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Monday, February 08, 2010

Chp 284. Love bites, sometimes...


It’s that time of the year again, for another Valentine post/story. Hope you enjoy this one.


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Pu Siama sat on the grand sofa motionless, lost in his own thoughts, oblivious of his surroundings. His mind was miles away, thinking about his beloved son. The son that he never got to know well, separated by distance, time and culture. The last time he spoke to him on the phone was a year ago. And the last time he came home was almost five years ago. Suddenly, a friendly nudge brought him back to reality.

The MC announced, “I now invite our respected Chief Minister to come to the stage and…”

The entire auditorium erupted in loud synchronized applause. Pu Siama took a deep breath, adjusted his suit and stood up. As he walked towards the mike, the applause grew louder.

He delivered his speech with much charisma and grace. He had achieved everything in life, but deep inside he was a sad man. The one and only son he had, was like a stranger not just to him but to the state Pu Siama loved so much – Mizoram.

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Thousands of miles away, on one of the busy small narrow winding lanes of Munirka, Johnny kick-started his bike with ease. The Delhi registered motorcycle had seen its fair share of kilometers, accidents and women.

Johnny worked as a senior Marketing executive at a renowned FMCG. He graduated from Delhi University with honors. Being the son of the Chief Minister of Mizoram had its own perks and advantages, but Johnny had never exploited such opportunities because he hated the fact that everybody would look at him differently because of his father.

That was the reason why he had never mixed with the “Mizo crowd” in Delhi. People talked too much, he grumbled. He felt like his life was being scrutinized and analyzed by everybody around him just because of who his father was.

Hence, Johnny had cut off all ties with the Mizo community and moved in an apartment with his former school mates from Chandigarh, where he had completed his school education. He felt more comfortable hanging out with his non-Mizo friends, after all, he had spent 23 of his 26 years outside Mizoram.

He had dated a lot of women from different race and caste and region, and had always thought he would end up marrying a tall Punjabi girl. He knew his parents would disapprove of it, but he also knew that he would never be happy with a Mizo girl because he knew so little about his own culture and heritage.

And then one fine Christmas party at “Blue”, one of the more flamboyant and posh lounge bars in Gurgaon, he was introduced to a Mizo girl Puii by a common friend.

Puii too was just like him. Brought up in a boarding school in Mumbai at the age of 7, she had spent her entire life in the midst of non-Mizo friends. There was an immediate chemistry between the two of them that night.

The next day, Johnny called her again and shyly asked her out on a date. She smiled.

They spent the whole day at CCD together, talking non-stop about various issues. Johnny talked about how his folks would always poke their nose into his friends’ lives. They would always ask him for the name of his friends’ parents, as if that mattered in his friendship. Puii completely agreed that that really bugged her too. They both asked each other why parents in Mizoram were like that, and then burst out laughing.

Puii then made a mock introduction of her father in a very dramatic way, “Hi, my name is Puii and my father’s name is Lalramliana.”

Johnny imitated his father by putting on his voice, “Ohhhh… Lalramliana. I know him. He stays at Zarkawt locality and his father is a very good friend of your grandfather. He once shot down an elephant with a small catapult this size.”

They both laughed again.

“Seriously, how do these people know everybody?” Puii asked amidst the laughter.

“I have no idea,” Johnny quipped. “And Lalramliana is such a common name. Two of my Mizo seniors in Chandigarh were named that. And I think one of my cousins is a Lalramliana too.”

The laughter never seemed to stop. Soon, hours flew by and before they realized it, it was already nightfall.

Johnny asked her if he could see her again the next day. She blushed and said yes.

That night, Johnny couldn’t sleep a wink. He kept tossing and turning on his bed, thinking about Puii. He thought he would never meet someone like her in his life - She was like a mirror-image of himself. And she was extremely attractive too - those eyes, those lips, that beautiful smile, they all kept flashing in his mind over and over again.

They met the next day, and the day after that, and so on, until one day, Johnny held her close and pressed his lips against hers. She reciprocated with a moan. From that day onwards, their love bloomed further and further.

Puii started sleeping over at his place. She was completely head over heels in love with him. She still remembered the last time she had a fight with her mom because she was seeing an Arab exchange student from her campus. This time she knew her parents would not have any objection to her relationship. But still, she decided not to tell them anything about him.

