Just Another Love Story

It was the early hours of just another winter morning. People wearing woolen clothes and gloves were already leaving for work.  There was a thick blanket of fog covering the streets and it become denser with the increase in height. The tall buildings of New York were already lost in the mist.

Though the climate was a little bit unpleasant, yet the streets were lively and were buzzing with the roaring sound of the motors.

In New York, the days were very demanding. The work pressure and the constant urge to set global standards can break even the strongest nerves. And at the same time, completely contrary to the days, the nightlife was so stress free, it always recharges one for the next day.

The signal turned red and a group of pedestrians stopped at the crossings. Among those pedestrians, just like any other man, was George, six feet tall and fair. To any one, he would have seemed to be like just other guy going to his job, but he wasn’t. He was having a much more grave matter pressed against his face.

George had gained a lot of things from New York. He had successfully established himself in a well reputed bank as the head of finances. Money was always at his disposal. But it was not money he cared for, it was the love of his life, that he cherished the most. The love, which came into his life three years back and added a completely new dimension to his monotonous life. The love with whom he was going to spend the rest of his life. His love, Scarlett; which he had lost last night.

The honking of the horns dragged George out of his thoughts. The signal for pedestrians turned green and he followed the mass. He couldn’t afford to waste time. His life hung in the balance. He had to explain everything to Scarlett.

He made his way through the crowd, cutting through small gaps. He pushed and squeezed through the mob. Luckily no one paid attention to his filthy attire and messed up hair and face.

His mind was racing, trying hard to think about what happened last night. He was getting flashes of his last night’s birthday party. The one birthday which he was going to regret the rest of his life, if he didn’t patch up with Scarlett.

He scarpered through the streets. He was still a few blocks away from Scarlett’s place. He paced through the blocks, one after the other, thinking about his birthday which had gone badly wrong.

It was his 27^th birthday. He had decided of spending the night with Scarlett and some of his old friends, but when he returned early from work yesterday, his friends were already all set for the celebrations. They quickly made him change and soon they were at the club. By all this time, George was searching for Scarlett, who was nowhere to be seen. For a second he thought that Scarlett might have forgotten his birthday this time, but that was an absolutely ridiculous thought, for since the time they have known each other, she had always been there for him. She never failed to wish him luck on an important day, her shoulders were always there to offer consoling, her greetings and her smile were always there by his side. She was undoubtedly a more responsible and gentle person than he was. Always serving others generously, always offering a helping hand to those who were need of it. She was a god’s person, he used to always tell her and yesterday he had broken the heart of a pure soul.

A feeling of guilt began to pour inside him. He had hurt her feelings. He owed an apology to Scarlett, though he doubted whether this time she would let him go of an apology.

He reached Scarlett’s block only to find it locked. He was panting for breath. Was he too late? He asked himself. Scarlett was not going to leave for Europe until late afternoon or has she already...

He felt a slight twinge in his head. Flashes of his last night’s party were canvassed in front of him. He was there with his colleagues, his parents, his friends and Scarlett. The pain in his head aggravated but still there was something soothing about the pain. He could see Scarlett, her serene face.

Scarlett walked towards him, holding a small gift tightly wrapped. They both kissed and George blew the candles. He closed his eyes and wished for these happy moments for days to come and that Scarlett be always be there by his side to the end.

The music began to pound harder and soon everyone was on the dance floor, drinks in hand and their bodies grooving to the music. Everyone was enjoying themselves. They danced, they laughed, they drank, and they ate till their bodies ached.

George was breathing heavily, his clothes had become wet. He was lying on the streets. His head was throbbing to the point of explosion. He got hold of himself. He shouted for help but no one was nearby to listen. He sat on the stairs of Scarlett’s place, rested his head against the wall and tried to absorb the pain. He could feel himself being dragged somewhere, lights were glittering in front of his eyes and the next moment he was looking at Scarlett.

The scene had changed; there were no longer discotheque lights in the background, the hard banging music was replaced by slow, melodious and captivating music. They were at a nearby restaurant. Scarlett had booked tables for them. She was talking to the manager and the manager was nodding in approval. George was at the table wondering what surprise Scarlett was holding this time.

