TWO HEARTS: broken by a dream

by Atul Todi

  While Khushi looked confused, Abhay added, “She had this warm, friendly aura, like someone who was very easy to get along with. Just being with her for a few moments that evening felt like we had known each other for a long time."

  Khushi could not help but smile; somehow she knew the direction Abhay's story was heading. She clearly was voting for Tia, instead of Precious to be Abhay's love interest.

  "Before leaving the library that evening, Tia unknowingly gave me a big hint. When I asked her what was she doing for Spring Break, she told me that her roommate was going to Panama City in Florida for Spring break and had been forcing her to come along. But she had a major project to finish and was not planning on going. With drunk people everywhere, she was scared that Florida was too wild for her."

  Telling her to live a little, Abhay told her to come to Panama City because he was also going. Giving her a smile and taking her cell phone number, he left from the library.

  With her roommate, who he assumed was Precious, going to Panama City, Abhay dumped his plans to go to California to meet his aunt. He was on a mission and Spring Break was the perfect chance. After all, who could say no to the bright sun, blue ocean, beautiful drive, and Precious. He could visualize the beach, the white waves and Precious running on the wet sand in her itsy-bitsy red bikini.

  The plan was picture-perfect in his head. He had been in the US for five years, but it was going to be his first college Spring Break.

  Spring Break was going to start right after the midterm exams across all colleges in the US. It was a week of craziness for college kids from all over the country. For a week, all worries about the real-world and societal obligations were left behind. It was all about getting drunk, meeting girls from other colleges, partying all night on the beaches and hooking-up.

  That night while drinking at the bars, excited about his new Panama City plan, he told Jolly about it. Jolly was equally excited and before Abhay knew it, a few more friends joined in to come along and the whole trip was figured out over vodka shots at the bar.

  They code-named the trip: ‘Mission Precious’.

  Not sure where Abhay was heading with the story, Khushi pondered, "How is all this connected with your love story and the girl you write about? I am sorry, but I don't think I am getting it. Why is this trip important?"

  Telling Khushi to hold on to her curiosity, he told her that it was all connected. If the Spring Break did not happen, he would have never fallen in love, and maybe his whole life would have been different.

  Taking a break from the story, Abhay and Khushi rode back to the house. On the way back, he asked her about her family.

  "Just my mom and me, never saw my dad. She would just never tell me about him. Supposedly he left her before I was born; he never loved her I think. But my mom has never let me feel his absence you know. She is everything I want, my best friend."

  Looking at her, he realised that his question made her sad, so breaking the awkward silence he said, "I am sure your mom is awesome and very lucky to have a daughter like you. And if she is also pretty like you, maybe I should think about going and meeting her someday. What do you think? Would she like the real Bugsy?"

  They both laughed, but Khushi was excited about Abhay's proposition. Maybe there was a possibility of them meeting.

  Taking her back to the house, he told her to freshen up and get ready for dinner; he promised to continue his story after dinner.

  CHAPTER 5: MISSION PRECIOUS

  Anna had left for Mumbai that afternoon for some urgent work. Quite a workaholic, when she had a task at hand, she did not care about anyone. It was one of her many traits that Abhay admired. She perfectly balanced out Abhay’s carefree attitude.

  Leaving a note on the dining table, she asked Abhay to take care of Khushi and to make sure she ate well. She told Abhay that once she was back, they would figure out where Khushi's extended family was and try to send her back home.

  Just a couple of days back, when she first saw Khushi, she became all emotional and teary. Once the alcohol wearied off, she realised that she did not have the patience to look after a kid. While she was not a bad person, she wasn’t particularly fond of kids and found them annoying.

  Abhay called her and told her not to worry and to get her work done. They were planning to open the wine-tasting unit soon, and Anna was working overtime on getting the marketing team ready. She was also tying up with distribution networks in Europe for the wine being made at Cumbum Valley vineyard.

  Abhay’s dream to make his wine go global was finally going to be a reality.

  It was all thanks to Anna’s laser focused approach to work. When she wanted something, she was very clear about it. Abhay was amazed at how quickly things were happening with her around. She hated wasting time and postponing work; with her it was all about optimizing the daily routine and weeding out redundant work that was of minimal value.

  While her attitude was frustrating for Abhay, he drank his way to accepting her and convincing himself that she was doing the right thing.

  Having Anna around was a big help for Abhay who had become very reticent and quite reluctant to venture outside his plantation. She was everything he was not; most importantly she was proactive, unlike him. He was happy just being in the wilderness and focusing on doing what he loved: making wine, writing and often enjoying doing absolutely nothing.

  With Anna looking after the wine selling and distribution, a big part of his business bottleneck was resolved. Things were looking positive for Cumbum Valley Wine.

  That night Abhay cooked dinner, his special Mushroom Pasta, garlic bread and tomato soup. It was far from being an exquisite dinner, but he managed to put it all together.

