A Kolkata Tale II

This is the second part of A Kolkata Tale.You can read the first part of A Kolkata Tale here- A Kolkata Tale

Amit’s diary-

08 February 4 am

It’s  4 am in the morning and  I’m up writing.I am usually a late sleeper but I found it very difficult-scratch that-impossible to sleep last night.Usually when I am up all night it’s usually watching a game of soccer or doing work stuff.But last night-well last night I just couldn’t sleep.Would you believe that?So many years gone by man and I still can’t help remembering her on this day.Maybe I wouldn’t have if I didn’t run into her last year with that Hrithik Roshan look-alike toy wonder arm-candy of hers.But still,Hrithik or no Hrithik I shouldn’t be thinking of her.Not today.Not after so many years.Heh.Maybe if I had the brains I could have opened some hotshot website in the aftermath of her pain and become a billionaire by now and had a movie made on me.Maybe I should call her.Like right now.Tell her I miss her.No no get a grip on yourself you moron.Don’t even think about that.Are you nuts?She is happy in her life now why do you wanna spoil that?Isn’t it enough you hurt her badly once?I am gonna go get some sleeping pills now.Try and sleep it off.Maybe if I am lucky tonight’s the night I will OD and it will all end.

08  February 12 noon

Ok that was weird.I finally fell asleep and dreamt that I had become a footballer.A striker at that.I was approaching the empty net with the ball at my foot but when I kicked it,it went out over the post.And I suddenly heard her voice calling from the gallery-“You are a failure.You have let me down.” Soon she was joined by my friends in the gallery,my teachers and many people I knew.They were all chanting “Failure!” at me.I tried to run but no matter how hard I ran I was rooted to the spot.And they were getting closer.Kinda like zombies.Just then I woke up sweating all over.Wow that was just like a sequence out of Federico Fellini movie.Surreal.Damn I really gotta get her out of mind.Maybe I should call her.Clear things up.No no NO!!!Things like those happen only in movies.That too crappy bollywood movies.Damn I so hate that Hrithik Roshan wannabe!He could open a business.Hrithik Roshan-stealing girlfriends since 2000.DAMN I CAN’T BELIEVE I SOUND SO CHEAP!Well fuck it.Am off to see if there’s something to eat in the fridge.

08 February 4 pm

Well that was time well-spent.What a fuck-all movie!Why do they even bother making movies like this?And no sir it didn’t help me take my mind of her like Aniket suggested.Aniket is a good friend isn’t he?I mean he’s an absolute idiot but he’s got his heart in the right place and that’s what counts I guess.He won’t dump me surely.Or won’t he?Nowadays I can’t be sure.Okay that was kinda gay.Not that I have anything against gay people.Damn I am really going into a melodramatic overdrive.I really should call her.Maybe in the meantime I can auction off my self-respect and dignity as well.But what’s self-respect and dignity in case of love?Nothing,nothing I tell you,nothing!Ok seriously I don’t think I love her.I guess Woody Allen was right.This really is painful because she’s unattainable.Yes I truly want to be a member of the club which doesn’t want to have ,me.I am neurotic now.I know.Off.

08 February 10 pm

Ok seriously I shouldn’t even be writing at this point.I have been drinking for an hour and things seem very shaky all around.Like I’m on a ship.Aniket fell asleep talking about the numerous flings he had recently.Sometimes I envy him.I wish I could be like that.I once met a couple of Ani’s  lady “friends”.To use Sheldon Cooper’s expression-dumber than a bag of rocks.Maybe I shouldn't judge.After all,what am I?I guess I am not calling her tonight.I might.I don’t think I will be in complete control of my faculties for long the rate at which I am drinking.Anything that happens after that I am not responsible for.Well that’s it I guess.Signing off now.

