SHORT STORY

                          "LOVE TO LIVE-LIVE TO LOVE"

In the city of Bangalore, the “Silicon valley of India”, is also known for the pleasant and romantic climate throughout the year. In a world filled with love, Bangalore is no exception.

The 3rd year mechanical students of NIT trichy go on an industrial visit to Bangalore. They go various places in Bangalore. The time they visit lalbagh garden its starts drizzling. Everyone starts running to the bus, but Joseph and his friends doesn’t want to miss taking a selfie in such a lovely garden. Joseph helds the phone in his hands and everyone stand in a position for selfie. But Joseph gives a shocking reaction and doesn’t click the button for selfie. Everyone scolds him to make it fast as it has it was raining already.

Joseph asks “didn’t you guys see her?” In a low voice.

His friends reply “who the hell are you talking about? We didn’t see anyone.”

Joseph drops the phone and runs behind the girl to see her. She goes and stands inside a bus stop. Joseph stands from her in some distance to get a clear picture of her and there she stands like an angel in black churidhar. Completely drenched in rain with her hands crossed over her chest, shivering in cold. Joseph goes towards her, removes his jerkin and covers her with his jerkin. She turns towards him in sudden shock and anger. But the moment she sees him, she is awestruck seeing a handsome guy, with great physique, wearing a white shirt, having a charming smile on his face.

“I am sorry about that, but I couldn’t resist seeing you drenched completely and shiver” said Joseph.

She couldn’t speak anything but say “ Tha..tha..Thank you” she said in a stammering voice.

He smiles and says “No mention”. I am Joseph. May I know your name?” he asked.

“Shamili”? She replied. “Where are you from?” She asked him.

He replied “I am from Chennai, pursuing B.TECH mechanical engineering, 3rd year in NIT trichy. We came for an IV here.”

“I am pursuing my B.TECH electrical engineering 2nd year in Bangalore institute of engineering and technology” she said.

By the time, the bus for Mangalore arrives at the bus stop and she leaves giving a smile that says “I have found you finally”.

Joseph gets into the bus. Everyone gives him a weird look.

“Are you mad? What if that girl has slapped you? We came for an IV. Let’s enjoy it and leave peacefully idiot. See he is not even listening to what I am saying” said one of his friend’s.

All Joseph could do was smile like an idiot thinking of her. Then the next day morning Joseph got up early, took a bus, and reached her college by asking help from some people. He was standing at the main gate of college waiting for Shamili to come. A bus stopped at the gate and there was Shamili getting down from the bus. She was surprised and was very happy to see Joseph at the gate. He approached her with a smile.

Shamili asked “Hi. How come you are…?”

“Before you ask me questions, let me tell you something. This is the last day I will be here at Bangalore. I have only few time left, my friends will be searching for me. I came here to tell you something very important.” said Joseph.

Knowing what he is going to say, Shamili controls her excitement and asks him to proceed with a puzzled reaction.

Joseph starts “I am a mechanical student. As you know there won’t be even a smell of girls in our department. We always say no girls no love and I was the main part of it. But the moment I saw you I felt like I saw some hidden treasure of my life. I followed you, running behind you, and there was my angel standing, with a dazzling look, giving cute reactions. I couldn’t watch you shiver, I came and covered you with my jerkin like someone was mesmerizing me to do that. The look you gave me after that, god, I saw those lovely eyes and fell for you at that at that instant.

After you boarded the bus, all I could think of was you, I considered it most precious 5 minutes of my life. All love songs played in my bus sounded like every song was composed for me. The first time I started to understand the lyrics of a love song. My mind was searching for the answer to these sudden reactions and my heart answered…..I love you Shamili. Truly and deeply from the core of my heart. I feel like I can’t even think of a life without you Shamili. I know that this feels weird and new to you. You don’t have to say anything now. The jerkin you took with you yesterday, there’s a bit of paper in it which has my contact number. It’s getting too late for you Shamili, you can go now.” He smiles and walks back.

“Just a minute.” She calls him.

Joseph stops and turns back.

