Enigmatic Love - Part 2

Read first part here!

“I thought you loved me. Then why did you say NO?”

“No, Paolo. I never fell in love with you. But yes, I admit that I loved your company as you were really good to me.”

“But this was all so perfect. Where did I lack?”

“I know it’s my entire mistake. I should have told you this earlier. But I was afraid to confront you. I was afraid that you might not understand me and amiss this, one thing I was sure of that someday or the other I would have to face this. And that day has come.

Look, Paolo, I don’t want to marry you. In fact I don’t want to marry at this age.”

“It’s okay. I can wait for you all my life. I love you, Isabel.”

“No, Paolo. There is something more I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Ever since my childhood days, I’ve nurtured a dream in my eyes.....to do something big. I never wanted to spend my life like every other woman, marrying and looking after children. I might sound weird but I want to take an active part in the revolts taking place all over Italy for its unification. And I know nobody would support me, not even you. But there is one person who will definitely understand me. He always did. Ah! Look....there he is.

Paolo...this is Taylor, my first and the last love.”

Paolo was dumbstrucked. He did not know what to say or how to react. Isabel was freaking him out. Of course, he had not expected a girl to say all this stuff. And what further kicked him in the teeth was the fact that he could NOT see any guy standing at the place where she pointed.

“Where? I can’t see anyone.”

“Oh c’mon. He’s right in front of you.”

“Is this some kind of a joke, Isabel? Do you think you can make a fool out of me? First you say that you want to take part in revolts. Okay..I would support you. But now you say you’re in love with an invisible person. What has happened to you, dear?"

“Oh, I see. So now you are also not going to believe me huh? Would you also think that I am mad? Fine! Think whatever you want to. I don’t need to prove his existence to anyone. All I know is that I love him and he loves me. And that he supports me in my every decision.”

“Isabel, come back to reality. You need to understand. There’s no Taylor. If there would have been one, why are we not able to see him? Why only you see him? Think about it.”

“I know. And it is because everyone wants me to marry you. Even you want this. So why would you believe me. Look...Taylor is also saying this.”

Things were hard for everyone, especially for Paolo. First, the love of his life rejected his proposal second, she wants to support the revolutionists for Italy’s unification and lastly, she was in love with an imaginary person whom she called Taylor. That was indeed frustrating. Isabel had built a world of mirage. It was impossible for anyone to bring her out of it.

And then one day, Isabel left. She absconded....without saying anything to anyone.

Three months later...

After trying hard to look for Isabel, everyone gave up the hope that they would ever see her again. They had learnt to live without Isabel. Even Paolo went back to work and things were getting quite normal until one day, a news in a daily local perplexed him and shook him to the core. It read:

“After a civil disobedience strike in Lombardy, the rage of unifying Italy entered the nerves of Tuscans. A violent revolt which broke yesterday i.e., 12th February, 1848 in the streets of Tuscany marked it's beginning. Many people including women took an active part in it, demanding a constitution and republican provisional government for Tuscany. Two women viz. Marianna Attino, age 23 and Isabel D’Angelo, age 19 and a man viz. Taylor Corradi, age 24 died and many others were badly injured during the...”

***********

Writer's note: I know you must be wondering how is this possible and how can Taylor be for real. Well, there can be many possibilities. One, that Taylor Corradi was just another person who took part in the revolt and it was a mere co-incidence that his name appeared among the deceased s along with her name. Second, that Isabel might have befriended Corradi during the procession as his name was same as her imaginary lover's. Also, there is a chance that Isabel acted to be a schizophrenic in front of others so that they wouldn't force her to marry Paolo but when she saw that things were still not turning to her side, she escaped.

Now it's up to you, friend. You can churn your mind and decide the end of this time-pass story. I have already helped you a lot to solve the puzzle! :)

Enigmatic Love - Part 1

Once upon a time, somewhere in the 1830s, there was a young girl called Isabel. She was a seven year old and lived with her parents and one brother in the outskirts of Florence, the then capital of Italy. Her family originally belonged to the suburbs of America but had moved to Florence in search of work.

