To Be or Not To Be... Attracted?!

HIS...

He was quite angry. He was furious. after he had done all the hard work, made the damn presentation, then why, at the last minute, she was assigned to 'tag along' with him? look at the presentation from a third perspective.OK, fine... she was an MBA, she had the degree but she was a fresh pass-out. She obviously can't compete with his 5 years of hands-on experience of working in this field. he had slogged it out. he had all the ideas. he had spent hours with the moronic client trying to figure what they want, what they needs it was his project. It was his baby. And now some MBA was coming to see the presentation and give her inputs because she had the degree! Bah!! he broke the pencil he was fiddling with. he picked up his glass of water and drank it in one go. he glanced at the presentation again and shut down his laptop. he picked up his coat and went out for a smoke. he had to clear his head. tomorrow was an important day. as he released the bitter smoke out in a prefect ring, he thought about the client's daughter. he had never met her but had spoken to her. what a voice! he smiled. going by the way the mother looked the daughter had to be a beauty and didn't she flirt with him a little when they had spoken to fix an appointment today. he tried to remember the conversation. she most certainly had! her throaty laughter rang in his ears again. he put out the cigarette and went back inside. someone was waiting for him. she had his back towards the door but he knew it was her. she was dressed in a formal black trouser and white shirt. her hair was tied in a tight ponytail. he cleared his throat and she turned back and smiled. she seemed a little nervous. she had a baby-like face, round with big eyes lined with kajal. he went up to her and held his hand out. she took it shyly and smiled again. he thought that maybe she wont be so bad. after making small talk they looked at the presentation, together. he ran her through. she observed quietly. afterwards she gave some suggestions and he was quite surprised at first that this young female had some insightful comments to make. As they finished the presentation, she got a call. she excused herself and left. he saw her retreating back and felt a twinge inside...of what, he did not know. he just didn't want her to leave yet. he glanced out the window thinking about a strand of hair kept falling on her eyes and smiled to himself. women! the next day, as he was getting ready for the presentation he saw her coming. she had dressed up in a traditional salwar kameez today. she looked quite pretty, he thought for a moment. but then he got busy with making the final touches on the presentation. as they sat waiting, she whispered 'all the best' to him and smiled. he smiled back. as the client and his entourage entered he looked for the daughter. when she entered, he couldn't help but smile. she was short, tiny with a disproportionate head. clearly beauty skipped a generation. he looked sideways at her sitting beside him and thought once again, 'not bad, not bad at all.'

HERS...


she had got a call in the morning only. she was supposed to go and assist the manager...give fresh eyes to the project he had been working on single-handily for the past couple of months. she was scared. she had heard things about him. he was a workaholic and especially protective about this particular project. she cursed her immediate boss. on one hand it was a prestigious task but on the other, what difference could she make? she had just joined six months back and he had been working for more than 5 years! obviously he knows best. she had even refused to go, but his boss had heard nothing. she had to go tomorrow. she braced herself and called her boyfriend. as usual he had nothing to offer. she had just started dating him and agreed he was cute but he was also pretty dumb. he always agreed to everything she said and recently it had started getting on her nerves. she sighed. he is a nice guy. he loves me. and then another thought came into her mind, he can't talk! she immediately felt guilty for thinking bad about him and said to herself, 'he will change. i will change him.' right now, more pressing matters were at hand. she decided to wear a formal black trousers and white shirt. this outfit makes her look older. maybe that would help her tomorrow. she got up early, got dressed and went to the head office. his office was empty. she decided to wait. after sometime, someone cleared his throat. she turned around and saw him standing there. he was tall and handsome, not in the conventional way. there was something about him that she felt drawn towards him. she smiled. she was nervous, more so after seeing him. she prayed that she doesn't start blushing like an idiot. she came forward and shook his hand. she could feel the butterflies flapping in her stomach. was it because of the task at hand or because of his proximity, she didn't know. she took a deep breath and they sat down to work. she had decided that she would not interrupt him but rather would give her opinions at the end. she didn't want to anger him. the presentation was quite impressive but she gave some suggestions. he looked at her and seemed impressed. she was about to say something when her phone rang, it was her boyfriend. she excused herself and went out to take the call. he always called at the wrong time, she thought. she looked back. she could see him from the glass doors. he was looking out the window. she wanted to go back but do what? say what? she decided against it and went home. the next day, she decided to wear something Indian. she wanted to look pretty. why? she didn't know. she just did. she dressed up quickly and went to meet him. he looked up at her. did she sense admiration? she couldn't tell. she could sense his nervousness and a little bit of anticipation though. she whispered 'all the best' and smiled. he smiled back. the client and his entourage entered. she saw him looking at the client's daughter intensely and then smile to himself. she didn't know what to make of it... but she did know one thing, she was drawn to him...very drawn. And she was confused... very much so.

To be Continued...

Har Har Mahadev = Every one is a God of Gods!

I have just finished reading the book, The Immortals of Meluha and I am fascinated... fascinated with the writer's, who is known as Amish (just Amish, no surname like superman or batman!) attempt at demystifying the myths of Ram, Shiva and Brahma (the trinity). The novel, the first in the Shiva trilogy, is about a man - Shiva. Point to be noted here is that he is not portrayed as a god but a man. An extraordinary man, but a human nonetheless who also makes mistakes, who has doubts, who has fears and who is sceptical of the responsibility that befalls him. The novel details his journey from the Mansarovar Lake, where he lives with his tribe, to the empire called Meluha. Meluha is depicted as a near perfect society that was established by the greatest king of all times, Lord Ram. Now again, Ram is portrayed as an extraordinary human being who with his deeds has eventually come to be looked upon as a god. He is not considered as a re-incarnation of God Vishnu. Now Meluha is the land of the Suryavanshis and they have a Utopian society. The laws and the rules laid down by Lord Ram are considered above and beyond everyone and everything else. Each and every citizen of this land follows their thousand-year-old laws religiously, diligently and without question. The Suryavanshi society has no room for the individual; it is all about loving your country and working towards the growth of the society as a whole . It is a society that follows restraint. There is no room for opulence and excess. Whatever they have is equally distributed among the rich and the poor. When Shiva arrives in this land of law-abiding citizens, he is naturally impressed. however, there are certain laws that he doesn't agree with such as the Vikarma system (a refined form of untouchability. the Vikarma people are not touched but they are not shudras, they belong to all castes. they are labelled as Vikarma because of some huge adversity they face which is seen as a result of their past deeds!) all said and done, this land is different from his war-enraged country and he is happy to settle in Meluha and spend the rest of his days. What he doesn't know that there is a motive behind his welcome to Meluha which is revealed pretty soon. He is termed as the neelkanth and is revered as a messiah who will save the Suryavanshis from the corrupt chandravanshis. At first, Shiva is sceptical of the task that is being assigned to him, the faith that the people put in him (irrespective of his ability), and that is due to some demons in his past. But he soon rises to the occasion and leads an attack on the evil chandravanshis. But, as soon as the war is over and he lands in Chandravanshi Empire, he realises that the chandravanshi are not evil, they are just different. Chandravanshis give more importance to an individual growth. They don't have age-old laws. They are a passionate society. They have grandeur. There is a strict demarcation between the rich and the poor. As Shiva sees this society he sees some good here as well (like the fact they have preserved the temple dedicated to the suryanvanshi's ram. incidentally Ayodhya, the birth place of ram is the capital city of chandravanshi Swadeep.) He is guilt-stricken of the war that he has raged that killed thousands. And it is with this dilemma between the good and the evil, that the novel ends.

I picked up the novel because I was intrigued with the basic concept of the demystification of the ancient Indian myths. Ram, Shiva and Brahma are depicted as very talented men and NOT Gods. Ram was a just, kind and a far-sighted emperor (preserver); Shiva is a skilled warrior and strategist (Destroyer); and Brahma was an exceptional scientist (creator). The characters also link the story to the myths and thus help in demystification... the wife of Shiva is a princess called Sati, Shiva's trusted aide is Nandi (remember Nandi the Bull) and so on and so forth. There are other basic concepts that interested me especially the concept of 'Har Har Mahadev.' in the novel, Shiva is seen by the populace of Meluha as a Mahadev (God of Gods). During the final war, Shiva uses the war cry of Har Har Mahadev and he (Shiva and by extension the writer) translates it as 'Every one of us is a God of Gods.' this cry created a vigour in the soldiers and gave them an energy to fight with all that they have. I don't know how Shiva bakhts would take it as but I was simply amazed at the simplicity of the deduction! And for me Har Har Mahadev would always mean that every one is a god!

