Book Review- The Great Short Stories- Guy de Maupassant

Author: Guy de Maupassant

ISBN-13: 978-81-7992-834-9

Binding: Paperback

Publisher: Jaico Publishing House

Number of pages: 264

Genre: Fiction

Language: English

Price: Rs.195 (Got a review copy from publishers)

About the book

The collection The Great Short Stories Guy de Maupassant reflects his remarkable diversity, with stories that vary in theme and tone, and range from tragedy and satire to comedy and farce. With a simplicity of style that masks complex philosophy, Maupassant can illuminate an entire code of values by means of a few telling details. He exposes the brutality of war and the hypocrisy it spawns, and depicts the petty limitations, the dissimulations and the vanities inherent at different levels of society. His stories are linked by a trenchant irony and by a preoccupation with the frailty of human nature and the futility of so many lives.

About the Author

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 in a Norman chateau of Miromesnil, northern France. Under Flaubert’s tutelage, the young Maupassant underwent a strict course of training in the craft of literature, at the same time as he was earning his living in the civil service. He was considered insane in 1891 and died two years later, a month short of his 43^rd birthday, on July 6, 1893.

Guy de Maupassant penned his own epitaph: “I have coveted everything and taken pleasure in nothing.” He is buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris.

Shimanti says

The best remedy to dispel boredom and depression that, more often than not, creep into our befuddled existence is a refreshing short story. The collection of “The Great Short Stories” by Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant  by Jaico Publishing House is a truly delectable possession. Besides containing  some of the choicest stories, the book also includes Maupassant’s  first ever published story Boule de Suif  , which is often considered to be his masterpiece. However, I did come across some typographical errors without which the read would have been an exceedingly pleasant one.

The style of Maupassant is an intricate amalgamation of elegance and naivety. He faithfully brings alive the cultures and predominant colours of his settings. Considered to be the father of modern short story, Maupassant’s compositions form an assorted lot. The anthology commences with the brilliant story of Mademoiselle Pearl where the true identity of the protagonist is revealed through the narration of another principal character whereby the readers are transported to a Romantic world of mystery and passion.

While the stories like Madame Husson’s ‘Rosier’ , The Piece of String and Two Little Soldiers  exhibit tales of unspoken emotions, stifled by the fetters of civilised society, the ones like The Olive Orchard plunge the reader into doleful retrospection and strike a dominant chord. Despite using lucid language, Maupassant manages to charm his readers with his dexterous handling of characters and situations. We, as readers, are never disappointed by the denouement of his stories which are crafted with impeccable sincerity and justness.

Reviewed by Shimanti Mitra for Dreams and Drama :)

Love Until the Sun Grows Cold- Part II

Hello, beautiful world! The coming of a new year calls for a celebration- and one of the best ways to celebrate is the exchange of gifts. Well, what could be a better present than a story? So here is my gift to you: the final part of 'Love Until the Sun Grows Cold'. {To read the previous part, click here.} I am hoping you all will enjoy reading this, and will gift me with your feedback! :P Wishing each one of you a wonderful new year! Happy reading!

  Guilt seared his heart but he knew he wasn’t the only one responsible for what happened. It was so difficult to explain something like this, especially after so much time had passed. Would Tara understand his reasons? Were they even justified? There was only so much he could have done, and he had suffered every day for God knew how long because of the decisions he had made- the decisions that were perhaps preordained; something that Tara could not understand, and Seher would not recognize.

"You never gave me a chance to speak to you about it,” he said. “When Seher moved abroad, you refused to talk to me for months. I got an email from you, telling me exactly how ‘despicable’ you think I am. I knew that nothing I said at the moment would matter anymore.”

   What he didn’t mention was that he had thought of a hundred different things to say to her then, to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. But he knew what would bother her most- silence on his part. He never replied. After Seher left, Tara seemed to have become a different person. She looked like she carried some secret with her; something that she would guard jealously, like treasure, but which seemed to give her some sort of masochistic pleasure.

He knew she was furious with him, and anticipated a terrible fight with a lot of name calling, and throwing things on her part. Instead, she had been so cold towards him all this while; that was a side of her he hadn’t known. Ignoring the way his gut clenched at the thought, he continued. “I am not denying that I was at fault. I just don't want you to think that I did not love her, because I did." 

  “All you had to do was give her a reason to come back. The Uday I thought I knew would never have let something go by him without doing whatever he could to make things right!”

“And I had never guessed that you, of all people, would leave me to my ‘misery’ without even hearing me out first!” He snapped back.  Several people turned to look at them.

  “You didn’t reply to my mail. It made me think I was right about everything I accused you of,” she hissed.

He frowned at her, weighing his next words carefully. “She is the most beautiful person I have ever known and she loved me even more than I could have hoped for. She had been there for me all those years, giving me the strength to go on, to have something to strive for. I still can’t fill the void she has left behind. And yet you thought I was trying to get out of the relationship because I was just not into her anymore?”

