Off Shore [Part II]

11:05 AM

The pool was jam-packed that morning— as if all the guests at the resort had come just for a swim.  Krish was searching for her but she was nowhere to be seen. He had earlier looked for her at the beach, the rink, and also at the café, but all in vain. He felt disheartened and started walking towards his room, when some thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he started running. He ran through the arena into the resort like a madman. He was almost sprinting now. He took the stairs as always— he hated waiting for the elevators. He had lost count of the floors he had climbed, when finally, he reached the terrace door, and banged it open.
The terrace was a bit on the underdeveloped side. The management hadn’t given a thought to develop the place into a quiescent arcade. As a result, there were bundles of copper wire, iron bars, plywood sheets, and cement bags scattered all over the place. A granite slab stood firm, fixed on two short pillars which resembled a bench, where Krish spotted her sitting. He was out of breath and panting heavily, but felt relieved though that he had finally found her. He neared her slowly, and got himself seated beside her, while she could only keep looking at him.

“You bathe with your clothes on huh?” she asked inspecting him from top to bottom. He looked at himself, just to find his clothes completely wet with sweat.

“And you love showing me your teeth, right?” he said, as she continued to giggle at him.

“Okay enough; stop giggling and quieten down. I’m angry on you okay!” he was trying to make her believe that he was upset.

“You think I’ll be fooled by your fake frowns? No Dumbo. I won’t!” she was teasing him in the best way she could. “By the way, why are you acting out to be angry on me huh?” she asked curiously.

“You have become such a good friend of mine. In just one night, you have started to mean so much to me. You have become so important to me, and I don’t even know your name. That’s not at all fair,” he complained.

“How important? How important am I to you? Tell me sweetie…” she started getting closer to him.

“Uh-hmm-ah” he tried clearing his throat, as the nervousness and anxiety was showing off his face. “What-are-you-doing?” he tried asking in a shaky voice. She had come so close to him that she could listen to his breathing pattern clearly.

She looked straight in his eyes, just to say “I’ve scared the hell out of you, haven’t I?” and she burst out laughing.

“You’re IMPOSSIBLE!” he said, as she started running away from him and he started chasing her. After a minute of having a ‘Tom & Jerry’ chase, he got hold of her.

“Are you this naughty with everyone or am I someone special?” he asked pulling her pale cheeks.

“Hmm… Let’s just say that I hadn’t met anyone as dumb as you, yet!” she said, getting rid of him and initiated another fast-paced-high-octane chase, resulting in more laughter on the patio.

01:17 PM

The lunch was delicious. The resort had arranged a special banquet feast for their guests.  Munching off the main delicacies, they both were now eyeing the dessert zone. The dessert distributor was surrounded by way too many people, and getting through it would have been a risky affair. But Krish had other plans. 10 minutes later, he rose out of nowhere right in front of her with two shiny white plastic bowls in his hands. The one in his left hand filled to the brim with Butterscotch Ice-Cream while the other bowl preferred having the choco-chips flavour inside it. She loved Ice-Creams, and was absolutely crazy about all the flavours that were chocolate derivatives.

“I’ll have the Choco-chips one,” she commanded.

“You can have both of them” he said, smiling suspiciously.

“Good then” she said as she moved forward to get her reward as he stopped her, turning away from her so as to distance her from the bowls.

“But,” he said with a stern voice, “There’s one little condition.”

“What condition?” she asked cautiously, her eyes still set on the bowl in his right hand.

“You,” he said, offering her a better look of the chocolate delicacy, “have to tell me your good name.”

“Why suddenly─” she started, but was cut short.

“I am not that dumb as you think I am, sweetie. You think you’ll avoid telling me your name, and I won’t even realize it?” he said showing off his smartness.

“Okayz! But I too have a condition,” she replied, offering his smartness back to him.

“WH-at?” he asked sensing a danger in the statement he was going to hear.

“Hmm… You have to spend the entire day with me. So when the night falls, I’ll tell you my name. Deal?” she asked casually.

He was in a dilemma whether he was supposed to be happy or sad. He was relieved that she hadn’t asked for too much but he was disappointed as he had to wait for her name till the night. Finally he felt that the deal was in his favour and he accepted her condition.

“It’s a deal then!” she said snatching the bowl from his right hand.

