Her Warrior Poet (Pune Diaries Book 1)

by Candy Laine

  That night Arun wrote in his diary.

  Life and Death

  When life goes, death follows.

  When death ends, life just begins.

  Like an unfinished cycle, they keep up their trials.

  At times it seems a rule, that at death people pule.

  When faced a choice, they’d pick life twice.

  But death is a well earned rest, from problems that persist.

  o0o

  16

  New Beginnings

  o0o

  'It is a foolish thing,' said I,

  'To bear with such, and pass it by;

  Yet so I do, I know not why!'

  Thomas Hardy

  The last month had been chaotic. Arun had lost his father three days after he arrived. His mother had insisted on having funeral prayers in Delhi so that all his relatives could attend. The funeral had been a sombre occasion in Pune. Their relatives had been well meaning, but irritating at the funeral prayers. Arun was barely civil to a few of them.

  Then Geeta Rastogi had surprised Arun by her decision to move to Pune. She didn’t want to stay in the house in Delhi alone. There were too many memories. She would rather be close to her sister. He really didn’t blame her, given how his father’s side of the family usually treated them.

  Arun asked Vishal to rent a home in Pune, preferably close to where Gagan’s parents lived. The whole group of friends had come together to help. Even as Arun was shuffling through potential buyers for the house in Delhi, they had packed and moved to Pune. His mother was going to stay with her sister for the first couple of days while Arun and his friends helped her set up the house.

  They would all be here soon thought Arun as he opened yet another box of crockery and began carefully extracting the glassware on to the dining table. Arun looked at the cardboard boxes strewn around the hall. Lots of work for everyone when they came. It was nice of them all to volunteer to help over the weekend. Especially Shweta. She would be here soon. He couldn’t wait to see her.

  He still had two weeks of leave left. He wanted to help settle his mother into the house fast so that he could have some free time to spend with Shweta before he went back to the unit. He knew she was not interested in anything serious, but he couldn’t get her out of his head. Whenever he had a free moment, which was admittedly rare given all the running around he was doing, he would find himself thinking about her.

  His thoughts wandered to the day his father has passed away. How she had taken charge in the hospital about all the administrative details. Ensuring that the body was released to the family with minimal fuss. And how she had sat with him as he waited for the ambulance that was to carry them to the cremation ground. He could still feel her hand gently squeezing his shoulder as she told him it was not easy to lose a parent at any age. He cherished the hug she had given him as he walked out of the hospital with the daunting task of cremating his father.

  Arun had been surprised when Vishal said Shweta wanted to come and help with the settling in. He knew Shweta had become close to his friends and spent a fair amount of time with them. Little wonder when her best friend Rahat and Gagan were now part of the gang as much as she was. Gagan, his cousin, had been a pillar of strength through the whole ordeal.

  Arun finished lifting out the last of the glasses from the cardboard box and dusted his hands off. If they could get all the boxes opened and set the kitchen his mother would be happy. The bell rang. They were here. Arun jumped over a couple of boxes to get to the main door. Then stood and took a deep breath before reaching for the handle and turning it.

  “Hi Arun!” Ashish and Ashima stood outside. Ashish had a couple of water bottles in his hand and she was holding a box.

  “Hi, come on in.” Arun couldn’t help but feel a pinch of disappointment. He shook off the feeling and stepped back allowing the siblings to enter.

  “I brought some sandwiches,” Ashima smiled at him as she stepped through the door and surveyed the hallway littered with packing material and boxes. “I thought you could do with a snack.”

  “Just keep it on the table, thanks for the water.” Arun took a bottle from Ashish and gulped down half of it. “Forgot to carry any and didn’t want to go get some.”

  “So where do we start?” Ashima asked as she tried to balance the sandwich box along with everything else on the dining table.

  “It would be great if you could start stacking up the glasses in that cabinet behind the dining table. The lower shelves are for the crockery.”

  “You got it.” Ashima tucked back her sleeves and got to the task at hand.

