Special Someone

Special people are hard to come by

No greater joy than to have you nearby.

The thought of bidding you goodbye

Is terrifying like a drop from a cloud rather high.

But hope lingers, with many dreams and a few promises

Surely, our future has more in store than just a few kisses.

My Interstellar Trip

It was just another boring Saturday. Jamshedpur seemed peacefully unaware of the greatest milestone in the Hollywood world, dozing lightly in the chilly morning sunshine. 

Let me first admit that I wasn't aware of this great event myself till I heard the excitement in my boyfriend's voice when he spoke about it. Even though he was miles away, I could picture his eyes shining and feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. And this in itself was something unprecedented in the last few months of our rocky long distance struggle. As he ranted in a frenzy about Nolan and McConaughey and how this movie may even overtake Shawshank Redemption on the IMDb ratings, I didn't want to miss this piece of history in the making.

My boyfriend had a lonely four-hour train journey to get through, a journey that we had been on together, way too many times. That's when I realized-that was my chance for the 'Interstellar Experience'. Separated by miles yet connected by technology he narrated the story.

Scene by scene the movie unfurled in front of me. I could see even the minutest details that he painstakingly described- the blight stricken crops and the sandstorms. I could almost feel the pain when Cooper left despite his daughter's requests. I was there when the wave took one of their crew. I could sense their indecision when they chose Mann's planet over Edmund's. And the pure Nolan genius that finally completed the circle and blew my mind. The concepts of relativity that we had struggled with, handled with such ease that would have made Einstein proud surely. I could go on and explain the full movie, but that would spoil it for all of you. Just believe me when I say Christopher Nolan is amazing, trust him to transport you to a world where even Interstellar travel is believable.

Most importantly for me, I felt that I was on that train with my boyfriend with his arm around me, listening intently to him, just like old times. It satisfied me in ways that words that cannot possibly describe, maybe those of you who live light years away from a loved one may get an inkling of what I'm talking about.

No spoilers for my readers. Yes book that ticket and watch the movie! Don't miss this one unless you are stuck in a place like Jamshedpur that sleeps tucked away quietly in a corner of the Earth. 

In words borrowed from Cooper "I'm coming back".

Random Gibberish

Why does everyone want relationships?

I once watched an interview that said that boyfriends are for lonely boring people who have too much time on their hands. I was no less fierce in my attacks at the girly fuss and mooning over the one ‘prince charming’ during my school days. I once considered myself invincible to these matters and mocked at people in relationships to be spineless, merely reveling in actions to win approval from another who had just simply hijacked their life.

I was rather happy making friends and living my simple happy life. Maybe that was why I failed to comprehend the exceedingly complicated lives my girlfriends led. To me it seemed as if they perpetually wore their hearts on their sleeves, sometimes making such utter fools of themselves that I’d rather have disappeared down a hole and never reappeared. One has to however hand it to them for their impeccable resilience, to be able to bounce right back into action. What was it that made boys so important to them that I couldn't fathom?

Don’t get me wrong, I liked boys too, but for other reasons. It was easy to get along with them, they keep you laughing almost constantly, there’s no need to make conversation for the sake of it, and you most definitely don’t have to be sure to notice the new lip colour he is wearing and for once you can be honest when asked have I become fat!

This was who I was- a typical rebel. But something changed somewhere along the way, I too experienced the feeling that I had found incomprehensible for the longest period in my life. Romance and mushiness is I guess ingrained in every girl, there’s no escaping it and I too fell a prey.

Well what can I say? Some things just cannot be explained, they need to be experienced and this is definitely one of those. With this wonderful someone in my life, I learnt things that I never knew about myself. Doing things by yourself is not always a sign of independence and turning to another for support not a sign of weakness. Being a source of strength and even inspiration for my significant other filled with a special kind of warmth – an emotion I had no idea I was capable of experiencing.

Life however was not a bed of roses. Despite all the happiness and the warm and fuzzy feelings, I too experienced my fair share of problems. But the trick I realized along the way, is to not lose yourself in a quest to win your partner’s approval. Communicate, discuss, debate even fight it out, but don’t give up something you are sure you want. If your loved one doesn't love you for who you are, then what is the point? A relationship is a beautiful bond where the two people love understand and accept each other for being the unique individuals they are.

Ha! Can you believe I’m offering relationship advice now? Love does funny things to you indeed. I’m glad I have a special someone in my life. However take it from me, if you are happy by yourself, there’s no earthly reason to set out on a hunt for that ‘one’.

Cheers to all you lovely people reading this. Life is way too short to worry. Live and let live. Have a great day!

Realisation

His face was peaceful with deep sleep, all the angry lines smoothed out. Hannah watched emotionless as her husband slept soundly, as if nothing had happened. Hannah would have almost dismissed the memory of the fight as a figment of her imagination, had it not been for the shattered glass on the kitchen floor.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she slumped down on the floor beside the bed. The fights, the disagreements between Tommy and her had gone from bad to worse. Nowadays, not a single night passed without a disagreement between them.

She rummaged her desk and took out a worn-out leather bound diary, one of her most treasured possessions. Her clumsy fingers dropped it to the floor. It fell open to reveal an old photo of Tommy and her. It was a snap taken at Tommy’s birthday about four years ago. Covered in chocolate, they were grinning widely as they indulged in a lavish cake fight. Not being particularly fond of big crowds, they traditionally celebrated birthdays at each other’s place with few close friends. She had baked that cake especially for him. How much he loved her cooking. Almost every date of theirs had been a celebration of the success of her numerous cooking experiments. The memory seemed almost painful now.

Where had all that happiness gone? She hardly baked anymore. She couldn't remember the last time she had snuggled in bed beside Tommy, just talking. They had become two mechanical beings living in the same space. Each caught up in his own world. Even as her train of thoughts continued, realisation hit her hard. She tried to fight it off. No, they both had needed her to take that job, she tried to convince herself. Tommy had lost his job and they were facing difficult times, she tried to reason with herself. But deep down inside, she knew better. Even after Tommy had found a new job, she hadn't quit. Well, the extra money didn't hurt. Or maybe it did.

As she leafed through the pages of her recipe book, still intact except for a little moth-eaten at the edges, her heart already felt lighter. She couldn't imagine how she had stuck to her boring job for so long. Finally she had gotten her priorities right.

Hardly an hour later, was her home fragrant with the baking. The scent of vanilla essence and rich cocoa hung thickly in the air. As she took huge gulps of this delicious air, contentment was at its fullest. Her life was back on track. She resumed her position on the floor beside the bed. But this time, lovingly she watched him snore.