Another concept that really created an impact on me was that of the oxidation theory. In the novel, the suryavanshis are very healthy human race who have a very long life. This is attributed to the Somras. Now, somras is no amrit. It is a scientific concoction that is created by Lord Brahma (who is NOT a god but a mortal) somras is an anti-oxidation agent. The oxidation theory of the Meluhans goes something like this - they believe that oxygen is not only a giver of life but destroyer of it as well. Oxygen, when it converts food into energy, releases some oxidants that erode the body from the inside. The same way oxygen rusts the iron, it rots the body too. The body knows it and that is why it doesn’t store any oxygen for future use. for example, it stores some amount of food and water and that is why when we don’t have any food or water for some days we don’t die but even if don’t have oxygen for some minutes we can die. Amish uses this example to corroborate the theory that first, oxygen is harmful too; and second that the body knows about it. Apparently this theory has been proved by some scientists somewhere also. Now, to counter the harmful effects of oxygen and oxidants, the scientists led by Brahma had devised the anti-oxidant somras that helps the meluhans release the oxidants and remain young for a long time! Impressive, isn’t it?

the love story and eventual marriage of Shiva and sati, the ever-existing war between good and evil, the existence of duality in nature, past lives, legends, myths, Shiva and his weaknesses, the Natraj pose, the belief in Parmatma (one single unisex god) etc etc... I loved reading it all. This book is that rare combination that is a gripping read and also makes you think after you have put it down. (And also makes you write about it!)

The basic premise of the novel is that every coin has two sides. Shiva only realised it at the end of the first part of the trilogy that Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis are two sides of the coin. For both, the other one is evil. He landed up in Meluha and that is why his judgement was coloured by the Suryanvanshi thought. If Chandravanshis had found him, he would have believed them to be right and the Suryavanshi to be wrong. Both the empires were waiting for the Neelkanth to save them from the respective other. Shiva realised too late that what is different is not necessarily evil. If you don't understand something that doesn't mean it is wrong. (Something that I had also written about sometime back ;))

I am eagerly waiting for the next instalment of the series. Till then, Har Har Mahadev!

P.S. - there is also something about the Nagas. They are some deformed creatures considered evil. But I have a gut feeling they would have a major role to play in the coming series... and maybe they are not that bad after all. Watsay, Amish? ;) Only time will tell.

The Sun, The walk and The Lech!

She was walking on the beach looking at the setting sun…That’s when she noticed him staring at her with a lecherous smile. She started playing with her mangalsutra that had previously hidden inside her kurti. He looked away and started undressing someone else with his eyes. She smiled to herself and continued with her stroll.

The Mystery

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 17; the seventeenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Men through all ages and centuries, since the time of the ever-so-elusive Cleopatra, have been trying to solve THE MYSTERY of the enigma that is a woman. Who is she? What does she feel? What does she mean when she says this or when she says  that? There are many theories floating in the air... some of them are true and many of them are false.

A woman is a mother, she will love you like one, she might also trouble you and demand pampering like a daughter, she will sometimes take care of you like a girlfriend, understand you like a friend, support you like a wife and look up to you like a sister, she can be a force to be reckoned with when angered... she is all that and much more.


Women are very complex creatures and I have taken it upon myself this mammoth responsibility of unravelling the mystery of the woman, (what does a woman want her man to know!), so here goes nothing...

• First and foremost, women love pampering. However much they deny it, but the bottom line is that they love it. Period.
• All women want their respective man to be self-sufficient. Someone who they can take home to meet their family and proudly introduce as 'the one'.
• However career-oriented a woman might be, she will still want her man to take care of her and provide for all the basic necessities, that is roti, kapda and makaan. But that doesn't mean she can't take care of herself. She can and she also likes to contribute some percentage. So let her.
• Their career is as important for them as yours is for you. Belittling it will take you nowhere, if you know what I mean!
• Women love shopping. We can’t explain it but we have to buy that expensive pair of shoes even if we never wear them. Most of the times, there is no logic behind shopping and we want you, the men, to understand that and stop questioning the reason for spending so much on a pair of sunglasses!
• When we say 'Fine!'... We and/or things are obviously anything but fine... and when we say, nothing, there is always something! Giving up on asking what's that matter is not an option. Not a good option anyway.
• Sometimes, just sometimes, we want you to understand what we want to say without our actually saying it.
• Women might get attracted towards your bad-boy image, but that is only because they believe they can change that into a good-boy one!
• Women are emotional. Very very emotional. They think from their heart and in the process get hurt often. They want you to be the one who will never hurt them.
• Keep the criticism to the minimum... about our cooking skills (we are not competing with your mom’s cooking!), our driving (we hate it when you comment about the way we drive!), our electrical or electronic skills et al.
• Women hate being treated like a child. (We don't mind being pampered like one though!) So, if you have to explain something, do it like an adult. Don’t think that if we don't understand something in the first time, we never will.
• STOP LYING. Stop lying to avoid confrontations, stop lying for our benefit. Just stop lying. Don’t challenge our intelligence by making statements like that you lie for our (women's) own good. The saying - 'truth always comes out' is true. We will ultimately find out about all the lies. It might take hours, days, or maybe even years but we will find out and then you have had it. So, stop lying! (Omitting details and hiding the facts also constitute as lying. stop doing that too.)
• Ignoring a problem will not make it go away. Talking helps. All women believe that.
• If you keep us happy, it will show... in the kitchen and in the bedroom. ;)
• Small surprises go a long way.
• Mood swings don't happen only during 'that' time of the month... it can happen anytime, anywhere. As soon as you learn to identify them, the better it would be for you. And it would help to agree with her during those times. If she says it is hot, it is hot. Is she says it is cold, it is cold.
• When we ask how your day went. Fine is not the answer we expect or are looking for. Asking the aforementioned question is a way of us trying to be a part of your life.
• When we ask about your past… we want to know all the gory details. Not because we are sadists, but because we don’t repeat them. (and also to get an idea whether it is even worth it to invest our time and energy in you)
• We also need our girls' night out... where we don't only talk about you guys.
• We gossip. We bitch. We drink. We also abuse. Get over it!
• When we say yes, we mean maybe. When we say no, we mean maybe. When we say maybe, we mean No. and we want you to understand what we mean. (why? well... we are just programmed like that! :P )
• Women like being chased. Not stalked, but wooed. And crappy and cheesy lines are an absolute no-no. Put some thought into it.
• Looks are not as important as they are for men but that doesn't mean we are blind and have no sense of smell. A well-kept man is always attractive. 
• We know all of you are going the metro sexual way but no woman would like her man to frequent the parlour more than her! Follow basic hygiene and that is enough.
• Manners. Etiquette. Chivalry. If you have not heard of them, then STAY AWAY! Vulgarity and cheapness is meant for boys' night out. Keep it there only.
• We speculate so don't give us reasons to indulge in speculations. The sooner you understand that the longer the relationship would last.
• Men don't remember dates, women do. We will remind you as long as you make it special. And god save you if you forget even after all the reminders.
• If you are not good at flirting, go get good before approaching us.
• Make the foreplay interesting and we will make the rest of your night ;)
• We get jealous. Very very jealous. So maintain distance with the fairer sex. One arm can constitute as appropriate distance. (and mingling with exes is fine as long as we are in the picture. Nothing behind our backs!)
• If we are silent, then go through every conversation we have had in the near past to figure out what have you done wrong.
• Never, ever forget our birthdays. NEVER.
• Helping around the house doesn't make you weak, it makes you very strong… in our eyes.
• There is a fine line between being cutely jealous and being obsessively possessive. Do the former and avoid the latter. Don’t cross that line. 
• When we talk, listen. There is a difference between hearing and listening. We know when you are faking it.
• We remember not only important dates and events but also every conversation we have had with you. So you are better off not using any old argument for your sake.
• A woman wants commitment…not inking-our-names-on-your-body kinds but a promise that she is and will be the most important person in your life...
• We understand (sometimes) that you can’t contain your emotions and you have to look at every other girl but can you please not make it that obvious?
• We might not be the most beautiful girl you know, but we DO NOT like to hear it.
• Pulling our leg in a cute way is acceptable but making fun of us in front of your friends and family (even if they are our friends too) is not.
• Diamonds are a girl’s best friend… chocolates, shoes, bags, dresses, perfumes, make-up are our other close friends!
• Your ex might have some good qualities but for us she will always be a b****. We don’t want to hear her praises again and again (or even once for that matter).
• Taking us out for shopping is the best medicine to cheer us up – ALMOST ALWAYS!
• Don’t expect us to be dolled up all the time with manicured hands and perfect hairstyle… that takes a LOT of time and effort. We are not movie starts and we like being lazy too.
• When we take hours to dress up for our better half, that is you, we expect a better response than 'you look good.' or 'are you done yet?'

