Shades

WRITER – Pranav Agarwal     AGE – 13 years     Student of FIND YOUR VOICE by creativeHappiness

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On a fine and sunny, supine sunday morning, somewhere in New Delhi, India……. :

Daren, who had faded to sleep late at night, playing Xbox all night to savour the rare long weekend he got , was startled by a ring on his mobile. All of a sudden the device rose to life. He looked up at his mobile,hung up, and then hid his head beneath the pillow, annoyed. The pillow was wet and goey ,he had drooled! The phone rang again, this time irritated further,he rolled lethargically like a sleepy student, in the middle of his classes from side to side on the bed, creating a fuss and mumbled to himself- “Arhgg…i hate this. I always did!!”.

“Morning.” The sweet, pleasant voice came to him as a  teacher’s grunt, awakening the sleepy student!
“Who is this, please?” He replied, yawning!
“Guess who, it’s me again!”
“Whoa..wait.no..impossible..Jane?!” He replied, emphatically, giving color to his dull face as he sat up, startled.
“You remember more  than I imagined! Long long time, huh?” With sound of honking and people shouting in the setting.
“Uh..Jane,its been 3 yrs. 37 days to be precise. I have thought about you each passing day. I have prayed for your well being….”
“Can you meet me?!” She exclaimed,interrupting, cutting him short.
” I tried to reach you”he started again, but was again cut short in a queer manner.
“Umm..Is C.C.D, vasant kunj fine with you?”Daren guessed ” she was definitely with someone, pushing her to hurry.” As she was always pleasant and patient .
“Yup, surely. I’ll be there!”, he replied, now writing down the details On the blank note sheets on his bedside.
“Be there at 12:00.Don’t be late, like always!” Said the voice, modestly, with some emotion,and hung up.

