The winds fluttered through the open sea, carrying the raw aroma of the ocean breeze. A flock of gulls shrieked across the shore as they ascended into the tangerine sky.
I took in a breath of fresh air, as the last rays of the sun poured onto Marine drive. My palm felt weak as it clutched the ring I had been holding onto, since forever.
My train of thoughts continued.
There seemed to be something juvenile about him; he trotted about, munching on a packet of biscuits and threw every alternate one to a stray dog that followed him. I felt embarrassed as he caught me staring.
"Hi there!" He said as he sat down next to me. I merely smiled and did not respond. Both of us barely uttered a word for several minutes. A few minutes later he started whistling a tune from a famous movie.
After a while, he spoke.
"You know what they say about the sea?" he said. "The sea is like a woman. She caresses you, loves you and nurtures you. She has a whole world submerged deep within her confines."
I let out a breath of air. The evening breeze brushed through the leaves as the branches of trees rustled to the ode of bliss.
"If you get to her dark side, she can drown you or even leave you stranded. But the truth is, you cannot live without the sea." he continued. "My father once said this to me."
I enclosed the ring within my left hand and gently toyed with it as he spoke.
"My name is Rohan." he offered his hand.
"I'm Javed." I acknowledged, as I shook his hand with a lose grip.
"What is bothering you Javed?" he asked.
"Nothing." I responded blankly.
"Suckers like you should just jump off the bridge." he beamed.
I was taken aback by the sudden escalation in the conversation.
"What did you just say!?"
"You heard me." he responded without looking at me. He kept munching on his biscuits.
"You have no idea what I'm going through!" I snapped back.
His eyes fell onto my left hand.
"Let me guess. Is this about a girl?" he asked. "Either you have been rejected by a girl, or she is dead. But judging by the time you're spending here and the expressionless face you keep throughout this conversation, it is safe to assume that she is very much alive."
"I dont know who you are. I dont know what you want. I only need some time to myself." I said. "What concerns me, is to be my concern alone. I would very much appreciate if you could leave me to my peace."
"So if this isn't about a girl; are you into guys?" he grinned. "Damn man, I didn't realise!"
Having had enough of the juvenile conversation, I got up to leave.
"Woah! Hey, I'm sorry. I was just messing with you." he said and grabbed my arm before I could leave.
"Let go of my arm." I said sternly.
"Ohkay listen," he said. "Sit down for 10 minutes. If you dont feel good, you can leave and I wont stop you."
He gazed right into my eyes.
"Fine" I said.
I sat back down on the bench. My fingers tapped impatiently to the rhythm of my feet.
"What do you know about relationships?" I asked blankly.
"Me? I used to like this girl once. She and I really liked each other."
"What do you mean 'liked'?"
"She is a Brahmin and I am not. Once her parents came to know about this, she was forced to go for counselling. That's right, counselling!" he let out a breath of disgust.
"So what happened after that?"
"The counselling didn't work. She wouldn't listen to her parents, so they discussed their problems with me."
I listened intently. Dark storm clouds created eerie patterns in the sky as dusk began to set in.
"Her parents kept threatening me. So, since she wouldn't give up on me, I cheated on her." He spoke bleakly.
Silence ensued for yet another few minutes. I had to register what I had heard. I started wondering, whether he was infact a loon.
I stared at him with the soundest of perplexities. His appalling imagination of things seemed out of the contrary.
We remained silent for another few minutes as I kept toying with the ring.
"Maybe you should be the one to jump off a bridge." I finally retorted. "You're a coward."
"Why yes I am my dear friend," he said. "I am indeed. There are more problems in life than being rejected by a girl. I just hope you understand that." he continued.
"People like you do not deserve to live." I snapped. "It is because of the likes of you, that women dont trust guys like me. You are a coward."
"I guess your 10 minutes are up then." he grinned. "Would you like a biscuit?"
