AS THE LIFE TURNS - PART 2
By Credence Trend
August 12, 2008
When the call ended, Ashay gave the phone back to Pranita, his hands trembling.
“You alright, Ashay?†asked Prakash, a little worried and a little curious. Prakash, a doctor, was one of Ashay’s closest friends. They had known each other since they were little boys. Prakash had gone to medical college in
“Yeah, I’m okay,†Ashay said, almost whispering, as he reached for a glass of water.
“Who was it?†Pranita asked, adding, “I wonder how she got my number and I’m surprised how she even knew we are together this evening.â€
“It’s just someone I know,†Ashay answered, quickly adding, “Someone I knew. Don’t worry, guys. Let’s enjoy the evening.†His mind was in turmoil, but he didn’t want to ruin the evening for his friends.
As the waitress brought their cocktails, Ashay ordered whiskey.
“What would you like to have? We’ve Jack Daniels, Chivas, Johnny Walker…â€
Ashay stopped the waitress and said, “JD is fine. Double please, on the rocks.â€
“With Coke?â€
“No thanks. Straight up. And quick, please.â€
The waitress brought the whiskey quickly. Ashay didn’t sip it; he drank it and ordered another double.
“You sure you’re okay?†Nisha asked Ashay.
He nodded his head, “Yeah.â€
Later as the waitress brought their dinner, Ashay was lost in thought. Sheila was in his thoughts. He wondered what she was doing that moment in
***
Later that night, Apurba, the non-drinker, dropped Ashay at his home. Ashay had said he’d take a cab, but Apurba insisted that she’d give him ride as she lived not too far from his home in Lazimpat anyway.
“How was your evening, Ashu?†His mother asked.
“It was good, mom,†he answered, and asked, “What are you doing up this late? Don’t you have to sleep?â€
“I was waiting for you to come back home, baba.†Baba was one of his mother’s affectionate terms for him. “Besides, I don’t need much sleep these days,†she didn’t want to make him feel guilty for her staying up late. “Did you eat well? Do you want some warm milk?â€
“Nah, Mom, I’m good,†he said, and after a pause he added, “Ma, I want to talk to you.â€
His mom looked at him for a moment. A smile came to her face. “You want to talk to me about some girl. Yes?†No one knew Ashay better than his mom. She could read his mind.
He smiled and nodded his head, “Yes, Ma.â€
“Who’s it? Where’s she from?â€
“Her name’s Sheila and she lives in
His mom’s face beamed as she looked at the picture. “She’s pretty. She’s beautiful.â€
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know if he needed to say thanks to his mom.
“You’re in love with her?â€
“Yes, Mom, I am.â€
“What time is it in
“Ma, she doesn’t know. “
“What do you mean she doesn’t know?â€
“I’ve never told her.â€
“You’ve never told her what? That you love her?â€
“Yes, mom, I’ve never told her that I love her.â€
“Why not? And you told me before you told her? You sill y boy,†His mom smiled. “But, that’s okay. You call her and tell her now.â€
“Ma, I think I need to look at her when I tell her this. I’ll tell her in
“No, you call her tonight. It’s morning time in
“I’ll call her in the morning, Ma,†suddenly, he felt nervous, not knowing what Sheila might say when he told her his feelings. For the first time, he started fearing rejection. He didn’t want to think what he’d do if she rejected him.
“Don’t you wait, my boy. Go to your room and call her in your privacy.â€
He looked at his mom, looking somewhat relieved, “Okay, Mama, I’ll call her tonight.â€
He went to his room, sat on the edge of the bed near the phone, and without waiting any longer, he placed a long distance call to Sheila’s home in
Ashay always thought Sheila was much livelier than most anyone that he’s met in his life. She made friends easily; she had that people skill. Often he wished that he was like her; serious at what she did, but always full of life. She was the center of attraction at parties; on the contrary, he often kept to himself.
