A Lonely Night.. (Part 1)

This is a new story... I hope you guys like it..

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She hugged her shawl even more closely as the wind gently blew through the cold November night. Anusha had just been married to Rajeev and moved into a completely new city – Gurgaon. It so cold and I am stuck with a person who does not want to speak with me.. Wish I had been at my native place watching some good serial on SUN TV thought Anusha as she tried to pace up with her husband. She could see Rajeev walking looking down on the pavement with his hands in his pocket.

Rajeev had been working for an IT firm in Gurgaon and Anusha had to move from her beautiful town, Kaladaikurchi into this buzzing city. I don’t understand what people speak.. where am I stuck up.. Anusha felt a tinge of hunger biting her.. It was dinner time. She jumped 2 steps and started walking along with her husband.

She disturbed the long silence “Can we eat somewhere? I am hungry..”

Rajeev’s thoughts were disturbed and he looked at her strangely. I have not asked for a diamond necklace.. just a dinner... thought Anusha. He then looked behind her and moved past her and started crossing the road. She was confused for a moment and then looked back to see a small dimly lit restaurant. She crossed the road and joined her husband at the door of the restaurant.

Suddenly a big burly guy wearing a purple turban shouted Rajeev’s name and came and hugged him and spoke “Rajeev Bhai.. Kaise ho? Bahut dino se dekha nahi..” Rajeev spoke back something in Hindi. Anusha could hardly understand anything. She stood there blank. Completely blank.. The turbaned man then folded his hands in front of her.. she did the same… I need to learn Hindi fast..

The Sikh then led them to a corner seat inside the restaurant. Rajeev then ordered some dishes. The Sikh man took the orders and left off.. I wish I could have something that I like, to eat..

“Can I have a plate of idlis?” Anusha spoke up.

Rajeev looked at her. He smiled. “No Idlis’ here.. They have only chappati and naan”
He smiled at me.. wow.. “A plate of chappati then..”

Rajeev ordered some chappatis.

They ate in silence. Anusha wanted to speak a lot.. but she could never gather her courage to break the silence.

After the dinner, they started walking to their home. Anusha could not bear the silence around her. She remembered her mom’s words that people start speaking a lot more after having some food.

“So how was your day at office?”

“It was good.”

Just a short answer.. Now what do I ask..

“So what did you do?”

“Nothing much. Some work.. and some meetings”

Anusha could take it no longer. She burst out.. “If you don’t want to talk with me.. you should have not married me..”

Rajeev stopped walking. He looked at her.. shook his head and started walking.
I am never never going to speak with that person again.. decided Anusha.

She hugged her shawl even more tightly and started walking rapidly towards their home.


Rajeev opened the door with his keys. Anusha followed him into their home and went to her bedroom and banged the door shut. She fell on her bed and hugged the pillow. Tears streamed out of her eyes.. Where have I got myself into.. I wanted a simple husband who would just talk with me.. Is this the punishment for the sin that I have done in my life.. Save me god.. Save me..

Rajeev was pretty upset with what had happened. He had too much on his head to worry about anybody else. He wanted to divert his thoughts and switched on the TV. He watched all the news channels. Half an hour later, he got up and opened the bedroom door. He could see that Anusha had fallen asleep but the bedroom lamp was still on. He quietly changed into his night dress. He gently lifted her and laid her properly on the bed. He took a bed sheet and gently slid it over her. He looked at her for a second, switched off the lamp and then came out of bedroom.

He sat in his easy-chair and closed his eyes. His thoughts wandered into his past life. It has been a year since tragedy struck his life…

“Machi, dum iruka?”

Rajeev looked at Vignesh. Vignesh was his best friend and college mate. Rajeev fumbled into his bag and got a pack of Wills. He lent it to Vignesh.

“Illa machi.. Vaendam da..” Rajeev looked curiously at Vignesh, but Vignesh was looking somewhere else. What the…

Suddenly she walked past by.. Now Rajeev could understand the whole story. He took out a cigarette and lit a matchstick.. Rajni style.. and puffed.