“You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line”

-Johnny Cash,”I walk the line”

A Long Forgotten Story

People  don’t change all of  a sudden.People change bit by bit over time.Until they change so much that they become unrecognizable.People change because of various reasons.But a reason has to be there.Otherwise why would someone with a perfectly happy life change?I know you are wondering by now what this is all about-well,this is about my friend Rajeev.He was once my best friend.

Rajeev and I became friends at a very young age.Two frightened kids united by their fear of the unknown on the first day of school.Since then we were thick as thieves.As long as we were in school we did everything together.We played together,we fought against other kids together-we got caught and got punished together.Ah,those days!I think they have a name for that-they call it Utopia.

This went on for 10 years.We saw each other grow up-Our topics of discussion would change from cartoons and superheroes to girls and soccer.I remember at one point of time-we had crush on the same girl.FYI-she wasn’t interested in either of us.But that didn’t stop us from having a good laugh.

In Class 9,our sections were changed due to different additional.Now we got to see less of each other-We couldn’t hang out as much as we used to.Moreover I saw he made some new friends-Some people who didn’t have the best of reputation in school.I was kind of shy and introvert so I couldn’t make that many friends-Or any close friends at all.I concentrated on my studies.Meanwhile the changes in Rajeev were so marked that everyone was beginning to notice it.His dressing style had changed-he always had a cigarette between his lips.I tried to talk to him 2-3 times about this.Asked him why he had become like this-He used to react harshly on these occasions-told me that I had no right to judge him and that his new friends were far better friends than I ever was.

We reached class 11-12 and  we grew further apart.Despite not being close friends anymore Rajeev had always kept contact with me.He used to call me up late at night when he was feeling sad or when he was in trouble.I missed my friend-so I used to take whatever time I could get with him.But now he even stopped calling me anymore.Sometimes his mother would call me up and ask me about his activities in school-I had no answer for her and it is at these moments I felt guilty and in some ways responsible for Rajeev.In the meanwhile I was in a lot of trouble myself with poor grades and studies-So I couldn’t concentrate on Rajeev’s problems any more.And slowly he faded from my mind.

After school ended I didn’t see him anymore.I went through college-wasn’t too successful.And in this struggle for existence I had forgotten about Rajeev completely.

More than 25 years have gone by.I am now in my 40s a typical middle-class Bengali man struggling to make ends meet for his family.Today I was reading the morning newspaper while having tea as usual  when an article caught my eye-

“Gangster killed in shootout”

You guessed it right.The black and white picture underneath this caption belonged to my school friend Rajeev Sengupta.He changed so much as a human being over the years but his physical appearance was nearly the same.Handsome as ever.And the photograph brought so many memories back.I don’t think I will be able to concentrate at work today.

In the end I would like to say this-I don’t know the reason for his change.I don’t know whether his philosophy of living life on the edge was worse than my philosophy of living life safely in a hole.From this tale all I can tell you is that-I miss my school friend.Maybe if we were together our lives could have turned out better.Because no relationship is as unselfish and giving as the one among two best friends.

Remains of the Day

It’s just another morning in Kolkata.Kolkata-My city.The place where I was born and brought up.The city where I have memories of all the important moments of my life.But this morning the city seems different and distant.Today all the sights and sounds of the city that I am so familiar with and have been for a long time-everything seems detached from me and my life.

It’s 8 am in the morning-I am sitting with all the newspapers circling out possible job opportunities.I have been doing this for over 3 months.Searching for newspapers-applying for job interviews and being rejected at the interview.It’s almost become a routine by now.My poor grades at school and college keep haunting me.I was never a very bright student.And I wasn’t much of a hard-worker either.So my grades came as a surprise to no one.But today the job openings were the last thing on my mind.I was still reeling from the events of yesterday.

