FranKophone

In an effort to understand what she meant by 'walking by the lake', he ambled along the promenade. He saw the birds flying across the horizon, the fishermen on their boats and the children playing nearby. Nothing out of the ordinary. What did all this mean to her ? He noticed her approaching. With a smile. As she reached him, she asked, " Shall we take a walk together ? I want to show you my favourite place on earth."

She : When will you stop sending me roses ? He : As long as I live. She : Why do you have to tell it everyday ? He : You ask me everyday. She : I give you a lot of trouble. He : You make me happy. She : You too, in ways you shall never know. He : I want to. She : To know ? He : Yes. How do I make you happy ? She : You make me feel loved and cared for. He : Come on, you are worth it. In fact, you deserve much more. She : Maybe I shall get some more. He : Really ? Even if I ... She : You might leave but you shall always love me.

Eight minutes. I deserved eight minutes of his time. A two day train journey and two hours of bumpy ride. All this just to tell him “Hi! I still do”. He was polite. Of the three hours I spent at his lobby, the girl offered me coffee thrice. He said he was tired. He thinks differently. Our lives are different. Children grow up. They will anyway. He did not say but I guess broken hearts mend too.  P.S. : This post was conceived and typed in 8 minutes. Hence the title. No relation with "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho. 

Pre-note : I wrote this post under heavy influence of a Bollywood movie called "London-Paris-New York". I am not to be blamed if this post bores/kills/frustrates you. No one reads but I still write. Really? Don’t “really” me. You just won’t understand. What? That even though you try to act smart, you are, basically, a fool. Sorry? You should be!  You just don’t understand?  Why do I have to be so direct to you? Don’t you know how I feel? About? See! You know. But again, you act as if you don’t. I don’t act. I really don’t. I am tired. So am I. How did you know that I was a fool? A fool never misses noticing another one. Stupid! Just like you. As if I have a choice! A still from LPNY (Courtesy : Google)

Dear You, I have been noticing you for quite some time now. You never look sideways. I happen to like it. You look angry. Do I intimidate you? I see that your eyes are bereft of kohl. I need nothing from you – not even a glance. I just want to look into your eyes. For now. And perhaps, forever. Yours madly, Me. Pic Courtesy : Google

I need a painter. *pause* *grin* Do not grin like that. I know what you are thinking. What was I thinking ? About  painting, Titanic 3D and you-know-what. Ah ! You are so perfect at reading my mind. You doubt it ? No, I’m proud of you. I’m lucky to have you. You don’t have me. I’m still thinking, remember ? Well, if you keep thinking all your life about me, it is fine by me. Shut up ! Is that your favourite word ? No. It is my way of expressing disgust. So what is your way of displaying a few other  better emotions ? What do you mean ? You know what I mean. Remember ? Shut up ! By the way, you said you needed a painter. I paint well. Really ? Really. Then come to my place tomorrow at 10 in the morning . Really ? Really. Sharp at 10. I’ll tell you what needs to be done. Seriously ?  You are that particular ? Yes. When it comes to painting my house, I’m very particular about colours. Gosh ! I thought it was something else. I knew what you thought ...

What would you do if you lose me someday ? Shoot a query I suppose ! Stop that IT non-sense of yours. And ? Make me happy  from a distance of five feet. Ah ! Challenging. Sounds tough ? No. Boring . And I thought you were interested in me ! I am. In you. Not … Shut up. I always do that. Stop  making fun all the time. Oh ! What  should I make now ? French toast. For breakfast ? For life.

Scared. Restless. Suspicious. She wasn’t this before. He knew that . Or didn’t he ? There was no cause for fear. She knew that. Yet she couldn’t help it. She had to panic. She felt like it was the right thing to do then. She regretted it  moments later. His memory went back to those good old days. She lived in her own world of poetry. Something that set her apart. He loved her. Rather he still loves her. And she ? No one knew. He could not ask. Nor could she tell.

“Stop.” “What ?” “You know what.” “No. Tell me.” “This thing.” “Studying ?” “No. Staring.” “I didn’t stare. “ “You did. I saw it.” “By the way, were you staring at me ?” “Hell no!  I have work.” “ But if you didn’t ? Would you ? “ “No way.” “Sure ? “ “Disgusting.” “I love that word.” “Really ?” “Only when you say it.” “Ok. Anything else ?  I have work.” “I have you.” “Shut up !” “Really ?” “Not again.”