   “I never said it like that-”

“- but that’s what you thought, isn’t it?” He said, with a shrewd look. Tara’s eyes were glistening; she blinked rapidly and looked away. His gaze softened and he said gently, “I know that she was one of your best friends and you loved her; it’s bad enough to see good friends fight and it must have been even harder watching the two of us fall apart.”

  “It was.”

“But I had certainly not expected you to let our own friendship suffer, especially not after you saw what Seher’s absence did to both of us. I needed you to be there for me. But all I was left with was my own guilt and the pain of losing two of the most extraordinary people in my life. I loved her, Tara. I think I still do.”

  “But you gave up on her.” She said softly.

“And I still stay up at night sometimes, wondering if I made the correct decision. You have no idea how often I mistrust my choices; there’s always this fear inside me that I made a huge mistake.” He swallowed. “At the time, I did what I thought what was best for us- best for her. But every other day, I look back at the past and wish I could have taken the easy way out, by holding on to her for as long as possible until we had no other option but to stay apart. Your resentment added to my own disappointment. I didn’t need that- I blamed myself enough for both of us, I think.”

  Tara’s stomach turned over with guilt. She couldn’t even look him in the eye. “I was too heartbroken to see it that way. I am sorry, Uday.” She looked miserable. “I shouldn’t have made things worse for you. Seher has been like an elder sister to me all these years, and all the suffering that came with your break up with her was too difficult for me to deal with...She wouldn’t talk to me because I reminded her of you. You have no clue how hard that was for me to hear. And every time I would see you across the street, I would just be reminded that you were the reason she chose to leave- not just the country, but me too.”

“I’m sorry, Tara. I really wish it didn’t have to be that way.” Uday looked at her sadly.

  It was a while before she spoke again. “She was the first friend I made in the neighbourhood. When I was just about ten years old, she moved to the other end of the city, and your family came to live in her house instead. I was so unsure about having you as my next door neighbour. You were the evil guy with the dorky glasses who took over my friend’s place. I was so young that I thought she had to leave so that you could stay.”

Uday smiled at that. “I guess that’s a good thing then, because if you hadn’t felt that way, Seher wouldn’t have tried so hard to get us all to become friends.”

  “It sounds so incredibly stupid, but my little girl grudges against you came rushing back after she left. You really did seem to be the one to make her go away. It was immature and juvenile, but it soothed my ego because there were times when I used to think that I hadn’t tried hard enough to make things better either. I could’ve tried to help her understand that she couldn’t just leave everything to you; that she had to take things into her own hands because that was the only way out. But it was just so much easier putting the blame on you. I am so sorry.” It was incredible, how all of their lives were altered from that moment on, because of one person’s decision and another’s indecision.

“Well, I can’t really blame you. I know I had some part to play in hurting you too.” He said.

  “She just wanted you to approach her parents and get engaged. They would only have allowed her to live in the city and work if they knew she had someone to take care of her.” said Tara. “They were anyway in such a hurry to get her married. You knew there was no way she could convince them to let her wait a few more years once they all left for Oman.”

Uday leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. “You need to understand that I did every possible thing I could to make sure Seher and I would end up together some day. I put my dreams aside so that I could make the ‘sensible choice’. I worked day and night to make myself capable enough.”

  He looked up at her just then, willing her to understand. “But don’t you see that her parents would inevitably have thought that I had not yet proved myself worthy of her? No matter how much they appreciate me as a person, they would never have agreed to let their only daughter marry a guy who did not yet have a stable, well paid job.”

“I know you asked her to stay. She told me so, on the day she left.” said Tara. “She was too scared to live away from family just for the sake of a guy who couldn’t promise that he would marry her.”

  “But she wasn’t willing to stay for your sake, either.” He said quietly.

His words pierced her heart but she didn’t let it show. “She would have, if you two had gotten engaged. Because then her parents might have felt better about leaving her behind-”

  “-Or not.” He finished for her.

Well, he was right about that. There was always a chance that things might not have turned out how Seher had hoped. “She was sure she wouldn’t be allowed to remain there. I wish she had the courage to choose the difficult, but better option- convincing her parents to let her stay, at least so that she could build her own career. She would not have had much to lose.”

  “And she could have bought us more time.” He sighed. “Seher said she couldn’t do it, so I must propose marriage and make sure that wherever she ends up staying, our relationship would stay alive. But I know her parents would have felt cheated because of being kept in the dark about our relationship all these years. You were the only one who knew but they wouldn’t have spared you either. You know they’d have been furious and she would anyway have been forced to leave.”

“Except that it would have felt a hundred times worse.” She finally understood.

  “This was my way of giving her a chance to make a fresh start. I owed her that much.” He couldn’t go on. Seher might have hurt him at times, over the years, and she might not have gone that extra mile for him when he needed her to, but Uday knew he could not hold her responsible. She deserved better than that.

