The Liutenant - Part 8 - And They Lived...

The Lieutenant Part 1: Meetup at the beach

The Lieutenant: Part 2: She takes him home


The Lieutenant Part 3: At the Bar

The Lieutenant Part 4: Comics

The Lieutenant Part 5: Shopping

The Lieutenant Part 6: ‘Mom’

The Lieutenant part 7 - The cold

After the last part I was quite flummoxed, I wasn’t sure where to take this story to. In my mind Rahul being a kid his next natural demand is why don’t his parents stay together, why does he have to be always split between two worlds?


Kiran and Arvind are as confused as the readers as to where they should go, neither of them is sure of their emotions. Kiran rejected Arvind five years back, has anything changed since then for her to go beyond ‘I like this guy’ and what about Arvind, will he be able to forget the turmoil that he has gone through. Kiran was his dream which got shattered, can a dream be rebuilt and even if it can will it be ever the same as the original one.

Just as a trivia Arvind’s character was supposed to turn out later as an actual Colonel in the army. One of those covert operation guys, the whole Harvard thing was meant as a cover, a public image.

Anyways back to the story, the other important question was about Rahul, would he live, his was a rare disease, he had gone beyond the doctor’s expectations till now, would he be the first kid to be able to beat the disease? And what if he didn’t would Arvind and Kiran’s relationship be able to hold if Rahul wasn’t there to hold them. Would Kiran be able to take the shock, she had always wanted a son, her’s was a troubled life, no relationship had worked for her, except this one, for once she was really in love…

These are too many questions, too many uncertainties...and that’s how life is, at any time, some things are under our control, most are not. The present sandwiched between a history of rights and wrongs and a future which refuses to be unhazy…

Its not for me to complete this story, its for each one of you, to choose how you respond to it…choose your own endings…

The Lieutenant part 7 - The cold

The Lieutenant Part 1: Meetup at the beach

The Lieutenant: Part 2: She takes him home


The Lieutenant Part 3: At the Bar

The Lieutenant Part 4: Comics

The Lieutenant Part 5: Shopping

The Lieutenant Part 6: ‘Mom’

The Mumbai rains had come, in their entire splendor. While most of Mumbai enjoyed the downpour Arvind sulked big time. He was a Sun guy, the kind of rains he liked were the ones which lasted no longer than 4 hours. Mumbai rains ofcourse never entertained his pleas for mercy.


This was one of those days Rahul was with his newly adopted ‘mom’. He was at his suburban home sipping tea reading a book on his couch with Major by his side. Like any other boy Rahul was spending most days with his mom. Arvind would see him in between the week sometime or he would come over for a few days every other week. Not that Arvind was entirely happy with this situation, but well a child needed a mother and he felt happy for his kid, he really looked livelier these days as if he had found heaven.

Major started barking suddenly, it was a low deep growl. Arvind who was engrossed in his book looked at Major. Major rarely barked in that tone.

Oh Shit he thought and fumbled for the phone. He called on Rahul’s number. He could hear him sneezing, wildly, barely able to talk. He made a dash for the door like any other worried father. In the morbid weather, that had probably taken a lull to let him pass, he tried to cross the sunken streets as fast as he could, which meant a lot of walking, buses, autos, taxis. After two hours he finally managed to reach Kiran’s house.

Arvind entered the house with his key, The two of them mom and son were sneezing away to glory. She was taking his temperature but he could see she wasn’t much better herself.

“Thank God, you both at least changed into dry clothes” Arvind said to make his presence known

“Daddy!!!” Rahul screamed and rushed into his arms. Arvind lifted him up and held him tight.

He kept him back on the couch. “Now you two, sit” He got them a woolen blanket from the bedroom. Gave them the tv remote. The two of them cuddled each other shivering.

He went into the kitchen and made them, chicken soup, the instant variety, right now was not the time for culinary finesse but fast relief action. As an after thought he added noodles for the slurrpy effect and also to add some weight to the food.

He gave one big bowl each to the shivering mother and son, busy cuddling each other, teeth chattering and yet giggling away to glory while watching tom n jerry.

“Daddy I’m feeling cold” he said making his cute little pleading face

“And so am I” she said, imitating his cute little pleading face

“Kids!!” he said “Pehle ek hi thaa, ab do do hain!!!”

He sat down between them on the couch and they both folded into his arms, wrapping themselves to his chest. Whether it was the effect of the chicken soup or just the moment, but the cold fell away and there was warmth in that living room, and soon three beings were fast asleep, cuddled in each others embrace

The Lieutenant Part 6: ‘Mom’

The Lieutenant Part 1: Meetup at the beach

The Lieutenant: Part 2: She takes him home


The Lieutenant Part 3: At the Bar

The Lieutenant Part 4: Comics

The Lieutenant Part 5: Shopping

“Dad”

“Yes son”

“Dad, could I call Kiran aunty…..Mom”

Half of Arvind’s coffee flew out of his mouth “Ummm sure son, I’m think Kiran aunty would also like that”. Of all the things one expected on a Wednesday morning, this wasn't it

Rahul came and hugged him “Thanks dad, you’re the best”

“No son, you’re the best and you've got the best mom in the world” he hugged him back tightly, happy for Rahul. A thought took him back five years, when he had thought it would be nice to raise children with Kiran, he had always thought of her as a doting mom, who could teach their children about life and the beauties within. But he had never imagined that thought coming true like this.

