Revenge (A Short Story) - Part 2

Vijay is a MBBS student aspiring to be a neurosurgeon. He has been dating Kavitha for the last three years. Vijay wants to marry Kavitha soon but Kavitha's parents want him to become a doctor first. They have been going to the restaurants and parks a couple of times a week as part of their dating. While Kavitha is content with holding hands and chatting, Vijay wants more out of this relationship physically. So whenever he gets a chance, he will try to kiss her or caress her. And these things always make Kavitha uncomfortable as she is a traditional person who thinks that only married couples can have physical contact and that too, not in public.

As always, Vijay was trying to get as far as he could with Kavitha in the park that Ganesh walked into. Vijay was trying to kiss Kavitha and she was resisting it playfully in the beginning. Vijay should have stopped there but he did not that day. He continued with his efforts while Kavitha's resistance grew louder and stronger. When Ganesh saw them, Kavitha was lying on the floor yelling "no, no" and Vijay was on top of her trying to calm her.

This was the spark that ignited Ganesh's mind. He assumed that what happened to his sister was happening to another girl and then that girl was replaced in his mind by his sister. So he felt like he was actually watching his sister getting raped. He was so angry that his body started to shiver. He was incapable of thinking at that point, and he lunged towards the couple on the ground. He ripped Vijay off of Kavitha and started wrestling with him. Vijay was saying that they both were just playing and Kavitha was standing next to them helplessly. While they were wrestling, Ganesh applied undue pressure on Vijay's neck and snapped it. In a moment, Vijay was dead. It took a while for Ganesh to realize what he has done. He just looked at Vijay's body in shock and then looked at Kavitha to see that this was not his sister. Kavitha started screaming and running towards the park gates.

Ganesh wondered about what he had done. How could he have taken somebody's life? How does this compensate for what happened to his sister? Why did he do that? While there was remorse, there was an ugly satisfaction as well. There has been a bad act and Ganesh has done something about it and he justified it by saying that Vijay might have done the same thing to Kavitha. He slowly started walking towards the road. Only he knows whether he is going to the cops or his home.

(The End)

Revenge (A Short Story) - Part 1

He was walking down the street completely lost in his thoughts. His name is Ganesh and he works as a regional manager in a bank. This is what happened to his sister earlier that night.

His sister, Poornima, is doing her MBA and has been dating one of her classmates for the last five years. They both plan to get married once Poornima finishes her MBA. Normally, Poornima goes to college in her moped but since it broke down, she took the bus that day. She had to stay late to get one of her assignments done in the library that day and was waiting at the bus depot to come home around 9 pm that night. Ganesh or her boyfriend would have given her a ride but one was busy at work and the other one was out of town. So she had to wait for the bus that late in the night. The bus depot was deserted and that was making Poornima a little anxious. But the bus should be here any minute, she kept thinking.

Instead of the bus, a guy in his mid-thirties walked by. He looked the usual kind but his eyes were intensely angry. Poornima always notices people's eyes as she thinks that they are the windows to a person's soul. She did not want to chit-chat and so she did not make any eye contact.

The guy who walked by Poornima is Anand who has been dumped by her fiancee just today. She had said that he was not daring enough (man enough) for her. He could not take this very well and was just wandering around when he saw Poornima.

Seeing Poornima, who reminded him very much of his fiancee, made him angrier - both at himself and at his fiancee. He wanted to do something to take out his anger. And so he did the unthinkable.

He went and stood by Poornima and kept inching closer to her when she started moving away. Small steps became a walk and then a run and Anand kept chasing her. Poornima made the mistake of going into a back alley that was mostly dark and completely deserted. She was so scared that she didn't even think about calling somebody on her cellphone. Once they got into the alley, he picked up his speed and came very close to her.

He pushed himself against her and she could feel his hardness. Now she was really scared. She tried to get out of his hold and that didn't work as he was quite strong. She tried to bite him but that was not effective either. Now he was unzipping his pants and thrusting himself against her and she could not take it anymore. She had tried everything she could and did not know what else to do but she was so angry, so sad and so lost now. He did what he wanted to do like an animal and when he was done, there was that one second when they made eye contact. She looked at him like he was the worst creature on the face of the earth and he looked at her like he had accomplished something. Then he left.

