FF: Ek Paal Epi pg103 April 1 - Page 6

Kuch Saal Pehle

Kuch saal pehle doston yeh baat hui thi

Humko bhi mohabbat kisi ke saath hui thi

Apni bhi kabhi pehli mulaqaat hui thi

Humko bhi mohabbat kisi ke saath hui thi

Kuch saal pehle doston yeh baat hui thi

Humko bhi mohabbat kisi ke saath hui thi

Nearly Four Years Later:

London, England

The sky was covered with a dark layer of heavy clouds, threatening to release a heavy down pour of rain onto the unsuspecting city below. The usually busy, lively and crowded city was now abandoned, silent and peaceful. The businesses all closed down, the streets empty except for a few cars and people here and there and a few street lights illuminating the roads. Of course this was not unusual being that it was two o' cock in the morning.

In the distance stood a tall, magnificent twenty story, glass building; it too was dark and isolated. All of its daily inhabitants had gone home long ago, only the security staff remained in the lobby level. However, on the top floor there burned one light that had not gone out; a light that still burned bright and shined like a star against the dark night's sky. The building held a sign that stated it was Sweet Heart Hotels Pvt. Ltd. and the office that still had its lights at this time of night belonged to the owner and CEO of Sweet Heart Hotels, Mr. Maan Singh Khurana.

The office was exquisitely decorated to suit the taste of its inhabitant. It was large, almost the size of an entire apartment complex on its own. In one corner there was a set of large, plush, leather sofas accented with throw pillows. In another corner there was a small bar that held many brands of the sinful liquid for when delegates held meeting in the office. In the middle of the room was a large cherry oak table, with professional yet comfortable black leather chairs on both sides of it. The best part of the office was the wall to wall glass in the back that over looked the city; it was a spectacular view.

Maan looked up at the clock on his office wall to see that it was quarter past two in the morning. He ran his hand through is already ruffled, unruly hair and thought what a sight he must be. His Armani coat was lying carelessly on the arm of the large sofa, his tie near it on the glass table in front, his once crisp white shirt had its top three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. If anyone walked in right now they would think he was an imposter; no way the CEO of any company looks like this.

He really didn't care what people thought about him, all he cared about is what the people he loved thought about him, all else be damned. He was burning the midnight oil for a presentation that was due in two days. Sweet Heart Hotels was one of the top companies in its field, few rivaled them; but it was Maan's goal to make sure his company reached the absolute top of that list. If they could get this contract, it would send him and his company to heights that they had never imagined. Getting this contract meant more then he cared to admit, not for professional reasons, but for personal reasons.

Maan stretched out and turned his chair so that I faced the glass wall over looking the city. His eyes fell on a taxi which appeared to get a customer. He tried and failed to locate the moon and stars on such an over cast night. He leaned back and closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath releasing himself to temptation – with his eyes closed…she invaded his thoughts.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Panorama City, California:

The California weather had really been acting up lately - if it was cold one day, it was hot enough to head to the beach the next day - but, that was California for you…unpredictable. Not only was the weather unpredictable, but life was unpredictable. On this day the sun was out but it had no force, there was no warmth radiating from it. It was a cold crisp day with a chilling breeze blowing across the city. It didn't feel so much as the middle of the day, as it did the beginning for a cold front.

A woman sat quietly wrapped in an old worn out shawl that provided very little warmth. Even if the shawl had provided with sufficient warmth, it would never be enough. How do you warm something that is cold from the inside out? She sat on the only lounge chair that stood in her meek balcony, surrounded by lush potted plants and a few wind chimes. It was a very small and almost useless balcony, but for her, it was her sanctuary…it was the only place where she found peace.

Her life had not turned out the way she had thought it would have. She had expected to have children, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, taking turns carpooling with the neighborhood children to school, baking cup-cakes for the yearly PTA fundraisers. More then anything else, she had expected to have a companion by her side - one that treated her with love, respect and affection.

She had dreamed of getting her Masters degree from USC in Business Management and opening up her very own business. She had planned everything out, every little detail, and for a while even she thought that her life may just work out the way that she had wanted it. Her dreams, however, stayed just that, dreams…which had all shattered away years ago.

Her parents had been involved in an accident that left them both as quadriplegics. With her younger sister still in school and her parents needing round-the-clock assistance, she had to put her life aside for them; not that her life had been all peaches-n-cream to begin with. She worked two, sometimes three jobs at a time to keep up to date on everything.

She paid for her parents to live in a nursing home so they would have the nursing care that they needed, she paid for her sister continuing education, and she paid rent, utilities, car insurance, cell Phone and what seemed like hundreds of other bills. She was on the go almost 24/7 because she had no other choice. She tried to enjoy as much free time as she could, like she was doing this particular day; enjoy it before it is gone or destroyed…that was her motto.

She had made someone a promise to try and be happy, but happiness was something that she had not experienced in a long time. You had to have an opportunity to be happy, you need people in our life to keep you happy…she had no one. There was no one there to help her bring her groceries up from the car, no one to see that her feet ached after standing for 10 hours straight on the job, no one to share a joke with or a nice conversation with; what hurt the most was that there was no one there to comfort her and wipe away her tears when the fell from her eyes, no one to see that she was hurting…everyday.

She could clearly remember the last time she had been happy…really happy. A faint smile played on her lips as she remembered the last time that special someone had called her 'Mishti'. She leaned back on the chair, her arms wrapped around her cold body, she closed her eyes and thought about a special moment in her life, the only special moment in her life she could recall. With her eyes closed, she breathed in the crisp cool air as memories invaded her mind and heart…as he invaded her mind and heart.

Yaadein

Yeh jeevan dil jaani, dariya ka hai paani

Paani to beh jaaye, baaqi kya reh jaaye

Yaadein, yaadein, yaadein

Nagme hain, shikwe hain

Kisse hain, baatein hain

Baatein bhool jaati hain

Yaadein yaad aati hain

Yeh yaadein kisi dil-o-jaanam ke

Chal jaane ke baad aati hain

Yaadein, yaadein, yaadein