  He had not cooked for a long time, and it felt good. Khushi watched with great amusement as Abhay wrecked the entire kitchen, leaving a pile of dirty utensils and the trash bag overflowing.

  Putting out the food on the dining table, Abhay said, "Hope dinner is edible; Anna is out of town, and the chef is on a leave. So you have to bear with my cooking for some time."

  Before Abhay could take a bite, Khushi stopped him and said, "Mom says we should always pray before eating dinner, so close your eyes please and repeat after me."

  Holding his hand, she said a little prayer:

  May the Lord make us truly thankful for what we are about to receive.

  Staring at Khushi's face, Abhay was happily surprised. He had not done that for years, at least not since his college days. Back then he was the one telling people to pray before eating. However, with time things had changed and he was happy that Khushi reminded him to be thankful for all he had.

  Tasting the pasta, Khushi pretended that it was awesome. Abhay had made it with a lot of love and she could not tell him that he forgot to put the salt.

  She quickly finished her dinner and stared at Abhay who ate slowly, trying to figure out how to make the pasta edible. She was waiting for Abhay to continue with the story, and her annoying looks forced him to eat faster.

  Clearing the plates and utensils, he gave Khushi his cell-phone and said, "Before we continue with the story, don't you want to call your mom and tell her that you are fine?" He insisted that she called her right away.

  "Ok fine, I will." She took the phone from Abhay.

  Walking to a quiet corner in the living room, she called her mom and had a short and hush-hush conversation. She told her that she was doing fine and having a lot of fun in India with her friend’s family. Concerned about her well-being, her mother wanted to talk to her friend's parents, but Khushi promised to call her soon and hung-up. She wanted to waste no time; she was eager to hear Bugsy's love story.

  Khushi's mother knew that she was visiting India with her high school friend Divya and her family. The plan was executed perfectly and Khushi’s friend was helping her meet Bugsy. Khushi’s mother had no clue what her daughter was up to.

  While Abhay asked her to let him talk to her mom, she told him that her mom thinks she is with an
aunt of hers. Khushi wanted the whole Bugsy secret to be a surprise for when Abhay met her mom.

  Feeling a little concerned about Khushi lying to her mother, he said, "So you have not told your mom that you are with Bugsy? You are going to get me into some big trouble."

  "Relax, my aunt knows I am here, and my mom is back in the US. Nothing is going to happen; I won't get you into any trouble. I just can't wait to tell her I am with her favorite author, but not yet. It's such a big surprise, the timing has to be right."

  Khushi smiled with a twinkle in her eyes. She told him that he could meet her mom once they were done with the story. Seeing her level of excitement, Abhay did not protest.

  Later that night Abhay took Khushi to his secret writing chamber, an area that was strictly out of bound for everyone. Even Anna had never been in there; she didn't even know it existed. Hidden behind his bookshelf, it opened with a secret code. Inside, it was nice and cozy with pastel coloured walls and wooden floor. Abhay had done it up over the years to help him find inspiration for his writing.

  There was a liquor shelf, a fireplace, and a see-through front window looking out into the woods. There was a door to an attached oval balcony on the side; the balcony was hidden with long and thick vines. There was a wooden table and chair in front of the glass window with a laptop neatly kept in the middle. The trashcan next to it was overflowing with crushed paper balls thrown away with discarded ideas and stories. The big wall on the right side of the room was filled with post-it notes randomly stuck all over the wall with vague ideas and short phrases.

  Over the years, Abhay had created his own ways for penning down his fictional love stories. Whenever he would have a burst of inspiration, he would write down his thoughts. Usually they were induced by a few glasses of scotch and some painful old memories. However, when he was more sober, he would find some connecting thread between his fragmented notes and ideas and start compiling them all together. He would then stitch up the story and add soul to it like a magician.

  It was a complex way of writing that even he never really understood. He had no secret formula for writing his books and even though his ways were very unorthodox, it had worked for him.

  He was a ten-time best-selling author on New York Times. The simple language he used with a poetic flow of words, made his complex romance plot seem convincing and an easy read. There was adventure, pain and pleasure all mashed together in correct proportions to keep a reader entertained throughout the novel. It was like he had engineered a formula to express painful, heart-breaking love stories that always left the reader wanting more.

  The selling point of his novels was that they always ended with a ray of hope. He was a storyteller people could connect with.

  Yet, he had no idea from where he got the inspiration for his novels. He claimed that they just came to him, like a story wanting to manifest itself through him. He believed that he was a channel for lost lovers lingering out in the universe, to tell their stories.

  He claimed that when he was drunk, spirits of lost lovers used him as a narrator and words magically flowed through him. Hearing him, Khushi was a little spooked-out and tried hard not to laugh.

  Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he gave Khushi a can of fruit juice and walked outside to the balcony. It was dark outside and staring into the thick woods in front, he asked, "So where were we with the story?"