It’s 10 am and I am getting ready to go out for today’s job interview.My mother looks at me proudly as I dress.It’s funny how she never lets me feel like a loser.She always treats me as if I am the most important person in the world.She always complements me when I dress up even though being of medium height,dark complexion and being overweight I really am not a head-turner.But that’s the best thing about my mother-She never loses her temper with me.She never makes me feel bad about myself.People say she spoils me-But she doesn’t care.I look at her face and feel pangs of guilt for abusing her leniency and love.I wonder if she knew about the events of yesterday how she would feel.

It’s 2 pm-and I sit down on a rickety bench in a rice hotel for my afternoon lunch.It’s surprising-no matter where you go in Kolkata you find these hotels where they provide a lunch in less than twenty rupees.A variety of people come here-From construction workers to taxi drivers to unemployed broke young people like me to nearby office staff.Everyday I observe these people while enjoying my lunch-I listen to them chat and express their opinions on almost all topics under the sun.Most are coming here for years and know each other really well.Listening to them livens up the dullest of my days.But not today-today there’s a huge weight on my mind-that nothing can lighten.

It’s 5 pm-I am sitting in a bus and returning home.My workday is like everyone else.The only difference is they go to work everyday and I go to apply for work everyday.It was this time yesterday that it happened.I was returning home like usual.The bus was over crowded and people were in a foul mood as usual.Little did we know of the tragedy waiting around the corner.The bus was near Maidan when it happened.The bus in front was going really slow-as is the nature of all near-empty buses in Kolkata.Just as our bus was overtaking this bus-A man came out of nowhere in front of the bus.I can still see it as if it was happening just now.The sickening smash,the blood splattered on the windscreen,the tumultuous shouts.A man who left his home and family in the morning perfectly healthy-won’t be returning to them anymore.How quickly it happened-a life built bit by bit for years-destroyed in a second.A family reduced from normal to grieving in a second.And these sights,visions and thoughts have been haunting me since yesterday.There are so many people who do wrong to the world-who hurt people,take lives and commit all kinds of wrong-doing.And yet God chose this man-someone who was there only because he had to go to work for his family.

It’s 9 pm and I am roaming aimlessly in Gariahat.I didn’t feel like returning home so early and listening to Dad’s criticism of my life and pointing out my mistakes.I needed to be alone.And now it’s late.I see all around people readying to call it a night.I see people wrapping up for the day.Tomorrow will be another day to start afresh.But for tonight the war has ended temporarily and the soldiers are tired.Tonight in this rainbow city of my mine-people are just picking up the remains of the day.

Right Here Write Now

I have been entrusted to write a play for the kids to enact during a function in our neighbourhood. Now don’t ask me why they chose me of all people-I guess I am the only one who would do it for free. And the guy whose play they could criticize if the audience doesn’t laugh. 8 hours from the morning and I can’t think of anything funny to write about. I don’t know if this happens with all comedy writers. I have no idea because I have never attempted to write one. I usually write dark stuff-you know-the ones which you read after your girlfriend has dumped you-or you have failed a maths test. Yeah man-I write some heavy shit-good or bad-either way it’s guaranteed to make you feel suicidal. So what do I know about writing a comedy?
Well honestly these committee people don’t care-Ha ha. COMMITTEE-remember we were told in our English classes-that is the only word with double m,double t and double e.HA HA. Funny.
Ok coming back to what I was saying-they want a comedy written and they want it now-they could have just adopted some old comedy story performed a gazillion times but no!!! They have to put this on me to humiliate me.
This is what I was thinking when my mobile started vibrating loudly. I hate the ringtone of my cell phone-But this is an old model where only one ringtone is available.I tried keeping it on vibrate mode but as I am a thick-skinned person so couldn’t feel the vibrations most of the time-made me miss my mother’s phone calls many times-She figured I was doing drugs or alcohol in the least.
So anyway this wasn’t my mother who was calling-and NO!!!unlike One Night @ Call Centre it wasn’t God either. Now here’s something I don’t understand.Why would the caller ID there show God calling???I mean if even God obtained that guy’s number(pretty tough job considering the huge database he had to sift through to obtain one loser guy’s number) then shouldn’t it just display God’s number. Anyway I have always maintained God won’t waste his balance on a loser even if he does want to talk to him.At best he would give a missed call.Or sms him if he had free sms balance.
So as I was saying-it was my best friend calling.Well technically I don’t have a best friend because I am the dark brooding kinda guy-at least I think of myself like that.I’M BATMAN!!Ok well my friend was calling to see if I would be able to accompany him and a bunch of other guys to a Hindi movie that evening.Yeah right-I don’t have anything else to do,do I?It’s not as if little kiddies are looking up to me to write them a comedy so that they can enact it.
And I just sat there staring at the Microsoft Word document-with Eminem songs playing in the background.And for the uninitiated Eminem songs aren’t exactly the best inspiration for a comedy-Let me illustrate-most Eminem love songs end with him raping or killing the girl-I mean FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!!I like dark and brooding but that ain’t cool-that’s disgusting.
A little later the World Cup is about to begin-funny thing about the World Cup-It turns harmless meek Bengalis into Brazilian tigers,Argentinian animals and German lions for a month.Funny as hell to see them shouting-“AMADER BRAAAZIL JITECHHE(Our Brazil has won).
Another thing about the World Cup is that only famous countries get to play their-look at some of the teams there-Japan-famous for earthquakes and animes...Brazil-famous for Orkut hackers....England-famous for bad food and weather...South Africa-famous for racial tension and Vuvuzelas...crap India ain’t famous for anything..We can never play the World Cup.

