Bombay’s a funny old place. It’s the city of
dreams and if you’re at it long enough, it’ll give you what you want.
Standing by the sea, after what seemed like an eternity, he gazed back
at all that had been. He’d gotten where he’d wanted to be, in the corner
office, in a penthouse, in an obscene car…even he had to admit, he’d
already achieved his dream. The endless hours and the tiresome corporate
lobbies had probably been worth it. He’d survived and survived well,
he’d always been a survivor.
Any other day and he’d probably have been smiling smug with his thoughts and speeding away from there. Not today. Today he was preoccupied with gawking at her. She stood by the parapet staring into the sunset as the sea-breeze played softly with her hair. Arms folded, she held a stoic gaze that seemed to ward off even the pesky hawkers who hadn’t thought twice about pestering him thrice in the time he’d been standing here, staring after her.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d stood as still for as long since he’d moved to Bombay. There was no buzzing Blackberry around to disturb him today, no urgent emails that’d tare his gaze away. He’d even watched on unperturbed as the cops had towed his car away with his prized material possessions locked within. Right at this moment, all he could think of was her. Rooted a distance away, he stood bewitched by her unflinching, uncompromising figure, calm and defiant against the last rays of sunlight fighting their way over the water to reach her.
He couldn’t fathom why he hadn’t seen her this way in 10 years.
He thought back to the night before and fiddled with the pen in his hand. The divorce papers would be the last bits of paper he’d be signing for some time to come.
Bombay’s a funny old place, it gives you what you want and then shows you what you should’ve wanted all along….
(An inspired story...the orignal is here)
Any other day and he’d probably have been smiling smug with his thoughts and speeding away from there. Not today. Today he was preoccupied with gawking at her. She stood by the parapet staring into the sunset as the sea-breeze played softly with her hair. Arms folded, she held a stoic gaze that seemed to ward off even the pesky hawkers who hadn’t thought twice about pestering him thrice in the time he’d been standing here, staring after her.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d stood as still for as long since he’d moved to Bombay. There was no buzzing Blackberry around to disturb him today, no urgent emails that’d tare his gaze away. He’d even watched on unperturbed as the cops had towed his car away with his prized material possessions locked within. Right at this moment, all he could think of was her. Rooted a distance away, he stood bewitched by her unflinching, uncompromising figure, calm and defiant against the last rays of sunlight fighting their way over the water to reach her.
He couldn’t fathom why he hadn’t seen her this way in 10 years.
He thought back to the night before and fiddled with the pen in his hand. The divorce papers would be the last bits of paper he’d be signing for some time to come.
Bombay’s a funny old place, it gives you what you want and then shows you what you should’ve wanted all along….
(An inspired story...the orignal is here)
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