Here’s to us!

Though he tried to get back to the life he once knew, somehow he couldn’t get her off  his mind, and this was not something he wanted to do. He wanted to call her, to talk her, to hear her voice, still hoping to convince her. But his ego was hurt, and that kept him from calling her. 

He got so involved in his work that he didn’t quite get much time to do anything, and his work kept him busy most of the time. Finally when he got the time to call her, her number was not reachable. He was aware that the network connection on the island was quite bad. But then when he tried her again, after a couple of days, his call went directly to voice mail. Now he was worried about her. When he finally got the time to take a few days off, he returned back to the island. But she was not there. She had left her job at the cafe and no one knew where she had gone.

This made him furious, how could she do something like this to him, how could she be so cruel towards him. He wanted to scream and shout. But he refrained from doing any such thing, his old life was returning back to him and he was loosing all the spontaneity that he had discovered when he was around her.

He returned back to his life, pained, hurt and disappointed. He spend the next few days, next few weeks trying to locate her, even taking the help of professionals, but to no avail. It was like she vanished into thin air. He hadn’t asked about her past, so he knew little to none about it. He cursed himself for not knowing more about her.

Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. He got totally involved in his work, totally consumed in it, totally immersed in it. But every now and then he made the effort of trying to locate her. He tried to date, but no one matched to her, no one made him feel the way she made him feel. She was his standard of love. But most importantly his heart refused to let go of her, to let him forget her. So he was not able to bond with anyone. 

Then after almost over two decades, since he left the island, since he last saw her in person, he found a postcard lying on his desk. There was something vaguely familiar about it, he couldn’t put a finger on what it reminded him of. The handwriting seemed oddly familiar but one he hadn’t seen before. It was an invitation to visit the island. And then it struck where he had seen the picture before. This was the picture of their favourite place on their island, where there spent countless hours lazying away, making love. As he stared at the postcard he could hear his heart beat against his chest . Had she finally relented, and come to her senses. The writing didn’t quite look like that of hers, but when people change over the years, wouldn’t their handwriting do the same. 

He couldn’t contain his happiness, his excitement. He took days off, well that was not needed when you were running your own division. He quickly got a flight and a ferry to the island. When he finally stepped on the small dock of the island, he noted that even though things had changed, there was still something familiar about the island. He was so excited to see her after all this while.

When he arrived at the cafe he was greeted by this beautiful, striking girl, who must have been in her late teens or early twenties. She was dressed in loose flowing trousers and blouse. Although she seemed quite young there was something confident and sure about her. He continued to stare at her, as there was something vaguely familiar about her. She greeted him with a warm smile and then it struck him that staring at her eyes was like his eyes staring back at him. And then what she said took him by surprise.

She introduced herself as Mia, her daughter, his daughter. And then he recognised the striking resemblance of her in Mia, her features, her spirit, mixed with that of his. He couldn’t contain his happiness, he couldn’t contain his joy. He had a beautiful daughter. And then he felt this burning rage towards her. How could she be so cruel, how could she keep something so big from him. How could she deny a child the love of her father, how could she robe a man from the joy of fatherhood. He was furious. He wanted to see her immediately. Mia asked him if he would like to have anything, but all wanted to do was to confront her. So she took him to the place where they had lived previously. And when they reached there, she handed him an envelope and left him, as she had some errands to run but promised to meet him at the cafe.

He didn’t want to read the letter but still he sat down and opened it. As he read it tears welled up in his eyes. It was from her. It said that if he was reading this meant she had long since gone, passed over to the other side. In it she asked his forgiveness, but explained why she did what she did. A few days after he left, she discovered she was pregnant with Mia. And although she was tempted to call him to give him the good news, she restrained herself from doing this, cause once again she didn’t want him to do something for her, she didn’t want to be the reason for him giving up on his dreams. So she decided to bring up Mia on her own, but never lying to Mia about her father. But on hindsight, what she felt like she was sacrificing, was actually a very selfish act. She denied Mia of knowing father, a father’s love, she robbed him the joy and experience of fatherhood. For which she was terribly sorry, something that ate her from within. She went on state that Mia shared her father’s acumen for business and her mother’s spirit for adventure. Now she had gone she hoped he would care for her.

