Who am I ?

Who am I? I wish I knew.

Why I am here? I wish I knew.

What do I do? I wish I knew.

Where do I go from here? I wish I knew.

So what do I know?

I know that I know lesser than I need to know.

I know that I talk more than I need to.

I know that I did not come here out of my choice.

I know that not all what I do is what I really want to do.

But I also know somethings that I bit unsure about.

Not so sure, but I know that I am making an impact.!

Not so sure, but I know that my today is not bad. But tomorrow will be awesome !

Not so sure, but I know that I am doing few things that I love !

Not so sure, but I know that where I go from here is around the whole world !

Not bad to know all this. Isn't it? !!!

Little did they know ...

Someone told me that I could be a good writer. I took him very seriously. It was only later he told that he just meant that for my handwriting. Little did he know I would try my skills to write love letters to his daughter!

Someone told me that I could be a good singer. I took him very seriously. It was only later he told that he just meant that within the confines of my bathroom. Little did he know I would try my singing skills to woo his daughter!

Someone told me that I could be a good painter. I took him very seriously. It was only later he told me that he meant was painting the walls with distemper. Little did he know I would try painting the town red along with his daughter !

Someone told me that I could be a good designer. I took him seriously. It was only later he told that he meant me to design sign boards. Little did he know I would have designs on his daughter !

Someone told me I could be a good runner. I took him seriously. It was only later he told me that he meant me to run a sprint. Little did he know I used my skills to chase his daughter !

One day all five of them with their daughters marched towards my house to kill me. And what they get to see? I wrote my own epitaph. Designed my own coffin box. Painted my own tomb stone. Sung my own swan song. And when they were confident that I am dead with guilt, I eloped with the prettiest of the five daughters ! Finally, I had identified what I was really good at !

You never know ...

It was 6.30 in the morning.Vincent had just finished his night shift duty. He logged off his computer and took eager strides towards the exit after waving at the office security guard with a bright smile. He took the elevator to the basement, picked his bike and quickly got on the empty streets. After about 5 minutes drive, he felt little sleepy and decided to get a cup of tea to be able to remain awake for the remaining ride.

He parked his bike in front of a tea stall near Gandhi memorial park and ordered a cup of ginger tea. And then as he leaned on the footpath rails, thoughts started rolling in his head. He had just completed his first year in Dream Destinations, the travel company of international repute. The job had been good so far. And the management was very happy with his work. The talks were on to give him a raise even before the usual annual cycle which was 4 months away. "It is all because of Cynthia,"he said to himself. Cynthia, the unknown angel, who kept bumping into him in two of his previous interviews. And the last one was special. She literally gifted him the job by taking him to the interview venue within hours of hitting hopelessness in his job hunt. And she did not even appear herself despite being in desperate need of a job herself.

Every meeting with this unknown angel had been a learning experience for Vincent. "She is such a positive person. She even sacrificed her opportunity to help me get into this job. How can I ever thank her. And I am such a dumb-ass. I never bothered to call her or see her after that. I think I must thank her in person. I am sure she will be very happy," Vincent's thoughts continued rolling in his mind. He remembered how she shrugged off every disappointment after the two failed interviews that he attended with her.

As he started sipping the hot ginger tea from the paper cup, he turned to his back to have a look at park entrance. And what he saw stunned him. He saw Cynthia walking with a pram with a kid sitting in it. " Cynthia has a kid? I never knew that! " He looked at her with disbelief. He quickly sipped his tea and then crossed the road to follow Cynthia in the park. "Hey Cynthia!" He called her loudly. Cynthia turned to face  him and gave him back a glowing smile. " Hi Vincent! What a surprise to see you here!"She said. Vincent was very happy to see her. And a bit surprised or may be confused. He rushed towards her and gave her a big hug. Looking at the little over an year old kid sleeping in the pram, he asked," Err ...Who is she? Or he? Sorry, I know nothing about you." Cynthia's expression changed. She said, " I think we should catch up over coffee. What about today evening at Mount Cafe?" Vincent nodded. They talked a bit about his job and then went away with a promise to meet at Mount Cafe at 5 pm on the same day.  

5 pm at Mount Cafe. A coffee shop in the western suburb in an old building inhabited mostly by Catholics. Vincent sat with a grim face and listened to Cynthia intently.