Well, this might be the tip of the iceberg… while writing the post, I realized that if men knew everything about women, then the fun would be lost, right? So, I stop here… let the men enjoy unravelling the mystery of their women by themselves :)

Do drop in a comment and let me know what you think and also if you want to add to the list :)

P.S. - before anyone bites my head off, let me add a disclaimer - exceptions are always there. And if you are, good for you! :P

P.P.S - the list has been compiled with great help from my very dear friend KAMNA ;)

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

His & Hers... 55 fiction style!

I have actually got addicted to writing 55 fiction... And i love writing His and Hers series! So, i decided to mix the two and write His and Hers series in 55 fiction format... here are couple of attempts -

His 'Wedding'...

He never thought that this day would finally come. The day when she will be only his. She was sitting next to him in all bridal finery, looking into the sacred fire. He lifted the mangalsutra and put it around her neck. Everyone cheered and he smiled proudly. Finally his dream had come true.

... Her 'Compromise'

She sat there unmoving, all decked up. She stared into the fire, unblinking. She felt helpless and weak but she knew she couldn’t do anything. It was too late now. As he put the mangalsutra around her neck, she felt as if the noose had finally tightened. Everyone cheered as she shed silent tears. 

* * * * * * * * *

Surprise!

Today was her birthday. He was out of town for a conference and would be back only next week. She waited for his call at midnight that never came. She cried herself to sleep. When she woke up, there was a jewellery case by her side. She smiled as he brought her breakfast in bed.

He excused himself and rushed to the airport. His flight was at 11:45pm. As he sat in the aircraft, he looked at the jewellery case in his hand. He would have to take another flight, day after tomorrow, to come back and attend the last session of the conference. Her smile was worth it all.

What Men Want!

"You are reading one of the winning entries of BlogAdda's - What Men Want! contest"

What Women Want... People (by people I mean Men) have wondered about this topic since eternity, movies have even been made on it... remember that one staring Mel Gibson... anyway, what about Men? have we, women, ever wondered what men want? maybe occasionally, once or twice, when we have been unfortunate in dating that ever-so-reclusive guy who wouldn't admit what does he really want! most of the time, women just keep wandering aimlessly, analyzing the male species' every move to figure out what he actually wants from us? does he want us to make the first move? does he want us to appear shy? does he like to chase us? what does he want us to do?!

Most of the times, i believe men are also clueless about what they actually want! In my 25 years on Earth, I have realized that men are pretty simple creatures, basically they are babies, who want the basics from life... here is what I have observed men want us to know - 

• When they are young, I mean when men were boys, all of them either want to be in the army or become a pilot.
• They eventually want to start a business. no matter how much money they make in their respective careers, men want to slog only for themselves...someday.
• every man, once in his lifetime after working for n number of years, thinks about marrying a rich girl and becoming a house husband!
• men, sometimes, wish they were born as a woman!!
• they fantasize... about, you know... a lot. every other minute or so...
• they want to date the hottest girl in town but would want to marry the one who can cook! 
• all of them are mama's boys... forever. the sooner you accept it, the happier you'll be. never, and i mean never ever, come between a man and his mother. she is and will always be the first woman in his life.
• they don't want to have deep conversations about where the relationship is going. if they are with you, it is going someplace... that someplace could change with time.
• when they come home from work, they want some peace and quiet for at least ten minutes. 
• When they say yes, they mean yes. when they say no, they mean no. they want you to understand that and not analyze their every word.
• Men would tell you they want women to make the first move... they don't. winning over a woman gives them a high! (rolling eyes!)
• they don't speculate, neither do they want you, yes you girls, to speculate. they want you to let the relationship take its own course and not dissect every move they make and every word they say.
• All men lie. it could be white lies, big ones or small fibs. they do, everyone of them. and they believe and want you to believe that they do it for your own good.
• Men, whatever they might say, like to chase the woman of their dreams... but only till that time they deem fit. if it goes on for too long, they lose interest. if it is too short, they don't get the sense of achievement.
• They want to give you a surprise for your birthdays and anniversaries but a little help from your side about what you would want to do would really help them.
• Men don't remember dates. they will not remember the first time you looked at each other, the first time you touched or the first time you fought. if you want them to remember, remind them.
• And now borrowing from a movie, "He is just not that into you." if they take your number and don't call you, they want you to understand, well... they are not just that into you. calling them back, making them remember who you are will not work.
• some of them would do and say anything, and i mean anything, to get you into bed. and after that they would also want you to forgive them as well.
• they can sense when you are emotionally vulnerable... and sadly some of them prey on those vulnerable ones.
• Men want space. they don't want to tell you what they did every second of the day. neither do they want to know what you ate for lunch and how many bites you had.
• They want you to know that if they are watching TV, playing video games, watching sports and you are talking, even though they will say that they are listening but they obviously are not.
• Men are slobs. they don't want you to tidy up after them. if they leave everything on the table, let it be on the table. it makes it easier to find their stuff without the hassle of getting into drawers and cupboards.
• Men need and want their Boys' Night out where they can drink and just forget about everything else.
• they don't want you to interpret their silence. when they are ready, they will tell you. 
• All men want to be good at flirting. some of them are, most of them are not.
• They don't get hints, not direct hints not subtle hints, neither can they read your mind. they want you to tell them in clear words what do you actually want them to do.
• Men have never and never will ask for directions. even if their life depended on it. they just want you to accept that.
• if something is bothering you, tell them. they don't want to play the guessing game. 
• Men, most of them, hate shopping unless it is for gadgets or for them or gadgets for them. 
• They want you to know that if they are with you and look at another woman, that doesn't mean they don't love you. they are just programmed like that. they have to have to look!
• Men love their cars, especially their first car and no matter how much more he loves you, you will not be allowed to drive it... for a long long time.
• Men forget... not only anniversaries and birthdays or to tell you about important conversation they had with your parents, they forget bad ugly fights too!
• Men, unlike women, are not very big fans of foreplay and the cuddles that come after... they are more interested in what happens between those two!
• Men gossip... they will never accept it but they do.
• Men don't like to talk about their past nor do they want to know about yours in excruciating detail. just a number of how many men you dated before him would do.Let it be like that.
• Men also get jealous... they just don't want to show it to you and scare you off.

These are some of the things that i think Men want us, the weaker sex (Ha!) to know...

If you know more, you are welcome to leave a comment and add to this list ;)

And if i think of more, i will update it as well!

happy reading...

P.S. This is written in jest. Men, take it with a pinch of salt!

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55 Fiction!

Some of my attempts at writing 55 fiction... what do you think? Nice? not nice? Should I continue with it or stop torturing you people! ;)

ABUSE!
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her battered and bruised reflection stared back at her, unsmiling. He had hit her… again. He had apologized… again. She had forgiven him… yet again. She applied make up to hide the discoloration and smiled tightly as her eyes welled up and a tear fell down… yet again.

* * * * *

SHE SAT ALONE!
She was sitting alone in her dark room. She was hungry and scared. Outside her parents were fighting again. She heard the distinct sound of a slap followed by the sobs of her mother. Her stomach grumbled again. She drank a glass of water and put on her headphones to drown out the screams.

* * * * *


INFIDELITY! 
She picked up the frame which had a picture of them taken on their honeymoon. A tear fell on the happy smiling couple. She put the frame back on the table along with her mangalsutra, picked up her suitcase and left without looking back…leaving behind a note. ‘I told you I would never tolerate cheating.’

* * * * *

I would also like to know what would you have done if you were in these women's shoes...

If you had been slapped by your 'better half'? What would you have done? Suffered silently or slapped him right back?

What if you were fighting with your husband / wife, and you saw your little girl watching you with tear-filled eyes? Would you stop for her sake?


What if you found out your husband cheated on you? Would you forgive him? give him another chance? Or would you, like this woman, have the courage to leave him?

His & Hers (III)

Continuing with the His & Hers series...

The idea for this post came when I was in the parlour (all the girls and some of the boys would understand that it is not all massages and pampering!). To divert my mind from the pain being inflicted on my poor eyebrows, I started thinking about my two friends who had gone to see the latest release - The social network... and this story just formed in my head!