I glared at him for a while, although he never seemed to bother. I rose and walked away.
As I approached the exit, I bumped into someone. Before I could apologise, I realised that, it was infact my friend.
"Indu, what are you doing here?"
"Javed! Where the hell have you been? We were worried sick of you. Everyone's searching for you."
"Thank God you came." I said. "I was stuck with a lunatic all this while."
"I'm glad that I found you." she sighed in relief.
"Come, I'll show you the guy." I said and pulled her towards the side.
Rohan sat on the chair. He smiled as he fed two more dogs.
"Oh God! Isn't that Rohan?" said Indu.
"Wait" I said. "You know this creep?"
"Dont you dare call him that!" she snapped.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Come along" she said. "I'll explain over coffee."
* * *
Both of us sat facing each other over a round coffee table. Hot steam rose from the coffee mug and condensed onto my glasses as I took a sip.
I placed the mug back on the table and pursed my lips, as I felt the warm liquid melt through my sore mind and throat.
"So what is all this about?" I asked.
After taking a sip herself, Indu began to explain.
"Rohan and I studied in the same school till the 10th grade. He used to be very different from what you may have observed. He was an all-round topper in our school."
"What happened then?"
"During the 6th grade, both his parents split; both of them married different people and had children out of that marriage."
"So who took care of him?"
"As far as I can remember, his mother's parents brought him up. He has a younger sister as well." she said. "During the 9th grade, he lost his father to blood cancer. Later that year, his mother was also diagonised with cancer."
The chatter in the coffee shop suddenly felt louder. The raucous laughter and the clinking of spoons felt extremely sensitive.
"He said he'd cheated on the girl he liked. Is that true?"
"No" she said. "A few months ago, as fate would have it, he discovered a tumour in his body, that developed rapidly. He lied to the girl, that he'd cheated on her, so that she would leave him and be excused of his sufferings."
I could not fathom how everything slowly started to fall into place.
"He does not have money for his treatment Javed. Nobody is ready to help him out. Besides, he has to take care of his younger sister as well." she said. "Since all of this, he has changed. He became the man you met today; a guy who cannot live for tomorrow."
I removed my glasses and rubbed my temples; I could feel my veins pulsating rapidly.
"He must have seen you with me somewhere. Maybe that's how he recognised you." she said. "There are more problems in life than relationships Javed. You should be grateful that you have everything he doesn't; you have your parents, your friends, your health. You have your life. So be grateful."
I returned back to the bench, in hopes of finding Rohan again. Alas, I could not get the slightest of trace as to where he might have disappeared.
As the sun finally sank beneath the horizon and the curtains of storm clouds receded, the infinite stars emerged into the skies and twinkled along the skylines of cochin.
* * *
We often tend to judge others, based on a few pages of their lives. We never tend observe what they had to go through to make it this far. People tend to be judgemental about each other in an infinite loop of sorrow and envy.
This is based on a thousand true stories, that have an essential impact on the lives of people.
Only through proper understanding of each other can we finally achieve serenity.
- ABDUL MALIK
P.S. I am deeply indebted to a dumbass bestfriend for giving me inspiration for this story. Thank you! This would never have been possible without you.
The distant blaring of ships along with the bustle of children were accompanied by the perpetual call of the vendors.
I took in a breath of fresh air, as the last rays of the sun poured onto Marine drive. My palm felt weak as it clutched the ring I had been holding onto, since forever.
"Why would she say no?" I wondered. "Could it be because I wasn't good enough? Did I not make her happy?"
My train of thoughts continued.
"Why do people always judge someone and derive their own conclusions, no matter how good you are to them?"
I sighed as I felt my lonesome heart beating against my ribs. My eyes twitched and made an effort to hold back the tears that flooded through the reminiscing memories.
"I hate her." I mumbled.
"You have a good future son," came an unexpected voice.
I turned around to find a middle aged woman in a white sari. She held a magnifying glass on one hand and an unusual looking book on the other.