" Suchint was my classmate in school and then in college. We were best of friends initially and then fell in love. Our marriage was always expected to get resistance from both families because we belonged to different religions. Suchint was keen to pursue his higher studies in the US. His family put a condition that my father sponsor his studies. So we fell apart. He got engaged to a girl of his family's choice and left for US. I was very hurt and decided not to marry. I broke all ties with him and even though he always apologized to me for giving in to family wishes, I could never forgive him. 5 years passed. He got married and had a baby girl. The day you got your job, he happened to visit me with his wife and kid. When I saw him at my doorsteps, I was filled with loathe. I did not let him enter the house and told him to go away. He pleaded but I did not relent. He had no choice but to leave with his wife and the baby from my doorsteps. Barely past 3 km from my house, his car met with an accident and both of them lost their lives. But the baby survived."

Now there was complete silence in the room. Both of them had tears in their eyes. "It was a moment of truth for me. I had acted mean. I was harsh with the person whom I loved so much. I was filled with remorse. For the simple fact that despite practicing the most humane approach all my life, I gave in to my moment of weakness."

"So this is Suchint's daughter?"asked Vincent.

"Yes".

"I can understand the feeling of guilt. The remorse. The sadness. But don't you think it was a big decision?"

"I do not think so."

"It is a huge responsibility. His family should have taken care of the kid. They were the first to act mean."

"Vincent ! That is where we are all fall prey to our weaknesses. I loved Suchint. I could not get him or his love. But that should not have stopped me from giving the love back. His family made a mistake. And they got bigger punishment than they deserved. But the baby? Did she deserve that? Suchint's parents are old. Suchint's in-laws had passed away soon after his marriage. I had to step in."

"But Cynthia ... How will you?"

"I have now moved in with his parents. They take care of the kid while I am out for work. "

Vincent was completely clueless as his eyes were fixed at Cynthia in disbelief. Is this person real? Do such people exist?

"Vincent, do not look at me like this. Suchint's parents did not give me the opportunity to be his wife. But Suchint gave me this opportunity to be the mother of his child. And a duaghter-in-law to his parents. I got more than I ever hoped for."

Vincent could see a smile in her tearful eyes. Speechless, he stood up and walked towards her.He held both her hands in his and said " Do I have the permission to be the father of this baby?"

Now it was Cynthia's turn to look at him in disbelief. She could see the resolve in his eyes. She wanted to say something. But could not. Instead, she just rested her head on his shoulders ...

Not a happy ending ...

This is story of a garbage bin. Yes. Garbage bins too have stories. And this one is a man. Since no one gave him a name, he gave one to himself - "Dump-wen-U-please". And he had a nickname too. He called himself Dumpo. He stood near the main gates of a residential building. All day long and all night long. Till the time in the morning, when a  dumper truck from the municipality came to pick his belonging by turning him upside down. And he would be bottom slapped until he freed himself of the last piece of waste. And though he didn't quite enjoy being slapped on his bottom, that would make him feel lighter and ready to begin yet another day.

This was a typical day for him. The summers were approaching and the sun was getting harsher within a short time of arriving in that part of the world. Soon the maids working in different households of that building started coming in and dumping  the garbage into him. They were harsh with him. They never showed respect to him. No school taught that. No parents taught that. Only thing they knew was to get close enough to make sure the garbage went in. And distant enough not to get the stink."My fate", he sighed. And tried to shift his thoughts. 

"Mr. Khanna is lucky. His wife cooks delicious chicken curry. Do not know really why she dumps most of it everyday. And then why does she cook so much in the first place?"

Little did he know about the old aged Khannas and their reason behind making enough food to last few guests just in case they arrived.

"Anyways, her curries really smell good. But they become rotten by evening and the nights become difficult for me."

Dumpo was sometimes helped by the cows and stray dogs in his locality who got the smell early to clear the mess. The cows flocked when leafy vegetables were dumped in him. But when chicken curry was dumped, the dogs made sure, they do not let anyone around. And in the process, they at times toppled him and let the contents spill out. And so the life went on.

But this was a special morning. It was way past 10.30 am. And no maids had yet come to dump the waste on him. Not even the one who worked at the Khannas' place. He had seen some of them walking in. But they had not yet left the building. And then after sometime, outsiders started. Some were from neighboring areas. And some unknown faces too. They all entered in silence and walked towards the block where the Khannas stayed. Soon the picture got clear. It was a funeral that left the building. Mr. Khanna walked in the front with tearful eyes. There were women who were seen sobbing. A group of men who carried a dead body on their shoulders  walked behind and they soon put the body in a mini bus and left the building. Dumpo could quickly figure this out. Mrs. Khanna had left for her heavenly abode. For a few minutes, his mind went blank. This was sudden departure. But when did ever a garbage bin get to hear health bulletins about people? 

