Xossip Ultimate Story Contest 2013

[Expert]

LIVING FOR LOVE !

Aakaash66

That day Savi (Savitri) left her office a bit early , she
didnt feel like going to her working womens' hostel , not to that boredom so soon

She walked aimlessly along the foot-path when that famous
shopping mall by the roadside caught her eyes !It was so
grand , glittering and shining ! It was all glass everywhere!
The atmosphere inside was so cheerful ! She went in just like that ...

It was bustling with people inside ! People coming out with
number of plasticbags holding in their hands ,people going in leisurely
, looking around for the right place to shop !

She entered the mall , stopped at the entrance , looked around ,and her
eyes caught the glimpse of a handsome youngman leisurely leaning on the railing of the first floor,
facing the main entrance , looking towards no one in particular but there was something in his eyes which told that he was
very purposely looking at everything .And was certainly enjoying himself , enjoying his loneliness !
Having the least care about what was happening around , completely lost in himself ...Such a handsome man and alone..? Savi had nothing better to do , she thought why not observe this lonely handsome man..?

She climbed up the stairs and settled herself in a corner from where
she could watch him unobserved !
His facial expressions changed frequently, he would smile
one moment , and suddenly become very serious , and the
very next moment the seriousness would be replaced by a grin , just short of laughing out loudly !

Very interesting !

Savi was fascinated by his actions !She felt an unexplained amusement
and joy when he smiled , it was so genuine ...
One hour passed by without feeling the pulse
of time !

He looked at his wrist watch, then stood erect , walked down the
stairs , looked around , smiled at the crowd
,left the mall and disappeared in the darkness outside !

Savi also left the mall , but HE remained in her thoughts ! His
smiles , his confident looks , his very sure manners , everything
made very positive impressions on her ! She had an instant liking for that handsome man.

Next day she went there , he was not to be seen anywhere ! She
waited for some time and there he was entering the mall with the confident look , went straight up the stairs ,walked along the railing looking at the crowd down below , as if getting a feel of everything , after a while he settled himself at the same spot ,leaned over the railing , and started with his interesting activity.!

And Savi started watching him! She could not get any clue to his frequent mood swings ...but she was determined to solve the mystery...

This went on for quite some time ! By now Savi was very familiar with
his habits , his smiles , his varying moods , his manners ! Savi had never seen such a genuine smile in anyone's face before ...

One week later.

He came there took his place !
Savi was just waiting for the right time and right expression
on his face . The moment he smiled she went straight to him ,
and stood beside him leaning against the railing !

"Hi I am Savitri , you can call me Savi "
She told all this very confidently ..
He glanced sideways, looked at her , slightly irritated , but he was disarmed by the wide grin on her face , which gave her a very cheerful look

He also gave her his familiar smile and said

" You Savi ? me Aditya , you can call me Adi ! "

"Great names , Adi and Savi , fit together so nicely . I see you
here standing everyday !! " She told ....

"What a girl , we hardly know each other , and already she has
matched our names ! Very amusing !" Thought Aditya ..and said:

"Oh yeah , I come here to pass my time , don't feel like
going to my place immediately after the office ! No one there !But
how do you know I come here everyday ?"

" I also come here for the same reasons and see you
standing here for hours together! What makes you do so Adi ? What do
you watch so intently down below ?"

"Really so ? I thought I am the only fool here to spend my evenings watching the crowd !
That makes two of us ! Ha Ha ha Ha !! " He gave a hearty laugh .

And she too started laughing with him !! Savi
realised she was laughing so freely after a long long time !
Both laughed together as if two old friends had met after ages !
She felt so relieved !

After their bout of laughter was settled Adi said

"So Savi , welcome as the new member of this 'watching downbelow'
gane , now you dont have to watch me , we will together watch the people , I hope you too will enjoy the fun."

"Sure , Adi , but you have not told me as yet , what do you watch ,
and what is so interesting about these boring people ?''

"See through my eyes and you will know !"

"Ha Ha Ha !! lend me your eyes then !"