Here goes (I hope you like it)

His...
Finally, the day had come. He was going to meet her at last. so much planning and research had gone to make sure this meeting happens. on his way to the restaurant he was thinking of that day, some six months before, when he had first seen her. It was on Facebook. She was smiling at him from a friend's friend's picture. Tall, voluptuous, good-looking, with a strand of hair falling over her one eye. her hand stopped in mid-motion of putting the alleged hair back in it's place. one look at her round face, her full lips, her dark eyes and he knew, he had to meet her. he scrolled down to see if the picture was tagged. obviously it was! he clicked on her tag. obviously her profile was locked. These girls!! but at least he had her name. he searched the friend's profile where he had seen her picture. looking at posts after post. finally he saw, she had mentioned the address of her blog, urging the friend to read and comment. he clicked on the blog link. read it... all the posts in one go! now, he knew all about her. 'how can i contact her without seeming desperate?' email id... for feedback. Bingo! He sent her a mail from a fake id. she replied asking him who he was. he smiled, now, thinking how then he had claimed he had meant to send it to someone else with a similar sounding id. honest mistake. she had mailed back saying it's fine but he should take care in the future. he had then replied by saying that he wont bother her again but how it is fate that he sent it to her. he apologized again and told her he'll never mail her again. gentleman's promise. He smiled thinking about it now, 'fate'... such a small word but such a big impact it had had on her. after all he had read her blog. he knew what all she believed in. and as expected she had mailed him back and that's how the correspondence began. and now six months have passed and finally he would meet her. all the hard work of the past months would finally bear fruits. the lying and pretending would end...finally! he was tired of behaving like the guy she would be interested in. only today! last day! That beautiful face and body would be in his arms... just a matter of hours! he had already selected his next target. after he is done with her, he'll move on to her. he smiled slyly.

Hers...
Finally, the day had come. She was going to meet him at last. She smiled thinking about how they had met. how romantic it was. he had sent her a mail accidentally. such an honest mistake. at first she had thought that was what it is. just a mistake. then in the next mail, what he had sent had made her realize, it was anything but... 'fate' such a powerful term. she was big believer in fate and destiny. she had even written a post on it. it was indeed fate that he mailed her. and the innocence with which he had apologized and the sincerity he had shown had won her over. unlike other members of his sex, he had not asked to take the correspondence forward. he had not shown any interest in her. that's what touched her. she had always had men falling around her but for once she wanted someone to see her... what she was inside... rather than her beauty. she had mailed him back telling her about her similar beliefs in destiny and that's how the conversation started. they had so much in common... without even meeting him, she knew he was the one for her. and now six months later, they were going to see each other for the first time. she let out a nervous giggle. She had suggested that they exchange pictures to identify one another but he had refused, he is different from other men. Finally she had met someone who loves her mind and not her body. she smiled shyly.

P.S. this is a fictional account. resemblance with any person or situation is co-incidental! ;)

P.P.S. - People take care and be safe!

His & Hers (II)

I am planning to make His & Hers into a series... this series will be a section of short stories where sometimes conflicting and sometimes agreeable emotions of both the sexes would be visible... sometimes he and she will fall in love and sometimes the love story would end in tragedy, you never know... keep reading and keep commenting! :)

His...
He was waiting at the Metro station. He looked at the watch again. 9am. She would be coming in at any second. He looked towards the gates and she was there. She was wearing a baby pink salwar kameez today. the flimsy dupatta was flapping in the air and so was her waist-length hair. she was looking beautiful.. He looked at her and smiled. She was on the phone, as usual. She ignored him and walked past him towards the metro train that had stopped at the station. she went inside and stood by the gate, still whispering on the phone. He also got inside and stood at a distance away from her, but he could still see her when she started playing with a strand of hair... absentmindedly or when she started laughing at something the person on the other side of the line must have said. He kept staring at her when the train passed underground and the signal went dead. He kept staring when she looked at the phone, disappointed. He kept looking at her when she put the phone in her bag and stared out the window. He kept looking when she started chewing on her lips, lost in thought. He kept staring when she suddenly smiled, maybe thinking something someone had said long back. He kept looking when she walked past him once more to get off the coach. he also got down and followed her, at a distance. She suddenly turned around. He stopped short. He forgot to breathe. she was looking straight at him. he could see her oval face, her kohl-lined eyes, the tiny bindi on her forehead. she smiled, looked down, turned around and walked back... out the gates and out the metro station. This had never happened before. She had never ever smiled looking at him...not in the last seven months that he had first seen her. he never thought she would notice him, ever! He felt happy. A warm feeling filled him and he turned around and crossed over to the other side with a big smile. Her face as she had smiled and then looked down shyly swam in front of her eyes. he went back to the Metro station where both of them had started this journey. he would come back again at 5:30pm to go to that station where he left her this morning, so that they can come back together. This was his routine. these metro rides had become the highlight of his days. what does it matter that he had been getting late to work for the last seven months. what does it matter that his boss had threatened to fire him if he didn't pull up his socks. All that mattered was that she had turned back... and she had smiled. that's all that matters.

Hers...
She went into the metro station. how she hated these long rides to work. the only thing that made it worthwhile was his phone call. she was talking to him as she entered the gates. she saw the metro train just pulling in. she thanked God and walked in. He was making plans of meeting in the evening. She had dressed up because he was going to introduce her to his mother. big day today. Everything has to be perfect. She had worn pink. his mother's favourite colour. she was hoping his mother would like her. he was comforting her and suddenly he stopped talking. she looked at the phone. the signal had gone dead.She put it in her bag and looked outside. she was nervous. She had such plans of their future. And then she remember how he had started calling her his wife. she smiled. her station came and she got down... lost in her own thoughts. she was walking towards the gate when she thought she saw him. she turned back and looked at him. he was as tall as him but... no, he was someone else. she smiled at her foolishness. how can he be here... he is at work. on the other side of the city. she looked down and walked out of the gate. She will not come back here in the evening and maybe, if everything goes right she would never have to come here ever again. she took out her phone from the bag and called him and smiled as he called her his wife again.

... Yes, this is love!

She was sitting in the car, all alone. The radio was playing some old Hindi classics. it was raining heavily outside. she opened the window and put her hand out, feeling the raindrops on her palm and arm. her favourite song came. she started humming along. the other door opened suddenly and she got scared. he came and sat inside quickly. He was drenched completely. he handed her the cup of tea she had wanted desperately. she looked up at him and smiled. his face contoured into a weird shape and he sneezed! she started laughing and realized... yes, this is love.
--------

She was at home. it was late. she looked at the watch for the nth time. it was almost ten. she looked at her phone as if willing it to ring. it didn't. she started flipping channels. she was not feeling well so he had asked her not to cook tonight, he would have dinner at work and would get something for her as well. the bell rang and she ran to open it. his bag was lying there. she saw him walking towards the gate to close it. she hurriedly looked through his bag, she was hungry. nothing. he forgot! she got upset and sat down on the couch. he came inside and she saw he was carrying a pizza box. he still remembered she loved pizzas, she jumped into his arms and realized... yes, this is love.
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She hung up on him. she wanted to go out and have dinner but he had some meeting and will get late from work... again. she was getting bored sitting at home all alone. she cooked dinner and sat down waiting for him. at last, the bell rang. she went and opened the door. he was smiling. he took her hand and guided her to the car. he opened the door, she saw the red rose lying on the passenger side. she took the rose and smiled. he asked her to sit in the car and wait. he rushed inside and came back with a box with the dinner she had cooked. she looked at him, confused. he started the car and said, let's go out. she realized... yes, this is love.
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P.S. i would keep adding on to it... and everyone is welcome to comment and add a snippet... it could be from a male or a female point of view... true or fiction... :) happy reading and happy writing!

His & Hers

HIS...
He picked up the ring from the platter. The people were laughing and cheering. His friends were pulling his leg, his cousins were teasing him endlessly. Music was playing in the background. People were dancing. a celebratory mood was all around. But he could not hear anything, he could only hear his heart beat... too loud. can everyone else hear it too? guess not. he looked down at the diamond ring in his hand and then at the woman standing in front of her... smiling coyly. she was looking resplendent in pink. he looked into her eyes, big, brown and beautiful but those were not the eyes he wanted to look into while falling asleep. he looked at the lips, full and pink but they were not the lips he wanted to kiss forever. he looked at the fingers, long, slender and perfectly manicured, but they were not the same he had once placed a humble silver band on. His mother egged him on and he slipped the big diamond ring on her ring finger amidst claps and smiles and laughter. no one noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes except her, standing by the door. no one noticed that plain looking girl standing all alone. No one noticed the silent tear that trickled down from her black kohl-rimmed eyes. No one noticed her small lips quivering. no one noticed as she took out the silver band from her short ink stained finger and place it on the table. no one saw her as she left except him, standing on the stage. For him, this was just the beginning of a life full of compromises.

HERS...
The music was too loud. she couldn't make out what song was playing. she was too engrossed in listening to her own thoughts. She was looking at him as he picked up the ring. It was big. she looked at him and smiled. a shyness crept over her. she saw him looking at her eyes. Can he also see in her dark eyes the dreams of their future? can he also see them like she had... of them being together and happy? she could feel him looking at her lips. is he wishing to place his on hers? she could feel her cheeks reddening. she saw him looking at her fingers. is he admiring the fairness of her complexion? he took her hands in his. an electric current ran through her spine at his touch. he placed the ring on her finger. she looked up at him. he was looking into the distance and smiling. looking at their happy future surely. they will be happy, yes, they will. she smiled and allowed herself to be hugged by friends and family. For her, this was just the beginning of a dream-filled life.

