Vasanth & Meera- Memoirs II

                                                                 The Last Mail

            While, Vasanth was crusing at a speed of  850km/hr in airbus A330, somewhere below 35,000 ft, birds were chirping to welcome dawn and a new day. Despite early hours of dawn, few men and women were excited and moved with alacrity in the massive hall. The stage in the hall, proved to be the centre of attraction of everyone. It's no wonder the wedding stage received such praises, white lilies and roses stole the show. The velvet board behind the stage had white letters embedded on it,

                                                           "Ajay weds Meera"

 

         A young lady clad in a beautiful saree took rapid strides moving past corridors to knock on the door. Meera opened the door, leaving it half open to welcome the lady.

"Didn't you shower?? The beautican will be here anytime, so get your shower done. Aunty asked for the wardrobe keys?"

Meera gave the keys, after fiddling in her purse for a while. "Get the mugurtha sari for me, Archana"

"Aunty has asked the keys to get you the sari and jewels. Today is a big day in your life, isn't Meera??? I still remember my marriage day, which was an year back. It gives me goosebumps even now"

"You are right, Archu!! I can't believe that I'm here, after all the turmoil I've been through in the last few weeks."

"grrrhhh!! Keep those thoughts out of your mind and look for a new beginning" said Archana, giving a pat on Meera's cheek and left her with loneliness.

       The laptop screen was lying in the bed, along with the undone fleece and pillows. Meera came from her shower, with water dripping from her hair. She sat down on the bed and was staring the screen. While there's was a whirlpool in her mind, which was clearly seen from her nervous fingers. After a dilemma, she logged on to her gmail account and typed 'V' in her address book. The sight of Vasanth's email address made her cry with tears rolling down her cheeks.

                                                    vasanthmeera@gmail.com  

Dear Vasanth

           When you are reading this, most things in my life would have changed, just like my surname. I'm not sure if I had done the right thing, but I know there's no turning back. If there was a beautiful period in my life, then it would be the moments I had spent with you. In fact, I lived those moments by smiles and silent cries. You were the one, who painted rainbows and gifted butterflies in my life. Every time when sorrow or grief was engulfing me, you were there to give me a warm hug and whisper in my ears "Don't worry sweetie, I'm here for you"

           My palms are longing to hold your cheek and blissful smile. Eternity was never far away, when you carved a beautiful kiss on the tip of my nose. I'm searching for your words and warmth of your chest in the air. I wasn't given a chance, but only a choice to choose between two journeys. I was torn between the love for you and my parents. For all that you have given me, I returned you with hatred and pain. You rode into hell, leaving heaven for me to explore and cherish. 

               My heaven has no glory without you and your heart beat. Once I walk out of the door, there's new world waiting for me. A world which is ready to maul and trounce me, for the silly acts, which I'm about to perform. Even though they were silly, you termed them as divine. Nothing can abate my love for you; this was our first step in a beautiful relationship, that had a brief hiatus. We are meant to do this forever, getting lost in each other's arms and waiting for the time to tickle on. 

                 No matter what happens, I'll come for you in another life and plead for all my sins. I miss you,Vasanth.

Yours,
Sweetie

               The cursor stood next to the send tab, waiting for Meera to push on it. Her mind was racing through the plethora of events that had happened in the last two weeks and how she was pushed to this marriage. She wanted to take her mind off from this, but she couldn't do that. Finally, she decided it was time to move on and clicked the delete tab. There was a knock on her door,

                    It was Meera's mom, with the muhurtha sari in her hand and a heavy make up to cover up the wrinkles on her face. "Meera !!! Oh!!! you look so pretty ! Ajay is going to be blown off by you. Here's the sari, I'll help you to wear it!"

"Amma ! I can do it by myself"

"I know how you would make a mess out of it, do you remember Shasidaran's daughter marriage? Oh my God!! Most of the function, I was worried, if your sari might fall off!!"

                 Meera wanted some solace, but her mom was stubborn in trying to help her to wear the sari. With her mind wavering, the kanchipuram sari draped her. Finally, when she was done with her make up and costumes, she hugged her mom.

"I know what's in your mind, kanna!! you have done the right thing, Meera!

"I guess so, amma!!"

