Wanderlust-(WR)

The room was silent except for the sound of the tapping of keyboards. Rahul was sitting at his writing desk and emailing a client. Preethi was sitting on her bed, trying to finish an article, due to be submitted tomorrow. She finished it and shut her laptop. She looked up and saw that Rahul was still working. She sighed. Both of them had very demanding jobs and this was a common scene in their house everyday.

"What happened to us Rahul?" Preethi suddenly asked. Rahul lifted his head and looked at her, confused. "Remember when we were dating, we were such travel junkies. Every weekend we would take off to some or the other place. It was so much fun and it seemed like we had all he time in the world. But now, we just go to office, work, come home, work some more and go to sleep. There is no spark left. We are turning into those old, boring married couples with nothing to look forward to" Preethi said, morosely. "Well, what do you want to do then?" Rahul asked. "Lets go someplace for a few days, do some adventure, walk on the beach, soak in the rain, do anything but this" she said pointing to the laptop.

Rahul thought for a moment and suddenly started smiling. "You remember we had planned to go on a  road trip to Rajasthan but had cancelled in the last minute? Are you still interested?" he asked. "Yes, but how? We may require at least 2 weeks of leave" Preethi said thoughtfully. "This is what is wrong with us. We have given priority to work for a long time. Now lets prioritize and live for our selves for a few days. Come on Preethi just say yes" Rahul pleaded. "When do I start packing then?" Preethi asked and smiled at him.

Void-(WR)

She woke up in the morning and turned around to wish him good morning
But the other side of her bed was empty. She realized that he was no longer there.

When she absent mindedly prepared 2 cups of coffee instead of one, she realized he was no longer there.

When she saw a couple, laughing together and whispering sweet nothings in each others ears, she realized he was no longer there.

When she found his shirt and jacket strewn around in his cupboard, which still had his smell, she realized he was no longer there

At the end of the day when she returned to an empty house , she realized he was no longer there

When she felt a deep sense of loneliness and a void in her heart which can never be filled, she knew that he was no longer there and never coming back.

Uncouth-(WR)

"Remind me again Jane, why did we choose India as our holiday destination?" Rosie asked irritably, roaming around the streets of Jaipur. "Well it is a beautiful country. The people here are so friendly and there is so much of history to discover" Jane said excitedly. "Friendly people? Come on Jane, have you forgotten the taxi driver who swindled us at the airport?" Rosie asked, aghast. "Yes I remember. But every country has its fair share of people like that." "Well argue whatever you want Jane, but I will never come to love this country" Rosie said dismissively. Just then they heard someone calling out to them. "Madam, Madam!" a boy was shouting and came running to them. He had Rosie's bag in his hand. "You forgot at shop" he said in a broken English.

 Rosie immediately grabbed the bag and checked its contents and was relieved to find that everything was intact. She thanked the boy profusely and offered him some money. But he refused and went running back to his shop."You know what, this country is not so bad after all" Rosie said and smiled at her friend. "Well I am glad to hear that. I wonder what changed" Jane said and both of them laughed.

Together-(WR)

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked lifeless and her face had become pale. She had lost most of her hair and weight. She couldn't recognize the person in the mirror anymore. Just then her husband came in and held her from behind.

"I look so ugly" she said. "No you look beautiful, as always" he said and kissed her on the neck. "Don't lie Vikas. I am not blind, I can see myself. I look like a ghost" Asha said and started crying. "Asha, please don't cry. You look just fine to me.We are in this together, remember? Together we will kick the cancer's butt". Hearing it, Asha smiled and hugged him.

Serendipity-(WR)

Her face looked familiar to Ishaan. But no matter how much he raked his memory he just couldn't remember her. She was talking animatedly with her friend. She is beautiful he thought. She lifted her hand and ran it through her hair. Ishaan's eyes fell on a big mole on her elbow and suddenly all the memories came back to him like an avalanche. He remembered the plump little girl wearing glasses and a runny nose. He remembered the time they used to run around in the field, plucking raw mangoes from the tree and eating with salt. She was his first friend in that unknown town where his father had been transferred. They were inseparable back then. He still remembered vividly, his last day in that town and they both had cried so much. They had promised to keep in touch, but somehow life happened and they had moved on. Chashmish! Ishaan thought. That is what he used to call her.

