Post # 2. of Best Friends and a Birthday.... #atozchallenge

Even though she was completely busy at work over the next week,  Shreyasi couldn’t help thinking about him.

Aagney.

The man who had made her leap across the oceans.  She wanted to be sure of herself, before she let him know that she was so close to him.

She could choose her days off at work and she had chosen Sunday. She wanted to go to the Church and visit Fr. Varghese, to discuss the possibility of organizing a spiritual seminar for  kids at her workplace.

She returned home in the evening on Saturday, tired,  but satisfied with the work she had done that day. She had worked on some brochures about the centre to be handed over to Fr Varghese, and they had turned out well.

Roshni was waiting for her.

“What plans for the evening, darling ?”, she asked , as Shreyasi dropped down on the sofa, exhausted, yet smiling.

“What plans ? Nothing. I’m just too tired. Need a hot cup of coffee, and some toast for dinner. I’m done. I’ll drop down and sleep like a log,” she answered.

“ Haan ? No way. I’ve booked two seats for us at Khana Khazana. We’re going now. Come, I’ll give you 15 minutes for the coffee and to get ready,” Roshni commanded,  pulling her up from the sofa and pushing her into the room. She could get authoritative when she wanted to, Shreyasi  knew that. And resisting that was futile.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the way to Khana Khazana, where, in Roshni’s words, a sumptuous dinner for two was awaiting them.

A beautiful ambiance, with soft music playing in the background  greeted them when they reached the hotel. They were escorted to their seats, and were soon served the food.

“You’d placed the order too ? ,” Shreyasi asked Roshni as she looked at the delectable spread before them.

“Yeah , did it when you were getting ready. You liked it ? Nice na?,” she asked, tucking into the spicy chicken curry as Shreyasi  settled for the Tandoor rotis with Dal Makhni.

“ Of course yes, but you should bring your boyfriend here, not me,” Shreyasi answered, expecting Roshni to throw her spoon at her.

“ I would. But it is not his birthday today. It is your’s,” Roshni answered, pausing for a moment to look at her.

Indeed. The 22^nd  of March.  Her birthday.

Shreyasi stopped eating. “ I’d completely forgotten that", she said.

Roshni squeezed her hand.

“I know . I know you’ve not celebrated your birthday ever since……,” she stopped when Shreyasi looked at her.

“Never mind. I wanted to give you a surprise today. You’d never allow me to, if I told you before. That’s why I didn’t wish you in the morning ,” she continued.

“But you remembered, dear. That’s the best thing,”  Shreyasi said, hugging her.

“ It’s not for nothing that I’m your best friend, is it ?", Roshni asked, and smiling, they both finished the dinner.

As they returned, Shreyasi felt that she hadn’t had a better birthday.  Not that she had celebrated any. She had enough memories to associate with each birthday of hers.

Like her birthday six years back.

The day she had met Aagney for the first time.

As those memories threatened to flow out, just like that, she heard her mind whisper a warning ……

Be not a slave of the days bygone

Let them fade and not be reborn

Bid goodbye to the memories past

Travel your way to the future fast

Bitterness out, sweetness in

May it light your heart from within

Best is that day when you conquer your soul

And don’t let unhappiness trap it whole…..

To be contd...
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This post has been written for the A to Z Challenge 2015.

Post # 1. At the Aquarium #atozchallenge

The aquarium was deserted; the usual on working days. The air was silent, except for the occasional murmurs that arose from the few visitors who posed for photographs, or the kids who ran about the corridors .

The small fish , the eels , the turtles, and the fiery sharks were a delight , behind the huge glass enclosures. They swam around in happy abandon, and didn’t seem to be bothered by the visitors.

As she stood there, watching the life under water, she felt a strange sense of peace descend on her.

Peace. She hadn’t known peace for a long time now.

“Chalo, let’s go and have an ice cream now. Then we’ll head home.  Or else it’ll be too late and we’ll be caught  in the traffic ,” Roshni said. She nodded and walked towards the  exit sign that glowed green a little ahead.

Just outside the exit door was a small cafeteria. There were a few chairs, and a door on the other side of that corridor opened to the terrace with more tables and chairs.