Entangled in this world wide web!

Today I received a mail from one of my very dear friends... she is in Delhi and I am here in Kovalam. We never get a chance to speak as she is busy with her work and I am trying to get busy through working-from-home. we generally exchange quick mails telling each other how our days are going after we both got married. So, today she sent me a forward mail about graphs and I realized how true these graphs were -

 This is very true for me, especially in XIth and XIIth. I never knew anything!! College was another ball game altogether. i was actually good, studying my favourite subject helped a lot!!

 Again... so true!! at least for me! Most of the time, i have to listen to a song quite a few times and after filtering out the yeahs, the oohs and the babys, I can finally make out what the singer is actually trying to convey which is either stupid, childish or nothing at all!

 Okay, this was freaky... this is so true. I belong to the majority who keep staring at the toaster and then get scared when the toast finally pops out!

But it was the next graph that completely zapped me!

How true is this?? facebook, skype, the-now-dead-orkut, twitter, youtube, myspace, blogs, gtalks, yahoo messengers and many other such social networking sites i don't know about... how we have become entangled in this world wide web that it has become so much easier for us to convey what we feel through this medium. i am in touch with my cousins and most of my friends through gtalk, even my mother has joined facebook so that she can stay connected with me! we share thoughts, pictures and basically every small detail of our life through the Internet. but is there something wrong with this? i don't know...sometimes i think there is... instead of going out and playing in the sun, we are addicted to the virtual world. now instead of clicking pictures to capture a moment, we do so to as to put it up on facebook. haven't you ever thought after seeing a really nice picture of yourself that "this has to go as my display picture"? well, i have. but sometimes i think, so what? its not like i have stopped doing everything and have turned into a mouse potato! i do go out, i do have fun, i do read and write and when there is this technology, then why shouldn't i make use of it? if it makes me, someone who is on a different hemisphere from my parents and friends and family, feel connected to them, then what is wrong? if it gives me, a shy introvert girl, an outlet to display my funny, sarcastic and sometimes intellectual side, then what's the harm? (you must think i was fishing for compliments, well yes i was!!)

but as spider man said, with great power comes great responsibility... so is the case with Internet. it is a great power tool and must be used responsibly... with this great sharing medium comes the need for great control!  you need to control the time you spend in the virtual world. i don't know about you, but i would certainly start cutting down. instead of being online for 8 hrs, i will come down to 7.5 (What?! let me take baby steps!) .

Jugglers - all of us!!

Today, while i was doing my daily chores of the day I suddenly remembered a speech that I had heard couple of years back. you can understand that this particular speech had left a great impression on me because first, I listened to a speech! this is a big deal because i am not a speech kinda person, i don't like listening to them (have the tendency of falling asleep) and i don't like giving them either (have the tendency of making others fall asleep) but i did listen to this one with open eyes and an open mind. And second, i remember it! after almost two years, i still remember it... well, most of it. actually just one point (but i remember, that has got to count for something, right?!) so this post deals with that one point that i still remember after almost two years.

i had heard this said speech delivered at the convocation of IIMB... before you raise your eyebrows and get all impressed, it was not my convocation, i merely attended it... don't have the inclination and the brains to make the cut! actually it was my super brainy brother who got through, not only IIMB but the rest five too!! (yes, i am showing off! so sue me!!) getting back to the point, the speaker, Mr. whats-his-name shared with us an anecdote / story which goes something like this...

In our entire life, we juggle a lot of balls, where balls stand for relationships (comprising of friends and family), job, career choices, success, household chores (yes that was a ball too!), work pressure, tensions, exams, grades, presentations, projects, assignments, parties, outings, happiness, sadness etc etc. these balls are basically are all the emotions, the situations and everything else that form a part of your life. All these are rubber balls except the relationship ball which is made of glass. so while juggling, there would be time when one of these balls would fall because your attention would be on the other balls. for example, if you are focusing on your parties ball, the career ball can fall... or if you concentrate on your job balls, maybe the happiness ball falls... or if you pay too much attention to your happiness ball, the sadness ball falls! Now, since all these balls are rubber balls, they always, and i mean always bounce back up. so, if your career is not going anywhere, it means it has just fallen (not necessarily due to your lack of attention) and rest assured it will come on track sooner or later... the ball will bounce back! however, an important thing to note is that there is only one glass ball - relationship ball. if you concentrate on any one ball and in that process, if your relationship ball falls, it will break. out of all these balls, it is only the relationship ball that is the most fragile and requires extra attention. And as they say success tastes a lot sweeter if you have someone to share it with, right?

the solution to make sure that none of the balls that you are juggling fall, is balance. not one thing is more important than the other... all of them require equal amount of attention, neglecting any one ball would only result in all of them falling down!

So, now you need to decide, are you giving too much attention to any one ball...? well, are you?

Barney and the Gang! Awe...wait for it...some!

"What would you do if you had to choose between suits and a pot of gold?! Suit!"

I am sure that most of you are familiar with this exchange between Marshall and Barney. And if you are not, well, then there is no point reading the rest till you google 'How I Met Your Mother' and you do know who Ted, Marshal, Lily, Robin and Barney are and their relationship matrix.
I am really fascinated and amazed at the love men and women have for Barney Stinson. Guys (read adolescent boys and grown-up men) want to be like him and the ladies of all ages want to date someone like him. I am quite surprised with the young India wanting to be Barney who is a skirt-chaser, one-night-stand believer, commitment-phobic, not-believing-in-love-relationships-and-marriage, sarcastic, commodifying-women kinda guy! Nobody likes sweet old Ted who believes in love and relationships that last... who is looking for love, who wants to get married and have kids. in fact, nobody talks about marshal and lily, a loving married couple who have been together for 11-12 years! Robin, the female almost-Barney, also doesn't enjoy that kind of adulation that Mr. Stinson enjoys.
Why do people like him? maybe because of the coolness quotient (I cant believe I used the term coolness!), maybe because of his sarcasm and wit, his phrases - awe... wait for it... some, or, or..., Suit Up!! and i am sure the girls loves his bad boy... they see him as a loner who runs from emotional attachment and are rooting for his affair with robin! (I am still on season five, so i don't know how that ends) Not to be a party-pooper, but Barney Stinson a.k.a Neil Patrick Harris is gay in real life!
Well, there has always been something about a bad boy image, especially for the girls...  most of us (yes me included, i also used to think that many moons ago!) believe that we would be that one-in-a-million-girl that would change the bad boy and would make him believe in unconditional love... Alas! that is not true in the majority of cases, and the girl ends up becoming just one in a million or if she finally manages to change the guy, she is one after a million... not a great thought either way!
Anyway at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, i love this scotch-drinking gang and I like barney Stinson too ;) and not because of his philandering ways, but because he is so funny! ;) i think they, barney included, are awe...wait for it...some!

Writer's Block!! YIKES!!

What is Writer's Block?

Is it something when you can't think about a topic to write on? Or is it something when you can't write about anything at all? When you keep staring at the screen or the paper willing the words to form on the said screen and paper by themselves as if by some divine intervention! When a drape of blackness falls over your mind and stops you from thinking and formulating coherent sentences and statements... is it that time when you just can't think. period. when you can't see any way to move ahead, when you are stuck! you don't know which way to take, this or that... The road ahead is BLOCKed! Maybe it is that feeling of frustration when you want to write but the words just do NOT cooperate... when you think and think and think and then finally get so irritated that you are ready to sell your soul to the devil for an epiphany!!

Then there are times when you look around, talk to people, read what other's are writing to just get a tiny bit of inspiration from somewhere, but nothing!! absolutely bloody nothing helps! lack of muse, lack of topics, lack of words, lack of thoughts, lack of ideas, just something that is lacking and you cant even say what! it is also when you keep writing vague, uninspired tit-bits in the hope of maybe catching the writing bug again?!

Everything mentioned above and much more is all that comes under writer's block. the remedy... some would say, take a break, get a drink and get back to it sometime later. you know what i did when i was suffering from writer's block? I wrote a post on it! Now you know why this one sucks?!

Please Note: The writer of this post is suffering from Writer's Block which is a very common disease found in men and women working with words. There is nothing to worry about, she would be back and writing some great posts in no time. Till then bear with her, keep indulging her and happy reading!

My God...

Ayodhya, terror attacks, quran burning... three religions, three incidents... all of them made me think, what does God wants us, mere mortals, to do? Do they, Ram, Allah, and Jesus, want us to fight amongst ourselves to prove which God is supreme? which faith is the best? which religion is better and which is not? If they are God(s) shouldnt they be above such petty issues? Do all these religious scriptures tell us that we are right and the others are wrong? Do they tell us to kill, massacre and demolish? Well, my God is certainly not like that. I refuse to believe that my God would want me to fight with each other demolishing the other faith's scriptures, temples, mosques, and churches.