She called him day after the next, she was almost shrieking in delight “You know what, he, he called me Mom” He just smiled “I couldn’t stop hugging him”

“He’s the son you always wanted, little one”

“Yes” he could hear the sobbing in her voice, a happy kind of sobbing

“Chalo good, he succeeded in wooing you, where I failed” he laughed

“Oh shut up!!!” she giggled

It was the weekend, Rahul was over at Kiran’s, in the few months that they had met since that first encounter at the beach the two had become almost unseparable. Like Colonel even Major had taken a back seat letting the two be on their own.

“Major, I’ve got an uneasy feeling. I don’t know where this is going, but suddenly it feels that life is going to get very complicated very soon”

The Lieutenant Part 5: Shopping

The Lieutenant Part 1: Meetup at the beach

The Lieutenant: Part 2: She takes him home


The Lieutenant Part 3: At the Bar

The Lieutenant Part 4: Comics


Her phone was ringing, it was Monday, as hectic and maddening and hectic as it could get. It was Arvind, she was partly irritated, partly felt a nice tingling feeling in her tummy.

‘Whats it’

‘When do you get off today missy?’

‘I don’t kno, it’s gonna be late’

‘I’ll be at your place at 8:30’

‘What, why, didn’t you just hear me, I’m gonna be late, then I have to meet people, why do you have to be so difficult’

‘Cause that’s how I am, 8:30!!!’

‘I won’t be there’

‘I know!’

She felt more irritated than she already was.

She reached home at 11, there was a dinner meeting she had to attend. He was there outside her flat sitting in the stairs reading a book.

She half screamed at him ‘didn’t I tell you I wasn’t gonna be here till late, why don’t you just listen’

‘How do you manage to get irritated so easily, its really funny to see you get so worked up, though in a way it can be nice also, it used to really really turn me on…and hey I’m not complaining I got a chance to complete my book, so chill, but If I could come in I really do have something I need to talk to you about’

‘Oh ok, and yes do come in, please, where’s my hospitality!!! What’s the matter?’

‘Shopping’

‘Shopping?’


‘Two weeks ago you got Rahul new clothes, yesterday he again came back with a bag with a new t-shirt and water bottles’

‘Yes and it looked so nice on him, and the bottle really went well with his clothes’

‘Dudette I know you are really very excited about him, but he’s a kid, and kids get spoilt very easily, I’ve tried very hard to not let him go that way and I would really appreciate it if you could keep that in mind’

‘But he had a bad day at school’ she pleaded

Almost raising his voice ‘And retail therapy is not the answer, and while we are at it, he’s not a girl, he doesn’t need so many clothes nor to accessorize. God woman!!! I tell ya you still manage to drive me crazy’

‘Don’t you dare raise your voice to me, I will take him shopping as and when I feel like’ she retorted

‘And you will get a solid whacking from me if you do that’

She slapped him, hard and crisp ‘How dare you!!!’

‘You care to try that once more and check whether you’ll go over my knee or not’

Her eyes growled at him…a long tense pause ‘I’ll go make some coffee, you’ll have?’ She moved to the kitchen with that rhetorical question. ‘I should’ve said yes to you then only shouldn’t I’ She asked with her back to him as she lit the stove

‘Na I think that would have been as dumb as your previous moves’

She turned back surprised ‘But isn’t it what you wanted’

‘Yes, but not you, my loving you isn’t good enough, it’s a necessary but not a sufficient condition, you didn’t want me and that’s what counts’

‘I didn’t know what I wanted’

‘That’s a different problem and had a different answer I guess’

‘So you don’t hate me for pushing you away?’

‘You broke my heart, what do you think!!! But beyond that I never held a grudge against you, I knew you were confused and lost. Plus despite a kind of similarity in so many things we were temperamentally very different. I needed tons of attention and you weren’t the type, who could shower it. I could never read you or know how to treat you the way you needed to, I just know one type of treatment that is to treat a person royally, and you were just too full of contradictions for a simple guy like me.

But you know what hurt most…’

‘What?’

‘That you clandestinely pulled out of the relationship. One day we were deep into each other, then you disappeared and when you came back you weren’t the same again. A relationship requires a lot of communication to build trust. You didn’t add enough cement around the iron bars for the base to form and our relationship went from beautiful to messy

Anyways that was a long time back’

‘Do you still love me?’

‘Can I have my coffee or you wanna superboil it, cause it really seems done’

‘Oh shit’ she giggled

Ruining the Stars

The mystery of the cosmos and how it affects us is pretty intriguing. Even if it is true, how significant is their effect on us?

I did a little survey about two years ago trying to find out whether sun signs could be taken as an effective indicator for success or failure or relationships. Out of the hundred odd people who filled it, the trend was almost half split. 50% people had partners of compatible sun signs. The trend for 'dislikes' was also the same.