He read the letter a couple of time, and each time he read it he missed her even more. When Mia returned, he hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go. And as he held on to her, tears streamed down his eyes. He looked her in the eyes, kissed on her forehead. He promised to make up for the years they had lost, the years they were not together. He had found her and there no way he was he letting go.  And they stood there holding on to each other with tears streaming down their eyes.

Few months after he had discovered that he had a beautiful daughter, he was sitting with his daughter in a beautiful cafe, one he knew her mother would love. She got admission to the best college, but every now and then they took father-daughter trips, spending as much time as they could with each other, making memories. And as they ate at the cafe, they tasted each other, the adventures they had and will have, cause life’s short and the world was large and they wanted to make as much memories as possible. So here’s to us!

All Good Things Come to an End

This was not the life he planned for himself, not the one he had envisioned for himself. This was hardly something he would do. But yet here he was. Never in a million years he would have envisioned himself in the situation he found himself in. 

He would have never met someone like her. Never in his life he had met anyone like her, and he knew he would never meet anyone quite like her. She was just someone else. She wasn’t someone he thought he  would feel drawn to, but still here he was. She had turned his whole world upside down, and yet he felt drawn to her. Like a moth drawn to the flame, and he couldn’t resist. This life was not part of his plan, but still here he was, living it, and it felt surreal.

He was over qualified to be a bartender, but still he had no knowledge or experience bar tending, unless you count mixing drinks in college bar tending. Even with all this, here he was, behind the bar, learning about things he sometimes wished he didn’t know. But it gave him an opportunity to earn a living, and you couldn’t live on love and fresh air alone.

His days were filled with love. He moved in with her, giving himself the opportunity of  spending more time together. When they were not working, they were exploring the city, and when they weren’t  exploring they were making love.

Life wasn’t perfect but it was wonderful. It surprised him at every turn, showing him how he was able to adapt to a situation he was never been in before, he had no clue about, but still was living it. But somehow he felt a yearning for the life he had left behind, for the sense of order, the sense of security he was used to. And somehow he let it show (though never intentionally,  when he spoke with her), though he tried to conceal it. Then one day he got a call from his old life  with an offer he couldn’t resist. But still he had to refuse it cause he was sure she wouldn’t give in. Still they were keen to get him onboard though he clearly told them that he wasn’t interested (which was a lie).

When he shared this with her, he was surprised that she told him that he should take him, cause that was something he wanted. She insisted he should take it. He was happy to hear this, but this was short lived cause no way she was getting off the island. In which case he was no mood of accepting the offer, though he wished she would relent.

They argued on this point, but still she was not willing to relent from her position though insisting he take the offer, arguing that this life was not his life, this was the life she wanted, he was adjusting just for her. Expecting to give up on his dreams would be selfish of her.

There was no winning an argument against her. He finally, relented and have in. He accepted the offer, and started to pack his bags and return to the life he had once lived. He could see the pain in her eyes as he packed, no matter how much she tried to mask it, no matter how much she tried to avoid him. As he boarded the ferry that would take him back to the main land, back to his old life, he still hoped she would change her mind and join him. Alas, no such thing happened, not even to the very last moment.

As the ferry left the dock, he kept staring at her till she was a mere speck in the horizon. Though this wasn’t the life he planned for, this was not the way he wanted to close the chapter of his life. So he stared in the direction of the island, in her direction. A tear welled up in his eyes, glistening in the evening sun as it made it way down his cheeks. Why did all good things have to come to an end!

When all is said and done...

She had never envisioned her life taking this turn but yet here she was. Falling in love was never part of her plan, if she did have a plan in the first place, but yet here she was falling in love with this man. In fact he wasn’t even the type of guy she would normally go out with, let alone be interested in, yet here she was falling in love with him, each day of her life. They often shared a good laugh when they admitted the unfavourable impression that they initially had about each other.

He had checked out of the place where he was staying and moved into the apartment which she was given, as it was close to the cafe, where he had taken a role of the bartender, which he wasn’t very good at, but then most of the patron normally didn’t care and he was quick learner. On the plus side he got to learn about all the gossips of the town. On the negative side not all the gossip was welcome, and after sometime it did get to him after he heard the same thing over and over again. She usually laughed at it when he narrated his situation to her, much to his irritation.

Her life was perfect, not in the way she had intended for it. She liked the twist it had taken. And the twist was what that had made it magical. They spent major part of their day working at the cafe, taking lunch and breaks together, flirting at every opportunity. During their day off they explored the city, the nearby cities, spending time on the beach or in the meadow, if they weren’t making love. Life was beautiful, life was magical.

