Okay back with another Short Story! Am not going to say much about it, just that go ahead read it, and do lemme know how you liked it (or did not).
Here is the link to my previous work
SS: Strength and Spirit (completed)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/820897/ss-strength-and-spirit
SS: Lifting Shadows off a dream (completed)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/785917/ss-lifting-shadows-off-a-dream-completed
FF: Life (in progress)
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/kasamh-se/496376/ff-life-chp27-pg91-7-6-lst-prt-nt-pg93
This one is for you Kanta!!!😊
Still Standing
Raining, thundering, the sky seemed gloomy, threatening, it seemed dark, and it seemed to be without hope. He saw her smile and suddenly the rain seemed beautiful, the sound of the water droplets divine and the thundering like the light he needed in his life. He held his hair in despair; he needed to get the vision out, needed to get away from her, her face flashing all over, in moments of happiness and sadness, in moments of success and failure.
He stood there, allowing himself to think, to ponder, to wonder. The rain hitting his face like a thousand slaps; the water running down as if telling him to cry, his hands trembling from the realizations of the past. He shook, wanting to get rid of her feel, her drowning sensation. It had been 3 long years and every time, every single time, he felt the same.
'A feeling of sadness and longing that is not akin to pain and resembles sorrow only as the mist resembles the rain'
He was walking up to his car when he saw her, standing in the rain, the mascara trickling down her smooth skin, her hair all wet and messed up, she looked like a seraph even as tears trickled down, mixed with the water. She stood in the rain, in the middle of nowhere, holding a duffel bag close to her chest, as if it were the only thing she could call her own.
He walked looked at her and then turned back towards his car. But something about her, something in her eyes, and something in the moment made him turn back again. What was pulling him towards her he wondered? Was she alright? Why was she standing in the middle of no man's land, getting soaked? Why was she clutching her bag so tight, he wondered? This was not something that happened to him, with him.
Just out of courtesy, with plans of helping out a girl in trouble he went to her, but little did he know, she would be the with him all his life, whether he liked it or not.
His eyes focused on her, with his frame of 6'2, he walked towards her. She fell down crying, not knowing where to go, she looked on either sides and then looked straight ahead, her eyes met his, she searched for help, silently begging him to help her in whatever way he could.
He felt as if he belonged, as if he was there for a purpose, he didn't feel he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but maybe the feeling was just then.
'Jai', he said holding his hand out to help her get up.
'Bani,' she said, in between sobs, a small smile playing on her lips, as she clutched his hand.
Still reeling from that initial, blinding smile - let alone the handshake - he struggled to regain his composure.
'May I help you in anyway Ma'am' he said to her, giving her a glimpse of the gentleman he was, that he would not harm her.
He had no clue whatsoever as to what had happened with her that she was there in the middle of night, all alone. She looked fragile, though she was not small, she looked innocent though even with tears welled up there was a devilish grin, she looked in pain and confused yet the smile had a sort of optimism.
'We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, even before a word has been spoken'
'No, I am fine' she said, even in the circumstance not being one to take any help.
'It is well past midnight and the road is deserted, you are wet, you have a duffel bag clinched to your chest, you're not fine' he said, summarizing what he saw.
She started to weep again, scaring Jai a bit, girls and crying didn't make the best combination for him. He didn't know how to pacify her, he tried.
'Bani, if I may call you that, stop crying, there is a bench right there, why don't we sit first'
'Ok, I guess I could do with that' she replied
'Do you have water' she asked instinctively and caught him by surprise
'Uh-uh, let me just go get it from my car, will you be alright while I just come back in a minute?' he said, the feeling of protectiveness coming out of nowhere.
He got up and started to walk towards his car, he smiled at the way the girl was, there she was crying and seemed as of her life had ended, but she still had her innocence that was mixed with humor intact, still had the optimism and still had the will to live. He wondered what had happened to her, to make a girl like her so weak, even if it were only for a short while.
He walked back to her, with the water she had asked for, he gave her the bottle and saw her gulp it down, and noticed that the crying had stopped.