  “What do you want me to do?” Ashish eyed the larger hessian covered pieces of furniture.

  “Take this and cut open the rest of the furniture.” Arun handed him a pair of scissors. “Once the other guys get here we’ll shift all of it to the right rooms.”

  The bell rang again. This time Arun walked as sedately as possible to the door, even as his heart was pounding in his chest. It was Rahat and Gagan. He gave himself a mental shake and welcomed his cousin in. Why was he so impatient? She’d get here when she did. Maybe she got called in to the hospital for an emergency. Maybe she wasn’t going to make it at all. His heart ached at the thought and he rubbed his palm against his chest to ease the ache.

  The guys were unpacking and the girls were putting things away. Ashish started collecting all the open packing material in a cardboard box so that there would be less of a mess to clear away later. It was nearly afternoon by the time the doorbell rang. Gagan was closest to the door and answered it. Vishal and Shweta walked in just as Ashish tugged at the length of hessian material Arun was standing on.

  Shweta entered the living room just as Arun fell on the ground. He stuck his hands out and landed on his palms right at Shweta’s feet. Shweta could not help it, she burst out laughing at the sight. Arun stared at her from the floor before his lips quirked into a grin as well.

  “We really have to stop meeting this way.” Arun groaned as he pulled himself up and stood in front of Shweta.

  “I’m not complaining.” Shweta smiled up at Arun.

  “Hey you guys are finally here!” Rahat came up and gave Shweta a hug.

  “Trying to get out of all the hard work by showing up late, Vishal?” Ashish poked Vishal in the shoulder.

  “I was on time. It’s her fault we got late.” Vishal swatted Ashish’s hand away.

  “What happened? All well Shweta?” Rahat looked at her friend and noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

  “Didn’t wake up when the alarm rang. Just came off a 72 hour shift at the hospital.” Shweta clapped her hands twice. “So what do I do to help?”

  Arun immediately felt guilty. She was giving up her day off to help and he had been thinking she didn’t want to come.

  “If you’re tired, you don’t have to help.” Arun started tentatively. “Vishal can take you back home to rest.”

  “Nonsense. I’m here now. I’m fine. I’d like to help.” Shweta crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Arun.

  “Come on then.” Rahat pulled at her arm dragging her away into the house. “I can do with some help with these books.”

  They worked for a couple of more hours before Vishal started grumbling about being hungry as he hung out the curtains. His stomach actually growled out loud.

  “Come on guys, I’m starving.” Vishal looked with doleful eyes at Arun who had been directing the unpacking like a military operation.

  “Eat the sandwiches Ashima brought.”

  “I finished those an hour ago.” Vishal grinned. “I’m still hungry.”

  “Should we order in some pizza?” Rahat sat down on the dining chair newly freed from its hessian casing.

  “Pizza sounds good.” Gagan agreed.

  Arun took a look at the troops and relented. Ashish immediately took out his phone and placed a large order involving pizzas and sodas based on individual preferences. The rest of the gang began cleaning up the dining are
a and washing plates to get ready to eat. When the bell rang barely twenty minutes later they sent out a loud cheer.

  Arun smiled as he paid for the pizzas which were eagerly placed on the dining table and divided up. He wanted to smile broader when he realized that his friends had left him a place next to Shweta. The jokes and easy camaraderie they shared made his heart content. Once they finished eating everyone went back to sorting out the items which had been removed from the cartons.

  By that evening all the cardboard boxes had been emptied. The house was looking settled and when his mother walked in with his aunt the two of them couldn’t stop exclaiming at the wonderful job the group had done. Arun was bone tired but satisfied. He may not have got a lot of time alone with Shweta, but they were together all day. That was enough for now he tried to convince himself. Arun took out his diary and began writing.

  Unknown Ache

  What is this cloud that shrouds me?

  What is this pain I feel?

  Why am I so depressed?

  Why is my heart with sorrow pressed?