The manager walked to the center of the room and tingled the glass he was holding and addressed the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment please.” He waited for the chattering to die and continued, “We have a got a birthday boy here, Mr. George Winson,” and pointed towards George. Everyone turned towards George. George waved his hands in appreciation.

The manager cleared his throat and said, “On his 27^th birthday, a friend of George would like to say a few words. So I would request Ms Scarlett to please take the proceedings from here.”

The manager made way for Scarlett, whispered something in her ears and settled himself in a nearby table.

George just couldn’t take his eyes off Scarlett as she made her way towards the center. Her beauty had completely enchanted the entire room. Even after seeing her almost every day, yet today in her velvety red dress, she seemed to be a complete virgin to George’s eyes and just as he had felt on their first meet, he was getting a burning desire deep in his heart which was engulfing his entire body spreading like wild fire making his hair stand on end.

She adjusted her dress and unfolded a paper which she was holding in her hand. Knowing the kind of person Scarlett was, George realized that she must have spend days to prepare the letter.

She began, “Happy birthday, George Winson. As you turn 27 today, I wish you all the happiness in the world,” she paused and looked at George, gave him a smile and continued, “Three years ago, before I met you I was just a lone soul trying to find all the meanings in the world. Trying to define what life is, searching for truth and a purpose to live, seeking God and his enigmatic truth. After straying for some years when I was about to conclude that God was a fictitious creature, a miracle happened. And this miracle was so compelling and its life-force was so powerful, that it made me completely forget about who I was. This miracle was so vivacious and sparkling, that life began to look like a completely new chapter. I began to find good in people around me. I began to love myself as well as others. I felt a huge encouraging and never ending positivity around me. I started to become a better person. I learned new things in life, things which I didn’t notice earlier. Life no longer seemed complicated or dense. It became a peaceful and relaxing river. This miracle had sweetened my life. It made me who I am today. I would like to conclude by saying that miracles do happen in life. It may happen only for once for some of us and for some it shows itself up whenever they expect it the least to happen. In my life, I have had experienced this miracle and the impression it has left behind. I don’t know whether I will be experiencing any more miracles in life, but the one miracle which God has casted upon me has completely transformed me and amended my life. Ladies and Gentlemen,” she folded the paper and holding her breath she continued “that miracle is none other than George himself and today, on his birthday, I would like to take the opportunity and propose him to marry me.” She carefully unwrapped the gift she was holding and walked to George’s table. The entire room was following every step of Scarlett as if she was walking down the aisle on her wedding. She went down on her knees and offered the ring to George.

“Will you please marry me, my miracle, Mr. George Winson?”

George realized that all eyes were on him. His hands had gone numb. He wanted to say something but couldn’t find anything nearly good as enough to what Scarlett had said about him. Everyone in the room waited for his approval, everything had gone silent.

He laughed at the thought of a girl proposing a guy. He smiled meekly and kissed Scarlett. Even after kissing her for thousands of time, he felt a hot sensation as a novice would sense on his first kiss.

The room had completely erupted with applause. Everyone was on their feet shouting cheers and blessing the couple.

His head ached uncontrollably. His stomach churned and he vomited. No passer by stopped to look at him. He cursed the world. Life was so beautiful some hours ago and now it had turned completely upside down. He wanted to blow his head off but that was not a valid option for him. His heart felt lighter at the thought of he being engaged to Scarlett. Scarlett would definitely forgive him for whatever he had done. The air around him grew warmer. The sun was shining brightly symbolizing a fresh start, thought George.

Scarlett’s flight was to leave around 2 pm and if she was not at her place, she surely must be at the nearby coffee place. Everything was going to be good again, thought George and he ran to save the love of his life.

He waved for a taxi but none stopped. The time was passing him by his side. He wanted to get hold of it but now it was not possible for him to even get hold of a taxi. He ran through the streets.

His mind was completely full of different thoughts but still he was unable to recollect about what had gone wrong last night. Someone might have drugged him or he might have drank too much. It was a possibility but still unaware of anything he continued his sprint.

***

She was sitting at her favorite place, or the place which was supposed to be her favorite thought Scarlett as she used another tissue to wipe her tears. She was at the coffee place where George and Scarlett had first met.

