A thing of beauty is a joy forever

I took a deep breath and then held it for a few seconds as I watched her innocent looking face and tried to read her mind. I was still unable to come to terms as to why such a beautiful lady is alone in this restaurant and an even bigger mystery was why did she want to sit at my table. I suddenly realized that she is gazing back at me and has caught me studying her. She gave me a special smile that made my heart beat a little faster.
I dont remember how that hour fizzed away so quickly during which i did not talk much and kept listening to her and admiring her soulful voice. A few moments later the waiter came tarnishing the sanctity of the environment and served ice-cream with delicious toppings on it, rekindled the candles on the table and then discretely faded away, leaving us alone.
"It's beautiful-Oh, I mean the dessert and the ambience"- I said, trying not to get myself embarrassed. And then with a little more guts I said-"But none of them is nearly as beautiful as you.” Then I tasted a spoonful of the cherries. “Not as sweet, either.” The shadows hid her blushing cheeks. SHe took a quick bite of the dessert and almost sighed in pleasure as the flavor of the tart cherries coloured her face red and then probably the cold sweetness of the ice cream reinstated the shine of her face.
“Delicious,” She declared.
“The perfect ending to a perfect evening.” Her hands reached for mine across the table. And she held my hand in a way trying to express her gratitude. I was shivering deep within at the touch of those soft gentle hands.
“Why does it have to end,” I whispered with grief. She looked at me quizzically and said "I need to leave now, it's getting pretty late and i dont have my car so can you please drop me to my place". I agreed readily with much delight.
The duskiness of night wrapped us as we walked to my car. Once there, she took me into her arms. Her lips explored mine, soft at first, then exacting. I responded with a warmth equal to her. By the time we broke apart, I felt like we were in a blast furnace, (ohh btw blast furnace reminds me of something related to mechanical engineering and manufacturing processes :P) and my body was on fire – and only she could quench the flames.But alas, it wasn't destined atleast not that night.
A 20 minutes drive took us to her place. and as she finished thanking me and saying good bye to me a man appeared from the door of the house and asked "Sangeeta, what took you so long darling and your cell phone is also switched off". How silly I was that I had not even asked her name and now I came to know that Sangeeta is her name.
"There was some problem with the car and thats why i got delayed and my cell had a low battery so it went off too", she answered. And then looking at me she said-"this gentleman gave me a lift and dropped me home". The next 15 minutes I tried to be as formal & polite as I can be, sporting a fake smile and trying to be friendly with the person who was Sangeeta's husband. And then i returned home, completely exhausted but absolutely thrilled with the evening's experience.

That evening cost me a dinner for two, but I was, anyway, going to pay for mine so in all honesty it cost me just one extra dinner. I have always believed in the saying that "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" and that day I got a proof of that.

P.S.: I dont think anybody would believe this anecdote and they would be right because its a complete lie. So stop searching for loopholes in the story because it has them aplenty :D
But no matter what, I do believe in the saying "A thing of beauty is a joy forever".

An Executive's Life

This article is dedicated to my dear friend Karan Sharma :D

The files and documents litter my table, beaming out from my chair in a static pattern of blueprints, brochures, notes, and innumerable reference documents. I sit in my murkily lit room and gaze unobservant at the latest project report that has occupied my focus and mind for the past four weeks of my beingness. One hundred forty pages of miniscule print stare apathetically back at me, the innumerous overwritings and strikethroughs garnishing the paper like so many spiders spanning an vast web of letters and words and sentences.

“Karan?” a soft tender voice behind me agitates me from my fruitless daydreaming. I spin in my chair to see my wife staring concernedly at me from the kitchen door. I impel my face to arrange itself into a pale smile. “Pammi, go to bed sweetie. Just because I’ve got to keep these ungodly hours doesn’t mean you should have to suffer along with me.”

She heads over to my desk and gives a grave sigh. “I know, I’m just going back. I got some coffee in the pot, in case, if you want some . Its on that table.” Pammi gives an admonishing look at the heap of papers cast about the desk. “Don’t let it get to you too much honey. It’s going to be stupendous, I promise. You’re an amazing brain Karan, and you’ve done things more difficult than this so many times before. The fact that this is so large only means that when it’s finished, it will be the most outstanding one yet.”

I summon all that I have to give her a surefooted smile. Quenched, she kisses me on the cheek and scuffles tiredly up the stairs to bed.I turn my eyes from the staircase and back to the task at hand.

Refocusing on the documents, I continue to look out for the finite errors and discrepancies that fracture the report work. Over and over, modifications, eliminations and rectifications seemingly without end. Knowing, somewhere at the back of my mind, that it is never gonna end in reality.

Beauty and the Lust

As I made my way into the room, I could see her standing at the window gazing out over the city and admiring the silence of the sky. The illuminations of distant skyscrapers quivered around her like innumerable tiny stars worshiping her beauty. Whole environment was spellbound and mesmerised by her elegance, as though her beauty was on a mission to conquer one and all. Raven-black hair ran down her back like a dark river, its unknown waters waiting to be explored and examined. Her glowing shoulders were bare except for tiny straps of red lace. More lace embraced the rest of her body, flirting with my eyes with shadows that suggested everything yet revealed nothing.

I walked to her surreptitiously, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, knowing she could see my reflection in the shining window. I reached for her hair, its glossy plaits shivered to the touch as I pulled it aside. Underneath, her neck curved graciously, like that of a majestic swan. My lips caressed against its warmth, sensing the life gently throbbing beneath the surface. Her face angled slightly, exposing more of its vulnerable surface to my touch. I examined her skin, relishing its feeble saltiness and something else uniquely feminine, uniquely her.She was the epitome of beauty.

Thought Process

Words are running across my mind one after the other - words that make no sense, made up words - and I sit at the computer writing them all one after the other. I just write and write but nothing comes out of it, none of it makes any sense. It’s all just a bunch of disconnected words, but I know that this is the piece of work that will win me a Nobel Prize for literature. I just need to keep writing. I go to a friend of mine and show him the hard copy of my work, gleaming from ear to ear, knowing that this has been my best work yet, but he takes one look at it and a confused expression comes over his face. I take the book from him and open it to find that its blank – all the words have disappeared, or perhaps they were never really written in the first place.

Light of Love

From great miles and distances away, as if on a rocky mountain surrounded by white fog, a voice like my own cries and appeals and begs for resistance, but there isnt any hope left, it cant be found anywhere, it is all dying too fast. I'm murkily aware of my back hitting a tough hard rocky surface that is alive with a hard hitting pulse, a ray of light in the distance disappears into darkness and I focus hard, feeling it all swoop down at last. I gaze deep into her bright brown eyes and beg of her to keep me hidden there, safe in her memories. She stares at me baffled and perplexed for a moment before agreeing, I take hold of her hand up again and we march on forever.