04:38 PM

“So tell me more about this Avani. Is she your girlfriend?” she enquired concealing the notorious smile on her face.

“Girlfriend? No way!” he was surprized, and laughed out the idea at the same time.

“She’s just a friend. Actually my best friend. Nothing more than that,” he said, while she was busy examining the balloon that he had held between his palms. His answer seemed to be quite honest although.

“Good, coz I-LOVE-YOU” she said as he looked at her astonished. She realized he was looking at her in shock as she clarified, “What? I was just checking out what’s written on the balloon. Look,” she said pointing at the cursive text on the balloon.
Krish was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when another obstacle was ready to test him. He saw his Mom and Dad waving at him from the opposite corner of the spline natured track. Krish’s parents had nurtured a pretty unorthodox thinking. They identified to this ‘New Age Parenting’ ideology, wherein now that Krish was sixteen, they were no more his parents but his friends instead. While most other kids would crave for such parental upbringing, Krish would often be irritated. His Mom and Dad felt that he was too shy with girls, which was actually true; but they had this habit of usually going over the top while guiding him. That’s why, when they spotted him talking with some girl, they would walk up to the girl and ham usually, messing up the situation even more for him. He feared the same this time and hence signalled them that everything was fine and their help was not required. They smiled at him and wished him luck, after which they gave a high-five to each other, while Krish looked down in discomfort, hoping she hadn’t seen anything of it.

*****

They spent their afternoon together as planned— playing silly games, rating the guys and girls in the avenue out of 10, and sharing their likes, dislikes, hobbies, and secrets, in the scenic coconut plantation. They finally ended up buying another pair of heart-shaped balloons while having a brisk walk on the jogging track there.

“Best friend? Then why not girlfriend?” she asked, getting back to the topic. “I’m asking about Avani. She doesn’t look good?” she asked again. She seemed even more curious to him now.

“Actually… I don’t know,” he confessed somewhat softly, looking down as if feeling guilty about something.

“You don’t know if your best friend is beautiful or not? Are you crazy? Or then, you’re simply trying to be one, just coz you don’t want to share anything with me,” she said with a bit of sarcasm.

“No! It’s not like that. I really don’t know. To be honest, I haven’t seen her yet,” Krish finally let the cat out of the box.

“I’m not getting you,” she said, seeming totally confused now.

“Avani is my pen-friend you see. We write to each other, share our smiles and sorrows, let out our secrets, and help out each other, but only through correspondence. Actually, not we— just me. She never talks about herself. I have no idea about how’s her family, her friends, her social life— nothing! I also have no idea why she doesn’t talk about her life. I’ve tried mentioning it to her many a times, but in vain. All she talks about is me, my problems, my achievements, and my happiness! She never likes to discuss her problems. Sometimes, I wonder if she even has a single problem in her life. I spoke too much I guess. But the point is, we haven’t ever seen each other.
“And,” he continued, “I don’t need to know how she looks, for I know that she’s the most beautiful person when it comes to inner beauty— beauty of the mind, and that’s what matters to me. Beauty lies in one’s thoughts. Good looks are a mirage. Inner beauty is eternal.” Her eyes were transfixed on him. There was a certain awe and respect in her eyes for him. She seemed to be very proud of something.

”Wow! Your thoughts are so simple yet matured. You don’t know who exactly she is, how she looks, if she’s beautiful or ugly, rich or poor. And yet, you have let her in your world. You have opened up to her. That shows how beautiful you are as a person. You don’t care about masks that people mistake as beauty. You care about the inner emotion, the depth. You’re a worshipper of the soul. I’ll tell you one thing. The girl you’ll marry is going to be one lucky damsel,” she put it into words.

“And I hope it’s you!” Krish said smiling at her. She looked back at him, expressionless. She felt as if he was not just a friend now, but had become someone more important and significant than that. There was a certain fear that showed off her face. She wanted him to break that uneasy silence. She wanted him to come up with something sweet, something she could keep with her for her entire life. But all he could ask her was, “I scared the hell out of you, didn’t I?” and started laughing at her, giving her to chance to run behind him now. They sure did seem to be in love with this ‘Tom & Jerry’ chase thing by now!

08:12 PM

“So, Miss Unknown” Krish said in a news reporter-like tone, “How do you feel after spending a day with the extremely handsome, charming, dashing and smart, Mr Krish? Did you like it?”

