Sunday, September 2, 2012

Strangers in the Night

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 31; the thirty-first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Strangers in the Night'

“Sneha! This is Vijaya, our estate manager’s wife”
Sneha barely glanced up to acknowledge the greeting. The warm smile of recognition died on Vijaya’s lips. Was this the same girl who shared a room with her at college? The poor girl whose fees she had paid, whose books she had bought and whose wardrobe she had purchased? The one who was so willing to do any job for her? This woman bedecked in golden finery was scarcely recognizable as the poor yet lovely girl at college.
“Rama! I do not agree that it is luck that makes us what we are. It takes intelligence to keep what luck has given us.”
“How do you say that?”
“Well…there was this girl at college with me – Lakshmi! Born of rich parents and could have lived a life of luxury. She was fool enough to love a middle class botany student and marry him against her parent’s wishes. They disowned her and she is now probably eking out a miserable life somewhere”
She had not changed all that much from college – bar a few wrinkles on her face. The night was dark but the place was festooned with party lights and, so, it must not be too difficult to see her face. How could Sneha not recognize her – Vijayalakshmi – while she talked so disparagingly about her?
“Don’t you know what your friend is doing now?”
“No! After I married Rajiv and we went for our honeymoon to Switzerland, we lost touch. Anyway, she would only be embarrassed to meet me now”, said Sneha smugly patting her silk sari and adjusting the diamond necklace around her neck.
Vijaya was embarrassed. How could she have invested so much emotion in this woman who could not even think of the possibility of happiness without a Ferrari in the garage? How blind she had been when she held affection for someone who seemed to dole out her love and attention in proportion to the recipient’s bank balance?
Vijaya took leave of the duo. It was better to pass each other as strangers in the night.
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: The Fool, Participation Count: 5
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70 comments:

  1. Amit SinghSeptember 2, 2012 at 11:04 PM

    Nice to see you back ... hope your vacation was nice... Nice post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 2, 2012 at 11:07 PM

      Thanks Amit! You are being kind. I tossed this off iwith just a couple of hours between knowing the contest topic and putting it up just to ensure that I did not break my sequence of participation. Feeling too groggy from my travel to write anything good :)

      Delete
  2. AnishaSeptember 2, 2012 at 11:24 PM

    Nice one. Materialistic pursuits can indeed be misleading!


    All the best for BAT!!

    ❤Not Just My Allegories❤

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 2, 2012 at 11:34 PM

      Thanks Anisha! Gratifying to see comments on this post!

      Delete
  3. UnknownSeptember 3, 2012 at 12:16 AM

    There are people like this and we must ignore them. Liked the way you bring real life situations into your stories :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArtiSeptember 3, 2012 at 9:55 AM

    That was a fabulous story in just two hours - simple, striking, touching and with a lot of meaning conveyed at the end of it! Only a writer of your caliber could have done this.. Good luck :)

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    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 3, 2012 at 10:08 AM

      Thanks Arti! That is your kindness speaking :)

      Delete
  5. RioZeeSeptember 3, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    Very nice depiction of a situation where known person is alot comforting to pass as strangers. Unique thoughts penned.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AmitAagSeptember 3, 2012 at 12:05 PM

    Wow! That's a great one as was expected of you, Suresh! I really enjoyed and liked it! All the best:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 3, 2012 at 12:58 PM

      Thanks Amit! That was more friendly than critical :)

      Delete
  7. Anupam PatraSeptember 3, 2012 at 12:46 PM

    Nice story Suresh ji. A very nice depiction in such an economy of words. All the Best.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. C SureshSeptember 3, 2012 at 12:59 PM

      Thanks Anupam - economy of words forced by circumstances :) Did not have enough time to think up and write an elaborate piece :)

      Delete
  8. the factfictionSeptember 3, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    visionary...an eye opener :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Solitary WriterSeptember 3, 2012 at 1:20 PM

    Nicely written Suresh. Nice flow and narration.Loved it

    Strangers in the Night

    ReplyDelete
  10. O'SSeptember 3, 2012 at 4:03 PM

    Ah well well, you say you did not have time and yet here it is, a story with enough layers to put an onion to shame, and something to which everyone can relate. I wonder what I would have done in the situation. Probably yelled at Sneha for being such a bitch, or better, have an affair with her husband :D All the best sir!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. C SureshSeptember 3, 2012 at 4:09 PM

      That affair business is not really Vijaya's cup of tea - remember she married for love and eschewed parental wealth? :)

      Delete
    2. O'SSeptember 4, 2012 at 10:44 PM

      True that. Guess I won't be inviting Vijaya to my tea party then :D

      Delete
    3. C SureshSeptember 4, 2012 at 10:58 PM

      Not if you intend seduction - or if you invited Sneha :)

      Delete
  11. Richa SinghSeptember 3, 2012 at 5:26 PM

    a common thankless human being whose proportion in the society is very high :)

    all the best for BAT :)

    if you have time do visit
    Strangers in the night

    ReplyDelete
  12. Indian SatireSeptember 3, 2012 at 9:15 PM

    so much emotions brought out in so little words.

    ReplyDelete
  13. PanchaliSeptember 3, 2012 at 11:42 PM

    Love of money mess up relationships...gawd, what a woman! sic..
    Short n crisp narration!
    ATB...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Someone is SpecialSeptember 4, 2012 at 3:34 AM

    It is better this way CS! Good Luck! Keep writing!

    Someone is Special

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 4, 2012 at 7:34 AM

      Thanks SIS!

      Delete
    2. Someone is SpecialSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:56 PM

      :) I await your comment on my post CS :)

      Delete
    3. C SureshSeptember 5, 2012 at 10:02 PM

      Done SIS! Did remember doing it earlier but as it often happens my BSNL connection gives way in between and then I give up..later I forget that the comment did not go through!