“Cigarette smoking is dangerous to health” spoke Vignesh. Rajeev gently slapped Vignesh on the back “Smoke if you want to… Don’t act in front of girls..”

The beautiful girl stopped and looked at Rajeev and smiled. He could see her beautiful eyes twinkle. She is an angel man..a very beautiful angel..The girl then walked to her college bus.

I like her.. but she is too high for me.. in beauty and in academics thought Rajeev.

And he had also heard of her stubbornness.. Some of her friends even complained that she would not listen to anybody.

“Machi, It is ok to smoke in front of girls da.. but.. not in front of THE most beautiful girl on planet earth..” argued Vignesh.

“She is not beautiful and neither are you Mr.Handsome..” lied Rajeev. He turned back and started his Pulsar. “You coming? Or do I have to go alone?”

Vignesh rubbed his back and sat on the bike. Vrroom.. they sped off.. Rajeev could not help but think about those beautiful eyes.. Wish they were mine..

Rajeev was the king of last bench. THE undisputed KING.. and Yamini was the perfect good girl aiming for the gold award in studies for 3rd consecutive year.

It was a boring day in college. The Data Structure ma’m had not turned up for class.. Everybody was chatting or doing some work..Rajeev glanced at Yamini. She was writing something down. Vignesh looked at him in surprise. Rajeev just nodded his head and smiled at him and then put his head down on the bench. Just then a piece of paper reached him. It was a long poem. He recognized it as one of the Shakespeare’s love sonnets. He could find some letters underlined in it. He turned the page and found ..”from Yamini”. He looked at her in the first bench. She just smiled at him.

He scratched his head.. Vignesh was even more surprised than him. “Machi, enna da..?”

“Don’t know mams..” Rajeev then wrote down all the letters that were underlined. They were all jumbled.

“Let me help you..” Vigensh spoke up.

“Thanks.. I can decipher it alone..”

Rajeev worked through all combination of words. He thought it would be over in 5 minutes. But it took him 2 hours to figure out the first 2 words. He worked though all evening, even missing him gym and guitar classes. He tried many combination of words and finally got it.. He could believe what he had figured out.. He realized that he might have made a mistake. He wanted to clarify the issue with her. He couldn’t sleep the whole night.


He got up all excited in the morning. His mom had never seen him so enthusiastic before going to college. He rode his bike to his college. As soon as he entered his class, he noticed Yamini sitting on the first bench. She smiled at him. He didn’t want to let her friends know what he had deciphered. He could have made a mistake and he could be the laughing stock of the class. He went up to Yamini and cleared his throat and spoke.. “Can I speak to you for a minute?”

Yamini stood up and walked out of class. Rajeev followed her. Outside the class, he handed the paper to her and questioned her with his eyes. She took the paper and wrote.. “It’s true”

Rajeev was even more surprised. He had deciphered the message which read..Hi Darling, I love you.. Rajeev pinched himself.. It was not a dream.

“So where are we going on our first date?”

“Whhaatt.. Date??”

“Yeah”

“See, we don’t even know each other.. I have not even agreed to what you have told me..”

Yamini frowned. She never envisaged that Rajeev would say something like that. “Do you like me or not?”

“I do.. but..”

“But what..?”

“I don’t know what to say.. Give me sometime..”

“You need time?? wow.. I just cannot believe it.. All the guys in the class would be on cloud nine if I told them this..”

“Then please tell them this..” Rajeev then turned back and walked into the class. He could see a horrified look on Yamini’s face. Beauty or no beauty.. that girl has got a big head weight…

He went and sat in his place. He could see a visibly stunned Yamini enter the class. She gave him a cold stare as she sat in her place. Vignesh took the paper from Rajeev’s hand. He was shocked to see what Rajeev had deciphered and even more shocked to see what Yamini had written on it.

“Congrats machan..” Vignesh tried to hug Rajeev.

