The following work of flash fiction is in collaboration with my fellow blogger Jithin ofPho Trablogger .The picture of the train seat that you see above ,is his creative photography which inspired this piece of fiction writing . Please clickHEREand provide your valuable feedback on this picture. Also you can check out his blog for more wonderful pictures and travel related posts….I am sure you will enjoy them …
Lolita stared at the empty seat , her eyes moist with tears . The sun rays streamed in through the chasms of the window, and occupied the emptiness….. It was as if , it were trying to fill in the void , not only in the seat , but in her barren life as well .
He was gone…. replaced by the glistening sunbeam , which now seemed more welcoming , than he had ever been.
They were never meant to be together , right from the start. In the first few months of their whirlwind love affair , things were far too ‘perfect’ to be true… In fact , somewhere in the deepest recesses of her heart Lolita , knew this wasn’t real , that it was all just a beautiful bubble , that will burst one day ; vanish without a trace…. And now , it had …
Since the last two months , Kabir had been acting a little too weird . He seemed so distant , so unreal , that sometimes she even questioned her own choice !
When they had begun dating , Kabir always seemed so caring and concerned . It was as if he had all the time in the world for her , but things changed ever since she had moved in with him . He had been coaxing her to live-in with him , right from the start , but being from a slightly conservative background , Lolita wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do .
In the end , her love for her Kabir , triumphed , dismissing all her fears and trepidation , and in a few days , she was there , lying next to him on his bed , as he stroked her hair and hummed a song……..
Lolita would have continued to live her ‘dream-like’ existence , if it was not for that phone call ….
Kabir had been unusually busy the last few months . He wore a frown all the times and snapped at Lolita if she asked him what the matter was . Once , exasperated by his cold behavior and indifference towards her , she confronted him . After arguing and quarelling with each other like cantankerous curmudgeons , the two retired to bed , where they further continued their cold war ..
Once Kabir was off to work the following morning , Lolita sat there , pondering over the whole episode and soon hatched a plan to surprise him .
That weekend , Lolita managed to convince him to follow suit . When they reached the station , he asked her what the plan was. As they unloaded their baggage from the car and walked into the station , she held his hand , and smiled at him reassuringly . Kabir did not look too pleased with the thought of travelling in a train , but then he had no choice….
As they settled down inside their train compartment , Lolita observed the nervousness on Kabir’s face . ‘Relax , dear…it is only a two hour journey to that station and from there , we are taking a flight to Goa !’
‘Goa!’ , exclaimed Kabir , looking perturbed , ‘But what is the need for this trip now.?..I have a lot of office work piled up…’
As he sat there looking restless , tapping his feet nervously , on the floor of the compartment , Lolita spoke , ‘Kabir…listen ! There is a surprise for you … I wanted to tell you this at home , but you never had any time for me , so I think I will tell you now.. The other day I received a phone call from my Doctor…’ Lolita glanced up at Kabir who now wore a curious expression . She then gathered some courage , and blurted out in a single breath , ‘I am …err…I am going to have a baby !’ . She did not need to complete her sentence to see his expression change …
His calm yet anxious looking face had now contorted into a scowl , and the words that followed , would remain etched in Lolita’s memory for ever and ever……………
‘What..? Are you crazy? ‘… he shouted at first , in a voice so loud , that all the passengers in the neighboring seats were now gauging them , waiting for his next words , ‘Alright …’ , Kabir stated , matter of factly , ‘There is someting I have been meaning to tell you for sometime . But I guess ,there would not be a better occasion to do so…’ He drew a deep breath , before he continued in the same strain , ‘Lolita I don’t love you any more …. In fact , I am seeing someone else now… ‘ , Kabir looked up at her once , and then dropped his gaze , ‘I have been wanting to tell you this for sometime..but ….She is my colleague at office… We love each other . ‘
He got up from the seat , abrupty . ‘You can come and collect your stuff from my place , whenever you like… Kiara will be moving in with me soon… and yeah , about the baby , I am sure you know what to do, best !’
Lolita glared at him , her eyes like that of a deer caught in the headlights , red with tears . She could feel the pain caused by the lump in her throat , but it was nothing compared to the piercing pain , she felt in her chest… It was as if her heart was ripped out from there…. leaving behind a gaping black hole….
As the train shunted to a stop , Kabir gave her one last look and then , walked out of the coach ….and out of her life too……
Lolita stared at the empty seat , her eyes moist with tears…..
Just then she heard a male baritone ,’Ma’m , is this seat empty…?’ She looked up at the source of the voice , a tall good looking gentleman was standing there , with a laptop bag in one hand and a suitcase in the other , ‘May I sit here?’ , he asked again , sensing her confusion . ‘Oh …yes..please…its all yours…’ she mumbled , and looked outside the window…
The 'Pen'lightenment Of The Soul 