      Delete
    4. Someone is SpecialSeptember 5, 2012 at 10:06 PM

      thanks CS! Happy to read your comment.. :)

      Delete
  15. Kshitij KK KhuranaSeptember 4, 2012 at 2:55 PM

    Highly coincidental! I can say I liked your previous BAT post better :)

    Ah yes, Sneha is an ungrateful person. Reminded me of someone from my school.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 4, 2012 at 3:22 PM

      Easy enough to say that Kshitij - so why belabor the obvious?

      Delete
    2. Kshitij KK KhuranaSeptember 8, 2012 at 7:47 PM

      You make me refer the dictionary :)

      I will look forward to your next BAT post.

      Delete
    3. C SureshSeptember 8, 2012 at 8:28 PM

      Good! A writer is also expected to widen appreciation of the language :)

      Delete
    4. Kshitij KK KhuranaSeptember 9, 2012 at 10:54 PM

      Absolutely, sir.

      Delete
  16. Deepa DuraisamySeptember 4, 2012 at 3:49 PM

    Ah, its such a cruel world out there. Sometimes the people we invest in the most are the ones who hurt us the most. But I guess by investing so heavily in them, we give them that right too? For something written in 2 hours, this is extremely poignant. I quite like the idea of the affair, but then the way you've sketched her character, Vijaya wouldn't stoop to Sneha's level. There are such people and the best thing to do is avoid them and console yourself that you had given away the time/money to charity! Best wishes for BAT!

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    1. C SureshSeptember 4, 2012 at 5:09 PM

      Thanks Deepa! I'm afraid that we end up hurting ourselves when we invest in people whose minds are too shallow to see people in other than Social status terms.

      Delete
  17. TomzSeptember 4, 2012 at 5:30 PM

    Very crisp narrative, but an all expressive way of writing.

    All the best for BAT

    ReplyDelete
  18. UnknownSeptember 4, 2012 at 6:10 PM

    from the very first para u had me glued...short,crisp and an awesome story...love it...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Karan ShahSeptember 4, 2012 at 10:37 PM

    unfortunately these days there are a lot of Sneha's around...ungrateful and shallow...we should either ignore or not invest in them...to identify them early is the key
    ATB for BAT :)
    i could not participate...but u can see my post here
    Karan - Strangers in the Night

    ReplyDelete
  20. debajyotiSeptember 5, 2012 at 12:21 AM

    only you can come up with a post like this in two hours. we can all empathize with Vijaya, as we come across people like Sneha too often these days. We play both these roles.

    you observe people a lot, and understand and narrate human nature better than many of us. you bring out that aspect of your writing through these short stories.

    that doesn't mean you should stop writing humor because that's where you need all your skills and expertise :D

    all the best for the BAT!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 5, 2012 at 7:19 AM

      Thanks Debajyothi! And now you want to take a sabbatical - who's going to come around patting people on the back as warmly as you do?

      Delete
  21. Jayashree SrivatsanSeptember 5, 2012 at 8:17 AM

    Hi Suresh there are indeed quite a lot of these 'Sneha' s we meet everyday . Well etched Suresh :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. dishitdSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:16 AM

    life indeed take surprising turns!
    brilliant take on it!

    ReplyDelete
  23. T F CarthickSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:23 PM

    Once again essay disguised as story, eh, CS? Good one. More so since you reeled it off in 2 hours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:48 PM

      You caught me out, TF :) And you know how little time I had since I started even thinking only after I finished Gtalk with you!

      Delete
  24. UnknownSeptember 5, 2012 at 9:28 PM

    Two hours? :-o

    You're awesome! Nice post :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Diwakar NarayanSeptember 6, 2012 at 8:36 AM

    Yours was among a few first entries I read..though could not comment as I was using my cellphone :-)

    Anyway, I wanted more of this story. I know two hours is a very less time..but still - I wanted more of it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 6, 2012 at 9:16 AM

      Wish I had had more time! I would have preferred to elaborate this one as well.

      Delete
  26. odyzzSeptember 6, 2012 at 11:35 PM

    Two hours ..such an impeccable short story poured out...Wow!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. muthuSeptember 7, 2012 at 10:37 PM

    hmhm... I liked the way in which "strangers in the night" was used.

    ReplyDelete
  28. UnknownSeptember 9, 2012 at 9:56 AM

    What a lovely story. These type of experiences often happen with people and you have penned down one of them beautifully. ATB :-)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Richi BaidwanSeptember 9, 2012 at 11:57 AM

    That is an awesome take on the topic. You never fail to surprise your readers. kudos for this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 9, 2012 at 12:13 PM

      Thanks Richi! Never expected such kudos for this one considering it was put up in such haste.

      Delete
  30. ManasaSeptember 9, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    We do have such kind of materialistic people between us ! Nice one Suresh, a very diff take on the topic !

    ReplyDelete
  31. AishwaryaSeptember 9, 2012 at 4:12 PM

    now if you have written this lovely post in just two hours,a real hats off!:)
    found it to be really meaningful :)

    best wishes!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 9, 2012 at 4:21 PM

      Thanks ashzees! I really did - had no choice but to since I was away from the previous Sunday to the evening of the Sunday when the post had to be submitted!

      Delete
  32. CRDSeptember 9, 2012 at 10:20 PM

    A lot of people can relate to this post. Well written :)

    ATB for BAT 31.

    Hope youve read my entry.

    http://scriptedinsanity.blogspot.in/2012/09/blame-it-on-dark.html

    Cheers
    CRD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C SureshSeptember 9, 2012 at 10:22 PM

      Thanks CRD! I read all the blogaton posts so of course I read yours as well!

      Delete

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