  Why did this gloom descend on me?

  How can I fight it to cheerful be?

  When will this twilight cease to exist?

  When will the first light of dawn persist?

  What reason am I searching for?

  Why don’t I smile any more?

  How can my life be so devoid?

  Of gentle and soothing sunlight?

  When will the spring and summer mingle?

  When will my eyes regain their twinkle?

  I know for what I truly pine.

  And hope one day it will be mine.

  o0o

  17

  The Road Trip

  o0o

  Escape me? Never—Beloved!

  While I am I, and you are you,

  So long as the world contains us both,

  Me the loving and you the loth

  While the one eludes, must the other pursue.

  Robert Browning

  The wind in his face was invigorating as Aun stuck his head out of the window of the car. He wasn’t sure how he had ended up on this road trip but he was glad Vishal had talked him into it. Vishal was in the driver’s seat singing along with the songs playing on the radio. He really had a good voice.

  Arun turned to look at Ashima and Ashish in the rear. Then looked back out the window at the car following them. He could make out Gagan talking animatedly to Rahat while he drove. What he couldn’t see was the passengers in the back. He wished he was in that car, but he really did not want to be seated next to Shweta under the watchful eye of her elder brother.

  Sameer seemed like a good guy. At least he bore no open animosity to men in uniform that Arun could sense. He wasn’t too sure if that animosity would surface when Arun expressed an interest in Sameer’s sister. Arun was happy that she was with them on this road trip. He couldn’t wait for the next break they took so that he could talk to her. Arun pulled his head back inside the car.

  They were driving from Pune to Ganpatipule. The beach there was not quite as crowded as the better known beaches at Goa and it was much closer. The drive so far had been smooth. Being on the open road with good friends had been a great idea. Arun would have to give Vishal his due. He thought back to last evening’s events.

  “Arun, we need to do something epic. You’ve got just one week leave left and we haven’t done anything fun.” Vishal was complaining at the dining table even as he tucked into his third paratha. “Aunty, these parathas are amazing.”

  Arun’s mother, Geeta came out of the kitchen with yet another hot paratha from the kitchen, “I’m so glad you are enjoying them. It’s the least I could do after all your help this past few weeks.”

  “Geeta Aunty, don’t you agree Arun needs an actual break?” Vishal appealed to her. “He’s just being running around getting things organized his entire leave.”

  Arun met his mother’s gaze with tired eyes and said, “I’ll sleep for the rest of the week I’m here. That will be break enough.”

  “No it’s not.” Vishal snapped his fingers and pointed back at Arun. “You need to do something less serious and more fun.”

  “I agree.” Arun’s mom nodded her head. “You should go out with your friends.”

  “That’s a great idea Aunty. A long drive. A road trip!” Vishal was practically bouncing in his chair, the hot paratha forgotten. “That’s what we should do. A road trip to the beach!”

  “This is no time for a road trip Vishal,” Arun started to protest.

  “Sounds like a good idea. Take him Vishal. You have my permission to drag him out if he won’t listen.” Geeta said as she walked around and served him a parantha.

  Arun was shocked at his mother’s words. “Ma, really, don’t encourage him.”

  “Arun,” she placed a palm on his cheek and forced him to look into her eyes. “The living do not stop living after the dead are gone. I know you feel like you must stay with me right now since we just lost your father. I love that you are so sensitive and considerate, but trust me when I tell you that I can survive on my own.”

  A tear formed in Arun’s eye and she wiped it away. “You don’t have to be strong for me. I do not want you to give up living your life, just because you have some misplaced sense of guilt. I want you to enjoy this road trip with your friends, okay?”

  Arun nodded. Too choked up to speak.

  “Now Vishal, take this boy of mine out and make sure he has a good time.”

  “I promise it will be a road trip he never forgets,” Vishal grinned at the mother and son as he sent a text message to Ashish that simply read “It’s on!”

