Mithra

SONGS FROM THE LOVELORN   {2} All the noise around me is drowned out in the screaming silence between us. His face is expressionless except the slight raise of his eyebrows. It would have gone unnoticed had it not been for my eyes painfully scrutinizing his expression. There is an unfathomable sparkle in his eyes. I start counting the seconds. One, two, three… twenty-six, twenty-seven…forty-two, forty- three…sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two. We have locked our eyes for 62 seconds. The most painful 62 seconds of my life. The most precious 62 seconds of my life! Suyash lets out a deep breath and looks down at his half-full glass of tea. He takes one more sip and looks up at me. He: Since when? Me: The very first time when you spoke in the class to introduce yourself, I was drawn to your voice. Even before I noticed you, it was your voice which attracted me. I liked the confidence in your voice. The third day of class, you came and sat at my table. I was surprised ...

SONGS FROM THE LOVELORN   {1} I should not have come here. Screw me! I look at the table on my right. Two men are involved in an animated discussion. One of them peers at the laptop before them and nods his head in agreement. The other one gives him a smile and sips his coffee. Turning back to my table I unlock the screen of my phone. 7.10pm The digits scream out of the screen. Barely 6 minutes have passed since I last checked the time. He will be here any minute. I glance at the entrance of the coffee shop once more with a casual pretence. The twilight is fast merging into the darkness. Heavy clouds hang above the earth with a solid promise of rain. I continue to maintain a calm façade, though there is a storm raging within me. Immediately my two alter egos pop up their heads in my mind. Well, let me introduce you to Coward Me (CM) and Bold Me (BM). The two people who never miss a single opportunity to push me into an ocean of confusion. Today, they ar...

It is over…? {9} ‘You were right,’ said Bhuvan sipping his coffee. Karthik frowned at him. ‘I am right most of the times. But under what context did you acknowledge it?’ ‘About my marriage. You were right in saying that it was never too late to save my marriage.’ ‘Wow! That’s great! I simply can’t believe that her memory loss could work wonders in your relationship. Anyway, what have you decided?’ ‘About what?’ asked Bhuvan raising his eyebrows. ‘About the divorce. You have already forwarded the papers to your lawyer,’ he said biting into his chocolate cookies. Bhuvan froze hearing his words. I had completely forgotten! Karthik was surprised by Bhuvan’s reaction. ‘What happened?’ ‘I didn’t speak to the lawyer after submitting the papers.’ ‘Hmmm… alright then, I think it’s high time you made a decision. Do you want to live with her?’ ‘I cannot live without her,’ said Bhuvan with determination saturating his voice. ‘Then, what are y...

It is over…? {8} ‘I love this flavour,’ said Uttara licking the roasted almond ice-cream. ‘Well, I like the jackfruit flavour better, but this is good too,’ he said biting the cone. They were walking out of the ice-cream parlour which was about 1.5km from their apartment. It was their routine weekly visit, which they had begun two weeks after she came home from the hospital. Even though she had always loved ice-cream, eventually she had lost interest in it after a couple of years into marriage. Oblivious to this, one evening she expressed her desire to eat her favourite dessert and Bhuvan had promptly taken her to the nearby ice-cream parlour. Ever since, they made it a point to visit it every week and mostly it used to be on a Saturday. Instead of going there on his bike, they preferred to walk. A cool breeze blew over them and she snuggled closer to him. In response he squeezed her hand gently. She had worn his jacket and her right hand was warmly entwined in his left...