Mithra

ALMOST IN Love … {14} ‘What?!!’ Madan looked puzzled at his daughter as if she had just spoken in Greek or Latin. She remained quiet for a moment giving him time to recover from the shock. ‘What did you just say, Inu?’ he asked her incredulously, assuming that he might have heard it wrong. ‘I said, I am in love,’ she repeated in the same tone. ‘I can’t believe it… who is he? ‘Jacob.’ ‘You mean Jacob Williams? He is that guy from your college, who was here when Anu met with the accident, right?’ ‘Yes, dad.’ ‘But you said he was your junior…?’ he asked frowning at her. ‘He his two years younger than me. He is a director by profession,’ she said without any hesitation. ‘This is ridiculous! What do you think you are doing with your life, Inu? You have already suffered enough and I cannot see you going through more pain. How can you behave so reckless?’ Dhwani squared her shoulders and looked straight at her father. The very thought of Jac...

ALMOST IN Love … {13} Jacob was packing his bags in a hurry, because his train ticket had been confirmed just four hours before departure. Initially, he had decided to leave after another week in Bangalore, but changed his mind after speaking to Dhwani. He had already spent more than 20 days without seeing her and he missed her a lot. She missed him too, but never told it to him. She was certain that he would catch the very next train to Mangalore if she admitted it to him. Yet he could sense her longing over the phone and could no longer spend even one more minute at home. Immediately he booked his ticket but he was put on waiting list. As soon as he received the confirmation of berth, he started throwing his things into the bag without bothering to even fold his clothes. He frowned when he heard a soft tapping on the door. Despite the door being kept open, someone was knocking on it. He turned around and froze. ‘Can I have a word with you?’ asked Williams after clearing h...

ALMOST IN Love … {12} It was a deserted street and the golden glow of the sodium vapour lamp enveloped the darkness. Two dogs were barking at a distance which made Dhwani uneasy. She was contemplating whether to pass by them or wait till they had finished fighting. Unable to muster up courage, she stood rooted at the spot waiting for the dogs to leave the place. Suddenly one of the dogs started running towards her and the other one followed it ferociously. She was terrified with an urge to run away, but she knew that the best thing to do was to be stationary. After two minutes of anxiety, she heaved a sigh of relief when the dogs ran past her. Frantically she began walking forward with a fear that those dogs might return to chase her. She kept scanning the place to spot Jacob, but could not find him anywhere. She was desperate to see him and also not to see him. The very thought of a break-up was suffocating her. Although the idea seemed quite plausible in the evening, now th...