                   The room was filled with blanketing silence and tears from Meera's eyes rolled on to her mom's neck. She carefully wiped off the tears using a tissue and stepped out of the door for her new world.

Tears of Vasanth

                      The world looked haunted and deserted for Vasanth. Hong Kong airport was massive, with huge glass windows lined up from the floor to ceiling. He caught his image on the window panes and tried to focus on his face midst the huge Boeing flight across the glass. He can't believe that his life has taken rapid turns in the last month. Everything started with the text messages, he has sent to Meera and one fine day, hell broke loose when he got a call from Meera. She was crying over the phone and Vasanth never saw what was coming,

"Vasanth !! Daddy is...  appa is .. !! ... " cried Meera, with words mumbling in panic.

"Meera!! hey! what happened ?? Is uncle alright? 

"No!! he isn't! he is admitted in a hospital ! They say he had a heart attack!! " sobbed Meera.

"Shit!! he was okay, even a week before!"

" I guess, he saw the text messages. He never spoke to me for two days!"

"Hang on! Don't panic! Everything is gonna be alright, I'll be there in few minutes."

"No! No Vasanth!! it's not !! I'm afraid, I might lose him."

"Cha!! stop that!! I've started, I'm coming , it will be okay, sweetie"

"Vasanth, it's all because of your text messages !! shouted Meera, with her voice becoming cacophonous with cries.

"what does this have to do with me?? you were stupid enough to keep it in your mobile, without deleting it!! Don't throw the blame on me, Meera."

"Perfect!! I'm stupid to trust you ! I'm stupid to think, that I can find solace in you. What else??  I'm stupid enough to stick myself with a loser like you!!!"

        Vasanth remembered how the call and her meetings with Meera came to an abrupt end. he thought about the blunder he made on that day, by arguing with her at the wrong time. He tried to reach her, but she never wanted to. He cursed under his breath and wore a grim look with fever of desperation clouding him, when he thought about her. Without the slightest hint of calmness, he fiddled in his pocket and flipped his phone. He browsed through the messages and finally laid his eyes on Meera's text. He was staring at her message and felt her voice spilling the words around him,

"We need to talk Vasanth. Meet me at our usual spot by 2.30 p.m." 

With the previous episode and the heated argument still fresh in his memory, he reached there on time. He didn't want to piss her by making her wait. Meera was already sitting there, relaxed and calm smile . He wondered, how could girls make mess in someone's life and still appear like a Zen Master.

"I'm really sorry, Meera! I shouldn't have spoken to you like that on the phone."

"Can't you come little early, Vasanth?"

"What?? I wasn't late, you asked me to come by 2.30 and I was here on time."

"It doesn't mean that you have to be here by 2.30 p.m. You could have come earlier!"

"Look, Meera!  I don't want to argue with you. How's uncle?"

"He is okay and they have discharged him from hospital"

   Vasanth leaved a sigh of relief, " That's good news, I'm relieved now"

"Vasanth, I'm getting engaged next month." said Meera with a straight face.

  The words felt like a blow on his face, to make him immobile. He felt difficult to swallow with a lump of distress in his throat. He wasn't sure if he had heard the right words or if he was hallucinating. 

"Meera! are you serious?? How can you do this ? I .. i can't .." mumbled Vasanth and choked for words. He knew he was going to cry, but felt ashamed to do that in front of a girl. He managed to control his anger and grief by clenching his sweat palms into a fist.

"I'm not kidding. He is an IIM graduate, working in America"

"Fuck... fuckkk!!! bull shitt!!" shouted Vasanth

"Stop swearing at me!! I'm torn between the love for you and my appa. I can't stand the sight of him suffering".

" Meera! I know how it is, I'll talk to uncle, we can sort things, please. Don't take decisions in a haste, I can't believe a world without you"

"Nothing is gonna change, appa trusts me so much and I can't break his heart again. I can't lose him for you"

"I'm not asking you to desert your dad.. please Meera!! I want you in my life, there can't be anything beautiful than you".

" You are worried only about you, but I want my folks to be happy. Do you know how it feels to watch your dad crumbling? I've seen it. It's all over, Vasanth"

"No, it's not over Meera!" before Vasanth could speak, Meera stood up,

"I'm sorry, Vasanth. You deserve a better girl than me. I'll miss you"

             The speakers came alive, with the airlines announcing the boarding gate information for Melbourne flight. Before he could recover from that memory, a gentle hand gripped his shoulder, followed by a familiar voice, "If you are going to stand like this and cry, you are most likely to miss your flight".