Getting hurt is easy. Healing is tough. "That suits you,right ?" "No. To get hurt and then heal and try again and again .... That suits me." "I wonder how I fell for you." "I love the fact that you fell for me. And trust me, I don't hurt, I just heal."  

Dear  You, It has been long since we met. I lost those pink slippers you had gifted me . I could not find more of  them. Get me those when you come. Did I say I missed you ?  You were supposed to come over, right ?  Did you forget  ? Or changed your mind ? Or is it something else ? I got your flowers on time. Come over as soon as you can. Bring some warm clothes as well. I guess its on the upper shelf of your wardrobe. And please don’t make a mess if you can’t find it.  I shall be waiting for you. Maybe we’ll plan something. Yours, Me.

She always looked for inspiration.  Little did she know that she was his ONLY inspiration .....

He looked back. I did not. "A cup of coffee ?" "Some other time." "Some other friend ?" "Kind of." "Good luck." "I have it." A few years ago, this was unthinkable. He was not a stranger then. She was not indifferent then. They both had hearts that beat with  rapture. For each other. They had eyes for each other. And the like. She lost something very precious. He thought of it. At first, he remained the same lover - full of love. With time, love gave way to  sympathy. Then came the terrible moment. Of indifference, of hatred. She realized it and he went away. Not to be back for a  long...really long time. She bore her loss very well. It gave her a new direction of life. She loved being her. Even though she was bereft of her booty. Today  he came back, expecting her to still love him. She did not. A tall man came in front of her. She smiled and looked at him earnestly.

Last summer I fell in love with you. Even though I never meant to. Those looks I would never forget. To me they mean the world. Hopes and dreams pale from sight, I yearn for you every passing moment. Memories of that insane banter underneath the starlit sky. Singing in those hoarse voices, scaring ourselves. I remember your eyes doing the talking Cutting across all barriers unknown. Promises we never made, pure reckless affection. A silent parting - sans promises, sans words. You are the perfect stranger.

Read Part 1 here He woke up with a   nightmare. She was fast asleep. He gazed at her – she had a tranquil look in sleep. He moved forward , remembered something and took her palm in his hands. Softly , so as not to awaken her, he traced   his name   on her palm with his fingers. A cherubic smile spread across her face.   That set him thinking. Why hadn’t he known it much before ?   She had to be the one. Nothing   could happen , he believed. He was already engaged. To someone else. She wasn’t the woman who could break a home. Then how on earth   are they together ?   He wondered.   He fell in love with her. Unbelievably. When ? Was it when she stood on the sands and said “ I do not believe in soul mates ”   ? Or was it when   he had spoken his mind   to her ?  Told her that she deserved better people in her life.   Or was it at that precise moment when they discovered that their mothers were best friends ever ? ...

  She : Do you know why I never drink ? He : You are on a perennial high. She (shocked) : Are you a thought reader ? He (looking into her eyes) : For you, I am all.

I do not remember exactly when I thought I fell for you. Maybe a few summers ago. All in a flash of a second. You seemed so fresh and alluring. I was foolishly young – nubile. Liable to be trapped. And we met for a brief  while. I thought you are the answer to my prayers. My longings were for you. You chose to entice me – I never minded it. It gave me a tingling sensation, a hope that we were meant to be one. Silken dreams. Our encounters teased me. I wanted more of you. You managed to floor me sans any weapon. Gradually I realized I was not alone. Several others vied you, tried to woo you. I burnt with jealousy. You seemed to love everyone alike. You knew no one too closely. But you ignored none. Two summers passed. My tryst with you continued. Everyone around us thought we were together. Only we knew we weren’t. I decided to spend another summer with you. This was unexpected. Most of your admirers had left. They were tired. A new set of people came. The stage was...

She : What do you like the most about me ? He : The speed at which you slurp your icecream bowl, your anxiety while running errands, your nervousness when there is a lot to do  and most of all, this wide eyed look which you are giving me right now.

He : You know what ? You were my biggest childhood crush . She (smilingly) : Yes, I know. Infact I always knew. See you again tomorrow ! *After she goes away * He ( to himself ,silently) : You still are …..a lot more than infactuation. I wish you had known this too. She ( to herself , silently ) : I wish I were more than a crush….sigh !

Reflection : Do you really love him ? She (reluctantly) : Yes, I do. Reflection : Tell him. She (sadly) : He’s too good for me. He doesn’t. ******** Reflection : You like her ? He : Like ? I love her ! Reflection : Why don’t you tell her ? He ( laughs it away ) : She’s too good for me. She doesn’t.