“For a man who could make me feel this special, for a man whom I have never seen this handsome before, for a man who could make me smile so much overnight, and for man who could look into my eyes and say I love you, there’s no need of waiting, NAAN UNNAI KADHALIKKIREN(I love you in tamil)”she says and opens her arms.

Joseph runs in excitement and shock towards her and hugs her tightly.

“Now where did you learn that from” he asked her blushing.

“I decided that you will be my husband for the rest of my life. Shouldn’t like I learn this much for you?” she says and smiles.

“Oh sorry I shouldn’t be leaving now, but have to because my friends will be in peak of anger now. Will miss you so much sweetheart” he kisses her on forehead, waves her bye and leaves with a heart stuck with her.

Shamili and Joseph become friends on facebook, add their contacts on whatsapp, and have video chats in skype. They love each so much that their love for each other increases day by day. Now, the fear of becoming a couple forever strikes them. So they both decide on something. They decide to concentrate on their studies and get settled in a good job, so that they can boldly ask their parents approval. They start to reduce their time to chat and talk. At the end of final year, Joseph gets placed in L&D core and a year later Shamili gets placed in TCS.

They both set a date when both are free, so that they go out and enjoy their love life in malls, theatres, beaches etc. When life was going very happy and peaceful, a lightning of bolt strikes them. Shamili’s parents has already started seeing alliance for her. Both Shamili and Joseph decide it’s time to talk to our parents about our marriage. They both say their parents about each other. There was fight and scoldings in each other’s family as they were from different state and culture. But after seeing how stubborn they both were, both families decide to meet each other and sort this issue out. So Shamili’s parents take a bus to Chennai. Both families fix their meeting at a hotel. They don’t want their son and daughter to get married. So they come out with a decision.

“I want to give my daughter a best life and like every parent wants, I would like to give my princess to a man who makes her the queen. Even your parents would want that” said Shamili’s father.

“So we came up with a decision. Both of you should get register married and you should start living your life together for 2 months without any physical relation between you two.” Said Joseph’s father.

“What kind of test is this dad? We have been loving for the past 4 years. What difference will this 2 months make between us? Don’t you think this sounds a bit foolish?” asks Joseph.

Joseph’s dad with a laugh “love life is different from married life son. Even after these two months of marriage if you love each other with the same love, we will arrange a grand wedding for you. But if it happens to be the reverse you two should never see each other in your lives.” Commanded Joseph’s father.

“I don’t feel this is right.” Said Shamili’s mother.

“Shut up. If we say them not to get married. Will they obey us? That’s why we gave them a chance to get separated on their own.” Whispers her dad.

Both of them, desperate to prove their love to their parents accept for their decision. They go to register office and get married. They start to live their married life. Both were feeling weird about this as it was like an agreement made for marriage. But the thing being tested on here is their love, so in any case, they want to showcase their true love. Shamili requests for transfer to TCS Chennai branch and she is offered a transfer having a valuable reason.

For some 10-15 days everything seems very perfect. Both of them are very happy to be in the same house, which was their dream for every second, right from the time they started loving. But after some days, small small fights between Joseph and Shamili starts to grow. One day, Joseph reaches home as usual and he finds Shamili hasn’t reached home yet. Joseph was already feeling very hungry. He called Shamili and asked when would she be back home. She replied that she would come a bit late that day and cuts the phone as she was in an important call with her higher professional. At 11:30 pm, Shamili returns home. She buys food outside and comes as she knows that her husband would be very hungry.

“Darling, my sweet hubby, where are you?” she asks loud as she enters her house.

She sees that her husband has slept already. She smiles seeing him, goes towards him and kissed his forehead.

“Darling, get up, look I have bought you your favorite food” said Shamili.

Joseph gets up in full anger and throws the food out of his bedroom.

“You will not go to work from tomorrow. Did you get that? You cut my phone call when I am not done talking. Did you even try to listen to what I was saying? With whom were you talking? Is he that much important than me?” he shouted.

“You don’t even have an idea of what an important call I was attending. Do you think it’s like your job? We have more responsibilities. Don’t utter words just like that without knowing the value of my job.” She said

“Then go and do your most valued job with some random important person. Why do you come here? Now get the hell out of here” he shouts and goes back to bed.