"You are a talented individual; your face shows that you have a bright future." She continued.
I did not heed to her words.
"If you show your palm, I can tell you exactly where your life is headed."
"I know exactly where my life is headed. Thank you for the offer." I smiled bleakly.
"Are you sure?" she persisted. "I see sadness in your life. It - it looks like a girl. If you could just let me read your palm, I can tell where this is going."
"Okay, here's the deal. You can read my palm; both my palms if you have to. I dont have the money."
"Really then? Why would you be sitting here if you had no money?"
"Why would'nt I be sitting here?" I smirked.
Without saying a word, she walked to a couple, sitting a little farther away. I sat there for some time, trying to engulf the deluged feelings of mixed emotions.
"Hey lady!" I heard someone shout. "Come read my palm!"
My eyes focused on this person; an average looking young man, who appeared to be almost the same age as I was. The palm reader looked vexed.
"Hey lady!" I heard someone shout. "Come read my palm!"
My eyes focused on this person; an average looking young man, who appeared to be almost the same age as I was. The palm reader looked vexed.
There seemed to be something juvenile about him; he trotted about, munching on a packet of biscuits and threw every alternate one to a stray dog that followed him. I felt embarrassed as he caught me staring.
"Hi there!" He said as he sat down next to me. I merely smiled and did not respond. Both of us barely uttered a word for several minutes. A few minutes later he started whistling a tune from a famous movie.
After a while, he spoke.
"You know what they say about the sea?" he said. "The sea is like a woman. She caresses you, loves you and nurtures you. She has a whole world submerged deep within her confines."
I let out a breath of air. The evening breeze brushed through the leaves as the branches of trees rustled to the ode of bliss.
"If you get to her dark side, she can drown you or even leave you stranded. But the truth is, you cannot live without the sea." he continued. "My father once said this to me."
I enclosed the ring within my left hand and gently toyed with it as he spoke.
"My name is Rohan." he offered his hand.
"I'm Javed." I acknowledged, as I shook his hand with a lose grip.
"What is bothering you Javed?" he asked.
"Nothing." I responded blankly.
"Suckers like you should just jump off the bridge." he beamed.
I was taken aback by the sudden escalation in the conversation.
"What did you just say!?"
"You heard me." he responded without looking at me. He kept munching on his biscuits.
"You have no idea what I'm going through!" I snapped back.
His eyes fell onto my left hand.
"Let me guess. Is this about a girl?" he asked. "Either you have been rejected by a girl, or she is dead. But judging by the time you're spending here and the expressionless face you keep throughout this conversation, it is safe to assume that she is very much alive."
"I dont know who you are. I dont know what you want. I only need some time to myself." I said. "What concerns me, is to be my concern alone. I would very much appreciate if you could leave me to my peace."
"So if this isn't about a girl; are you into guys?" he grinned. "Damn man, I didn't realise!"
Having had enough of the juvenile conversation, I got up to leave.
"Woah! Hey, I'm sorry. I was just messing with you." he said and grabbed my arm before I could leave.
"Let go of my arm." I said sternly.
"Ohkay listen," he said. "Sit down for 10 minutes. If you dont feel good, you can leave and I wont stop you."
He gazed right into my eyes.
"Fine" I said.
I sat back down on the bench. My fingers tapped impatiently to the rhythm of my feet.
"What do you know about relationships?" I asked blankly.
"Me? I used to like this girl once. She and I really liked each other."
"What do you mean 'liked'?"
"She is a Brahmin and I am not. Once her parents came to know about this, she was forced to go for counselling. That's right, counselling!" he let out a breath of disgust.
"So what happened after that?"
"The counselling didn't work. She wouldn't listen to her parents, so they discussed their problems with me."
I listened intently. Dark storm clouds created eerie patterns in the sky as dusk began to set in.
"Her parents kept threatening me. So, since she wouldn't give up on me, I cheated on her." He spoke bleakly.
