No longer a dream
Tanya was at her desk when she heard it. It was late and she wasn’t expecting anyone. She opened the door and walked out to the front porch. The garden was unnaturally lit up. She looked around and that’s when she saw the shadow move across in front of her.
She felt compelled to find out who it was today. Tanya followed the shadowy figure. She walked faster as she realized the figure was well within her reach if she only could lean forward a bit more, stretch her hand a little further. And then she fell.
Face Down.
Tanya woke up from her dream at this point - Always. The setting was different on most days but the composition almost the same. The shadowy figure, her going after it, and then her fall. She wondered if there was a way to knock some sense into yourself in your dream.
Her day at the office was routine. But her job as junior pleader under a well established senior Advocate was one that kept her busy. She had no time for idle thoughts which she knew could creep in otherwise. She was just about to leave office, when her senior buzzed her in. Tanya was in awe of Chaya Mathur. As she walks in she realizes that Chaya is unusually worked up. Tanya is then briefed, very briefly on a new case. A high profile meeting was scheduled at the Crowne Plaza and the Viral Flu has chosen today of all days to pin Chaya down. She looks a mess and feels even worse. Chaya tells Tanya in ‘no other option’ tone that she has to be at Crowne Plaza at 8pm sharp.
Chaya gives her the luxury of the office car to make sure that she reaches on time. She had enough time to go home and freshen up , change into something suitable and go over to meet the client. As she finished her bath and opened the chest of drawers to pick a clean pair of undergarments, her hand touched the small album at the bottom. The fingers lingered over the album for more than necessary as flashes from the past appeared before her.
At 17, Tanya loved to escape to the Municipal Library to devour law books. She aimed at and dreamed of getting into the top law school of the country at Pune. She tied up her hair in a pink bandana and rode her yellow cycle to the library every day. Every day that was proclaimed to be a holiday. She planted herself on the floor at the back of the library, under a window, and dreamed of being a lawyer. The more she read, the more she noticed her vocabulary and writing improving and her love for the subject growing.
She noticed something else, too: a boy a few years older to her with double shaded hair and intense brown eyes stealing glances at her through the shelves of books. He was there to read to a story-hour group, and often stayed late. Day after day they found themselves both sitting in the same spots, but they never exchanged a word. One day-she couldn't remember why-she didn't make it to the library. After that, she never saw the blue-eyed boy again for quite some time.
Tanya picked up a navy blue knew length dress in chiffon. It accentuated her curves and flattered her skin beautifully. But more than that it seemed perfect to keep in tow, the ageing balding business magnate she imagined her client for the day was to be. She tied her hair up in a loose bun and instantly had curls falling all over framing her face. A dash of lipstick and eyeliner around her eyes and she was happy with the face in the mirror. She took her keys and rushed out through the front porch.
The traffic leaves her mind wandering. People in cars , buses, scooters were rushing home to the comfort of their families. Tanya was all of 30 and yet to settle into family life. Professionally she was doing well for herself but going home to an empty house pinched her once in a while. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. If she couldn’t have it with Aman, she wasn’t prepared to have it with anyone else.
3 years later … her library trips had ensured she was on the path to get her dreams fulfilled. She had gotten into the Las School she dreamed of. One seemingly ordinary day , her friends had thrown a party , no grand reason and yet not completely devoid of reasons either. Tanya had planned on studying for her semester exams and reluctantly nodded a yes to promise her attendance. She walked in and found celebrations in full swing. She wasn’t the partying kind and her mind had fixed it that she would leave as soon as possible after an early dinner. The Party animal sort of party wasn’t her taste at all. Leaning against a counter in the kitchen was this guy, with blue eyes, whom she somehow started talking to. "It was a very comfortable conversation that came around to 'What do you do?'" she recalled. She told him she was studying to become a lawyer and had just picked up a law firm for internship. He immediately said he worked in the same building, an intern at a construction company. So there it was … an instant connection. Tanya found him interesting, intelligent and really but she just wasn't interested in meeting anyone.
Aman, however, was a little more smitten. Tanya had a total soft loveliness about her. She was authentic and grounded. Maybe it was his feeling that destiny brings special people into our lives at the right time. He left the party with her number, sure that he had met his special person and that his time was right.
Their first date was just as pleasant as their first meeting. They quickly learned they had much in common: the movies they liked, the type of food they enjoyed, their sense of humor. They even solved the mystery of the sense of familiarity they felt. The blue eyed boy and the girl with the pink bandana and yellow bike from the library had walked into each other’s life. More outings followed.