My God is kind, benevolent and forgiving. My God doesnt live in any temple, mosque or church but in my heart, my soul and my being. My God is not he, she or it, my God is one and all... all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful. My God loves me, guides me, inspires me, and blesses me. My God helps me in times of hardships and urges me to help others in their time of difficulty. My God gives me happiness. My God is with me all the time, see and knows what I do... I can't hide from my God and my God doesnt hide from me... Always around me like a warm blanket, protecting me. My God doesnt tell me what to do and what not to do... My God doesnt impose rules, doesnt want me to give up something I like and do that thing which I dont like... My God gives me freedom to decide for myself. My God grants me free will... But, when I make mistakes, my God lifts me up and gives me the power to start over again.My God wants me to be the best that I can be... My God trusts me and has faith in my abilities... My God doesnt give me somehitng that I cant handle... Sometimes like a guardian angel, sometimes like a loving mother, sometimes like a strict father, sometimes like a caring friend, My God watches over me and protects me from harm...

My God doesnt tell me to harm others... My God doesnt tell me that people who doent believe, who have a diffrent faith are my enemies... My God doesnt tell me to hate... My God doesnt care if I think of him in a temple or in my home, I pray to him in a mosque or in my office, I thank him in a church or in my car... My God doesnt care if I call him as Ram or Allah, Jesus or Lakshmi... My God just wants me to remember Him and His love for me... My God wishes the best for me...


My God is universal... My God is omnipresent... My God is a miracle... My God is divine... My God doesnt have a face... I can't see him, touch him, but I can feel him and hear him...

My God would never ask me to destroy... My God is my strength and not my weakness... my God wipes my tears and gives me may reasons to smile...

 My God is my faith.

After reading and hearing so much about an issue that has been going on for centuries, I refuse to believe that God would get upset if the place where he is supposed to be born has a mosque... be it a temple or a mosque, it is still a supposed place of worship only... sar to wahan pe bhi jhukte hi hai... and this controversy is in that country which claims to be secular! i thought secularism was supposed to be one of our many strengths, yeah right! Just like hindi, out mother tongue, was supposed to be a unifying language, come to South India and you will see how unifying is hindi after all...well this is for some other day, some other post.

the verdict is out, will it make much of a difference? Time will only tell...

I am sure after seeing what their so-called believer are doing on earth, all your variations of God would be wondering where did they go wrong? Maybe it would have been better for all, if we had not evolved only... basic nature, basic needs.

...

Everyday when I get up, I decide,
To leave the boring and the mundane behind...
To turn over a new leaf, to start something new,
To create what I want, to do what I wanna do...
But everyday, I get caught up in the rut and realize,
Time is running faster and I can't keep up, however hard I try...
This can't go on any longer, I need to put a full stop,
I would live but once, and no matter what, I have to reach the top!

Everyday when I get up, I decide,
To leave the boring and the mundane behind...

Together... Forever

Sitting by myself, I am lost in the memories of the time gone by,
How clearly I remember everything that life has thrown our way...
The very good, the truly bad and the horribly ugly
Sipping coffee, looking out the window, I wonder...
Sometimes a smile plays on my lips, and sometimes a silent tear trickles by...
We have gone through many ups and downs but still life's been good...
We have faced many challenges but still there are no regrets...
Will I ever change anything, if ever given a chance? I don't think so...
Coz facing them has made us what we are today, stronger and tougher...
Not even those troubled times when nothing seemed to go right...
I will not change those harsh days when I saw tears in your eyes...
Those days when the sky was dark without a sun ray in sight...
Those times when moving ahead was a herculean task, but giving up was not an option either...
When everyone was against us, laughing and making fun behind our backs...
When even a word of sympathy was just too much to ask...
Because it was during those hard days that you and just your faith led us through...
"God will do what is best for you, you just keep holding on..."
We did overcome those black nights, but still there is a long way to go...
But, now the belief has strengthened that everything will indeed work out too...

Life's not always been hard, it's been full of happiness as well...
Those cheery moments when the world seemed like heaven...
That time when everything around was rosy and dreams were coming true
Those unforgettable moments when happiness enveloped us,
Be it a small wish being granted, or a bigger milestone being achieved...
The only thing that has made this journey worthwhile,which has made it all okay...
Is the fact that we have been together, be it happiness or sadness, always...

And, now sitting alone with a coffee mug...
Wondering and pondering...
The memories of the time gone by...
Dreaming of the future ahead...
Even though I have no idea what's in store,
But as long as all of you are with me,
I'm not afraid of any hailstorm...

Short Story: Love In The Time Of Internet!

This is a short story i wrote for some contest where i had to send some romantic short story, mills and boons style... I didn't win naturally because it was not millsy and boonsy enough but here it is anyway... more of a Romantic Comedy, if you can call it that!


LOVE IN THE TIME OF INTERNET

“Are you sure?” Nita asked for the nth time.

“Yes, I am. And your asking me that after every fifteen minutes will not make me change my mind,” replied Tamanna.

“But, are you really sure you want to go through this?”

“Oh my God Nitz, I’ve told you like a thousand times I am sure. I am 100 percent sure. Heck, I am 200 per cent sure. I want to do this. Now would you please zip me up,” said Tamanna sweetly.

“But why do you need to do this, Tammy? I mean you are a smart, intelligent, gorgeous woman with a successful career. You will find someone without stooping to this act of desperation.” Nitz again tried to knock some sense into Tamanna. Nita or Nitz, as her friends like to call her, had always been the voice of reason. She was also known as The Shoulder, the one whom everyone turned for advice. She was a successful manager with a large PR firm managing some of their biggest brands like L’Oreal, Nokia, Shopper’s Stop, etc. which meant that she was generally in the company of the rich and the famous. Changing men like people change clothes, she was spotted at all page 3 parties with a new arm candy who all were not a day older than 25; but that never bothered Nitz who was celebrating her own 25th birthday for the last 7 years.

“You seem to be confusing me with you. You’re all that, I am just an average 27 year old who is trying to make ends meet.” Replied Tamanna mockingly, “now after we have established that fact, my zipper please.”

Tamanna was working as a copy editor with a publishing house. Her job was boring, uninteresting and required her to, in her own words, ‘sit in front of a computer reading hundreds and thousands of words just strung together that stop making any sense after a point of time.’ She always thought she could be a writer herself and a better writer than all those people whose works she was made to edit. It was her life’s dream too, to get published one day, but she never got to finish anything she started and as result she had many manuscripts just lying around the house waiting to be completed.

“Oh come on. Don’t be so self deprecating. You are so pretty, everyone thinks that. You just have to wait patiently and one day you will find your knight in shining armor.” Nitz said still sitting.

“I am no Cinderella or Snow White. I believe in taking charge.” She said struggling with her zipper.

“I can see that.” Nitz got up to help her.

It was not that Tammy hadn’t had any men in her life but they all seemed to run as fast as they could whenever things got a little serious. Unlike Nitz, Tammy was incapable of emotional detachment. Whenever things started heating up a bit her mind used to get occupied with wedding shehnai and Home Sweet Home and kids. It was not her fault so much as it was her mother’s who had been after her life since she turned 24 to get married.

“I don’t want an arranged match. I want to fall in love with the guy before I get married.”

“You are too young to get married.” Nitz said slopping back on the bed.

“Tell that to my ma. Anyway,” Tammy took a deep breath, “How do I look?”

Nitz looked Tammy up and down. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a very formal looking white top. She had worn her hair loose which were falling on her shoulders in small curls. Tammy generally didn’t use make-up except kajal to line her already huge eyes, which according to Nitz was her best feature anyway, and a little nude lip gloss. All in all she looked like the perfect girl-next door.

“I thought you are going on a date?”

“Yes I am,” she said spraying some perfume.

“Then why are you dressed like you are going for an interview? What’s with the crisp white top? Why don't you wear something informal?” she asked innocently.

“Um…” Tammy was in two minds whether to tell Nitz or not. She knew Nitz would make her life miserable if she told her and she also knew that if she didn’t Nitz would make her life miserable anyway. So she decided to tell her.

“We decided to wear a combination of blue and white so we can recognize each other,” Tammy replied sheepishly. “I would kill you if you laugh.” She added threateningly.

Nitz just looked at her for a split second before bursting out laughing.

“OH MY GOD! Do you hear yourself? I hope you know you are not 16 anymore.” Nitz said between wiping her eyes.

“I know. Will you stop? This is really important for me.” Tammy said getting a little upset.

Nitz sobered a little. “Tammy I love you and that is why I am coming with you. You have never met this guy. What if he is dangerous? Don’t you read the papers? What if he turns out to be a criminal? Or a rapist? How can you trust him?”

Nitz. I think he is the one.”