He called the number three more times and got Sheila’s recorded message every time. He didn’t leave any message. He then dialled her cell number, but then cancelled the call before it went through. He wanted to talk to her when she was home. After a little pause, he called her cell again. The call didn’t go through; he only got busy tone. That night he dialled Sheila’s home and cell numbers about a dozen times, without being able to talk to her.
***
At the time Ashay made the phone calls to Sheila, she was already at a Starbucks not too far from her apartment, enjoying café mocha and reading the novel The Kite Runner by Khaleid Hosseini. She heard beeps of Ashay’s calls on her cell when she was on the phone, talking with Rajan, a guy who she had recently met on a trip to
As she sipped her coffee, she wondered if the missed calls might have been Ashay’s. She wondered what he might be doing at that moment in
***
Four young, bright high-school students, all girls, all from St. Mary’s School in
Decades after the Little Boy caused devastation, the world was still trying to find an answer. Many years after their visit to
The world was still as tumultuous as it was on that fateful day when the
The four young Nepali students raised their head in that December morning in 1998, looking in awe at the skeletal dome of the iconic building that once was the Industrial Promotion Hall. They closed their eyes for a moment and prayed, trying to come to terms with the unnerving knowledge that more than 140,000 people had perished in the blast... men, women and children; fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters; people enjoying the golden years of their lives and young people like these four Nepali students with ambition and hope.
Yet, the building, which was near the epicenter of the blast and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Atomic Bomb Dome, beaconed to the young minds a message that is profound... a message of endurance amidst adversity, of defiance, and of hope. Despite the atomic blast of unprecedented, mind-numbing magnitude and intensity, the building hadn't come down to ground.
A young student from
“Oh, I can’t even begin to appreciate the enormity of the devastation. I don’t know why
“Oh, come on now, don’t be serious. You’re not going to be a politician or something are you?†Imran tried to liven up the moment.
Sarita quipped, “Or, some kind of diplomat, maybe?â€
“Come on, guys; we’re all, what, 11th Grader. We still have long ways to go before we become anything,†Sheila said, her eyes still fixed at the dome. “But, tell you what, a diplomat doesn’t sound too bad to me.â€
“Ambassador Dhungana,†Imran teased Sheila. “I think that’s what you’re going to become some day.â€
“Come on, Imran, you’re so goofy; no wisecrack, please.â€
Sunithee Jayewardene, a young girl from
“And the Maoist insurgency in
That evening, when Sheila returned to her host family’s house, she thought about her parents. Her parents were apprehensive about sending their young daughter on a 10-day trip to
Sheila’s host family were waiting for her. Yumiko, the wife, asked how her day was and if she’d already had dinner outside, which she already had. Over Japanese green tea, Yashushi Hibi, the man, a political science professor at the university, asked her what she thought of the visit to
Sheila paused; her young mind wondering how to summarize the day’s highlights. She thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, “The Hiroshima residents perished because of a decision of a country that now lives with the indignity of having ever used the atomic bombs to kill people. The atomic bombings of
Professor Hibi paused for a moment and said, “Sheila, you’re very eloquent; more than many of my graduate students. And I see that you have a good understanding of an important historical event in the world. You know something? I think one day you’re going to work for the United Nations. You have my blessings for whatever you want to do in life.â€
Sheila asked the professor, “I am impressed by Japanese people’s progress. It’s amazing how
“So you want to combine international relations with economic and financial aspects of it? Have you heard of
That night, Sheila went to bed with a dream. After tossing and turning for a while in bed, indulging in a dream of going to the
[End of Part 2]
[To be continued]
Disclaimer:
This story is a figment of imagination. Resemblance of any character to any person living or dead, is coincidental. This is an original story, but if any part of the story has any semblance of resemblance with any other work by other authors, it is coincidental.
Author’s Note:
This story is a work in progress. Seven months have passed since I wrote Part 1. I can only hope that I don’t wait that long to write Part 3. Any comments, whether complimentary or critical, will be appreciated. Thank you for reading.