Reading further on the subject gave me possible explanations for the same. Firstly its not jst about your sun sign, you have a moon sign too, then within your sun-sign you have a rising planet. And if you go by the Chinese they believe the year you were born in also shapes your inherent personality. Numerology says that within a sun sign the exact date (summed up) gives an indicator of who you are. Limiting ourselves to just these factors lets see how the equation pans out.

You could be an

'Virgo' Sun Sign
have 'Mercury' as your rising planet
With a 'Taurus' moon sign
Born in the year of the 'Rabbit'
With A numerology of '4'

So you see even if the cosmos does affect us, it doesn't make it any simple for us to find our perfect one

But i hope while reading all this a question struck your mind...so does this mean our actions and behaviours are predefined?

Does that mean a Cancer guy and a Leo girl can never make a happy couple?

Like always I won't give an answer, leave you to find it yourself...but here's my take on it...if you really like a person and that person likes you back...i doubt the sun signs can get in your way...coz there's that thing we have...choice...and as much i believe in the power of the sun and the stars...i believe more in the power of choice

Can I take him home mama

Ok I am quite young, only 27, not married, don't even have a dog...but look at the kid below...he's a steal...i wish they'd let me adopt him

The Lieutenant Part 4: Comics

The Lieutenant Part 1: Meetup at the beach

The Lieutenant: Part 2: She takes him home


The Lieutenant Part 3: At the Bar

“You OWN ‘Comics’!!!!” she almost screamingly asked / accused him as they waited outside Rahul’s school to pick him up.

“Yes”

“That didn’t figure in your I do consulting, I teach at Harvard story”

“Naah, it was just a stupid little idea that turned out to be brilliant. Remember that rice guy the one who used to mail music. Well he really likes comics and one day sitting in a bar I thought all bars are so morose, we need some fantasy in here, we need some heroes, and so ‘Comics’ was born”



“Stupid idea? It’s the most brilliantly run Chain of Pubs, in three years it has gone on to become an international chain of stores with 130 locations across the world. It managed to get onto the cover of Times magazine and won 20 dozen prizes. Dammit half the world is using it as a case study in their MBA classes. Including me when I go to teach.”

“You would make for one hot teacher” he joked

“Shut up” she said her way of saying thanks to a compliment “But your name’s never figured. Everytime the name of that guy….shit!!! He is rice boy isn’t he”

Arvind grinned.“Yeah he’s the CEO, it was really him who built the whole business. I just built the organization. My official title there is ‘Head Janitor’”

“ ‘Head Janitor’!!!! like always you are full of surprises Arvind, like always”

“Think of it, its very simple. In a pub a customer’s experience is made by two things the barman and the janitor. Glasses break, drinks spill, the loos get dirty. Would you want to go to a pub with a dirty loo??? Now I could never fling a bottle in the air, catch it and make a drink also. I found a guy who juggles five bottles in the air and makes a drink. He’s got the flair for it, I made him the head barman, I preferred to be the Head Janitor, I can mop, and mop well. But more importantly in my organization nobody looks down upon the job of a janitor…and that’s how it is done…when the top of the organization can be found washing the dishes on a busy day and nobody finds anything odd about it. That’s how organizations are built.”

“I didn’t know that, most of the case studies that I’ve read have been on how innovative ‘Comics’ has been right from seating design, drinks, and my personal favorite, crispy fresh comics available at your table and for pub members you can put a demand for any comic you like and they’ll have it the next time you visit”

“Yes, we spend a lot on buying comics, like casinos throw away their cards, we gift away all comics that are not crisp and clean. But that’s all cock and bull stuff any other ass would have done just that if he wanted to run the pub successfully like all casinos do. It’s a no brainer. What people don’t know about is that in our organization we have no company policies, no rules, and no performance targets. And we have 100% employee engagement.”

“No what!!! How do you run a company with no rules, no targets? That’s crazy”

“No it isn’t. We hire people for their attitude and run the company on culture. A barman is a barman cause he likes to mix drinks. We don’t ask him how many hours he wants to work. He works till he enjoys mixing the drinks. The accountant working in the back office likes his worksheets. When it gets boring for him, he stops. When people start enjoying their work they just keep doing it better and better. It’s a very different world most people are not used to. In our organization you won’t last if you are a sloucher or you don’t like your work. You only last if you like what you are doing, and we make working here fun. There’s absolutely no pressure, there are no profit earnings to be met, and we are a private limited company.”

“Ok enough of the lecture now!!! Mr. showoff, why couldn’t you just buy yourself a decent car, why couldn’t you live in town why a house in Andheri, with the kind of money you must be making you could buy one in Malabar hills!!!”

“I could, but doesn’t mean I want to. I don’t need a fancy car, or a fancy house. Those were always your wants. I have Major and Lieutenant with me and a whole bunch of friends in Andheri. Plus we are five minutes away from Rahul’s hospital. That’s the whole point of being in Bombay anyways, that’s why I moved from Delhi to Bombay......Rahul...all the money from this pub thing goes into an NGO which funds under priviledged children. I make enough from Harvard and consulting for a good life."