Shamili goes back crying and lies down on couch. She thinks of the words said by him and cries much more. Shamili doesn’t sleep the whole night and only at 5am she falls asleep on the couch.

The next day Shamili applies leave for work as she wants to prove nothing is more important to her than him. She asks permission from her office for leave, saying that she was not well. Shamili plans to make Joseph happy by cooking every dish he likes and surprise him when he enters home that day. Joseph enters home. Shamili opens the door with a big smile and welcomes him.

“You even come home early huh? Today that important person didn’t accompany you right?” Joseph laughs and goes straight to his bedroom.

“Why are you speaking like this Joseph? I applied leave for work today and cooked all your favorite dishes. All you could gift me is these words?” asks Shamili.

“Am already tired. Don’t create a scene here. I ate outside already. I am going to sleep. You eat and sleep.” Said Joseph and rests on bed.

Frustrated by his behavior, Shamili goes to dining table, and breaks everything out there and cries out louder scolding Joseph. Joseph hears the sound of breaking of all the stuff and comes out running. On seeing this sight, he slaps Shamili.

“you have such a psychic character? Why did you even come into my life?” he shouts at her and goes to bed.

Shamili is pushed to another sleepless night. The gap between these two starts to expand. Shamili expresses her feelings to her parents, they take this as a chance and advise her to leave such a man with worst character. Days pass with fights and without happiness. It’s now the last day of the 2 months time given by their parents. Shamili expects him to say something that will please her and make her happy as it’s the last day. But Joseph doesn’t even care about it and he goes out at late night that day and comes home late.

“Don’t you feel anything Joseph? This will be the last day of our life if we don’t speak out on this?” asked Shamili.

“Am very tired. Please go and sleep. Don’t disturb me.” he said, turns back and leaves a tear.

The next day morning when Shamili wakes up, she was surprised as both of their parents were in front of her. Tears started rolling down Shamili’s cheek, she wiped it off and said “Hi aunt. Hi uncle. How are you? When did you come? Sorry Joseph and I were talking for a long time at night, that’s why I got up late. I will make coffee for you” she runs to the kitchen.

“Iru ma,inga va.(wait dear,come here in tamil). ” Joseph’s father called out. “Don’t you know why we have come here?” he asked.

Tears roll down Shamili’s cheek again and she bends her head down.

She started “Sorry uncle..we..”. Before she finishes Joseph closes the mouth of her with his hand. Shamili couldn’t understand why he did like that. Joseph, with a smile, holds the face of her with his both hands.

“Look at my eyes dear. When we both were loving, we always expressed our positives. We didn’t even care about our negatives. But now, we, in this two months time, got to know about each other’s negatives. We have a complete understanding of what we like, what we don’t like, what is to be like married. The vehicle called LIFE in which we were travelling in has repaired. We shouldn’t abandon that vehicle just because it has repaired. We should repair the damages caused to it and make it even better. From now on we will do it together. Let’s start freshly.” Said Joseph. He bends down on his knees and opens a box with a diamond necklace.

“neenu nanna maduve maadthva(will you marry me- in kannada)?”he asks and smiles.

“you are such an idiot. You are such an idiot.” She says as she smiles and hugs him tightly.

“I love you so so so much Joseph. I am the most luckiest girl in the world. So this necklace is the reason you went out last night huh?” she asks as she kisses him on the lips.

“Oh my god! What a twist!” exclaims Shamili’s father.

Both of their parents bend their heads down in insult and apologizes to them.

“You both have shown these old parents what love, what is life is. We expected something and you taught us something. For the first time in my life I have seen true love. Thank you childs.”Says Joseph’s father in tears.

Later they arrange for a grand wedding for their son and daughter. Joseph and Shamili starts to lead a very happy marriage life fully filled with love.

Love is not something that comes out of perfectness, its something that comes out of complete understanding of each other to make the love perfect for each other. Love to live. Live to love.

__END__

                                                                                         SOURCE BY-GOKULKRRISHNAN

PUBLISHED BY-OURHELLO.COM