It had been like any other day for her until she met George. A smile spread across her face as her past flickered in front of her eyes. Then a heavy thought was pushed up into her mind and fresh tears glistened on her cheeks.

George always talked about happy endings; this was definitely not one of the happy endings. Life had tricked her. A huge lump formed in her throat. She wanted to cry out loud, but she couldn’t, why? Even she didn’t know. She tried to believe that what last night happened was nothing more than just a dream and when she would meet George, she would tell him about her weird nightmare. But what if the nightmare was true, she had loved George more than anything else in her life and the pain of losing him was unbearable.

She needed to talk to George; she had to apologize to George for her childish behavior. They had planned to go to see the Taj Mahal in India, after her trip from Europe. They were planning to buy a house together. There were lot of things lined up for them, Scarlett felt happy.

They had loved each other and had vowed to love each other for the rest of their life; they can’t just break away from each other so easily, thought Scarlett as another fresh tear trickled down her face.

***

George arrived at the coffee place. Gasping for breath, he quickly composed himself, Scarlett must be nearby, thought George. He looked through the glass windows to get a sign of Scarlett.

The sun was now at full, making it difficult to see through the glass. He changed his positions to get a better view. Luckily the doorman didn’t spot him peeking through the windows as he had done a couple of times previously.

A few more moments later he spotted her, as beautiful as she was the other night. She was still wearing the same velvety dress though she was wearing a jacket to cover her upper half.

He quickly ran to the window exactly opposite to where she was sitting. He saw her red, puffed out cheeks. He had made her cry and the thought that she might have sat there crying the entire night bulged inside his stomach.

He saw her red eyes and he was plunged into another flashback.

It had grown darker. George was lying flat on the table. He was feeling drowsy. He had well crossed his limit. His head was aching badly. The entire room was tumbling around him. His stomach was heavy. He wanted to emit all out, but decided not to. He fell back on the couch and rested his head.

“George, are you okay?” came a voice.

“Scarlett, is it you. I am sorry. I drank a little too much.”

“It is okay. It’s your birthday today. You can do anything today. No one’s going to stop you.”

“Thanks Scarlett. You are lovely.”

She moved closer and unbuttoned George’s shirt.

“Oh boy! You really are acting naughty tonight. Are you sure you are not as drunk as I am?” asked George almost groaning the last words.

“Relax; I know exactly what I am doing.”

And she continued to unbutton his trousers. George felt her warm hands inside his pants and it send down a shiver down his body. He held her by the waist and kissed her. She pulled his pants down and George struggled with her panties. He quickly got rid of it and they made love to each other. She moaned and George increased his tempo. Soon his entire body part was inside hers and they were completely wrapped around each other.

George soon got exhausted and came to neutral state. The restaurant was now almost empty and both of them were lying nude on the couch over each other.

“I have never ridden someone so hard.”

“We did this two nights back and you were so much better that night,” replied George lamely.

A blazing light came from the door and George covered his eyes. Slowly he opened them and found himself standing in front of the glass window.

Everything became clear to him. He had mistaken someone else to be Scarlett and had made love to her. How he could have been so stupid. Scarlett had every right to break up with him. He knew that he had done something that can’t be repaired. But still he must give it a shot. If he didn’t go up to Scarlett and repented for his sin, his crime would surely deteriorate him from inside.

He made his way towards the entrance but Scarlett was already up on her feet and made her way towards her car. George quickly ran towards her but was too late. Scarlett had turned the engine on and stamped on the gas. Within seconds the car was hundred meters away from George and speeded continuously.

This might be the last chance for him to ask for forgiveness and without wasting another second, he chased the car as it had now become the reason for him to be alive.

He ran after the car, without even glancing at the other vehicles, dodging them one by one, keeping his focus on the car which was now speeding away with his love.

He shouted at the top of his voice but the motoring sound of the vehicles simply sucked it up.

The signal turned red and hope poured inside him.

He had some meters to cover but Scarlett didn’t respond to the signal and she continued to pedal the gas.

Half way across the intersection a speeding truck appeared out of nowhere and collided with the car. The collision sounded like the clashing of two swords sending broken pieces of glass everywhere.

The momentum of the truck was huge; it dragged the car to the walkway crashing it into the poles.

