A rather long Short story
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He finally turned the car toward the road-side restaurant. Looking at the passing restaurants for quite a time now, he finally decided to rest his tiring body. The idea to drive to Mumbai was not turning as much fun as he had expected. 15 years back he would have made many such trips. He was getting old.
He parked his car near the Highway restaurant. The restaurant was better in terms of ambience and food compared to hundred of restaurant that had come up near the highway. He knew he still had enough time before he reached Mumbai before time. He sat on the far end of the restaurant looking around. There were not many people around at this time of the afternoon. It was already way past lunch time.
He reclined on his seat letting his body relax. He has been driving for more than 5 hours now. It would be still 4 hours before he reach home, more if he ran into traffic. He smiled at his stupidity. He just wanted a little adventure and now he was looking at how early he wanted to end the journey. At the age of 50, you don’t go looking for adventure, you look for peace.
The waiter came and he ordered a light snack and a tea. A hot steaming cup of tea was what he needed to refresh his mind and body. While he waited for his order to arrive, he looked around. The restaurant was a small one and clearly, the owner had designed to give the travelers a relaxed feeling. Close to a small town, it could also serve as a weekend getaway for the town people.
Customer walked in and out of the restaurant and the restaurant did brisk business. As he watched the door, a lady walked in. He casually observed her. She seems of the same age as him. Form the clothes, she seemed of a well-to-do family, infact from a very well-to-do family. He found himself starring at her for a long time. There was something about her face, which seemed familiar to him. Something that brought back memories. She settled in the table opposite him totally engrossed in her thoughts until she noticed him starring at her.
Embarrassed of being caught, he quickly lowered his stare to look elsewhere. He was not a teenager to be ogling at women. Even it was wrong for a teenager to ogle at any girl like that. He avoided her gaze and regretted taking a seat opposite to her.
The woman observed him for sometime and then got up.
“Shit! This is going to be embarrassing” He thought.”All he did was stare and this woman will be creating a scene here”
“Excuse me” The tone was of the requesting kind and not of a demanding
He looked up, smiled, a stupid smile, all he could think of at that moment.
“Yes, I guess I know you!” She smiled “Motilal Engineering college?”
This was certainly not what he had expected. He nodded.
“Come on! Don’t tell me you did not recognize me?” She sat in the chair opposite him “We were in the same class, infact the same friend circle”
He looked blankly at her. He had left college more than 25 years back. People change and more prominently, faces change faster. He did find her face familiar but matching a face with her name was quite a task.
“Oh god! You have forgotten me!” She was surprised “Of all the people who I expected to forget me, I am surprised that ‘You’ have forgotten me”
He looked sheepishly at her. It was embarrassing to forget someone. More embarrassing it was to forget someone, when the other person remembers you perfectly.
“The college, the last year and you and me on the merry-go-round” She looked at him
His face lit up in a smile as memories came back, as years rewinded back precisely to that moment and that girl and that face, that smiling, laughing beautiful face. She was quite younger then and certainly a beauty. Looking at her, she hadn’t changed much but still he forgot.
“Oh Yes! Now you remember” She smiled back, The expression on his face told a lot “My! My! You have grown old now but still handsome”
“Now you are pulling my leg! I was certainly not handsome. But you haven’t changed much. Still a beauty, just like the college days, the college beauty queen”
“Don’t embarrass me now! It was long back. Long long time back” She was smiling, the same radiant smile “So how is life?”
“Not bad! Not bad at all. I am working in a MNC. The pay is good and there are perks. How about you? You married a big business man, right?”
She cringed uncomfortably in her seat but regain her composure the next moment. Being the wife of a businessman has taught her a lot of things, one being answering uncomfortable questions.
“Yes! The big businessman, my husband has now become a bigger businessman and looking at myself, I have become a bigger housewife” She laughed at her own joke. He laughed with her.
He was glad that she let it pass. He had regretted the moment he had asked about her husband, especially when her marriage was related to his past and also her past.
“So do you remember my name?” She asked mischievously
He looked at her, rather blankly.
“God! You really don’t remember my name?” She asked surprised “It is said that a man never forgets his first love and you actually forgot my name”
She was laughing and he was visibly embarrassed.
“What can I say? I am so embarrassed about this but its been more than 25 years. I would hardly remember my friends from college or the name of any professor and you always knew what kind of memory I had. It was pathetic then and its worse now.”
“Oh! Come on! I was just not your friend. I was…..” She stopped short of saying the obvious thing. They both looked at each other and smiled.
“Something were never meant to be” He offered her a lame excuse. “So hows life?”
“Ok I guess! Being the wife of a big businessman does not involve much work, you see! And then the children have grown up now. How yours?”
“Good! Cannot complain much! I would say cannot complain at all” He smiled
“That’s good to hear” She smiled back “Don’t you really remember me?”
There was pleading in her eyes. She wanted him to say yes and then speak her name out. It was like the past was not over for her yet. She looked expectantly in his eyes and all he could manage was a blank stupid smile.
She was dejected. He did not want to disappoint her but it had been a long time. She waited but he just could not remember her name.
“Excuse me! Maam!” Their conversation was interrupted by her driver “The car is ready”
She looked at him still expecting that he will remember. He didn’t.
