IshRa SS : Their first encounter (completed 17th nov)

2 years ago ~ Mumbai

She is panting on the side of the road, placing her hand over her heart. Alive. She is alive. She was about to cross the road, when a car coming on with full speed almost hit her. Had she been a few inches ahead and the car would have hit her hard. Hit her dead actually.

With a screeching sound, the white car stops a few feet away. The driver gets outs of his car, slams the door and walks in her direction. He is probably about to ask her if she's fine. Ishita tries to catch her breath before the man reaches out to her and at the same time she stares at him, up and down. He is wearing a designer suit that fits him to the T and has shades on; he looks like one of those rich businessmen who pose on magazine covers.

"What were you thinking?! Are you crazy?! Can't you be a bit more careful when you walk?! Look at you wandering, nose up in the air ! I almost hit you with my car, do you even realize all the damage you could have inflicted me?!"

Ishita is shocked. ""inflicted HIM?" she thinks to herself.

"Oh Lady! I am talking to you, it's not the time to get lost into dreamland right now. Good for you I have quick reflexes! If I had crashed my car into a wall, trying to save your life, I would have asked you to pay the reparation! Anyway since that's not the case... You should at least have the decency to apologize!"

Ishita shakes her head in disbelief. "What?!"

The man takes off his shades and glares at her "What "what"? Don't you know how to say sorry? Oh, i guess you need me to spell it out for you. S.O.R.R.Y. Here you go." He glares at her, actually waiting for her to apologize.

Ishita's blood starts boiling in her veins "Apologize? I should apologize to you ? Are you kidding me? You almost ran over me with your car because you're a bad driver and now you want me to say sorry? Are you out of your mind? I should sue you for murder attempt! If I hadn't had the right reflexes to dodge your car, I would be dead right now! Don't pretend like you saved me!"

"This is unbelievable..." She mutters as she gets on the ground to pick her groceries back up.

She is having the last word here and this irks him. He can't remember the last time he didn't have the last word in a conversation, let alone a fight.

"Oh hello madam, I didn't almost hit you because I'm a bad driver, I did because you're so wide you were taking twice the space a normal-sized person would take, waiting on the footpath!"

She drops her groceries on the floor again and stands straight up to him. Her eyes are firing him, her mouth is constricted in anger and her pale skin is getting livid by the second.

"What did you say?"

"Crazy, fat and deaf! Forget it beta, she's a lost cause." he grits between his teeth as he puts his shades back on. Before she can say anything else, he makes a u-turn and goes back to his car without a second look at her.

As he sits into his car, he leans his head back and sighs "Called her "fat" to have to the last word... what am I - a 6 years old kid?". He shakes his head and starts off his engine.

Ishita's eyes fill up with tears. Some passersby stopped walking to enjoy the fight. They now walks away whispering their precious conclusions on what just happened. Ishita holds in her tears and gets down to gather once again her groceries before going back to her friend's house.

Raman

It's already late in the evening when Raman finally reaches his hotel room in Mumbai, more than a thousand kilometers away from his home. He could have gone drinking with his mates and come to his room even later but tonight, he didn't feel like it. He has been away from home for months now, and even though he knows nothing is waiting for him there anymore, from time to time he still feels homesick. Homesick, more for a time that is long gone than the actual place he calls home.

As he takes off his vest he winces at the pain in his neck. Earlier this day, trying to avoid running over a passerby, he slammed on the brake and the jolt left him with a sore pain behind his neck.

"This is all because of this crazy woman !" he mutters, rubbing the painful area.

He undoes his tie before dropping himself into the chair. There's a deafening silence all around. He chuckles to break the silence, to confirm that this is all real but mostly, to remind himself that he is alive. Is this really being alive though? Working-drinking-sleeping, on repeat, without any meaning to it. Is it even worth it? Speaking of drinking... He drags himself out of the comfortable chair, and goes to the mini bar to get himself a drink. That's why he loves staying in hotels : everyday, his mini bar get refilled without him having to even think about it. It's like magic!