Rajeev shrugged off the hug. “I didn’t say yes to her”

Vignesh literally dropped on the floor. “What.. You didn’t accept?? What
craziness..?” he shook his head.

“You are crazy.. she is crazy.. What makes you think that I would have accepted?

“Machan, she is the most beautiful and studious girl that you can ever see in your life da..”

“And that is precisely what I fear.. You know about me la da..”

Vignesh could now see some reason into why Rajeev had refused the proposal. Rajeev had just 5 arrears and was not the most handsome guy with his big beard and moustache. In fact he looked like a local don and he did behave like one.

“Let’s not speak about this anymore da”


On the way back home, Vignesh wanted to stop at a place to meet somebody. Rajeev stopped at a tea shop near the place and ordered for a cup of hot tea. Sipping the hot tea, his thoughts still went back to the day’s event and he could not stop wondering as to why such a beautiful girl would want to love him. A really mad girl..

Just then a girl came on a black scooty and stopped near his bike. She smiled at Vignesh. Rajeev saw her and thought I have seen her somewhere.. hmm.. oh ya.. she is the first year student.. what is she doing here…

Vignesh looked at Rajeev. “I know you don’t like love and stuff.. but I wanted to tell you something.. I love this girl..”

Rajeev literally laughed out.. Both Vignesh and the girl were stunned. He placed his hand around Vignesh and took him about 10 feet away as he sipped his tea.

“How many gals have you proposed before her?” chuckled Rajeev.

“Dei.. I brought her to show you my love and you are making fun of me..”

Rajeev didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation and continued joking, “See.. Love does not come on seeing hundreds on girls.. It’s a feeling dude.. ok leave all that.. Is she number 6?”

“Am I number 6?” spoke a voice from behind.

Both Rajeev and Vignesh were stunned to see the girl standing right behind them. Vignesh tried to pacify her.

“Tell me Vignesh.. tell me now.. Am I the sixth girl you are proposing to?”

“No da.. see..” Vignesh tried to calm her down…

“Yes or No?”

“Listen..”

“You guys simply don’t understand what love is” fumed the girl as she turned back and started her scooty and sped off.

Vignesh was very angry now. He looked at Rajeev. “You never know what love is.. machan.. I have proposed to many girls.. But has any girl accepted me?” Rajeev stood there thinking…

“She was the first girl who accepted me and she is gone now.. Love is not about our feelings and stuff.. that’s only in movies and story books.. real love is one when you find somebody who reciprocates your love.. You better understand that..”

Vignesh's scathing words really hurt Rajeev. It was as if a bolt had struck him from the sky. He called out to his friend but Vignesh just kept walking away from the place. He was visibly shaken from the day’s events and really started thinking about love and this thoughts on it. His opinion on that slowly started to change. Its all about the right person who reciprocates.. hmm.. These thought continuously ran through his mind.

Vignesh did not attend a whole weeks’ classes. Rajeev really missed his friend and went to his home and apologized.

In class, the next day.. He wrote “I am sorry” on a piece of paper and gave it to Yamini. She looked at him and just shook her head. He really had learnt his lesson. He really started liking Yamini.. but she was still angry and would not look at him.


It was a cool Saturday morning and Vignesh had called him to Spencer plaza to meet his girl again. Rajeev got ready as quickly as possible. He really wanted to get there fast. He searched for his bike keys and then remembered that he had given his bike for service. He quickly grabbed his valet and ran towards the bus stand.

He sat in the bus stand for about 15 minutes. I wish I had my bike.. I would have been there in no time.. He could see lots of cars and buses and many people crossing the main road. Suddenly he saw somebody familiar cross the road. He saw Yamini with her friend cross the road. He desperately wanted to speak with her and shouted her name waving his hand. She saw him and stood there right on the road while her friend crossed the road. Just then something happened.. something he had never dreamt off in his wildest dreams.

I one swish of a second.. a car crashed into Yamini..

Nnnoooooo… Rajeev fell off his easy chair and onto the floor.
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