“I thought you should know…that she did start over.” She said, in barely more than a whisper. His head jerked up at that. “She got married a year ago. She’s fine.” Tara had been staring at him, which was why she did not question the truth of the words he spoke.

“I’m… glad.”

   The change in him was hard to miss. He sighed deeply like he had been waiting with bated breath all this while. And somehow she knew what he had been waiting for- something which mattered to him above all else: finding Seher happy. It was then that she realized just how much he had loved her. He had already been living with the memory of her all this time. He had grown used to not to have her around in person, that was true. But she was always at the back of his mind like a song that keeps playing in our heads from time to time; one that we might not listen to anymore, but we never really get over it because it is special, because it made a difference.

  Each person holds a special place in our hearts. The imprints they leave in our lives remain etched into our memory, and while we learn to love again, the love we share with someone is always unique and can never be the same for another. She would never be his to claim, but he also knew that no one else could claim the part of her that belonged to him. He had already found love, but that day he found something more, something that he hadn’t known was buried deep within him. That which helps lessen the pain that inexorably comes with the course of true love: forgiveness, meant for her and also for himself. He could now live without the guilt, the pain, the sense of loss.

  When they said their goodbyes a quarter of an hour later, Tara watched Uday walk away, beaming at her, the bright sunshine illuminating the happiness on his face. She smiled back at him, thinking that perhaps she was right in not telling him that the friend she was visiting that day was Seher...But was she right, she asked herself? 

                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                     *************The End************* 

PS: The pictures have been taken from Google. :)

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Good morning beautiful world! Winter in Delhi has been kind, and it's somehow possible for us to wake up early. There's something I've been thinking a lot about lately. A number of my friends live by themselves here, away from family. For some, it means more freedom and adventure, while for others it  means having to find their own way around. This story I wrote is dedicated to those who might make the most of their life, no matter where they may live- but at the end of the day, always miss home. After all, 

*Home is where the heart is.*   

A gust of wind blew across her face as Tanya hurried down the deserted street, her head down, a bag of groceries in her arms. The sky had darkened and it had started to drizzle. She managed to get home before she got soaked to the skin. She pushed open the back door, stepped inside the house and sighed deeply. Although she’d been anxious to return home, now that she was there, she felt lonelier than ever. Tanya looked miserably at the kitchen table, where lay one coffee mug, which seemed to remind her that it had been a long time since she’d had company. She shut the door and was about to put the groceries away when she realized that she’d stepped on something.

A scarlet envelope lay on the floor, addressed to her in familiar script. Her heart suddenly racing, she stared at it for several moments before picking it up, blinking away her tears. She didn’t rip it open. Instead, she walked into her bedroom, put the letter on her desk and went back into the kitchen. It was raining heavily by the time she sat across the window, her hands cupped around a mug of coffee for warmth. Eventually, Tanya opened the envelope and pulled out a pink sheet of paper with words written in shiny purple ink.

Dear Mum,

I know you must be very surprised on receiving this letter- but probably not as surprised as I was when I found myself writing it. We both know that I’m more of a cell phone person. But I recently realized that talking on the phone can sometimes be very unsatisfactory when you have so much to say, and it’s hard to put your thoughts into words. I’m sure you’re thinking of the exasperated look that I used to get on my face whenever I’d see you writing letters to Dad and waiting for him to post a letter in reply, all the way from New York. I do hope that you’ll be just as happy on receiving my letter. I think I’ve finally started appreciating the joy that letter writing gives you.

I’ve been missing you and Dad a lot, of late. But I guess I’d kind of gotten used to Dad’s absence, what with him being abroad most of the time. I love you both with all my heart, but going away to college in a different city has been hard on me, and the one I miss more than anyone else is you. Sure, I miss my friends and teachers, the neighbors and our relatives- but they’re not the ones I think about when I return to my apartment every evening after a tiring day at college. I miss home, Mum. I miss the way you took care of me. You raised me to be independent and responsible, and I am able to survive by myself in this unfamiliar place. The people here are nice, even if some are not. And I’ve found friends who mean a lot to me. But I miss the best friend I have- you.

I wish you’d be here to wake me up gently on cold winter mornings, to walk with me in the park as I’d tell you how my day went, to cook meals for me, and to see me turning into a mature adult- just the way you’d told me to be. I miss the times we spent together, but I know that- no matter how far you may live- you’re always going to love and protect me. I love you, Mum. Thanks for everything you do for me. For reminding me that there’s someone who will always accept me the way I am. For making me strong. And most importantly, for giving me numerous reasons to smile.

Yours,

Sneha

Without much ado, Tanya pulled out a sheet of paper from her drawer and began writing, as she continued to smile through her tears.