Anyway it’s time for the World Cup.I am giving this up as a bad job.Will have to inform the C-O-M-M-I-T-T-E-E people.HA ha.Ok that’s it for now.I’ll see ya around.bye bye.

P.S.-I know the question on your mind right now-What the f***???

Face to Face

PROLOGUE
They put him in a 6 feet by 6 feet cell.It was good riddance they thought.He would now rot in there for all eternity.And they couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.He was one of the worst criminals...and an even worse human being if that was possible.No one shed a drop when the judge announced the verdict of life sentence.No one deserved it more richly than him.

He sat in the court day after day and heard all the allegations they brought.He was an underworld gangster.He had killed hundreds of thousands of people.He had built an empire on all sorts of illegal businesses.Everyone testfied against him.All of his closest aides cut a deal with the police.They gave him up to save their asses.They hung him out in the open.

But he didnt speak a word.Didnt for even once open his mouth to refute any of the charges.His lawyers tried their hardest.But it really was an open and shut case.There never was a doubt from the beginning.

And thus they put him away.And everyone thought that was that.Justice was served.

1

It was a busy day in the News Kolkata office like usual.It was busier than usual.Because today was a huge day.News Kolkata has acquired the exclusive rights of an interview with former gangster and underworld don Viktor Fernandez.Six years ago Fernandez was convicted on 37 counts and sentenced to lifetime improsinment.And now News Kolkata had acquired the rights to an interview with the man who didn't defend himself during his trial.

The chief architect of this triumph was senior journalist Arjun Sengupta.Arjun has always had a great vision.He knew a great story when he saw it.And when he was covering Fernandez's trial six years earlier he thought what a great story it would be to bring out the personal life of the dreaded mafia.The man convicted of 77 known murders.And now after six years of fight he had been able to acquire the permissions from all concerned authorities for an interview with Viktor Fernandez.He had actually wanted the live interview to be telecast on News Kolkata's channel.But in the end he had to settle for an interview for the newspapers.Even that was quite an achievement Arjun thought as he boarded his car to set out for Alipore Jail.This was going to be his day,his moment.All great journalists have their defining stories...and this was gonna be his.

He had it all worked out.All the questions framed after much chopping and changing over six years.Yes he was going to be famous.As famous as he dreamt of being when he started this job.His rise in the profession has been meteoric.And this was going to seal that.

