The new chapter of my life

I ran. Fast. Out of breath. Lungs bursting. Legs hitting the earth. I thudded up the path, around the corner, right up the stairs and reached the door. I flung it open and .................

...dashed inside.What met my eyes was something totally unexpected. My jaws dropped and my limbs gave way...

A few months ago: 

I had met him at my friend, Sakshi's house. He was handsome and had an air of royalty around him. I did take an instant liking to him despite myself. He seemed a little aloof but my friend winked at me and assured that she knew him really well and it would just take a few meetings for him to be friends with me.

I was not too sure. Rather, I was not sure if I wanted to be friends, just yet.

I had my own apprehensions. He and I belonged to completely different environments and I was not sure if I was ready. However, I decided to go with the flow. Sakshi was a dear friend who understood my loneliness after I'd lost my family to an accident. She made sure I was doing well and called me over every now and then to her place to bring me out of my shell. Sure enough, he'd be there too on all occasions, stealing glances at me when I was not looking. Only, I was looking too, from the corner of my eye. But, that he'd never know. Or did he?

The ice began to melt and then one day our eyes met briefly. In that instant we felt an instant bonding. It was a magical moment for me. He seemed like the perfect soul who'd understand me and introduce me to a new world of love and compassion.

With each meeting, our fondness for each other grew. Sakshi was right. He was only reserved to begin with. He had a way of knowing my feelings. The day I felt low, he'd sense it and try his best to cheer me up. On other days, he'd be at his mischievous self like a toddler trying my patience! The moments spent with him were the best moments of my life. I longed to have him in my life. I knew he felt the same. He was like a ray of sunshine in my dreary, lonely life.

Cut to the present: 

I was getting ready for my usual morning walk and of course the now routine visit to meet him.  As, I was about to leave, I got a call on my cell. It was Sakshi. The next few lines she spoke sucked the air out of my lungs. He had met with an accident, she said. Please come fast. She lived just a few blocks away from my house and so, I ran.


I ran. Fast. Out of breath. Lungs bursting. Legs hitting the earth. I thudded up the path, around the corner, right up the stairs and reached the door. I flung it open and .................

 ...dashed inside.What met my eyes was something totally unexpected. My jaws dropped and my limbs gave way...

A crowd of friends and well-wishers gathered around me and sang,

"Happy Birthday to you....."

An awesome cake waiting to be cut and right beside the table was him, thumping and wagging his tail in joy. Yes, Alex, the handsome German shepherd, who was supposed to have met with an accident, who I had grown to love in these months, was alive and kicking, eyes sparkling as though he knew all that had transpired.

Before I could give vent to all the thoughts running in my head, Sakshi quipped in defense. 

"I am so sorry for all the misery caused. I wanted to give you an apt present for your birthday- an anchor, a reason to live for. But I also knew your reservations about having a pet, so wanted to test the waters before handing over Alex to you. The past three months were a trial to see if you two could gel together and today, I have no doubts of the fact that you guys will make great companions. Alex is indeed your birthday present."


 Tears of joy streamed down and I couldn't thank Sakshi enough. But for her, I could not have begun a new chapter in my life.

23 comments:

  1. Nice story Uma!!

    I did not guess the exact ending though I felt it is something like this. I was expecting a small boy instead of a Dog :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks a lot, Tan! am glad you liked it.:-)

      Delete
  2. Beautifully written... enjoyed reading!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. really?? thanks, Me..I get nervous with fiction..this was a theme-prompt started by a fellow blogger..the first few lines were the prompt :-)

      Delete
  3. good story..profound imagination :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks so much, Pushpa..I am so thrilled reading up the posts for today..excellent takes on the prompt!

      Delete
  4. Loving all the twists in today's challenge..I could have never thunk of it to be a pet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved all the posts too..thanks, Aparna.:-)

      Delete
  5. Super! Loved the double twist to the beginning. And loved the end. And loved Alex. There you go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You found it good, Jane?? thanks to your prompt, I wrote out of my comfort zone.

      Delete
  6. Ha ha ha, loved the story. Alex is way too cute and handsome too!!! Creative writing Uma!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you so much, Simran!! this was fun, right?

      Delete
    2. Yes super fun and a challenge in many way... but am glad I took it up!! Let's see what the next 15 days bring up!

      Delete
  7. Lovely story.I was fooled to assume it was a man.A good twist.Keep it up

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks a lot, Kp sir..coming from you, it's a big compliment!

      Delete
  8. Soo cool Uma.. love all the different twists everyone is coming up with!! I'm happy to drink it all in and continue writing my usual mundane stuff ;)...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh..I loved your take, Aparna..I too loved all the different twists..simply amazing to see the creativity flowing..

      Delete
  9. hai ma! thats so wonderfully written :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice one Uma! I'm really impressed with the way you are keeping these posts coming along!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Really good Uma, you have the knack of giving a unique twist to the tale. No wonder people say you have the ability to become a full fledged writer some day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you guys are kind with your compliments, Rama..thanks so much! :-)

      Delete

Would love to hear from you :-)
Also, please click the subscribe by Email link below the comment form to get follow-up comments to your inbox..