She just laid there for about 15 minutes. She was thinking that the author who wrote that if a woman ever finds herself being raped, she should try to enjoy it, was a moron. She did not know what to do but got up slowly after some time and walked up to the main road and looked around for an auto or taxi. There were a few people walking around that gave her a suspicious look as she was still disheveled, in spite of her best efforts to clean up. Luckily, an auto came soon and she got on it. The auto driver gave her a cheap look but she didn't care.

She reached home in 10 minutes and she kept thinking how different it would have been if she had just taken the auto in the first place instead of waiting for the bus. All this to save 20 rupees. Her mom was in the kitchen and so Poornima just ran into her room and locked it. She usually likes a little alone time when she gets home and so her mother wouldn't think anything about it. She laid down on her bed and kept staring at the ceiling. There were too many incoherent thoughts going through her mind and her head started to ache. She removed her clothes and threw them in the trash as she did not want anything to do with that guy and went to the shower. She took a long shower and came into the kitchen. When she saw her mother, she had to muster all her strength not to cry. But she went and hugged her mother, which was unusual and her mother teased her about it.

Her boyfriend called after some time and she managed to chit chat with him quite effectively. She was surprised at her own resilience but she did not want to give in. She kept telling herself that she should not let this unfortunate incident ruin her whole life. As her boy friend was very tired, the phone conversation was short. Then her brother Ganesh came and he immediately knew that there was something wrong. They both have shared a special relationship and are best friends. When they got a moment alone, Ganesh asked her what was going on. Her immediate reaction was to lie but she decided to tell everything to her brother as she wanted so badly to share it with someone.

Ganesh listened to the whole story in a deafening silence. When she came to the end, he asked her if she knew who it was. She said no. Then he asked her what she was going to do about it. And she kept staring at the wall and then said (after what seemed like a very long time) "nothing". This infuriated Ganesh who kept shouting "how can you not do anything and let him get away with it". She said that she didn't want everybody around her to get hurt because of this and also that she might not even be able to identify the perpetrator. Their mom called them for dinner and so they both calmed down and went to the kitchen.

This is why Ganesh was so lost in his thoughts. He was quite impressed at how his sister was handling this, which was quite different from the character in that book he recently read, who wanted to commit suicide after getting raped. He had a lot of anger in him and wanted to do something about it but did not know what. He realized that his sister has to move on with her life and can't throw away her life because of a single event (no matter how big an event it was). But still, there needs to be some consequence for an act like this, right? Ganesh thought so as he entered the neighborhood park.

(To be continued)

Yet another Love Story - Chapter 4

They both met with his sister the following week in a restaurant. It was a bit awkward in the beginning but they had a nice meal. She thought that considering the occasion, it went well.

The following day, he called her in the evening after work.

“Hi” she says, “What did you think about last night’s dinner?”

“It was not bad” he said without much enthusiasm.

“Not bad? I was patient the whole time in spite of your sister’s probing questions.”

“I appreciate that, but ….”

“But what? What did your sister say?” she was losing her patience now.

“She said that you were alright, but that she has some reservations”.

“What? Let us remember that I met with her for you even though I was not keen on it. And now I am being treated like some student taking an exam.”

“I understand, but I am not willing to commit to anything until my sister is fine with you.”

“I love you, and not your sister and your sister need not love me. Out of curiosity, what are her reservations about me?”

“Firstly, she did not like the fact that you drink. Secondly, she said that you are too independent and so she is not sure how well you will adjust to married life”.

“Well, do you agree with her?”

“I don’t mind your drinking and I think that the more we get to know one another, the easier it will be for us to compromise and live together.”

“I agree. So why are you still hesitant to commit?”

“I told you already. I got burnt quite a few times in relationships where I tried to make all the decisions by myself.”

“So, what do you want to do now?” she asks.

“I want you and my sister to get to know one another better. Why don’t you two spend some time shopping and going places?”

“Let me remind you that this relationship is between you and me” she said angrily.

“Yes, but I want my sister’s buy in as well”.

“Why? Why are you afraid to take responsibility and make decisions?”

“Because my decisions have not worked in the past. Also, remember that arranged marriages work very well in our culture.”

“Yes, but arranged marriage is not for me. I want to know the person I am marrying before I marry. Not after I marry.”

“Then we are not on the same page. As I think it is better if more than two people are involved in making a decision about a relationship. After all, we don’t know everything.”

