*~ Living a Life Less Ordinary?~*

The memories of happier times danced in front of his eyes as a downcast Anuj grabbed a chair & sat down alongside his best friend. Imran was lying on the bed, unflinching & unmoving. He looked so peaceful that Anuj might have just mistaken him for being asleep. Imran’s parents treated Anuj like a second son as the two had virtually grown up together. Their little home town in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh was filled with now over exaggerated legends of their childhood. Breaking the neightbour’s windows while playing cricket, climbing the orchard trees for fresh fruits & going on treks which skilled mountaineers feared. Now, Anuj just averted his eyes when he entered the house he virtually grew up in.

Imran’s wife came in with a glass of water. As Anuj took it, he asked her “How is he doing bhabi? Any update from the doctors?” She shook her head and left, leaving Anuj alone with Imran. Mustering up all the good cheer he could, Anuj spoke to his friend.””Hey mate! I’ve got some time off now & can you guess why? It’s the best piece of news I’ve got in a while & I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I’m going to be a father. Preeti just told me & I rushed right over.” Just like the past three years, there was no response. Anuj fought back the urge to just shake him up, bring him back to life somehow. It just broke his heart to see his friend, a man he considered his brother, be reduced to this.

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

Anuj woke up in a cold sweat often, plagued by the nightmares that still haunted him three years after the mission. Anuj & Imran were serving in the same battalion at the time, a part of the Indian army’s effort to protect the border in the snow covered region of Kashmir. The past few weeks had been peaceful, with little or no suspicious activity to speak of in the mountainous region. There was, however, a raging battle being fought against the elements. Temperatures dropped to -10 degrees and the howling winds bit into any bit of flesh that was left exposed. Despite their best efforts, the elements were taking a toll on the entire battalion.

Anuj & Imran had been sent out to find a missing soldier who had not been heard from for the past few hours & time was of the essence. With every passing moment they knew that Vikram, the missing soldier, was slipping deeper and deeper into his icy grave. Soon, they came across Vikram’s upturned vehicle in a ditch off the road, the tyre marks indicating he had clearly lost control & veered off. While trying to get their unconscious friend out of the vehicle, there was a deafening explosion and all of them were thrown away in the blast. Then the world went black.

Anuj woke up in the hospital a few hours later. He had survived the fuel tank explosion largely unscathed but Vikram & Imran had not been that lucky. Vikram was dead & Imran was in a coma.

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

To this day, Anuj hoped for a miracle. They had tried everything- from going to the best hospitals to turning to prayer. Every attempt had proved futile.

Anuj saw the transformation in Imran’s parents. They had aged a dozen years in the three that had gone by. Their hopes of having a happy family & of playing with their grand children were quashed. All they got for sacrificing their young son to the motherland was a breathing corpse who refused to wake up. Even in their old age, they spent all their time fretting over Imran – was he too cold? Was the drip connected properly? Is there any way to make him more comfortable? Life was extremely challenging.

When he was leaving that day, Imran’s mother walked up to him. “Congrats on becoming a father beta. For us, it is like having grand children of our own. And beta, Imran’s father & I were thinking… thinking about relieving Imran from his struggles permanently. I know it is a lot to take in but do give it some thought. All this is so confusing that we don’t know what to do anymore,” Imran’s mother sobbed.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This is to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of the Armed Forces. They protect us & our motherland so that we can continue to lead our lives. As we celebrate Diwali with our loved ones, spare a thought for the thousands of soldiers who guard our borders in alien conditions. Here’s wishing all of you & all of them a very Happy Diwali & a safe and prosperous New Year. And ofcourse dear reader, what advice would you give Imran’s mother in Anuj’s place? Do you hope for a miracle or go down the path of euthanasia? What would you do ?Let me know what you think!

*~ What Would You Do ~*

The cruel summer sun beat down on the parched land, temporarily slowing down the pace of activity in the Maximum City of Mumbai. The afternoons were particularly vicious as even the children chose to stay indoors. 

Nandini sat on her favorite rocking chair, the one in the balcony, sipping her wine. All around her, the proud symbols of modern success made their presence felt. The home loan would be paid off in a couple of years, her daughter attended a fancy school & the car in the garage had the three pointed star adorning the bonnet.