Daren rose from bed,in a hurried manner, with the words ‘ Don’t be late’ playing in his head. with rejoice and jubilation,smiling like he never had in the past three years, he sprang to get dressed Singing and dancing to himself. He walked up to the bathroom with haste, picked up his best clothing ,almost ruining his otherwise well-kept wardrobe, with all clothes neatly kept. After a good bathe, he looked towards himself in the mirror, adopting a hairstyle that made him look stylish and modern, balancing the otherwise cute, pink-cheeked face. He sprayed on himself a wonderful fragrance, the best he had! He put on himself, a non-classical, fashionable ARMANI leather jacket, to rebuff the mild chill that had set in. He picked up his keys, nearly dropping them for the third time. The young handsome man had virtually lost count of the items he dropped, as though he had forgotten everything, and why wouldn’t he? He was,after all, going to meet the girl he had missed so much. He walked past the gangway, debating with himself, if he should put on the hat, to compliment the jacket, and eventually decided against it. He gave strong, fast kicks to his bike. The kicks had energy like that of  an ill man, on death bed, who had got the lease of life, a chance to live again, possessed. “Why isn’t the damn bike taking off..uh starting?” He thought to himself, giving an annoyed bang to the bike. Suddenly, a voice from the background reminded him –
“Don’t forget these keys, babu!”. It was the old maid.
“What I dropped them? It wasn’t in the bike all the time? Oops!!”,He replied, with an embarrassed smile. “I must have dropped them whilst in the kitchen. Whats happening to me? Oh, never mind”, he thought to himself.
” Wha…wha..what is different today, ba..ba.babu? you didn’t even..uhh..notice me today! Wha..wha.what shall I cook?”she asked stammering and stumbling over words.
“You just give me the keys,  go home and stop troubling me!”
“Ok, ba..ba..babu” she replied, giving him the keys, and swiftly moving inside,without another word, shrewdly grabbing the opportunity.
“Oh, what did i just say. Forget it now, and move on!” He thought to himself.
He inserted his keys, and gave a strong kick, starting the engine without any sound. Daren rushed out of his garden, even bumping into a pot, but paying no attention continued his journey, full throttle!
“Damn. Would I reach in time? I hope I wont hit the rush hour! The vasant kunj road especially ! Uh.. Please no traffic today!”, he maundered to himself.
He arrived at the cafe, just in time. The cool ambiance of the cafe, felt nice, after the unexpected scorching sun.
He took his table just beside a young-muscular man, who was playing music in his ears!
“Office employees”,he thought,”he shall leave soon.” Probably here for a break. He shan’t be a problem”, he thought.
Soon, Jane walked in. Daren stood up , formally like gentlemen do, and just as he looked at her, he remembered, it all started coming back to him:
‘Daren entered late at night, stumbling over the pot jane had bought. He interpreted the deep red, angry eyes of Jane on the couch, and her modest attitude, neglecting his presence.
“Damn Jane, i just went out with friends. What is wrong with that?”, and walked up to the couch and then took a few steps back, hesitatingly.
At first she said nothing, noiselessly ignoring him, pretending to look on the screen of her  mobile.
“Put that phone away, now, and talk to me!”he said in a deep, mad , domineering voice, asserting his will over her’s.
“Excuse me, I’m nor your puppet. Besides, going out with friends,and staying there till late, is alright? If not this, you’re at office, working! So what am I in your life. What of me?” She moaned and said all this in a different voice, like debaters do, to pull down there opponents.
“Why are you feeling so insecure? What’s wrong with nigh outs?”. Daren shrugged.
Jane just turned on her back, looked away, and pretended to sleep, on the couch.
Daren too walked away, giving an awkward droop to his shoulder. He entered his bedroom, stomping, and just jumped into bed.
He tried every remedy and position to fall asleep, but there he was, tossing and turing in bed, hour after hour, waiting for sleep to come. The harder he tried, the more it got pushed away.
Next morning, with eyes as red as a cricket ball, tired with sleeplessness he looked outside, to find an empty couch.
“Jane….Jane.where are you?”, his eyes now rolling from side to side, for the mere sight of the girl he loved, who was nowhere to be found.
He walked up to the dining table, looked everywhere for Jane but found her nowhere. Instead, he discovered a note. The handwriting was beautiful, and elegant just as Jane’s. He found it beneath a  rose from the vase, he had bought her.
“What is it wet with her tears? Did she cry?” He thought to himself.
The note read:
‘Dear Daren,
This relationship isn’t working. I have tried long and hard to maintain it, but found only myself in it. I’m myself don’t know where I shall end up. Don’t ever try to look for me…
Love now and always.
Jane’
Tears began to flow from his red eyes , ruining the ‘love now and always’. He could do nothing but cry over it.’
“Hi” said Jane, breaking Daren’s chain of thoughts.
“Hey!” He replied, as they both sat down. Daren called for the waiter.
“How  have you been!?”started Jane.
The waiter interrupted them and asked -” What can i get you, sir?”
“Umm..get me a lattè he said pointing towards the menu.”
“And madam, anything for you?”
“Uh..get me a  cappuccino, a mayonnaise sandwich, with a choco lava cake.” She replied instantly, without even looking at the menu,as if she had been there often!
“Anything else?”the waiter asked, slightly taken aback.
“No, nothing Manish” Said daren, looking at the name badge of the waiter.
“Just bring everything quick!” Jane told the waiter, as daren observed a different jane.
The waiter hurried off, after thanking them for the order.
“I missed you.” Started Daren. ” i thought about you day and night, I had sleepless nights. I prayed for your well being! Can we get back together?” He asked politely, trying to look as polite as possible.
And then, all of a sudden a deep, voice from the background spoke, angrily-” NEVER IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS!”
“What the hell.. Who are you supposed to be?” He shouted, looking at Jane.
Jane looked towards the floor. It seemed her eyes were filled with tears, that came dropping down like crystals, or as they seemed to Daren.
“I told you not to but in, didn’t I?” Screamed Jane at the young, muscular man.
“I couldn’t see this happening, Jane. How could I?”
Daren, said trying to make sense of it all, “So brought me here to meet your new boyfriend? How could you, Jane. How could you? You betrayed me! One can always count upon people like you. You fell to the level of jealousy?” ,as a tear drop rolled  down his cheeks, onto his Armani jacket.
“Fiancé”, Jane corrected him.
Daren’s heartbeat stopped. He stood there, unable to believe what was happening. His face lost all expression. His eyes closed, and he dropped back into his seat, probably unconscious.
Meanwhile the waiter came in with the food-” Now whose up for some food, just as you like it!” ,and then noticed Daren’s eyes shut!
“Oh alright,sir, whenever it’s the right time!” He said, sarcastically, trying to be humorous.
Just then, the muscular man waved him to leave. Understanding the gravity of the situation, the waiter left, without another word.
Just then, Daren’s eyes opened. Jane gasped and began, crying now, ” I’m so sorry Daren.  I never meant too. This is my fiancé, Tom. He was there for me, which you never were. And hence, I’m here, to invite to my wedding, as she placed the wedding card, on the table.”

Daren looked at the card, then into her eyes, and then just turned back and started walking,bumping into a table. It was as if he had been transported to another world. A world where he had no place for trust, love or believe…