2
As he entered the cell Arjun felt kind of nervous.Seated in a chair was Viktor fernadez.His hands and feet were fettered,And there were 10 armed policeman standing around.What the hell,thought Arjun,he is a gangster not a fucking psycho.

'Gentlemen if you would be kind enough to step outside...then I can begin my interview...' said Arjun to the guards.

'Sir,we are here for your safety...he is one dangerous son of a bitch' said one of them.The others nodded in agreement.

'He is all tied up at the moment...stay outside fellas....I will give a shout if he tries anything..He isn't exactly Dr Hannibal Lecter is he' laughed Arjun.

'Who is this doctor?He is a gangster...Viktor Fernandez' declared one of the guards emphatically.

'It was a joke...never mind...just give me some privacy ok??I will be all right..'said Arjun.

The men hesitated for some time-then slowly filtered out.'Please close the door..I am not saying lock it..just pull it please' asked Arjun.

Finally everything was ready and he was sitting down in the most important assignment of his career.Face to face with one of the most dreaded criminals of the country,the Goanese Viktor Fernandez.

3
Viktor looked much thinner than when he was last seen during the trials.However aside from that and a patch of grey hairs on the sides of his face he looked no different.

Arjun spoke first-'I guess you are wondering who am I?Well I am a journalist....I believe your story need to be told to the world...During your trial you maintained silence...Now you should tell people your side-'

'Save the bullshit brother' cut him off Viktor....a faint smile on his face..'You dont give a shit about me pal...It's all about a story...you are gonna beat the shit out of your competition with this story...In my days,I had people in the press you know....I know all you fucking hypocrites down to your bone marrows'

The room was pin-drop silent for a couple of seconds.Then Arjun spoke again.

'Let's get down to the questions.Did you really do what you were accused of doing?' asked Arjun.

Viktor was looking at his feet.After a short pause he looked up at Arjun,a trace of the faintest smile his face-'Yes...and then some.'

'What led you into this...life of criminal activities??Some childhood trauma??Abusive parents??Bullied at school???WHAT???'Arjun was slowly getting into his stride.

'You know my background perfectly well.But still I will say this for the tape recorders.No...I did not have any troubles in my childhood...I did not face any abuse....I had a great family,the best education everything.'

'Wow...' said Arjun sarcastically 'You're really gonna get some sympathy you know that??Had everything...but no,it wasn't enough!!!NOT FOR YOU!!!You wanted more....no matter how many innocent lives you had to waste!!!'

'Innocent???Who is innocent???The people I killed were all drug dealers..or fucking pimps or rival gangsters....THE WORLD IS NO MORE POORER FOR THOSE BASTARDS!!!;' shouted Viktor.

'OH REALLY???REALLY MR FERNANDEZ???REALLY???AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE POOR BOYS...WHO FELL TO THE DRUGS....THE COCAINE,MORPHINE,HEROINE,THE FUCKING MARIJUANA THAT YOUR DRUG PEDDLERS SOLD TO THE KIDS???HOW ABOUT THEM MR SAINT?'Arjun screamed jumping on the balls of his feet.

'yeah I know.It's my fault.But what about the parents of those rich collge going brats???HUH???WHAT ABOUT THEIR INSTITUTIONS????DON'T THEY HAVE ANY DAMN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING??'REMEMBER WE ONLY SELL THOSE BECAUSE PEOPLE BUY THOSE...IT'S CAUSE AND EFFECT...SUPPLY AND DEMAND MY FRIEND.'

'You have an answer for everything don't you??Nothing was your fault was it??you have NOT ONE morsel of remorse for your wrong doings!!!'declared Arjun emphatically.

'Do you have any regrets for your wrong doings??' demanded Viktor.

'Me?what have I done???When did I murder anyone???when did I kidnap people??'

'No you haven't murdered anyone.But you stick your goddamn mic in the face of the relatives of the victim.No you haven't kidnapped anyone.You have simply made them your news item.Isn't that correct??' Viktor was actually smiling.