She was surprised, then, when six months into their relationship, Aman proposed. She was so not ready and wanted to focus on her career that she thought he was joking. But it turned out he was quite serious. He took her home to introduce her to his parents. She loved them. When he popped the question, she turned him down flat.
Aman never mentioned marriage again, a fact he attributes more to economics than to reluctance. He'd finished his internship and was freelancing, which led him to feel less financially secure, so he couldn't afford a ring and didn't want to enter a marriage on unsure economic terms and doubtful love. He left town a few months later. She remembered that day … she had so wanted to ask him to stay and yet she didn’t. She didn’t think it was right to hold him onto a future she hadn’t thought off as yet. She cried and he held onto her , kissed her tears before he turned and walked away.
The car stopped and she woke up from her reverie. She wondered where he was and what he was doing as she entered the Lobby.
She walked into the Restaurant and asks for table No 22. Waltzing towards the table and realized that the client wasn’t an aging balding business magnate. She crossed the table and turned around to greet him, and stared open mouthed a pair of big brown eyes, those painfully familiar eyes. AMAN. He rose from his chair and they stood face to face for what seemed like an eternity. The 10 long years that had separated them suddenly disappeared. Tanya felt like her body was being spun in a washing machine. She felt giddy and tipsy when Aman reached out and balanced her. The touch was as electric as it used to be. He gave her the smile that had always made her want to do anything for him. The twinkle in his eyes were still the same. He looked the same except for his salt and pepper hair.
He looked calm and composed. Had he set it up? It wasn’t possible. For heavens sake he couldn’t infect Chaya with a flu. She saw him looking at her ring finger.
“What would you like to have ?“,he asked very obviously amused.
“Anything“, she replied curtly.
“You haven’t changed a bit… “, he replied cheekily.
Nothing seemed to be going right at the moment. Aman for some reason seemed to be pleased with her agony.
“How have you been ? “he asked her gently in that raspy voice she realized could still make her melt.
“ Been ok “she muttered. “ Busy “ she concluded.
The main course was served and they ate in silence. As he ordered the desert, she realized he still remembered her favourite dishes. She looked at him and knew love was still there. Atleast she felt so. As if on a cue he turned and she blushed wondering if he had read her mind just then.
She looked at him “Are you settled in Delhi? What about uncle and aunty ?Family,Kids ? …. She trailed off.
“Whoa! That’s a whole lot of questions Tanu “ , he replied. Do you want the last 10 years of my life in a capsule? “he mocked.
The desert was deliciously sweet. So was the moments with him inspite of the terror growing inside her at having to face Chaya. He paid the bills and they walked out of the hotel.
“Can I drop you home ?“, he asked.
“I have a car” she replied. He opened the door and as she got in he said, ” Don’t worry about the meeting. I will have it covered for you tomorrow. Get home and sleep well.”
The car sped off almost immediately. She didn’t get a chance to reply. The journey back home left her weary and forlorn. Things with Aman had again ended abruptly.
She reached home and changed into her night clothes. Took a book from her bookshelf, turned on the music and settled into her chair with the book on her lap. She closed her eyes trying to make sense of the day today.
She heard the faint knock at her door. She went to open the door. There was no one visible. And then as she was about to close the door in frustration she sees the shadow on the right side. She walks out to the front porch and turns her head to the right, when she gets pulled into Aman.
“What the ... “she starts to say, as he puts his finger on her lips.
“I have recently moved to Delhi. My parents are still in Mumbai. And I haven’t been married.“ he says pulling her closer to him. “How could I let you go without answering your questions?“ he added with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Why haven’t you married ? “Tanya questions feeling warm and secure in his arms.
“It took me this long to find you Tanu, that’s why… “, he whispered into her hair.
He kissed the trail down her cheeks.
“ What are you doing ? “ , she asked , her voice barely a whisper.
“ I was curious , “ he replied in a tone that was sexily hoarse.
“ About what ? “
“ If happy tears taste the same as sad ones “ , he said with a wink as she closed her eyes. He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her softly, teasing her with his lips. Her body responded and she wrapped her arms around him. His kiss got deeper, harder and he backed her into the wall. He smelled like leather, spice and soap. She breathed him in, savoring every complex note.
