter of luck, things had changed overnight for us... It had been 7 months since the incident... </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">TO BE CONTINUED>>>>></span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-66441956274173840462010-03-25T05:09:00.002+05:302010-03-25T05:15:17.753+05:30Last-ing Impressions 3BACK TO PAVILLION<br /><br />“Welcome back hon...”<br />“Thanks sweetie... It feels great to be back...” I replied, as I hugged Akki.<br />“You had to wait for long na?” I asked him.<br /> “Gosh... How much do you women pack for a week’s long stay?” he asked, as he heaved my heavy suitcase into the boot of his car.<br />“Kya baat hai, aaj chhoti gaadi nikaali?” I teased as I pointed out to his white Laura.<br />“Heheheh...Very funny” he said, sarcastically.<br />I giggled. “So where are we headed now?” I asked.<br />“Wait and watch...” he said.<br />He finally spoke when we pulled into a mall. “You up for a beer?” he asked.<br />“Do you even have to ask?” I started, as I got off the car.<br />“Shall we?” he said, offering his elbow. “Yes, we shall...” I said, taking up the offer.<br />After we had settled down into a cozy little table at one corner of the restaurent, he opened his mouth to speak.<br />“Errrr... I don’t know how to tell you this... You might not even believe me... I can’t believe it myself... I wonder if am overreacting!!! What’s wrong with me??? ”<br />“Hey hey hey... Slow down... What’s the matter Akki?” I asked. “Since when did you have ‘difficulties’ in talking to me... It’s me, your Ash... Akki, Chill maar aur bol... What’s up?”<br />“Ash...” he said, and paused to clear his throat.<br />“Akkiiiiiiiiiiii... Tell me already, will you?” I said, losing patience.<br /> “I have a feeling that Sheeba is two-timing me...”<br />“WHAT?” I asked, my eyes wide with shock.<br />“Yes... I can’t believe it... How could this be?” he said, wiping his tears.<br />“We need to find out the truth...” I said. “Let’s go...” as we hurriedly paid the bill and left.<br />LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES...<br /><br />Akki pulled the car into the building where Sheeba lived.<br />“You sure she’s going to be home right now?” I asked him, with uncertainity.<br />“When I called her, she told me she was at work. But then, I think I heard Snoopy bark in the background” Akki said, referring to Sheeba’s cocker-spaniel. “I think she’s at home... She’s avoiding me... And I know it...”<br />When we approached her door, we could hear music playing.<br />“I knew it... She is at home...” Akki said.<br />“Shhhhhhhhh...” I quietened him.<br />I rang the bell.<br />Suddenly, the music stopped. We waited for 2 minutes; but no one would answer the door. I rang the bell once more.<br />“I’m taking a bath. Who is it?” Sheeba screamed from the inside.<br />I didn’t reply. Simultaneously, I tried her on the cell phone.<br />“Hello... Hey girl... When are you coming back? We’re missing you a lot...” Sheeba said enthusiastically, as soon as she picked up.<br />“I’m good... You tell me, where are you?” I asked, covering up my anger.<br />“I’m at home...”she replied, thinking that I was still in Delhi.<br />“Good... Coz I’m outside your door... Open up...” I demanded.<br />I could swear I almost heard her say ‘Shit’ while she was hanging up.<br />“Hey...” she said cheerily; as she opened the door. She was fully clothed.<br />“So, I didn’t know you took a bath with your clothes on..” I said sarcastically; while I stayed put at the door.<br />“Oh that... I thought it was some pesky salesman...” she replied.<br />“And is that why you turned off the music as well?” I asked, tauntingly.<br />“Errr... That... Ash...” she stammered.<br />“What explanation do you have, Ms.Sheeba Chakravorty?” Akki said, as he stepped into her doorway. He was half in tears. She looked zapped.<br />“I... Akki... I...” She was at a loss for words.<br />I had, in the meanwhile, started skirting her apartment.<br />“There’s no one here...” I yelled out to Akki from the bathroom.<br />“See, I told you there’s no one here...” Sheeba said, trying to control her nervousness.<br />But something urged me to continue hunting... I finally opened her wardrobe... And there he was.<br />“Ayaan...” I gasped in disbelief.<br /><br />ITS ALL IN THE FAMILY<br /><br />“Sweetie... I heard about Ayaan and Sheeba... Ayaan just called me up... I... I... I don’t know what to say... I hate him for this... How’s Akki doing?” AK asked me over the phone.<br />“We need to talk” I said, my voice hardly escaping my lips. “Come over...”<br />Akki answered the door when the bell rang.<br />“I’m in here...” I yelled from the bedroom. AK hurried into the bedroom.<br />“Oh darling... I’m so sorry about all this... I should never have gotten that wretch introduced to all of you... I never thought my brother could be this cheap...” I clamped his mouth shut with my hand.<br />“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... Atleast now tell me the truth...” I screamed, as I pushed AK off the bed.<br />“ASH... Don’t... He’s not worth it...” Zac said, as he walked into my bedroom.<br />“You... I will kill you, you bastard...” AK said, as he got up and headed towards Zac.<br />“Don’t you dare...” said Akki, as he stepped in the way.<br />“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE... GET OUT OF MY LIFE...” I yelled.<br />AK hung his head low; and walked out of the door.<br />I burst into tears; and Akki held me close... While Zac shut the door behind AK.<br />“And another chapter ends...” said Zac.<br /><br />LAST-ING IMPRESSIONS<br /><br />On the night that AK proposed to me, Zac was in the club. He had taken Akki to the corner to speak to him in private. Zac didn’t include me in the conversation coz he wasn’t sure about how I would react.<br />“Akki, you know how everyone keeps saying that I quit playing at the club. That’s not the truth... I didn’t quit... I was fired...” Zac confessed.<br />“But, why? Why did they fire you? You did your job well... The crowds loved you...” Akki said.<br />“I was fired coz one of the female bartenders filed a complaint of ‘sexual harassment’ against me... Since the owner also knows me well, he let me off with just the firing... He said his hands were tied...” he said.<br />“What???” Akki gasped in disbelief.<br />“Yeah... I am not the one to take it lying down... So I cornered her one day as she left from the club... I demanded to know who had paid her to falsely accuse me...” he said; “and I threatened her that if she didn’t comply with me, I would actually sexual abuse her, since I was anyways paying time for a crime not done...”<br />“So who was it?” Akki asked, curious to know the answer.<br />“I don’t know if you will believe me... I actually sneaked into the club to tell you this... I am not even allowed to set foot here anymore...” Zac said “It’s your girlfriend, Sheeba.”<br />“How dare you speak about her that way!!!” Akki growled, as he held Zac by his collar.<br />“Calm down Akki... Things are way darker than what you know...” Zac said, “Why would I want to lie about Sheeba... What motive could I have Akki?”<br />Akki calmed down. He realized Zac was right. The only people Zac had ever cared about in this club were Ashwini and him. He would never do anything to hurt them.<br />But then again, neither would Sheeba.<br />“What do you have to tell me?” Akki demanded to know.<br />“A couple of days before I got fired, I was at Zio’s, Bandra... A friend of mine is the resident DJ there... While I was standing at the DJ console, I noticed Sheeba on the dance floor... She was dancing with a guy I didn’t recognize... I thought perhaps you and Ash must also be around... So I tried calling Ash... She didn’t answer the call... Then I tried calling you... You answered and told me that you were at home... You remember that call I made to you, right?”<br />“Yeah!!” Akki replied.<br />“That’s when I realized that maybe Sheeba was alone with that guy... So I followed them once they left the club; and they drove right to Sheeba’s building.... And when Sheeba got off his bike, she gave him a long passionate kiss... That put things into perspective...” said Zac.<br />“After that, I got in touch with one of Sheeba’s colleagues, a Priya Chotani... You know of her, don’t you?” Zac asked...<br />Akki nodded his head in agreement. Zac continued.<br />“Priya told me about Sheeba’s boyfriend. She wasn’t sure about his name; she said Sheeba didn’t give out too many details... But to ascertain things I showed her a picture of you, Ash and me... I thought she would point out to you and say ‘This is Sheeba’s boyfriend...’ But to my surprise, she only recognized Ash and said that she had dropped in at the office a couple of times...”<br />“This is too much...” Akki said; as he turned about to leave.<br />“No, wait Akki... If not for your sake, atleast for Ash’s.” Zac said.<br />“What? What’s wrong with Ash?” Akki demanded to know.<br />“Nothing’s wrong with her... But everything may be wrong with her newly found boyfriend...”<br />“AK, you mean?” Akki exclaimed. “But, how can it be? I’m the one who introduced AK to Ash... And I randomly met him in the club’s bathroom” Akki confessed.<br />“Did he initiate conversation with you the 1st time you met?” Zac asked.<br />“Yes... He told me that my hair style suited me... That’s how it all began...” Akki said, now realizing his folly.<br />“Sheeba had instructed him to get talking to you... She knew you; and was certain that you would introduce him to Ash... This was her way of ensuring that AK could get an entry point into the little group that the 3 of you had... She wanted him close to her...”<br />“You mean AK is the man she is two-timing me with?” Akki asked in utter disbelief.<br />“Yeah!!” Zac replied.<br />“Then why me?” Akki asked, almost in tears now.<br />“Isn’t it obvious? She’s a bloody gold digger...” Zac replied.<br />“And what about Ash?? What’s her mistake? Why does she have to suffer in all this?” Akki asked; beginning to slightly believe Zac’s version of incidents.<br />“AK was just using her for her contacts... He knew she would help him set up his business in Mumbai... Given the fact that she knew so many people, he was using her as a ladder... I guess they have plans of using you guys and your money and contacts, until they can disappear into a life of their own...”<br />“I need to warn Ash...” Akki said.<br />“You do that... I need to leave before anyone sees me here...” Zac said; and he disappeared amongst the crowd.<br />As Akki pushed against the crowds and got back to where he had left Ash and AK, a really excited Ash flashed her new ‘engagement’ ring in his face. He couldn’t break the news to her at that time. He couldn’t afford to see that precious smile disappear off the face of the one woman who had always been there for him.<br />Akki wasn’t sure about whether Zac was right or wrong. His heart still wanted to give both, Sheeba and AK, a chance. But when he heard about AK asking me to invest in a flat, he smelled something fishy. That was the reason why he confirmed whether the flat would be in my name or not.<br />Me leaving for Delhi had been like ‘vacation time’ for Sheeba and AK. It was a classic case of ‘When the cat is out, the mice are at play.’ AK literally moved into Sheeba’s house for that one week.<br />How did we catch Ayaan at Sheeba’s place that day then?<br />Ayaan turned out to be the nice guy. He had gotten in on AK’s plan; but unlike his brother, Ayaan had a heart. He had gone to Sheeba’s place that day to have a word with her; and to try and dissuade her from moving on with their plans of cheating Akki and Ash. He knew talking to AK would be of no use. And that was when we had caught them. He had hidden in the cupboard, coz he didn’t want us to know of the connection between Sheeba and AK. When we caught him hiding in the cupboard, he had said ‘I couldn’t bear to see Ash’s heart broken...She’s a nice girl... Bhai shouldn’t cheat her like this...”<br /><br />TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS<br /><br />[2 YEARS LATER]<br /><br />We sat at the window sill; and enjoyed the lovely breeze in our hair.<br />“Atleast something good came out of this entire scenario, eh?” said Akki; as we toasted to my brand new flat.<br />“He’s right, the view from the 22nd floor is magnificient...” Ayaan chimed in.<br />“Congratulations, girl. We’re proud of you.” Zac said, as he gave me a big bear hug.<br />“I would have never gotten through it without all of you.” I said, my eyes welling up with tears.<br />“Oh cmon now...” Zac said. “I don’t know about us. But you definitely couldn’t have done it without this man here...” he said, while he pointed out towards Akki.<br />Ayaan nodded his head in agreement. “I don’t get it... Why couldn’t you guys have thought of this earlier itself? It would have saved all of us a lot of trouble... Wouldn’t it??” Ayaan asked.<br />“I guess, there’s a time for everything” I replied. “After pulling AK’s ring off my finger, I was sure that I would never let any other man put a ring on that finger... I thought I would never get married...” I said.<br />“But when he asked, you couldn’t say no, could you?” Ayaan teased me.<br />“Like I have always said, I can never say ‘no’ to Akki” I said; as I winked at my husband of 2 months. Akki put his arm around my shoulders, and held onto me. I looked at my hand. The sunlight bounced off my wedding ring.<br />“Like they say, all’s well that ends well..” said Ayaan.<br />“Cheers to that” we all chimed in.Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-87028531985455265022010-03-18T18:21:00.002+05:302010-03-18T18:25:24.881+05:30Last-ing impressions - 2<p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">HOME SWEET HOME<br /><br />Akki and I landed at the plot...<br />“This is it... This is where we’re going to be living...” I said.<br />Akki looked around. “Looks fantastic, girl!!! So how are you guys paying for this?” he asked.<br />“Since he doesn’t have strong IT papers to show, I have taken the loan in my name... He is keeping the money aside for his business as well... So this is the least I could do...” I replied.<br />“So the flat is going to be in your name, right?” he asked.<br />“Yes... Absolutely... Tax savings as well, remember?” I said.<br />“Yes... Right... It would be beneficial to put it in a female’s name...” he mulled. “Great... Can we have a look at the sample flat?”<br />“Let’s go...” I replied, as I took him by the hand and led him into the building.<br />I stood near the window of the sample flat on the 14th floor...<br />“If the 14th floor has such a brilliant view, imagine the 22nd floor!!!” I exclaimed.<br />“I know... Killer, eh?” he said, with the excitement ringing in his voice. “I’m so happy for you Ash...” he said, as he came and hugged me.<br />“I’m really happy for myself too... But none of it could have worked out without you... You’re the one who introduced me to AK, didn’t you?” I said, my eyes welling up with tears.<br />“Ash, there’s something I was meaning to tell you...” he started.<br />“Madam ji, ghar band kar doon?” the security guard interuppted, as he stood at the door, the keys dangling in his hand.<br />“Haan haan...” I said. “Let’s talk in the car...” I told Akki.<br />“We’re anyways late... We got to meet Sheeba in 15...” he said, as we drove off into the sunset.<br /><br />RING-ING ISSUES<br /><br />[4 months later...]<br /><br />“Oi madam, are you ready or should I come upstairs to help you?” asked AK over the phone.<br />“Nahiiiiii... If you come up to help me, then there’s no way we’re going to get to the club today...” I answered. “Give me 5 minutes...” I said and hung up.<br />I looked at myself in the mirror... “You are looking sexy... Waaah... Kya baat hai...” I complimented myself.<br />“Woah baby... Someone’s looking gorgeous...” Akki teased, as I stepped into the car.<br />“He’s right... You’re looking amazingly hot...” AK said.<br />I could feel myself blushing...<br />“Hey Sheebs darling...”I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder. She was sitting in the passenger seat, next to Akki.<br />“Hi woman...” she replied; as she turned back and smiled.<br />AK got off the car; and ran to the other side, to open the door for me. He would always be opening doors, and pulling chairs back for me. I could hardly believe that luck was with me. How else can you find a gorgeous looking man with chivalry in today’s world?<br />“Hey Ali...” Akki hi-fived the bouncer as we walked into the club.<br />“Hello Sir... Ma’am!!!” Ali said, as he opened the door for us.<br />“Kitne baar kaha hai... Mujhe Ashu nahi toh AK bula... Kya sir-sir karta hai?” AK joked, as he playfully fisted Ali in his stomach.<br />“Theek hai, AK...” Ali laughed, as he struck a salute.<br />I loved this about AK... He had a natural way of things with people.<br />“I have a surprise for you...” AK whispered in my ears.<br />Just then, someone came and placed their hands over my eyes...<br />“Hmmmm... Who can this be?” I wondered. The feel of these hands were familiar, but not too familiar.<br />“Ayaan” I screamed in joy; as I turned around. “I’m so happy that you finally decided to join us...” I said, as I hugged him.<br />“I don’t mind coming every Saturday...” Ayaan confessed. “But bhai doesn’t want me tagging along with you guys...”<br />“Oh cmon...” I said, as I shot an angry look at AK.<br />“He says ‘Find yourself a girlfriend first, and then you can come out with us’...”<br />“He’s right...” Akki joked.<br />“How was I to know that the most beautiful women I was going to be introduced to would already be hooked up?” said Ayaan; as he gestured towards Sheeba and me.<br />“Oh cmon... Flattery doesn’t work with us...” Sheeba replied.<br />We laughed.<br />“Ash...” I heard a voice call out to me.<br />“Zac... Oh my God... How have you been?” I said, as I hugged him.<br />“I’ve been good... I heard you’re dating someone now, eh? Sweet...” he said.<br />“Yeah... Oh.. You haven’t met him... You quit playing in the club a week after I met him... So how would you meet him?” I said.<br /> “Yeah!” Zac replied. “Hasn’t Akki come?”<br />“Could I ever think of entering the club without Akki?” I replied, with a smile. “There he is...” I said; and the three of us moved in Akki’s direction.<br />“Hey brother... Long time no see...” Akki said; as he and Zac shook hands.<br />“Yeah...I know...” Zac replied. “If you could pardon me for the bad timing, I would like to speak to you for awhile... Alone...” he said.<br />“Sure... Tell me...” Akki said, as he placed his arm around Zac’s shoulder; and they walked to a quieter corner.<br />I shifted my focus to Ayaan and Sheeba... They had gone to the bar to get us a round of drinks...<br />“Thank you for the surprise” I told AK. “I didn’t expect Ayaan to be here... But I’m so glad he’s here...” I said. “I always wanted to spend more time with the boy...”<br />“But my surprise is yet to come...” AK said, as he smiled a naughty smile... The twinkle in his eye was even more evident right now.<br />“But...” I looked at him confused.<br />He shoved his hand inside his pocket; and brought out a jewellery box... “May I?” he asked.<br />“OH MY GOD” I gasped; as I took a look at the ring he held in his hand. The lights in the club were dancing off the ring’s surface.<br />“I want to spend the rest of my lifetime with you” he said, as he went onto one knee.<br />I looked around... Sheebs and Ayaan were standing besides us and were smiling...<br />“So everyone else had been in the know, except me?” I asked.<br />“Ah huh!!” Sheeba said, as she nodded her head in agreement.<br />“Okay, my knee is really beginning to hurt now... Do I get a reply or not?” AK replied.<br />“Yes... Yes... Yes...” I said, as I bent over to kiss him.<br />Everyone around us started clapping.<br />“What happened? What did I miss?” Akki asked, as he tried to push the crowds aside to get to us.<br />“AK just proposed to Ash; and she said yes... Isn’t that wonderful?” Sheeba said, all teary eyed.<br />“Where’s Zac? He wanted to meet my boyfriend” I said.<br />“Correction correction... He’s now your fiancee...” interrupted Sheeba.<br />“Zac left...” Akki said.<br />“Can you believe it?? I’m engaged.” I said, as I leapt into Akki’s arms.<br />“You’re right... It’s all so hard to believe...” he said, as he hugged me back; and wiped a tear from his eye.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER<br /><br /> “Hello baccha... How is my baby doing today?” I asked as I answered the call.<br />“I’m fine re... Tu bata... How are things with you?” Akki replied.<br />“Badi yaad aa rahi hai Ash ki...” I replied.<br />“Yeah man... I’m actually missing you... Did you have to go to Delhi?” he asked.<br />“When work beckons, you can’t say no... Can you? Arey, but you toh are one rich spoilt brat... Why would you care about work??” I teased.<br />“Oh, Ashwini... Come on...” he said, frustrated. He rarely called me by my full name.<br />“Okay okay... Chill maar... So tell me, how is Sheeba darling doing?”<br />“She’s also really caught up with work these days... Year end na!!!” he exclaimed.<br />“Oh! So is that why you remembered poor old me, coz your girlfriend isn’t free?” I teased.<br />“Cmon Ash... You know it’s not like that...” he said, the tone of his voice taking on a seriousness that was new. “I was genuinely missing you... I feel like it’s been ages since we met... Just you and me... Without AK and Sheeba around...”<br />I could feel a lump forming in my throat... It was true... I couldn’t remember the last time he and I had met alone...<br />“I miss the good old days, when we used to loaf around in the canteen... Just you and me... We never needed anyone else, did we?” he said.<br />“Hmmmmm....” I agreed.<br />“Come back soon... I really need to meet you... ALONE...”<br />“Deal...” I said... “My client needs to fly back to the US before schedule... So I’ll be back on this Friday istead of next Monday, as was earlier the plan... Let’s meet then...” I replied.<br />“Can you do me a favour?” Akki asked.<br />“Can I ever say no to you?” I replied.<br />“Don’t mention your date of arrival to Sheeba or AK...” he said; “Can you do that for me?”<br />“But...”<br />“Have you told AK about the change in your schedule?” Akki asked.<br />“Not yet... I just got to know”<br />“Cool... Then let’s do this... I’ll pick you up from the airport; we’ll spend some time together... And then, I’ll drive you over to AK’s and you can surprise him... What say?”<br />I mulled over the idea. It seemed like a ‘win-win’ situation. Everyone would be happy at the end of the day.<br />“Done... I’ll call you Thursday and confirm my flight details...” I said.<br />“Okay... Great... Can’t wait to see you...” Akki said.<br /> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">(TO BE CONTINUED) </span></p>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-4859901201339979322010-03-18T18:21:00.001+05:302010-03-18T18:25:24.230+05:30Last-ing impressions - 2<p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">HOME SWEET HOME<br /><br />Akki and I landed at the plot...<br />“This is it... This is where we’re going to be living...” I said.<br />Akki looked around. “Looks fantastic, girl!!! So how are you guys paying for this?” he asked.<br />“Since he doesn’t have strong IT papers to show, I have taken the loan in my name... He is keeping the money aside for his business as well... So this is the least I could do...” I replied.<br />“So the flat is going to be in your name, right?” he asked.<br />“Yes... Absolutely... Tax savings as well, remember?” I said.<br />“Yes... Right... It would be beneficial to put it in a female’s name...” he mulled. “Great... Can we have a look at the sample flat?”<br />“Let’s go...” I replied, as I took him by the hand and led him into the building.<br />I stood near the window of the sample flat on the 14th floor...<br />“If the 14th floor has such a brilliant view, imagine the 22nd floor!!!” I exclaimed.<br />“I know... Killer, eh?” he said, with the excitement ringing in his voice. “I’m so happy for you Ash...” he said, as he came and hugged me.<br />“I’m really happy for myself too... But none of it could have worked out without you... You’re the one who introduced me to AK, didn’t you?” I said, my eyes welling up with tears.<br />“Ash, there’s something I was meaning to tell you...” he started.<br />“Madam ji, ghar band kar doon?” the security guard interuppted, as he stood at the door, the keys dangling in his hand.<br />“Haan haan...” I said. “Let’s talk in the car...” I told Akki.