Ishaan walked towards her and said "Hey chashmish, remember me?" he said. She looked at him inquisitively and suddenly a sense of realization dawned on her and her lips slowly curved into a smile. "Ishaan! Oh my God" Meghna exclaimed and hugged him. "What are you doing here in this party?" she asked in disbelief. "Well, you may call it serendipity" he said and grinned at her.

Reminisce-(WR)

"Rose, do you re remember this bridge?" Jack asked. "Of course, how can I forget? This is where we met for the first time and you had proposed to me on this same bridge" Rose said and looked at him warmly. "Yes and do you remember how I had stammered all the way through the proposal? You had laughed so hard that day". "Yes and I felt it was so cute" Rose said and pinched his cheeks. "Hey!" Jack exclaimed and pulled her closer. "Jack stop it. People are staring at us" Rose said and blushed. "Oh let them stare all they want. I am just loving my wife" Jack said and kissed her on her forehead.

"Grandpa, come on its time to go home" little Peter said and tugged at Jack's hand. Jack suddenly woke up from his reverie and looked at his grandson. "Grandpa why are you crying?". "Nothing Peter, I just remembered your grandma". "Did you talk to her again? What did she say?" Peter asked enthusiastically. "Well she pinched my cheek" Jack said with a chuckle. Peter started giggling. Jack  took his grandson's hand and got up from the bench. Rose appeared on his side and started walking along with him, holding his other hand.

Quilt-(WR)

The big box slipped from Seema'a hand and fell on the floor, immediately raising a small cloud of dust. Seema sneezed a couple of times as a result of that and cursed under her breath. Why did I choose this day to clean the attic? she thought irritably. She got down from the stool and began checking the items in the box. There were some old photo frames, candle stands,some steel utensils, some ugly vases, apparently gifted on some occasion she thought.

Suddenly her hand found something soft at the bottom of the box. She pulled it out and saw that it was an old quilt. Suddenly she was transported to the time when she was a kid. She remembered those nimble hands stitching the quilt and those deep, kind eyes which always looked at her so lovingly. "Ajji *, what are you doing?" she had asked. "I am stitching a quilt for you Ammu". "But why?". "To keep you warm in winters" her grandmother had told."This quilt will always remind you of me when I am gone". Seema's eyes brimmed with tears as she remembered her. She smelt the quilt and caressed her cheek with it. I will never forget you Ajji she said softly.

(*Ajji-Grandmother in Kannada)

Purple-(WR)

"Ma I have brought something for you." Mira said and handed the package to her mother, Savita. "What is this Mira?" Savita asked. "Oh just open it Ma" Mira said excitedly. Savita smiled and opened the package. "This is a sari" Savita said in disbelief. "Yes Ma and it is your favorite color too, purple". "Mira is this some kind of a joke? You know I cannot wear colors right?" Savita asked in despair. "And who has made a rule like that? I know that you are still grieving Pa's death but that does not mean you should forget about living your life. You like purple, so wear it. Just think of it as  part of moving on with your life. Please Ma, wear it just once" Mira implored.

 "This will create a scandal Mira. What will people say?". "What has anybody got to do anything with what you choose to do Ma? Its your life and your choice, you don't have to care about others opinions. Let them talk what they want, I am here to support you" Mira said and held her mother's hand. Savita looked at her daughter and smiled through her tears.



(In many parts of India, when a husband dies the wife is turned into a widow and during that time she is not supposed to wear colorful clothes or jewelry. Some women also shave their heads and live their life like a celibate)

Omen-(WR)

"I told you to stop for few minutes but you didn't listen to me. Now look what happened" Nisha admonished her husband. "Oh come on Nisha. Do you think a black cat crossing our path would bring misfortune on us? That is ridiculous and its not like we died. It is just a small accident." Rajat said and got out of the car. He felt a throbbing pain in his head but he ignored it thinking that it was due to the impact. He had hit his head on the steering wheel pretty hard.He bent down and checked the dent on the front of the car. Just then a small crowd of people started to gather around the car. 

"Its OK folks. Its a minor accident. we are fine." Rajat said addressing the crowd. But nobody seemed to hear him and they didn't even look at him. The people were staring at the driver's seat. Rajat was curious and he peeped at the driver's seat and felt all color draining out of his face. He saw his and Nisha's body lying there, with their faces covered in blood.