What was he thinking about already? He goes back to his chair. Oh yeah... Is it even worth it? Is life even worth anything? He puts his glass on the side table and answers his own question "Well, I guess so, because otherwise, why would I have hit the brakes and stirred the wheel, if not to save that woman life earlier? Or maybe... maybe everyone's life is worth it -even this hysteric lady's one- except ... my own?" He pauses "God...". He rubs his face, thinking that after all he should have gone out with his mates to drink. Staying alone at home is not good, and unless he gets himself plastered, he knows he won't sleep.

He raises his glass, looking to the left "To you, Raman.", then he turns to his right pretending someone actually spoke these words to him, pretending there is something to celebrate, and pretending he is not sad "Thank you Raman." Bottoms up.

He wipes his mouth and chuckles in disbelief. "Look at you Raman, calling people crazy but being just as mad yourself."

He leans his head back into the chair and closes his eyes. Her face flashes behind his lids. Usually, anytime - anywhere, this "her" would have referred to his ex-wife, but tonight surprisingly, it's the crazy lady from earlier who is haunting him.

What an awful day it had been. Today, if fate had played its cards differently, he would have been sitting in jail right now, for having run over a passerby.

Now that he's alone, he'll admit, maybe he was driving a bit too fast. But she was in the wrong too ! He saw her from afar, and nothing in her demeanor let him think she was about to cross the road. Obviously if he had had the tiniest hint she was about to cross the road, he would have slowed down. But no! She was standing on the footpath, lost in her thought and suddenly came into the road, without even looking right and left! Crazy!

That being said, Raman knows he is to blame too, maybe not for the almost-accident but for his behavior. The way she looked at him after he mocked her keeps flashing through his mind. Never had he felt so small in the past 4 years.

The whole scene plays into his mind once again. He can only thank god that she wasn't physically hurt in the end. How old was she anyway? 25? Maybe a few years older? Definitely under 30 though. Her face had an angelic touch to it.

Raman doesn't like the direction his thoughts are taking. He usually doesn't think about anyone, and especially not women. They don't deserve his time.

To distract himself, he turns the TV on. As always, there is nothing interesting enough to watch... He tries to focus his mind on some random talk show but his thoughts keep going back and forth between the accident and the woman. He remembers that she was dressed in a yellow kurti, with a red dupatta. Red and yellow, awful combination if you ask him.

The spokesman and his guests are laughing, probably to a lame joke made by one of them.

What could her life be like? Not that he actually cares, but just for fun... he wonders.

"From the lecture she gave me, she's probably a teacher, surrounded with kids all day long. She seems to have a good balance between care and authority so everyone -kids and colleagues - must love her to death. It must be it, she's a teacher. Then, when her day is over, she probably brushes the stress off her shoulders, touches up her makeup and goes back to her home, where she chit-chats with her saas waiting for her oh-so-caring husband to come back from work. I'm sure her saas is in love with her because she is the perfect bahu. I can imagine the only thing lacking in their happy-family life is a grandson and the saas would keep complaining subtly but regularly about it while the couple is waiting for "him" to get his long awaited promotion first." Raman shakes his head "The perfect middle class portrait... the type we see in the oatmeal commercial. The type... I could have had."

He closes his eyes, suddenly tired, but once again she comes to his mind. When she got down to get her groceries, he stared at her before throwing his lame punch line and he noticed... She wasn't wearing any sindoor.

His brain starts wondering again.

"No sindoor uh?... I guess I was wrong then. But how come she is not married already... She wasn't that young. Oh, I get it. She is probably the same as all those girls waiting for a prince charming to come to her door, so she keeps refusing all the rishteys. I'm sure she thinks she deserves the best of the best. She'll get married only to the perfect man who will make her perfect life even more perfect." Raman chuckles bitterly "A girl like her could never love a man who has flaws, or a past... Or both."

He serves himself another drink and holds the glass in his hand. He is waiting for the lump in his throat to go away before downing the liquor. He told her she was fat, and she stared at him. Her eyes, in that moment, told a whole other story. They weren't singing the story of a happy young women waiting for her prince charming to come. There was something else... He wonders again.