<br />“We’re anyways late... We got to meet Sheeba in 15...” he said, as we drove off into the sunset.<br /><br />RING-ING ISSUES<br /><br />[4 months later...]<br /><br />“Oi madam, are you ready or should I come upstairs to help you?” asked AK over the phone.<br />“Nahiiiiii... If you come up to help me, then there’s no way we’re going to get to the club today...” I answered. “Give me 5 minutes...” I said and hung up.<br />I looked at myself in the mirror... “You are looking sexy... Waaah... Kya baat hai...” I complimented myself.<br />“Woah baby... Someone’s looking gorgeous...” Akki teased, as I stepped into the car.<br />“He’s right... You’re looking amazingly hot...” AK said.<br />I could feel myself blushing...<br />“Hey Sheebs darling...”I said as I placed my hand on her shoulder. She was sitting in the passenger seat, next to Akki.<br />“Hi woman...” she replied; as she turned back and smiled.<br />AK got off the car; and ran to the other side, to open the door for me. He would always be opening doors, and pulling chairs back for me. I could hardly believe that luck was with me. How else can you find a gorgeous looking man with chivalry in today’s world?<br />“Hey Ali...” Akki hi-fived the bouncer as we walked into the club.<br />“Hello Sir... Ma’am!!!” Ali said, as he opened the door for us.<br />“Kitne baar kaha hai... Mujhe Ashu nahi toh AK bula... Kya sir-sir karta hai?” AK joked, as he playfully fisted Ali in his stomach.<br />“Theek hai, AK...” Ali laughed, as he struck a salute.<br />I loved this about AK... He had a natural way of things with people.<br />“I have a surprise for you...” AK whispered in my ears.<br />Just then, someone came and placed their hands over my eyes...<br />“Hmmmm... Who can this be?” I wondered. The feel of these hands were familiar, but not too familiar.<br />“Ayaan” I screamed in joy; as I turned around. “I’m so happy that you finally decided to join us...” I said, as I hugged him.<br />“I don’t mind coming every Saturday...” Ayaan confessed. “But bhai doesn’t want me tagging along with you guys...”<br />“Oh cmon...” I said, as I shot an angry look at AK.<br />“He says ‘Find yourself a girlfriend first, and then you can come out with us’...”<br />“He’s right...” Akki joked.<br />“How was I to know that the most beautiful women I was going to be introduced to would already be hooked up?” said Ayaan; as he gestured towards Sheeba and me.<br />“Oh cmon... Flattery doesn’t work with us...” Sheeba replied.<br />We laughed.<br />“Ash...” I heard a voice call out to me.<br />“Zac... Oh my God... How have you been?” I said, as I hugged him.<br />“I’ve been good... I heard you’re dating someone now, eh? Sweet...” he said.<br />“Yeah... Oh.. You haven’t met him... You quit playing in the club a week after I met him... So how would you meet him?” I said.<br /> “Yeah!” Zac replied. “Hasn’t Akki come?”<br />“Could I ever think of entering the club without Akki?” I replied, with a smile. “There he is...” I said; and the three of us moved in Akki’s direction.<br />“Hey brother... Long time no see...” Akki said; as he and Zac shook hands.<br />“Yeah...I know...” Zac replied. “If you could pardon me for the bad timing, I would like to speak to you for awhile... Alone...” he said.<br />“Sure... Tell me...” Akki said, as he placed his arm around Zac’s shoulder; and they walked to a quieter corner.<br />I shifted my focus to Ayaan and Sheeba... They had gone to the bar to get us a round of drinks...<br />“Thank you for the surprise” I told AK. “I didn’t expect Ayaan to be here... But I’m so glad he’s here...” I said. “I always wanted to spend more time with the boy...”<br />“But my surprise is yet to come...” AK said, as he smiled a naughty smile... The twinkle in his eye was even more evident right now.<br />“But...” I looked at him confused.<br />He shoved his hand inside his pocket; and brought out a jewellery box... “May I?” he asked.<br />“OH MY GOD” I gasped; as I took a look at the ring he held in his hand. The lights in the club were dancing off the ring’s surface.<br />“I want to spend the rest of my lifetime with you” he said, as he went onto one knee.<br />I looked around... Sheebs and Ayaan were standing besides us and were smiling...<br />“So everyone else had been in the know, except me?” I asked.<br />“Ah huh!!” Sheeba said, as she nodded her head in agreement.<br />“Okay, my knee is really beginning to hurt now... Do I get a reply or not?” AK replied.<br />“Yes... Yes... Yes...” I said, as I bent over to kiss him.<br />Everyone around us started clapping.<br />“What happened? What did I miss?” Akki asked, as he tried to push the crowds aside to get to us.<br />“AK just proposed to Ash; and she said yes... Isn’t that wonderful?” Sheeba said, all teary eyed.<br />“Where’s Zac? He wanted to meet my boyfriend” I said.<br />“Correction correction... He’s now your fiancee...” interrupted Sheeba.<br />“Zac left...” Akki said.<br />“Can you believe it?? I’m engaged.” I said, as I leapt into Akki’s arms.<br />“You’re right... It’s all so hard to believe...” he said, as he hugged me back; and wiped a tear from his eye.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />DISTANCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER<br /><br /> “Hello baccha... How is my baby doing today?” I asked as I answered the call.<br />“I’m fine re... Tu bata... How are things with you?” Akki replied.<br />“Badi yaad aa rahi hai Ash ki...” I replied.<br />“Yeah man... I’m actually missing you... Did you have to go to Delhi?” he asked.<br />“When work beckons, you can’t say no... Can you? Arey, but you toh are one rich spoilt brat... Why would you care about work??” I teased.<br />“Oh, Ashwini... Come on...” he said, frustrated. He rarely called me by my full name.<br />“Okay okay... Chill maar... So tell me, how is Sheeba darling doing?”<br />“She’s also really caught up with work these days... Year end na!!!” he exclaimed.<br />“Oh! So is that why you remembered poor old me, coz your girlfriend isn’t free?” I teased.<br />“Cmon Ash... You know it’s not like that...” he said, the tone of his voice taking on a seriousness that was new. “I was genuinely missing you... I feel like it’s been ages since we met... Just you and me... Without AK and Sheeba around...”<br />I could feel a lump forming in my throat... It was true... I couldn’t remember the last time he and I had met alone...<br />“I miss the good old days, when we used to loaf around in the canteen... Just you and me... We never needed anyone else, did we?” he said.<br />“Hmmmmm....” I agreed.<br />“Come back soon... I really need to meet you... ALONE...”<br />“Deal...” I said... “My client needs to fly back to the US before schedule... So I’ll be back on this Friday istead of next Monday, as was earlier the plan... Let’s meet then...” I replied.<br />“Can you do me a favour?” Akki asked.<br />“Can I ever say no to you?” I replied.<br />“Don’t mention your date of arrival to Sheeba or AK...” he said; “Can you do that for me?”<br />“But...”<br />“Have you told AK about the change in your schedule?” Akki asked.<br />“Not yet... I just got to know”<br />“Cool... Then let’s do this... I’ll pick you up from the airport; we’ll spend some time together... And then, I’ll drive you over to AK’s and you can surprise him... What say?”<br />I mulled over the idea. It seemed like a ‘win-win’ situation. Everyone would be happy at the end of the day.<br />“Done... I’ll call you Thursday and confirm my flight details...” I said.<br />“Okay... Great... Can’t wait to see you...” Akki said.<br /> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">(TO BE CONTINUED) </span></p>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-58650023133125358542010-03-11T14:10:00.003+05:302010-03-11T15:41:49.541+05:30LAST-ING IMPRESSIONS - 1<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cowner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cowner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cowner%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">ONWARDS WE MARCH<o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Are you ready?? Or do I have the time to download one more song?” <b style="">Sheeba</b> screamed from the hall room.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Download two songs, for all I care... I’m in the mood to get dressed up today...” I replied...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hmmm... Someone seems to have made up her mind to rob a lot of hearts today, eh?” Sheeba teased.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Yeah, yeah!!! Easy for you to say... You already have a boyfriend... I’m the single one...” I yelled back.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Know which song I just downloaded?? ‘I got a feelin... That tonite’s gonna be a good nite...’ Black Eyed Peas... I really got a feeling that tonight might be the night when something good will happen for you...”said Sheeba.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Maybe, maybe not!!!” I said, as I applied the finishing touches to my make up... “I’m good to go...” I said as I slipped my freshly pedicured feet into my new pair of heels... “Get your arse off that chair, girl... Come on...”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Akshat </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">was waiting in the car... <b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Godbless... I was almost beginning to believe that we could go out clubbing next Saturday...” he joked.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Shuddup hon... Push on the accelerator now...” I said... Once I was ready, I would always be the most excited about reaching the club.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“But wasn’t all the wait worth it? Don’t we both look smashing?” Sheeba asked, as she flaunted her new dress.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Yes you do, baby... You girls make my job tougher every time... I think we will have to recruit a bouncer only to take care of both of you if you girls keep looking this good everytime...” he laughed... We giggled along at the thought... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">After an hour, and numerous traffic jams later, we were at the club. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hey Ali... Wassup!!” said Akshat, as he hi-fived the bouncer at the entrance... “Aaj crowd hain ki nahi?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Of course sir... There’s very good crowd today... Aap khud hi dekh lo...” Ali replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Sheeba and I waved at Ali as we entered... He smiled and opened the door for us...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">On entering the club, we were greeted by a sight that always made me smile... The darkness that engulfed everyone there; the music that drove you to the dance floor; the alcohol that made all inhibitions vanish; and the DJ console, where my darling friend Zac would be found... <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hey Zac.... Long time, eh!!! Sorry bout not calling you last weekend... I was caught up with a work party... We were at Pheonix Mills...” I justified.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Yeah yeah... You seem to have an encyclopedia of excuses stashed somewhere at home” he joked... “Hey Sheebs... Where’s Akki?” he asked; when he saw Sheeba standing behind me...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“He’s around somewhere... Must be ogling at some other girls, as usual...” said Sheeba... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Oh cmon Sheebs... You know he’s the best... I haven’t seen him out of line ever... I’m giving you the guy perspective here... He is a gem...” said Zac.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“He’s right...” I said. “If you don’t want him, then pass him on to me...” I teased.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Chal chal... Go find one on your own... Akki is mine...” she said, with a grumpy face.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Possessiveeeeeee...” I teased.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Awrite... I want to hit the dance floor now... See ya around, Zac... After hours” I winked; as I pulled Sheeba by her elbow. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“See ya” Sheeba yelled out to Zac over all the noise... Zac smiled back as we disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Sheeba had been right about one thing on that particular day... There was something special about that night... My life would never be the same again... It could not go back to being the same, no matter how hard I tried... Coz that was the night I met him.... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Girls, there is someone I’d like you to meet...” said Akki...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Both Sheebs n I turned to see who it was that Akki wanted us to meet... I could only see the silhouette of the of the person standing with Akshat... He wasn’t very tall, neither was he well built... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">
<br /></span></b> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">OF FRIENDS AND MORE...</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:9pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Akshat:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I had known Akshat since the day he was born... His sister Anandini and I went to the same school; and given the fact that our families were already so close to each others, she and I had always been rather fond of each other... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Akshat was Anandini’s younger brother... Years later, there came another brother Akash... But Akash and I never got that close, owing to the huge age difference between us... Akshat was 4 years younger than me... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">As luck would have it, Anandini and I had to say goodbye to each other early on... She went to Delhi for her colleging... Akshat would come and spend time with me whenever he would miss his sister... That’s how he and I got down to having this close-knit relationship that we shared... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">When it was time for Akshat to choose a college, he chose mine... He was extremely fond of me and all my friends.... Given the fact that he was a good looking kid, he got a lot of attention from all my female friends... They would go all ‘Oh! He’s so cute’ over him... And needless to say, he would enjoy all the cheek-pulling sessions... And post the sessions, he would tell me who was the best looking amongst all of the women who had thronged him on that particular day... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">In other words, Akshat was like the kid brother I never had... But our relationship had a twist to it... We were both fully aware of the fact that we weren’t blood relatives... And due to exactly that, we were ‘friends’ and not ‘siblings’ ever... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><u><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Sheeba:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I liked Sheeba for the person that she is from day one of meeting her... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I was the editor of the college magazine that year... Sheeba was one of the applicants for the Editorial team... She was applying for the post of ‘Head of Design’... She may have been my junior, but I knew she meant business from the moment she set foot in the Student Council office... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">She was an image of confidence, beauty and grace... Whooooo... Deadly combination... Had I been a guy, I would have been swept off my feet by a woman like that... So it wasn’t surprising when my Akshat, who was pretty much like a male version of me, fell for her the instant he saw her... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“If you get me her number, I’ll be your slave from this moment on...” is what he said when he saw her walking with me one day... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I couldn’t say no to him... He was my Akki after all... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Turned out she found him cute as well... So there, it was done... My job had become easier... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Akshat and Sheeba had been dating for 4 years now; two years through college, and two years after... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">They were just 22... But at 26, I definitely felt like a pain in their asses when they took me out... I didn’t have a boyfriend, so it was just the 3 of us wherever we went... I always felt like a sore thumb, an oldie sticking out her ugly head... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I just wished I had someone to call my own... Someone to love... Someone to hold... Someone who could care for me... I wanted to be the center of someone’s world; and have a center for my own... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br /></p><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">FIRST IMPRESSIONS... <o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Girls, there is someone I’d like you to meet...” said Akki...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Both Sheebs n I turned to see who it was that Akki wanted us to meet... I could only see the silhouette of the of the person standing with Akshat... He wasn’t very tall, neither was he well built... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Akki was always busy introducing me to his eligible friends... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">‘How many times have I told this fool that I’m not into younger guys’ I thought to myself...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“This is my ‘girlfriend’ Sheeba” said Akki, as he protectively placed his arm around Sheeba’s shoulder... “And this here is the light of my life, ‘Ashwini’ or ‘Ash’ as we fondly call her” he said, introducing me to his mystery kiddo friend... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hello” he said, and put his hand out for a handshake... <span style=""> </span>“I’m Ashutosh Kapadia...”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">In order to shake his hand, I had to step a little forward... When I did, the sight that was in store for me left me zapped... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">He may have looked little, but he was definitely not younger... He had one of those faces that shone with the wisdom that one can garner only from experience and graceful aging... Not to say that he was old or anything, but he was definitely older than me... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">‘Must be around 28 or 29’ I thought to myself, as I did some mental calculations to confirm if I was still 26 or not... I was sure I wouldn’t have wanted to turn 27 ever... In fact, I didn’t want to go beyond 25... Alas!! Nature wouldn’t agree to any of my stupid plans of ‘stalling time’ or going into ‘rewind mode’... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">His eyes were hazel in colour... When he smiled, he had one of the deepest set of dimples I had ever seen... He had a twinkle in his eye when he smiled, which gave away his ‘boyish’ nature at the first glimpse itself... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Have fun” Akki whispered in my ear, as he took Sheeba’s hand and led her away... They disappeared into the crowd... And for once, I didn’t mind them leaving me alone... Coz I wasn’t really alone, was I?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Would you like to dance?” he asked, politely... “Sure!!” I said; and he led me to the dance floor... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Swoooosh he went sliding from one side of me to the other... And I was left gaping... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">‘This man could actually dance... He had dimples... He wass cute looking... Okay, let me rephrase that, really really really cute looking... Tonight had to be my lucky night’ I thought to myself, as I watched him moving around the dance floor... He sure had some groovy moves up his sleeve... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">But I wasn’t the types to sit and watch... So I zapped out of my trance, and started moving my feet... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">We both finally stopped; we were panting... I looked at him... He had this awesomely adorable smile plastered all over his face... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Drink?” he asked... “Great idea...” I replied...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Beer?” he asked me... “Yeah... Wat bout you?” I asked... “I’ll stick to beer as well” he replied...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hey Ron.... 2 Fosters please... Chilled, eh...” I said, as I winked at the bartender.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Anything for you darling...” replied the bartender, as he smiled and opened up two pints for us; before going back to the mad rush at the bar...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hmmmm... You seem to know everyone here, don’t you?” he said... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Maybe... Maybe not...” I said...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Huh? Wat do you mean by that?” he asked... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“I do seem to know everyone... But quite obviously, I don’t seem to know the important ones...” I replied, as I took a sip from my beer and simultaneously waved out to someone in the crowd that I knew.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Important ones, eh? Like...?” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“You” I replied... “Akki got to you before I could...” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">He laughed... And my, did I fall in love with that laugh or not... It sounded like the music that was produced by the fingers of angels on harps, up in heaven... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I smiled at the thought...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Want to dance some more?” he asked me with a naughty smile, as he placed his empty beer bottle back on the bar top...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Do you even have to ask?” I exclaimed, as I emptied my own bottle... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span></span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Before we knew it, it was 2:00 a.m. It was time for the club to shut down... Ashutosh took my hand, as we left the club... He had to literally drag me out of the place as I air-kissed everyone I knew... ‘Goodnight’ I kept saying to whoever I was bumping into...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“So did you kids have fun?” Akki asked us when he met us near his car.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Kids??? Really??? You think you’ve grown up in one night, huh bacchhu???” I said, as I proceeded to pull Akki by his ears.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Sorry sorry sorry...” he squealed... “I was kidding, meri maa...” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“As for your question, we did have fun...” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“We?” Sheeba asked me, with one raised eyebrow.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“So Ash, since when did you and me become ‘we’?” Ashutosh added.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Ummm... I don’t...” I was searching for the right thing to say... With every passing second, I was turning a darker shade of red. “I didn’t mean it that way. You know wat I meant... Don’t you?” I asked, looking at Akki, hoping for some support to come from that direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Answer them...” Akki said. “Since when, eh?” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“You useless bastard...” I said, as I set off to beat up Akki. “You can never bail me out of awkward situations, can you now?” I yelled at him, as I proceeded to pull my heels off. I couldn’t be running around in heels.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Ashutosh and Sheeba smiled at each other, as they watched Akki and me run around the car like kindergarten kids...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span>