“Hmm…” she started, with the facial expression of being in some profound thought, “It was okay!” “The chemistry was good,” she continued, in a tone similar to that of a talent-hunt reality show judge, “But the X-factor was lacking."

“X-factor huh?” he said in a sarcastic tone. “How about this X-factor?” he said with a notorious smile as he began tickling her.

“Fine! Fine!! It was awesome,” she said as he continued his provocation. “But honestly,” she said, now becoming a bit serious, “This is the best day of my life. You have gifted me with memories for lifetime. Each second I’ve spent with you is surely a treasure for me. Everything from that partially burnt coffee, to the scrumptious lunch, those lovely red balloons to those bearing-less skates and that messed up terrace to this spellbinding beach,” she said eyeing the beauty of the shore, “I really feel blessed, to have got a friend like you. I really do find myself damn lucky you know. Thank you for this wonderful day, for these memories worth a lifetime, for that breath-taking Toy-car ride. Jokes apart— but really, thank you for everything Krish!” she seemed to be getting emotional now.

“The pleasure is mine, Mademoiselle,” he said in a faulty French accent that he tried copying from some French movie he’d earlier seen. “And,” he continued, “As a reward, I now expect you to tell me something honestly.” She knew right way this had to be about her name, as he exclaimed, “I thought for the whole night, but I didn’t get the secret. People write the names of someone they love on sand. Why did you write FREEDOM?” She was relieved as she let out a gasp.

“Let’s just say, I am in love with this word then?” she said, varying her intonations.

“Nah! Such diplomatic and tricky answers won’t work for me,” he replied. “I said answer honestly. HO-NEST-LY! Remember?” he said, his voice seeming to be a bit agitated— just a bit.

“Not tricking you dear. I’m really in love with this word. Freedom! To be doing what you wish to— what you want to. Every soul loves freedom, doesn’t it? To smile, to cry, to live without any hesitation— doesn’t it sound enchanting?” “And,” she said taking a long breath, “We’re damn lucky to be free you know. Not everyone is so lucky.”

“Oh” he said, as if having solved a testing and cryptic mystery, “You work for PETA. I get it.”

“Huh?” she exclaimed in pure bewilderment, demanding an elaboration.

“People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. You work for them. You undoubtedly do. You are an animal lover. Freedom for animals, that sort of thing right?” he said with a victorious look on his face.

“You know what? You’re amazing! How do you manage to be so smart?” she exclaimed, sarcasm dripping off her voice.

“That I am,” he uttered, simply not getting what she wanted to convey. “So─” he started, but wasn’t allowed to finish.

“Listen, I’m getting late actually. I’ve spent the whole day with you. I need to get back to my room for some time now.”

“But we’re yet to have our dinner. I still have so much to talk,” Krish said, somewhat saddened by the fragility of the situation.

“Let’s just do one thing. I’ll quickly have a visit to my room, get fresh, be with my family for some time and we’ll meet for the dinner sharp at 11 o’ clock. What say?” she seemed anxious.

“Okay then…” he said giving it a thought.

“One more thing. Don’t ever think you’re alone. And never let that cute smile fade away. It’s too precious to let go,” she said, as she reminded him of someone else— someone very close, someone who always advised it, but he shook his head in disagreement with himself. “See you around then. Hope we meet again.” she said.

“Huh? We’re meeting at 11 right?” he said confused.

“Oh yeah— Right!!” she said displaying a simulated smile on her exquisitely appealing face, “Remember Krish, You Only Live Once!”

And she was gone. He knew he was going to see her again in a couple of hours, but she had other plans. Leaving elegant footmarks on the drenched gravel beneath, she walked away, as he continued to stare at her waning shadow.

10:36 PM

Krish was excited. He was ready now. His dark black denims and sporty-yellow shirt shone brightly, complementing his face. His Eau-de-Paris cologne gave the final finishing touch. He thanked God that his Mom and Dad were busy downstairs with their friends and Kabir had accompanied them too, or he would’ve had to bear them teasing him for the entire weekend. He was planning about what he should say and how. ‘Should I tell her what I feel about her? What will I say exactly? How will she react?’ He was also wondering about her “You Only Live Once” statements. They sounded familiar. He was aware of this philosophy— he was use to reading it. With great efforts, he was trying to recall where he’d been reading it. All sorts of thoughts were hovering in his mind, when he heard a knock at the door. Wondering who it was at that time of the hour, he opened the door, just to find a cute little girl waiting for him at his doorstep.