'The duty of the media is to dig out the truth and report it to the people.That's what we do' said Arjun.

'No...that's not what you do...you show people things as YOU view them...NOT AS IT HAPPENED...YOU ARE AS GUILTY AS US.But you know what's the difference between you and me???You stand there smug in your imaginary world of importance.Not knowing that you are just a fucking medium.At least I was king for 15 minutes.I would rather be that and spend the rest of my life here in the jail than be like you.A SCHMUCK FOR A LIFETIME.'

'Why you two-bit punk-'Arjun lunged at Viktor.The guards burst in the room and dragged him out.

'What the fuck were you doing?Are you out of your mind?'asked the senior officer present.

'I was wrong about him.He really is Hannibal Lecter' replied Arjun breathing heavily.

'I dont know what the hell that means...but I know one thing-THIS INTERVIEW IS OVER.Get your ass out of here' replied the Inspector.

Epilogue
As Arjun drove back towards his office he reflected on the day.The day he thought would make his career had gone astray.He had come out empty-handed.He didn't have enough substance for a story.But that wasn't bothering him...what was bothering him was Viktor's words.Was it true??Was he really a schmuck for a lifetime??Was he??

A Kolkata Tale

Act 1
It was yet another Saraswati Puja.This day was always hard for him.Brought back a lot of painful memories.Since that year,every year he hopes the day would pass quickly and he would not notice it.But cruel as the days are they always took 24 hours to pass.Bringing back yet again those memories.They cut through his mind like broken shards of a mirror.
There wasn't any reason it would be any different this year.But what he hadn't anticipated was that this day could go worse.He was woken up by his phone vibrating loudly.He reached out from underneath his quilt and grabbed it-
'Yeah?'
'Wow up already you lazy bugger??I called you 5 times since the morning!!!'-said a voice he hadn't heard in 2 years.
'Aniket???" He asked his heart pounding.He was now wide awake.
'Oh so you remember??I feel really honoured man!!!You are such a big shot these days....I was afraid you wouldn't remember an old college friend' laughed Aniket from the other side.
'Wow!! I dont believe it dude...It's really you!!!!' he cried.
'Now now...don't wet yourself in excitement...so..you got any plans for today??' asked Aniket
'Well,I...' he was actually thinking of spending the day by himself...
'Ok Ok...I understand...I was thinking maybe we could go out...you know...go someplace...catch up on the old times...but if you are busy....' his voice trailed off.
'I dont believe you man...you call me up on the morning of a holiday to make plans....but hey,you know what...I am an impulsive guy...YOU'RE ON!!!!' .
'Now we're talking....meet you at Pacific Blue at 2 in the afternoon..cool?' asked Aniket.
'Cool....see you...bye for now'
'Yeah..bbye...'.

Act 2

He was standing inside one of the Pacific Blue bathrooms-trying to figure out how things got like him this afternoon.When he left his house today he had thought that this would be a quiet afternoon with his best friend in college..catching up on the old times.Maybe it would take his mind off the depressing memories associated with the day.But things haven't gone to his expectations and now he was stuck in this bathroom.

At exactly five minutes to 2 he had parked his car in the parking lot of Pacific Blue.When he entered,he saw Aniket was already there.He had thought that the place would be quite full with today being a festival but it wasnt.As he sat down he noticed Aniket looked the same as he looked in college.Aniket was a stud in those days.A handsome guy who used to make girls go weak in their knees.

'Let's order first shall we?' asked Aniket as he motioned a waiter to their table.

'Yeah ok,,,' he replied.

'I will have a Chicken Enchilada Casserole' said Aniket.

'Same for me too'

'So big guy,how is life?'asked Aniket.Aniket had this habit of calling him big guy because of his larger than normal stature.

'LIfe is fine...although pretty boring at the moment...how about you?'