Everything went to a standstill. Silence had blanketed the entire area with sound of broken glasses. George froze in the middle of the streets. He could feel a huge dent in his heart. His chest had gone completely hollow. His body was wheezing for some breath.

People quickly got out of their cars and ran to the scene. Some on their cell phones trying to call 911.

George stood there. He was losing his vision. Everything was becoming dark in front of his eyes. He didn’t know if he was moving or standing. He had lost sensation of his body. He waited for someone to pull Scarlett out of the crash. Maybe he should have done something but he just couldn’t muster the courage. It was all going to be ok he consoled himself. But the loss was too grave. He couldn’t control himself. He went down on his knees and his emotions burst out.

He had lost the most precious thing of his life. There was no reason for him to live. There was a huge explosion and Scarlett’s car was swallowed up by flames. Everything was over.

His heart was filled with a mixture of emotions. He felt that he was responsible for killing Scarlett, he wanted to do something, he wanted to kill himself. He wanted to end his life.

Just then a miracle happened. He saw a shadow walking out of the fire. Could she be Scarlett? His eyes got transfixed. To his utter joy and disbelief a beautiful lady wearing a red dress walked out of the fire completely unharmed.

Scarlett moved towards George. George was still in a shock. How Scarlett was not having even a scratch on her body. She was smiling at George. George tried his best to smile back but couldn’t get rid of his puzzled expression. Scarlett began giggling. George realized that it must be a prank and the entire accident was a setup. He managed to smile back and hugged Scarlett. It was a different hug; his body was feeling much lighter. At last, the nightmare was over.

“How did you managed to pull…” she stopped him mid sentenced and opened her palm. She was holding a crumpled paper. George picked up the paper. It was a torn article from the newspaper.

To his utter astonishment it was having a photo of someone who looked exactly like George. George looked at Scarlett and her expression simply suggested him to read it.

In a brawl, 27 year old George Winson was murdered last night outside Kitchen restaurant. Nearby locals reported that the scuffle took place around 11.30 in the night when the couple, George  Winson and Scarlett Johnson left the restaurant. The streets were all deserted and so the local thugs surrounded the couple and demanded for cash and their engagement ring. They used some abusive language against Scarlett which triggered George and he pounced on them. George was shot twice in the stomach. They ran from the scene leaving Scarlett unharmed. The emergency services arrived at the scene some fifteen minutes later but were unable to save George. Scarlett had refused to talk about this incident. It was a tragic ending for George as it was his birthday and he also got engaged to Scarlett that same day.

He ran through the article again. He looked at Scarlett. Her face was still bearing the calm, peaceful smile. George’s head began to upturn and the scene replaced.

He was leaving the restaurant with Scarlett. It was 11.15 pm. He was too tired due to his recent exercise. He asked Scarlett twice whether he had sex with her or with someone else and Scarlett punched him twice to remind him that it was her body he had recently explored and that he should not even think about another woman.

The streets were completely deserted. There were very few passersby at that time of night. George had sensed this and requested Scarlett to take a different route. But she didn’t listen and George reluctantly had to follow her.

It must have been around 11.30pm when four guys walked up to them and kept them at gunpoint and demanded for cash. George and Scarlett immediately emptied their cash. One of them noticed their diamond studded engagement rings and asked them to hand it over. George resisted but Scarlett was too scared so he succumbed to their demands. It was not until they abused Scarlett and touched her body that made George to attack the thugs. He punched hard on one’s face and knew at once that he had broken his jaws. He leaned towards the other. Scarlett was shouting for help.

The thug pushed George away and the other two fired two bullets at George. They quickly lifted the one who was punched by George and disappeared from the scene. Scarlett kept shouting for help as George took his last breath lying on her laps.

George opened his eyes. His head had stopped banging. He was feeling free. Scarlett was standing in front of him bearing the same pure smile.

It was now official that he was dead, thought George. He wasn’t sure whether he should be sad as he and Scarlett were dead or happy at the fact that even after death they were together.

He had never thought of life after death. He wanted to tell the world but that was not a possibility. One thing was possible though he thought that both of them were going to spend the rest of their life, or in their case dead life, together forever.

Such was the might of their love,

That even the Pantheon of Death couldn’t separate them,

And arranged for their renaissance.