The night past. The next day was more stinky. More garbage except the chicken curry arrived. Dumpo silently mourned for the death. He knew that his feelings mattered to no one. And he had reconciled to this reality. So the day passed as usual. And then few weeks passed. Life went on ...

It was a Sunday afternoon. Dumpo saw Mr. Khanna walking towards him with some waste bin. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight. The grief was still evident in his looks. He came and dumped all the content in that brief moment and walked back. The polythene bag got torn as it fell inside the Dumpo and few loose papers came out. Dumpo could see and read the contents of the loose papers. They were torn pages of a personal diary. A cursory glance aroused his curiosity and then he started not to stop before reading what was written. 

Mrs. Khanna had written - " My dear Sujay, our bundle of joy, your mamma's teddy bear, it has been 15 years today that you left us to fight for the country on the borders. You always wrote me in your letters  that you miss my chicken curry on the war front till the time you stopped writing to me  and started coming to see me everyday in my dreams. You would promise that you are coming with 3 of your best friends in army whom you have been telling about the awesome chicken curry that I prepare. That they do not have a mom whose cooking they ever got to taste. That they are too keen to have the curry that you keep bragging about. And I have kept my word every single day in those years. I have been preparing the curry for four of you and waiting till late in the night for four of you to arrive. But I am angry with you. You have not shown up. But no worries. Mamma understands your job. It is just that I am getting older. Sometimes, I hurt my hands chopping the onions and sometimes handling the stove. Sometimes I put more salt. And I have to prepare it again. Come soon. My eyes are failing. I want to see the love and pride in your eyes before I am gone."

Dumpo now had tears in his eyes. "So this is the story behind the chicken curry" he thought. He was miserable for the whole day and night for next one week. 

It was a Sunday morning. Dumpo was recovering from the sadness. And he saw Mr. Khanna walking towards him with yet another pile of papers. He dumped the pile inside Dumpo. And now Dumpo started looking into what were the papers about. And a letter opened itself to reveal its message. It read " Mom n Dad, I am coming back home next week. After spending 15 years in enemy captivity, I am eager to see you both. And Mom, please be ready with the chicken curry. Make a lot. My friends are coming too. Love." Dumpo suddenly heard a sound. Mr. Khanna had collapsed on the way of going back to his block. He immediately realized. It was yet another full stop to a life. He was shattered. He was in a shock. The time had come. The next day people saw that the garbage bin had cracked completely and the contents had come out raising a stink in the building. A funeral left the building that day. And soon after, the garbage bin was also on its way to the dumping ground in the municipal truck. It had served its life ...  

Dark hour

It was a cold winter evening. The days were small and the darkness prevailed on the skies as the sun set early. Ashutosh had still not reached home though he had left his workplace early today. He had started the day early and had still not finished his work. But he was unable to focus any more and asked his boss for an early off. He walked out, got into his car and headed for a pub which was some 5 kilometers away. After spending good three hours in the pub and 5 drinks later, he came out and again installed himself on the car seat. It was 7th of January today. As he drove, his mind wandered in the by-lanes of some dark memories of events that happened some 5 years back on this very day of the month.

"Please get these injections from the nearby medical store. Sister, I am going to Nirmal Hospital for the night shift. Administer the injections to the patient the moment the injections arrive and keep her under vigil. Give me call the moment you notice any deterioration in condition. She is critical but the injections will keep the symptoms under control. They are so far working well for her" Doctor Prashant said. But the worry was clearly seen in his eyes. Vishakha, Ashutosh's fiancee, was brought to the hospital with a head injury that she sustained after slipping on the road from her two wheeler. Some critical areas of her brain were injured and she was being given the treatment till the time she could be shifted to Apollo Indraprasth hospital in Delhi. This was the last time, Dr. Prashant saw his patient alive. He got a call from the nurse, Sister Jisha, at half past one that the patient was critical and Vishakha had taken her last breath by the time he reached his nursing home. Five years had passed yet Ashutosh had every memory fresh in his mind of that life changing incident of his life."