Isabel was a simple-looking girl who did not have any friend as there was no child of her age in that colony. Also, she was usually left ignored by her parents for some or the other reason. This made that little loner, create an imaginary friend, Taylor. She spent her time sitting in the veranda, playing with dolls, toys and Taylor. None of the other family members took much care of Isabel. Her mother was always busy doing the household work, her father worked in a small rug-making factory along with her brother who was six years elder to her.

Young Isabel

Isabel loved her fantasy land as she was not a loner in it. She had Taylor by her side. Whenever her parents scolded her for any kind of mischief, Taylor was the one who used to console and support her. She used to played with him, fought with him, had long talks with him and most of all, carved dreams with him. Over the years, Taylor became an important part of her life and she loved him, much!

Once, when she was fourteen years old, a family moved to their neighbourhood. Due to all the unrest caused by the liberal revolutions in the city, many people were displaced from their native places and took refuge in the outskirts of the city and so did their newly shifted neighbour. They had a sixteen year old son, Paolo. He was a handsome-looking boy having light brown hair and big eyes. The family was a decent Italian family and Paolo’s parents easily gelled with Isabel’s. But both Isabel and Paolo were a little reluctant in the beginning, to befriend each other. Isabel was not in a habit to talk to any other male and Paolo found Isabel beautiful but weird. They both used to get really awkward with each other.

Young Paolo

But as the time passed, the sheet of uneasiness between them began fading and they became good friends. Like all other love stories, the boy fell in love with the girl. Yes! Paolo, by the age of twenty, fell madly and deeply in love with Isabel. On the other hand Isabel still took him as her good friend. She was not absolutely sure of Paolo’s feelings but she had a hint that he loved her. She could tell this by the way he treated her and made her feel special in every possible way. She liked it too. Who would not like to be treated special, anyway? But she did not let him come very close due to her self-made boundaries. Even Paolo, at times, felt that there is a part of Isabel of which he is unaware.

Everything else was so typical and perfect. Their family members began thinking of their children’s marriage. Mothers indulged themselves in the art of planning the wedding and fathers got busy in discussing the dates and finance. But things were not meant to be this way, as far as Isabel’s life was concerned. And an unanticipated and unturned stone came to light, the day Paolo confessed his feelings to Isabel.

Read the next part here.

Nuanced Phase of an Employee's Life.

The following piece is specially written for my very dear Chacha Nehru a.k.a The Solitary Writer. He asked me to put myself into his shoes, think like he does and write a good story loosely based on his personal life. In the beginning, I was a little scared as he's a very good writer and I, being a tyro, cannot even imagine to write something good by placing myself at his position. But his motivation helped me a lot. Thank you for that.

Though I was supposed to complete the same till Diwali, the delay is attributed to my internal exams and of course my laziness.. :D.

But today, it's his birthday and I thought it would be a good idea if I post this piece on his birthday as it holds a special part in his life.

I hope you like it Chacha Nehru as I've made some changes in the climax of the story.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. :)

"I and my seven friend were residing in one flat during our training days. It was so much fun. You cannot even imagine the height of enjoyment we used to have. And don't you dare take it otherwise...ha-ha.." I winked.

"Well...now that you have specifically mentioned it...I think..." Just as she was about to say anything further. I interrupted her.

"No no girl...don't think much. It was nothing like that. The kine of enjoyment I'm talking about is something like..umm...okay here's an incident.
I remember we had a short session that day and were given an off early in the afternoon. It was pretty obvious that we did not want to waste that special leave just by going back home. So one of my friends, Ankur, who was also my best mate, came out with a wonderful idea to go to the famous Hookah Place. We all immediately agreed upon the same and directly headed there. the place was really costly and believe me we did not even have enough to pay the bill."

"But you and your friens would have checked the same beforehand."

"Well yeah...but then that adventurous day would not have happened. You just keep listening na."

"Okay okay...continue."