<br /></p><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"></span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">THE MAN OF THE MOMENT<o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:9pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Ashutosh, or AK as I began calling him later, is now my boyfriend of 6 months... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I’d been right about his age... AK turned 29 around 2 months back... We celebrated his birthday in style... Akki, Sheebs and I threw a surprise party for him at Red Lounge...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">The night when AK and I met for the first time, was the day he had landed in Mumbai after 6 years. He had spent the previous years of his life in Dubai, where he worked with Toyota. He was a hardcore marketing person. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">He had some savings from the last 6 years, which he wanted to invest in a small time business in Mumbai... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Why Mumbai?” I asked him once... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Coz this is where I was born... So this is where I belong...” was his reply.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">He didn’t discuss too many details about the business venture... But from what I understood, he wanted to take up the franchisee of some leading resto bar... I never pried into his professional life beyond that... So that was the limited knowledge I had... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">He stayed with his mom and dad... He had a younger brother, Ayaan... I’d never met Ayaan, but I’d seen pictures of him and AK together... The similarity was stark... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Ayaan was working with a leading call centre in Mumbai. He was Sheeba and Akki’s age.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">As far as I was concerned, romantically, things were going very well between AK and me... We were pretty much in the ‘let’s see where this goes’ phase... But it was moving fast towards the ‘Let’s go steady’ stage... I could feel it... But I didn’t want to get my hopes up; for the fear of feeling foolish later... All said and done, I was a noob at this dating game... I hadn’t really been in a real, mature, adult relationship ever... This was my first... And I didn’t want to rush anything, for it would risk the ‘perfection’ that was being built, slowly and steadily.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">WHY I HATE SURPRISES<o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span>“But where are we going?” I demanded to know, as AK took a sharp left turn... I was in an area that I didn’t find familiar... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hold on to your horses, woman!!!” he said... “I’m sure you’re going to love it...” I could see him smile in the rearview mirror of his bike. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">We stopped in front of an under-construction building... “What are we doing here?” I asked him, genuinely confused.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“In another 14 months, I’m going to live here...” he replied finally, looking up at the building that stood tall in front of us... “22<sup>nd</sup> floor, 2 ½ BHK, prime location...” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I didn’t know how to react... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span>“Let’s go have a look at the place...” he said, as he took me by the hand, and led me off into the building...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Are you sure you can afford it?” I asked him, as I got onto the bike after having checked out the place... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Maybe I can’t...” he said; “But maybe we can...” he smiled at me... “Afterall, we’re going to live in together, aren’t we?” he asked. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Huh?” I looked at him suspiciously...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Did you like the place or not?” he asked, firmly.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“I loved it... It’s brilliant, no doubt...” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Cool, so then that’s settled...” he said, as we vroomed away...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">
<br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <h2><span style="line-height: 115%;font-size:12pt;" lang="EN-GB">MEETING THE BEST MAN<o:p></o:p></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Sheeba, Akki and I met up early for a round of drinks... AK was late, as usual...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Where is he?” Akki asked<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“God knows... He should be here soon, though...” I said, as I turned my attention to the plate of spicy chicken wings that had just been placed on our table.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“There he is...” Sheeba exclaimed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">I turned around to see him... Sure enough, he looked as gorgeous as ever... But he wasn’t alone.... Ayaan was with him... <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Guys this is Ayaan... My lil bro...” he introduced, as he playfully ruffled Ayaan’s hair...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“This is Akshat a.k.a Akki... Sheeba a.k.a Sheebs... Sheebs and Akki have been dating for 4 ½ years now... Can you beat that?” he said; with the surprise evident in his voice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“And this here...” he said, locking his arms around me from the back of my chair; “is my darling... The one person you have been waiting to meet for so long...”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Hi... I’m...” <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“You’re Ash, of course... I have heard so much about you” Ayaan started...<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Really now? I wonder whether it’s good stuff or bad stuff” I said, with a mischeivious smile directed at AK. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“By the way, I heard you call him ‘AK’...” said Ayaan.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Yeah...” I replied.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“By that virtue, am I ‘AK’ too?? My initials are the same too, aren’t they?” he asked, with a smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">‘Their smiles are exactly the same’ I thought to myself as I took a piece of paneer off Akki’s plate. He hated paneer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">“Nah boy... Don’t try your luck there... I don’t think I’m ready to deal with two-timing as yet...” I joked. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB">Everyone at the table laughed...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">(TO BE CONTINUED)
<br /><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:10pt;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p> Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-62422453613704404852010-03-06T00:34:00.003+05:302010-03-06T01:08:09.281+05:30Our Story For The Telling“Kitna hua bhaiya?” I asked the cab driver, as I alighted at Colaba Causeway... I looked up at the sign board that read ‘Mondegar’s’...<br />I heard the cacophony of vendors trying to sell their goods; customers who didn’t want to budge from the prices they were haggling for; the cabs honking; the young boys pestering the ‘firangs’ as they were called, or in other words, the tourists to buy the ‘dholaks’ or drums from them... All those bright bags, hanging off the overloaded stalls... The sea of crowds moving along the tiny by-lanes...<br />I finally felt like I was at home... This used to be home for me when I was in college... I remember clearly all the details of all those afternoons spent aimlessly wandering around these streets...<br />It seems like only yesterday, the girls and I would have cheesecakes at Theobroma’s or gorge on sandwiches at Churchill’s... I would never be able to wipe off the taste of the Indian-Chinese food that we so fondly used to hog at Aga Brothers... Those were the days of 1 by 2... Everything was divided amongst each other... We couldn’t afford luxuries like eating out everyday...<br />I walked towards Leopolds... I sat down on a corner table and ordered a beer for myself...<br />This is where we were to meet...I looked at my watch... It was 7:30 pm...<br />It had been roughly around a year since I had met him... And to imagine, this is where it had all started from... I remember every detail about the 1st time we met, as though it happened yesterday...<br />It was the 2nd of August, 2008... I was at Leopolds with a couple of my girlfriends from college... We were there, doing what we did best... We were bitching about our ex-boyfriends over a pitcher of cold beer...<br />“My ex, he used to pick his nose in public... Ewwww... I wonder what made me fall for him...” said Priya...<br />“Obviously your high demand for personal hygiene” I said, with a straight face...<br />The others laughed...<br />“Yeah yeah!! Like you dated really hot men all the time, eh!!! They were all renditions of the picture-perfect boyfriend... Weren’t they?” she asked...<br />“Forget about me... It’s an established fact that I am a magnet for freaks...” I said as I winked at Natasha and Kruti... They giggled...<br />“Oh yeah... Remember that Angelo freak... ‘Call me Angy!!!’ he would say... What a loser!!!” said Natasha...<br />“And how can we forget, Saurabh Hatekar... The one who gave you a single red rose every time you fought... Did he give you a bouquet when you broke up??” Kruti mocked...<br />“You’re forgetting the best of them all... Jazz... Jasmeet Singh Sapra... The druggie... He was stoned all the time... He turned up stoned for my birthday party; and fell head first into the cake... I haven’t let him enter my house since...” I said, as I hi-fived Kruti and Priya...<br />“Oh my gosh... Gosh... Girls... Quiet quiet...” said a visibly excited Natasha... I couldn’t see what it was that had caught her attention... She was sitting opposite me... So whatever it was that had caught her fancy, was sitting behind me...<br />“What’s it??” I asked, not wanting to miss out any of the action...<br />“CGA at 12 o clock...” Nats whispered...<br />“But it’s already 4:30, you silly...” said Priya, as she checked the time on her watch...<br />I hit her playfully on the head... “Dodo... CGA means ‘Cute Guy Alert’ and 12 o clock is indication of the direction in which the guy is sitting...”<br />I couldn’t turn around directly to gawk at the guy... So I pretended to fiddle with my bag that was hanging around the back of my chair... I still couldn’t see him clearly... There was a waiter standing in between... To buy myself some more time, I dropped my phone and bent over to pick it up...<br />“Move you darned waiter...” I thought out aloud...<br />The guy sitting at the table in between cute guy’s table and ours was staring at my cleavage as I bent down... He gave me one of those hopeless grins that only single horny men are capable of giving...<br />“Abey ch***ye... Chal, apna kaam kar...” I said...<br />I looked up... The waiter had moved... And then I saw him...<br />He was dressed in a bright orange collared tee, which he’d teamed up with khaki coloured shorts... I was to find out later, that he would always be dressed casually... I in fact discovered later on, that didn’t own even a single set of formal clothes...<br />“Hey Sam... So what can I get for you today?” I over heard one of the waiters asking him...<br />“Nuttin much, brother... I’m keepin it light today...” he replied...<br />“Sam...” I echoed, under my breath...<br />“Haan, tera naam hi Sam hain!!!” Kruti joked...<br />“Nahi yaar... I’m not taking my own name... His name is Sam as well... What a coincidence na??” I said, delighted at the newfound information...<br />“You liked him kya?” Nats asked me...<br />“Duh uh!!! Obviously I liked him... What’s not to like?” I asked...<br />“But Sam, I haven’t seen you check out firangs ever... Toh isme kuch khaas hain kya??” Kruti teased...<br />“Haan re... The most special thing is that we share our nicknames... I need to know what Sam is short for...”<br />“100 bucks says its short for Samuel... What else can it be?” said Priya...<br />“Maybe... Maybe not... What’s the harm in finding out?” I said, as I got up and straightened my top...<br />“Should I?” I looked at Kruti and Nats for reassurance...<br />“Go for it, magnet for freaks...But do you think he seems freaky enough?” asked Kruti...<br />“Shuddup...!!!” I said; and turned around to look at him... But he wasn’t there... The 3 other firangs who were sitting with him were very much at the table... But his chair was empty...<br />“Where did he go?” I yelled...<br />The whole restaurent went quiet... Everyone was staring at me...<br />“Dammit...” I said, as I smiled awkwardly and sank right back into my seat...<br />“What’s it with me and these foot-in-mouth moments??” I asked Kruti, as I play-banged my forehead against her shoulder...<br />“Excuse me, can I have a light please?” I heard a voice from behind me...<br />Kruti shrugged her shoulders... I looked up at the figure who had interrupted my moment of mourning...<br />I couldn’t believe my eyes... Bless you Lord... It was him... Where had he disappeared in between then??? ‘Who cares where he had gone!!! He’s back now... Light his goddamn bloody cigarette...’ I thought to myself...<br />“Here you go” I said, as Kruti slipped her lighter to me from under the table... I lit his cigarette for him...<br />“Thank you ladies... Have a good day...” he said, and added a curtsy before he turned to leave...<br />‘Awww... How cute!!!’ I thought to myself...<br />“He looks even better when he’s up close, na!!!” said a visibly excited Priya... “Ab kya??”<br />“Ab kya kya??” I asked...<br />“I mean, what about your chhoti si love story??” she winked at me...<br />“Arey... What love-shav n all??? I just find him attractive... That’s it... God knows for how long he’s going to be in the country also... Looks typically American to me...” I said...<br />Kruti nodded her head in agreement...<br />I spent the rest of my time looking over my shoulder to check him out... But to him, I was invisible... I was a little disappointed...<br />“Chal Sam, let’s go...” Nats said...<br />“Alright” I said and almost heaved myself off my seat... I didn’t want to leave... Would I ever get to see him again??<br />“Hey Sam...” I heard someone call out... “How come you’re here? Hey Kruti... Nats... Arey Priya... You too...”<br />We turned around to find Gwen sitting at the corner table with her boyfriend Sean...<br />But my attention was on Sam... The name ‘Sam’ had caught his attention... He was still wondering which one of us girls was Sam... I smiled at him... He smiled back...<br />“We just came to have a beer... We’re leaving now... See ya in college tomorrow...” I said, as I waved out to Gwen and Sean...<br />I turned around to look at him once more... Kruti and Nats took one elbow each and half dragged me out of there...<br />“Wasn’t he super cute?” I sighed... We were in a cab, headed back to VT station...<br />“Yes he was... Now chal, get on with it...” said Priya...<br />Kruti and Nats burst out laughing...<br />“You know what, Priya... You’re 10 times worse when you find a guy cute...” said Natasha...<br />“No, I’m not...” Priya said, sounding all agitated...<br />“Oh yes, you are...” argued Kruti...<br />The argument continued until VT station, giving me time to think about my mystery Sam..<br /><br /><br />The next day, I managed to half convince Kruti to come along with me to Leo’s in the afternoon... “He seemed like a regular... All the staff seemed to know him...”<br />“Alright... Let’s go...” she said with a tone that indicated she had given up on me...<br />“I love you, Kruts...” I said, as I hugged her tightly...<br />“Colaba Causeway?” she asked a cabbie outside college... ‘ I hope he’s there’ I thought to myself, Kruti lighted a cigarette and passed it on to me; and the cab vroomed away towards our destination...<br />“He isn’t here!!!” I said, as I tugged at Kruti’s sleeve, like a 5 year old would have...<br />“Do you want to order something and wait for awhile or do you want to leave?” she asked me...<br />“I don’t know yaar...” I said, all dejected...<br />“So which one of you is Sam?”<br />Both Kruti and I jumped back in fear... We turned slowly to face whoever it was who had just spoken...<br />“Hey... Did I scare ya??? Didn’t mean to...” he said apologetically...<br />He looked even hotter in black... A black message tee with a faded pair of blue jeans...<br />‘Out of my mind... Back in 5 minutes’ I read the message from his tee out loud...<br />“That’s me alrite...” he joked, “What would you girls like to have?”<br />“I’m going light, thanks!!” said Kruti; as she pulled her chair back, and took a seat...<br />“What about you?” he asked... Pausing, as if to ask my name...<br />“Sam...” I said...<br />“Yes...” he said...<br />“No, I meant, my name is Sam...” I giggled nervously... Since when had I started giggling??<br />“So it’s you I share my name with, eh!!” he said, as he stretched his arm out for a handshake...<br />And that was the first time I touched him... It felt so surreal... His hands were so soft...<br />“So what do you do?” he asked... In doing so, he had singled me out from Kruti...<br />“I... I am studying at Wilson’s...” I looked up at Kruti... She urged me to go on; and pretended to fiddle with her cell phone...<br />“Oh that’s great... What are you majorin in?” he asked...<br />“English Literature” I replied...<br />“Interestin... Very interestin...” he said... “Mebbe, you could help me out a little...”<br />Our beers arrived...<br />“Cheers...” I offered...<br />“To a new bond, which may we hope, will last till the end of ages...” he toasted...<br />‘Woah... End of ages and all... This was intense stuff!!!’ I thought to myself... I smiled and looked at Kruti... She looked equally confused...<br />“You see... I am originally from a small little sleepy town in North America... However, I hardly stayed there ever... I did my schooling from Norway... And then I stayed in Karachi for 2 whole years...”<br />“Karachi, eh?” I said, with one raised eyebrow...<br />“Yeah... It’s a beautiful place... You must visit it sometime, if you haven’t already...” he suggested...<br />“Hmmmm” I said, as I nodded my head...<br />“I have been in India, in Mumbai to be precise, for 6 months now... I make money here by taking private tutions for those who wanna learn English” he said...<br />“Oh, that’s nice!!” I said...<br /><br /><br /><br />Days passed by quicker than I could imagine... Sam and I started meeting everyday in the afternoon, post my lectures... Turned out, he was putting up somewhere close to VT station itself... So it was pretty convenient to meet up...<br />We used to spend our afternoons wandering around the streets of Colaba and Churchgate area... Or if we felt adventurous, we would take to Marine Drive; and sit there for hours, staring at the sea, and talking...<br />He turned out to be alright... Maybe, just maybe, I was moving on from losers to not-so-loserly guys...<br />We would regularly visit Leopold’s as well... He introduced me to some of his friends who were also travellers like him... Nomadic souls, they all got along like a house on fire...<br />“This is Rob, Thomas and Nathan... Guys this is Samantha a.k.a Sam...”<br />“Hey Sam” they echoed in chorus...<br />“So, Sam n Sam, eh... Nice pairing...” said Nathan, as Sam pulled out a chair for me...<br />“Yeah... I know” Sam said, as he threw his arm around my shoulder... I could feel myself blushing... I was just glad I wasn’t as fair as them... Or else it would have shown...<br />“She’s Samantha and I’m Samuel... That’s the only diff...” he said...<br />The rest of the evening passed by with them sharing a myriad of stories about their escapades to various countries and cities across the world...<br />“I had a ball today... Nathan and Rob are fun... Tom is a little shy, but I guess he will get over it...” I mentioned to Sam, as we walked out of Leopold...<br />We had plans of going back to his room and chilling for the afternoon... Just then we heard someone speaking behind us...<br />“Madam... Ganja, hashish, manali...Jo bolo sab milega... Chahiye kya?? Reasonable daam mein deta hoon...” he spoke under his breath...<br />I turned around to face the owner of the voice... “Arey... Punter... Tu... Kidhar tha itne din? Main Rosy ko poochha tere baare mein... Bola ki tu bahar-gaon gaya tha...”<br />“Arey madam, aap ho kya... Baal ka style sab badal diya na... Is ke liye, apun peeche se pehchana nahi... Haan, apun idhar nahi tha thode din ke liye...” replied Punter...<br />Punter was the guy I used to buy my regular supply of ganja and hashish from... Not even the most regular of customers had the privilege of knowing his real name... But I knew it... And it almost even made me feel proud...<br />“Toh bol na... Naya hair style achcha lag raha hai ki nahi?”<br />“Ekdum rapchik hai...” he winked and touched the top of his thumb to the top of his index finger, which indicated that it was good...<br />“Toh madam, kya doon aaj?”<br />I looked at Sam, with uncertainity...<br />“Aapka friend hai kya?”<br />“Haan... Mera friend hai... Amrika se aaya hai...”<br />“Toh usko bhi poochho na, kuch chahiye ki nahi?” suggested Punter...<br />“Hmmmm... Mere ko ganja chahiye” spoke Sam, in heavily accented Hindi...<br />“You know Hindi???” I asked him, shocked...<br />“Yeah...”<br />“But why didn’t you tell me before???” I quizzed him...<br />“It never came up...” he winked at me...<br />“Aur aapko madam?”<br />“Hmmm... Wahi hamesha ka de...”<br />He handed over 2 packets in my hand... But he looked around to check for any cops before he did so... I slipped the packets into the front pocket of my jeans...<br />“Yeh pakad... Baaki ka rakh...” I said, shoving some money into his hand... “Rosy ko phool khareed ke de... Abey Santosh, usko ‘I love you’ kabhi bolega re?” I teased him... Rosy was a girl who sold beads, and usually sat outside Leopolds itself...<br />“Kitni dafa apun aapko bola hai, apun ko Punter bulane ka...” he said, lowering his voice... “Aur Rosy ke baare mein kisi ko nahi pata hai... Toh idhar aisa chila ke nahi bolne ka... Apna ijjat hai idhar ka area mein...”<br />“Chal chal... Bada aaya ijjat wala...” I mocked him...<br />“Aur sahib, kabhi bhi kuch bhi mangta hain na, toh idhar aake Punter ka naam lene ka... Sab ko maloom hai main kidhar rehta hoon... Nahi toh, madam ke paas apna number toh hai... Chalta hoon madam...” he said, and struck a salute as he walked away...<br />“Nice boy... Wish he didn’t have to do this for a living...” I said...<br />“Sabki apni apni majbooriyan hoti hai” said Sam...<br />“Oh god... I can’t deal with this... Urdu??? Sam, are you really American???” I said, as I pretended to pull my hair out...<br />“Oh c’mon... Let’s go...” he said, as he playfully pulled me towards himself... He threw his arm around my shoulder, while I held him at the waist...<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11 Oct</span><br />My phone rang... It was 4:30 in the morning... “Who hates me so much?” I mumbled to myself, as I hunted for my phone under my pillow...<br />It was Sam... Why was he calling this early in the morning?? Was something wrong??<br />“Hello... Yeah Sam... Tell me...”<br />“What...” I said in disbelief, as I sat upright... “That can’t be right... They can’t do this... Hold on, give me like an hour or so... I’ll be there...”<br />I don’t think I ever dressed that soon in my life ever... I was bathed, clothed and out of my house in 17 minutes, flat... I lied to mom that I had basketball practice at college; and was supposed to report for warm ups at 5:30 am... And I was already late...<br />I kept thinking about the phone conversation that Sam and I had... The whole train journey from Thane to VT, the same conversation kept playing in my head...<br />“The cops are here... They say that I will have to leave the country... They’re deporting me... Someone must have complained about my private tutions... They accuse me of working here on a tourist visa... I don’t know what to do...”<br />He had sounded so helpless... I had to help him somehow... I got off at VT station and almost jogged to the inn where he had taken a room on rent for the last 8 months...