Life as we know it!
CHAPTER I
It is a cold night in November, dark clouds and light rain.It is typical of Roberto to be walking alone on the soggy grimmy dark streets smoking his Dunhill cigarette.He is wearing his fathers fishing hat,his old rugged denims and a white t-shirt,which were wet and his boots in tatters.A physical sensation that almost bothered him when he walked,like a pebble in his boot. It was late in the night when he goes to Andy's for a cup of coffee.He sits with his cappuccino and looks at the playground outside where as a kid he used to come with his mother.He thought of the days where as a kid he used to play on the slides and the swings.His first kiss with Evelyn,long chestnut hair with gray eyes filled with pleasure and skin like porcelain.
Linda comes,tells him that they have to close and gives him the check.Robertotakes out his last $10 folded and hidden in the corner of his wallet,pays for the coffee and goes out into the rain, now heavy.He lights a cigarette with his zippo, RG inscribed on it being his initials Roberto Gales.He starts walking beck home hoping the cold would kill him.Roberto lived in a small house that could fall apart anytime.He goes into the bathroom and looks at himself in the mirror. Roberto was attractive,he had his share of pretty girls,he had his mothers blue-sky eyes and his fathers sharp nose.He stood six feet tall,lean and had long black wavy hair and a stubble.He shaves, takes off his t-shirt and wipes his face and leaving the shirt on the chair to dry,he retires for the night on his couch with his wet denims on.
CHAPTER 2It was 8 o'clock in the morning and the radio was playing eric claptons cocaine,the song takes back roberto to his past,the days when he used to go to the alley near his school and smoke marijuana under the tree.The first time he smoked, he did not know when he began to float,saw his friends sailing in a radiant glow,uttering words that did not come out of his mouth,laughing away all the pain inside.when he came back to his Conscious his clothes were smeared with vomit,but somehow he started to like the feeling of losing control of himself and fly away.Roberto turns off the radio and goes out.The kids are walking to the school,people returning back home from their morning walk.He takes the newspaper and goes back in. He gets ready to go look for a job.It was 2 o clock and Roberto had had been to 3 interviews but none successful.Life has always been unjust to Roberto.It was a Sunday morning and little Roberto had gone shopping with his mother.They bought vegetables and fruits,a crate of beer for Mr.gales and 5 boxes of chocolate chip cookies,which were his favorite.His mother drops him off at the playgroung.She was crossing the road when out of nowhere,a truck comes and hits her.Roberto was petrified,everything is blurry and he cannot fight those tears.He was traumatized he did not know what was going on.He could not stay on his feet because of the weakness of his knees.He could feel himself falling into an abyss of cold,dark tunnel.This tunnel turns to despair and despair turns to a need for him to put a stop to his life.Minutes later he remembers seeing an ambulance take his mother.He sits under the tree that day scared with his eyes swollen,waiting for his mother to take him back home.Its dark and he is still waiting.His father takes him home.Roberto would sit in a corner and weep until his eyes went dry.It was an inconsolable weep that lasted for several days.His father would get drunk and blame him for his mother's death .Roberto could not forgive himself for that day he lost everything:his being for life,his happiness and the only person he ever cared for.He was only seven when he lost his mother.
CHAPTER 3
When he was 15, his father threw him out of the house making way for his new wife.With a backpack and only $10 in his pocket ,Roberto did not know where to go,he walked and walked till his feet couldn't take him anymore.He would sleep on the bench in the Railway station or on the pavement or under a tree.He had to give up school and start working.He got his first job at Andys.He used to see his father with his new wife at Andys and that made him hate his father more.It was a friday afternoon,Andys was empty when Evelyn walks in and orders for a cappuccino.That was the first time Roberto saw Evelyn.He saw a piece of himself which he found in her gray eyes filled with pain.He goes upto her and says 'Is everything Ok?' but with no reply she takes a sip of her capuccino and ignores him.He takes a break and goes out for a smoke when he hears 'Can I have a Smoke?' he loos back and she is standing there.He gives her a smoke and they sit on the curb like two lost souls who have finally found each other and start talking.It turned out that they were like two peas in a pod.Evelyn had lost her father in fumes,he was a firefighter.He lost his life saving that of others.Her step father would abuse her when her mother would not be at home. It seemed like her mother believed her newfound love than her own blood.That night Roberto could not sleep,pondering about Evelyn,with a mixture of desire and pity for her.He felt an irresistable crave to love her and protect her.Evelyn would emerge transfigured: in the steaming morning coffee,in the soporific air in the afternoon.Evelyn eveywhere and Evelyn forever........or so he believed.