"Ok then done , now are you ready ?See the couple sitting opposite
each other on that table . " And Adi pointed towards a table of the open air restaurant at the ground floor ..

"Do you notice that the number of packets they have after shopping is quite large ?
Means they have done a very good shopping . Lot of money spent ,
and now they are waiting for their food to arrive!They will eat and go! "

"But what is so unusual about them that it makes you watch them ? " asked Savi

"The unusual and funny thing is still to take place Savi " Adi said with his usual smile .

And it was ! The couple looked so tired after the extensive
shopping ,Savi knew they must be feeling very hungry and must have
placed the order for quite a sumptuous meal !But when the waiter
lowered the food tray on the table , she could see only one
plate with one dosa on it ! The couple pounced upon the dosa like
a hungry tiger pounces upon its prey !Within no time it was
finished and they both looked so satisfied !

"How come they could satisfy their hunger with only one dosa between them ?"asked Savi .

"Ha !Ha so you also find it unusual now ? See my observation is that
the more the number of shopping packets , the less is the
amount of food ordered ! They try to compensate the large amount
of money spent during shopping with meagre amount on food . And the reverse is also true! "

Savi could not stop herself laughing on this observation of his new
friend !

"Great observation !"and she patted him on his back !

And then.... everyday after their office hours Adi and Savi
started meeting at the mall and spend their time together !

On other occasions when the crowd inside the mall was quite big and suffocating ..they used to come out of the mall , just strolled along the foot path outside ..chatting , smiling ,laughing , stopping by some desi food stall ..gulping down numorous pani-puris .....

Their evenings now were something they looked forward to ..they started enjoying each others company ...and when the cupid struck they never knew ...

Whenever some one was delayed ..the impatience on their faces was quite abvious ..they had started missing each other ..

One day , they were taking a stroll along the footpath, away from the milling and suffocating crowd inside ....

Savi said :

" Adi it is quite some time that we know each other , but I have
not yet seen your place yaar ! Where do you live ? "

"Oh it is a very small one room flat Savi , just sufficient for my needs ! '"

"Do you have a bathroom there ?"

"Ha Ha HA , of course , and a small kitchen too ! "

"Chalega , one more occupant wont make much difference !! " quipped Savi !

"What ????" exclaimed Adi , not believing what he heard !

"Yes Adi , see we now know each other quite well , I think we
love each other too !Dont we ??I can see the impatience in you when sometimes I
am late here ! I am thinking that I should move in with you , to your place !'

Savi said all these in such a casual manner , the impact took quite
some time to sink in Adi ! He just could not believe ! So brave ,bold
and independent girl as to move with me without marriage ?

"But have you thought what your parents will say ?"He asked

"Adi I have no parents !I grew up in an orphanage ! In this whole
world you are the one whom I know ! " She said ,her eyes glued to him..

Adi could not say anything ...he just kept looking at her ...thinking about her such childlike enthusiasm , innocence and vulnaribility ....he suddenly felt vey protective towards her .. ...

" Hey , what are you thinking Adi..? You don't have to ..if you don't like...just think.."

They strolled along for a while ...and then parted for the day....Adi looked at her till she vanished in the next corner..

Adi thought about her and her bold proposal throughout his way back to his flat ...
she had so much faith in him , he knew that he loved her .After some time when both have enough money they can marry ! Till then what is the harm if we live
together ?? This decision made him very happy ! He was very much
relieved !

Next day in the evening as usual he was waiting for her
outside the mall !She was not to be seen anywhere ! Minutes passed by ...he was impatiently looking at his wrist watch ...muttering ...looking all around ... very perturbed ..what happened to her ..?? 10 minutes ..15 minutes ..no sign of Savi anywhere ... Adi's impatience , his worry , his yearning for Savi ..everything was so clearly written on his face ..he was on the verge of crying .....

And he felt two very soft , and feminine hands clutching him from behind very tightly

He knew it was Savi ...

He turned around ..looked at her ...and said ." Oh Savi...oh Savi ...you nearly killed me ....where were you ..?? " His voice trembling with anguish and frustration ..