<br />“Mohit, is he alright?” I asked the inn-owner... Sam had introduced me to Mohit earlier, and we would regularly exchange pleasantries when we bumped into each other...<br />“Oh, thank god you’re here Samantha...” Mohit said... “He won’t listen to anyone... Maybe he will listen to you...”<br />“Don’t worry... I’ll take care of him” I said...<br />I meant it... I would take care of him...<br />“Sam, I’m so glad you’re here... I don’t get what they’re saying... Please explain things to them, will you!!” he pleaded...<br />“Will you please sit down and relax... Let me take care of this...” I said, trying to keep my calm... I couldn’t bear to see him like this...<br />I turned my attention to the two cops who were standing in the room...<br />“Tumhi kon?” one of them asked...<br />“Mi maitrin... Kai jhala kaka?? Mala saanga na...” I said, as I led them out of the room...<br />Over an hour later I walked back into Sam’s room...<br />“What did they say?? Did you take care of it?? I can stay here, can’t I?” he rapidly fired questions at me...<br />“Calm down, Samuel...” I said, as I took him by the shoulders... “I am not going to let you go anywhere...” I said...<br />I got out my phone and called my friend Talat Ahmed Khan... He was a well known name in the construction business, a guy with contacts high up in the bureaucratic system... I thought he would be the right person to ask for help...<br />“Hello... Tally... Sam here... Kaisa hai re tu...”<br />I smiled nervously at Sam, as I held the phone to my ear...<br />“Achcha, sun na Tally... Ek favour chahiye tha re... Kuch bhi madad mil jaye toh... (I paused as Talat replied...) Thanks jaan... Actually mera ek dost hain... Firangi hai saala... Thoda visa ka problem ho gaya hai... Tourist visa pe hain... Par usko abhi vaapas jaana hi nahi hai... Toh work visa ya kuch ho sakta hai kya?? Aaj hi police aayi thi... Ek sub-inspector Ameya Khadke... Achcha, pehchaan ka hai kya... Theek hai bhai... Baat karo na... Main tere phone ka wait karti hoon... Thanks re beta... Yeah yeah... Take care... Thanks huh!!!” I hung up...<br />“He says he will see what he can do... He should call back in an hour or so...” I informed Sam...<br />“Sam, can I ask you something?” I asked...<br />“Yeah girl... Anything!!!”<br />“The cops told me about some sex scandal shit... I don’t trust them... But where did that come from?? I am asking you coz my friend Tally who is going to help us out; he personally knows the cop who told me all this... So he might get information about it, and if he does question me, I don’t want to be blank...” I said, earnestly...<br />“Actually... Sam...” he started... He cleared his throat and continued... “He wasn’t lying completely... There is no scandal or anything...”<br />“Excuse me!!” I said, looking at him with my eyes wide open... The tone of my voice, rising with every second... “What do you mean by that, Sam?”<br />“Samantha, you remember what I said when we met Punter, your hash sellin boy? ‘Sabki apni apni majboori hoti hain’. I had to pay the rent for the room... I had to eat... I had to live... The tutions alone couldn’t pay for it all... So I used to pimp myself out... All of my customers were rich men from the western suburbs... They paid me well...”<br />My mouth was wide open...<br />“C’mon Samantha... Don’t misunderstand me!!!” he pleaded...<br />“And what part of this should I UNDERSTAND?” I asked, almost shouting...<br />“Calm down, Sam!!!” he said...<br />A drastic role reversal had happened in the last 10 minutes...<br />I sat down on the bed, and started sobbing...<br />“What’s wrong, girl??? Look at me...” he said...<br />“But... But...” I choked on my tears as I spoke... “You were different from the other men...”<br />“Wait a minute Samantha...” he said, stepping away from the bed... “You liked me??”<br />I looked up at him angrily... “Don’t you dare say that I liked you...” I said...<br />He looked down at the floor... I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest and whispered... “Don’t you dare say I liked you... Coz I still like you...” and I smiled...<br />“Samantha, do you mean it??” he asked me, still unsure...<br />“Yeah... Dodo... I’m crazy about you... Why else do you think I dragged my arse out of bed at 5 in the morning??” I asked him...<br />He pulled me into a tight hug... We pulled away from each other after what seemed like an eternity... Just then my phone rang... It was Talat...<br />“Haan bol Tally... Achcha.. Toh tu kya bolta hai... Tu jaise bolega, hum log waise hi karenge... Haan bol na... Okay... Par problem toh nahi hoga na!!! Chal, thik hai... Thank you so much baby...”<br />I hung up and turned to look at Sam... He was looking at me expectantly...<br />“I’ve got good news and bad news... Which one do you want first??” I asked...<br />“Gimme the bad 1st... Save the best for last...” he said.<br />“The bad news is you won’t be here for my birthday on the 1st of Nov...”<br />He looked crestfallen... “And what’s the good news?”<br />“You’re going to be here for every other birthday for the rest of my life...” I yelled...<br />“Oh my god... Really??? I’m soooo happy Samantha... You’re a life saver...”<br />“Say thanks to Tally” I said...<br />“Thanks Tally... Thank you god...” he squealed...<br />I was happy to see him smiling again...<br />He noticed me staring at him...<br />“You’re way out of my league, girl... How did you fall for a loser like me??” he asked...<br />“What do I say to that?? I guess, I am a magnet for freaks...” I said tauntingly...<br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12th Oct</span><br />I went to the airport along with Kruti to see him off... Rob, Nathan and Tom had accompanied us as well...<br />Tally had suggested that Samuel leave town for a couple of weeks, until things cooled down here... He said that he would make all the arrangements for a work visa for Samuel... He would apply for a work visa for Samuel, saying that he was a new employee with his construction company; and thus, he would forward all of Sam’s papers... He said Sam could be back in the country in anywhere between 3 weeks to 1 ½ months... So that was the plan... Sam was currently flying off to Kathmandu; and was to stay there until he could come back to Mumbai on a rightful visa...<br />“I’m going to miss you” I told him, as I held him tight... I didn’t want him to see me cry...<br />“Me too” he replied; “Can I tell you something?” he asked...<br />“Yeah... Anything...”<br />He spoke in his heavily accented Hindi that always made me smile... “Samantha, mujhe tumse pyaar hai...” he managed to say with difficulty...<br />“Really?” I stared at him in disbelief... “I don’t appreciate jokes like these” I said, quickly regaining my serious stature...<br />“I am serious, Miss Samantha... I love you... I don’t expect you to reply after knowing the truth about me... But I do love you... I have never ever connected with anyone else like I did with you... We clicked, and you know it too... I know the truth about me must have shattered you... But I don’t want any more hanky-panky in my life... Inspite of all this, I don’t expect you to...”<br />I clamped his mouth shut with my hand...<br />“You talk too much... My turn now...” I smiled... “I love you too!!!”<br />He gave me a light peck on the lips...<br />“Awwwwwwwww” teased Kruti...<br />“Oh, shuddup...” I said...<br />“Until we meet again” he said...<br />“Take care of yourself...” I said...<br />I felt happy and sad at the same time as I walked out of the airport...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">25th Nov:</span><br />I got a phone call from an unknown number... It was Tom... He had called to complain about how I had forgotten Rob, Nathan and him; now that Sam was gone...<br />To prove them wrong, I had to go meet them... We met at our regular place... Leopold’s... We spent the entire afternoon talking...<br />My phone rang in between... I recognized the number... It was from Sam...<br />“Guys... Shush... Shush... It’s Sam...” I said as I answered the call... “Hey baby, how are you doin?”<br />“Let us talk to him as well, you selfish bitch...” Tom joked... I passed the phone onto him... It was weird how I had said earlier that Tom was the quiet one... He seemed to have taken quite a liking to me in the recent few weeks...<br />“He’s asking for you...”said Rob, as he returned the phone to me...<br />“Yeah hon... I spoke to Tally... He says your papers should be done by tomorrow; and I told him to send the ticket from here... We can pay him when you get here...Perhaps you can be back in a day or two... Can’t wait to see ya... Love ya too... Muahs...” I hung up...<br />“To all of us being together... Soon... Very soon” toasted Rob... The 4 of us raised our glasses together... “Cheers” we said in unison...<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">29th Nov</span><br />Kruti called me... She sounded pretty worried...<br />“Sam, are you at home?”<br />“Yes... I am... What’s the matter???” I asked her...<br />“Oh my god... I’m so glad you’re safe... I thought... I thought...” ; she burst out crying before she could finish her sentence...<br />“But what happened Kruts?” I asked, irritated...<br />“Turn on the news, Sam...” was all she could say...<br />I promptly turned on the television set and started surfing channels... I wasn’t sure where the news channels were... I found a news channel after what seemed like an eternity... What I heard left me shocked...<br />“There are fresh reports coming in right now... There is a reported noise of firing coming from the Taj Mahal Hotel... It looks like our heritage structure is now under seige... In the meanwhile, we take you back to the Leopolds Cafe... The first round of firings happened there...”<br />Did she say Leopolds?? OUR Leopolds???<br />Pictures of all of us sitting there, happy and cheery, sharing our jokes, our beer and our food flashed through my mind...<br />“15 are feared dead in the Leopold firing and reports say that over 30 others are left greviously injured...”<br />The camera panned into a shot of Leo’s... It suddenly seemed so grim and dark... It didn’t look a bit like the place where I had first met my Sam... Or the place where we had spent several lazy afternoons with Rob, Nathan and Tom... Wait a minute, where were Tom, Rob and Nathan?? Were they alright?<br />I picked up my phone and frantically dialled Nathan’s number...<br />‘The Airtel number you are trying to reach is currently not reachable.”<br />I tried Rob’s and Tom’s numbers as well... Same reply...<br />I was losing my cool by then...<br />“Apna toh sab kuch khatam ho gaya hai... Ab kidhar jayenge hum log?” said a familiar voice... I turned my attention to the television screen... It was Santosh a.k.a Punter... He looked like he had been hurt, but I couldn’t exactly tell... I could feel my heart racing...<br />Just then my phone rang again... It was Sam this time...<br />“Are you alright, Samantha?” he asked me... “Did you hear the news??? I just heard... It’s terrible... Did you try getting in touch with Rob and the others?? I have been frantically trying them, but I can’t seem to get through” he said...<br />“Same here... I need to go now...” I said; as I hung up...<br />I ran to the washroom and I threw up...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">31st Nov</span><br />Finally the shootings at Taj had seemed to come under control... People had begun moving out of their houses... Many of them had made trips to the sites where the shootings had happened... Nariman House, Taj Hotel, Leopold... But by and large, the streets were empty...<br />Given the fact that a bomb had blasted in a taxi as well, Kruti and I decided to play it safe; and we took her car and headed towards Colaba... Taking the train from VT station was anyways out of question...Another set of firings had happened at VT station, leaving a lot of people dead...<br />I had no clue how we were going to get about things... On reaching there, we started asking whoever we could about the procedures to find out about the missing people... A lot of people had been untraceable ever since that night...<br />The cops showed us a list... But all we could see on it were Indian names...<br />“Kaka, doosra kahi list aahe ka... Bagha na... Amche mitr ikadche navhte, Amriketoon aale hote...” I pleaded...<br />“Kai ga pori... Ikde Bharati lokana mahatva nahi det, tumhala Amriki mitranchi information pahijje?” he taunted...<br />“Let’s get out from here Kruts” I said, as I dragged her out of there... His reply had made one thing certain, we weren’t going to get any help from them... Just when every door seemed to be closing in on us, I noticed somebody else that I knew...<br />“Punter... Abey Punter...” I yelled; as I crossed the road to go over to where he was sitting... He wasn’t hurt, except for a few bruises here and there...<br />“Arey madam aap... Dekho na, kya haal bana diya apne ghar ka...” he sobbed as he pointed out to the place where his house used to once stand... “Aap theek kehte the... Rosy ko ‘I love you’ bol dena chahiye tha... Ab kabhi nahi bol paoonga... Woh toh gayi na...” he said; and broke into tears... I couldn’t stop my tears either... I hugged him until he calmed down a little...<br />“Arey main toh bhool hi gaya... Aap ka woh firangi dost log the na, us mein se do bhagwan ko pyare ho gaye... Ek bach gaya... Usko hospital le ke gaye hain...”<br />Kruts and I rushed to the hospital... We managed to find him there...<br />“We lost Rob and Nathan” were the first words he said on seeing me... He started sobbing unconsolably...<br />“Calm down, Tom” I said, as I took his hand in mine, “There’s nothing we can do about it now...”<br />“I should have died too...”<br />“Hey, c’mon Tom...” I said, trying to console him... “It’s a matter of fate... Your time hasn’t come as yet... I do agree it’s unfair... But we’re all helpless... Aren’t we?”<br />“But my leg, Sam...” he gestured towards his leg...<br />I lifted the sheet and almost screamed in shock... They had to amputate his leg, coz part of it had gotten smashed under the impact of a huge glass table that had fallen on him...<br />I spent the rest of the week taking care of Tom... I would visit him whenever I could... We spoke for hours; and he had actually started looking forward to the time I spent with him...<br />“Samuel is a lucky man, and I hope he knows it...” was all Tom said, before he left on a plane back to Yugoslavia... It broke my heart to see him leave on a wheelchair, when he’d come on his own two feet...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />I used to speak to Sam on the phone almost everyday... Given the recent state of affairs, there were no new visas being issued to anyone... And given the fact that Sam had a Karachi visa stamp on his passport made things even worse... Tally was trying his best; and I couldn’t push it anymore...<br />Months passed and no news came about Sam’s paperwork...<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oct 27, 2oo9</span><br />Tally called to inform me that the paperwork had been completed... Sam could now come back to Mumbai and stay for as long as he wanted to... I couldn’t thank Tally enough...<br />He sent the tickets for Sam... And Sam was due to land in Mumbai on the 28th evening...<br />Sam specifically told me against coming to the airport to pick him up... He said we should meet at the usual place...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">28th Oct, 2009:</span><br />I was so lost in my thoughts that my cigarette ash had fallen all over the table... I had not realized that I needed to flick... I sat there, statue like, until I heard a familiar voice...<br />“Sam...”<br />I looked up at his gorgeous face... His hair had grown, and he had styled it into a pony tail now... He had a thick beard growing... But his face still looked as gorgeous as I could remember it to be...<br />It had been over a year since we’d last met each other... But I still remembered every line on his face...<br />I threw myself into his arms... We hugged each and I could feel him sobbing...<br />“I really missed you...” he said..<br />“Me too... Shall we?” I asked...<br />“Yes, we should, he said, as he picked up his bag...”<br />As we walked out, we turned back one last time, to see the place, that even today, for us, held the meaning that it couldn’t for anyone else... I’m sure everyone had their stories to share... But this was ours for the telling...<br />“Taxi, VT station chaloge?” I asked the cabbie...<br />“Arey madam, aap...” the cabbie replied...<br />I bent down to see who it was...<br />“Abey Punter tu...Tu yahan kaise?” I asked, the tone of surprise apparent in my voice...<br />“Baitho toh sahi, bataoonga...” he said...<br />“Yeh mere chachu ki gaadi thi... Chachu ne gaadi Cama Aspatal ke udhar khadi ki thi... Firing mein unko pair pe goli lagi, ab woh gaadi chala nahi sakte... Toh main chala rahi hoon... Sahib ne us din sahi kaha tha... Sab ki apni apni majboori hoti hai...”<br />I looked at Sam... He looked at me... We smiled...<br />I placed my head on his shoulder, he stretched his arms around me... I closed my eyes...<br />I would miss Rob and Nathan; and I prayed Tom would get on with his life and take this in the positive spirit... I was happy that Punter was no longer selling drugs... I felt bad for Rosy and the hundred others who lost their lives; but I also shuddered to think of the fact that I could have been one of them... Had Sam gotten his visa work done earlier, we may have been at Leopold’s celebrating the cause with Rob, Nathan and Tom...<br />Like they say, everything happens for a reason... I got a second lease of life... And so did Sam... We plan on living our life to it’s fullest... This life of ours is gift from God... And he who gives, can take away as well...<br /><br />(My prayers go out to those who lost their family/friends to the 29/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai... )Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-81310841320364992932010-02-28T18:36:00.006+05:302012-03-23T03:44:54.800+05:30THE PINK PAGES OF HER LIFE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha shivered from the cold... She was soaking wet from head to toe... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Dammit... This is the only thing I hate about Mumbai... Why does it have to rain without any rhyme or reason?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She looked at her watch... It was 3:24 am... She was wet from the rain; she had told Sushant that he could go on home... She had said she would be fine... But would she be fine??? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let’s rewind everything... Let’s tell you a little about Nisha... </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nisha</span> Chauhan is your regular 24 year old... She has a 9 to 5 job; which generally turns into 9 to 9... She would rarely reach home before 10:30 p.m.; taking into consideration her travel time from Parel to Vashi...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When Nisha landed in Mumbai, she was fresh out of college... She had just completed her Masters in Mass Media and had landed a job with a leading news agency in the city... People from her neighbourhood in Jabalpur, where she had been brought up, had told her mother not to send her off to Mumbai... After all, they didn’t even have any friends or relatives to fall back on in Mumbai, in case of any undue emergencies...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha, however, being the steadfast one, held her ground and had her way done... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MAY 4</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">TH</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2008:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha landed in Mumbai... She initially started staying with a senior from her college, who had landed in the city a couple of months before her... <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sasha</span> was working with a leading radio channel and seemed to be enjoying herself thoroughly... She would always come home late... And on most occasions, she came home reeking of smoke smell and Nisha was pretty sure that she used to consume drinks as well... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sasha invited Nisha out with her on more than one occasion, but Nisha knew better than to fall prey to such behaviour... Sasha wasn’t a bad girl... She was just with the wrong kind of people...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">JULY 17</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2008: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Someone was ringing the door bell at their house... The ringing seemed insistent... Nisha got up, rubbed her eyes and checked the time on her cell-phone... It was 3 am... She went over to the door and looked through the peep hole... There was a young man, and in his arms was Sasha... He was carrying her like she was a baby... She had passed out... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha opened the door and let them in... He set Sasha down on her bed... Nisha didn’t have to give him directions to Sasha’s room... He seemed to know his way around the house pretty well... Once he had shut Sasha’s door behind him, he turned to look at Nisha... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Ummmm... (Clearing his throat) Could I have a glass of water???” he asked... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oops!!! I’m so sorry” Nisha replied sheepishly and rushed to the kitchen to fetch him a glass of water... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When she returned to the room, he was still standing... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Why don’t you sit down?” said Nisha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with me hanging around for awhile... It is rather late and it’s not like Sash stays alone any longer... I can’t come and go as I wish anymore...” he said... “You must be Nisha... She always says you’re the homely kind of person... Her description about you was pretty apt... Sorry about waking you up from your sleep...” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Am sorry...” Nisha replied; “But I didn’t recognize you... Have we met before??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Nah... We haven’t met... And it’s a pity that we haven’t... You have already been staying with Sash for over a month... We should have met before, man!!! Why don’t you ever join us for our parties??” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Errrrr... I still didn’t get your name” Nisha said, almost impatiently... Who was this man?? How did he know so much about her??? He seemed alright, given the fact that he hadn’t sat down or waited until she offered him a seat... Sign of a gentleman... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh... There I go again... Chattering off like an old lady... I’m <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sushant</span>... Sash’s friend... Hasn’t she mentioned me ever?? We work together... I’m an RJ with Radio One... Sash works on the production of the show that I host... Please tell me she has mentioned me before... Or I’m going to look like a total loser who is trying to impress you...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“No no... You seem like anything but a loser Sushant” Nisha replied... “Of course, Sasha has told me about you... She talks about you and Paritosh a lot... I believe he works with you guys as well...” She motioned him to sit down... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh yes... Parit is a dear friend of ours... “He said while dragging the closest chair he found... After sitting down and crossing his legs, he continued... “He does work with us... But he is currently working on another show... We hope he will join us on our show soon... I love having him around... You must meet him someday Nish... He’s absolutely cute... Or that’s what women say about him... Waise am not that bad looking myself; am I?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Ahem... Ummmmmm...” Nisha struggled with a reply, wondering what the right thing to say was... She had never been alone with a man in a room, and never in her wildest dreams would she have let a man speak to her at 3 am, unless he was married to her of course... Nisha had never even had a boyfriend... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant noticed her uneasiness... “Hmmm... I don’t think the time is right for us to speak about such frivolities... I should take your leave... I shall see you around girl... Do join us sometimes... Would love to see more of you...” he said with a wink... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha could feel herself blush... Was that wink specifically meant for her? Or was it just part of what the Mumbai men do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">JULY 23</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">rd</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2008: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sasha was getting ready to go out for a party... It was the weekend... Nisha was doing her favourite weekend activity... She was blogging... Nisha loved to write... She wrote about almost everything that happened around her... Sushant and Sasha were now frequent names on her blog and most of her followers knew their names and character sketches... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Hey Nish... Come here na” Sasha yelled from her bedroom... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“What’s it Sash??” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Arey baba... Come here na!!! It’s an emergency...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">A flustered Nisha walked into Sasha’s room...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“What’s the matter Sash??? I was at such an interesting juncture on my blog... Okay am here now... Tell me, what’s the big emergency about???”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sash giggled... “Should I wear the mauve dress or the black little number for today’s party??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh!!! So that’s what this was all about... I should’ve known...” she replied... “The empire cut one... The mauve one... That cut suits you better...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Cool...” said Sasha; “So I will wear the mauve one... And you can wear your olive green dress... It perfectly complements your skin tone... C’mon hurry up... We’re going to be late...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“And where exactly do you think we’re going? I mean why should I get dressed up??? Oh!! I get it... May be it is to open the door for you at 5 am when you come home drunk!!!” Nisha teased... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Chal chal... You’re not going to have to open the door tonight... Coz you’re going to be out with me... It’s Sushant’s birthday... And we’re throwing a surprise birthday party for him... He would love it if this could be your introduction to our social scene... It would be the best birthday gift for him...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(An hour later) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant walked into the Lounge where they regularly met on Saturday nights... He was pretty amused when the lights came on suddenly and everyone was there to wish him ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’... Sash and the others brought in a huge cake with 27 candles on it... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Just when Sushant bent down to blow the candles off, his eyes fell on Nisha... She smiled at him... He smiled back... A private smile... A moment, shared between the both of them... Just them... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">After the ritual of cutting the cake was done with, Sushant walked over to Nisha... She air-kissed him on either cheek and wished him a very happy birthday... She was slowly getting accustomed to the ways of Mumbai life... Air-kissing, she had learnt, was not a big deal at all... And was, in fact, a preferred way of greeting friends and acquaintances at a casual or semi-formal event... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You look fantastic Nisha... I am so glad you came... You may not know it, but you have made my day”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Actually I didn’t know....”she was about to complete her sentence, when she had to stop... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Excuse me... May I have the pleasure of interrupting you guys???” said a voice from behind Sushant... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Parit... Of course you do...” Sushant said warmly... “<span style="font-weight: bold;">Paritosh</span>, meet Nisha...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Of course, Sash told me you had come... I’m so glad you could make it... Make yourself at home and enjoy the party... Why don’t you have a drink in your hand??” asked Paritosh...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I’m sorry gentlemen, but I don’t drink” she replied politely... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“A mocktail then??” offered Paritosh... Sushant smiled and shrugged his shoulders...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Errrrr... I guess that would be alrite...” Nisha said... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“In the meanwhile, may I have the pleasure of a dance with you?” Sushant had his hand outstretched in front of Nisha... She accepted the offer... He led her to the dance floor... His hand placed securely on the small of her back... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">From the side of her eye, she saw Paritosh walk away to get her a drink... He didn’t seem to like her very much, or so it seemed... He was being nice for the sake of being polite... Or so she thought... He stopped to talk to a rather attractive looking woman... She was gorgeous... She had an unusually slender neck... And her goldilocks curls fell softly on her shoulders... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Omigosh woman... I didn’t know you could dance this well!!” exclaimed a rather surprised Sushant... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“That’s all I did for the first 3 months after I got to Mumbai, Sush... I have a 5 day week and since the work load wasn’t that heavy initially, I took some dance lessons over the weekend... And it seems to have worked in my favour... I was always good at dancing anyways...” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You’re one chhupa rustam, man!!! What else do you have hidden down your sleeves??” teased Sushant... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She could feel herself blushing again, as Sushant pulled her closer... She didn’t know what it was about this fellow; but she always felt her heart skip a beat when he was around... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">JULY 24</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2008: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">It was 6 am in the morning... The after party had happened at Sushant’s suave new bachelor pad at Lokhandwala... The key turned in the lock, and the door swung open... As Nisha pulled in a rather tired Sasha in with her, she knocked off her own shoes... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She got Sasha to sit down and went about making some coffee for the both of them... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sasha... Can I ask you something??” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah sure!!!” answered a groggy - eyed Sasha...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Is Sushant seeing anyone?? I mean, like is he involved with someone or anything??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“WHAT THE FFFFFFFFF!!!” replied Sasha. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha walked into the hall room sheepishly... “Did I ask the wrong thing??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Of course not silly... You finally asked me the right thing... See, Sushant is my best friend... And so is Parit... Paritosh... You met him yesterday, didn’t you??” Nisha nodded her head... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sash continued “A lot of people at work thought I was dating Sushant... Then they thought maybe I was dating Paritosh... Finally they all saw the light of the day when they realized we were not more than a bunch of fools who were unfortunately joined at the hips...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha giggled... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sush is a great guy... He’s sincere, hardworking, good looking, well settled, of marriageable age, is SINGLE... Go for him, girl!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Uhhhh... Ummmm... I didn’t mean...” Nisha began to look away from Sash... She had pretty much hit the nail on the head with her last reply... “I don’t know what to say, Sash...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You like him or not??” Sash had her hand on her hips... When Sasha struck this pose, it indicated that she meant business... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Errrrr... Yeah...” Nisha said sheepishly....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee” jumped an ecstatic Sash... “Done!!! I’m so going to set you guys up... Just behave like you don’t know anything...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Alright...” Nisha struck a salute to Sash... “Your wish is my command!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">OCTOBER 29</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2008: </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">The door bell rang... Sash answered it... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“It’s for you Nish!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha walked up to the door... It was Sushant... She ran to the door and hugged him... He hugged her back... Why did he always smell so yummy??<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Happy anniversary baby!!!” she squealed... “Well I know it’s just been 3 months since we started dating, but it’s the first time I am celebrating a 3 month anniversary... Am excited...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Congo you love birds...” mocked Sash...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Ramesh Babu... Tum kya jaano; ek chutki sindoor ki keemat!!!” Nish teased back... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“She’s just jealous that you don’t spend enough time with her anymore... Honey, what will you eat for dinner??? And you’re staying back tonight, aren’t you??? I have made all the arrangements you asked me to make... I have bought the DVD of Casablanca, the movie that you wished you could watch with me... I bought some Red wine... I have cooked some Dum Aloo and Paneer Pasanda... I have also bought some condoms... Just in case...” Nisha turned and winked at him... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant stood there... Frozen... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Nish... I... I... We need to talk...” he said slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“What’s the matter baby?? Is it something that I have done?” Nisha pleaded...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“No... It’s not you... It’s me!!!” he replied... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha had heard this sentence in movies a million times... Little had she known that time, that this statement would come back at her, to stab her to death!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Tears started welling up in her eyes... “But... But I don’t understand... It’s all so beautiful...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I know sugar... It’s perfect... Except for the fact that I am not perfect...” he said... His tone changed to being a little more serious as he took her by the elbow and led her to her room... “Let’s talk alone” he said... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sash had entered the room by then... She seemed to have heard part of the conversation... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant closed the door behind himself after they both had entered the room... He motioned for Nisha to sit down on the bed...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Please try to understand what I am about to tell you... It’s a truth that has not only shocked me, but will shock you and all the others who know me as well... I... I don’t know how to tell you this... But I need you, of all people, to understand me... I love you a lot Nisha... I still love you... But...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He paused... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Every passing second caused more heartache to Nisha... She wished he would just get it over and done with... So she asked him “Sushant, have you slept with someone else?? Is this what this is all about??? Then, hear it out loud and clear... I don’t care if you slept with someone else... I love you nonetheless... I am not capable of loving anyone else... Not the way I love you... No one can replace you...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He clamped his hand over her mouth... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Woman, woman, woman!!! You’re not listening to me... It’s not a problem that can be dealt with like this...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He continued, “But if you want to know the truth, yes... I did sleep with someone else... And you know the person; which makes things worse for me... I don’t know if you guys will ever see eye to eye ever again... But I hope that you do... Coz both of you are equally important to me...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When he mentioned the term ‘equally important’, Nisha knew what was going to come next... It had to be Sasha... Who else was equally important to him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I knew it... Sasha can’t keep her hands off men when she’s drunk... But you, Sushant!!! I didn’t expect this of you... You are the same guy who used to get her home safely every time she was drunk... I trusted you... At least not with her!!! She’s like family to me... How could you, Sushant!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Nisha...”he said, with his voice lowered... “It’s not Sasha, its Paritosh!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FEBRUARY 14</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2009:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha and Sasha entered the mall... The entire mall was decorated with pink balloons and red roses... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“How mushy, na!!!” Sash said...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You are the one with a problem... You are so bloody unromantic... I think it’s cute...” replied Nisha... “C’mon let’s take the elevator quick... I can bet they must be angry as hell with us!!! We’re late by half an hour...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“This is toh usual...When have we been on time?? So what’s the big deal?? I hope they have gotten us nice gifts!!!” said Sasha, as she checked herself in the mirror in the elevator... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“There you go, you hypocrite... You hate Valentine’s Day... But you still want the gifts, eh??” mocked Nisha...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I am not being a hypocrite darling... I ‘m just being a girl!!!” giggled Sash... They hi-fived and left the elevator... They headed towards Bombay Blues... That’s where they were to meet the boys...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">The boys waved out to them and Nish and Sash walked up to them... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You look fantastic Nisha... You don’t look half as bad, Sasha...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Hey... Stop picking on my girlfriend all the time” he replied... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Time to pause the rewind... You don’t know who it is that I’m talking about here... Welcome two new characters... Inderjeet or Inder as they fondly called him... He is Sasha’s boyfriend... And then there was his best friend, Clive; who was extremely fond of our girl, Nisha... But she still wasn’t over the Sushant episode...)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha hadn’t seen Sushant after that day... He had tried to get in touch with her a zillion times... But she didn’t wish to keep in touch... Sasha and she made a deal, Sushant and Paritosh were never to enter their house ever again... Nisha didn’t know if Sushant asked Sash about her or not, but she had specifically forbidden Sasha to act as the mediator... Sasha had agreed to the deal... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">This time around Sasha knew better... So she didn’t really play for or against in Clive’s case... Though she secretly hoped things would work out for the better... Clive did seem like a good guy... But then again, she herself was shocked after finding out the truth about Sushant and Paritosh’s relationship... She had begun to keep her distance from them... Not because they were gay, but coz they hadn’t trusted her enough to even come and tell her the truth themselves... They preferred her knowing via Nisha... That had been a rude awakening for her... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">BACK TO STORY:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Clive ordered Nachos and sodas for everyone... They planned on hitting Clive’s club after that... Clive’s uncle owned a rather posh club in South Mumbai... Clive used to handle all the PR and Marketing of the club... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Girls and guys... I hope you’re all geared up for a night of fun and frolic” announced Inder... “But before that, I have something for you girls...” He brought out two packages from underneath the table... One was bigger than the other... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I bet the bigger one’s for you” Sash said... And she was right... Clive must’ve bought it for her... But he was the shy kinds... He wouldn’t give it to her himself... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She opened the packaging... It was a lovely red dress... She checked the tag... It read ‘Falguni and Shane Peacock Signature Collection’... It also had matching accessories with it... ‘At least he has good taste in clothes’ Nisha thought to herself... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sasha, why don’t you girls go and change??” Inder said... He had bought her a teal coloured, halter neck short dress... It had some lovely sequinned detailing on it... She had matching stilettos in her size... “Aren’t boyfriends like God’s blessing to womankind?” she joked as they walked off to the ladies’ room... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Can you help me zip up?” Nisha asked Sash, who was busy touching up her make up...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">After Sash had zipped her up, Nisha turned to look at herself in the mirror... She knew she looked gorgeous... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">As they were leaving the washroom, Nisha caught the figure of a woman from the corner of her eye... She seemed familiar... Especially the goldilocks curls and the slender neck... She seemed to have a captivating smile as well... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“C’mon... let’s get goin!!!” Sash yelled...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Clive couldn’t get his eyes off Nisha throughout the drive to the club... Sash and Inder were too busy making out in the back seat... Nisha shifted nervously in her passenger seat... She knew Clive’s attention was completely affixed on her... He was only pretending to be interested in driving... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When they stopped at the parking lot, Sash rushed out of the car saying she had to visit the washroom; and Inder escorted her...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Nisha... May I have a word with you?” Clive asked nervously... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Ummmm... Sure...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Did you like the dress??” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I love it... It’s gorgeous...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I have something else for you” he said, pulling out a box from the inside pocket of his jacket... It looked like a jewellery box... Nisha could feel her heart beat racing... ‘Could he be?? Was this happening for real??? Should I say yes?? Should I say no??? Should I run away???’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He opened the box and inside it was the most beautiful pair of pearl ear-rings that she had ever seen... She almost breathed a sigh of relief... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I couldn’t, Clive... I mustn’t...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I would love it if you accepted... Please don’t break my heart...” he pleaded... His eyes searched her face for any signs of emotions... There were none... But she smiled and accepted... She tried them on... They matched the dress perfectly... She looked like a princess... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He escorted her to the club... On entering, he excused himself, saying he had to go and have a word with his uncle... It was after all, Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest nights for the club... Nisha wandered off amidst the crowd, hoping to see Sash and Inder... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She felt a hand on her shoulder... She turned around saying “Where were you??” and stopped mid-sentence... She could feel her face turning red... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He was the last person she had expected to bump into... She didn’t know how to react... “Happy Valentine’s day, Nisha!!” he said...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Wish you the same, Paritosh!!!” she replied...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Just then Clive came over... “I believe you haven’t been acquainted... This is Clive... Clive, this is Paritosh!!” she said, slipping her hand over Clive’s elbow... This act came as a surprise for Clive, coz Nisha hadn’t as much as touched him before... Clive and Paritosh shook hands... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">To make matters worse, Nisha heard a voice that she was hoping she would have heard, but dreaded hearing now... “Nisha... Is that you girl??”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She turned around to face him... He still looked as gorgeous as ever... “Hey Sushant...” she managed to say weakly... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He had a man standing right next to him... “Oh!! Pardon my habits... This is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Saul</span>... Saul this is Nisha...” “And this is Clive” Nisha quickly added... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“It’s really nice meeting you guys... Please excuse us for a second... Honey, can I have a word with you please...”said Saul...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha looked away... She couldn’t deal with someone else calling her Sushant ‘honey’... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Alrite then... See you guys around...” replied Paritosh and walked away with Saul in tow... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha looked up at Sushant in bewilderment... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh!!! You thought Saul was my boyfriend?? Nope!!! He’s Paritosh’s boyfriend... I’m single...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sushant!!! OMG... Is that you??” squealed an excited Sasha... She could never manage to hate Sushant... No matter how much he wronged her... She loved him and Paritosh a lot... It showed from the way she cared for them...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Why don’t you join us?” offered Clive... Sushant took up the offer... Nisha managed to keep her distance from both Sushant and Clive through the night... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">That was the first time she tasted alcohol... She wasn’t going to remember much of the night... She wouldn’t even remember who got her home... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FEBRUARY 15</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2009:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha woke up with a start... Where was she??? Who was she with?? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She looked around... It looked familiar... She was in Sasha’s room... Sasha was asleep next to her... She checked under her sheet... She was in her own pair of shorts...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Morning!!!” said Sasha, as she woke up and rubbed her eyes... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Hmmmmm....How do you deal with this every weekend, Sash?” asked an inquisitive Nisha... After all, it had been her first time getting drunk... It was her first hangover...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“F**k all that... Sash, who carried me home?? Please don’t say Sushant!!!” she pleaded...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“No... Not Sushant...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Was it Clive then???” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"> “No... Inder brought you home; although both Clive and Sushant were waiting downstairs in the car...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sash, I think I need to speak to Sushant...”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I think that’s a good idea” Sash smiled and replied...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FEBRUARY 18</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;">, 2009:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">They met at the Cafe Coffee Day outlet at Malhad... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“2 cappuccinos please...” Sushant placed the order... “I’m so glad that we can meet like this... I thought I had lost you...” He looked around casually, as he waited for the order to reach the table... Nisha noticed him looking at a female with goldilocks curls as he drummed on the table with his fingertips...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I thought we were a lost cause too... Don’t get me wrong Sush... But I want to clear out certain things right at the beginning... I just want us to get back to being comfortable with each other for now... The rest of it can take care of itself later... Are you okay with this settlement??” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Sounds perfect” he replied... A broad grin on his face...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">A long conversation ensued between them... They spoke about a lot of things... Work... Life... Parents... Religion... Etc, etc, etc... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">As they left, they took a rickshaw to the railway station... Sushant’s car was at the garage for his bi-monthly servicing... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">They reached Malhad station at 10 minutes past 10 pm... One train came, and they missed it, coz they were busy conversing with each other... They swore that they would take the next train that would pull into that platform... They eventually missed over 23 trains... It was around 12:40 pm by then... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I don’t feel like letting you go, Nisha” Sushant said suddenly... Gripping her wrist, he pulled her closer to him... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She could feel her heart beating faster... She had always dreamt of kissing this man... But did she want it now?? And like this?? At a railway platform???<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Not here, Sush!!” she said... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Can we go to my place??” he asked...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Alright” she heard herself reply...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Why was she agreeing to this???<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When they got to his place, he gingerly placed his hand on her chin and pulled her face upwards towards his... His lips lightly touched hers... She could feel the heat of his breath on her face... Her palms were getting sweaty... He kissed her on the forehead and whispered “I will always love you”... She couldn’t believe this was actually happening... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He kissed her lips, lightly at first... He started unbuttoning her blouse slowly... The feel of his hands on her skin made her get goose-bumps all over... She had seen dreams about this moment, all through the 3 months that they had dated each other; and also in the months of separation that had followed... She had fantasized about him, as she masturbated in her lonely moments... She could have never thought of another man like that...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">In the eye of her mind, she had seen him make love to her a million times... The only difference now was that it seemed so much better... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">He fell back on the bed, sweating profusely... She was also panting... She turned over to him and whispered ‘I love you’ in his ears... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Seconds ticked away... No reply... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Am sorry hun... It’s not you, it’s me...” he said... And a devilish smile spread over his face... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She felt like she had been hit in the pits of her stomach... How could he say that??? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She picked up her clothes and ran into the bathroom... She stood under the shower and let the ice cold water beat against her not-so-clean skin... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">When she came out of the bathroom, he lay down on the bed, fully clothed... He held a lit cigarette in his hand...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She took one step towards him, and then walked up to him, with every single ounce of energy left in her body... She wanted to slap him... But she couldn’t... Maybe that would be what he expected... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">It was almost 2:30 am... He offered to drop her half the way... It was too late for her to go home alone... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She wasn’t surprised to see Sushant’s car standing in his parking lot... The whole thing about the car being in the garage had also been a guise... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant didn’t even look at her once on the drive back from his place to Malhad... Nisha told him she wanted to be dropped back at Malhad coz she at least knew the management at Ecstasy... It was a hookah lounge at Malhad, which was open for 24 hours... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">While they were driving to Malhad, it started pouring... It was February and it was raining... Global warming sure was affecting the whole universe... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha, however, felt that the rain was a direct effect of the turmoil that she was facing inside her own self... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Sushant dropped her in front of Ecstasy and was about to leave...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“You sure you’re going to be alrite?” he asked...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Yeah, I’ll be fine...” she replied half-heartedly... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Nisha shivered from the cold... She was soaking wet from head to toe... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Dammit... This is the only thing I hate about Mumbai... Why does it have to rain without any rhyme or reason?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She looked at her watch... It was 3:24 am... She was wet from the rain; she had told Sushant that he could go on home... She had said she would be fine... But would she be fine??? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She didn’t even have an umbrella.... She was getting wet... But she didn’t want to go inside Ecstasy... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Ma’am... Why don’t you just come in??” asked Shantanu, the manager of Ecstasy... He had come out with an umbrella... Here was a man who seemed genuinely concerned about her...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">She walked in to the lounge... She sat down at the corner table and ordered for a glass of water... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Can I offer you a cigarette, Madame?” asked a familiar voice...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Thanks... I desperately need one... Where the hell were you??” Nisha asked... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“I was right here waiting for you... So are you done with him???”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh yes... I am done with him... I’m done with men, in general...”Nisha replied as she took a long puff from her cigarette...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Ecstasy was the only place in Mumbai where people knew who Nisha really was...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Good... So now, does that mean we can go on to have a peaceful life of our own?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Yes, we can...” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">They got up and held hands... They interlocked their fingers and walked out... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">FEBRUARY 14</span><sup style="font-weight: bold;">th</sup><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 2010:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Couples walked into one of Mumbai’s posh suburban clubs... They looked ecstatic as their host for the night welcomed them... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all...” she said proudly... She loved hosting these parties... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Nisha... Where’s your better half???” asked Deepesh... Tell Nagesh here the story of how you guys met!!!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Oh, the good old Nisha love story, eh!!! I met the love of my life at my ex boyfriend’s birthday party... I hadn’t started dating my ex then... We got down to dating later... And it ended really badly... He turned out to be gay... I wish I had known you guys then... You would have loved him...” she giggled... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Just then Nisha’s better half walked up from behind her and gave her a tight hug... And they shared a rather passionate kiss... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">“Deepesh... This is my better half, Nandita...” Nisha said, beaming with pride as she held onto the love of her life... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">(Nisha met <b>Nandita</b> at Sushant’s surprise birthday party... Right from the time she saw her goldilocks curls, she had been captivated... But obviously, lesbian tendencies didn’t seem normal to her...Nandita and she had bumped into each other at a work-related function once... After that they started meeting regularly... And like they say, ‘THE REST IS HISTORY’... They would only meet at Ecstasy... Almost a year later, they were hosting parties together; and these parties were exclusively for gays and lesbians... The only exceptions to this rule were Inder and Sasha, who joined Nisha for most of her parties... Poor old Clive got married to a woman of his parents’ choice and he disappeared from the social scene altogether... Paritosh and Saul were regulars at Nisha’s and Nandita’s parties... And Sushant, what do I say about him??? God bless his soul wherever he may be...)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-85242428106270638652010-01-29T15:58:00.001+05:302010-01-29T16:06:27.134+05:30Broken hearts to blooming love!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-CJV4X35aLimG2EXUznZhx5zOoJ_48TrsCC5qvM78hVIKhhveHtc9tyJ9sBhaAWQdlwpu7sWFiA1zONMSLAAMCbxRxoTTfhXw8DiWRvCIvxfcI64nbRLOcszkwO4zi9QNP_d6w/s1600-h/break_up_advice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-CJV4X35aLimG2EXUznZhx5zOoJ_48TrsCC5qvM78hVIKhhveHtc9tyJ9sBhaAWQdlwpu7sWFiA1zONMSLAAMCbxRxoTTfhXw8DiWRvCIvxfcI64nbRLOcszkwO4zi9QNP_d6w/s400/break_up_advice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432108589488589122" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>A tear rolled down her eye... She would have normally never have let a tear roll down her cheek all the way... She had never been very public about her feelings or emotions and always portrayed a strong exterior; but this time it was different... She knew it was over... It was all over... After all those years of loving him; of giving herself to him; there was nothing left now... Nothing to give, nothing to get... </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>All she was left with was a broken heart...</b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade had always been a strong woman... Independent, fierce, not needing or wanting a man to support her - mentally, emotionally or financially... She lived her life her way, on her own terms....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Georgia;" > </span></b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Then one fine day, when she had least expected it, he had breezed into her life... 'I have found my prince charming', she thought to herself...A year passed after another, and three years later, they broke up on the very same day that they had started seeing each other... 'We have our entire life up ahead of us... Let this be but a minor speedbump in our lives.. Lets move on, our separate ways.. But that doesn't mean we cant be friends', he had said... Well, but we all know how it works when lovers of a time try to become 'just friends'... Jade knew well that she needed her time before they could become 'just friends'... However, even before she could get used to that concept, this last call had come...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Brian: Hey woman!! Waddup...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: (Blushin at the mere sound of his voice)Numuch baby.. How u doin??</b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Brian: Okie, lissen up... I have some major major news for u.. I know ur gonna be super duper excited when u hear....</b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: Really!!! Watsup.. Temme temme!!!</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b><br />Brian: I have started seein someone.. Oh! She's as lovely as can be.. She is gorgeous, man... I am in total awe of the way she carries herself.. I wonder what she sees in a freak like me... I look like such a monkey in front of her!!! U have to meet her.. I have told her everything bout u.. She wants to meet u too....</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: (Tryin to force back her tears...Gulpin) Ohhhh.. ummmmm.. that sounds great... Am so happy for you baby...</b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b><br />Brian: I knew you would be happy for me.. Oh girl.. I love you for being you...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: I...I.... I love you too... </b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>She really did mean it.. She still was very much in love with the man.. But alas.. He didn't get it.. And in reality, why did he need to.. They had broken up, hadn't they? He had all the rights to move on... </b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b><br /><br />A tear rolled down her eye... She would have normally never have let a tear roll down her cheek all the way... She had never been very public about her feelings or emotions and always portrayed a strong exterior; but this time it was different... She knew it was over... It was all over... After all those years of loving him; of giving herself to him; there was nothing left now... Nothing to give, nothing to get...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>With her heavy heart she moved on in life.. Well, she still couldn't get herself to date anyone else.. Well she couldn't until she met Samuel...<br /><br /><br />Samuel was well spoken, was a catholic too.. Well, her parents would love him for sure.. He had a home to himself, had a stable job and was crazy about Jade... She was very fond of him too... They connected pretty well.. Finally she felt like she belonged somewhere...<br /><br />Samuel and Jade started seeing each other.. She enjoyed spending time with the man.. She would cook for him, they would enjoy movies together, long drives, the works...<br /><br />On one such long drive, they drove out n beyond the town, well almost into the countryside... Jade hadn't felt so rejuvenated in a long long time.. She was loving this entire phase.. She was with a man, who knew what made her happy...<br /><br />They made a quick pit stop to change oil before their drive back to return to all the hustle bustle of the city... Soon they were cruising again.. Samuel kept looking at Jade... But she didnt really notice... She was busy admiring the picturesque beauty around her... Suddenly, Samuel pulled up around the side of the road...<br /><br />'What's wrong baby?', she asked him..<br />'Nothing... Nothing at all', he answered... 'Come with me,lemme show you somethin' he said, as he held her hand and led her outside the car... They came to a point where from they could see the entire valley below them...The view was breathtaking...<br />'Awwww baby....' she said as she hugged him tight... 'This is so beautiful... How did you find this place?' she gushed...<br />'It had to be here and nowhere else darling... You're a special woman, so you needed an equally special place...'he said...<br />'For what?'....<br /><br />Before she could even finish her statement she turned around to see Samuel down on one knee, with the most beautiful ring she had ever seen....<br /><br />'Oh my God... Are you serious Samuel?' she asked...<br /><br />'Jade Linsworth, will you be the beauty that makes my life picturesque forever?'<br /><br />He was serious.. She had to think fast.. But no words were coming out of her mouth.. Well, it was all soooo purrfect.. Just like she had imagined..She would be lying if she said she hadn't pictured him popping the question... And now when he was doing it, what was stopping her??<br /><br />She didnt know herself.. But all she knew was that something didnt feel rite.. She couldn't get herself to say yes...<br /></b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><b>'It's simple Jade.. All you have to say is one small word.. Y-E-S, yes.. Cmon.. Say it... He's lookin at u.. Say Yes.. Say Something....'</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Finally her lips parted and she spoke.. 'Ummmm... I don't think... ummmm... that this is...ahem ahem... the best idea... Am so sowie Samuel.. I can't marry you', her voice gaining some kind of strength by now...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>'Whaaa... I mean.. I thought you wanted this too... I thought WE wanted this', he fumbled with his words.. 'I dont get it Jade... Is it something I did?? Please tell me' </b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>'It's not you Samuel, it's me!!!' she replied softly... </b></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Awkward silence prevailed.. She stood there, silent... She turned her back to him... She couldn't bear to look at him.. He looked crestfallen... She didn't know what to say that would make him feel better.. Could she even do anything to make him feel better? She wondered....</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>The ride back to town was awfully quiet.. He quietly shut the door behind her and she watched as his car zoomed out of sight... She knew, right then in that moment, that she would never see him again.. </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>She walked up the flight of stairs leading to her apartment.. When she unlocked the door, there she was, standing in all her glory, on all her fours.. 'Hey Sasha girl..' she said as she bent over to pick up her 4 month old cocker spaniel.. Sasha was furiously wagging her tail... </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>'Atleast someone's happy to see me home.. Even if the ulterior motive behind it is that you get fed now that am home..' Jade smiled and said.. </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Atleast she could smile.. What about poor Samuel.. What was his fault? </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>'Why did you lead him on all this while Jade?' she felt her conscience questioning her.. 'I dunno.. I really dunno' was the only plausible answer she could manage to utter...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade walked up to her lappy... She sat down to check her mails and well, blog, if she got the time to or the inspiration to write something.. Tonight she may have some inspiration, is what she thought... She skimmed through her mails.. Nothing interestin.. Hmmmm.. She logged into facebook.. </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>"Hey girl, waddup..." said Sarah.</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>"Oh.. Hey how u doin.. Me.. Numuch happening wid me.. You temme" Jade replied.. 'How am I managing to be so casual about the whole Samuel episode... Have I no heart?' she asked herself...</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Sarah: So girl.. You up for a fun night!!</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: Uhhh.. What are we talking about again?</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Sarah: Oh, cmon!! Dont tell me you forgot again... We were to hit the club tonight... We leave in an hour.. What are you doing online.. Now scoot.. Get ready.. N yeah.. Leave Sam at home today.. It's an 'all girls' thing </b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;" ><b>Jade: (Phewwww.. Atleast she could explain about Sam later) Ummmmm, alrite.. C ya in one!!! Usual place!!!</b></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Jade dressed up and looked pretty and nice by the time she got to the usual place... Sarah had already bought the beer... They generally had one designated driver amongst them girls and the others could drink that night... And she definitely was in the mood to get sloshed tonight...</span></strong></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong></span> </p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">She headed out and met with Sarah and the others... They hit the club and started out with a round of tequila shots... Once the 4th round of tequilas, Jade could hardly focus her sight on her own legs.. Everything around seemed to be spinning...<br /></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><strong></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-style: italic;">'But isn't that what I wanted!!!'</span>, she asked herself; <span style="font-style: italic;">'to forget where I am, who I am with...'</span></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">She wasn't feeling too good, though.. She rushed towards the washroom.. The bile rising in the back of her throat... She banged into a wall, and she lost all consciousness..<br /></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><strong></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">"Jaaaaaade!!!! Jaaaade, can you hear me, girl?"</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">She rubbed her eyes.. Her head felt groggy.. Sarah, Tess, Jordan and the others had formed this huge circle around her.. She couldn't be sure if it was her friends or someone else who was looking at her right now.. Coz her vision was still blurred.. But it sure sounded like Sarah..</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">"Ummmm!!!"; Jade rubbed her head as she tried to get up...</span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">"No wait.. Lie down for some more.. You're not absolutely fine as yet... No one can be after falling down that hard!!" replied a very deep masculine voice..<br /></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Jade wasn't in a state to argue... So she let herself drift off into sleep...<br /></span></strong></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">(TO BE CONTINUED)</span></strong></span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-54955357845242018832010-01-03T16:30:00.005+05:302010-01-03T17:35:55.737+05:30Being straight in a gay world.. Well almost!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWac_d_r1VEpiPoCM5lTQrKeVRbzyVJi2eNUVKZGMOEQJDURdFB9qUZniuIXabG4E_XCZfOsOkA7ZbIcaR4x2hxPv0N_evB-Y9rSimXjoPI4U03irIH6RvDzgGOczGifVxoh9frA/s1600-h/bisexual-medium.