……And Just like that our relationship was over. Thought we would never meet again but alas life is a non-stop occurrence of unexpected incidents and there she was right in front of me looking more beautiful than I could ever remember her being so beautiful. For a girl who was afraid of flying and swore never to get on one, it was a pleasant surprise to see her thousands of miles away from her hometown of St. Paul where we met as undergrads. I did have chance to slip away and never let her know that I was there but temptation to say hello to one girl whom I had at one time truly loved and who could have been the “one” was just too much.
“Sydney is little to far away from Minnesota, isn’t it? I uttered that line into her ear standing right behind her. She turned around slowly and the look on her face could be best described as that of a shock, a little bit of excitement, which as I noticed was quickly engulfed by what I sensed to be a gloom. May be I should have just walked away. I regretted at my decision to revisit the past that was already entombed.

“ I thought you were in Nepal” she enquires hugging me. She still smelt the same, heavy on the lavender with faint touch of tropics. Tropics, which I suggested to her after being inspired, I have to confess, by perfume of a stripper during one of those wild weekends spent in Miami.

“Yeah I was but now I live in Sydney. Its been over a year now”, I reply “ what are you doing down here? And weren’t you afraid of flying?”

“ I got over that fear especially after my fiancée was transferred by his company. Also I realized my fear was irrational and I couldn’t afford to let long distance come in between my relationship, then with a pause she stared right into my eyes and said……..AGAIN. this last word had a strange effect on me. It took me more than a year to get over her and still at that precise moment I hated myself for being a smuck and actually feeling good knowing that she suffered too. I have been called an asshole a lot of time but I realized I was being exactly one at that moment. Good thing it was just in my conscience and through words I could veil my a-holeness and present myself as a decent human being. After exchanging numbers we parted our ways promising to meet at a café the very next day.

She was already well into her second margarita when I got there after work the next day. She was stunningly beautiful as ever but the traces of gloom I sensed yesterday was still lingering on her face. I settled myself and ordered a Foster. After brief conversation she announced “ I am leaving tomorrow back to St. Paul. I knew long distance was never gonna work. I was fool enough to give this one a shot. I had always sensed that he was cheating on me and I was right. What’s with you men never being able to put your things in your pants when your lady is not around?”

At that moment I was mad at her more than I was sorry for her. I wanted to tell her how much I longed for her and her decision to end our relationship just because I had I had to leave for Nepal for a time being almost broke me. I was a mess. I worshipped her and she just tossed me aside because I wasn’t going to be around for a while. There were times I wished upon her so much bad things that I couldn’t forgive myself later for but I moved on.

“You know Neil, the American version of my Nepali name Sunil, I always liked you. If you ever happen to be back in St. Paul, you know where to find me.”

That night while driving back to my home montages of happy endings in Indian movies that I grew up watching played endlessly in my mind but I never found myself in any of those pictures embracing my American paramour.
Sophie, my 8 month year old daughter as deeply sleeping in her crib and my Aussie wife Sandra whom I met in Patan when she was volunteering there in a school was preparing dinner. Suddenly my mind cleared just when the fog is lifted by glowing sun in a wintry afternoon and I realized……….

SECOND CHANCE…….WHAT SECOND CHANCE?……..NO THANKS

pearljam.

awesome!!!

Nice!!

Thanx pearljam!!

What more could you ask for a quiet Sunday night?

Nicely narrated and throughly enjoyed it!

Hope to hear more from you pearljam! :)

thanx for your kind words guys...i really appreciate it

Hey pearljam it was a very nice writing you have posted in the Sajha.com. "Second chance.... A fiction" May I ask if you are a writer or are intrested in writing??

If so which genre do you like to write??

Nice piece pearl..!

Good stuff Pj

suyog
i really dont have much background or anything in writing so i guess that makes me interested in writing more than a writer
i try once in while here and there
i am not sure if i know what genre i like to write quite honestly

Okay pearljam, The reason I am asking is I my self like to write, I do not have any writing background or so, I guess it is all just natural. I like to write in every genre. Recently I have just finished writing a film manuscript of Sci- fiction/ action genre, and now in the process of writing a Novell in Fantasy Genre. I need some ideas and inspiration from a good writer as this is my first Novell of 2 parts, about 1000 pages or more.
I am too damn lazy to get started or to continue coz I am writing this all alone, I have written chapter 1 and am in the beginning of chapter 2.
In chapter one I introduce a family, mother, older brother who is in the royal council and is away form home all the time, middle brother who is always at home, very wise and talented, he hates royal council and never want to join them because he believes that the council only thinks in the favour of the king instead of the people so he wants to be among the people, and a youngest sister who is young, curious, and is home with the mother. Father is travelling a lot and he is the one making decision in the house. Father wants the middle brother to get married because family thinks he has no good future, and maybe his wife will be able to change that.
Middle brother does not want to get married, and defiantly not arrange marriage. But when father has decided no one can change that.

In chapter two, the girl and her family come to their house to meet the boy. Middle brother does not bother to meet the girl, so he decides to stay in the bed, but the girl alone comes to the boy’s bedroom to meet him. They talk about why he does not want to join the council. He tells his reason of how bad they are and their policy and judgements, she tells him why it is good to join because if he thinks that it is bad and corrupt then he could change that by joining them instead of complaining, and he may be able to change things that needs to be changed and so on. He gets impressed by her thinking.

This is just 4 pages in chapter 2, I need some thing more. My aim is that he gets so impress by her that he starts to think this might work, and the girl’s future aim is (She can see the potential in this man, and believes that he will be something some day. She wants to be famous and rich and wants to control other people.)
By the way story takes place in a middle age in a fantasy world of wizards, strange creatures, kings and queens and stuff like that.

suyog,
i specially liked your setting in the middle ages in a fantasy world kinda like LOTR things going on. i see great potential in your story and the sky is the limit for your imagination to roam in the realm of fantasy and wizardry. writing is not my strongest feat so i am not in any postion to suggest anything good for your story at this point but surely will let u know if i come up with any in future. i have been told i am better at telling stories through camera in my film school. so i decided to stick with direction and getting better at it for most part. its also the reason why i am always amazed by these good or shall i say awsome writers here in sajha and their creativity. its something i will always envy. keep up the good work and good luck and stay in touch.