"So Nishant, another friend. told one of the staff members that he has to get some cash from the ATM to pay the bill and he would be back in half an hour or so. That person agreed and asked the rest of us to wait downstairs. And just when no one was watching us, we all slyly came out of that place and jumped into the nearest taxi. Ha-ha...that cab driver thought that we were some kind of criminals and he started blabbering incessantly to leave him alone...he has a family...don't want to die...and blah. While on the other hand we all were begging him to drive fast as we obviously did not want to get thrashed up. It was a hilarious scene and like complete idiots we laughed and laughed a lot."

"Hahahaha....it was more of a filmy scene."

"Yeah you can say that. And it is glued to the list of rib-tickling events in my life."

"I didn't know that you were so fun-loving and a crazy guy. Nice surprise." She said.

"Yeah...that's how I used to be during my training days and I have many such out-of-this-world incidents."

"But why? I mean why have you changed?"

"I haven't changed. It's just that I've gained more stability in life. May be because of the work pressure or may be something else."

"Something else?"

"yeah...umm...may be it happened because of Neha."

"Now who is this girl who has changed you immensely?"

"Don't say she changed me. She just helped me grow into a new level of maturity."

"Alright Siddharth. But I want to know about her. Who is she?"

"Neha was my friend. We were in the same team during our training days. I won't say that she was the prettiest girl that I'd ever seen but yeah she was the most beautiful girl. Hope you get the difference."

"Yeah. I got it. You continue." She smiled.

"She was not like a typical girl as far as her likes and dislikes were concerned. For example- she did not like wearing make-up, did not like shopping, she loved bikes and once even shared her desire to ride a bike. She was a vivacious and a fun-loving girl and believe me I used to forget all my tensions when was with her."

"Wow. Now that is so sweet. But what happened? Where is she now days?"

"It all happened on that fateful day when I decided to confront my feelings. We both were like best of friends and shared almost anything and everything. She once told me about her crush on one of our colleague in the office. I don't know why I took it casually. May be because my heart never accepted the fact that she could love someone else or be close to someone else other than me.
This mirage of unreasonable belief did not last long. It was shattered into pieces on the day I proposed her.
Due to some work pressure and over-time tasks, we had not properly conversed for almost two weeks. And to my surprise, a lot had happened in her life during that period."

"Umm.... Just a minute." She interrupted me to attend a call from her mother. "yeah ma, I'll be back in another half an hour. Don't worry. Alright, see you."

"I'm sorry for breaking the tempo. Anyway, you continue." She took the last sip of her coffee and waited for me to start.

"That is okay. So I was telling you that after those two weeks, things had taken a new direction. I remember her calling me around one in the morning and expressing her desire to meet me the next day to share something special. She sounded happy but I had no idea what that special thing could be. In my mind, I'd thought it was high time for me to confess my feelings for her. So it was an important day for both of us..."

                                       *******************************

Today, after my friend left, I realized that somehow, narrating her 'The Neha incident' of my life made me feel lighter. It is for the first time that I'd shared the same with a third person. Neha's rejection of my proposal as she had already said 'Yes' for marriage to her love...that same colleague, was no less than a hard bolt for me. And what further deteriorated my situation was the fact that I'd nobody with whom I could share it. But today, I fell a lot more positive and content than before. It's like a big cloud that had over-shadowed my purpose to live and enjoy life had finally stepped aside.

Neha was a nice girl...I agree. But I guess she wasn't the right one for me. And I think that my friend is right in saying that I should not feel sad for failing once but rather be happy because there is surely someone even better for me. So I guess it's like a good deal...right? ;)

A Stranger's Gesture

It was a long and a tiring day. She was completely worn out due to the stressful assignments given to her in her college and what also added to her worries was the upcoming presentation. Thanks to her oh-so professional course. So with the bag of all such tensions, she stepped into the metro and headed back home. As always, the metro was heavily crowded and she did not get a seat. She made her way and stood near one of the train's door with some people staring, some listening to music, some talking on phone and some having a restless nap.