*Where your treasure lies, there lies your heart also.*

The Morning After

THE MORNING AFTER

The sun rays came slanting though the partings of the closed curtains and fell directly on the round face. Two tiny eyes were forced open and blinked thrice. Sneha sat up on her bed, her hair tousled, making her look all the more childlike.  The bed sheet on the opposite side of the bed was half on the floor, all crumpled. Her eyes ran across the room searching for Raj. She could smell the faint scent of his Hugo Boss perfume in the air reminding her of the previous night which she spent in his arms. He still wears it, she smiled to herself. She rubbed her arms and crouched on the bed as she mused about the things that happened.

Raj has come back, finally. I knew he would. His guilt is
too strong for him. I will forgive him, like everytime. He thinks

I don't know the real reason behind those nights he stays

away giving the excuse of late night office meetings.

Ah ...those red roses he brings for me every morning

he comes back from Richa's. He knows red roses are

my favourite. Making love to me every Saturday and

making me breakfast every morning is his 

way of compensating for what he did. His scrambled eggs

are the best in the world, if only they changed everything he did.

He is probably doing the same again now, fixing me

breakfast and a cup of tea, with extra cream and less sugar,

exactly the way I love it. He knows every detail about me.
Does he knows everything about Richa as well?
Raj is good at picking up details and remembering them.
Too bad, it increases his guilt all the more.

Sneha ran down the stairs to the dining room. Her eyes fell on the bunch of red roses on the tea table as a look of puzzlement crossed her face. Why are the flowers here today?, she wondered. Raj wasn't in the kitchen. She ran across to the patio looking for him. 

"Goodbye my lover.

Goodbye my friend.

You have been the one.

You have been the one for me."

James Blunt's voice blasted at full volume. "I've to change that ringtone, how I hate it!! It has always been Raj's favourite. He must have changed it after I slept off last night" , she talked to herself as she came to get the phone.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Rajesh Malhotra's residence? " the voice came from the other side.

"Yes, I am his wife, Sneha"

"We are very sorry to inform you that we found your husband's body in his car. We also found another lady's body in the car along with your husband's, but we couldn't identify it. The accident took place yesterday evening and both died on the spot. We need you or somebody from the family to come down to Colaba police station to identify them."

"How is it even..."

The words froze in her mouth as Sneha looked across to the tea table which was empty except for a few drops of water in the place where she saw the red roses a few minutes back.

Source

The phone slipped from her grip and fell on the floor with a thud.

~The End~

This was my first attempt at a short story. Do let me know your thoughts :)

Guest 13 - Arpita is here!

Hello Friends,

Today's guest is a very special friend of mine, Arpita. She reviews books at A Lot of Pages. She is a fellow batch mate, same stream but different Universities. She is in Delhi and am in Kolkata. She is a brilliant student (an invaluable help during my pre-exam jitters :P) who writes amazing poems and short stories. We became friends through our common friend Koustabh and then came ALOP and our friendship grew stronger. She is the best e-buddy turned real life buddy I have made so far. She is always the first one to read anything I write, gives all the invaluable inputs,feedback and corrections. Thanks Arpi for always being the one to give me the push forward and telling me "You Can Do It".
Arpita is here to share a short story with us-

THE PARTING OF THE WAYS

Some things in life leave behind scars that never fade. Some people leave their mark, and change your life for ever. As each day goes by, some memories creep back into your thoughts; memories you’d rather push to the back of your mind. Because, they are nothing more than a reminder of what you’ve loved and lost…

                                                                  

                                *******************************************

It was just as I turned the corner that I saw him; it was the first time in years. Rohan looked just the same; tall and handsome, smiling flirtatiously as he stood in front of the cafeteria surrounded by a group of giggling girls. My first instinct was to run; my stomach churned and I quickly looked away, praying that he hadn’t seen me. I couldn’t bear to face him- I didn’t know how I would react, whether I would ‘act right’ or give myself away.

A million thoughts ran through my mind, as did a hundred different emotions: embarrassment, jealousy, nervousness, fear, anger, contempt, hatred… and love. Blushing furiously, I turned away. It was a bad idea. Akshat and Aastha were headed my way. I tried smiling back but it probably looked like a grimace to them; Aastha raised an eyebrow questioningly and Akshat hurried forward looking concerned. At that moment, I really felt like hitting him. I’d had enough of his protectiveness, his determination to please me no matter what, to go out of his way to cooperate with me, even if it meant getting his feelings hurt.

Usually, I’d find it all flattering- any girl would. But the very fact that it wasn’t him that I wanted all this attention from ruined any chances of falling in love with him. I wanted to scream at him, and make him understand that his ‘eternal devotion’, as Aastha liked to call it, filled my heart with guilt and pity- which are not exactly the kind of emotions I’d like to associate with the one I love.

But a different voice in her head contradicted her thoughts- it reminded her that she did enjoy all the attention. Just that she didn’t want to commit to anything, that what she really wanted was to get something without having to give anything in return. She loved the compliments. In her own vicious way, she got a savage pleasure out of hearing him tell her how much he loves her, how he suffers when she doesn’t reciprocate his love, how he cannot bear to lose her. She didn’t realize it, but she was punishing him for no fault of his. She didn’t tell him to back away, to move on. She let him hang on to the hope that she might change her mind some day. She was scared of how much he would hate her if she turned him down- and told him the real reason for not accepting him. But more than that, she feared losing an ardent admirer- someone who would dance to her tunes.