“ I’ll get the icecream. Chocolate, right, Shreya ?”, Roshni asked and moved to the counter, without waiting for an answer.

She smiled faintly as she walked to the door and out into the terrace .  Her quirky friend always left out the ‘si’ at the end of her name.

Shreyasi.

A cool wind was blowing, and  she wrapped the shawl tight around her body, scanning the terrace with a quick glance around.

Most of the chairs were empty, as there were less customers. One of the tables was occupied by four people, who seemed to be family. The men were clad in Kandura, and the women ,in Aba`ya , the monotony of the black colour broken by the golden designs interwoven on the fabric. The men were busy on their phones, and one of the women was applying lipstick, the other fiddling with her handbag.

On a single chair at the other end, a man sat, reading a book. He held the book up with his right hand, his face hidden behind, with his left hand on the ankle of his right leg which rested on his left knee.

She smiled to herself and turned to look at the sky. The sun, getting ready to bid goodbye to the day , was slowly painting the horizon in a delightful shade of orange.

Down below on the ground was a small pond, with five fountains, arranged like a star. One of the main attractions was the Musical Fountain, which would begin once it was dark enough for the lights to glow.

She’d been in the UAE for one month now.  With help from Roshni, her best friend from college , she had found a job with  Watsons’ Healthcare Group, as a physiotherapist. Dr Mathew, her superior, a nice, kind man in his late forties, was the best boss anyone could ask for. She’d begun to love the job, for the comfort and peace she got when she helped people with their sessions. And on Dr Mathew’s insistence, she also worked as a trainer and counselor at the kids’ home, another  venture of the Group. This was her day off. It was Roshni, who was also her room mate, who suggested the aquarium to hang out.

“Oye, what’re you thinking ? Don’t think too much. The icecream will melt before you say ‘go’”, Roshni said, bringing her the ice cream in a cone.

They sat down to have the icecream. That was when Roshni’s phone rang.

“ Amma, how are you?"  she spoke, as she got up from her seat and walked away to one corner of the terrace, gesturing something to Shreyasi about the connectivity.

Shreyasi continued to have the ice cream in silence. She wanted to go home soon. She had to read something for tomorrow’s session with the kids.

A loud noise made her turn.

The man who’d been reading was up on his feet, trying to pick his book up from ground.

He straightened, dusted the book and opened his bag to put it in.

And she saw his face clearly this time.

A chill ran through her spine, and she turned her face, fiddling with her dupatta to hide it.

She kept still, waiting for the sound of his receding footsteps. She looked at the corner where Roshni stood, still speaking into the phone while signaling with her fingers on her watch and pointing at the stairs that went down.

Carefully, she got up and walked to her and together they took the stairs down.

As they hailed a cab home,  she couldn’t decide whether she was happy or frightened.

She was sure she’d made no mistake in identifying him. She could never go wrong ; not with him.

The man she’d sought to avoid, yet, the one she had wanted so badly to meet, was here.

 Aagney.

At a surprising proximity.

She smiled, as she composed a poem in her mind, like she usually did.

All these days, life’s been tough,

Just when I think, ‘I’ve had enough’,

Ah,  my fate, you’re so kind

You bring me the man I sought to find

As this day gives way to the dark,

I find happiness in as much a spark….

And even if I have to put up a fight,

I’ll surely win the armoured knight !

She smiled again.

Her mission had begun to see light. 

To be contd....
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This post has been written for the A to Z Challenge 2015.

April, here we come !! ( A-To-Z Theme Reveal Post)

Welcome, the 23^rd of March !!

This day brings  the wonderful moment,

Merry and gay, full of enjoyment,

When we,  the A-to-Z-ers, join hands,

To brandish our beloved magic wands…

Revealing the paths our pens would take,

And the world of words we would make,

Of love, life, laughter and fun,

Twenty-six letters to get the job done !

Four weeks in April will see us paint,

Words so eloquent, pictures so quaint,

Varying themes, and topics to choose

I’m sure, it’s a challenge for the muse !

We’re soon completing the first quarter of the Calendar year 2015, and in comes April, bringing with it the A to Z Challenge.