“Are you Krishhhh?” she enquired.

“Yes little angel. I am Krishhhhhh!” he said mimicking her and pulling her cheeks.

“This is for you,” she said handing over an envelope to him as she fled through the corridor.

‘Krish’ the envelope read. He opened it just to find a letter waiting to be read, written in a very familiar handwriting. He was eager to find out what was written inside, his heart pounding hard— the secrets for a lifetime, ready to be unveiled as he started grasping the contents.

“Dear Krish,
I write to you for the umpteenth time today, but I don’t know why it feels like it’s the first time I’m writing. Tonight, I write to you in guilt, asking for an apology. I’m sorry, but I’m leaving Krish. I know, all these years, I never talked to you about myself. I didn’t, because I didn’t feel like. You know your letters were like my pain relievers. While reading your letters, I used to get so engrossed in it, that I used to forget myself, my problems, my life. I never shared, for the mere thought of it brought me heaps of harassment. But tonight I want to share everything— I want to let you know everything.

My Sis isn’t my closest friend. She was. She... She didn’t leave me for some person, Krish. She left me ‘coz she was summoned— summoned up by the limitless skies. She and my dad passed away in a car accident 3 years ago. My mom— already a heart-patient— couldn’t bear the shock and she followed them six months later. Thereafter I started living with my aunt’s family. They are nice people surely, but not as nice as I thought. I have no liberty, whatsoever. I thought I were like their second daughter. But I guess I was totally wrong. I guess you’re adorable and loved only until your parents are alive. I’ve been cursed a million times, just coz they couldn’t leave me alone at home with all their money, and had to splurge a lot for my stay at the resort this weekend. The guy I fought with last night was my cousin’s friend. He’s been told to keep an eye on me. I’m not even allowed to talk to anyone. And this guy, who looks at me in the cheapest way a guy possibly can, isn’t a problem for them. This small girl who gave you the letter— she’s the only person who even smiles at me. I’m not made for this Krish. I’m definitely not. 

You know Krish, when my parents were alive, my dreams were everything to me. And now, I pity my condition. I want to see the world Krish. I want to travel the world, visit new places, meet new people, make new friends, learn new languages, stumble upon, dance, laugh, cry. I want to live— on my terms, according to my wishes. I’m not made for this kind of life Krish. I want to live now. And so I’m running away. Away, from this cage, this prison. You know Krish, the day you wrote me that you were going to “Off Shore” this New Year weekend, I was on cloud 9. My biggest dream— that of meeting you— was coming true. But I was nervous— what’ll happen when we meet, what shall we talk, what shall we say. But more importantly, will you like me? The way I look, the way I talk, the way I laugh— you were unaware of these things and I didn’t know if you would like these quirks of mine. And if not, then what? 

And that’s why I decided that I won’t disclose my identity to you till the time was right. But you destroyed all those misapprehensions. And we met. We finally did. We met off shore at a resort named "Off Shore!" How cute is that? You satisfactorily answered all my questions. Krish, I never considered you as a friend— you were always something more than that. You know I always think, that if I do get married, my husband should be like you— rather, you should be the one. Yes Krish, for me our bond has crossed the terms of friendship long ago. It’s something pure, something eternal— it’s something called Love… I am really thankful to you for spending this day with me. Today’s memories can keep me alive for a long time from now. I’m leaving now Krish. I don’t know where I’ll go. I don’t know when I’ll return. I don’t know if I’ll even return. I don’t know when I’ll be able to write to you again, when I’ll be able to talk to you again, but you’ll always stay in my heart as my first love! I know I should’ve told you all this face-to-face, but I neither had the guts, nor the time. It’s time for me to start my journey, my voyage. I hope you’re with me in this decision I’ve taken, in this journey I’ve chosen. I do have some money and some plans. I know it's difficult, but try not to worry about me. Wherever I'll be, I'll be fine. And you now know why I wrote FREEDOM, right? Not coz I’m a PETA associate okay? You are the essence of my life Krish. You are the anchor the ship of my life needs. I love you Krish. I really do. Hope to see you soon.

Regards.

Yours,

Avani

PS: You Only Live Once!”