“Well! I have to leave. Another big factory being inaugurated somewhere”
They shook hands as she started walking toward the exit. As if she remembered something she came back. Took out something from the purse, wrote on it and gave it to him. He looked at the small visiting card describing her husband’s name and his company.
“That’s my mobile number at the back. If you remember my name, call me on that number and ask for me, by my name” She told him hurriedly “Will you do that? Please”
He nodded. He watched as she walked out of the restaurant. He too paid the bill. The tea had become cold.
Her car passed him when he came out. She waved him a good bye, probably the last. He stood there watching the car disappear in the highway traffic. He walked toward the car thinking about her when his mobile rang.
He smiled when he looked at the number.
“Hello”
“Dad! Where are you? Have you forgotten my college show tomorrow?” That was his teenage daughter on the other side.
“I am reaching before tomorrow” He assured her.
“If you don’t, I will tell mom and then…..” She laughed a devilish laugh, the kind they show on television. “Here! Talk to mom”
He laughed at her antics while the phone was passed on to his wife.
“Where are you? I told you, you have to be here before her college function and it seems that…” She shot the first attack.
“So you missed me?” And he ended the fight
“Huh?”
“Because I missed you”
Silence
“Umm Umm” No response but the tone of her voice told him she was smiling at the other end
“Smiling eh? I love that smile of yours. You know that. So did you miss me?” He repeated the question
“Ummm ummm” The smile had gone broader
“What?” He asked her laughing
“You are nuts” She actually blushed at the other end and then handed the phone to her daughter “Your dad has gone nuts”
His daughter took the phone from her hand looking confused at her mother “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing! Just that her smile is very beautiful”
“Oh! You are nuts dad” She laughed at the other end “See you soon”
“See you soon beta and bye for now”
The call ended and with that his train of thoughts ended too. He sat in his car, tossed his phone on the passenger seat. He thought of the last 30 minutes. He thought of the car that went before him. More than 25 years ago, he was in love with the woman in the car. More than 25 years ago, they almost got married before she left him for somebody else. 25 years ago, he married someone he had loved till date. 25 years ago, life had changed.
He took the card from the pocket. The phone number written in her beautiful handwriting. He looked at the phone number and then he looked at the phone on the passenger seat. He knew her name, he had knew it when she sat in front of him. He had knew it even before she sat in front of him. She was right, “People do not forget their first love”
The next moment he tore the visiting card and tossed it outside the car. He started the car. He could still make home in another 4-5 hours.
As for her some memories are best left in the past
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Alternate End
“That’s my mobile number at the back. If you remember my name, call me on that number and ask for me, by my name” She told him hurriedly “Will you do that? Please”
He nodded. He watched as she walked out of the restaurant. He too paid the bill. The tea had become cold.
Her car passed him when he came out. She waved him a good bye, probably the last. He stood there watching the car started toward the road.. He walked toward the car thinking about her. As the car began to pass the gate, he felt a wave of emotion. It was like he did not want to let her go, stop her there. He suddenly started running but the car had taken speed. It crossed the gate and into the busy highway. He was short of breath when he reached the gate. He tried to search her car but she was gone.
He looked at the phone number. He wanted to tell her, he remembered her name, he remembered her when she walked in the restaurant, he remembered her 25 years back, he remembered her in that Merry-go-round. He remembered her when she said “yes” in that merry-go-round. He remembered her when she got married. He remembered her in her bridal dress.
For the last 25 years when he made himself busy at work climbing success, she was the only thing he had remembered from the past. He had not married because of her. He had missed her by his side all this years. He was getting used to see himself alone for the past 25 years and now after 25 years when he was getting used to being alone, she comes back.
He looked at the card and then looked at the phone in his hand. It was his last chance to be with her, just once.
The next moment he tore the visiting card and tossed it outside the car. He started the car. He had enough time for another business conference the next day.
As for her, some memories are best left in the past
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Note: I really do not remember what inspired the story but I have been trying to write the story for a long time. Sometimes the inspiration for a story is lost but the story isn’t. I was not sure if to make the story a happy or a sad one. I decided to go for the happy one. The last moment sad mood ruined everything. But then, going with both endings. You pick what you desire.
I can guess what inspired the story Punds:-)
Good story…
Btw, Thought you would get hitched by the time you got back:-)
Your ‘travelogues’ were very nice too…
We were in Delhi on our way back home and visited Agra on the 30th…Gee, could have bumped into you if it was a day earlier:-)
Keep writing.
M
The story is really nice..I liked the first ending more.
hi …
ur stories are definitely very nice and i hv read most of them ….
hmmm… i liked the first part …..
continue the gud work
I pick up the first one too.
Good one.
Prefered the first ending – for the reason that he is looking forward to reach his daughter’s college show.
In both cases, the part where “he tore the visiting card and tossed it outside the car” … that was a nice touch.
I guess, at some point in life, all of us should tear all the “visiting cards from the past” and toss them out 🙂
I would pick the first ending. But somehow men to me can’t be sensible enough to tear that visiting card even if they have everything.
Had me gripped. Definately the first ending. Loved to have been a fly on the wall in that restaurant.
Punds both the stories are really good. Its true we must tear off old visiting cards … great story.