A Love Story
Love: it has different meaning to each and every individual .Love, they say can make people do foolish things but when you are in love you don’t care as long as you are happy. Love can indeed make you a better person but very few people know that love can not only give you happiness, power and a meaning for your being but this love can also be very dangerous. It can make one life from pure bliss to misery, from powerful to weak. It is so powerful that if controlled or misused it can destroy you.
This is a story of a boy, a girl and their love. Everybody wants to know the good stuff about being in love but not the aftermath. Our lives is filled with so much hassles and worries that we want to read a book with a happy ending or watch a movie that ends with the hero kissing his girl. But has anyone wondered: what if things didn’t go smoothly afterward or what if there is a whole new beginning after the end.
What you want is not what you always get, but what if you did get what you want and then realize it would have been better if you didn’t get it at all.
Chapter 1
He had been studying in Mt.Zion for eleven yrs now, this was his final year. Mt.Zion was one of the most prestigious schools in simla and he was really fortunate to be studying in such an esteemed institute. He was like any other boy in school. He loved sports; he was in the swimming team and the basketball team. He liked watching movies, eating out and having fun like you and me. All his friends had girlfriends, some who really loved and some who just wanted to have fun. Just like all of his friends he too wanted to be in love. His name is Sebastian and this is his story.
School has just finished and Sebastian’s on his way back to the pool for his everyday practice. After a severe training for 1 hour, on his way back to the dorm, outside the principal’s office he sees her for the first time. She was the prettiest girl his eyes had ever seen, innocent small black eyes, and straight black hair like a crown on her fair complexioned skin, smooth like porcelain. At that exact moment he knew what love at first sight was.
Sebastian was no more exhausted from the intense training but in fact full of energy. He saw her everywhere: in his text books while he struggled to study, in his mind when he closed his eyes to take a nap. He got up unable to sleep and started playing his guitar, thinking of her, playing every tune for her. Sebastian knew for certain she was the girl he wanted to be with, but how?
He didn’t know her name, who she was and what she was doing in his school coz he had never seen her in the campus before and knew she didn’t study in Mt.Zion
One week had passed and Sebastian still could not get her out of his head. Love is a virus and the antivirus for it is, love itself. He wanted to see her just once more. How he wished she was studying in his school, that was all he prayed for and she was all that he desired. And then one day his prayers were finally answered. Sebastian was outside his classroom talking with his friends when he saw her walk down the stairs in a blue skirt, a white shirt and a red and blue striped tie, it was Mt.Zion’s school uniform. Sebastian now knew that she was the one for him. There was nothing in this world that could stop him from having her. He went back to his classroom smiling and knowing for sure that soon she will be his and they will be one.
Aryans gumptions
Aryan________________
Aryan is an Indian boy from Bangalore, 21 years old and in his final year of college. He is pleasant looking, tall, fair complexioned. He has a passion for cooking and loves to play his guitar. By nature, he is an eccentric, hypocrite, egoistic and very practical.
He comes from a low middle class family, father has a business which is at loss most of the times and so is in a lot of debt. His mother is very pretty and hard working and ambitious but stuck at home as a housewife.
Aryan has had only one girl in his life till now whom he thought he loved but realized it was all just infatuation after it ended.
Now that you know about Aryan lets take a look in his life and his mind and his thoughts.
BARISTA
‘One cappuccino, one cheese tomato sandwich and a bottle of mineral water please’ ordered Aryan.
Aryan went and sat in one of the empty tables, he liked coming to Barista. You could always find him there after college. He found the place serene and found peace with himself.
‘Aryan, Mr Aryan’ the waiter called.
It was mostly the same order every time a cappuccino, sandwich and mineral water and only sometimes would he order an iced tea or a blue Curacao.