For those who are new to the idea, the A to Z is an Annual Mega Event in the blogosphere, that brings together more than 2500 bloggers across the globe. Through the month of April, we write for 26 days , each day’s post signifying a letter of the English Alphabet , beginning with A on April 1st, B on April 2nd and so on.

Oh yes, Sundays are off,(for good behaviour, as the wise say :D ) so that all 26 letters get perfect and comfortable space on our blogs :)

The bonus is, we can write about anything and everything.  

You choose to have a theme ? Go ahead. Zero in on a theme and write your heart out.

No ? Then be as random as random can get !

Just adhere to the letter of the day, and have fun :)

We’ll have to write our posts, and then catch up with  our friends who are participating as well.

That’s the way we show the spirit of support and encouragement :)

We get to write a lot, read a lot more, find like-minded bloggers, get introduced to many new bloggers, forge friendships, form groups and most importantly, grow !!

And guess what ? That’s double the fun guaranteed!

Win-Win :)

Last year, for my first A-to-Z, I had pitched in with 2 posts a day, 1 as a part of a series, and another on a random topic, mostly Drabbles.

So this year, for my second A-to-Z,  what am I writing on, you ask me. I hear the question.

Here we go…

*Drum Rolls Please*

Here’s the Theme …..

A, B ,C, D, E ,F, G, H

A story in series, I’m waiting to sketch….

I, J, K, L, M, N, O,P

No easy job ,it’s going to be…..

Q,R, S, T, U, V

I’ll try my best , a promise from me…..

W and X and Y and Z

Come April, and we’ll go ahead !!

Yes, it’s a story in series, this time too.

Unlike last year, I am limiting myself to 1 post per day.

The main reason being, a short trip to India in April.

I shall be away for the second fortnight of the month, and that means I’ll have to schedule the posts in advance so that I’m still in the game :)

(And managing two posts a day will be like biting off more than the chewable portion of my daily diet :D)

Come on, let’s put our brains to work,

Allow our thoughts to run berserk :D

With open hands, let’s welcome April,

Looking forward to the days of thrill !

Let’s pour our hearts out as words,

Fly around the blogosphere like birds,

Join hands to rock the A-to-Z,

And bask in the warmth of the joy that is spread !!

I am excited.

Aren’t you ?

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This Post is a part of the A to ZChallenge Theme Reveal Blog Fest.

Love to be part of the A to Z Challenge ? Sign up !

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When wet with the raindrops of emotion

I shake myself off and on …..

And then…

Deep inside my mind’s ocean,

A poem is born !

Here, I end my silence on the blog , that has lasted for more than five months.

I still can’t believe that I have kept quiet for so long a time, because that’s quite unusual for me. I am a chirpy, talkative, always-running-around kind of a person.

I really don’t know what caused the lull. I just know that I’m not liking it.

But hey, I’m back !!

Thank you all, for supporting and for being with me !!

Vacation time ! :)

Knock, knock….  I’m back here at my lovely space. 

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a long time now, and I know it isn’t fair.

Though I’ve been reading blogs, I have not at all been active in writing over the past one month, and it doesn’t sound good, even to me.

After all, this is the world I chose for myself ; this is the blog I gave birth to with so much love; how could I ignore it for so long ?

No, I’m not giving any excuses for not having written for this long . It is my mistake and I take the responsibility for the same :(

As I said, the hiatus has been a long one, and one that made me think a lot.I thought , thought and thought and ideas developed inside my head.I put them on paper and got back to thinking :D

Now they wait on my notepad, expecting me to carve them into stories, or poems or anything that I might feel they are worth.

And yes, I will do that.

Slowly, steadily.

But, after my long awaited vacation.

Yippieeeeeeeee ! I said it ;)

I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow, that is , the 15^th.

 

A  month-and-a-little-more long trip to Kerala.

So much to do there !

A wedding to attend, in all flamboyant colours .

Visiting temples, and bringing back holy, sweet memories for the next year……

Meeting friends !

Catching up with relatives over filter kaapi :)

Spending some relaxing days at Vynika, the new home which we built last year at Palakkad….

I may not have net connectivity, so I’m not sure about being able to post updates. But I promise to update as and when I find it possible to :)

So , see you all after a break :)

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