As days went by she began to notice a yearning in him, a call to return to a life he had once known. She could feel it every time he mentioned it, every time he told her about the people and office from his life who tried to get in touch with him. This life was her dream, what she intended for, this was not he wanted. He just latched on it because of her. She knew she had to do what was right by him, even if it meant breaking his heart and hurting him in return. She had to stop being selfish and have him live her life but let him go to live the life meant for him.

When he told her about an offer which he had received which kind of interested him, she knew this was her chance. She tried to convince him to consider the offer and take it, he may not get a such a chance ever again. She tried to counter his argument that this was her dream and not his, and it would be wrong, would be selfish to hold him back, when he said he was happy here.

When he realised there was no winning with her, he finally gave up and said he would consider the offer on the condition that she would come with him. But then she was not ready to return back to a life she left behind, that life was not meant for her and there was no returning back for her. That was a life meant for him, this was her  life, the one she was meant to live.

They argued the whole night and for the next couple of days, both not willing to budge from their respective position. She knew she had to hold her ground cause it was for his best, even if he didn’t see it. He finally relented in the condition she would visit him. She reluctantly accepted this condition.

Her heart broke to a thousand place as she saw him get on the ferry and leave for the main land. She knew he was hurting, hurting bad, maybe much more than her (if it was possible). She kept telling herself that was what best for him, best for her, best for them. Trying to convince herself that what she was doing was right, to keep her from jumping into the ferry and into his arms, but she knew there were was no happy ending for them, cause this was no fairy tale.

She returned back to the life she had made for herself, trying futilely to get him out of her mind. She couldn’t help herself when her mind wandered towards the thoughts of him. But she was determined to try and put him behind her and this thought kept pushing her on.

Then one day she felt queasy and needed to be taken to the doctor. She didn’t realise that she had missed her period, and was in shock when she learned that their love had planted a seed in her and it was growing and would soon bear fruits. After the initial shock wore off, she began to debate if she should tell him, but then he would have a reason to return, which wasn’t something she wanted (though secretly she hoped for). 

So she decided to go down this road all by herself. Once more she stood on the cusp of something new wondering where would life take her, what turn would it take now, what was in store for her. It was a daunting road that lay ahead of her, one if chosen then there was no turning back. This thought frightened her. But she realised she had this feeling before, and she made her way through it, she determined to do it once again. She had no clue what life had in store for her but she was ready to undertake the adventure ahead, to face what lay ahead. Cause when all is said and done she found the strength from within her.

Trouble and Her

As he got off the boat he breathed a huge sigh of relief, glad that that part of it was over. Lesson learned, he and the sea didn’t go too well. He shuddered at the thought that they both would be in close proximity for the next couple of days, if he could make it till then. Damn being spontaneous was tough, never ever would he try to be spontaneous again.

As he collected his backpack he noticed her get off the sailboat and kiss the sailor. She was same female that was holding up the ferry on the dock and who had missed the boat because of her carelessness and delayed everyone else. How did she get here so fast? Some girls have all the luck. He was so busy looking at her that he didn’t see the bag in front of him, and so tripped and fell, hurting his knees. He sat there biting his tongue refusing to howl out in pain, but he did let out a couple of expletives. But she didn’t even notice him, typical of girls like her, the popular ones. When the pain finally subsided he hobbled off to the enquiry box (if you could call that one). He purchased a map and made his way to the nearest hotel. He booked a room and spent the rest of the day in hotel  icing his knees and ordering room services.

Next day he took a rusty old jeep on rent that was one accident away from falling apart. Apparently they didn’t have cars on the island, just two wheelers, which he couldn’t ride to save his life. So in the end he had to rent out this dilapidated jeep. He made a note of the places that he wanted to visit, which was not much, and was on his way. But before that he had to stop over for a quick bite.

He found a quaint little cafe just around the corner but then the service had a lot to be desired from. The service was slow and the waitresses were sloppy and took forever to take his order and to top it all one spilled water all over him. And it was her again. Why did bad things happened when she was around. He infuriated and asked for the manager. When he didn’t get the response he wanted he stormed out from there.