"Miss you Vishakha", he said to himself when the train of his thoughts was interrupted by a scooty which overtook his car from the wrong side out of nowhere. He forced the brake and brought the car to a sudden halt. The scooty halted too and the rider looked back. " Sorry and thanks !" a female voice came. And the scooty vanished in a lane. Ashutosh was in a shock. More than the sudden appearance of a scooty from nowhere, it was the voice which had shocked him. It was the voice. Yes the voice. It was Vishakha. Yes it was Vishakha. That voice could not have been of anyone else. Ashutosh tried to make an attempt to get into the lane. But seemed too narrow to get his car in. He took a deep breath and took the direction of his home. He was now feeling stupid. "Dead people do not come back. I am too obsessed with her thoughts and the drinks also went beyond limits today,"He dismissed the experience of hearing Vishakha's voice.

Parking his car on the desolated street, he entered the house. It was pitch dark and he struggled to reach the switch board. When even after trying couple of switches, his attempt to put on the lights failed, he realized that there was some problem. Perhaps the fuse of the mains was gone and needed to be replaced. He tried walking to other corner of the room guided by the light from his smartphone. And he almost lost his balance when his foot got stuck in a stool which he had careless left on the carpet. Again he had reason to be surprised. "Careful !! You may fall" These words fell on his ear. Again the voice was familiar. He became nervous. It was Vishakha's voice yet again. "How can that be?" His hands were cold yet there were some drops of sweat on his palm.

His eyes turned towards the old rocking chair in one corner of the room which for some reason appeared brighter than the other parts. And now he could see the silhouette of a girl sitting on the chair. Now he knew exactly where the voice came from.
"Ashutosh, thanks for today."
"Th .. thanks? For what?"
"Thanks for not letting me be run over by your car"
"Oh that. You suddenly appeared out of nowhere. But I was lucky. The brakes worked well."
" The guys whose car hit me also had his car brakes working fine."
"So ... so ... what happend then? How you got hit and fell down?"
"The car was fine. The driver was drunk. He pressed the accelerator thinking it was a brake."
"Ohh ... I did not know that. You went in a coma soon after your accident. You never came out of it." Now tears were rolling down his eyes.
"True. I would be there with you had he not drunk."
"Yeah ... umm" Ashutosh could barely speak now. With five drinks down his throat, he was unable to face Vishakha today.
"But I am happy. You can keep your control even after five pegs."
"I am ... sorry. Vishu. I promise. Never again." Ashutosh completely choked. The alcohol was fast losing its grip.
"I know Ashutosh. I am sorry I was not in my senses before I died. I should have told this earlier. But today I am sure. You will not let any other Ashutosh lose his Vishakha" This time Vishakha's voice also seemed to be choking.
"I promise. Never again. Come back Vishu. I love you a lot."
"Love you too Ashu. But I have to go."
"Please ... I beg"
"Some other time Ashu"
The girl disappeared.
The dawn broke. Birds woke up. But not Ashu. Just an empty bottle of sleeping pills to his side. And small white paper on his bedside with something scribbled on it which was hardly legible.It said - " Vishu. I never realized that the two wheeler I had bumped in the darkness of the night 5 years back driving drunk was yours. I fell asleep after that and forgot everything that had happened. When I woke up, you were in the hospital struggling for life. And I lost you. But today I know I lost you to alcohol. I know this is not the way to come close to you yet again. But I can't spend a lifetime missing you. So coming to be close with you. Just want my friends to know. If you want to have your Vishu for keeps, keep the alcohol away. Love you till eternity. Yours  Ashu"

Hope and Disappointment

Life is a journey between hope and disappointment. The starting point is always hope. But in between there are multiple stations called disappointment. Your journey terminates once you reach the disappointment junction. And then you need to go back to the beginning station renovated with hope and start all over yet again. At least Victor thought so. Last 6 months, he was jobless. His previous employer had shut his business. The economy was down and not many new jobs around. All his application were getting lost in the big heap of applicants queuing up for the few opportunities that surfaced.

It was one more day like this. He walked in the reception of a company which was hiring for a position that had got vacant. And after the initial talk with the lady handling the reception desk, he turned his back to her to find  seat on the sofa opposite her. And it was a familiar face he saw occupying one corner of the sofa.
" Hi Cynthia ! So nice to meet you again!" He kept his voice low but hardly hid his excitement. 

