Saturday, July 20, 2013
Aisha sat by the balcony of her
high rise, a place that she had bought with all her savings with the notion
that her love was wisely invested. The sun was rising from the crevices of the
concrete jungle and the sunbeams were harsh enough to light up her fatigued face and
puffy eyes. Sleep had relinquished her beautiful eyes long ago.
‘You look beautiful in this pink
night suit and they kissed.' That was on her 25th birthday three years
back.
She often wore those pink pajamas
as a celebration of her lost love or may be as a reminder of her undying faith and
loyalty. Nothing mattered anymore except that it was an act of reassurance
and belief that one day he will come back. Why had she agreed to let him go to
the US to pursue his MBA?? Had he not promised that he will pick up job in
India?? What they both did not know is Recession
does not inquire if a person has a family to support or if he has left his love
behind.
‘Abram!! We need to celebrate
your win at the college fest with my favorite Irish coffee and Pancakes; I have
invited self for tomorrow evening. Hope it suits your busy schedule’.
‘Aisha!! I would have loved to,
but not with the bills paid by my father.’ His answer made her sad and equally proud;
girls in adolescence have rosy dreams. The curt reply in college translated to
a cold and unexplained behavior years later. Men take pride in their jobs,
profiles and pay checks, love always trails behind. Move to US proved to be a
wrong one as bad job market and huge education loan ruined all his plans. He
turned silent and the long distance relationship was failing her expectations.
The phone rang, the number was
from a land line and she had no intent to pick it up.
Four more repeat calls and there
was no option but to oblige.
‘I landed at New Delhi International Airport few minutes back,can you
come and pick me ?.’
Disbelief, Skepticism, Surprise
and Happiness all in equal measure, filled her eyes with big tears. She needed no reassurances, no
compulsions to hysterically say ‘I am coming, wait for me Abram. Don’t leave,
don’t go anywhere just remain fixed there. I am coming……I am….’.Tears choked
her voice.
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She pulled away her Etios and made a quick exit from the Airport. To an onlooker it would seem this was another day and the couple had departed for a brief day or two, no histrionics or showdown for public display.
'Dad ! Why mom does not stay with us ? ' For many years in his mind, Abram often had animated conversations with his mother to figure out why ? Aisha had accepted the very fact that a child raised by a single parent would definitely have grievances with life. Beyond the customary pleasantries neither a question was asked nor a plausible explanation for his behavior was given.
Aisha kept on honking frequently to hide her nervousness and drove with serpentine curves to hit the exit road. Abram watched the crowded side walks and familiar sights of street vendors selling eatables; young boys and girls waiting at the bus stop; auto rickshaws scurrying for passengers; temples at the corners of the roads; multiple assortments of retail shops before hitting the expressway.
The interiors of the car were of beige color , their foot set on transparent foot mats , soft music filling the silence and a lovely fragrance that appealed to the senses came out of the vents. Abram had gifted her 'Lady Million' perfume by Paco Rabaane on their second date knowing Aisha had liking for good fragrances. Her choice of the car perfume too, resembled her personal taste.
They drove on the expressway passing high rise apartments that were huddled together ; giant malls with fancy signage's ; multiplexes playing latest flicks ; parks with fountains aiming for the sky ; metro rail running on the pillars. The day Aisha had taken delivery of her brand new, crimson colored Toyota Etios, they had driven across every road , every intersection of the town. Inside the four doors of their sedan the happiness was unlimited , the new found possession an entire world within.
When it became unbearable and the intensity of emotions swelled up Aisha broke down. She veered the car out of the driving lane, hit a patch of grass and killed the engine. It was not possible to hold back her tears and feign aloofness ; Abram's eyes too became moist. Over the next couple of minutes Aisha fought with him and he listened silently without giving excuses for his failure to respond to her love. He held her in his arms , kissed her forehead softly and put a finger on her lips, her sobs making her body tremble.