Across her lap lay a travel catalogue containing vivid images of exotic locations in foreign lands. She couldn’t decide between the Scandinavian countries & New Zealand. Both the places lured her with their different charms and natural beauty. Planning this year’s holiday was a task for which she definitely needed another drink!

She made her way to their well stacked bar to refill her empty glass. It was then that she noticed a small cardboard box carelessly thrown behind the bar. Perhaps Nitin had left the box there in his hurry to get to the airport that morning. She knew her husband of 15 years well enough to know what a tearing hurry he always gets into while traveling.

Even on their honeymoon they had almost missed their flight because Nitin forgot something at home – his entire suitcase! Nandini couldn’t wait to find out what he’d forgotten this time.

She opened the box to find it held a host of memorable items for Nitin – his convocation photos, pictures of their wedding & their honeymoon. A nostalgic smile spread across Nandini’s lips as she came across an old picture of Nitin holding her in his arms. She wondered if he would be able to achieve this feat now. After all, she wasn’t the dainty twenty-something in that photograph anymore!

She also found a host of other items : the first book she had ever gifted him (Yes Minister, an all time classic), the first letter she had ever written to him & an old CD labelled “Baby Ayesha arrives”. Suddenly her attention was drawn to a plain white envelope at the bottom of the box. It was sealed with duct tape & signed by Nitin. There was no address mentioned, only a date: 30^th November, 2008.

After a short lived battle with her conscience, she tore open the envelope only to find an old hand written note inside. She recognized Nitin’s handwriting instantly.

“Today, Nandini has gone to Sanjana’s house to stay for a few days. I know it’s only a 20 minute drive away but being without Nandini feels weird. It’s almost as if I don’t know who I am without her. I do miss her & I do love her. I feel horrible about what I’ve done but I’m never going to tell her. This burden is mine to bear. And Sanjana’s of course. I can’t even imagine what she’s going through right now. I’ll have to pull through. She’ll have to as well. There’s simply no other way.

I’m glad Sanjana has Nandini by her side though. Sweet, caring, loving Nandini who’s so excited about becoming a masi. Just last week she got four tees made. The two spelled “Mom” & “Dad” were given to Sanjana & her husband, & the two labelled “Masa” & “Masi” were put into our wardrobe. I’m supposed to wear my shirt when I go to the hospital next week. Only thing is, I won’t be wearing the right one. I should be wearing the one called “Dad”.

There’s no point trying to explain myself. There’s simply no defending cheating on your wife with her sister. The last few months have been sheer agony, as I have watched Nandini fret over Sanjanaa day in and day out. A part of me wants to tell her the truth. But a bigger part of me wants to protect her. Protect her from finding out what a scumbag I’ve been. I hope I’m not too drunk to forget to destroy this letter later.”

Nandini felt the world slipping out from under her, like she was a tiny immaterial speck blowing about in a storm. She couldn’t believe the contents of the letter: her mind simply refused to accept its existence. Everything she had worked so hard to create for herself and her family was suddenly at stake.

She felt denial, regret, disappointment & rage along with a whole gamut of emotions towards her husband and her sister. “How could they do this to me?”, she asked herself repeatedly, a steady anger growing in her with every passing moment.

Two of the people she loved and trusted the most had let her down. Let her down in such a way that it seemed impossible for things to be the way they were before. She just wanted to get away from all of them. She wanted to get rid of the feeling that they were staring at her, their eyes part sympathetic part mocking.

She began to pack her bags, dumping whatever she could find into her suitcase hurriedly. She didn’t know where she was off to, all she knew was that she couldn’t stand a minute more here. The air itself had become toxic and suffocating. Just then her phone rang. ”Hello,” she said with as much calmness as she could muster. “Hi mom, this is Ayesha here. All my friends are going to Tina’s house now. Can I go too? I promise to be home before dinner. Please. Please,” her twelve year old daughter begged.

“Sure beta, carry on,” was all Nandini managed to say. “Thanks! You’re the best! ,” her excited daughter exclaimed as she hung up.

Suddenly, Nandini realized that there was no walking away from this, no going away. She could never do this to her little princess, never inflict the pain of a divorce on her child. She would have to go on living like nothing had happened, no matter how much it pained her. And for Arya she would do it, a thousand times over.

She called her travel agent and told him, “3 tickets to New Zealand please.”  

Dear Reader – what would you do in Nandini’s place? Food for thought eh? Do let me know!