The person on the sofa was none other than the girl whom he had met at one another such interview only 3 months back. And what a sweet surprise to have met her again. "Happy ending in sight," He murmured in his head. " In fact another disappointment may be waiting somewhere near", his head retorted back. And his enthusiasm lowered.

"It is such a surprise to see you again!" Cynthia had a welcome eagerness in her voice. Victor just smiled. 

"So you too have come for the interview?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. A bit late though. Today they have picked the guy already."

"Ohh. Not again ..."  Victor could barely hide his disappointment.

" Yeah. They just informed the previous guy. Even the receptionist has gone inside now. Maybe they want to tell her to send back the remaining with apologies." Cynthia's completed her sentence with a sigh.

Together they walked out. Though they were down with disappointment, they found solace in each other. The previous meeting had given them enough comfort in each other's company. And there was no awkwardness. Victor picked up some roasted peanuts from a roadside vendor and they took a long walk on the busy street munching on them. 

"So what is your take on this?" Asked Victor.

"You mean regarding today's disappointment?" Said Cynthia.

"Hmm. Yes that is what I mean."

"Nothing much. It happens. There are better opportunities out there."

"You must be kidding. I am searching for a job for last 6 months with no success. I would be fooling myself if I were to think like that every time I am shown the door." Now the bitterness was showing in Victor's voice.

"Come with me!" said Cynthia took longer strides to get into the main entrance of another building. Victor now had a smile on his face.

"Last time she took me to her old dad. I am sure this time  she is taking me to a long suffering old aunt for another lesson!" He thought to himself.

But he was kind of amused at the spirit which this girl put on display all the time. And he kept following her. The building was a plush office complex. They took the elevator to the thirteenth floor and his eyes were dazzled when the elevator door opened. It turned out to be the office of Dream Destinations, an international tour operator. Some place he always hoped to work for. It was the finest office he had ever seen in his entire career so far. An expensive wall-to-wall carpet with very elegant furniture and the furnishings. The walls displayed the most exotic locations on the world map. The staff was impeccably dressed, had the most sophisticated clients waiting for their turn in the air-conditioned lounge.
"Give me your resume copy" whispered Cynthia and he obediently handed it to her. "Wait for me," said Cynthia before she made him sit on one of the fine piece of leather sofa and then went to talk to another lady among the staff. The conversation quickly got over and Cynthia came rushing to him." They are finalizing their night shift team today. Give it your best shot. Just go inside the third cabin. They want to conclude this interview quickly now".

A stunned Victor walked inside the cabin. He just took a deep breath and entered clueless. Cynthia waited outside. An hour passed. And two people walked out of the cabin with broad smiles on their faces. One of them was Victor. He shook hands with the elderly but elegant looking lady before he took his victory lap and reached Cynthia. " They are giving me the appointment letter in another 30 minutes" his face beamed with joy telling this. " Congratulations !" Cynthia said with the most sincere expression in her eyes. " Thanks". Victor was finding difficult to find the right words to express his gratitude.

" No problem." 

" But what about you?"

"It was not meant for me. I could not have done the night shift anyways."

" But still ... Why me?"

" Simple. They take overseas calls in the night shift. You can manage the accent really well."

" How can I ever repay this?"

"You do not have to. Just keep the faith."

" But what about you? You still do not have the job."

" I told you. There are better opportunities waiting. May be today is not the day. So I will wait." Cynthia said with a smile.

Victor was speechless. He was lost in thoughts.He never knew when Cynthia took his leave to catch another interview appointment. Just some changed perspective that he could see now. "Life is a journey which starts with hope. There are multiple stations by the name disappointment. If it comes in your journey, just do not get down the train. Continue with the journey. Your dream station will come. Most definitely." And he sunk deeper in the sofa. It was going to be his workplace. In another 30 minutes ... 

Happy endings

This is the story about a boy in his teens whose name was Victor. And like his name, he wanted to be a victor. Something that eluded him always. And he also wanted his story to have a happy ending, always. And that too eluded him, always. Every time, he took out to do something, he failed. He wanted to paint a beautiful picture. But never could fill all the colors.If he did, they got smeared at the last moment. He wanted to win a running race. But never could win any. He came close once but fell down in the last lap. His leg got entangled in another runners leg. He wanted to sing to a crowd. He was never allowed. When he was, he got a sore throat. He fell in love twice.The first girl never noticed him. The second one soon found another one who was good at getting frequent happy endings to his quests. So much as he aspired, happy endings always eluded him.