Silence ensued for yet another few minutes. I had to register what I had heard. I started wondering, whether he was infact a loon.
I stared at him with the soundest of perplexities. His appalling imagination of things seemed out of the contrary.
We remained silent for another few minutes as I kept toying with the ring.
"Maybe you should be the one to jump off a bridge." I finally retorted. "You're a coward."
"Why yes I am my dear friend," he said. "I am indeed. There are more problems in life than being rejected by a girl. I just hope you understand that." he continued.
"People like you do not deserve to live." I snapped. "It is because of the likes of you, that women dont trust guys like me. You are a coward."
"I guess your 10 minutes are up then." he grinned. "Would you like a biscuit?"
I glared at him for a while, although he never seemed to bother. I rose and walked away.
As I approached the exit, I bumped into someone. Before I could apologise, I realised that, it was infact my friend.
"Indu, what are you doing here?"
"Javed! Where the hell have you been? We were worried sick of you. Everyone's searching for you."
"Thank God you came." I said. "I was stuck with a lunatic all this while."
"I'm glad that I found you." she sighed in relief.
"Come, I'll show you the guy." I said and pulled her towards the side.
Rohan sat on the chair. He smiled as he fed two more dogs.
"Oh God! Isn't that Rohan?" said Indu.
"Wait" I said. "You know this creep?"
"Dont you dare call him that!" she snapped.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Come along" she said. "I'll explain over coffee."
* * *
Both of us sat facing each other over a round coffee table. Hot steam rose from the coffee mug and condensed onto my glasses as I took a sip.
I placed the mug back on the table and pursed my lips, as I felt the warm liquid melt through my sore mind and throat.
"So what is all this about?" I asked.
After taking a sip herself, Indu began to explain.
"Rohan and I studied in the same school till the 10th grade. He used to be very different from what you may have observed. He was an all-round topper in our school."
"What happened then?"
"During the 6th grade, both his parents split; both of them married different people and had children out of that marriage."
"So who took care of him?"
"As far as I can remember, his mother's parents brought him up. He has a younger sister as well." she said. "During the 9th grade, he lost his father to blood cancer. Later that year, his mother was also diagonised with cancer."
The chatter in the coffee shop suddenly felt louder. The raucous laughter and the clinking of spoons felt extremely sensitive.
"He said he'd cheated on the girl he liked. Is that true?"
"No" she said. "A few months ago, as fate would have it, he discovered a tumour in his body, that developed rapidly. He lied to the girl, that he'd cheated on her, so that she would leave him and be excused of his sufferings."
I could not fathom how everything slowly started to fall into place.
"He does not have money for his treatment Javed. Nobody is ready to help him out. Besides, he has to take care of his younger sister as well." she said. "Since all of this, he has changed. He became the man you met today; a guy who cannot live for tomorrow."
I removed my glasses and rubbed my temples; I could feel my veins pulsating rapidly.
"He must have seen you with me somewhere. Maybe that's how he recognised you." she said. "There are more problems in life than relationships Javed. You should be grateful that you have everything he doesn't; you have your parents, your friends, your health. You have your life. So be grateful."
I returned back to the bench, in hopes of finding Rohan again. Alas, I could not get the slightest of trace as to where he might have disappeared.
As the sun finally sank beneath the horizon and the curtains of storm clouds receded, the infinite stars emerged into the skies and twinkled along the skylines of cochin.
* * *
We often tend to judge others, based on a few pages of their lives. We never tend observe what they had to go through to make it this far. People tend to be judgemental about each other in an infinite loop of sorrow and envy.
This is based on a thousand true stories, that have an essential impact on the lives of people.
Only through proper understanding of each other can we finally achieve serenity.
- ABDUL MALIK
P.S. I am deeply indebted to a dumbass bestfriend for giving me inspiration for this story. Thank you! This would never have been possible without you.
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