Welcome to Australia

                    Vasanth turned to find the old man from his earlier flight standing next to him. Embarrassment and anger grew within him; he shoved the old man's hands, to walk towards the gate 61. The old man gave a half smile and slowly walked towards the gate to join Vasanth. After an agonizing wait in the queue, he entered the flight and occupied a seat in the aisle located in the middle. To his horror, the old man sat in his adjacent aisle, close to him, but not as bad as sitting next to him.
                     
"I saw you were crying and I know what's eating you, my boy. Do you want to know, what mistake you are doing? "said the man, turning towards Vasanth.

Vasanth didn't know what to make out of this guy, but he felt he had done enough to piss him. After all he has done to the old man, he still wanted to offer him something. In all these days, every schmuck on this planet were giving him advice and offering condolences for his loss. Perhaps, he thought there's nothing he could lose by hearing to what he says,

"Do you reckon so?? Please enlighten me by your teachings"

"hahaha.. I know you don't like me, but still I'll tell you something. You can't get your girlfriend and the dumping incident out of your mind, isn't?"

"Yes!! Do you think I didn't know that?? Tell me something else"

"The problem is you are trying to forget her, put her thoughts out of your mind. The biggest hurdle for you is her and if you can't leap that hurdle, better by pass that. Do you get what I' saying?"

"Go on... I'm listening"

"You want your mind to be devoid of her thoughts and your memories. Trust me, it's not gonna happen. If you have loved someone so much, you can't just wipe them out in an overnight and say I'm done. Then it's going to be just lust"

So far, this guy appeared like a schmuck with some trivial thoughts. Now, he saw something valuable in him and shifted himself to listen keenly.

"I have trouble talking to you like this, twisting myself at an awkward angle, shall I move next to you?" smiled the old man.

"Yup! Promise me, you won't ask me any questions after sitting with me!"

"Deal, young man!!" the old man held his thumb up in recognition and settled next to Vasanth making a loud noise.

"Where was I?

"By passing the hurdle...  the lust thing..."

"ya.. You passed the litmus test by overcoming the situation, now you have to live with her memories.

"For how long ?? You don't understand what I'm going through?"

"I appreciate that. Perhaps her memories will be with you until you die, but you need to find something that keeps your mind away from that. It could be your hobbies, career or anything. Now that you have research, put your thoughts in that and do some constructive work"

"It's easier said, than done"

"I know.. The world is only for the guys who strive towards their dream and you are exactly in the right path towards it. Hey.. let me ask you something, if you don't mind"

"Sure! go on"

"What did your girlfriend get up to?? marriage??"

"yup.. She's getting married to guy in America, MBA degree.. H1B Visa, Times square.. flashy isn't??"

"Nahh!! These guys sell diapers and tissue rolls. I guess who are doing a lot better"

                 Vasanth laughed after a very long time at the old man's dark humor. He saw a twinkle in the old man's eyes and this talk meant a lot to him. This might not heal his wounds; at least it would alleviate his pain.

"What's your name Sir?"

"Some people call me 'God'

"What?? are you serious?"

"Jokes apart, my name is Devan, which literally means 'God'. So I'm God"

"Thank you, God"

       Devan brushed Vasanth's hair, as a sign of acceptance and went back to his seat. The storm that was battering Vasanth's heart was abating now; he saw signs of recovery and his eyes closed slowly to embrace the much needed sleep. The flight cruised in the silent hours of the morning towards Melbourne.

              The skyscrapers seem to grow in size as the flight landed with a thud, before coming to halt. Excitement grew within Vasanth, when he saw the mighty city sprawled across the flight windows. The sunshine gave him a quick boost to his drooping eyelids. Hefty guys in black scanned his backpack and checked the Visa papers. With all the formalities completed, he moved across the sliding doors with his baggage.

                   Vasanth was expecting someone from his university to pick him from airport. He was looking for his name board in the small group of people and managed to spot his surname. To his surprise, he found a smiling Indian lady, holding the name board and a small girl with a bunch of flowers.