In her own vicious way, she was doing to him what the boy behind her did to her.

                                    *********************************

She looked like a frightened rabbit when she saw me watching her; it made me smile ironically. This was so different from what I was used to; I remembered how determined Sukriti had always been not to react the way I’d expect her to. No blushing, no giggling; she’d always roll her eyes when I’d shower her with compliments and confess my undying love for her.

While I adored her for how unique she was, the contempt for me that was reflected in her words never went unnoticed. She made it sound like she was teasing me, ‘acting’ high and mighty because she seemed to think that a girl has the right to have the upper hand in a relationship. But I knew how deep rooted her sense of superiority was. She was always so sure that she was too good for me.

Yeah, right. I saw how shattered she was when I told her about the relationship I was in. Despite knowing me so well, she seemed shocked to know that I’d cheated on her. She tried to win me back; that was amusing. I let her- and got back a whole new Sukriti; sweet, docile, cooperative. And delicious.

  

Rohan did not regret anything he did. He was one to live for the moment. He knew that. He also knew that he never wanted to grow emotionally attached to anyone. He breaks away from people before they can get too close to him; before they can break away from the person he really is.

                               **************************************

I couldn’t understand what was wrong with her. I knew it must have been awkward for her to encounter the guy she had been in a relationship with for so long. It just didn’t make sense that she seemed so nonchalant about it, even when he wrapped her in his arms right in front of us. It made my blood boil; God knew how much I hated that cocky smile. It took all the restraint I had to keep myself from breaking Rohan’s face. He thought he could get any girl he wants- he was so wrong. Sukriti didn’t love him anymore; he’d hurt her too much. I knew, because I was there to help her move on.

But right then and there, as she returned his hug like she did it everyday, I saw her eyes shine in adoration when she looked at him. And there was something more. While he held on to Sukriti and pulled her closer, I could clearly make out a change I’d never seen in her. Never had I watched her look at someone with such obvious desire. It made my heart squeeze. This could not have been happening. After everything I’d said to her, after all the times I had told her how mad I am about her such that I can hardly keep myself in control when she’s around, she hadn’t once looked at me the way she looked at this guy… who broke her heart and returned years later to claim her, without even saying a single word, like she always had belonged to him. And always will.

Akshat walked away before he could see anything else that would make him hate himself for loving her. He didn’t understand what just happened, or why. He didn’t understand why she was doing this. But more than anything else, he didn’t understand how she could choose him… knowing fully well that she was willingly walking into a death trap.

                               *********************************

This is our second last post for the guest bloggers' month (yes this has stretched for more than a month :D). Thanks Arpi for sharing the story with us.

Love 

Swarnali

p.s.- Pics from google

Lovers' Cove challenge #2

Hello world!!

This is the second challenge at Lovers' Cove that am participating. You can check the first challenge entry here.

Several bloggers are coming together with a story (initiated by Andy sir), different parts contributed by different bloggers. Every new participant has to make up their lines as a continuation of the linked blogger before their entry. The title is undecided and will be named after all the entries are put together. Please head over to Andy's blog for more details on the challenge. I have continued after Janu's lines. 

My lines (25 words) -

“Let’s just take this slow, shall we?” He said. A mile long smile spread across her face. A soft “thanks” was all she could say.

Like the concept? Want to join in?  What are you waiting for? Hop in. :)

Love 

Swarnali

Guest 7 - It is Rahul

Hell-oh bloggy dosts!!

How have you all been? Hoping you are in the pinks of your health :D

Coming to our guest for today, we have the Repartee King with us today.
Any guesses?
Yes of course who else can it be!! Its Rahul from Crash and Burn..... Describing him is a daunting task, am a little scared I might miss out on something in the course of it. An engineer by profession, Rahul has a natural flair for writing. The undisputed claimant to the throne of sarcasm, wit and pun, he has spun some awefabtastic (in his own terms) tales that you sure wouldn't want to miss. If I ask u to pick up a single favourite from his creations, I bet you can't. Excellent dialogues, "aww"-worthy plot lines, super long tales with surprise twists, yes thats Rahul!!
Ok enough of my blabber...lets go over to the fantabulous (now thats my word for his work) guest post he has sent me to share with you guys. Lets hear it directly from the horse's mouth-


TERI MERI KAHAANI

Apparently,no one told Rajiv that out of the 33 million ways a guy can get screwed,falling in love always bags the gold medal in that list.You see,no one could have told him.Since just like him,everybody else grew up being fed on the same fantasy of every Prince finding his Princess Charming somewhere in a land not so far,far away.So through 26 years of his life,Rajiv patiently waited.The door would open one day.His angel would come in.In a pure,white sleeveless resplendent gown,with happy kids running behind her.Her silhouette framed against a blinding,white light.The kids would merrily run past her into the room,while she would remain standing in the doorway.The moment freezes,the whole world freezes,an Indie music starts playing on cue.He and she would spend what would seem like an eternity just staring at each other.And finally,after the wait, which had taken every ounce of faith our hero had, to endure,they would be in each other's arms.Finally.



