A beautiful love story (Short story)

NOTE: This story is purely a work of fiction. All characters in this story are imaginary characters and any coincidence with the real life characters (especially me) is purely coincidence. (This note is especially for my friends)



“I have known that there are various ways for proposing love. The Tamil films show the N number of ways for proposing love. Through SMS, through phone, through letters, and in “Anniyan” film Vikram, proposes through application form sort of letter, and in some other film, an actor proposes love through mike in the library. I forgot who he is” – She went on speaking.

“Its Karthick”- I said.

She then continued, “I never had ever thought, that some one could propose through a story. I was just stunned to read the story. I really don’t know what to say.” The story I had written and given to her was still in her hands.

We were sitting opposite to each other in the electric train that travels from Chengalpattu to Chennai Beach. It was 6’0 clock in the evening, and outside was quite cool thanks to the slight drizzle. The scenic beauty outside was simply amazing in such a climate, and normally I would have been looking outside thinking poetically about the Nature’s creations. Today however I was not looking outside as another beauty of nature’s creation had my full attention now.

The train has just started moving from Vandalur station, and a young chap selling groundnuts got in the moving train quite dangerously. Her eyes which were following that chap, now turned towards me. I tried to find whether her magnetic eyes would reveal anything going inside her mind, but my mind reading skills had abandoned me in this crucial time. She didn’t let me worry about her response for a long time.

“You have conveyed your feelings in such a fascinating way. I wish even I could do the same. But then I don’t have such a talent. So this is all I could do” – saying she wrote “I too love you” in her beautiful handwriting below the story. I couldn’t believe it. I never expected that she would accept it. If some one had said that I would get a girl friend one hour before, I would have probably laughed at them. In fact I met her just forty five minutes ago.

Forty Five Minutes Ago:

I was standing alone in the Paranur railway station. There would be big crowd normally during this time if it had been a week day. Today was a Saturday, and hence I had to travel with out my usual friends. I felt very bored and irritated. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have any book also in my hand. My watch revealed that it would take ten more minutes before the train would finally arrive, i.e. if the train came on time. I know standing alone in Paranur; it could be a very long ten more minutes.

“You are Subramani, right” – a sweet voice disturbed my thought.

“Ya I am” – I don’t think my voice stumbled so much even when I attended the infy interview.

“I have read your stories in the bulletin board. They are too good” – her sweet voice continued.

I had received so many positive comments for my writings in the bulletin board itself. I had even received some mails praising my stories. And the friends I had got during the training in Mysore, but now in different IBUs have praised me, when ever they came across me in the food courts. A stranger praising me in the railway station is some thing I never expected would happen. I would have loved to talk to any person given my loneliness, and if that person is going to be a beautiful girl like her, I have no reason to complain. Life is so good.

“The last story where you wrote about the …………….” She went on speaking about my stories. I don’t want to lie that my attention was only in her speech. If I am going to explain her beauty you may think of it has an exaggeration. The way she combed her hair with her beautiful fingers, whenever the gentle breeze disturbed her hair, the way she adjusted her ‘Dhupatta’, and the way in which she logically analyzed my stories, some thing within me said that “Subramani, She should be yours”.

I never believed in Love at first sight. I had made fun of all those Tamil films where the hero falls for the heroine, just after seeing her. Now I know I am doing exactly the same. Some thing in her made me fall for her. Don’t ask me the reasons. I won’t be able to explain.

The train sound disturbed my thought. “Why the hell did the train come so soon”- I wondered. The ten long minutes I was talking about earlier flew like ten seconds. I was worried that she might get into the Ladies compartment. Nevertheless I said “You got to walk little back for the ladies compartment”. “No probs. I would get in the general compartment with you. I need to talk a lot with you” – I don’t know how I controlled myself from jumping up and down in the station.

Inside the train, I wanted to talk so much to her, but words failed me. All I could ask her was her name, which college she studied, and some other stupid questions, and some third persons looking at us might have thought I am conducting some interview. I felt so bad; I didn’t know how to impress a girl. For some guys, it comes naturally, but then not for me.

“How long you take to write a story”- she saved me as when it comes to talking about the story, I can talk to any one.

“It depends” I said, “Sometimes it takes even 3 days, but some times I even finish it off in half an hour”.

“Can you write a story for me now?”

“Sure” – I replied as though I am expecting such a request.

“Sorry for asking an Instant story, like an instant coffee. If you have some other work, please feel free to say it. I don’t mind” she said.

“I don’t have any other work” – I had already started writing the story in few A4 sheets I had.

She did not disturb me. She seems to have understood that the only thing the person wants while writing a story is loneliness. I don’t like people peeping into my stories before I finish it, and thank God she didn’t. When I was about to finish the story, She asked “What sort of story it is?”

“Love story” – I replied.

“You had never written a love story before- at least you had never written it in the bulletin board before”

“Ya, this is my first love story. I just wanted to try something different”

I finished off the story and gave it to her. She arranged the papers in her hand and started reading the story.