"Not so young but not married... Maybe... she's divorced?" He thinks. "Maybe someone broke her heart too?" His mind blanks out for a second. From one thought to another, he can't follow his own logic. "Nah Raman, those types of sad stories are only written in the book of your life..." Bottoms up.

One last thought comes to his mind before he sinks deep into slumber "She wasn't even fat, she was plump..."

In the morning, he'll remember about a crazy woman, with a yellow kurti and a red dupatta, but he won't remember her face.

Ishita

In the late afternoon, she arrives at the corner of the street where her friend's house is, more than a thousand kilometers away from her home. She takes a few deep breaths; she needs to gather up her strength. Soon she'll be in front of her friend, Tamanna and all of her friend's relatives and she'll have to play this game of false pretense. The week before, on the spur of the moment, she decided that she needed some time away from the suffocating love of her parents. She can't blame them, they couldn't help but shower her with love and attention after he broke their engagement. The love of her life left and he took her heart with her. So here she is, staying for a few days at her friend's place, away from anything that could remind her of her usual life, learning to be normal and cheerful again.

When she enters the house, she sees Tamanna talking on the phone, no one else seems to be around at the moment. Ishita signs that she'll put the groceries in the kitchen. Her friend mouths a silent "Okay" and thumbs up before giving all her attention to the phone call again. Ishita puts the vegetables away and notices that the sauce jar she bought earlier got broken and the content is spread all over her groceries. Earlier this day, trying to avoid getting hit by a car, she dropped her bag on the ground which led to this broken jar.

"This is all because of this crazy man !" she mutters, cleaning up the mess.

Since her friend is still on the phone, Ishita decides to go to her guest room and to rest until dinner time. She enters the bedroom and finally, she can drop the mask for a few moments. She sits on the edge of the bed, rubbing her temples.

There is no denying it, she has been feeling really low since her engagement broke, to the point where simply being alive began being tiresome. Is this really being alive though? Working-smiling-sleeping, on repeat without any meaning to it... Is it even worth it? Speaking of smiling... She drags herself to the cupboard's mirror.

She smiles at her reflection and then says, with a voice that is not her own "How are you Ishita?" She smiles back at herself "I'm fine thank you!" She pauses and asks again with a fake smile "How is Subbu, Ishita?" "You will have to ask him." she replies to her reflection, still smiling but now with a cold stare. She scrutinizes her face : there is not a single tear in her eyes, her smile is strong and persuasive, her chin is not shivering. Then only, she affords herself to break the act, impressed at her own performance. "I guess they're right. Practice does make it perfect."

She sits back on the side of the bed "Maybe if I keep pretending to be happy, I'll actually start believing that I am..." Deep breaths.

She looks around and sees a picture hanging on one of the walls; it's one of those cheap boards you can buy in malls with a cheesy inspirational quote on it. "Life is beautiful" it says to her face. Ishita sneers. "How unimaginative! ... Life is beautiful... but is it worth it? Is beautiful worth the pain? She leans her back onto the bed headboard and answers her own question "Well, I guess so, otherwise, I wouldn't have felt relieved when I realized I was still alive earlier today after that crazy man almost hit me... Or maybe... maybe that accident just made me realize I can't afford to go yet, be it only for my family's happiness." She thinks a minute "Should I actually be thankful for it?..." She pauses "God...". She rubs her temples again, thinking that there is no point in taking vacation from her family if the only thing she thinks about is her family.

She leans her head back on the headboard and closes her eyes, fighting back the tears. His face flashes behind her lids. Usually, anytime - anywhere, this "his" would have referred to her ex-fiance, but in this evening, surprisingly, it's the crazy man from earlier who is haunting her.

What an awful day it had been. Today, if fate had played its cards differently, she would have been 6 feet under right now, hit dead by a car. Now that she's alone, she'll admit, maybe she was day dreaming at the wrong moment. But he was in the wrong too for driving so fast! Every driver should slow down near a cross walk, whether someone is about to cross or not! But no! He was driving fast and furious and he could have killed her today! Crazy!