Nostalgia-(WR)

The hostel mess was already crowded. Nita jostled past the chaos, trying hard not to drop her plate and luckily found a vacant chair to sit. She settled down and looked at her food plate. It consisted of 2 dry chapathis, watery dal and a curry made of an unidentifiable vegetable. The sight of it made her stomach queasy. She longed for home made food, but knew that she will not be able to get it till the semester holidays. 

She took one bite of that chapathi and frowned. "Do you want some chutney to go with it?" asked a small voice from her left. Nita looked at her, confused. "Hi I am Pavni. My room is next to yours." she said."Oh Hi, sorry I have seen you but did not remember. I would love to have that chutney" Nita said and smiled. Pavni served her a spoonful. Nita saw that it was mango chutney, her favorite. She spread it on her chapathi and ate it hungrily. The taste of it immediately made her nostalgic. It reminded her of the summer holidays spent lazing around the house and eating chapathi with that heavenly mango chutney prepared by her mother. She looked at Pavni and knew that she at last found a friend in that strange place called a hostel and they bonded over a spoonful of Mango chutney.

Memories-(WR)

He looked at the college reunion invitation one more time. It brought back an avalanche of memories. No matter how hard he tried to dismiss his thoughts, they kept going back to her. He still remembered her vividly, her big brown eyes, the mole on the side of her upper lip, her smile, the way she played with her hair when she was thinking, everything.

He remembered the times when they were madly in love with each other. He remembered the first awkward kiss, the promises, the shared dreams.

He also remembered the accident, the screech of the tires, the shattered glass and waking up in a hospital. The doctors had said that a side of his face has been irreparably damaged and there is very little that they could do about it. He still recalled the look of horror on her face when she first saw him like that. That one look had made him lose faith in love. He had not loved anybody like that again.

He tore the invitation card and threw it in the bin and buried back the memories which had resurfaced.

Lucky-(WR)

She was sitting on their bedroom floor. The blood had soaked a part of the expensive Persian rug and it was spreading fast. She was still holding  the heavy crystal vase in her hand with his blood stain at the bottom. 

She looked at her dead husband, lying in a pool of blood. She still loved him and he had loved her too, in his own way. She looked at the various bruises inflicted by him on her body. They were the testimonials of his love.

You are very lucky to have got a husband like him her parents had said. If only they knew she thought. She grabbed her cell phone and called the police.

Key to my heart-(WR)

"Shanta, have you seen my spectacles?" Ravi shouted from the bedroom. "How do you manage to misplace your spectacles every single time?" Shanta said and came into the room. She took one look at her husband and burst out laughing. "Why are you laughing? Whats so funny in me losing my glasses?" Ravi asked. Shanta came near him, removed the spectacles which were perched on his head and handed it to him. "Oh no" Ravi said sheepishly. "Just admit it that you are getting old now" Shanta said mockingly. "Hello! 65 is the new 45. I read it in a magazine. Moreover I look a lot younger than my age."

Shanta burst out laughing again and went inside the kitchen. "Also don't forget that there were so many beautiful girls who were ready to get married to me, but I chose only you" Ravi said and followed her. "Oh really? Why did you choose me then?" she asked. Ravi came near her and held her close to him and said "Because you were the only one who held a key to my heart or as the new generation puts it, the password to my heart" . "You have always been a charmer" Shanta said and pinched his cheek. They both laughed and hugged each other.

Jasmine-(WR)

The smell of Jasmine flowers always reminded her of him. It was his ritual. Everyday in the evening at exactly 5 PM, Sukanya would wash her face, wear a different sari, tie her hair in a bun, light the evening lamps and would wait for her husband to return from work. Everyday he would stop by the flower shop and would bring home those beautiful smelling Jasmine flowers wrapped in a banana leaf. The flowers were tied together using a thread. She would carefully wear them around her bun and fix it to her hair with the aid of U pins.

Later she would hand him a cup of strong filter coffee and they would sit in the verandah. He always regaled her with various stories from his office and she would laugh at them. 

But today, the colorful saris have been replaced by plain white ones. There was nobody to make her laugh or even talk to her. There was nobody to buy her flowers. She was a widow and she should spend her entire life as a celibate. A flower vendor passed by her house and she got a glimpse of those beautiful smelling Jasmine flowers . A lone tear escaped her eye as she remembered him. 