Many years passed. And he grew bigger and older. Life was going on. Nothing was wrong. Yet nothing was great either. His quest for a happy ending was still on. And happy endings continued to elude him as much as before. He wondered if that is ever going to happen. And then something happened. Yes the boy met the girl as it happens in every story. And this certainly was a situation that demanded happy ending. So one afternoon, Victor met Cynthia. She had come to apply for the same job which Victor had applied for. Both sat in the visitors' lounge waiting for their turn. But it was afternoon, and the employer walked out to have his lunch. This left the two of them thinking about what to do next. So they talked to each other. And decided to have lunch together. The lunch got them into longer conversation. And then it got over. And the interview got over next. None got the job. They walked out together and agreed to have the evening coffee together.

Both sat in a busy cafeteria on a nearby street. As the conversation progressed, Victor felt a strange feeling of comfort in talking about his own things to Cynthia. He told Cynthia about the happy endings that he always chased. And that they never happened to him. At least till now. Cynthia listened to it quietly and went into deep thoughts. After a while, she broke the silence. "Victor, we do not yet know each other well. But if you do not mind, can you meet me at the Imperial street on next Sunday?" Victor agreed. He generally had nothing to do on weekends. And Cynthia seemed to be a sensible person to spend the next Sunday with.

On next Sunday, both met at the agreed place. After initial hand shakes, Cynthia turned and started walking towards a building on the other extreme end of the road. Victor just followed. It was an old building in a dilapidated state. They entered it silently walked through a passage which had a few rooms resembling class rooms. Cynthia guided him to the stairway that took them to the first floor. Victor was wondering what is on Cynthia's mind. But he soon got his answer. Cynthia opened the door to a room which was really dark. He saw a lamp dimly glowing on a wooden table and sat an old man on a chair with his head sunk in a notebook kept on the table. He was writing slowly making some notes in it struggling to see his own written words in the dim light of the lamp. The old man had countless wrinkles on his face. He had few hair on his head. And though his eyes seemed to be alert, he did not seem to have noticed the presence of two more people in the room. And then suddenly Cynthia walked out of the room and Victor followed her. She kept on walking till they left the building and entered a nearby cafe which had few people sitting inside. She went and occupied a street facing table and Victor quietly joined her.
"Are you wondering what I am doing?"said Cynthia. "Umm ... yes." replied Victor.
" That old man is my father."
" Oh is he? Why didn't you introduce me to him?"
" I would have. But he can't hear anything."
" Ohh ..."
" He is a mathematician."
" That is nice."
" Yes. He studied under some very accomplished researchers.He was the most gifted mathematician of his times"
"Interesting. But what made you take me to him and then come back without saying a word?"
" Victor, my dad spent 55 years of his life in maths research. He was and is still one of the most gifted mathematician that this country has ever seen. But you know, his work was stolen at least three times before and published by some other folks as their own."
" That is unfair. He should have taken those people into court."
" Now that is the whole point Victor. He never wanted to do that."
"But why?"
" He always said - My rewards come from the solutions I derive. Not from the recognition people give. I enjoy the thought process and then the thrill of reaching the solutions. Nobody has ever been able to rob it from me. And that is all I need. For anything else, my paycheck does the needful "

Now it was Victor's turn to go into deep thoughts. His whole past life experiences came in front of his eyes. His painting was the most beautiful thing he ever created while it lasted. And when the paint got smeared, all the colors merged into one. His race got him get the best early morning experiences that he ever had. And though he stumbled in the last lap, the practice sessions in the lovely winter mornings were still fresh in his mind. And though he could never sing to a crowd, but his practice sessions made him feel the beautifully written lyrics as if they told his own story. And though he twice failed in love, he still can't forget how his ears used get warm and red when he fumbled with words trying to make a conversation with his teenage sweet hearts. He could now see so many happy stories of his own life. And the endings hardly seemed to matter. And all that seemed to have happened within a matter of last 30 minutes.

He looked at Cynthia. And she did not look like the girl that he thought she was. He was speechless. He just kept his hands over hers and covered her palms with his own. He could barely say, " Thanks !" and walked out quietly.Cynthia looked at him with a gentle smile on her face. He was no more looking for happy endings. Just looking to have many more never ending happy journeys. She waved at him when he was not even looking back and herself made a quiet exit. This indeed was a happy ending !