If things couldn’t get anymore worse, it began to rain and the jeep didn’t have any cover, so he was soaking in the rain. And then without any warning the jeep began to smoke and came to a halt. Apparently engine had overheated. How ironic, an engine overheating in the rains. That’s it, he thought, that was as spontaneous as he could get. He was going to get this monstrosity up and running, take the next ferry off this island and the next flight from the mainland and back to his structured ordered life.

The rain didn’t relent, so he got off and tried to wave down passing vehicles to get a lift to the nearest house or shop from where he could call for help. As luck would someone did stop, but to his dismay it was her. He would rather stay out in the rain then get on a bike with her but then he had no other options as he began to shiver and knowing it would be detrimental if he continued to be out in the rain. So reluctantly he got on the bike with her.

Now the rain began to pour making it dangerous to continue any further. They took shelter in an abandoned stable. He began to shiver uncontrollably. Fearing that he would catch hypothermia, she started a fire. But somehow his shivers didn’t quite subside down so she came and huddled beside him. He hated being the damsel in distress (it bruised his male ego) but it seemed to work. So when she asked his to take off his wet shirt, he reluctantly complied.

This seemed to work as he began to breathe normally and his shivering had finally died down. Now he noticed that she  was the one shivering, so he put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. She put her head on his shoulder and he was grateful for his presence, her touch, her warmth. For the first time, since he got on this island, he felt nice, he felt happy.

Instinctively he looked at her, she was leaning towards him. He felt drawn towards her, his breathing slowed down, filled with anticipation. And without a second thought, they kissed, letting their burning passion ignite a flame, setting the night on fire.

A Rainy Night

The moment she set foot on the dock she knew this was the place for her, this was where she was meant to be, this was the place where she could spend the rest of her life here, if that was ever possible. She paid her handsome sailor with a kiss and promise to dine and sail with him the next time he sailed to the island.

She spent the rest of the day going around the city, exploring it, taking in what it had to offer. This was her adventure, this was her life, and she wanted to make the most of it. She wanted to soak it all in, enjoy every moment, soaking in the culture, tradition, cuisine of this little island that she hoped to call home. The air was fresh, and the smell of this quaint little town left her feeling intoxicated, light headed and dizzy with a sense of elation.

But then she was very aware that she couldn’t live on love and fresh air alone. She knew that very soon she would be down to her last penny. Once more she used her charm and secured a job as a waitress and with it lodging. So she was set, ready to live life on the island. And yes she could sing too. What more could she want.

She had no qualms waiting tables but was not very good at, after all her only experience in waitressing was helping serve drinks at her friend’s party (if that could be counted as experience). So she muddled up orders, found it difficult to navigate through patrons while balancing trays with orders, often mixing up orders, spilling orders, in short not doing a great job. 

The patrons were often cheery, and didn’t mind her clumsiness, willing to give her chance (also they were enamoured by her charm). That was until she saw him seated at his table, complaining about everything. Typical city dweller, she thought to herself (but then so was she) but she was nothing like him. 

As luck would have it, she tripped and spilled water on her (thank god it was just water and not anything else but then she wouldn’t have mind if she spilt something else). She apologised as she tried to wipe off the water, but he was too furious to listen to her apologies (in fact, she didn’t care). He spoke with the manager, and when he didn’t get his way, he stormed out. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him leaving, she managed to dodge a bullet. The manager didn’t reprimand her, just told her to be careful of such finicky customers. 

That night as she closed the cafe and left for the day, it began to pour. She wore her windsheeter and got on her bike (which she had rented) and was off. It was pouring steadily, not too heavy, quite manageable. As she made her way she saw headlights and someone frantically waving their hands to get her attention. As  she got closer she saw that the same obnoxious fellow from the cafe. She had half a mind to let him suffer in the rain, for his rudeness. But she saw him soaked to the bone and shivering, and took pity on him. She wasn’t quite the mechanic, did all she knew. But when that proved futile she offered to drop him to the nearest house or shop, from where he could call help. As she rode carefully the steady rain had now become a downpour making it difficult to ride, affecting visibility.

Finally, they had to stop and take shelter in what looked like an abandoned stable, waiting it out, waiting for the rains to pass. She noticed him shivering uncontrollably so she quickly searched about for anything she could get a fire going. When she was finally able to start a small fire they both sat next to it trying the best to keep warm, but their wet clothes made it difficult. He was still shivering, so she snuggled up next to him hoping their body heat would keep them warm. At first he flinched, was taken back when she snuggled next to him, but then he relaxed. When she suggested that he remove his shirt and let it dry, he was initially hesitant but did as she said. She removed her blouse and sat there in her underwear.