"Hi, I'm Vasanth, from India"

"Hey! I'm Anuradha. How was your flight ?"

"It was good and exhausting. By the way, is she your daughter? how old is she?"

"Oh!! Yup, she is 7 years old! I forgot about the flowers" smiled Anuradha. "Pinky, give the flowers to Vasanth uncle"

             Vasanth felt a bit weird, when he was addressed as 'uncle'. The little girl resembled a Barbie doll  with a pink outfit, holding white lilies. The little index finger was safely inside her mouth and she gave the flowers to him.

"That was so sweet. What's your name dear?"

             She eyed her mom and with a hint of shyness, "Meera! Welcome to Australia, uncle"

The pleasant shock rattled Vasanth and gave a half smile. "You made my day Meera" and he kissed the little girl.



Author's Note:

               I thank all my friends and few loyal readers for travelling with me in this journey. The whole month of July had been eventful with Vasanth & Meera. When I published my first part, I was thrilled to read the comments. Most people saw themselves in my characters and I think my success lies in it. To all those who have contributed towards this, I owe my sincere gratitude. Of course, the major share of this story's credit goes to her. Thank you, Sweetie!








            

Vasanth & Meera - Memoirs I

                                                      
Prologue

           After many debates and a slew of dilemmas, I sat down with this story. Perhaps this is a story on love and its toll on the lives of people. Moments from the lives of Vasanth & Meera have been penned down here. The characters could be fictional, but the events surrounding Vasanth & Meera were part of real life incidents ( me & my friends). This is just a collection of their memoirs, stacked up like the imaginary tower of Babel, that leads nowhere, but still when you can cherish it all your life. The whole episode has been split in to two halves (no sequels), not to annoy the few readers of mine by a bulky story and the trouble of scrolling your mouse.

                                          Vasanth's final call

                                      The boarding pass and copy of Visa in the hands of Vasanth was holding the day. Vasanth could easily slip in to the million guys you find every day, bearing the next door boy looks and enriched with the ideals of serving a western nation. He looked smart in his newly shining black suit with a fake smile, which he tried to muster to keep his folks happy. He knew, once he crossed the security gate, there's a new world waiting for him to board. The Chennai airport was infected with farewell and adieus; every tear that was shed for their loved ones lingered in the air, making Vasanth uneasy. 

                                   Over the gate, he could see his parents trying to a wage a battle of emotions; moments of pride and grief were overwhelming them. A million of thoughts engaged the geeky grey cells of Vasanth. His mom's advice echoed in him, "Don't eat burgers!! No coke and no cheese... Sleep by 10, wear your mufflers when you go out in cold.. anddd .. "

"Keep this in your closet ! Hanuman's prasadam! It'll bring you good charm, stay away from meat during Fridays and Saturdays. Call us every alternate day; don't worry about us and money." The small packet of kum kum and his dad's thoughts were safe in his breast pocket close to his heart. 

The thoughts seem to push him in a whirlpool, with his heart sending chaotic signals to the brain. "Do I really need to make this call, leaving my wonderful family here, to pursue my goal? When can I cherish the joy of my mom's chutney or an evening stroll with my dad to a chaai shop? "The final call came from the amplifiers above Vasanth's head for his flight. With a heavy heart, he turned towards the security gate leaving his parents and tears down his cheek towards the floor.

He slid past the gates to find a hostile woman officer to check his visa and passport. After a brief glance and a stamp on the passport, she shoved it back to him, revealing how much she enjoyed her work. Vasanth took small strides to make it to the small group of people queuing in a white chamber resembling a tunnel. The tunnel made a reverberation and pushed hot air, making Vasanth's first flight trip creepy. The tunnel ended with a steward welcoming the passengers and gave him the first appearance of the flight cabin. 

Vasanth managed to find his seat and it was a seat close to window, perhaps the only good thing that has happened since dawn. Before the joy could dwell in his face, a heavy built man came sliding across the aisle of seats, literally pushing Vasanth,

"I'm sorry young man, shall I take the window seat? I feel relaxed when I sit near the window" said the man.