'Hey...couldn't be better man.....I got a promotion at job....and there's this girl...man,is she is a kisser or what?'

'Still think you are a casanova eh??Give it up dude...the girls only feel pity on you...'

'Yeah well...jealous people tend to demean other's credentials...Hey Kabir!!!' Aniket suddenly shouted.

He turned his head towards where Aniket shouted and saw a suave-looking guy in tux and a girl beside him.His heart nearly stopped the next second as he realized it was Raya..Aniket didn't seem to be perturbed.He then realized Aniket didn't know Raya.He had heard about her but didn't know her.

The guy Kabir and Raya reached their table.Aniket began the introudctions-'Kabir this is Amit.Amit this is my colleague Kabir and his girlfriend Raya.'

Kabir smiled and extended his hand.Amit shook it.'Nice to meet you.'

Everyone smiled awkwardly for a moment.then Kabir spok-'Well...I guess we will be seeing you then...'

'Yeah...well...bye...'smiled Aniket.

As they moved away Amit and Aniket sat down.The waiter came and kept placed their food on the table.They started eating.But Amit was hardly in a mental state to eat.He never knew chicken enchilada casserole could feel so tasteless.He had then excused himself and came to the restroom.As he stood before the mirror all the memories came flooding back.

Act 3

Well, since my baby left me,
I found a new place to dwell.
It's down at the end of lonely street
at Heartbreak Hotel.

You make me so lonely baby,
I get so lonely,
I get so lonely I could die.

-Elvis Presley 'Heartbreak Hotel'



Amit and Raya has were first introduced by a common friend in their last year of high school.A month after that Amit had proposed and Raya said yes to him.After that their two-year long relationship saw some up and downs but it was in their second year in college on Saraswati Puja day that things finally broke down.

On that day Amit and Raya were supposed to go on an outing.But the previous day,the couple has had a huge fight and they weren't on speaking terms that day.Amit was pretty angry and had gone out with a group of friends.He had decided to let things cool down a little before talking to Raya again.

But fate had other plans for him.As he and his friends were sitting down for lunch in a South Kolkata restaraunt,one of his friends said-'Isn't that Raya?'

Amit quickly looked up and saw Raya sitting at a table some way in front with a boy whom Amit didn't know laughing and joking.

The blood rushed to Amit's head.He went to there table and shouted at her calling her a lot of foul names before storming out of there.He swore never to see her again.

But love is a very unpredictable emotion.When Raya called him in the evening he couldn't help receive the call.

'Congratulations' said Raya in an icy voice. 'I was having a huge guilt feeling for leaving you.But today you proved how right I am.'

'YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!'screamed Amit 'I LOVED YOU...AND YOU CHEATED ME YOU BLOODY --'

Raya cut him off-'And I loved you but you aren't worth it.You don't have any respect for anyone.You don't know how to behave with ladies.It's over.Goodbye'

And with that Raya cut the line.Amit sat there motionless for quite some time.

After that day 5 years had gone but the cupid did not visit Amit again.He felt he still hadn't let go of Raya.And today's chance encounter only accentuated this feeling..

Act 4

After 20 minutes he returned to his seat.

'Hey.you could have told me about your stomach infection.We could have ordered Crocin instead.' quipped Aniket.

'Maybe we could live without the wisecracks??and Crocin isn't for stomach problems you ignorant oaf' said Amit.

'Of course you would know a lot about that wouldn't you?' laughed Aniket.

'Let's get out of here' said Amit.

They left the restaraunt 5 minutes later.The encounter with Raya left him shook.But he trusted Aniket's quips and poor jokes to cheer him up.Maybe they could go to his home and chill over a pack of beers.What a depressing life it would be without friends.he thought.Maybe he should try socialising a little more instead of going into the shell.

The story might appear stupid to you.It may appear pointless to you.But this story does not try to tell an universal story for all ages.This is just another Kolkata tale.Nothing more.Nothing less.