That was the dream.



But well,reality always has some other,usually devious scheme cooking up its sleeves.And in Rajiv's case,the scheme started cooking in providence's kitchen six years ago.



2006
FB youngsters probably wouldn't know that there existed another site in the cave-dwelling age of social networking called Orkut.It was a rage then.It was what America was to Columbus,Theory of Relativity was to Einstein,and 'Eureka' was to Archimedes.Youngsters in India opened up their arms to this discovery which enabled them to reconnect with forgotten buddies and forge connections with new ones.Online friendships suddenly became a reality and newspapers started frowning over how these were hampering "real" relationships.But soon,some loser started stalking some girl,another posted morphed pictures of someone else,and soon online friendships got fried,ended and shipped off to Also-Ran-ville.



In these tumultuous times,Rajiv and Rashmi met.Through (surprise,surprise) Orkut.Scraps got exchanged for hours,parents raised suspicious eyebrows,friends started pulling legs,even the girl's kid brother joined in the fun,taking pot-shots at his sister.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Orkut scrap December 2007
Rashmi: My bro is a nuisance!!! :-( He starts acting up whenever he sees me chatting with you...

Rajiv: He knows we are up to something,eh? :-P

Rashmi: We are up to something? :-O

Rajiv: What? I was planning to elope with you tonight!!!

Rashmi: LOL. And afterwards..when my parents file a missing diary and the cops catch us..I will tell them you kidnapped me. Chalega? ;-)

Rajiv: Duh! :-( I was hoping,we would be on the run. Sleeping in deserted buildings. On cold floors. Eating while sitting on the pavements. You feeling weak and numb. I carrying you in my arms like a doting lover.All that adventure.And I would just pat you to sleep with a kiss on your forehead. Kiss-napping. ;-) If you like..

Rashmi: Why would you go to so much trouble? :-D You have a crush on me or something? ;-)

Rajiv: Anything I can I do to wash away any doubts regarding that? :-P

Rashmi: Just one simple thing. Go have a crush on someone else..:-D

Rajiv: And in this way folks,Rashmi deals Rajiv's cherished hopes a 'crushing' defeat.*Ouch*

Rashmi: Hahahaha! Go hang yourself!!

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

July 2008 Rashmi and Rajiv on phone
Rajiv: Life's funny,huh? 15 months ago,did you dream that we might be dating one day?

Rashmi : Life is like a dream, Rajiv.

Rajiv : Do you think we may be in love?

Rashmi : I dunno. Certainly seems a lot likely these days.

Rajiv : Must you go abroad? I mean,can't you do post graduation in India itself?

Rashmi: Rajiv,3 universities have accepted my application. Dad is gonna kill me if I back out now.

Rajiv: Ok.But I thought maybe you should know.

Rashmi: What?

Rajiv: Never mind.

Rashmi: What is it,tell me...

Rajiv: Drop it.

Rashmi: Umm..ok..if you say so. Say,want to watch Dark Knight tomorrow?

Rajiv: Yep.Sure ,why not? Might just be our last outing any way.

Rashmi : Last? I ain't flying before August.

Rajiv : Yep. But I have to go. Infosys called. Have to be in Mysore by the end of July.

Rashmi: I..I don't..

Rajiv: Hmm?

Rashmi: Never mind. Best of luck. Study hard during the training. I heard Infosys has a grueling training session.

Rajiv : Yeah,I guess. Anyway..See you at the movies, tomorrow.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

December 2009 Gtalk
Rajiv : So this guy has you floored,huh? :-D Awesome. Told your folks yet.

Rashmi: Umm..yes..But mom and dad don't approve.

Rajiv: Why? :-O

Rashmi: Well,firstly Aman is a Punjabi. Culture differences. Plus he is six two. I am five three. Mom fears I will get a neck sprain looking up to him all the time.

Rajiv: LOL. Or Aman might get spondylitis bowing down to you all the time. :-P Either way...Houston,we have a problem! ;-)

Rashmi: Houston? What's that?

Rajiv: Ohh, it is an expression. Like when Apollo 13 was having it's fuel tanks busted in outer space, the astronaut on board used this line 'Houston,we have a problem.' This line is now jokingly used to refer to any difficulty.

Rashmi: Hahahaha! Yeah. I guess my love story is kinda like the Apollo 13 shuttle.Doomed to get lost in outer space.

Rajiv: :-D

Rashmi: :-D So you say,found anybody yet?