Introvert

“Solitude matters, and for some people, it's the air they breathe” 
― Susan Cain

I am an introvert and I am proud of it. I prefer to listen than talk. I prefer staying at home and reading a book in my free time rather than going to a party. I absolutely abhor small talk. This does not mean I am shy. It is just how my personality is. I am wired this way.  I may look serious but that does not mean I am not happy or something is bothering me.  I am tired of people asking me why I don’t talk or that I should be more outgoing and look more enthusiastic, because for them the only acceptable personality type is extrovertism.

People should realize that being an introvert is not a disease which can be cured. It is just the way we are. We recharge when we spend time alone.  There are many famous personalities in the world who were introverts but there work has influenced the world a lot. So we should change our notion that a person who is outgoing or who speaks well can only succeed.

Hugs for free :) (WR)

"Mumma I am hungry!" Neha shouted and came running into the kitchen. "Neha, how many times have I told you to keep your school bag in your room and not throw it on the floor" admonished her mother. "Oh Mumma I will do it later. Now give me something to eat" Neha pleaded. "OK but before that you should give me a tight hug" her mother said. Neha immediately hugged her mother as tight as possible with her little chubby hands. "Thank you sweet heart. I will prepare something for you" her mother said and got busy in preparing sandwiches.

 "Mumma why do you always want me to hug you?" Neha questioned. "Because it makes me happy" her mother said. "Does hugging make everybody happy?". "I guess so" her mother said. Neha thought for a while and suddenly exclaimed "Oh Mumma I have got a wonderful idea. Why don't we open a shop and distribute free hugs to everybody. Like that, everybody will become happy" . Her mother looked at Neha's innocent face and laughed. She hugged her tight, wishing to preserve her childhood innocence forever.

Gratitude

Today I am deflecting from my chosen category of writing stories and thought of writing about the things that I am really grateful for in my life. So here goes:

1. I am grateful for having such loving and supportive parents.
2. I am grateful for my husband. He is my support system and a pillar of strength.
3. I am grateful for my job.
4. I am grateful for my in laws, especially my father in law for taking interest in whatever I pursue and encouraging me to never give up.
5. I am grateful for all the comforts that I have in my life, which I so often take for granted.
6. I am grateful that I have a minimalist attitude and can differentiate between my wants and needs.
7. I am grateful for my friends who have been there with me through thick and thin.
8. Finally I am grateful that God has been very kind to me and showered his blessings when I was least expecting it, there by strengthening my belief in him

Fiasco-(WR)

The rice was charred and the vegetables were overcooked. The kitchen was a mess and Nisha sat in a corner with a dejected look. Rohan, her husband entered the kitchen and looked around. As soon as Nisha saw him, she broke down.  Rohan went and sat near her. “Oh Rohan, I am so sorry. I am such an idiot. I shouldn't have offered to cook today. Your parents would be here any minute and I don’t have anything to serve them” Nisha said through sobs.

“Please don’t cry Nisha, mistakes happen” Rohan said lovingly. “Mistake? This is a bloody fiasco Rohan. What do we do now?” she asked. Just then Rohan’s parents arrived and her mother in law entered the kitchen. “What is this Nisha? What happened?” she asked, concerned. “Mom I am so sorry. I have messed up everything. I am an amateur cook but as you were coming to our house for the first time, I had thought I would prepare lunch with my own hands but everything went horribly wrong” Nisha said. Her mother in law chuckled and beckoned Nisha to come near her.

“It’s OK love. At least you thought about making our visit special. That is enough for us. We know that our daughter in law loves us. What else do we need? Now who’s up for some pizzas and my home made pudding?” she asked with a smile. Nisha felt a sense of relief and gratitude pass through her and she hugged her mother in law.

Empower-(WR)

Little Kiran woke up to the sound of her parents shouting. She rubbed her eyes and walked towards their bedroom. She peeked through the door and saw her mother curled up in a corner and her father was holding a cane. Just as he raised his cane to hit her, his eyes fell on Kiran. 

Suddenly his demeanor changed. He dropped the cane and smiled at Kiran. He came near her and picked her up. "Why aren't you asleep sweety? Its already late and you have school tomorrow don't you?" he said and kissed her on her cheek. Kiran did not reply and looked at her mother. By now she had got up and was smiling too.But Kiran could see the bruises on her body and the tears in her eyes, which she was trying to hide. "Come on baby let me tell you a story. May be then you will get some sleep." her mother said and took her to her bedroom.

