Sam took forever to say something. Finally, he said "I'm in love!"......She hadn't seen this coming that too in such quick succession. It was only 4 months ago that he had confessed being in love with her and she had turned him down. It was too complicated to make a paradigm shift from friendship to love. Not an uncommon scenario but she found it way too convoluted. She did her best to ensure he wasn't hurt in the process but she couldn't tell for sure. And now this new development. She was at a loss for words.
He broke the silence. 'I know the word on your mind. "Again?" That's what crossed your mind, right?' She smiled. 'Who's the lucky girl?' she asked. 'Rhea' he said. This was a bigger surprise. She knew that Rhea had lent him a shoulder to cry on when she'd turned him down but anything beyond that was hard to foresee. 'What do you think?' he questioned. She didn't think Rhea was his type. He was a simple guy from an upper middle class family. He was conservative in a lot of ways and someone that was honest and genuine. Rhea on the other hand was used to a certain lifestyle that Sam would never fit into. But she was in a dilemma. If she spoke negatively it would sound like she was not happy that he'd moved on, yet if she didn't she'd be refraining from being a true friend and giving him her honest opinion. All she could manage was 'Are you sure?' Having blurted that out there was no looking back. 'Its not on the rebound if that's what you intend to know'. He was hurt. She apologized. She said 'Sam, I know you a little too well. And I've known Rhea a long time. You two don't seem to share much in common hence my apprehensions. I don't mean to be cynical or judgmental but i hope this is not a hasty move on your part. If it is thought about and you are convinced that she's the one, I'll be more than happy for you.'
They had reached her house by then. He stopped the car and said 'Good night. I'll see you tomorrow'.
To be continued....Concluding part comin up next !!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dilemma.....
She was all dressed up for her College Annual day function in a sky blue chiffon sari. She always looked stunning in the national costume of India. More than the fact that it looked elegant on her slender frame, it was the grace with which she carried it off. She felt like a 'diva' each time she draped a sari and it showed.
She walked into the hall amidst innumerable admiring glances being cast her way. She quickly found her spot amidst friends and started chatting away. The dance floor was swarming with couples dancing to a soft romantic number. Gary who was her senior walked up to her and held out his hand. She took it in a firm clasp and shook hands with him. 'You look spectacular' he said. 'And i am not gonna be washing this hand in a million years'. She laughed. 'How gullible', she thought. 'May I have the honor of a dance with you?' was his next question. She wasn't prepared for this one. But before she could respond, Sam showed up and mentioned something about her being wanted in the library where the participants for the fashion show were lined up. Sam had overheard the conversation for sure and didn't seem pleased. He was her buddy and an over-protective one at that. But he was generally discreet too. One could never tell from his expressions or gestures. So, his apparent disapproval puzzled her. He kept avoiding her the rest of the day.
Towards the end of the day when she about to leave she spotted him playing the guitar and humming a tune. She walked up to him and sat beside him. 'That is a lovely note. But what's with you ? Am i invisible or are you having problems with your eye-sight?'
'Neither' he said. 'I thought you had an overdose of attention for one day and i should spare you the honor'. She didn't quite comprehend what he meant but didn't intend to push it. 'Is something wrong?' she asked. 'Or are you practicing to be petulant?' He didn't respond. She thought she was being persistent and left it at that. 'I gotto go' she said. 'Its pretty late. Allow me to drive you home', he requested. Her Dad had dropped her off and she intended to take a cab back home. But Sam was insistent that he'd drop her off in his brand new Wagon R. As she slid into the passenger seat he said 'That's the first time any girl has occupied the front seat'. She smiled. 'That is a cliche` Sam. Also a pretty overused line in Hindi movies. Moreover, its hardly been a month that you've had this car. So, stop acting like its a big deal'. He didn't reply to that.
'There's something on my mind that I need to discuss with you', he said. 'Now we're talking. Go on', she said.
To be continued.............
She walked into the hall amidst innumerable admiring glances being cast her way. She quickly found her spot amidst friends and started chatting away. The dance floor was swarming with couples dancing to a soft romantic number. Gary who was her senior walked up to her and held out his hand. She took it in a firm clasp and shook hands with him. 'You look spectacular' he said. 'And i am not gonna be washing this hand in a million years'. She laughed. 'How gullible', she thought. 'May I have the honor of a dance with you?' was his next question. She wasn't prepared for this one. But before she could respond, Sam showed up and mentioned something about her being wanted in the library where the participants for the fashion show were lined up. Sam had overheard the conversation for sure and didn't seem pleased. He was her buddy and an over-protective one at that. But he was generally discreet too. One could never tell from his expressions or gestures. So, his apparent disapproval puzzled her. He kept avoiding her the rest of the day.
Towards the end of the day when she about to leave she spotted him playing the guitar and humming a tune. She walked up to him and sat beside him. 'That is a lovely note. But what's with you ? Am i invisible or are you having problems with your eye-sight?'