Savi too looked at him ...and said with a mischievious smile on her face " Adi..I was all the time here only ..just watching you from there .." She pointed towards a small shop just at the corner ..

Adi remained silent for some time ...gave a very stern look at her and then said:

" Savi ..let us go to your place ..you pack up your things ..we are moving to our flat right now..I do not want to wait for you any more ....." Adi's voice had so much command , authenticity , love and care behind it ....Savi looked at him with awe... ....she was shivering within out of joy and ecstazy ...

That evening Adi and Savi moved to Adi's flat and started living together ...

After one year...:

. These twelve months had wings of dreams , happiness , joy
and all the pleasures of togetherness which was a completely out of the world experience for both of them .They used to go to
their work places together, used to meet at the same place at the end of the day !When they met each other in the evening , the glow on their faces , the delight and joy in their vioces , the enthusiasm and warmth in holding each others' hands were so spontaneous ! For them even the eight hours of being away from each other was like ages ..

Apart from the mall there was one more place very favourite with them ...the sea beach ..

There was a very secluded place on the beach , the place was dotted with big and small rocks covering quite a big area along the beach .
.The waves lashed the rocks and broke into tiny droplets spreading
all around.. Adi and Savi used to sit on one of the rocks ,for hours together without saying anything .... soak themselves with these mist like droplets and their love for each other !

On one such occasion when they were enjoying their silence and were lost in each other ...Savi broke the silence ..and said " Adi....!"

" Yes Savi ..??"

" You know Adi , there is a dark chapter in my life too .... " Savi said in a very serious tone .

" Dark chapter in such a bright and chirpy girl like you ..? Forget about it Savi ...why to bother about darkness when all we see is so shining and bright everywhere in our life together .." Adi said ..trying to dissuade her...

" No Adi ..you must know everything about me ...or I will never be able to forgive myself ..please for my sake ..for my peace ..listen to me Adi..please .." Savi pleaded with him ...

THis was the first time Adi saw her in such a pleading and serious mood.

"OK .Savi tell me if you must ..let me also suffer from your sufferings.."

"Yes Adi , I do not want to take away
the pleasure of sharing my sufferings too from you !"

Savi started with her story :

She was an orphan , brought up in a missionary orphanage .She was thrown to vagaries and sufferings in an orphanage , exposed to the harsh , cruel and unhomely atmosphere there ,but gradually she grew up to be a beautiful and attractive girl of 18.

And this attraction became curse for her , the superintendent
started abusing her sexually , she couldnt resist , she
had nowhere to go and no one to whom she could confide .
She suffered and suffered alone silently .
She suffered , cried and prayed ..but this went on...
She accepted this exploitation as a part of her life in the orphanage..

Time passed by ... she was a fighter , she grew up as a fine and
attractive young lady , her sexual abuses too stopped , the new superintendent was a gentleman , but her sufferings did not . She was struck by a genetic disease of blood deficiency .. She became an ugly woman , with loss of hair associated with the disease .

Savi survived this misery too , the missionaries helped her .... by proper but painful medication she was cured , she recovered her old charm , completed her graduation, got a job and moved to the working women's hostel .

".............and then I met you Adi " She kept quiet, Adi kept
quiet ! The sounds of waves lashing
against the rocks were the only sound ... Tears rolled down Adi's eyes
Savi could feel how much Adi suffered because of her sufferings .

Adi got up Savi also got up holding his hands . They walked
together to another rock which was being showered by the misty
droplets , they held each other close , let themselves soak with
the mist , wept and wept in each others arms .The tears , the
sufferings and the mist , mixed together , washed away their pain .

They were in each others arms , how long no one knew ...

Adi broke the silence and said :

"Savi , it is getting dark dear , let us go "

"Yes Adi , I am so relieved now , and feel so light and happy , never felt so in my life !"

They held each others hands and started walking towards the bus stop.

The waves were left behind striking on the rocks as if asking them to come again and again.