The shadowy figure was finally within her reach. As he lifted her to cross the threshold, she thought to herself “It was No Longer a Dream “
( This is my entry for Week 2 of Second Chance - Lj Idol Season 10. The prompt was Front Porch and if you do find my take on it worthwhile do know that I appreciate concrits and comments and open to suggestions too. )
She felt compelled to find out who it was today. Tanya followed the shadowy figure. She walked faster as she realized the figure was well within her reach if she only could lean forward a bit more, stretch her hand a little further. And then she fell.
Face Down.
Tanya woke up from her dream at this point - Always. The setting was different on most days but the composition almost the same. The shadowy figure, her going after it, and then her fall. She wondered if there was a way to knock some sense into yourself in your dream.
Her day at the office was routine. But her job as junior pleader under a well established senior Advocate was one that kept her busy. She had no time for idle thoughts which she knew could creep in otherwise. She was just about to leave office, when her senior buzzed her in. Tanya was in awe of Chaya Mathur. As she walks in she realizes that Chaya is unusually worked up. Tanya is then briefed, very briefly on a new case. A high profile meeting was scheduled at the Crowne Plaza and the Viral Flu has chosen today of all days to pin Chaya down. She looks a mess and feels even worse. Chaya tells Tanya in ‘no other option’ tone that she has to be at Crowne Plaza at 8pm sharp.
Chaya gives her the luxury of the office car to make sure that she reaches on time. She had enough time to go home and freshen up , change into something suitable and go over to meet the client. As she finished her bath and opened the chest of drawers to pick a clean pair of undergarments, her hand touched the small album at the bottom. The fingers lingered over the album for more than necessary as flashes from the past appeared before her.
At 17, Tanya loved to escape to the Municipal Library to devour law books. She aimed at and dreamed of getting into the top law school of the country at Pune. She tied up her hair in a pink bandana and rode her yellow cycle to the library every day. Every day that was proclaimed to be a holiday. She planted herself on the floor at the back of the library, under a window, and dreamed of being a lawyer. The more she read, the more she noticed her vocabulary and writing improving and her love for the subject growing.
She noticed something else, too: a boy a few years older to her with double shaded hair and intense brown eyes stealing glances at her through the shelves of books. He was there to read to a story-hour group, and often stayed late. Day after day they found themselves both sitting in the same spots, but they never exchanged a word. One day-she couldn't remember why-she didn't make it to the library. After that, she never saw the blue-eyed boy again for quite some time.
Tanya picked up a navy blue knew length dress in chiffon. It accentuated her curves and flattered her skin beautifully. But more than that it seemed perfect to keep in tow, the ageing balding business magnate she imagined her client for the day was to be. She tied her hair up in a loose bun and instantly had curls falling all over framing her face. A dash of lipstick and eyeliner around her eyes and she was happy with the face in the mirror. She took her keys and rushed out through the front porch.
The traffic leaves her mind wandering. People in cars , buses, scooters were rushing home to the comfort of their families. Tanya was all of 30 and yet to settle into family life. Professionally she was doing well for herself but going home to an empty house pinched her once in a while. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. If she couldn’t have it with Aman, she wasn’t prepared to have it with anyone else.
3 years later … her library trips had ensured she was on the path to get her dreams fulfilled. She had gotten into the Las School she dreamed of. One seemingly ordinary day , her friends had thrown a party , no grand reason and yet not completely devoid of reasons either. Tanya had planned on studying for her semester exams and reluctantly nodded a yes to promise her attendance. She walked in and found celebrations in full swing. She wasn’t the partying kind and her mind had fixed it that she would leave as soon as possible after an early dinner. The Party animal sort of party wasn’t her taste at all. Leaning against a counter in the kitchen was this guy, with blue eyes, whom she somehow started talking to. "It was a very comfortable conversation that came around to 'What do you do?'" she recalled. She told him she was studying to become a lawyer and had just picked up a law firm for internship. He immediately said he worked in the same building, an intern at a construction company. So there it was … an instant connection. Tanya found him interesting, intelligent and really but she just wasn't interested in meeting anyone.
Aman, however, was a little more smitten. Tanya had a total soft loveliness about her. She was authentic and grounded. Maybe it was his feeling that destiny brings special people into our lives at the right time. He left the party with her number, sure that he had met his special person and that his time was right.
Their first date was just as pleasant as their first meeting. They quickly learned they had much in common: the movies they liked, the type of food they enjoyed, their sense of humor. They even solved the mystery of the sense of familiarity they felt. The blue eyed boy and the girl with the pink bandana and yellow bike from the library had walked into each other’s life. More outings followed.