  Arun’s thoughts flew back to this morning when Vishal honked his car horn to let him know it was time to go. He was expecting Ashish in the car but not Ashima. He thought it would be just the boys. He supposed that the boys would be better behaved now that the little sister was tagging along. He did not expect to stop for tea at a small stall just after clearing town and be joined by a second car. He absolutely did not expect Shweta to be in that car.

  “So sorry we are late,” Rahat exclaimed as she gave Ashima a hug. “It was Sameer’s fault this time. He took forever to get ready.”

  “Hey Arun, you haven’t met Shweta’s brother Sameer.” Gagan introduced them. “Sameer this is my cousin Arun. We’re going to have so much fun on this trip.”

  It had taken him a moment to realize that the whole gang was going to be together. That it was not a coincidence, but a planned manoeuvrer. That’s when he had turned to look at Vishal who was carefully studying his reaction to Shweta’s presence. When Arun glared at him, he merely raised his eyebrows with an innocent “what’s wrong” expression which was quickly replaced with a smug smile. Arun could hardly be mad at Vishal when he was so happy to see Shweta. He put on a smile and shook hands with Sameer.

  “It’s time for lunch.” Vishal declared as he pulled into a restaurant on the side of the highway. They had made good time since early morning and were just under a hundred kilometers short of Ganpatipule.

  “I don’t think this is such a great place to stop for lunch Vishal. We have ladies with us.” Arun didn’t like the look of what was essentially a tin shed establishment with an open kitchen and a few cots and tables for seating.

  “Do you want to stop here, or drive on and eat in the next town?” Ashish asked Ashima looking at the number of truckers parked by the place.

  “It’s okay, Ashish.” Ashima rolled her eyes. “There’s a lot of us around. It’s broad daylight. It’s safe.”

  “See she’s okay with it.” Vishal parked the car. “Besides the truckers always know where the best food is.” He got out of the car and stretched as the rest of the them piled out. The following car also pulled in next to them.

  “What’s wrong?” Gagan asked from the open car window as he pulled in to park next to them.

  “The bottomless pit is hungry.” Ashish tilted his chin in Vishal’s direction.

>   “Hey, you eat more than I do!” Vishal was already putting two tables together and trying to snag the few plastic chairs scattered around them. The group settled down on the chairs and cots as Vishal ordered copious amounts of food.

  “I hope you intend to finish all that because I don’t want to see any wastage.” Shweta looked pointedly at Vishal.

  “Oh, we’ll finish it. And what we can’t eat right now, we’ll just pack and carry with us. Right Arun?” Vishal looked amused.

  “No way! I’m not doing that again.” Arun shook his head at the memory of balancing a packet of dosa and sambar while riding on bicycles when they were in school.

  “Hey, it will be easier this time. You just have to hold the packet, and I’ll drive.” He was laughing too at the memory of Arun’s trousers splattered with sambar when the plastic bag had leaked.

  “Not happening. Eat everything here. I’m not carrying stuff just to wash it off my pants later.”

  ~~~

  Eventually after many breaks for food and foolishness, they did reach Ganpatipule. They had hired out four bedrooms at a large home-stay bungalow. It’s best feature was it’s beautiful garden plus it was walking distance from the beach. Gagan and Rahat got one room. Shweta and Ashima decided to share with each other instead of their brothers. Vishal and Ashish paired off leaving Arun to room with Sameer.

  All the bedrooms were on the first floor. There were two shared bathrooms for the four bedrooms. There was a large hall with plenty of seating on the ground floor. The dining room, off to the side of the hall, held a huge table that could easily seat twelve people. The old bungalow was surrounded by trees and had an inviting patch of lawn up front. The hosts were happy to leave the group to themselves after the initial introductions.

  Everyone decided to rest for an hour and then meet up at the hall and head for the beach. Ten minutes later there was a war council in Gagan and Rahat’s room with Vishal and Ashish in attendance. Ashima was keeping Shweta occupied while Sameer and Arun had no clue what was happening.