He just could not drink his coffee without a smoke, so he lit one and started sipping his coffee. He looked around, not too many people and he thanked god since the place was not infested with the Arabs. He just couldn’t stand them; they were always there from the moment it opened till it closed. He couldn’t help but think…what do they do here all day long? Why do they come here? Didn’t they feel guilty spending their father’s money, ‘cos he certainly did. He would feel guilty every time he came here and spent a hundred bucks, went drinking with his friends or the occasional dance bar visits. He had been to a dance bar only twice, first time coz he wanted to experience it and second time coz his friends forced him. The first time he entered a dance bar he was really excited and it was worth it, the girls were pretty in their gagra-cholis with long silky hair and pretty faces with a little excess make up. He fantasized it to be a king’s court and the girls dancing for the king. Oh! It was just marvelous. But the second time he went he did not feel the same way he felt sad for them dancing and trying to please men for money. He wondered what they had to go through, how would their life be?
A group of college girls attracted his attention, he believed beautiful girls were his only weakness and Bangalore is filled with beautiful girls. He noticed a girl in lavender salwaar kameez, long black hair, fair skin and quite attractive. He felt a desire for her, she seemed nice and pretty but he changed his mind as soon as he saw her light a fag. He didn’t understand why women smoked, it didn’t look good on them. For him ciggis weren’t an addiction it was more like a companion when he was alone. With a fag he had something to do besides persistently thinking profoundly about things a normal person wouldn’t. It was ironic how people here are becoming more western and people there travel thousands of kms here for spirituality, find their inner self. If it was one thing people knew of India, it was its vast culture and spirituality and also kãma sûtra .You could count the no. of people who were proud to be Indian these days .All that people wanted to do was get a degree in B.E get a job in the great US of A and get settled there.
Aryan knew he would never work for them even though he didn’t consider his country great he would forever be loyal to it and do his part of making his country a better place to live.
The vibration of his cell phone brought him back from his thoughts.
The message read ‘wer r u? u were supp 2 meet mi@ d mall 10 min ago’
He quickly replied ‘I’ll be there in 10 min, Im stuck in traffic’. That’s one excuse everybody bought in cities.
CONSPIRACY THEORY
It was a Thursday morning and Aryan was eating his breakfast while reading the ET. He came across an article about Nixon’s view of India and late Smt Indira Gandhi.
Nixon and Kissinger met in the oval office on the morning of Nov 5, 1971 to discuss Nixon’s conversation with Gandhi the day before. ‘We really slobbered over the old witch’ Nixon told Kissinger. The U.S was allied with Pakistan and saw India as too closely allied with the Soviet Union. “The Indians are Bastards anyway” Mr. Kissinger told Nixon.
“While she was a bitch,we got what we wanted too” Mr. Kissinger said “she will not be able to go home and say that the U.S didn’t give her a warm reception and therefore in despair she’s got to go to war”.
Reading this made him dislike the so called great country more, he even started thinking if the U.S. had something to do with the assassination of Late Smt I. Gandhi. They always solve their problems by elimination, maybe the CIA was ordered to assassin I. Gandhi and the CIA is one of the worlds best intelligence agencies, they could have done it and nobody would ever find out. The U.S didn’t want competition; they just want to rule this planet in their own freaking way. But it won’t be long before China, Russia, Brasil and India will empower them. It will happen and in the near future he thought.
If its one thing he couldn’t stand, it was people spitting on the road. People on bikes, cars and even buses don’t feel ashamed to spit on the road not even looking back to see if people are there. Aryan had always thought of congregating a few people whom he would choose personally and go to a far off island and start a new world. A world filled with peace, love and nature. Rules which made sense, a disparate religion where only one god existed, that doesn’t forbid certain joys in life, a religion more logical and practical. A world with no politicians or war, no Bush or Laden, no greed, no hunger, and where money is not important but other joys in life are. A world so perfect that it can never exist. Aryan always felt that civilization was a failure. Look around; there is hunger, poverty, greed, bloodshed, and war. Is this what we want? Is money everything? Does nobody value the beauty of life anymore? Does nobody realize the power of nature? Our eyes might be open but we are all blindfolded inside. Human race will be destroyed by humans themselves.