They reached the bus stop , one bus was parked , but theirs was
the next one .They went into the shed and waited for their bus
, talking and talking about their future life ,and this
and that , they were lost in themselves ,oblivious of the
surroundings !

And then there was a thundering and deafening explosion , which shook everything there !

Savi could see Adi falling down , she caught hold of him ,
her hands felt sticky with some wet and warm liquid , he was
slumping down and down , blood oozing out first in a trickle and
then a stream and finally he slumped down on the ground with Savi
holding him ! He was bleeding profusely.

He was struck on his stomache by the shrapnels from the exploding
bomb kept in the waiting bus . Confusion took over all around the place .
People shouted , started running here and there out of fear and panic ,
Adi was bleeding profusely and helpless in her arms ! She was crying !
She was numbed out of the terror and shock .. unbelievable ...

"ADi , please Adi , dont ......., Adi dont ...., what will I do
without you ????Adi ,my Adi ............"And then another onslaught of
mankind on her , she lost him ! Her world shattered around
her ...she lost everything before she could get anything ... !

Savi moved to her hostel . Continued with her job ,
She thought so many times to commit suicide , but her
love , hope and strong will stopped her from doing so !

Six long months after the death of Aditya ......

Days were like an unending nightmare for Savi. That horror filled
and violent incident haunted her .
Nights were sleepless , she would suddenly wake up , her
body trembling and soaked with perspiration . Her whole world was
shattered into bits and pieces , she tried hard to collect those bits and pieces and build something out of them , but then for whom...she had lost all interest in life !

She had put on a lot of weight ,
she didnt care for her looks ,her hair was unkempt and
dishevelled , dark circles around her eyes !

She was a living corpse.!!.

She used to visit the sea beach some times , sit there on the same
spot , where both of them were together for the last time , watch
the waves striking fiercely against the rocks , misty water
drops would advance towards her like fog and wet her , she felt some
solace with the cool touch of the fog , as if Adi was also
inside it and would come out of it anytime and take her in
his arms !!

On one such occasion of her visit to the beach ..

She was sitting on the same spot .Sun was quite bright .The
sunrays penetrated the misty water drops and the reflection of the water drops against the sunrays formed a small rainbow !It was a
fascinating sight !

Savi was deeply immersed in the memories of the times they spent together on the beach , looking at the rainbow ..wondering if Adi too was here ... ,she was lost in his thoughts and then suddenly she felt as
if there was some human figure inside the misty water droplets..

She went a bit closer and Oh God , to her dismay ..
the figure was none other than Adi ! He looked exactly the
same as he looked when they met for the last time . But tears
were rolling down his eyes . He beckoned her to come closer , his
lips were quivering as if he wanted to say something !

Savi could not hold herself and ran towards him shouting "ADI . Adi ,
look what you have done to me! I am dying everyday love !Please
take me along with you, I cant live without you !!! Adi where
are you ??? "

"Savi ,listen to me " she felt as if he said in
whispers but still clear enough to be audible "You dont die love
, you have to live , for my sake Savi , do you want me to weep and
weep ??"

"No Adi you know I have always wanted you to be happy , tell me what should I do for your everlasting smile ?? "

"See what you have done to yourself , would I ever be
happy? Gather yourself Savi, live your life , as you used to with me,
my smile will be back !! "and then there was a gush of wind
through the mist and the figure disappeared with it !

But his whispers remained , piercing her ears "Gather yourself ,
gather yourself ...my smile will be back , my smile will be back .."

She ran towards the mist to catch hold
of him but there was nothing except the water drops which
completely drenched her and the deafening sounds of sea waves lashing against the rock !!

She stood still for a while ,
then climbed down the rock , the piercing whispers of Adi
still in her ears .She looked up and started shouting at the top of
her voice so as to make him listen ,
"Yes Adi I will live for you love ! I will do anything for your precious smile !"

From that day onwards she started gathering the bits and pieces from
her shattered life , and moved on ...

She has the hope of seeing those precious smile on her precious Adi's lips again.

Savi's is living for her love !!
______________________________
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