They huddled together before that fire and it seemed to be working. Heat from the fire combined with the heat from their bodies provided the warmth they needed. She lay her head against his shoulder, and he put his around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Out of of nowhere she felt drawn to him. The person who had earlier repulsed her was now attracting her and she was powerless to this attraction. She leant forward till she could feel his breath on her face, she could feel his body close to hers, something awaking, like the passion she felt within her. And as she slowly moved closer to his face she felt his face draw closer to hers, and then they kissed, setting the night on fire.

Spontaneity Uncertainty

As he disembarked his flight and on to the airport he felt a sense of excitement within himself. This was the most spontaneous he had been in his entire life and there was something exhilarating about it.

But as this exuberance began to wear off so was his excitement. Now that he was here, what next, he thought to himself. He lived a planned life. His every action was thought through, planned and executed. He was disciplined by nature and anything unplanned, spontaneous, stressed him. Spontaneity was just not his thing, his cup of tea, yet here he was being spontaneous, being so not himself. He had half a mind of taking the next flight back to a life that he knew, the life he was comfortable with. Ironically, it was the unknown that kept alluring him, seducing him, keeping him from going back.

He spent the next few hours at the airport’s tourist kiosk, planning and plotting his itinerary, which was his way of being spontaneous. He learned about this beautiful island, where they thought that if you sailed there you would fall off the edge of the world. This didn’t actually excite him but it sure did raise his curiosity.  So he got his permit done (which was necessary to get in this island) and purchased his ticket. He checked into the hotel and then went about the places he had ticked off at the kiosk. 

The next day, at the set time, be made his way to the docks from where he would board the ferry that would take him to this mythical island (at least for him). He waited patiently in line to board the vessel. But there was something keeping the line from moving, causing the people to get agitated. He learned that it was a lady who was holding up line. He finally saw her when she stepped to the side and began to empty the contents of her backpack on the dock. He had a dislike for people who were clumsy, unplanned and indisciplined. He felt no sympathy towards her.

He just ignored her as he passed her and boarded the boat. As he took his seat he still saw her struggling with the contents of her backpack. He turned his attention from the docks and to the sea, taking in his so called voyage to the island at the edge of the world.

Journey to the Edge of the World: HerStory

As she stepped off the train and on to the platform she knew adventure was waiting her but she didn’t know what it was. She was frightened, she was scared, she had butterflies flying about in her stomach. But at the same time the unknown brought a sense of excitement, a sense of adventure, a sense of discovery. There was a whole world out there waiting to be discovered, an adventure waiting to be undertaken, and in it all there was a self discovery. She was excited about this new adventure, but with a sense of trepidation, a sense of nervousness, a sense of fear of the unknown. Ironically, that which excited her also scared her. No matter what, in her heart of hearts she knew this is what she was meant to do.

She spent the next few exploring the city, taking in the sights and sounds, learning about every nook and corner, everything that the city had to teach her, had to show her. Then one afternoon, she learned about a place, an island of great beauty, away from the hustle-bustle of life. A place they say if you jumped off you would fall off the edge of the world. This was her kind of place, a place she could loose herself to discover herself.

She got her permit done (cause you needed one to get on the island), and headed to catch the ferry that would ferry her to the island. She made her way down the dock, to the pier from where she could board it. She needed to be on time as there as just one ferry a day, and if she missed this one she would have to wait the whole day for the next one.

She bought her tickets and joined the line, patiently waiting her turn her turn to board  the ferry. Finally when it was her turn she reached into her backpack for her permit but just couldn’t find it in the last place she remembered putting it. She placed her backpack on the ground and began rummaging through it, much to the annoyance of those behind her as she was holding up the line. She stepped aside and frantically looked for it, emptying the content on the dock. She was met angry glares from her would-be co-travellers, as they passed her. When she finally found it, the ferry was long since gone leaving her stranded on the dock. She would now have to an entire day for the next ferry. She felt helpless, frustrated and annoyed with herself. 

When she was finally able to get over her frustrated she noted a handsome young man and his sailboat. She used her charm, and a bit of flirtation to hitch a ride on his boat and get him to ferry her to her destination, to her destiny. To the place at the edge of the world.