“We are not on the same page? Looks like we are not even in the same book”.

“Just remember that most of the marriages where people know one another before the marriage do end up in divorce.”

“I am not going to live my life based on statistics. I am going to live my life based on my feelings.”

“I think that we do need the odds to work in our favor. Listen, I like you. But I just can’t marry you. I need some more time and input into this.”

“You can get all the inputs you want for some other girl. As I am not going to sit here while different people evaluate me”.

“Will you reconsider?”

“No, I have done some things already that I don’t agree with, and I don’t want to keep doing them. So, it is good bye then.”

“Good bye. And good luck.”

“Same to you.” She says and hangs up the phone.

She wonders what is going on with the current generation. Aren’t we supposed to be more independent and progressive? Did she make the right decision? Was she too hasty in making up her mind? She told herself that she did the right thing as she does not want to live with someone who can’t make up his mind. She switched on the TV and started watching a rerun of Friends.

He could not believe he had lost her. But he knew that this was the right thing to do as otherwise he would be in love and get hurt more when the girl rejects him. Now at least his sister will understand his plight. He picks up the phone and dials his sister's number.

- The End

Yet Another Love Story - Chapter 3

Over the next three months, they go to lunch or for coffee/drinks after work, at least a couple of times a week.

Once during lunch, “Are you free this friday night?” he asks.

“Yeah, I think so” she says.

“Would you like to go to a friend’s birthday party with me?”

“Sure. Who is the party for?”

“An old college friend of mine. I keep in touch with him sporadically. But he is in the same town and so I thought it would be nice to go to his party.”

“I am game. We can do that” she says.

So friday comes, and they both go to the party. There are about 20 people there but he didn’t know anybody other than his friend and she didn’t know anybody other than him. So they find themselves talking to one another most of the time. After a few drinks, she decides to bring up THE topic.

“uh um, I have been meaning to tell you something” she says, almost like a whisper.

“What is it?” he asks, gently (as if he knew what was coming).

“I really like spending time with you. The more time we spend, the more time I want with you. Does that make sense?”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense, but I understand” he says teasingly.

“I think I am in love with you” she says with lot of emotion and expectation in her voice.

“Thanks. I like you as well, but don’t you think it is too early?”

“I can’t really time my feelings, can I?”

“No, you can’t. But I think that I could fall in love with you eventually but would like to get to know you more. Right now, I like you, and that is it.”

“That is a start, I guess”, she says, somewhat disappointed.

“I haven’t told you this but I got burnt pretty badly in my last two relationships. So I am taking things very slowly” he says.

“I can appreciate that. As long as we keep moving in the same direction, I am alright”.

“Also, I want you to meet my sister”.

“I can, but I don’t understand what that has to do with our conversation here”.

“Since my last breakup, I am not so sure about my judgments when it comes to girls. I used to be sure but not since the last two breakups. So I talked to my sister a lot about it and she has volunteered to help me with my relationships.”

She could not believe what she was hearing. But she wasn’t going to act rashly, at this point.

So she said “If you want to discuss with your sister about me, that is your thing. But what do you expect me to do with her?”

“I want you two to spend some time together. That is all. Her opinion of you would help me a lot.”

“I am not sure I understand this” she says, a bit angrily. “I believe that we should take control of our lives, as much as we can, and not let others run it for us.”

“I used to be like that, till I went through relationship after relationship that did not work”.

“But all relationships are not the same. I am a totally different person than any of your previous relationships. How can you use the same yardstick without even giving us a chance?”

“I am giving us a chance, right? That is why we are sitting here talking and spending all the time together” he says.

“Ok, so what is it that you want me to do?”

“I would like us to meet with my sister and then I would like you to spend some time with her by yourself.”

“So you want me to spend time with someone I don’t know at all!” she says incredulously.

“It won’t be too bad, as she is my sister”.

“Ok, even though I don’t understand why you want this, I will give it a try, as I want to give us a chance.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it” he says.

“Shall we go now?” she says, a little impatiently, as she wants to stop this and go home and lie on her favorite couch to do some thinking.

- To be continued

Yet another Love Story: Chapter 2

This place is not bad, she thinks as they walk in to Everest Coffee Company. There is a nice aroma of coffee and there are lots of cartoon posters on the walls. The girl at the counter seems to recognize him and even knows his name. He does some small talk with her and smiles the whole time. She is not sure she likes that, but what can she do, she has just known him for a week.

