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
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)
post the next soooooooon bajjuuuuu..its very interesting:-)
ReplyDeleteCofessions of ones own story??????????
Lovely writing... I believe every word written... I guess it isn't fiction after all :-)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read the next chapter....