Entry Id 1113: Love Knows No Bounds by Eva Bell
Colonel Rohan Singh had completed his last recce along the LOC, and returned to his bunker. It had been his home for three long years. His inexhaustible source of encouragement against the threat of terrorists on one hand and the blistering cold on the other, had come from the memory of a beautiful doe-eyed damsel. Night after night when the fear of militant guns kept him awake, he would conjure up the face of a feisty young woman, who had wrapped him around her little finger with her captivating voice and exuberance. Now that his battalion would be moving to warmer climes and to civilization, he would track her down.
“If only I had a homing pigeon to carry a message telling her that she has never been out of my thoughts! For all I know, she would burst into peals of laughter and say ‘Of all the modern contraptions available, must this romantic fool contact me through a pigeon?’ I’ll find her wherever she is and convince her that she’s the girl for me.”
Before this posting, Rohit had been A.D.C. to the Governor of Karnataka. He was the pick of the crop by virtue of his excellent work, charismatic personality and impeccable manners. Tall and well- built, with a well chiseled nose and features, he could have easily passed off as Nehru’s progeny. That was what Aarthi had blurted out on their very first meeting.
“Gosh! If Nehru and Edwina had cohabited, I’m sure they would have had a son just like you. Are you by any chance related to any one of them?”
Rohan had been stunned speechless for a while. His face had coloured up like a beetroot.
“If only this cheeky girl wasn’t the Governor’s niece I’d have tweaked her nose until it hurt. Doesn’t she realise that I’m not a playboy but a respected officer in the Army?”
Then she had smiled, and that smile had erased every trace of impudence.
Entry Id 1119: A Class Apart by Hema Gollamudi
The sound of the flapping wings and the guttural noise, made Suchitra, sitting on a settee by the window, turn her head and look out. The darned bird was perched on the parapet of the balcony next to the tulsi and pecking into the soil in the pot. She rapped her knuckles on the window pane. It worked. But, the stretching out left wing of the pigeon almost got the pot. It gave the slightest of shakes, making her start unfolding her leg from under her, before it settled down.
What a day to spend the Sunday. She would rather have been arguing and teasing Arvind than be chasing the city pests from messing her balcony. She caught her breath as the thought entered her mind. She said aloud, “What was that again? But,…but…how can that be?” She jumped out of the bean bag, throwing the book in her hand to the floor, and paced a few steps around the room. Her ankle length crinkle skirt twirled as she walked about. She stopped at the mirror at her dressing table and looked up to see tears streaming down her eyes. She stood there staring at her reflection and wiped her wet face with the back of her hand in a quick swish. She paced about some more. She seemed to make her mind up as she picked up her mobile phone from the bean bag.
Almost as soon as she picked it, she threw it back. She picked up the phone again and looked for a number. She pressed ‘call’ and quickly disconnected it. She thought a minute and dialed again. She got the response “The number you are trying to reach has been switched off”. She said loudly, “No!” She flopped on her bed and buried her face in her hands. Few moments later, she looked up wiped her face and dialed another number on the phone.
“Hello Shweta”, she said not waiting to hear a response on the other end.
“Hi Suchi!! What a long time. You finally remembered me. What’s up? Are you alright?”
As soon as she heard the concern in her friend’s voice, Suchitra almost cried again. She said in a hurry, “Where is that damned brother of yours? Arvind?”