That being said, Ishita knows she is to blame too, maybe not for the almost-accident but for her behavior. Since Subbu left her, her life has been a walk through a heavy fog. She has been lost in her thoughts more often than not and paying less and less attention to her surroundings. She can't help herself, her mind keep wandering in a past that shouldn't have been and a future that could have been.

The whole morning scene plays into her mind once again. She can only thank god that none of them were physically hurt in the end.

How old was he anyway? 30? Maybe 35? Definitely under 40 though. Everything from his demeanor to his face screamed "I'm here to conquer" as if he owned the road, or even the whole city!

Ishita doesn't like the direction her thoughts are taking. She usually doesn't badmouth anyone and especially not strangers because she knows better than to judge someone before knowing their story.

To distract herself, she turns the TV on. As always, there is nothing interesting enough to watch... She tries to focus her attention on some Indian soap but her thoughts keep going back and forth between the accident and the man. She remembers that he was dressed in a navy blue suit, and had purple shades on. A show-off, if you ask her.

On the TV, the heroine of the soap is dramatically crying, probably over a futile thing one of her sisters said.

What could his life be like? Not that she actually cares, but just for fun... she wonders.

"From the way he shamelessly shouted at me, he's probably a golden boy of some huge company, spending his days humiliating people around him. He seems to have a good sense of self and he's gifted for leadership so everyone -friends and colleagues - must admire him to death, looking past his flaws. I'm sure every person he meets is dying to become his friend. I can imagine he never once in his life felt any kind of loneliness." She feels a pang in her heart at the last word.

She purses her lips and resume her thoughts "This guy... He must be the star everywhere he goes, especially in clubs, having girls throwing themselves at him left and right. But of course, he's the type of guy who thinks he's too good for them so he keeps brushing them away with a laugh. I'm sure, when it comes to women, he thinks he deserves the best of the best. He'll get married only to the perfect woman who will make his perfect life even more perfect." Ishita whispers "A man like him could never love a woman who has flaws, or a past... Or both."

She closes her eyes, suddenly tired, but once again he comes to her mind. When he took of his shades, she glanced at his hand and she noticed... He was wearing a wedding ring. Her brain starts wondering again.

"Hmm a wedding ring...? I was wrong then. I guess it makes sense that he is married already... He wasn't that young. So basically, he's a hero at work and of course, the same goes at home. When his day is over, he probably slams his desk, put a killer smile on his face and goes back to his home, where his oh-so-beautiful wife is waiting for him with a cup of tea. He sits to drink it, doing small talk with his parents who think they've been blessed with the perfect son. Of course, his happy-family life is completed with his firstborn - a son obviously- who keeps saying that he wants to be just like his dad when he'll grow up" Ishita shakes her head "The perfect blissful family portrait... the type we see in romantic movies. The type... I will never have."

She starts browsing through the TV channels, distracting her thoughts while waiting for the lump in her throat to go away.

He told her she was fat, and she stared at him. In his eyes, in that moment, she saw something else. A sort of innocence only a child could have... underlined with a form of tiredness she only found in her own eyes so far. She wonders again.

"A sharp tongue but a fragile heart... Maybe... he is heartbroken too?" She thinks. "Maybe he is lonesome?" Her mind blanks out for a second. From one thought to another, she can't follow her own logic. "Nah Ishita, those types of sad stories are only written in the book of your life..." Deep breathes.

Tamanna pokes her head into the room. "Ishita, get ready, tonight we're going out with the girls." Ishita is hesitant "You know that I don't drink... I'd better stay home. You go and have fun." "No Ishita, I won't let you sit here alone. You're coming with us ! You know what they say : Anything that gets your blood racing is worth doing!" Ishita smiles "Don't worry, someone made my blood race already this morning...I should have said thanks!" she laughs but Tamanna is lost "What?" "Nothing. Give me 5 minutes, I'll get ready." Tamanna winks at her and leaves the room.

One last thought comes to her mind before - for the first and last time - she drowns her sadness into alcohol "Maybe I should have thanked him..."

In the morning, she'll remember about a crazy man, with a navy blue suit and purple shades, but she won't remember his face.