Rajiv: Yeah and no.

Rashmi: Yeah and no?

 Rajiv : There is this gal, Amrita who I think kinda sorta likes me, but..she is committed.

Rashmi: Shucks. :-(

Rajiv: I know,right? :-D So anyway, how is the weather in Worcester?

Rashmi: It's snowing. I made a snowman today. Named it Dork. :-)

Rajiv: :-D Why? Coz it reminded you of me?

Rashmi: Maybe. :-) How is Pune,btw? Lots of chicks?

Rajiv: More like married hens. ;-) All the time accompanied by their roosters.

Rashmi: LOL.:-D And you didn't find a hen to tie the knot with yet?

Rajiv: If I did, that would have been on my FB wall by now. ;-)

Rashmi: Right,right! You can't keep any secrets from FB..can you now?

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~


October 2010 Facebook
Rajiv: What's with all the sad sucky updates lately? Everything ok,na?


Rajiv: Hellooooooooo!!!!??????

Rashmi: Aman and I broke up.

Rajiv: What? :-O

Rashmi: Last month.

Rajiv: What?Why didn't you tell me anything?

Rashmi: You hardly come on FB or Gtalk these days. And anyway,what's the use?

Rajiv: You talked about this to any body?

Rashmi: Who's there? :-( I am the only Indian in this blasted place. And all my friends from school and college are happily busy with their own lives. Shucks! I should never have come to this country... :-( :-(

Rajiv: You want to talk about what happened? Might make you feel better.

Rashmi: Forget it. I will get out of it. Just need some time,that's all.You tell .How's work? Your project still making you stay late in office?

Rajiv: Hang my work! Rashmi, please don't let this eat you up inside. Tell me. Tell somebody. Don't let it burn inside you,dammit!!

Rashmi: Aman was cheating on me.

Rajiv: Shit!!

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

November 2010 Gtalk
Rajiv: And so this bowler gal comes up to the umpire and says with a puppy face 'You can't call of my over now.I have only one ball left!' And the umpire looks down at her flat chest and says ,'Yep.And I declare it a no-ball' :-P

Rashmi: Isssshh!!!!!!That's just plain gross!!!!!!!

Rajiv: You mean even by my standards??? :-P :-D

Rashmi: :-P Yep. Even by those.

Rajiv: :-D

Rashmi: Btw,thanks Rajiv. I really mean it. :-)

Rajiv: Thanks? :-D For that stupid joke?

Rashmi: Nopes.For everything you did to sort out my shit. :-)

Rajiv: Hey c'mon! It was nothing. ;-)

Rashmi: Ok. If listening to me rant over Skype till 3 a.m. in the morning was nothing ,then ok. :-) Thanks for doing nothing, Rajiv.

Rajiv: I would have stayed awake the whole night, if you had wanted me to. ;-)

Rashmi: You already did so much over the last month. I mean, I would never have been able to do so much.Returning from office at 12 a.m and then listen to a mad gal rant her ass off till 3 a.m. Almost every day.

Rajiv: So much of praise.*blush blush* :-P

Rashmi: :-D

Rajiv: You really liked that guy,Aman,huh?

Rashmi: I cried myself to sleep for one week after the break-up,Rajiv. :-( So yeah,I did fall for him hard.

Rajiv: Ever considered falling for me, in stead?? :-P Then cheat on me with someone else? Scores equalize. Rashmi V/S Boys. Life is beautiful and fair again. :-D

Rashmi: You!!!!! :-D

Rajiv: Totally me. ;-)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

March 2011 FB 
Rashmi: You have to pull your dumb self out of this, Dumbledore!!

Rajiv: :-( I dunno. It's just..I'm trying to find someone. It's been so long.And still no sign of her.I feel so stupid these days. That I once thought that there may be someone out there just meant to be with me.

Rashmi: Rajiv,there are other stuff besides love.

Rajiv: Yeah. Those are not looking good either. You know as the Friends song goes...my life is stuck in second gear. Stuck. Totally stuck.

Rashmi: You don't like your office?

Rajiv: I don't like Pune anymore.

Rashmi: Why?

Rajiv: Something happened.

Rashmi: A girl?

Rajiv: Maybe.

Rashmi: Knew it!

Rajiv: Yeah.So give yourself a pat on the back!

Rashmi: Spare me the sarcasm. :-) Have you given a thought to switching jobs?

Rajiv: I have.It's just..I don't feel the drive to do anything about it.

Rashmi: You should.

Rajiv: Make me.

Rashmi: How? :-O

Rajiv: I dunno. Figure out something.

Rashmi: Hmm.. How about I send you something? A gift. Will you promise me you'll get your lazy ass to search for another job? :-P

Rajiv: Sounds interesting. ;-)

Rashmi: Deal,then?

Rajiv: Ha ha! I know you ain't gonna send anything. You are sitting in US for Chrissakes.