Vasanth was wondering, why would a guy need a window seat in the middle of a night," Okay Uncle!! "

The guy finally landed in the window seat, thrusting his belly within the confined space and squeezed his legs pushing his front seat. Occasional glances fell on Vasanth's attire, they normally don't find people in suits flying in economy classes. The cool air brushed his hair on the forehead and gave him a soothing feeling. It was 15 mins past 12 o'clock , but still he couldn't bring down his eyes.

"Is this your first flight trip??" asked the man.

Vasanth felt like saying, does that annoy you, but he didn't. He answered in a single syllable, with a straight face, " Yup.. ".

"Bingo !! See how I figured that! Let me tell your history now " the guy beamed.

"Good on you"

"You are here to spend your dad's money in a two year shit course !! hahaha !!!" The old man laughed at his own sarcasm or joke or whatever he thought it was.

"Nope"

Vasanth's answer brought a mild surprise in that guy's face, but still he never stopped questioning.

"hmmm !! then what are you up to ?"

Their conversation came to a temporary halt, when the air hostess asked them to wear their seat belts. Vasanth was relieved and his inner voice thanked her.

"Do you think she is pretty?? I have the feeling ...... hang on.. aren't we off the track??? so are you on a vacation?"

"I m off to Australia to do my research.. in simple terms a PhD... "

"PhD??? you should be smart for that!! what made you to do that?? I mean .. your research.. like someone might be inspirational or stuffs like that".

Vasanth really wanted to end this talk, not that he hated his fellow passengers, but he felt sober when someone asks about his Phd. He knew where exactly it was heading to, so he replied,

" you want an answer and here it is, my girlfriend ditched me, so I was pushed in to this research thing, is it okay now???" Vasanth's tone was bit harsh and the guy stuffed his headphones in his ears.

Vasanth was bit upset about his behavior,but the thing which annoyed him the most was his honest reply. Every time he tried to wither her thoughts, he knew it's going to make matters worse. He experienced the true meaning of his name (spring), when he was in a beautiful world called Meera. Meera is the girl who would like to slap and peck on Vasanth's cheek for no reason. Vasanth was still searching the reason, which made her to move out of his life. He closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would give him a temporary relief, but his memory was largely laden with Meera.

                                                           Birthday gift

             Hans Zimmer's score was filling the living room, it was electric, the percussion sent a chill painting a dark tone. Vasanth tried to focus on his desktop screen, but the fabric of Meera which was brushing him, kept him at bay. Whenever she pointed to the screen, he never saw what she was up to, but he stole a quick glance of her face.

"Vasanth, shall we try to work on our assignment?"

"what ?? what did you say?"

"Keep your eyes on the screen, not on my face"

"okaayyyy!!" murmured Vasanth." Meera, didn't you forget something?"

Meera's lips formed into a thin line and she crooked her head to think, meanwhile Vasanth tried to gaze at her cute expression. "Nothing that I could remember of"

"Come on Meera, you remember this bull shit assignment but you forget the promise you have made"

"Now I know where this is heading, birthday gift isn't??"

"Ya!!!" Vasanth's face sunk. "I just can't believe a guy pestering his girl friend to give him a birthday gift"
Meera smiled sheepishly, " Fine, what do you want birthday baby??"

"I don't want anything big, just a kiss! simple as that!"

"What?? a kiss?? are you kidding??"

"No! I swear on your puppy, I'm serious !"

"Idiot! stop this!! I don't think I'm ready for this. I need to think"

"Hey I never gave a thought about this before asking you, but why do you make such a fuss for this??"

"This isn't a candy or a cookie, moreover I'm a girl and I can't say yes to everything"

        Vasanth was furious and moved towards the balcony. He tried to vent out his rage by griping the railings with his knuckles going white. Meera came behind him, with her palm resting on his back.

"Vasanth, what are you doing?? you are hurting yourself!!"

"Leave me alone, Meera! I'm pissed off at myself and I don't want anyone to say yes for me"

"Don't be so mean, Vasanth! You don't understand me, leave it."

"Stop the crap! Can you leave me alone, please???"

            Someone was shaking Vasanth's shoulder to disrupt his brief affair with Meera. When he woke up, it was the air hostess serving breakfast at odd hours. The tray was beautifully decorated with sandwiches and orange juice filling the brim of the disposable cup. The sight of tissues hanging at the edge of the tray sent him once again a wave of emotions.

"Can you leave me alone, please???"