YASMINE
It’s 6 in the evening and Aryan is in barista drinking a blue Curacao when he realizes that a girl is noticing him. She has a wheatish complexion, pretty, alluring eyes and an innocent smile. They gazed at each other for a couple of minutes. Aryan is attracted to her but he has never approached a girl before. Even if I approached her what would I say? He thought. She looked at him and smiled this time and he returned her smile. He built up his courage, he told himself you can do it, she is just a girl and besides she smiled at you, so that means she’s interested in you, so get your ass up and go talk to her. He gets up to go talk to her when he sees her friend get up as well. Are they leaving? should I just for get about it? He sees her friend heading towards the counter and so Aryan proceeds, his heart beating faster then ever and mind blank as a white sheet.
“Hello! How u doing?”
“I’m fine”
What should I say next?
Aryan: “err..”
“So you are all alone” asks the girl
“Yes, I like coming here on my own”
Damn it! I should have just said yes
“Ok”
“May I have a seat?”
“Sure”
“So, what are you studying?”
“I'm in my 12th”
“Oh! Really? Science or commerce?”
“Science”
“That sucks!”
“Yeah! Tell me about it”
“I took science in my 12th as well but shifted to commerce for my degree, it’s much better”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry I’m Aryan”
“Hey Aryan I’m Yasmine”
“That’s a nice name”
“Thanks”
“You know you are very cu...” : Yasmine
“Hi, who’s your friend?”
“Hey Nisha meet Aryan, Aryan meet my friend Nisha”
“Hey, how u doing?”
“I’m fine”
And the rendezvous went on for an hour. It was dark now and he had to get back home. He went back home happy and with Yasmine's number.
THE DATE
It is a sunny Saturday morning. Saturdays are usually a very mundane for Aryan since he had all the time in the world. He had no college on Saturdays and so he usually had nothing to do on Saturdays other than sleep. This Saturday, although was different since he had a date with Yasmine.
He spent the whole morning thinking as to where he would take her, what they would talk. It was still only eleven am 6hours more to go. He met a couple of his friends and came back and slept. When he woke up it was 4 already, with the time left he washed his face gelled his hair and put on a crisp white t shirt and a pullover.
Yasmine was already waiting for him to pick her up. Aryan decided the best place to take her is barista as both of them are fond of it and that’s where they met.
The date was going well, she was very interested in what he had to say and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She turned out to be a good speaker and Aryan liked girls who talked a lot. Girls who talked sense and not non sense. They talked about college, past relationships, music. The date was a success so far, although Yasmine turned out to be exactly the opposite of what he had expected. He had thought of her to be an innocent, decent and a shy girl but she was exactly the opposite but that didn’t matter cos he was attracted to her physically and not emotionally. Atleast not yet. The first date went exactly as he had expected both of them were excited but didn’t show it, they enjoyed each others company and looked forward to seeing each other again soon.
Passionate Terrace
It had been two days since Aryans first date with Yasmine and he could not wait to see her again. So, he called her and asked her out. Bangalore’s weather was perfect today, it had been drizzling since morning; the roads were damp and one could get the earthy smell from the ground. They met and went for a walk nearby her place and Aryan was doing his best to hold her hand but had to finally give up in vain. They came to a halt in front of her house and Yasmine said” do you wanna go hangout in my terrace? “They walked up to her terrace and sat on the tank, the view was beautiful; on one hand there were buildings and on the other hand there were houses all around and trees green with yellow flowers and the sky painted with the sun’s orange rays hidden behind a few cumulus clouds. They sat there in complete silence, it was so blissful. But after a while the silence seemed uncanny. It was finally Yasmine who started talking and Aryan thanked god for that. He could sit there and listen to her all day; it was like listening to coldplay to him. Their songs could always soothe his mind and right now Yasmine talking to him soothed his mind, he completely forgot about all the usual worries he had and his mind was calm.
Yasmine talked and talked while Aryan slowly put his hand around her, she realized his hands over her but she continued talking being oblivious about it.