'I brought back something for you from the US' , Abram produced a letter from the pocket of his jacket and a gift box . Not sure which one to choose first Aisha hesitantly opened the letter ; it was an appointment letter in the name of Abram for an Indian subsidiary of a multinational. The box changed her life forever , it was an engagement ring.
In few months from now Aisha will get married to Abram and little does she know that she will bear him two children in due course of time. Abram will head a Multinational and they will shift to a bigger house and lead a lavish lifestyle. Years later they both will think of this reunion and take delight in the 'Perfect Road Trip' that brought them closer forever.
This blog post is my entry for the AmbiPur Blogging contest being run on IndiBlogger.
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| AmbiPur Blogging Contest |
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She pulled away her Etios and made a quick exit from the Airport. To an onlooker it would seem this was another day and the couple had departed for a brief day or two, no histrionics or showdown for public display.
'Dad ! Why mom does not stay with us ? ' For many years in his mind, Abram often had animated conversations with his mother to figure out why ? Aisha had accepted the very fact that a child raised by a single parent would definitely have grievances with life. Beyond the customary pleasantries neither a question was asked nor a plausible explanation for his behavior was given.
Aisha kept on honking frequently to hide her nervousness and drove with serpentine curves to hit the exit road. Abram watched the crowded side walks and familiar sights of street vendors selling eatables; young boys and girls waiting at the bus stop; auto rickshaws scurrying for passengers; temples at the corners of the roads; multiple assortments of retail shops before hitting the expressway.
The interiors of the car were of beige color , their foot set on transparent foot mats , soft music filling the silence and a lovely fragrance that appealed to the senses came out of the vents. Abram had gifted her 'Lady Million' perfume by Paco Rabaane on their second date knowing Aisha had liking for good fragrances. Her choice of the car perfume too, resembled her personal taste.
They drove on the expressway passing high rise apartments that were huddled together ; giant malls with fancy signage's ; multiplexes playing latest flicks ; parks with fountains aiming for the sky ; metro rail running on the pillars. The day Aisha had taken delivery of her brand new, crimson colored Toyota Etios, they had driven across every road , every intersection of the town. Inside the four doors of their sedan the happiness was unlimited , the new found possession an entire world within.
When it became unbearable and the intensity of emotions swelled up Aisha broke down. She veered the car out of the driving lane, hit a patch of grass and killed the engine. It was not possible to hold back her tears and feign aloofness ; Abram's eyes too became moist. Over the next couple of minutes Aisha fought with him and he listened silently without giving excuses for his failure to respond to her love. He held her in his arms , kissed her forehead softly and put a finger on her lips, her sobs making her body tremble.
'I brought back something for you from the US' , Abram produced a letter from the pocket of his jacket and a gift box . Not sure which one to choose first Aisha hesitantly opened the letter ; it was an appointment letter in the name of Abram for an Indian subsidiary of a multinational. The box changed her life forever , it was an engagement ring.
In few months from now Aisha will get married to Abram and little does she know that she will bear him two children in due course of time. Abram will head a Multinational and they will shift to a bigger house and lead a lavish lifestyle. Years later they both will think of this reunion and take delight in the 'Perfect Road Trip' that brought them closer forever.
This blog post is my entry for the AmbiPur Blogging contest being run on IndiBlogger.
Posted in: Short Story
4 comments:
Beautiful post! Story of a road trip woven into a mush mush romantic tale. :)
Thanks Ragini for appreciating my post. Pick up any romantic tale it would definitely have a trip associated to it. All i did is picked up a 'road trip' for this one :)
i can imagine whole story through my eyes.
Also ur words were like u didnt skip even single moment while writing...
All i can say iz Good Good n kepp us Dreaming with your pen...
Thanks Sandip for reading this blog post. Appreciate your kind works and encouragement! Though i don't find time to write much these days but looks like i will have to tell a story soon for readers like you :)
Cheers
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