She tucked Kiran in and recited a story from her favorite book, about a Princess who fought the enemies and saved her kingdom. "Good night sweety, sleep tight" her mother said and kissed her on her forehead. "Mumma, why does daddy beat you?" Kiran asked. Her mother was speechless and just looked at her daughter's earnest eyes . "Why can't you be brave like the princess and hit daddy back?" she asked again. With that question, something stirred inside her. Is this what I am teaching my daughter? To be submissive and endure the pain? she thought guiltily. What if the same thing happens with my daughter? Would I want her to be like me and tolerate the injustice?

She wiped her tears and looked at her daughter. She held her hand and said "Mumma will be brave like the Princess, darling. I promise you that." she said with a new found courage.

The next day Kiran's father was arrested on the charges of domestic violence. 

(This post is dedicated to all the woman, who took a stand and fought back against their perpetrators. I salute them and hope that every woman in this country find their lost voice and stand up to what is right)

Depression-(WR)

D

She felt herself living inside a black hole. Nothing made sense anymore. She suffered with inexplicable sadness everyday. Some days she just felt like crawling back to bed and shut out everything. She had stopped calling her friends and family because, nobody understood her. 

They just dismissed it saying it will pass. Some even said that she was making all that up to garner attention. Her parents remarked that she had everything she ever wanted, she should feel lucky instead of feeling sad. Their comments made her start feeling guilty. 

Her performance had started getting affected at work. She lost her self confidence. One day her boss called her and told her that if her performance continued like this, he was afraid they would have to let her go. This was the last straw for her. She went home, took a container full of pills and slept, never to wake up again. 

(Depression is fast increasing among people today. Everyone should be made aware that depression is not something they made up in their head. It is an illness and with the proper treatment it can be cured. Some people are afraid to go to a psychiatrist because they are embarrassed.This is due to the lack of awareness among people regarding mental illness. Going to a psychiatrist does not mean you are crazy. It means you are brave enough to seek help)

Chaos-(WR)

C

Joe followed her towards the hotel room. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. OK this is it. I am going to confront her today Joe thought.

He stopped in front of her room and took a deep breath. He knocked at the door and waited. She opened the door to be greeted by her husband. "Hi Molly. Is this a bad time?" he asked with a cold voice. A sense of shock and dis belief passed through her.She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him in and closed the door.

"How did you find out I was staying here?" she asked in disbelief. "I followed you. For how many days did you think you could keep this from me Molly? By the way where is he?" "Where is who?" "Your lover with whom you are having an affair"

"I am not having any affair you idiot" Molly cried.
"Oh yeah then why did you  book a hotel room and why did you lie to me that you were going to London on a work emergency where as you are still here?"

"Because I was tired of the chaos at the house. It was like I was the sole go to person for everything, be it for the kids or for you. I was very stressed and I craved for a me time, which seemed next to impossible staying at home. So every month I make an excuse and come here to relax and do whatever I want" Molly said with tears brimming in her eyes.

Joe was shocked. "I hope you would be back home by evening" Joe said in a dejected voice, turned around and left.

Molly packed her things and returned home with guilt written all over her face. She was surprised to see nobody was around, not even the kids. She went upstairs to her bedroom and opened the door. What she saw made her stop in her tracks.

The whole room was lit up with candles. There was  soft music playing in the background. There was a comfortable looking arm chair at the corner with a stack of her favorite books on her side table. "I hope you liked it" Joe whispered in her ear. She turned around and looked at him, confused. "You don't have to go to a hotel to get the me time. I can arrange it for you at home every month. The kids are at their grandmothers and I will be out with my buddies. You can do whatever you like and nobody will be there to disturb you." Joe said and smiled lovingly at her.

"Oh Joe!" Molly exclaimed and hugged him.

Belong-(WR)

B

They were best friends. They shared everything with each other and understood each other like no one else. She thought it was love and he thought it was just friendship. Her world was shattered when he told her he loved someone else.   

He told that she was everything he wanted and he was going to propose marriage to her. The night before his wedding she called him to her apartment in the pretext of throwing a party for him. She poured some wine and made him drink. 

Suddenly he started feeling nauseous and sleepy. Before he surrendered to sleep, he saw her smiling manically and heard her say “You belong only with me”.

The next day the police found two bodies in the apartment, the man was wearing a tuxedo and the woman a wedding gown.