 Vasanth really wondered, if Meera took that seriously, leaving him in a no man's land. Everything around him was filled with her, telling him that he had missed something invaluable in his life. Just like the tissues sitting in the tray, reminded him of the ice cream parlor incident.

                                                           
                                                           'Crazy about you'

         The ice cream parlor 'Boomerang' had very less sunlight entering through the tinted glasses. The walls were adorned with canvas arts of sundae and milk shakes. The place had pink theme designed to attract all the girls on the earth. It was a place where most birthday cakes and guys wallet burnt. Most tables in the parlor were occupied by people in pairs, with occasional glances from single guys or elderly people, on the endless romance that was staged for free.

           Vasanth felt bit weird, because he was never accustomed to an ice cream parlor. He found the spot as told by Meera, the one behind the cash counter. He sat down with excitement running all over his body, but tried to conceal it by flipping through the pages of the tiny menu card. To his horror, almost every ice cream was priced above Rs.50, so he decided to order a bottle of water and wait for her.The waiter came back with a small bottle of water giving him a look, which said 'if he had come all the way to an ice cream shop to order water bottle"

            Vasanth beamed a sheepish smile and gulped half the bottle, before Meera pushed the doors to come in. She wore a green kurtha which was radiant matching her jubilant smile. The smile lingered on her full lips and her dark hair moved rhythmically to the back ground music in the parlor. She sat next to Vasanth and nudged her elbow in his ribs. 

"How is my new kurtha?? I love green, my favorite color!!!" 

"you look like a princess" smiled Vasanth

"Thank you, sweetheart!"

"What ice cream do you want? I have no idea about this, guess i'll go with choco classic" said Vasanth, because choco classic was the only one that was below Rs.50.

"I'll go with a vanilla punch". 
Vasanth gave the orders at the counter and came back with few tissues in his hand. Meera took his arms in hers and was staring at his palms in a pensive mood. 

"Vasanth!! Wish I could come with you like this , holding your hands and resting myself on your shoulders"


The waiter approached them with their orders, the sight of him made Vasanth bit embarassed to hold her arms, so he quickly tried to withdraw himself from her. This act of Vasanth pissed off Meera, 

"Why did you do that?"

"Everyone are watching us, Meera! It feels bit weird to act like this in public"

"I don't care a shit about that" Meera moved close to Vasanth, slipping her hands under his elbows and resting her smooth cheek on his shoulder. Vasanth felt heaven was not far away, but came in a beautiful form called as Meera. 

"I just can't understand you Meera! last week you were so fussy when I asked a kiss, but now you are... acting different. Strange !"

"Welcome to the world of girls!!"

"grrrrhhh !! crap !!"

"Idiot!!!" Both laughed in unison, acknowledging their childish behavior. Before the smile could vanish from Vasanth's face, Meera kissed on his cheek, leaving a trail of her baby pink lip gloss. 

Vasanth was totally taken aback by the kiss, which was a total surprise and before he could relish that,it was over. Just like the wish you wanted to make, while there is a shooting star above us. 

"are you ok, Vasanth?" giggled Meera

"That.. thatttt. was bloody awesome" said a Vasanth, smiling shyly.

"Now you will understand, why I wanted you hold this table for us"

"Ya.. ya.. damn no CCTV camera above us and a vantage point too!! you are smart sweety!!"

"I'm always dear. Now I want the lip gloss on your cheek to be left undisturbed"

"What the hell!! lip gloss on my cheeks??? shit ! shit ! " Vasanth grabbed the tissues and tried to wipe his cheeks, but Meera caught his arms. 

"Sorry dude!! If you love me, don't wipe it. No one's gonna look at your cheeks"

"Are you crazy?? what's the connection between the lip gloss and my love for you??" 

" yes !! I'm crazy about you, Vasanth! Will you do it for me ??"

            The slight rumble from the plane did not deter Vasanth's ebbing memories. He touched his cheeks and smiled, wondering if the lip gloss was still on his cheeks. The old woman in the next aisle was puzzled by his reaction and gave him a scornful look.


                                                                 The Last Mail

            While Vasanth was cruising at a speed of 850km/hr in airbus A 330 somewhere below 35,000 ft, birds were chirping to welcome a new day.  ......... 

( more in Vasanth & Meera Memoirs II)