  She reminded him that they were talking about Spring Break and going to Panama City in Florida.

  Getting cozy on a big beanbag outside, she got ready with her notepad and pencil. While writing notes, she had been doodling and creating her imaginary characters and scenes, like visual cues to tell the story.

  "Oh yes! So a week passed by in no time, and we were done with exams. During this time, I had already exchanged a couple of messages on Facebook with Tia, hoping to find out more about the Spring Break plans. I even told her why she should leave her boring project and come to Florida with us."

  "And why was that?" Khushi asked.

  "Well, frankly I didn't want her to regret later that she did not go for an awesome Spring break trip with hot friends like me."

  Abhay could not help smiling; Khushi just shook her head in disbelief. He was so full of himself; he thought he was the most interesting person in the whole world.

  Not hiding what she thought about him, Khushi said, "You were quite different back then. So self-centered."

  "I think I still am…. But seriously, back then I was just a confident guy who thought very highly of himself. Not in a bad way, you know what I mean." Abhay felt compelled to let Khushi know that he was not a bad guy.

  Khushi just nodded her head, letting Abhay know that she knew what he was trying to tell her.

  "Spring Break was like one of those once in a lifetime things you had to do in college. And, being Indian, I knew she was a little apprehensive about it and her parents would not have agreed to her going to Panama City. But you just had to do it, and I knew she wanted to."

  Tia came from a very conservative family and her life was all about her career.

  Abhay continued his story and said that once the exams got over on Friday, they did not waste anytime. Packing their bags, they hit the road early Saturday morning. They had a week-long break to go crazy and out-of-control. The possibilities were limitless.

  Joining Abhay on the trip were Jolly and two other guys: Nathan and Charlie. Nathan was an American from Chicago, a pro-wrestler with a thick mid-western accent. His mom being Irish, he had short curly red hair and freckles. With a big six-foot structure, he looked daunting but was extremely awkward with women. He took classes with Abhay and they often went to the bars together. Charlie, on the other hand, was a short Taiwanese student, a big spectacled nerd with a big heart. He had come to the US to do his masters in computer science, but wanted to study philosophy. He happened to be living next door to Jolly and Abhay, and over the years they had become good friends.

  Packed in Nathan's big black Honda CRV, they had everything they needed: alcohol, marijuana and every other illegal stuff that kids were doing back then. Charlie had arranged for everything, using his Asian connections. If he wanted, he could have easily been a drug dealer: always undercover and no one ever suspected him.

  They were four insane boys, on a wild road-trip. With music blasting out loud, car filled with thick smoke, they were in beach shorts, heading down south to Panama City.

  Putting the song ‘Summer of Love’ on repeat, the boys were on a mission. With hordes of cars heading down south, Charlie wrote on their car’s back window: "See you in Panama City" along with his phone number.

  On the highway, with many people headed in the same direction, it was like a pilgrimage going down to Florida for Spring break. With funny messages and doodles on the car back windows, every second car was filled with college kids. Like migrating birds, students from colleges across Midwest were headed down for warm weather and beaches. Shouting, screaming and racing with them, Abhay and his gang of rogues were having the time of their lives.

  Khushi quietly took notes and scribbled in her notebook. Like a good listener, she allowed Abhay to tell his story patiently.

  Chugging his whiskey, Abhay continued his story and told Khushi that they were really stupid back then and thinking about it, he would never do it again. It was too risky, but they were not thinking straight. A long week of exams had left their brains exhausted.

  After a few hours on the road, finally, Abhay saw a black BMW X5 sports version with the number plate ‘PRECIOUS' exiting the highway towards a Burger King. He immediately recognized that car from campus. Screaming at Jolly, who was driving, he told him to turn back and take the exit. They had found the group of girls even before reaching Panama City. It was a sign from God; they were going to get lucky.

  Placing their orders for burgers and fries at the counter, from the corner of his eye, Abhay saw Precious sitting with Tia and four other girls. Tia had taken his advice and had come along for the party. But
unlike her friends who were in short tops, mini-shorts, and slippers, she was wearing her usual sweatshirt, jogging pants, and sneakers. Hiding under a baseball cap, it looked like she had been forced to come on the trip.

  Without thinking twice, Abhay walked over to their table and acted all surprised to see Tia. Taking off her cap, he gave her a hug like an old friend and told her that he was glad she came along.

  Tia was shocked, but played again. Abhay had caught her off guard.

  He whispered in her ear, "This is going to be so much fun, and you are going to have the best time of your life. Trust me!"

  Abhay was pleasantly surprised; he did not expect her to come. He didn't think she had it in her to take that big a risk; crazy things happened on Spring Break, and Tia was not the risk-taking type.

  The boys self-invited themselves to the girls’ table. Seeing them intrude, Precious asked, "Tia, you really know these people? I think I have seen them around campus. Are they also going to Panama City?"