Rashmi: ;-) Don't bet on it.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

May 2011 Gtalk chat
Rashmi: But I sent that parcel two months ago!! :-( It can't take that long,right?

Rajiv: :-( Well,I guess the parcel should have reached me by now.

Rashmi: I triple checked your address. :-( I even called you before dispatching it.Shit!

Rajiv: What did the parcel contain any way? I know you wanted it to be a surprise,but since I may not receive it anyway...

Rashmi: It was a tie clip with a beautiful ornate design. It even had an elegant R inscribed on it. It wasn't much. But I felt it would look good when you wear a tie to office.:-(

Rajiv: ;-) Yep. That cute chic in my office was eyeing it today. It sure gets attention.

Rashmi: What? You got that parcel? :-D

Rajiv: You bet! Arrived last week itself. But then I thought,let's mess with you a little bit.See how you react. :-P

Rashmi: :-) You!!!!! You almost made me very very sad. Did you know that?

Rajiv: Hah aha! :-) Well, I tend to do that to people. Btw, thanks a lot. The clip really looks good on one blue tie I have. The contrast is pretty eye-catching. You really didn't need to send me any gift though.

Rashmi: Yes,I did.:-) Now get your lazy bum to get you a new job,Dumbledore!!!!

Rajiv: :-D Aye aye, captain.I will tell my future self to parcel me a new job right away!!!

Rashmi: :-D Bye,Rajiv. I need to turn in a paper tomorrow. So goodnight,ok?

Rajiv: :-) Sure.Bye.


Rajiv closed the lid of his laptop and leaned back in his chair,eyes focused on the ceiling of his room. He wondered how the tie clip would look against a blue tie.Since neither did he have a blue tie,nor did he receive any parcel. But he was grateful to her. She finally gave him what he needed to kick himself out of the rut he was in and start looking for a new job.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

June 2011 Gtalk Voice Chat
Rashmi : You get a job in Kolkata and I get to see it from FB? Screw you!!

Rajiv : He he.Sorry.I just was caught up in a lot of things lately.So couldn't chat with you in the meantime.

Rashmi : I am so glad you finally got a job in our city. How long have you been away? 3 years,right?

Rajiv: Yeah. I wish you were in Kolkata too.

Rashmi : No chance there,I am afraid. This PhD is gonna take my entire life to complete,it seems.

Rajiv: Rashmi,have you ever wondered what it would be like...if you never went away and I didn't go to Infosys?

Rashmi: Plenty of times.

Rajiv: And?

Rashmi: And nothing,Rajiv. No point brooding over what might have been. We are here.We are now.And life will take us somewhere.

Rajiv: Right,right.But still,I can't help thinking sometimes.

Rashmi : And what do you think, Mr.Basu? Having me as Mrs.Basu?

Rajiv : Why not? We would have two little kids.The girl would have your eyes and nose. The boy would have my chin and forehead.

Rashmi : Can we keep a dog too?

Rajiv: Sure. I was just about to say that. An Alsatian? We will name her Sheila.

Rashmi : I was thinking a Cocker Spaniel. And it would be a 'he'. I don't want the neighborhood mongrels hitting on our dog.

Rajiv: Ohh c'mon. Those roadatians wouldn't stand a chance anyway.Sheila would have 'class'.

Rashmi : Umm..let's change the topic. You make the prospects too tempting.

Rajiv: Ohh...ok..By the way, did anyone tell you you look way better on the webcam than in person?

Rashmi: Almost everybody,Dumbledore!! My mom sometimes says I should stay here in US forever. I look way better in Skype. Can you believe that?

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

September 2011 Gtalk chat
Rajiv: So this guy is doing PhD there too,huh?

Rashmi: Yep.And I think we kinda like each other.He is very easy to talk to. We share a lot of stuff.

Rajiv: Gr8. :-) So how long has it been?

Rashmi: About four months or so.Hey,did you know,Aman called yesterday?

Rajiv: What? What for?

Rashmi: Umm..I dunno..I think he wants a second chance.

Rajiv: What have you thought?

Rashmi: I am gonna say No.We were together for almost 2 years and he just went ahead and two-timed me.I don't think I can ever take him back.

Rajiv: But you still have feelings for him,right?

Rashmi: :-) I dunno what I have for anyone,right now.

Rajiv: Including me? ;-)

Rashmi: :-) Maybe you are an exception, Dumbledore! A rare one.

Rajiv: :-D



And things sped up to 2012. Three things happened to Rajiv by then.

 He was back in his hometown, Kolkata.

He was becoming fatter by the day,thanks to his mother feeding him three times the food she thought he missed out on while staying away from her.

And he realized he was in love.



But epiphanies are funny things. Sometimes they come when they are least expected. Sometimes they come when they are most needed.And sometimes,they come to screw up everything.



Rajiv's belonged to the third.

To be continued...


So dear friends, we sure want to hear what happened next, right?? Rahul, so when are you coming up with the next guest post for me??? ;)