'Neither' he said. 'I thought you had an overdose of attention for one day and i should spare you the honor'. She didn't quite comprehend what he meant but didn't intend to push it. 'Is something wrong?' she asked. 'Or are you practicing to be petulant?' He didn't respond. She thought she was being persistent and left it at that. 'I gotto go' she said. 'Its pretty late. Allow me to drive you home', he requested. Her Dad had dropped her off and she intended to take a cab back home. But Sam was insistent that he'd drop her off in his brand new Wagon R. As she slid into the passenger seat he said 'That's the first time any girl has occupied the front seat'. She smiled. 'That is a cliche` Sam. Also a pretty overused line in Hindi movies. Moreover, its hardly been a month that you've had this car. So, stop acting like its a big deal'. He didn't reply to that.
'There's something on my mind that I need to discuss with you', he said. 'Now we're talking. Go on', she said.
To be continued.............
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Poetry for the soul....
kh
She happened to be gliding past a bookstore around the corner when she noticed a sign board that said "Books on Sale". She walked into the store on an impulse and started browsing only to stumble upon a beautiful piece of poetry written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. She'd never heard of the author before but picked it up merely 'coz she loved the essence of the poem. Those lines remain embedded in her heart like a sweet song. It was titled 'The Invitation'.
So, here's to people that appreciate finer things in life:
THE INVITATION
She happened to be gliding past a bookstore around the corner when she noticed a sign board that said "Books on Sale". She walked into the store on an impulse and started browsing only to stumble upon a beautiful piece of poetry written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. She'd never heard of the author before but picked it up merely 'coz she loved the essence of the poem. Those lines remain embedded in her heart like a sweet song. It was titled 'The Invitation'.
So, here's to people that appreciate finer things in life:
THE INVITATION
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
Ciao !!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I Do !!
df
Marriage is a flawed institution. Those were the opening lines of Shobha De's bestseller 'Spouse'. She often wondered if it were true or if the author was just being cynical. But this was when she was single herself. Back then she believed that Marriage was what you made of it. She also believed that there had to be a mysterious force operating in the background to make it work. Some called it destiny, some called it love and some others called it compromise. But whatever it was, it had to persistent and pertinacious to propel two dissimilar people to spend the rest of their lives together. She liked to believe that they did out of choice rather than the lack of it.
Then came the phase when she entered into wedlock herself. Marriage as she experienced it was flawed for sure. It is a commitment more to oneself than to the other. It is a commitment of sticking by the other no matter what and never giving up. She realized over time that it isn't about meeting half-way. Because sometimes both partners are walking towards the half way mark but on two different paths altogether. It isn't just about love or fate but more about compatibility and reason. It is about looking for the best in the other and overlooking the rest (the latter being more significant). She learnt that expectation is the biggest rival of a healthy marriage. People that walk into it with no expectations are probably more likely to love it than the rest. And what you get out of a marriage does not necessarily depend on what (or) how much you put into it. Also that it takes two happy people (individually and mutually) to make a happy marriage.
She knew that these were just her first cut inferences about marriage and the best was yet to come. Her mother for instance with 30 years of exposure would probably have a different story to tell. But for a 3 year experience profile, this understanding wasn't a bad start.
Anyways, at the end of the day she concluded that everyone should experience Marriage once, more aptly 'at least once' (in today's world). And her wedding wish to every couple was - 'May they have enough similarities to keep them bonded and enough disparities so they complement each other'.
P.S : "Love requires a willingness to die; marriage, a willingness to live"
-Mignon McLaughlin
Marriage is a flawed institution. Those were the opening lines of Shobha De's bestseller 'Spouse'. She often wondered if it were true or if the author was just being cynical. But this was when she was single herself. Back then she believed that Marriage was what you made of it. She also believed that there had to be a mysterious force operating in the background to make it work. Some called it destiny, some called it love and some others called it compromise. But whatever it was, it had to persistent and pertinacious to propel two dissimilar people to spend the rest of their lives together. She liked to believe that they did out of choice rather than the lack of it.
Then came the phase when she entered into wedlock herself. Marriage as she experienced it was flawed for sure. It is a commitment more to oneself than to the other. It is a commitment of sticking by the other no matter what and never giving up. She realized over time that it isn't about meeting half-way. Because sometimes both partners are walking towards the half way mark but on two different paths altogether. It isn't just about love or fate but more about compatibility and reason. It is about looking for the best in the other and overlooking the rest (the latter being more significant). She learnt that expectation is the biggest rival of a healthy marriage. People that walk into it with no expectations are probably more likely to love it than the rest. And what you get out of a marriage does not necessarily depend on what (or) how much you put into it. Also that it takes two happy people (individually and mutually) to make a happy marriage.
She knew that these were just her first cut inferences about marriage and the best was yet to come. Her mother for instance with 30 years of exposure would probably have a different story to tell. But for a 3 year experience profile, this understanding wasn't a bad start.
Anyways, at the end of the day she concluded that everyone should experience Marriage once, more aptly 'at least once' (in today's world). And her wedding wish to every couple was - 'May they have enough similarities to keep them bonded and enough disparities so they complement each other'.
P.S : "Love requires a willingness to die; marriage, a willingness to live"
-Mignon McLaughlin
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