'Thank you,' she said looking at him
'So tell me, what happened that made you be here at this hour' Jai asked, inquisitively
'What happened, that is a very interesting question Jai, does getting thrown out of your flat by the landlord at night suffice for me being here, or does my boyfriend, the guy I thought loved me, leaving me just because he had found someone else or does loosing my job on the very same day seem a valid enough reason' she told him, a sense of hurt, humor and mystery all packed into one.
'Now, I have no where to go, no one to call my own, and no way to earn a living, well not as of now at least' she added
'Wow, you are strong, and I say that despite my meeting you in your weakest moment, if something like that had happened with me, I would have seriously contemplated suicide or something' Jai answered, in awe of her spirit
'Oh, that thought had crossed my mind, but then I love myself too much' she laughed
'I wonder why. You're strong, you're beautiful, you have a sense of humor, you are captivating in a very odd sense, and your spirit never dies, nah you shouldn't love yourself, not worth it,' he joked back
Was it possible to fall in love with someone so soon after meeting them for the first time, he questioned himself because that's what had just happened, how could someone not love her, he thought.
'So what now,' he asked her, wanting to offer her some help.
'Nothing, I'll just spend the night on this bench and then search for some accommodation tomorrow morning and then a job' she answered
'You don't have any family here?' Jai questioned
'I was an only child, my father died when I was young, I don't even remember him clearly, as for my mom, she was the world's best mom, until she remarried, I left the house the minute I turned 18, haven't gone back since, and she hasn't bothered to find me since' Bani said, with a weird sense of calm, as if it just didn't matter
'Friends?' Jai asked
'I have a few, but because of my boyfriend, who by the way my friends weren't very fond off, I grew distant, I'll probably go to a friends house tomorrow if I am unable to find something for myself' Bani sighed
They sat and talked, all night, talking, not realizing when the time passed, the night ended and the rays of the sun penetrated the black sky, with the crescent reflections hiding behind the stars, the mists dissipating into the dawn, the sky lighting up, one ray for love, one for hope, one for a new beginning and one for adding the glow.
'This is love at first sight, love everlasting,' he said to himself.
It was a feeling unknown, not hoped for, unexpected--in so far as it could be a matter of conscious awareness; it took entire possession of him, and he understood, with joyous amazement, that this was for life.
'You grab the good things that life gives you and never let them go'
'Its morning Jai, I didn't even realize we'd been sitting here talking for so long' Bani said, stretching her hands
'Didn't you have to get home' she asked
'Nothing important, and I am glad I stayed, this was one of the most wonderful and memorable nights of my life' Jai said, an innocent twinkle in his eyes
'We should get going…can you drop me off at the main market area' she asked
'Sure, but are you sure that you don't want me to help you find accommodation, I can even get you a temporary job' he said for the nth time, hoping she would agree
'No Jai, I told you, this is my thing, and I've never taken any help, don't plan on starting now, I am God's chosen one, he'll see me through it all' she winked, a sense of confidence in the divine power and in her optimism.
They went towards the car, and as they walked Jai realized this would be their last encounter, he would in all probability never see her again, and he would get back to his life and she to her own. This love would be left unsaid, unspoken, unfelt.
He drove her to where she wanted to be left, her optimistic nature never stopped being endearing, her chatter still seemed like music to his ears and her smile seemed to light up the darkest of nights.
'Bye Jai, it was a pleasure meeting you. This encounter, I will never forget'
As he drove away, he saw her picture diminish in his rear view mirror, her wave getting smaller and she getting further away, slowly she was out of sight.
He was driving back to his life, his home, which could never include her.
Not much had changed since but still everything had. He leaned on the railing in the balcony, his head arched upwards, in a way asking God for some answers, he felt a woman's arms across his waist, holding him close from behind, her face rested on the rear part of his shoulders.
'I love you Jai,' she said.
He held her hands on his waist, and held them tight, reassuring himself that this is what his life is meant to be and that he was indeed happy if not happier than he had been on that night 3 years ago.
'I love you too,' he whispered to her, planting a light kiss on the forehead of the woman he called his wife and loved, loved with all his heart, though maybe not with the compassion he had felt for Bani that night. His wife was his present and his future and Bani, a sweet memory of the past that would remain with him no matter what he did to try and let it go.
The end.
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
Fan Fictions