She was surprised, then, when six months into their relationship, Aman proposed. She was so not ready and wanted to focus on her career that she thought he was joking. But it turned out he was quite serious. He took her home to introduce her to his parents. She loved them. When he popped the question, she turned him down flat.
Aman never mentioned marriage again, a fact he attributes more to economics than to reluctance. He'd finished his internship and was freelancing, which led him to feel less financially secure, so he couldn't afford a ring and didn't want to enter a marriage on unsure economic terms and doubtful love. He left town a few months later. She remembered that day … she had so wanted to ask him to stay and yet she didn’t. She didn’t think it was right to hold him onto a future she hadn’t thought off as yet. She cried and he held onto her , kissed her tears before he turned and walked away.
The car stopped and she woke up from her reverie. She wondered where he was and what he was doing as she entered the Lobby.
She walked into the Restaurant and asks for table No 22. Waltzing towards the table and realized that the client wasn’t an aging balding business magnate. She crossed the table and turned around to greet him, and stared open mouthed a pair of big brown eyes, those painfully familiar eyes. AMAN. He rose from his chair and they stood face to face for what seemed like an eternity. The 10 long years that had separated them suddenly disappeared. Tanya felt like her body was being spun in a washing machine. She felt giddy and tipsy when Aman reached out and balanced her. The touch was as electric as it used to be. He gave her the smile that had always made her want to do anything for him. The twinkle in his eyes were still the same. He looked the same except for his salt and pepper hair.
He looked calm and composed. Had he set it up? It wasn’t possible. For heavens sake he couldn’t infect Chaya with a flu. She saw him looking at her ring finger.
“What would you like to have ?“,he asked very obviously amused.
“Anything“, she replied curtly.
“You haven’t changed a bit… “, he replied cheekily.
Nothing seemed to be going right at the moment. Aman for some reason seemed to be pleased with her agony.
“How have you been ? “he asked her gently in that raspy voice she realized could still make her melt.
“ Been ok “she muttered. “ Busy “ she concluded.
The main course was served and they ate in silence. As he ordered the desert, she realized he still remembered her favourite dishes. She looked at him and knew love was still there. Atleast she felt so. As if on a cue he turned and she blushed wondering if he had read her mind just then.
She looked at him “Are you settled in Delhi? What about uncle and aunty ?Family,Kids ? …. She trailed off.
“Whoa! That’s a whole lot of questions Tanu “ , he replied. Do you want the last 10 years of my life in a capsule? “he mocked.
The desert was deliciously sweet. So was the moments with him inspite of the terror growing inside her at having to face Chaya. He paid the bills and they walked out of the hotel.
“Can I drop you home ?“, he asked.
“I have a car” she replied. He opened the door and as she got in he said, ” Don’t worry about the meeting. I will have it covered for you tomorrow. Get home and sleep well.”
The car sped off almost immediately. She didn’t get a chance to reply. The journey back home left her weary and forlorn. Things with Aman had again ended abruptly.
She reached home and changed into her night clothes. Took a book from her bookshelf, turned on the music and settled into her chair with the book on her lap. She closed her eyes trying to make sense of the day today.
She heard the faint knock at her door. She went to open the door. There was no one visible. And then as she was about to close the door in frustration she sees the shadow on the right side. She walks out to the front porch and turns her head to the right, when she gets pulled into Aman.
“What the ... “she starts to say, as he puts his finger on her lips.
“I have recently moved to Delhi. My parents are still in Mumbai. And I haven’t been married.“ he says pulling her closer to him. “How could I let you go without answering your questions?“ he added with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Why haven’t you married ? “Tanya questions feeling warm and secure in his arms.
“It took me this long to find you Tanu, that’s why… “, he whispered into her hair.
He kissed the trail down her cheeks.
“ What are you doing ? “ , she asked , her voice barely a whisper.
“ I was curious , “ he replied in a tone that was sexily hoarse.
“ About what ? “
“ If happy tears taste the same as sad ones “ , he said with a wink as she closed her eyes. He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her softly, teasing her with his lips. Her body responded and she wrapped her arms around him. His kiss got deeper, harder and he backed her into the wall. He smelled like leather, spice and soap. She breathed him in, savoring every complex note.
The shadowy figure was finally within her reach. As he lifted her to cross the threshold, she thought to herself “It was No Longer a Dream “
( This is my entry for Week 2 of Second Chance - Lj Idol Season 10. The prompt was Front Porch and if you do find my take on it worthwhile do know that I appreciate concrits and comments and open to suggestions too. )