PS: Are you wondering, what story I wrote and gave, that made her accept my love. Are you wondering how did I propose my love in that story? Do you want to read that story? If your answer is Yes, if you badly want to read that story which made me propose my love indirectly, if you want to read that story that made her accept my love, then READ THIS STORY AGAIN.

Story within a story (Short Story)

“She had read that story twenty five times so far.”

After reading the above line, did any feeling arose in your mind? Did you feel angry, depressed or irritated?

I am sure you would not have got any feelings. “That was a very simple line. How do one get angry or feel irritated on reading such a simple line”, might be your thought now.

Now, I will tell you a story. After wards I will again say the same line and ask your reaction. Let’s read that story now:

BLACK DOG

If you can catch the electric train to Gummidipoondi from Chennai Central and get down at Minjur and travel four kilometers inwards, you will reach a house near a small private school. That house is in festive mood today- the reason being the birthday of Mahesh – the only child of the house.

After the tiring birthday celebration, during the course of which he would have gained few kilos of weight thanks to the countless sweets eaten by him, Mahesh now sleeping next to his beloved Grandma decided it’s the time to ask for birthday gift from his Grandma. He had already got a beautiful bicycle from his dad and a remote controlled toy car from his mother.

“Grandma, I want a puppy” he asked. Grandma was not at all surprised. She knew her grandchild’s interest with pets for a very long time. So he was expecting to be asked for such a gift from her grand child right from the morning.

After Mahesh slept off, Grandma slowly went to the back side of the mouse. There lying in the cold was a tiny black colored puppy, that due to some genetic deformity looked so bad. Grandma poured of some milk for it. The mother of that puppy- a street dog- had died after delivering six puppies including this one, after being hit by a speeding lorry.

Few days later, Saroja, middle aged women in the neighborhood came to meet grandma along with her ten year old daughter. She used to come to see Grandma often to share her problems- mostly to complain about her drunken husband’s cruelty. That day, however she had yet another reason for coming. Her daughter wanted to have a puppy, and she had come to take the motherless puppies lying in the house. Grandma asked Saroja’s daughter to select any one of the puppies and take it to their home. “Take anything other than that black one. It looks bad” was the first comment from Saroja. After some selection dilemmas her daughter ended up with the white one with few brown spots near its neck.

After Saroja, came people in neighborhood one after one, each selecting their favorite puppy, and all that remained there was this black one, which thanks to its ugliness was rejected by all of them. “From tomorrow, it would be Mahesh’s pet”, decided the grandma.

………………………………

A year later…........

…………………………………

“Blacky” called Mahesh. Blacky was the name given by him to the puppy gifted by his grandmother to him. It had been one long year, and Blacky had become his close companion. He had taught it to play football and various other games. Blacky had grown up into an obedient dog that simply loved its master Mahesh.

“Grandma, I want to celebrate Blacky’s birthday like we celebrate mine”, said Mahesh. He remembered Granny saying that Blacky was born on the Independence Day.

“Sure, why not” said Grandma.

“We got to buy cakes, candles and all those things” – Mahesh.

“Okay” – Grandma.

“For my birthday, Ramya and Suresh (his cousins) come. In the same way, I want Blacky’s brothers and sisters to attend its birthday” – Mahesh.

“We don’t know where are its brothers and sisters” – Grandma.

“You have said to me earlier that Saroja aunty, Rajappan uncle, watch man uncle, Renuka’s mother are those who took and went Black’s brothers and sisters. We can go and ask them”, said Mahesh.

Grandma was astonished at her grandchild’s memory power. She was happy that he remembers so vividly the details she might have said casually long time back and she readily agreed to his plan. The next day Mahesh set out in the morning with the purpose of inviting the brothers and sisters of Blacky for birthday celebrations.

After few hours, Mahesh was back to the house but the happiness in his face was missing. He was at the verge of crying. His grandma’s question of “What happened” opened the floodgates for the tears as they came rolling down.

“Saroja Aunty says that the puppy dies long back. Rajappan uncle said that the puppy ran back some where. The watchman uncle is the worst. He says he doesn’t even remember taking any puppy from our house. Why they are so irresponsible? I feel so sad for those puppies” – Mahesh said all these things still crying.

Grandma tries to wipe out the tears from his face. “Don’t cry child” She tried to pacify him. Blacky came there at the moment from some where and stated licking Mahesh’s legs.

“Thank God, they did not take Blacky. Otherwise even he would have ended up suffering” saying this, Mahesh hugged his pet.

“Thank God, Blacky was born ugly, and was rejected by those who don’t deserve him” said Granny.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The above story was lying in the bed. In the bed, a twenty eight year old lady was sleeping. She was dark, and her face had spots all over thanks to the chicken pox, she had when she was young. This story was written by her close friend, and he gave it to her, after she was rejected by the first prospective bridegroom citing her lack of beauty. She felt confident after reading the story. From then, when ever she feels upset after prospective bridegrooms reject her one after one due to the same reason, she reads the story.

Now I will tell the same line, I told in the beginning:

“She had read that story twenty five times so far.”