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWac_d_r1VEpiPoCM5lTQrKeVRbzyVJi2eNUVKZGMOEQJDURdFB9qUZniuIXabG4E_XCZfOsOkA7ZbIcaR4x2hxPv0N_evB-Y9rSimXjoPI4U03irIH6RvDzgGOczGifVxoh9frA/s400/bisexual-medium.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422482492288420562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >(Please note, all that glitters is not gold... read it... enjoy it... Have fun) </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br />The due credit for the title of this one goes to a very dear friend whose nickname would spell up to the word 'ass'... Lolz.. U know who u r dahlin...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I am your regular 22 year old (WTF.. Who am I tryin to kid???) and life was cruising along its predetermined charming route for me.. There weren't too ups and downs (yeah, rite!!!) and I liked life the way it was (Nahiiiiiiiiiiiiiii)... </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br /><br />Given the fact that that there were so many brackets and so many expressions to all that I just mentioned in the above given romantic statement, I knew that things had to be set 'straight'... </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Something wasn't right with the way I was feeling... I constantly felt the urge to be around people who understood me..<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I walked into a club one day, and I bumped into a dear old acquaintance... Angela (Lets call her that... Not like there is too much of an identity to be protected on that one) was thrilled to see me after so long... And lemme be honest, it wasnt that bad having her around.. She was always fun to dance with, given the fact that she is as </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >bindaas</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" > as she is... </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >We danced and danced and danced some more, and through all this dancing</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">we had been scouring the crowd for any decent looking men... But alas, that wasn't to be...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me to angela: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"See, now this is exactly why I believe in the saying 'All good looking men are either married, dead or gay'."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We seemed to agree on this one, as we had a ball laughing about the same joke for about 15 whole minutes... But I have to also agree on one more ground, we did manage to garner a lot of attention, coz we did make for quite a sight... Two chicks.. Grinding.. Dirty dancing...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What happened next was a matter of luck, if I may say so.. I don't think we intended it to happen.. But it did... In a matter to spur on the audience that we had already created, we started gettin steamier.. And within a matter of a few minutes, all you could hear was 'gasps' and 'wows'... Both Angela and I opened our eyes and looked around.. The whole club had gone into a standstill... And we both looked at each other..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Had it really happened??<br /><br />Did we really do what we think we did??<br /><br />Did we both, two full blown heterosexual chicks, just kiss??</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oooooohhh baby.. If I was watching us, even I would be turned on.. Two full bodied women (read 'extremely busty') lip locked and unaware of the audience and the world around them... So caught up in a steamy passionate kiss that lasted for a good 10 mins (as the audience told us)... Whoooooooooo... (wipes sweat off brow)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And that's the day I realized, maybe just maybe, it was time for me to pass the baton on from being 'bi-curious' to being 'bisexual'...</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How now, was I supposed to get to know more people, who would not only accept me for who I was, but also encourage me to meet the right kind of people?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">That's when my knight in shining armour came along.. Another gem of a person (who is pretty pissed at me these days)... Lets call him Joel for now.. (This one does have an identity to be protected)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joel walked into my life during this extremely turbulent phase of me accepting the 'truth' bout myself.. And before you knew it, I was on my way to my first ever LGBT party... (Read 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvetite')</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">On entering the club, I was zapped... I had never seen so many men together in a place... Never ever... Never never ever... And you know wat made it so much better?? </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">They were all so HAWTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! (Read Hot)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I looked around in amazement and went </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">'Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot'</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and Joel went </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">'Yeah hun.. But sorry to break your heart... It's more like Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay...'</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oopsie.. Life was being unfair again... But what the heck, atleast the music was a saving grace... Once I hit the dance floor I didnt care about the rest of the world.. I was in my own world... I absolutely fell in love wid Joel's friends.. They are the munchaliciousest (If that's even a word) bunch of boys I have seen around town...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We boogied our asses off for a while, before I had to stop for a 'drink' break.. I needed to drink some water... My throat was parched from all the dancing.. I walked over to the bar.. All the guys seemed friendly.. They smiled at me as I passed em...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">That's when the most unlikely thing (or what I deemed unlikely at that point) happened... Someone pinched my bottom.. I turned around to face the culprit, assuming I was going to face Joel or one of his cute gay friends..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To my delight, I am faced with a totally different face.. He's cute... And he's smiling.. And he's the culprit.. Which means he likes my ass.. Which means he either likes women, or he thinks I look manly (well, that would've hurt my ego for life)... But apparently, it was option no.1 he went for.. He liked women...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What was he doing there then, u ask? Read </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">'Bisexual'</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">... He identified wid me and me wid him..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I got talkin, danced a lil... But I was too scared to exchange nos... Afterall, I was a noob to the whole LGBT deal... I ran ova to Joey like a bubbly over-excited teenager and narrated the story to him.. And much to my relief, he assured me that there were loadsa bisexuals around and that I should keep my eye out for em.. He told me some of them were 'golden catches' if I managed to hitch em!!! Oooooooooooooo... Finally some good news...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">As I was scouring around, my eyes landed on a guy.. He was typical TDH material (tall, dark, handsome.. DUH!!!) and he danced like he could burn the dance floor with every move... I couldn't see his face clearly from the distance... So I started moving closer...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">OH MY GODDDDDDDDDD!!!! </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's kinda embarrassing to mention this here.. But he turned out to be a guy I was trying to hit on when I had met him at another straight club and he had given me a smile and not taken things further which had pissed me off.. And it was only today that I realized why he didnt take it further.. Coz the poor guy just couldn't go further with a woman.. LOL...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Our eyes met.. I didnt think he would recognize me.. But he did.. We looked at each other.. And we both burst out laughing... He was the first one to move into the hug and that hug lasted for a long time... We took a break from dancing and moved to a quieter corner to talk (that was all we could do, remember!!!)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And that my friends is the story of how I made the transition from BI-CURIOUS to BI-SEXUAL... For more stories and updates, watch this space!!!</span><br /></span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-78835396302708497412010-01-01T01:19:00.003+05:302010-01-01T23:52:26.746+05:30For all the mistakes of my past<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheay5oVe3m4q0m4b_K47nD2FcGqKcKCThfUjgqQkHTyszBm7fm_GkmReRQ50XURZRG2rzA8dViqAp8okc6hEV3Cg9K1L48slCkwlV5VzXbE7-WZuws-I_x2-A0xRkoG3EELqu7og/s1600-h/3mistakeofmylife.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheay5oVe3m4q0m4b_K47nD2FcGqKcKCThfUjgqQkHTyszBm7fm_GkmReRQ50XURZRG2rzA8dViqAp8okc6hEV3Cg9K1L48slCkwlV5VzXbE7-WZuws-I_x2-A0xRkoG3EELqu7og/s320/3mistakeofmylife.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421838459995263218" border="0" /></a><br />Chetan Bhagat may have written a book about the three mistakes of his life... But here I am, on day one of the year 2010, writing about the mistakes of my past year....<br /><br />Mistake no.1: Breaking up with my ex bf...<br /><br />Not all who know me (and him) will agree with this one.. Coz they saw it as self destructive (me being wid him that is.)... But the point is, breaking up with him didnt solve the issue... I guess I just started cravin for more attention,love and warmth... N they dont custom make that in the world anymore...<br /><br />Mistake no.2: Quittin my job...<br /><br />I had to quit my job with Idiscoveri for various reasons... (It wasnt completely outta choice) but wat happened had to happen...<br /><br />Mistake no.3: EVOLUTIONizing<br /><br />Hehehehe.. For all those who know me, know wat I mean.. SHYT happens!!!<br /><br />Mistake no.4: Events<br /><br />Should never ever have joined EMDI... God bless the soul of all those poor people who went there..<br /><br />Mistake no.5: Didnt stick to my resolution of keepin away from Mallu men..<br /><br />Guess, life isn't always predictable and fallin in love hasnt been the easiest thing for anyone now, has it??<br /><br />I guess I could go on n on n on... But lets end it on this note sayin.. I know I aint repeating these mistakes tis year.. Have taken all the precautions!!! All the best to me, I guess!!!Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-28313456782820150442009-08-01T05:38:00.001+05:302009-08-01T05:44:41.881+05:30Ridzi n me..<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcXD8ysCMhOwIEl5ITnd4d2OaAluKS5pz_zYDpHRm42xjepByaQrxm5hDxQyvGvqP_-T33QKiNFnaw0FbnzhW8GeIY1gSb0N_KKutdjpYDlwocN6awdCZwlLH80v3apXfZh6I-g/s1600-h/IMG_0187.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcXD8ysCMhOwIEl5ITnd4d2OaAluKS5pz_zYDpHRm42xjepByaQrxm5hDxQyvGvqP_-T33QKiNFnaw0FbnzhW8GeIY1gSb0N_KKutdjpYDlwocN6awdCZwlLH80v3apXfZh6I-g/s400/IMG_0187.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">A relationship thats blossomed in the recent past... But has quite a tenure to live up to... Love the woman.. :)</span></div><div style="clear:both; text-align:CENTER"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><b><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></b></a></div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-59029980682832968092009-07-09T03:59:00.006+05:302009-07-09T05:31:31.850+05:30Mirror Mirror on the wall.. Who will I be 10 yrs from now???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge83rmvFvrxK7FXK2saGjbu_k5qx6i6cI3TY44vysVKduP3wa-ps__bqDw8CLG24fLurBIf0D6OQ-3UdHmWkBL4ohNpNaRjQZl3X9SjOOEvjpGrAWwxMB987z2u5t3ep0Qh9CnZw/s1600-h/soulsisters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge83rmvFvrxK7FXK2saGjbu_k5qx6i6cI3TY44vysVKduP3wa-ps__bqDw8CLG24fLurBIf0D6OQ-3UdHmWkBL4ohNpNaRjQZl3X9SjOOEvjpGrAWwxMB987z2u5t3ep0Qh9CnZw/s400/soulsisters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356242869091530754" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix722HFVOzmh9VDHiyuk7WTEC4N9uT3Jb1CpczTyz4re6nhPSnJNbCfaGhNCq0Sd-GcaXVeXKUEtRrZGmz5cLhtTuCOCMzkZVc94bXoqQuGkst5E5htLez8PIbKAu1S0XVRQ6dXA/s1600-h/DSC00015.jpg"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Okie.. I found the answer to this question in the funniest of places... Where?? Where??, you ask!!! No prizes for guessing.. Yahoooooooooooooo....</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It was just another random day.. I woke up in the morning to a bad tummy... Queasy queasy me!!! I rubbed my eyes as I picked up my phone, and as I would have guessed, I had a couple of missed calls from Bhavik... "I can call him later", I thought.. The tummy was bothering me more than that.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Tringgggggggg Tringggggggggg.. "Now, which one is that again? The phone, the bell or the alarm??", I asked myself, in my state of groggy reality.. The phone it was... </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">T: Hello.. Yeah..Hey Amrita.. Tell me!!</span></b></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A: Hey Tabsi.. Can you go to Tia's school today to drop her... She wants to have you around today...</span></b></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">T: Well, ummmmmmm, I guess I could go.. Will meet aunty and Tia directly at school!!!</span></b></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">*click*</span></b></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The tummy wasn't ready to settle easy... So the rest of the day was spent in bed... Didn't go to Tia's school.. Bills didn't get paid either... I finally got off my arse at somewhere around 6 pm and went and showered... I scratched my bum for a long time to decide whether I was to meet Bhavik today or not.. Finally I decided to!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We met, we went to Cypress, we met Chinmay, we bumped into the million other lukkhas, we smoked...The usual.. Suddenly, out of the blue, Bhavik tells me, he's in the mood to drink some rum.. So we sit to drink.. At our usual spot.. We're drinking and talking.... But there comes a point when we both go relatively quiet.. We both know, we're thinking something, but in classic Tabi-Bhavik style, we dont ask each other!! We both look in different directions and drift into our thoughts.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>What is it that you're doing with your life, Tabi.. I know the company is important to both of you.. But are you guys moving in the right direction... You want for both of you to be successful, don't you?? What bout Bipin!! Is he going to help you guys out?? What about the workshop?? Will that dream turn into reality?? You've been working on the idea for months now... Will it or won't it?? </b></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Where are you going to be 10 years from now?? Have you any idea?? </span></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Suddenly I felt a drop on my forearm... It had begun drizzling... We moved to a safer place... Both Bhavik and I snapped back into our normal selves.. We were talking bout our modern Ramayan script and Sholay remade our style once again... We spoke, we laughed, we hugged, we shared!! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We finally headed our own ways.. Well, it was home, in this case... And I had forgotten about the whole day.. I was just happy to be home!! I changed out of my wet clothes and sat down to get back to my favourite activity these days.. Chatting online!!! (Yeah Yeah!! I know there are like a million losers online.. I don't know what am doing there, but I am not going to deny, I like it) </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My Zoo (nick for a friend) was online when I logged in... I am not used to seeing him online late in the nights.. That's when I realized that it wasn't really that late... It was afterall only 12:30 am or something like that!!! I was chatting with him, but I wasn't really hitting off a topic to keep going at.. So I decided to enter a chat room.. I clicked on Mumbai Global Chat room no.3... And I happened to find only one id that caught my attention.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I generally wouldn't go for ids that have names in it.. So like no mohit_is_here would work for me... So I clicked on this id.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: knock knock.... anyone home??</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hmmm...tats beter...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: whoz dis?...n wat doya wan??</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: well, i wanna kill time wid someone who is worth the killin!!! tis is Tabitha here.. </b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hey Tabitha..u sound gud enough 4 me 2 chat..but u knw wat...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: wat?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: m a gurl...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(Whoaaaaaaaaa... Honestly, this had never ever happened to me before online.. Me mistaking a person for a male and it turning out to be a female!!) </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hey I knw....u wanna kill a guy..yea..</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: actually, hopin u wudnt gemme wrong or wateva girl... i aint really rejoicin ova section 377 or wateva.. am straight as can be!!! but i wudnt mind killin tym wid a girl either... coz i aint technically 'lookin' ...as long as its good talk, i wud be game!!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hey tats sounds really gud</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: unless of course, i wud keep u away from the men!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: as long as u r worth it...wont mind!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: where r u from girl?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: wher doya think m frm?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: well, mumbai am assumin ... but a lil specification wudnt hurt!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: Bingo !!!.. nups not at all....in d suburbs?..n urself?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: am from Mulund to be precise... wat do u do n wat can i call ya.. n u awreddy know am Tabitha</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: ma frnds call me Madz...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: okie dokie madz girl... i run an events co. of ma own.. wat do u do!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(She gives me an emoticon tat screams 'shocked') </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: n the shockin part wud be?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: m almost doing d sam stuff...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: is tat so... ur into events too?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: was in media..working as a producer</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: so mebbe we cud work together some time... i was in the media too..was a copy editor tho!! so some similar backgrounds we're talkin bout here!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hey started as a copy writer</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: am assumin its safe to say ur older than me!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: 33 ... n wats ur no.?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: 22</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: wow...even tats almost similar... double 2's n double 3's...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b> I now run a school of performing arts</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: woah... ur scarin me now...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: n y's tat?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: waddya teach!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: dance, music , dramatics</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: woah woman... I happen to teach dance too... n wanna open a similar performin arts school myself!! tis is way too freaky now!! when's ur bday ? lets try our luck!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: 18th dec</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: atleast there is no commonality there .... 29th oct... so wat forms of dance</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: everything under d sun basically</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: *ears perked up*</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: hip hop , ball room , bollywood</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: u teach urself or u got instructors?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: now I got instructors... watchabout u?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: i specialize in Latin Ballroom</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: wow!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: where wud ur place be??</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: I got ma studio in borivali west... y don u com down</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: i wud love to... when ?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: Nytime 4ya!!!!!!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: u temme..sundays good?</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: yup! here's ma number...</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: okie gimme a min... lemme note it down</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: sure</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: mebbe wen we meet, if ur free, we cud go chill for awhile... n actually catch up.. girl on girl!!</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: u knw wat??......I badly need 2 do somthing lik tat</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: u seem 2 b d 1st gurl....I actually lik! </b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>t: so madz.. hav i successfully managed to keep u off the men??</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>s: yea.... u did gurl</b></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Only God remembers what happened next and I was diallin her no.... Part of me was just not ready to believe that this really was a woman.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">She answered.. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>"Hello, Tabitha is this you... Hi!! Tis is Madz here!!"</b></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Phew!!! Atleast I knew it really was a woman!!! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />What transpired after that was pure luck or destiny, I don't know which of the two.. But it was one of the most beautiful conversations I have ever had!!! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">She and I had similar childhoods.. Both ridden with the guilt of hiding things from our dear ones.. Both of us had been rebellious teens, notorious in our own rites... We both had loved dogs all our lives.. she has one, I hav one too... She used to blog.. I do now... She wanted to open a pet shelter of sorts.. I wanted to open a pet motel... She dances.. I do too.. She's an entrepreneur.. Am a buddin entrepreneur!!! She always wanted to adopt a daughter... I wanna adopt one too (sigh...someday) She began her career wid the media... So did I.. She jumped jobs before she found her sweetspot.. Am doing exactly that today.. The similarities were endless.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">She needed a friend and I needed a mentor.. We found exactly that in each other.. I never ever realized a random rendevouz online could lead to so much joy.. She's definitely like my soul sister.. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I am looking forward to meeting her on Sunday... We have also promised to discuss the possibilities of working together some day.. But like they say, never mix business with pleasure.. So it's going to be a tough one to crack.. She made my day, my night, my week to come, my life!! Looking forward to a life long relationship given the crackling start we had... </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And yes.. I know now, perhaps, what am going to be doing 10 years from now.. I think the mirror answered me loud and clear!!!</span></span></div><div><br /></div></div>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-26103854228796020652009-07-05T14:15:00.002+05:302009-07-05T16:21:49.054+05:30Roll Another Joint - 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She felt a shiver go down her spine.. "Just exactly what did he have in mind?", she wondered!!</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She hung her head low and walked along side him.. Strugglin to keep up wid him...</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">They managed to get a rickshaw.. She looked around nervously... Everythin was so quiet.. Hardly any people around... There was somethin tat made her feel queasy bout the whole place... They reached their destination.. He hadnt really spoken to her the whole way... "Dont mind me.. Am jus a lil high on some weed!!" he said.. Well, like tat was any reassurance!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">He raced up the stairs and she followed.. As soon as she entered his friend's house, she knew somethin was terribly wrong with the place... But she was glad she had Angelo wid her... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Tis is Natasha.. Natasha, tis is Sean, Farida and Imran.. And tats Baba..." They all smiled welcomingly at her!! She returned a half hearted smile... "Why cant i jus be myself.. Wats botherin me so much", she thought to herself...</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Wine anyone?" Sean's voice broke into her thoughts and she zapped back... "Yeah sure... I wouldn't mind some" she said.. It surprisingly turned out to be some good wine... She opened her bag and fetched out her packet of ciggies... In her excitement she hadnt smoked the whole day... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Sean: So Natasha.. Can I call u Nats? (Natasha nods) Okie thanks... So Nats, do you smoke weed as well or ciggies it is for u??</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats: No weed for me.. I tried it when I was in college... But no more.. ONLY ciggies for me now.. </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angelo: Sugar, Puff Puff Pass</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats: Huh?</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angelo: Pass the ciggie on sugar</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats: Oh ok!!</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sean smiles.. Angelo smiles... Nats feels uneasy again... 'Exactly wats causin my stomach to churn so much?' In the meanwhile bottle is empty...</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">They were sittin on the terrace to drink, and to move back to the hall, they had to pass through one of the bedrooms.. Angelo lets everyone pass up ahead and he holds Nats back as well.. Suddenly before she knows it, he pushes her against the wall and starts frantically kissin her neck... She doesnt like it.. But she cant push it back... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats:(feebly) Stop it Ango</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angelo: Y? Did I do somethin wrong? </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>He's still pushed up against her.. It's hurtin her.. But she doesnt know wat to say.. </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angelo: Werent u the one who told me u wanna make love to me when we meet?</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats : Errrrr.. Well... </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>She couldn't even retaliate... Coz she had, in fact, said those exact words... </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Angelo: (accusing tone taking over) Then wat.. U didnt like me?? I aint good enuf for u?? </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats: Nuttin like tat (He did fit the bill of 'good lookin' accordin to her sensibility) </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So he continues kissing her and suddenly she feels his hand slidin inside her top, she tries to grab his hand.. But too late.. He's already grabbin at her breasts like he wants to pull em outta her.. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Ouch... You're hurting me Angy!!!" But he didnt stop... He unbuttoned her top.. He was too strong for her... If she screamed his friends may hav come to her rescue or mebbe, jus mebbe they cud make things worse... She hadnt seen Farida all this time as well.. Where had she disappeared?? He almost had her top off now.. He lustily put his mouth to her breasts.. She had dreamt about all of this.. But now, it didnt seem as pleasant.. He was infact abusin her... And she had no clue as to wat to do.. Her mind started racing.. If she had to even lodge a complaint against him ever, she wud be in trouble..Coz she was the one who had sent him raunchy msgs ova the week.. Too far fetched a thought anyways... What was she to do right now, this given moment.. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Suddenly he stopped... "I smell weed", he said... And a min later he opened the door, didnt even wait for her to button up... Sean was standin rite at the door with a joint.. 'I think he caught a glimpse of me' she thought to herself... She sat there... Her head dizzy with thoughts now... The room around her dark... She walked towards the bed and sat down... Suddenly something brushed against her back... She turned around and almost yelled.. It had scared the hell outta her... There was a guy lyin down on the bed... He was sleepin.. He had been there the whole while... Did he see anything of wat hpnd??</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She had no clue... Suddenly he opened his eyes and said 'I know wat u guys were upto'... She screamed.. And the next thing she knew, Sean came runnin in... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"What happened?" he asked her... "He just said something"; she was shakin by now.. "He's asleep Nats... What's wrong wid u girl?"</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She was on the verge of cryin by now.. Sean could see that, so he held her for awhile.. Very funnily, she felt a certain amount of solace by bein in Sean's arms... But she didnt trust him either... "Here... Y dont u smoke this?" he said and passed her a joint... "I dont wanna Sean" "Cmon, trust me girl.. Am here for you na!!"</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So she puffed.. She puffed puffed and passed...</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She woke up wid a headache the next morn... She had passed out last nite... Wat had happened? Who had brought her to the terrace... She was lyin down on a mattress wid a sheet covering her and she was naked.. Not a single shred of cloth on her body.. Suddenly Angy walked in... He was in his shorts and wasn't wearin his vest... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>"Angy, did we... like...errr...last nite?"</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>"No baby we didnt!! Though I would have loved to... But tat bastard Sean got lucky... What a bytch you are.. Made out wid me 1st and then bedded him... So you hav any more left in you?? Wanna do me now? I hav had a hard on since last nite"; he smirked...</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She felt filthy... Dirty... She picked up the sheet and covered herself and ran into the bedroom... Sean was sittin there.. Talkin to Farida... "Hey goodmorn baby.." He bent fwd and kissed her on the cheek.. She shud hav been angry at the man... But she still felt a warm flush when he touched her..."Where are my clothes?" He pointed out to the cupboard.. She opened it and found her clothes all neatly folded... She pulled em outta the cupboard, ran to the bathroom and dressed up.. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When she came out, Sean asked her "So ready to go?" "Yeah!!" she replied sheepishly.. What was wrong wid her? She jus couldnt seem to get angry at this guy... Her womanly instinct told her that this guy had done something good to her...As she picked up her bag to leave, he rose up as well... "Chalo Farida.. C ya later den... Bye Angy!!"</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Where are u headed Sean?" Nats asked... "Well, I wouldn't expect you to travel back alone.. I'll take you home", he replied.. She found herself smiling at the guy who may have just raped her last nite.. Well rape would be a rather harsh word to use, coz she wasnt really sure as to whether she had given consent under the influence of the weed!!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">She bade goodbye to everyone.. She didnt even bother lookin at Angelo... Well, guy of her dreams?? Well, perhaps not.. She walked outta the house and Sean followed her.. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked... Was it outta protectiveness or was he tryin to stake ownership? She had no clue... They sat in a rickshaw and she lit a ciggie, offered him one too... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>Nats: So Sean.. Errr.. (clearin her throat) What EXACTLY happened last nite?</i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><i>Sean: Do you really wanna know? (A cute devilish smile spreading across his face) </i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b>The rickshaw vroomed away onwards towards the station as he elaborated and explained things to her in the utmost detailed manner he could... </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">A YEAR LATER</span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; ">Natasha stood at the window of her new house.. The breeze hittin her cheeks softly.. She was glowing... She couldnt stop smiling.. She generally couldn't when her man was around her... The door bell rang... She ran excitedly to open the door... There he was, standin in a crisp white shirt and white denims, lookin as dashing as ever... "Hey Sean!! How u been honey!!!"she said as she hugged him... He'd bought em some wine... "Woman, you're glowing!! N hows ma baby doin?"he asked as he pointed to her now evident baby bump.. "Well, you're baby's doin jus fine.. N jus to reconfirm.. It's not yours.. You do remember, rite?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; ">Suddenly she felt his arms around her waist.. He came from the back and held her, resting his chin on her shoulder.. She tilted her head sideways and kissed him on the cheek.. "How's ma girl treatin you Sean boy" he asked... "Very well mr.. You have disappeared ever since you guys moved in together...No weed no more eh??" Sean said.. "You will understand someday when you fall in love, you dodo.. Am I not right hun?" he asked Nats.. "You always are dahlin"she blushed... Sean excused himself to answer a phone call.. One of his million girlfriends perhaps.. Lol.. </span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Nats turned around to look at her man... He held her at the waist and she threw her arms around his neck.. He looked her in the eye and said "I love you Nats..." She smiled and replied "I love you too Angelo!!" </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><i>*Angelo had tried to control Natasha in her drunken stupor coupled with the weed high... But she had become extremely horny.. She generally did when she was drunk... She chose to go for Sean... She had led him to the terrace.. Undressed herself and presented herself on a platter to him... Angelo had tried to intervene.. But she wasnt goin to listen to him.. She wanted Sean.. She wanted him bad.. And while Sean kissed her and made love to her, she constantly kept sayin Angelo's name... She apparently thought Angelo was Sean and vice versa.. The weed had played a nasty trick on her.. Sean, bein the sweetheart that he was, had realized what was happening, so he didnt continue with the act and put her to sleep instead... He narrated the whole thing to Angelo later and apologized for having acted stupid himself... And Angelo and Nats had made up... Coz after all, they were purrfect for each other!!!*</i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></b></span></div></span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36472127.post-31040040488651015482009-07-03T02:53:00.009+05:302009-07-05T14:04:50.279+05:30Roll Another Joint<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC0FlC4-I1e3vAnqMsMXbufnaGMQsGOFTKPl7WsoFt3hhiSFv6sDPHDTFIlv9CRQqDqQpEmkbPBp4mJWoRVB3QdV9jZ171p9aARhWdLR4-fgtO6rk-yTKcyPeZLcpT55sWnO8aQ/s1600-h/weed.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 149px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC0FlC4-I1e3vAnqMsMXbufnaGMQsGOFTKPl7WsoFt3hhiSFv6sDPHDTFIlv9CRQqDqQpEmkbPBp4mJWoRVB3QdV9jZ171p9aARhWdLR4-fgtO6rk-yTKcyPeZLcpT55sWnO8aQ/s400/weed.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354000883276790034" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Before any of you get judgemental and condemn me for only puttin up lyrics in the forms of posts, I need to warn you that there is much more to tis post than meets the eye in the beginning.. </span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Its bout a journey to another town called 'Wonderland' and returning unscathed!! </span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">YOU DONT KNOW HOW IT FEELS... TO BE ME!!!</span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let me run with you tonight</span></b></span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and i'll take you on a moonlight ride</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There's someone i used to see</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">but she don't give a damn for me</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But let me get to the point</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's roll another joint</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And turn the radio loud</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'm too alone to be proud</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You don't know how it feels </span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to be me...</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">People come People go</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some grow young Some grow cold</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I woke up in between</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A memory and a dream</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So let's get to the point</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's roll another joint</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's head on down the road </span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There's somewhere I gotta go</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And you don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to be me...</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My old man was born to rock</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He's still tryin to beat the clock</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Think of me what you will</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I got a little space to fill</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So let's get to the point</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's roll another joint</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let's head on down the road</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There's somewhere i gotta go</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And you don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No you don't know how it feels</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">to be me...</span></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(These are the lyrics to Tom Petty's track 'Roll Another Joint'!!! )</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was just another day for Natasha (name changed on request)... She sat down, opened her lappy and started toyin around... Shuffling thru tracks.. Viewing images.. All of that jazz tat u do when ur really bored... But she was still bored.. Wonderin what to do wid this free time she had.. She wasnt used to havin free time!!! She decided to log into a yahoo chat room (loser I hear u say)</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">guy_from_mumbai: Do you want to s_x me?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(Ewwwwwwwwww....) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">hot_male_4_u: Would u wanna see my &%$^on cam?(Yeah whatever... Buzz off) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">dark_chocolate: Heya...Wassup!!! How u doin girl!!! (Okay so this one seems different) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Conversation ensues..Nats gets to know that this guy is a buddin musician... Works in a call centre otherwise!!!They continue chattin for a while.. Its gettin even more interestin.. He seems to hav everything that she has ever looked for in a guy (well except the call centre job... she cud hav done wid better... but wat the heck!!!) </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our girl starts feelin sleepy now.. Eyes are gettin heavier... Starin at the screen is becomin a tedious job... So she decides to log out.. </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Okie.. I hate to cut tis short (well it's almost been like 1 1/2 hours now) but am really feelin sleepy now.. I cant look at a computer screen for any longer... </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">dark_chocolate: Hey.. can i ask u for somethin?? Wud u mind givin me ur no.. I cud call u rite now.. Am bored... N I hav really really enjoyed talkin to u all this time!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(Hmmmmmmm... Should I? Should I not?)</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Before she knew it, she found her fingers typing out her no. "Why am I doing this? Giving my no. to a complete stranger?" Too late.. He was already calling!!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Hello there!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Hey woman.. Waddup... Am so happy you gave me ur no.!! I wudnt wanna lose touch wid u eva!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Y is tat?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Cmon.. Dont temme you dont feel it?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: What!! Feel wat!! (Hands tremblin)</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: The connect.. Btwn u n me!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Errr.. What connect? </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Cmon girl.. Dont play 'hard to get'!! </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: (Blushin) Wellll...</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The conversation ensued!!! They spoke about anything and everything under the sun (well almost)!!! Everything from his music, to world music, to sex, to weed.. "He dopes a lot", she thought to herself.. Well, weed seemed to be the only queen in his world and hashish the king!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The talks continued.. For an entire week... The connect grew and wid it their longing to meet each other.. Seemed weird eh!! A woman of Natasha's stature, who hardly ever behaved illogically, behavin it the most absurd of manners.. Callin up a guy like Angelo, who she hardly knew, in every free wakin minute she could find!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And then one week later, the ultimate call came...</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Hey suga!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: (blushin) Hey baby!! How u doin!! (She loved it when he called her sugar) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Sugar, lissen up baby, my friend's folks r pushin outta town for like a week.. We're all plannin to park our asses there.. Y dont u join us? </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Errrrr.. Am not sure.. </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: What? U dont trust me sugar?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The arguments followed.. The pleading continued.. 5 days passed and she found herself sayin yes.. Did she jus say YES to spendin an entire nite wid a weird guy she met online wid weird dopie friends... Cooped up in a flat which was nethin but 2 hours away from her place!! Shaite... Quite a situation she had put herself into.. But she didnt wanna say no either.. It was more like, she couldnt say no... This guy, Angelo, he somehow seemed to be controllin her mind!! She wanted to break free and run.. But she cudnt.. An invisible trap seemed to be blockin her passage further or her escape to the exit where she came in from!!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finally she found herself alightin the train at the specified station.. "What am I doin here?" </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She tried callin Angelo.. No answer.. Was tis somebody's idea of a joke? If it was, it definitely wasnt funny.. Coz it was already 11 p m in the nite.. Travellin back alone from this god forsaken place also didnt seem like such a welcomin idea... N the platforms were deserted... Not a single soul!!! </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Suddenly her phone rings.. She's startled, drops of sweat beginning to form on her brow; she picks up...</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Hey suga.. (pantin profusely)</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats:What happened?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: I am takin a shortcut.. Am runnin there.. Gimme a min.. DONT MOVE.. will be there in a min!!!</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Okie (the unmistakeable tone of doubt) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Alrite!! I jus want u to turn around; coz I see you.. </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There he was, in all his glory.. Standin tall at 6'1"... Broad shouldered, lean guy... Just as he had described, jus as she had pictured him!!!They walked towards each other... They hugged, like they had never hugged b4.. She kissed him on the neck, a light peck, while they still hugged!! They separated slowly, and he began walking.... He wasnt even holdin her hand, but she could feel the energy flow between em.. It was at its peak.. She so badly wanted to hold him for longer, kiss him, make love to him... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: So how many ppl r there at ur friend's?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Well around 7 of em!!! </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Errr..Do they know am comin?</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: Of course.. I hav been jumpin like a monkey the whole day.. Waitin for u to come here.. </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: Okie</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: You wait n watch now... I'm gonna get u high on some weed as well.. Then lets c who cares bout how many ppl are around...</span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Nats: I thought I told you.. No weed for me.. Am clean.. </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Angelo: You think I will let u go jus like tat? (sinister smile spreadin across his face) </span></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She felt a shiver go down her spine.. "Just exactly what did he have in mind?", she wondered!!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She hung her head low and walked along side him.. Strugglin to keep up wid him... </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(TO BE CONTINUED)</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div></span>Tabithahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07954712973757161932noreply@blogger.com3