After two stations, few punk looking boys boarded the train and on seeing her standing all alone, they started passing lewd comments. For her it was not the first time that she was being a victim of eve-teasing, but by looking at the cheap expressions which they gave, she felt that this time it was going a little over the top. Those four boys made her nervous.....really nervous. She tried to deviate herself by turning around and when she did turn, she saw a decent-looking boy wearing a red tee and jeans, sitting in front of her.....and observing what was going on. She gave that boy a jittery and a 'please-do-something' look and then turned again.

Things were now getting even worse as she saw one of those four boys was moving towards her with a wicked smile on his face. And the other three were giggling and enjoying the show thoroughly. Just as she gasped some air and felt her heart beating faster and faster, the boy in the red tee stood up and came between the girl and those goons. He faced the girl and whispered..."Don't worry, I'm here". She took a deep breathe and felt comfortable with his words. He then turned his head to those four men and gave them a get-back-or-I'll-thrash -you-up look . And with such a simple step by the stranger, those four boys did stop doing all that nonsense stuff. The moment was intense for the girl and this boy but subtle for others as nobody noticed it at all. Nobody noticed the way this boy, though being a complete stranger, helped and protected her, made her feel that she need not worry at all. And this sweet gesture, left her awe-strucked. She kept looking at him, wanted to thank him a million times, but was just not able to say anything.

A few moments later, an announcement was made. Her station had come. She stepped out, turned back, smiled and lip-synced a big 'Thank you' to the boy. He nodded and smiled back and the door closed.

A Never Ending Hope.

It was ten in the morning. For the past fifteen minutes, she'd been standing in front of her cupboard, rolling her eyes up and down to select a good attire. It was a special day for her and she, obviously, wanted to look good and make the evening perfect. After a few more minutes of selection and rejection, she finally found a peach colored suit and in another fifteen minutes, she was ready. 


                                Previous Day-23rd December, 2004

" OK now let me tell you the details once again. My flight AI 008C will leave at 3:15 in the afternoon and i'll reach Delhi by 7:00 pm. From there we will go to your favorite restaurant and will celebrate our anniversary"

"Anniversary? oh yeah...its been 1 month since we tied knots. You remembered it. That is so sweet"

"Of course i did. And ma'am this is the reason i'm coming two days earlier...just to be with you on the special day. OK now I've got to go. See you tomorrow"

"I miss you."

"Miss you too. take care."

Before going to the airport, she thought of buying a present for him. Having plenty of time in hand, she went to a store, bought a nice antique photo frame, selected a photograph which they once clicked during their courtship period and got the whole thing beautifully packed.
On reaching the airport at around 6:15 pm, she decided to have a cup of espresso but before that she went to check the status of his flight. She had no idea how the the next few minutes would change her life forever...


Flight No.               From                             To                          Status
AI 008C                Indonesia              New Delhi             Cancelled


It was hard for her to believe and she was still tingling with what her eyes saw when something even worse came out. She heard someone saying something about TSUNAMI. On turning her head around, she saw many people rushing in and out, frantically talking on phone, to their relatives may be, but she was still not able to make out what was going on till she saw the news herself


"A devastating tsunami has struck the Southern Asia and parts of East Africa. Lacs of people have been reported dead and missing and the major impact is seen in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives."


The news came as a bolt from the blue. She immediately dialed his number but it was not reachable. She called on a few more numbers which were of his colleagues but all were not reachable except one.


"Hello.....hello??.....", someone did pick up but his voice cracked and before she could even say something the call lost. She tried again and again....for hours. And after trying zillion of times, she waited...in despair...waited in vain...for her phone to ring. She waited for her husband to call and say that he's in the pink of his health and there's nothing to worry. But she never got any call from him.

Its been more then five years since her fate did a somersault and jolted her inside out. But as we say, life goes on, so has she. And going on doesn't only mean re-marrying. For she has found other ways to keep herself busy and to keep pace with her life.


Her husband's name was no where among the deceaseds'. He was still counted among the 37,000 missing people in Indonesia. And somewhere down the line, she believes that he'd show up and when that day would come, she would give him his present which she has kept safely with herself, packed with their beautiful memories.