Thursday, September 11, 2008

Prisoners of our Past

As much as we would like to call ourselves pragmatists, somewhere down inside we are all, what I call, prisoners of our own past. Everybody has a past, significance of which is each's own. But nobody can deny its influence on a person's future course of actions. The mind is but a child. Anything you push to forget, it throws back as memories. The standard Disclaimer follows:

Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are fictional and bear no resemblance to anybody living or dead. In an attempt to challenge the writer within I might have created characters but the feelings and the emotion exuded are true to my conscience and are as I would have reacted to such a situation.

Secretary: Oh! Hello Doctor! Good Morning. You are a little early for your appointment.
Doctor: Well, the pleasure of your company, I must say.
Secretary: I must say am flattered but a little busy too. Please have a seat. I'll inform him.
Doctor: Take your time sweetheart. I'll be waiting.
Secretary: Weird! I'd rather prefer your son address me like that.

Knock..Knock...

Secretary: Sir! The Doctor has come. Should I buzz him in?
Me: Can you ask him to wait? I am expecting a couple of friends. I'll come out after that. Just keep him alive until then.
Secretary: I hope I am. Smiles and starts to go out
Me: (blushing) Hey!!Wait..Hmm.. Wh...What.... What does your appointment book read this Friday night?
Secretary: (smiles)I have to say. You really are bad at this. Mine says Free. I don't know what yours does?
Me: Oh...ok...Please do check if it gives me the permission to ask you out.

Bolts the door and leaves. After a while...

Me: That's the Memorandum of Association of the Company. What are you looking for in that?
X: I am just searching for the page that says you can be fired for dating your secretary.
Me: Hey!! Don't get judgmental. I have an extra ticket to the concert this Friday and I asked her.
Y: Yeah! Since when do concerts happen in restaurants and the fact it happens to be a candle-lit restaurant is just a coincidence. The 'concert' doesn't even have drums. Its mild guitar. Dood..Whats with you?
Me: Don't get started on that. I was like that a couple of years ago. I just have grown to appreciate finer things in life. That's all.
X: Finer meaning more transparent shirts(feeling the shirt)
Me: Hey! Get your hands off! This is fashion.
X: Since when? The ancient Indians used to wear this.
Me: Enough of it. Guys, that's not why I asked you to come. I need some advise. Help me out here. How do I tell her?
Y: I am sorry. When did we go from Its just a concert - to - candlelight dinner - and now to - wanting to tell her
X: Meri baat maan! Kuch mat bol use. Things are good as they are. They always want some company to go out. When you confess they say - Oh No! You are my best friend. Please remain the same.
Y: Well they probably wouldn't if you strike at the right moment. You keep avoiding her thinking she has a boyfriend and I cant do this to my best friend and one day suddenly reality strikes and you blurt out. You have always been a loser. Oh! Am sorry! A "self-righteous" loser. Does that make you better?
X: Oh! Yeah!! You wanna talk loser. How about not telling a girl how you feel because you were professionally insecure. Were you streaking cross country half naked in poverty that you couldn't share your life with some one else. What do we call that? A "chivalrous" loser. Don't get me started.
Me (yelling out loud): Will you guys just stop it? That isn't why you are here. I need some advise guys. I am not here to judge who the bigger loser is.

A loud thud on the table with the fist. The secretary hears the sound and rushes in.

Secretary: Is there a problem?
Me: Nopes! Just a little stressed out. Can you get three glasses of black coffee?
Secretary: Three glasses? But there is...
Me: Tell him I'll be with him in just some time.
Secretary: Sure! (smiles) Your appointment book says we can sneak in a couple of hours for dinner.
Me: (trying to smile painfully) It does?
Secretary: A couple of calls and I made sure it does

Outside.

Doctor: So! How does it look?
Secretary: Bad. He just ordered three glasses of black tea just for himself and I heard him yelling. He must have just got off the phone.
Doctor: Hmm..Three glasses... Is there a mike in that room that you can hear from here?
Secretary: (Stops her work and looks at him) Do you think we run a criminal investigation sort of something here.
Doctor: Well! My son has got two tickets to this great restaurant by the sea-side that has mild guitar playing. Romantic I must say! I can recommend your name.
Secretary: Well! I would still stick to no because we don't have such a facility and as far as your offer goes, I already have plans. Guess what! The same place you are talking about.
Doctor: My son is going to be so disappointed
Secretary: (winks)I bet he wouldn't be.

Inside.

Me: Did you see how upbeat she was. Guys, am telling you she is totally into me.
X: It all begins that way. Don't fall for it.
Me: (looks at Y): So?
Y: I don't know. I never have. When I went out with her, it all seemed to be good. But I just couldn't push myself to tell her. I was always afraid as to how she would react. Basically I choked. Just look into her eyes and say it.
X: Well...yeah that's one thing I couldn't. I chose the worst way of proposing and did it after 3-4 months of weird behavior. See...the reason am dissuading you is...that day its not the love that I lost. I know I will end up loving someone else. But I lost my best friend and it hasn't been the same et all.
Y: Stop blaming yourself. Look am sorry it didn't work out between the two of you. But you got to move on. And it ain't your fault you didn't know she had broken up. As I see it you have far more to gain than you lose. If she doesn't understand she never was your best friend.
Me:Am so very confused. Why can't things just happen as they do in movies? (Head down on the table)

The door opens and the doc enters. X and Y move to a corner of the room

Doctor: May I come in?
Me: Oh.. Hello Doc. Come on in.
Doctor: I have repeatedly asked you to call me dad.
Me: Yeah! Doc!! Just a little stressed.
Doctor: (flashes a torch down my eyes) So...you still see them?
Me:(looks at the corner of the room where X and Y are standing)I guess yes. They are memories that I shall take to my grave. Will they ever go?
Doctor: Its a question you have to ask yourself. Don't you want them to go? Every person has a past. Your obsession with it has created characters out of them. Don't let that spoil what you have today.
Me: I don't know what you mean.
Doctor: I saw her outside with a glow in her eyes. She is in love with you. Don't let her go this time. If you don't want to be called a loser, don't do the right thing. Make, what you think is, the mistake and you won't regret it.
Me: Thanks Dad! Thanks a lot!!
Dad: Good luck son!!

Created and Written by,
Batty


Author's note: Inspiration - Ron Howard's 'A Beautiful Mind'

4 comments:

atlee said...

awesome post...
although there is a slight reference to a beautiful mind...but the reference is very nicely used...

Hemanth said...

The writer's come back from nowhere :)

Good one.

I was hoping for more fun with the introduction of the Secretary :D

and I am sure the the "Me" in the post is really the "You"

Batty said...

Dude... every loser doesn't maketh a Batty... its a story... and even if half of it were applicable to me I would consider myself lucky

Ritu said...

hey this was a nice one...well written I must say! :)