To love or not to love?

She stood before me with her arms resting on my shoulders. Her eyes had the truth that she had chosen me to walk with her till the end. I placed my hands around her waist and bent forward to press my nose against her forehead. It’s moment like these which makes you feel that nothing is wrong with life, as if you have been washed off of all the sufferings. I closed my eyes and placed my lips on her neck. Not a word was spoken, not a word was required. It’s like those moments which you dream many a times, which you only wish were true. She smelled of fresh fruit cake, which you just want to devour in one big bite.

And then it happened. All of a sudden, when I was least expecting it. Pain shot through my left cheek as she slapped me hard on the face. I opened my eyes, startled at what I saw.

My two roommates Mohan and Ratan were on top of me in my bed in our hostel room.  Mohan grabbed my shirt collar and wagged my neck as if I was a dog biting into his leg.

Mohan: Wake up, quick!!

I: Huh! What’s happening (rubbing my cheek, which was red from the slap).

I slowly realized that it was indeed just another dream, like many before.

Ratan: Shit happened man!!

“Yes, with you, it always does”, I thought to myself. I checked the clock for the time, it was 1AM.

I: F**k off b*t**es and let me sleep.

Mohan: Ratan had proposed to Gary this evening and now her boyfriend, Sam, knows about it and is hunting for him along with his gang.

At this point, Ratan started to wail uncontrollably.

Ratan: Help me out! I don’t want to be hurt!!

I: Sam, who? Sam Gamgee!! No worries, he’s just a hobbit. Invite him over to supper sometime; he’ll make a truce with you.

Ratan: (wiping off his tears) No man, not Sam Gamgee from Lord of The Rings, but Sam Bugati, the guy who runs a drug racket in college.

Mohan: Yes, and I've heard he’s responsible for the scar on Hari Singh’s forehead.

Ratan: (blowing his nose every now and then).

I: Okay, so this guy Sam Bugati is after you because you were after his girl?

Ratan nodded his head. Suddenly there was a bang at the door. The three of us looked at each other.   And there was another bang, louder this time. “Open the door”, someone shouted from outside.

Ratan: It’s him it’s him.

His eyes were horror stricken as if he was about to meet his doom.

Mohan: Ye toh kaand ho gaya (This is total blunder).

I: Alright, Ratan, you go and hide in the cupboard. I’ll see what I can do.

Mohan went to the door, unbolted it and pulled it open. Two guys stepped inside the room. One was short, stuffed up and had a wicked expression on the face. His name was 'Hilas Anna', and the other one was Sam Bugati, tall, bearded and with stern expression on the face.

Anna: Are you Ratan?

Mohan: I am not Ratan. I already have a girl. I don’t even look at others let alone asking one out.

Anna: K, man, lucky bastard you. Wish I had one in my life too.

Sam: Hey man, where’s Ratan?

At this point I got up from my bed and said, “He’s in the bathroom I guess”.

Sam: K, just tell him to stay away from Gary. Alright let’s go Anna.

I: Wait a minute. That’s it? Don’t you feel like kicking him in the balls or something? Or at least hurl abuses at him?

Sam: Nah man. I broke up with that b*t*h a long time ago. She used me when she felt the need and later shooed me away as if I was a dumb schmuck or something. I mean is there no true love left or what. Today I do drugs so that I can forget her. Look what she made me.

And he started wailing noisily.

Anna: God knows what she found in that South Indian scumbag that she left poor Sam all by himself.

Sam Bugati: Just warn Ratan to watch his back. He might end up screwed, just like me.

With all said and done, they both began to leave when Anna suddenly stopped besides the cupboard. He sniffed it’s door and let out a yelp, “chocolate cookies!!”. And with one flash of lightning, he opened the door. Out came Ratan tumbling, with his mouth stuffed with chocolate cookies and empty rapper in his hands.

Ratan: Cookies anybody?

Anna: It’s empty.

Sam Bugati: Just like my heart.

Love, it’s a strange thing. Some dream of it, some have suffered permanent wounds because of it, while others enjoy it unquestioningly till the end. On this road of love, one faces everything- happiness, treachery, bliss, resentment, contentment, misery, hope…

So, the question is- To love or Not to Love?

A Distant Dream

Have you ever dreamed of having something?

Ever thought of being somewhere?

Ever longed to be someone...

A dream/ a thought/ a longing so strong, that it starts to possess you. Day and night it defines you, governs you, and makes you strive for it. What follows is a strong conviction that you too can win.

I would consider myself fortunate,

if each step I take has a purpose associated with it;

if each moment lived has a feeling attached to it;

if each laugh of mine is the  result of ten cries,

and each cry has a vision for that last laugh.

And even if I discover that I cannot win today, let me try to move ahead knowing that I can lose.

Let me set sail today against the winds and let me drown the day it becomes calm,

because that day I would have no reason to move forward.

In the end, the mind weakens;

                memory fades;

              & money becomes useless.

All that remains is a glimpse of what you were. And that picture cannot be photo shopped. It has to be clicked right, the very first time. Just like a painting drawn on the canvas.

There were days when I doubted myself,

                when I truly believed I could not do something,

                                        could not be somewhere,

                                        could not become someone,

Those days were reality. Then one night, I started dreaming and got lost in the infinite ocean of possibilities, fighting against the tides.

Let’s all take a step today, to dream like there is nothing left to say,

And the day will come when we’ll open our eyes to a new reality which once was a distant dream.