Aryan then slowly moved his arm towards her face and started caressing her soft creamy face and played with her silky black hair.
Yasmine stopped abruptly and looked at him
Damn I shouldn’t have done that, is she going to yell at me??
“I talk a lot. Don’t I?” said Yasmine
Yes you do but it’s like music to my ears
“Yes you do but I know how to make you stop talking”
“Really, how’s that?”
Aryan tilts his face goes a bit forward and says “do u really want to know?”
“Hmmm I think I do”
He looks into her eyes deeply goes a bit more forward when she closes her eyes and starts kissing him. It was a long passionate kiss. He could taste her sweetness of her lips. As their tongue’s explored each others mouth he lay her on the tank slowly and carefully not to hurt her. He ran his fingers across her hair while they kissed. He was now on top of her but didn’t put all of his weight on her. He was very uncomfortable at the same time excited. He put his hand on her hips slid her shirt a little up and felt her tender skin. She immediately took his hand up to her shoulders.
“You are so hot” said Yasmine
“So are you”
As he goes to kiss her again she stops him
And she asks with an innocent sly smile “can I bite you?”
“I guess”
As they are kissing she softly yet gently bites his lips giving him a little pain and a lot of pleasure.
They kept kissing for a while when she cut him off and said “you are so big”
“Does it matter?” and he continues kissing her
What did I just say? Stop thinking and continue kissing.
They lay on the hard stoned tank kissing for almost an hour.
It was past 8:30 and they both had to head back home. They kissed as they
descended the flight of stairs. He would grab her by her waist and kiss her while
They walked down and as they came across somebody’s door they would stop.
They could not keep their hands off each other. They finally came to her door
, they kissed their last kiss for the night and he left.
As he walked back home it started raining.
Back home, Aryan pondered about Yasmine and that magical evening. After a while he concluded tat all bollywood movies were not full of crap, coz what happened to him that evening was exactly like it did in a bollywood movie…
From the lines he told her to the talks they had to the kisses and the pouring rain after everything was over. Yes! This would make a good scene in a bollywood movie. He fell asleep lingering about her kisses, bites and that innocent smile.
The Break Up
This process of meeting up in her terrace and making out continued for a week, one long passionate week. He would never forget the day when they were sitting outside talking and all of a sudden they started kissing, it was not coz the topic was boring but the attraction among them was so immense, and while they kissed sitting down it started raining. Aryan rushed back inside.
“Why? Are you scared of rain? Come on out n join me said Yasmine
“Oh no I’m coming all right I just don’t want my shoes to get wet” said Aryan while taking off his shoes.
He comes out the rain heavier now and so were their heartbeats. He looks at her…there she was that innocent smile those almond eyes and her black hair soaked in rain she could not look more beautiful he thought. He grabs her by her waist pulls her close to him and they kiss. They kissed while the rain poured on them. He lifts her up and continues kissing. This continued for a whole week the kissing and the rain. Sitting inside in his arms and looking out at the rain in the dark. One whole week!!!
As they saying goes nothing lasts forever and this certainly could not last forever. Was it him or her?? He will never know. They hardly met and when he called she was either busy or didn’t want to meet up in the terrace and that when he lost interest in her so the day when she called him to the terrace it finally happened on the last day of the 2nd week
“So, how was your day? Yasmine
“It was ok… how you have been? Aryan
“I’m fine”
“Soo” Aryan
She looks down playing with her clip.
Come on you can do this tell her tell her don’t be a wuss you know you have to do this now. But she told this is forever. Are you really that stupid?
“Ummmm Yasmine”
“Ya”
“You know you are a very sweet girl n...”
Look at her I can’t do this ahhh what the heck there’s always another one ill get it over with
“I like you but this is over”
“What do you mean?”
“That is as clear as I can be ITS OVER”
“OK”
“Ok I have to go now”
“Why?? Stay for a while please”
“No I have to go I have to meet someone”
They walked down the stairs the same stairs where they kissed every time they walked up or down. They reached her house
“Goodbye Yasmine”
She kisses him on the cheek and says
“Bye Aryan take care”
He walks out and waits for it to rain.
Looks up and then starts walking back home