They both order their coffees – she gets a cappuccino and he gets a mocha with a double shot of espresso (she notes that he likes his coffee strong), and go find a table for two. He offers to pay for the coffees and she likes that and also that he says that she can get it the next time. She is glad that he likes her too and wants to go out with her again.

“How do you like this company?” he asks.

“So far so good, but then this is my first job out of school”.

“Oh really, where did you go to school?”

“University of Chicago. And you?” she asks.

“Not to such a good school. I went to Rice.”

“It doesn’t matter now, does it? We are both working in the same company” she says, trying not to sound condescending.

He laughs and says “Well, that is a consolation. But I’ll take it”.

She really likes that he smiles often.

They talk about where they are from and their immediate families, but those things don’t have to do anything in this love story. At least, not yet.

“So, what do you do in your spare time?” she asks.

He says that he likes to bike, listen to music and go on hikes. And he has a dog (a chocolate Labrador) that he likes to spend time with.

“And what about you?” he asks, taking a sip of his coffee. She has finished her coffee by now and is thinking that he likes to take things slowly, at least when he is drinking coffee.

“I like to read a lot. I am trying to learn to play violin. I am also learning Spanish” she says.

“It is pretty cool that you are learning different things. I am impressed” he says with genuine appreciation in his voice.

“Also, I have a German shepherd at home. His name is Rocky. Maybe we should have a play date for our dogs, huh?”

“Yeah, that would be nice” he agrees.

They spend another twenty minutes at the coffee place talking about the most recent political scandal. They both seem to be of the same opinion on what the right thing to do is and how strange the whole scandal is.

As they are leaving, she says “It was nice having coffee and talking with you. We should do it again sometime” and he says that he had a good time as well and would like that. They both part ways after saying their goodbyes.

As she is going back home, she is thinking about how unreasonable and illogical it is to feel so strongly about someone that she met only recently. She thinks that she is in love and feels weird about the feeling, as this is the first time she has felt that way. She has several good friends who are guys, contrary to what people say about a guy and a girl not being able to have a platonic relationship. But then she has never worried much about what other people think or talk about her. She has always tried to do things that make her happy as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody else. She wonders if she should tell him about how she feels, but decides to wait for some more time as this is too early.

As he is driving home, he thinks that it is nice to spend time with her. He is glad that they have so much to talk about and have some common ideas. But he reminds himself that he does not want to go too deep into this relationship because of his previous experiences. He has had two girl friends in the last six months and they both did not end well (of course, no breakups would go well). He is a very sensitive person who was hurt by these breakups, especially the most recent one as he had thought that things were going well and liked her a lot. Coming back to the present, he decided to not get too carried away with her.

- To be Continued

Yet another Love Story: Chapter 1

She saw him by the elevator and her heart skipped a beat. Although she has not thought much of her prince charming, he looked like one. She didn’t like feeling so attracted without even talking to him, but one can’t really choose how to feel, right? He was tall, had thick dark hair and a nice moustache. His ears and nose looked perfect to her and his eyes had a mix of sharpness and softness to them. She stopped herself from thinking any more about him and decided to go talk to him, as he was walking by her now.

“Hello” – she said.

“Hi” – he said and started to walk past her.

“Do you have a minute?”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“I am new to this company and this is my first day. Can you tell me where the HR department is?”

“Sure, but it would be easier if I took you there as this building is not straightforward.”

She couldn’t believe he was doing this for her.

“How long have you been here?”

“It will be two years soon.”

“What department are you working in?”

“I am in the Mergers and Acquisitions group.”

“I will be in the investment banking division” she says noting that he doesn’t ask her any questions.

“Here we are” he says pointing to a room. “Nice meeting you. Good luck in your job.”

“Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it”.

“Bye-Bye” he says and leaves.

She stands there looking at his back for sometime before she remembers that she needs to focus on starting her job.

After a week in the company, she calls him and asks if he would like to have coffee with her. He is not sure why she is doing this but says yes out of courtesy.

They meet after work one day to go get coffee. She suggests the Starbucks nearby but he says that he prefers smaller coffee places and suggests a place called Everest Coffee Company which is out of the way. She reluctantly agrees to go there as her tastes in coffee are very exclusive (read picky).

- To be Continued