Thursday, July 24, 2008

Their last date

She knew this was the last time they were meeting and wanted to be nice, and honest.

They sat in the same place they often used to sit, bang in the middle of a crowded café overlooking the concourse. In the midst of the crowd, they had always managed to find their solitude, their voices, and their stories as if they were protected by the eiderdown. She wanted the last time to be like the first meeting and the many in-betweens.

“So, I am getting married” she started, suddenly remembering this is not how she wanted to start nor could she explain why she felt the sudden throbbing pain inside. He just looked at her, held her eyes for sometime and looked away. Then he stirred his coffee very slowly, as if his life depended on that steady action and replied,”If that is what you want.” She wanted to scream, pounce on him and strangle him and die with him that moment but continued the balderdash about how nice the man she was about to marry was, and how much in love they were. He listened quietly, observing how her cheeks turned crimson red and how her eyes were so wonderful tonight, all animated with a tear threatening to fall, something that made him feel like crushing her is his arms. He began to smoke leaving the coffee un-sipped.

Having nothing else to say or hear, she stood up saying, he needn’t see her off.

Walking through the boulevard, she suddenly remembered a time when they had walked leisurely after leaving the coffee house, sharing peanuts from a cone and singing a duet. She had laughed saying, ‘If people were to hear only our voices, they’d certainly think two guys are singing.’ To which, he had replied,’oh, let me check then if I am walking with a guy or a girl’. She kicked him and ran; with him running right behind her, laughing.

Collecting herself, she hastened her steps and coughed away her tears. He stood at a distance, perhaps thinking the same thoughts, smoking.

P.S: I started writing only with the woman’s angle, but I realized I am often unfair to the other sex so, I have added the guy's part too.

My colleague has started blogging, please read her.

31 comments:

austere said...

Last line the pov changes.
Enjoyed the story, more!

Romila said...

Poignant piece well written! Keep it up.

Cynic in Wonderland said...

hmmmm...liked it. more!

Anonymous said...

i hate tht line when guy says 'if tht is wht u want' :-(. i not in goo state of mind but i liked the story.

Stone said...

hmmm......that 'perhaps' is so misunderstood.

White Magpie said...

aur phir?

DewdropDream said...

Endings are so... quick! But for good reason perhaps :) Lovely piece of writing!

manuscrypts said...

Hmmm... :) Inspired... to try something, shall let you know :)

mathew said...

poignant piece of writing...i am sure that guy must have been choking hard!

Unknown said...

The unavoidable last meeting put down so very well!!!

Waiting to read the guy's part too.

Anonymous said...

This short story kind of will remind everybody their most painful breakup...at some level or the other. Nicely written!

Invincible said...

Hey there !
It is well written.
You know i wanted to write something very similar (a different setting though) from long time, but it never hppnd.

Good to see you still rocking :) & so nice of you to stop by my long-dead blog.

and for the records, i didn't see the cover b4 the movie, i found the pic on the web after i watched the movie :-)
Lol !

hitchhiker said...

i don't think it's the guy's fault..

claytonia vices said...

wow! :)
keep writing!!

a million different people said...

Saying goodbye is most consuming. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

You have taken me down the path of nostalgia.. no regrets.. but bittersweet nostalgia..

SK said...

I have seen few of your post, I must confess I like the narrative flow.In fact it inspired me to start blogging.Will appreciate your input on it http://dlife2live.blogspot.com

Arunima said...

@SK: This is very nice to hear. All the best to you!

NotFunnyNotFamous said...

Nicely written.. If you get a chance.. read Jhumpa Lahiri's - The Interpreter of Maladies - first story - Temporary Matter... Amazing story much like this one.. only more sinister and shocking..

Enjoy and take care..

S said...

To let go of love and the feeling of perfect happiness - Tough!!

Beautifully written :)

Anonymous said...

cool post..
for me she simply said whatI always knew... ' I cannot continue like this with you anymore...'

keep writing...

Invincible said...

After disappointing Superman Returns and mediocre Spiderman 3, ppl wanted a good superhero movie. No wonder Iron Man took a big slice out of box office and Hulk got some credit in its 'incredible' apparition.

Come TDK and no one wud remember let alone compare it with Iron man or Hulk.

And had it not been for Nolans i wud say Batman was long dead.

You won't normally find such a good script in a superhero movie. So this one struck out, IMO.

& i read your TDK watcher post. LOL, u know how to make fun of someone/something and mean no offense :)

shub said...

whoa! lovely! and quite unlike anything I've read on this blog before. More please :)

Arunima said...

@shub: you mean to say all my other posts are not good. :-( Boo hoo hoo! whoa!

white magpie: wahi khattam hota hain.
@manuscryots: I liked your's too.
@noodles: you think so?

lemon said...

wow..i liked that!

did she call him back when she got home?

Anonymous said...

yeah right! :P I wanted to add "not to imply that I don't love the other posts..." then I thought that's redundant :)

NotFunnyNotFamous said...

Yeah.. am a class of 2004 dropout... trying to regain lost identity... :)...

Have been reading your blog off and on.. and something that amazes me still is that you have managed so many years without changing the template once.. :) Its the same simple blog that it used to be...

Enjoy and take care..!

Divs:) said...

The piece is very intense...just goes to show what an compassionate writer u are!! keep it up!!

Arunima said...

@lemonade: haha, this is interesting.

Anonymous said...

This is a beautiful story.. I loved the emotion. And the last bit about them sharing a cone of peanuts was a pleasant surprise.. I was expecting something like that, but this one was nice!

v said...

this story made me feel so sad... i don't like stories that do not end in 'happily ever after'...but i guess life is not a fairytale or anything even remotely close to it....sigh!