“For God’s sake, you don’t even know what he looks like how can he be the one, and what is that anyway, The One? What if everything he told you was a lie? Huh?? Have you ever thought that?” here was the voice of reason again.

“Yes I have thought that. That’s why I am meeting him at a crowded restaurant for lunch and not dinner. And if I am not back by 7, call the police,” Tammy added mockingly.

“It is not funny Tammy,” Nitz said rolling her eyes.

“I am kidding. Relax. Everything would be fine. Don’t be cynical, let me give love a chance.”

“Oh please don’t make me puke. You can’t find love through the internet”

“Ok. Time to leave. Wish me luck.” Tammy looked at herself in the mirror one last time, took a deep breath, grabbed her purse and marched out the door.

It was not that Tammy wasn’t nervous. She was. Very much. But she wasn’t going to let anyone find that out. She had met Tusshar online. Somehow he had started coming on her chat list. Maybe it was Fate. They started talking while trying to figure out how they ended up in each other’s list. They were never able to find that out but realized that they had a lot in common. They had same interests in books, movies, music etc. Whenever Tamanna said that she liked something, it turned out that he was about to say that too. Tusshar was a 30 year old software engineer. At first, they just talked about general stuff but then slowly the chats turned a little personal with both of them trying to find out more about the other person. Soon, love blossomed. They had mutually decided not to talk or meet each other until both of them were completely sure of their intensions. She liked the fact that their relationship was not based on physical attraction but emotional and mental compatibility. Tamanna didn’t want to get into another time pass relationship and neither did Tushki, as she liked to call him. It was surprising how close they had come without actually talking to each other. They used to meet online every night and chat till wee hours of the morning. Tammy knew people would never understand their relationship that is why she had never told anyone. But then one week before, Tushki said that it is time that they should take the relationship to the next level. He was not getting any younger and he would like to see what his dream girl looked like. Tammy panicked and called Nitz which she now realized was a big mistake. Nitz a.k.a Ms. Reasonable had put so many doubts into her head. What if he turned out to be a creep just having a laugh at her expense? What if he doesn’t turn up? What if he is married?

‘No. he is not like that.’ She tried to calm herself. ‘But you also found this dress code thing strange, right? Admit it.’

That was HER voice of reason. Even though she didn’t like to think about it, there had been times when Tushki had behaved a little strangely. Like when he suggested that they wear something co-ordinated. Tammy had asked for a picture or maybe a phone number through which they would locate each other but Tushki had insisted on wearing something in blue and white. “It’ll be so romantic. Both of us would look like we are made for each other,” he had said. Something which seemed so romantic then now looked a little moronic. It was all Nitz’s fault. Tammy took a deep breath to steady herself and thought of all the nice moments she and Tusshar had shared. She smiled and waited to meet him.

She reached the restaurant first. She saw an empty booth and sat down. She put on her jacket that she had carried just in case. They had decided to meet at Berco’s, Delhi’s favorite Chinese hangout at 2:30 for lunch. Tamanna looked at her watch. 2:15. She still had 15 minutes. She looked at the door after every two minutes. No sign of him or rather no sign of anyone in blue and white. Then another thought stuck her. What if he came, saw her and left!

“Oh God! I have got to stop thinking.” She said and put her head in her hands.

“Aww…don’t say that. You should always keep thinking, it gives your brain to do something,” said a voice near her.

Tammy looked up to see a handsome man sitting opposite her. He was fair, must be 6feet tall, broad shouldered, with a light stubble and sporting stylish glasses. He was grinning and looking at Tammy adoringly.

Tammy’s first instinct was to look at what is he wearing. Nope. Nothing white or blue.

Tammy smiled and said politely, “Hi, I am waiting for someone.”

“Oh me too.” He replied.

He waved at a waiter who appeared at his side in two seconds.

“Uh…I would like a glass of water and a cold beer please,” the he looked at Tammy and asked, “Would you like anything?”

“No, thank you.” she said to the waiter and then glared at the stranger, “I told you I am waiting for someone. So would you mind?”

“I would take that as a no. just beer then. Make it fast.” He said and winked at the waiter.

The waiter disappeared and the man made himself comfortable.

“Well?” she asked again.

“Yeah what?”

“This is getting too much. I have told you I am waiting for someone. Why don’t you move to another booth?”

“Whoa. Relax. I will move. Jeez.”

After five minutes, that man was still sitting there looking at Tamanna which not only irritated her but also, to her surprise, made her blush. Finally she couldn’t stop herself, “What is your problem? There are so many empty booths, why can’t you go and sit at one of those and stop staring at me!”

“Are you always this uptight?”

“What?!” she was really irritated.

“I was just asking that are you always this stressed out or is this some special occasion?” he smiled making no effort to move.

“I am waiting for someone. He could be here any moment and I don’t want you here when he shows up.”

“He is the jealous kinds huh? Well I would be too if I had a girlfriend as pretty as you.” he said softly.

Tamanna turned red without wanting to.

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes, I am. Just trying to make you change your mind.” He grinned.

“What?”

“You seem to love that word don’t you?”

“OK. Game over. Ha Ha. Now please leave,” She said with a note of finality.

“Fine. I’ll come to the point.”

“Point? What point?” she got suspicious.

“See, I am dating this girl. She was very nice in the beginning but now lately she has got pretty serious. She wants to get married to me!”

“So? And why are you telling me this?”

“I want to break up with her.”

“Again I would have to ask so? What do I care?”

“I want you to pretend that you are my girlfriend so that she thinks I am cheating on her and breaks up with me.” He smiled at his brilliant plan.

Suddenly the faces of all those guys who had dated her in the past flashed before her eyes. All guys are like that. First they woo the girl and when the girl gets serious, they just want out. How disgusting! And this one! He was the limit. Just going up to any random girl and asking her to pose as her girlfriend so that he can break up with someone else.

“Are you out of your mind?! Why would I do that to some poor girl? You guys are just … Forget it. I am not doing that. So stop wasting my time and find some other imposter.”

“Oh come on. You don’t know what she’s like. She’s absolutely crazy. She thinks I am sleeping around with everyone.”

“Maybe you are? And why do you think I even care? Just tell her that you don’t like her anymore or some such shit. Why don’t you use the most popular, it’s-not-you-dear-it’s-me line on her and maybe she would realize how big a loser you are and leave you herself.”

“Someone’s been dumped a lot.” He said under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. See, you wouldn’t have to do anything. You just have to sit here and she would do the talking and the breaking up.”

“What is wrong with you? Why would you want to break someone’s heart so mercilessly?”

“You don’t know anything about her. I am the victim here, not her. You think I wouldn’t have told her how I feel. I have. But she doesn’t understand. She wouldn’t let me break up with her. So I have to create circumstances so that she breaks up with me.”

“So what?! You like made a plan that you would come in here, spot some girl and make this proposition.”

“Yeah,” he said taking a sip of the beer that the waiter bought.

“Well, you chose the wrong table pal. I am not like that. And if you wouldn’t leave then I would.” Tamanna said and picked up her bag. But as she turned to leave, she was standing face to face with a pimply guy in his late teens. He was wearing a blue shirt and white trousers. Oh No.
“Tamanna?” he asked looking at her from head to toe.

Tamanna gulped and slid down next to the earlier guy and said, “Uh sorry?”

“Tamanna it’s me? Your Tushki?”

‘This cannot be happening. He was not supposed to be this ugly or this young or this fashionably unstable,’ thought Tamanna.

“I think you have got the wrong table. I am not Tamanna. Right dear?” she looked at the guy sitting next to her who was grinning. He had a twinkle in his eyes which seemed to question her, who’s better now?

“Right dear?” she said tentatively putting her hand on his. He looked down at their hands on top of each other and then at her daring her to do more.

“No I know you are Tamanna. You are also wearing white and blue, just like we decided. And besides, I never told you but I saw a picture of you on Facebook and it was only after seeing you that I decided to hack your account. That’s how I came into your chat list. I wanted it to be surprise.” He said smiling.

“What?! You hacked into my,” she stopped her in time and said instead, “I mean someone’s account to befriend her? You’re pathetic.”

“Oh come on Tamanna. I know it’s you. We have been chatting for six months now. I know that I am a little younger than you but it’s the 21st century. These things don’t matter anymore honey.” He said taking Tammy’s other hand in his hands.

“Look. I am not Tamanna. I am with him, ok.” She jerked her hand away.

“Who’s he anyway?” Tusshar asked.

“His name is … uh…” Tamanna looked at the guy sitting next to her with pleading eyes. The guy took pity on her and jumped in.

“Hey. I don’t think we have been introduced. I am Rajveer.” He said pulling Tammy closer. “I am sure you are mistaken, this isn’t your Tamanna or whoever you are referring to. This is my fiancé, uh, Natasha.” He said squeezing Tammy’s hand.

Fiancé?! Tammy looked at him angrily. The nerve of that guy.

“No, you are lying.” Tusshar said.

Rajveer stood up to his full height which was enough to scare Tushki.

“Or maybe you are right. I am sorry for bothering you guys. Maybe she left. I’ll keep looking. Bye.”

And with a small wave he left.

“So, honey. What’s the plan for tonight? Your place or mine?” he said whispering in her ear and snuggling close to her. As much as she hated to admit even to herself she got Goosebumps and a shiver ran up her spine. He smelled great. She wanted to take him to her place or maybe she won’t even mind his place. But, she collected herself and said, “Thank you for jumping in there but I have to go. I have plans.”

“What plans? Chatting.” He said mockingly.

She smiled tightly, “I am sure you are going to have a great laugh over this.”

“Oh, you bet. But why would you do that? Find love on the internet, I mean. You can have any guy you want.” He said looking into her eyes. And she realized her guards melting away. Summoning all her will she got up to leave, “I have to go. Good luck with your girlfriend.”

But Rajveer caught her hand and pulled her towards him. She fell on him. Their faces just inches apart. He leaned in a little closer. She closed her eyes and her lips parted waiting for a kiss. Rajveer looked at her face. He didn’t know why but since the moment he had entered the restaurant and saw her sitting there looking up eagerly after few minutes or so at the door he had wanted exactly this. She in his arms and their lips merely inches apart. It took all his willpower not to stoop down and kiss her. Instead he said, “Well…well…well. Aren’t we a little ungrateful today.”

Tamanna’s eyes flashed open. The words stung her like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water at her. She saw his dimpled smile and broke away from him.

“What do you mean?” she said sitting straight.

“It’s a tit-for-tat world darling. I helped you get rid of your boyfriend, it’s your turn to pay back.” he said

Tamanna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I told you before that I am not going to help you in that scam of yours.”

“You are such a hypocrite.”

“What did you say?”

“You just broke up with a guy because he was ugly.”

She turned beetroot red. Thank god, people didn’t know about her relationship. They would think how desperate she was, to get all dressed up and come meet a total stranger whom she had met online.

“I did not break up with him because he was ugly.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Fine, that was a very big reason but it was not the only reason. He lied to me. He hacked into my account. He told me he was 30!”

“What did you expect? You should have guessed a guy you are meeting online was bound to be a teenager.” He said smiling.

“Whatever,” she again tried to get up.

“You are not going anywhere.” He was not ready to let go off her just yet.

“You know what? This has gone way longer than I expected.” With that she wriggled herself loose and got up and found herself face to face with a woman. She was around her age, petite, short black hair, and for some reason she had a fascination with the color red. From her lip color, to her nail paint to her dress to even her highlights…everything was a shocking red.

“This has got to stop happening. Uh…excuse me.” Tamanna said trying to get past her.

“I knew it!” she said in a squeaky voice.

“What?” Tamanna was taken aback, first because of the voice and then the statement.

“Misha! This is a surprise. What are you doing here?” Tamanna heard Rajveer say.

Tamanna looked back incredulously and mouthed, ‘is this her?’

He nodded discreetly. ‘OH MY GOD!’ she controlled her laughter. He could see that she was enjoying this. He raised his eyebrows as if to say, ‘now do you know?’

“Who the hell are you? What are you doing here with my poochie poo?” Misha said and wrapped her arm protectively around Rajveer.

“Poochie poo?!” Tamanna asked Rajveer mockingly.

“Yes. He is mine. I know girls like you. You see a nice handsome rich man and you just can’t wait to put your paws into him. But you know missy this one right here… is all mine. So you just have to find yourself another one,” She said shrilly.

“Oh you are getting it all wrong. I don’t even know…” Tamanna started to say.

“Oh shut up! You save that crap for someone else. I know better than that. And anyway my coo che coo has better taste than you…you white trash!”

“Now Misha, you watch…”

“You don’t know sluts like these. They are interested in you only for your money. I know bitches like her…”

“Ok that’s it. You just get your hands off of my fiancé.” Tamanna said and brushed Misha’s hands off Rajveer.

“Veer is in love with me and not you. And you are the bitch and not me. Listen babe, he doesn’t like you and he is been trying to tell you that for the last, god knows how many months. But you just don’t want to believe it. I have kept quiet for all this time but not anymore. So stop being such a wuss, get your pathetic act together and move on!”

To both of their disbelief, Misha started sobbing, “I am sorry.” She said softly and ran away crying.

Tamanna was stunned; she had never acted like this. She had never made someone cry before.

She looked at Rajveer and both of them started laughing.

“That was great,” he said

“I know,” Tamanna said.

“I thought you were not going to help me,” he said teasingly.

“I was not helping you. She was abusing me. I was helping myself.”

“Oh… in that case you still owe me one. Have dinner with me.”

“That’s very chivalrous of you.”

“So we on for tonight?”

“No. I don’t even know you, how can I go out with you?”

“Let us refresh our memory, shall we? Weren’t you just here to meet some random guy who you met on the internet?” he teased.

“See, whenever I start to think I was wrong about you, you prove me right.”

They both sat in silence for a while. None of them wanted to leave just yet.

“Anyway, where did you meet her? She looked like…” Tamanna started, wanting to know where a guy like her would meet a girl like that.

“A slut?” he completed the sentence for her.

“Yeah,” she said laughing.

They both started laughing again.

“Well, I met her at a costume party.” He started saying but then seeing Tamanna’s reaction added hastily, “It was Halloween. I thought she was wearing a cute devil costume, but then I met her in broad daylight and there it was again. The red everywhere but thankfully she was not sporting her horns and tail. And my God that voice. It drives me crazy! Since then I have been trying to break up with her but she doesn’t want to believe that I may not be interested in her.” He sighs.

“I think today might have done it.” Tammy said. “Why didn’t you ask one of your friends to act as your girlfriend?”

“That was the plan but she ditched me at the last moment and then fortunately I saw you.”

This again brought Tamanna to reality. She was just a back up.

“Hmmm…”

“Where did you meet your guy?” he asked.

“He was not my guy. I met him online. Started chatting and then ended up here.”

“Why do you get so defensive?”

“I am not defensive. I was just thinking that you were giving me so much attitude over “my guy” and look who you were dating?!”

“Well, at least my girl is not underage.”

“You girl looked like a hooker!” she said angrily.

“Your guy was a hacker!”

They both sat in silent for a while again trying to calm down.

“Look I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Tamanna began, “I am sure she was a nice girl.”

“No, she was not and I am sorry too. Let’s start over,” he said extending his hand, “Hi, I am Rajveer, can I please have the honor of having lunch with a pretty lady as yourself.”

“That is so 18th century.” Tammy said rolling her eyes.

“Ok, then how about this. Hi I am Rajveer, would you like to go for a cup of coffee?”

He said looking hopefully at Tamanna. This time Tamanna smiled, took his hand and got up.

“That’s more like it.”

They drove down to the coffee house and over endless cups of coffee found out almost everything about each other. After sitting at the coffee house for hours, Rajveer asked tentatively, “Would you like to come over?”

Tamanna laughed and asked, “For what? Another cup of coffee? Don’t you think we have had enough?”

“Coffee, dinner, breakfast… whichever you please?” he said in his low husky voice and Tammy again felt her stomach turning but in a good way. And without thinking she said, “Sure.”

----------

‘Let’s make a night to remember…’

At first Tamanna thought it was playing in her mind, ‘Apt song’, she thought.

“January to December…”

Then realization hit her. ‘That’s my phone’.

She ran outside and picked it up before it awoke Rajveer.

“Hello?” she said panting.

“Where the hell have you been? I have been worried sick? Are you all right? If you hadn’t picked up now I was about to call the police! Where are you? Did that guy turned out to be a creep?” came back a volley of questions from Nitz.

“Hi, I am fine.” She replied back breathing heavily.

“Why are you panting?”

“Was just running to grab the phone.” She said steadying herself.

“Really?! How boring. I thought maybe you were with your nerdy internet guy.” Nitz said mischievously.

“Oh you were right. He was a creep…” she began.

And just about then a pair of hands came from behind and wrapped themselves around her waist. Rajveer kissed her neck and said in his early morning sexy voice, “Good morning Tammy. I am glad you are still here. I am not done with you yet.” he said kissing her on the other side as well.

“Who is that?” Nitz asked curiously, “I thought that guy turned out to be a creep?”

“I’ll be right there.” Tammy said giving Rajveer a peck, “Yes he was, so you were right in saying that he would turn out to be one but I was also right that you can always find love through the internet.” Tammy said smiling.

“I see. Details please.” Asked Nits

“I have got to go now. I’ll tell you later.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my knight in shining armor.” Tammy said smiling at Rajveer, “bye”

“Kids.” Said Nitz and hung up smiling to herself.

THE END