With Puii lying in his arms, Johnny felt complete like never before. He hadn’t told her about his father being the Chief Minister of Mizoram, and she didn’t ask anything about his family either. It didn’t matter. That was one of the many reasons why he loved her so much.

And then suddenly, he turned around and whispered, “Will you marry me?”

Puii couldn’t believe her ears. She said yes as they fell back into a deep passionate embrace.

The marriage was quick. They appeared before a magistrate at a family court along with two of their friends as witnesses, and they signed the required documents. Within two hours, they became husband and wife.

“You know what?” Johnny asked as they laid together that night.

“What?” Puii asked.

“In our culture, we would call this “in ru”, as in eloping…” They both laughed.

Johnny continued his work at the company and Puii found a job as a PR executive for a renowned MNC. Neither of them told their parents about their marriage.

And then one fine day, Johnny reached home to find his wife waiting for him… she was sitting on the dining room chair, contemplating deeply…

“What’s the matter, hon?” Johnny asked with much trepidation.

“Darling,” Puii said slowly… “I’m pregnant…”

Johnny reacted both with shock and jubilation. He ran and hugged her immediately.

And then Puii told Johnny about what she had been thinking the whole evening ever since the color on the pregnancy strip turned pink. She now felt guilty about not telling her parents about their marriage, and with the pregnancy, she felt extremely vulnerable and insecure. She wanted to see her mother and take her advice. She cried.

Johnny understood. He reassured her that he would take leave from work and book a ticket to Mizoram immediately.

He warned her that their parents weren’t going to take it easily, but at the end of the day, it was their life, their decision, their future. She nodded in agreement.

On the day of their departure from Delhi, Johnny called up his father from the airport.

Pu Siama was surprised to see his prodigal son calling him up. The last time they spoke was around a year ago. His heart beat pumped faster as he answered the call with subdued excitement.

The call was quick. No formalities. Johnny quickly told him about his marriage, the pregnancy, and that they were on their way home. Pu Siama almost got a heart attack. Johnny then mentioned her name and hanged up immediately to avoid any awkward questions or reprimand from his father.

Five minutes later, Pu Siama called up his secretary and ordered him to find out everything about the girl, where she studied or worked etc based on the name that Johnny told him. It wasn’t going to be difficult tracing such a person, especially since she was from Aizawl.

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The plane landed at Lengpui Airport that same day. Johnny and Puii got out, checked out their baggage and hired a taxi. He wasn’t surprised there weren’t anybody waiting for him at the airport. He hardly had any friends in Mizoram, and he was like a stranger to his cousins.

Finally, the taxi reached Johnny’s palatial bungalow. There was an awful large number of cars parked outside the house, and Johnny immediately assumed his father was organizing a quick marriage ceremony or reception for them so as to save his face in front of the conservative Mizo society. After all, it was like destroying his reputation if the public found out about his son’s elopement.

As they walked hand in hand cautiously into the main living room, the place was filled with people. He recognized some of his uncles and aunts. But instead of celebrating or even acknowledging him with a smile, they all sat their staring at him, as if they were mourning.

Johnny held Puii’s hand tighter.

And then a middle aged man with blood shot eyes stood up slowly. Johnny didn’t know who he was until Puii suddenly screamed, “Dad!”

Johnny realized his father must have traced who she was and asked her father to come over. He didn’t care. He loved her and that mattered the most.

And then all heads turned towards the centre of the room as Pu Siama stood up. He trembled as his wife and brother supported him on his arms. Johnny hadn’t seen his father in almost five years, and realized how much he had aged.

With a heavy breath, Pu Siama pointed at his son slowly… his fingers shook as he uttered painfully, “You stupid ungrateful son…” pin drop silence filled the room as time came to a halt. He continued with all his energy as he looked at his daughter-in-law, “She… is your cousin’s daughter.”


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37 comments:

Mizohican said...

hehehe... yes I know... its very disturbing... just wanna give that "WTF" effect when you reach the last line :D

odzer said...

How Hill-Billy! I liked the story and the hero is a product of our city. Love that!

Lucy In The Sky said...

Hehe I kind of guessed the ending when I came to "Johnny then mentioned her name and hanged up immediately..."

Enjoyed the story...thanks.

Mizohican said...

@ odzer: hehehe... might be called a Southerner if it was in America... :D

@ Lucy: Really? You saw that coming? Then I have failed somewhere :(

Varte said...

Its obvious they'd be a close relatives for they never mentioned their families. But still its a nice story, a bu-in siam law law rawh, thu leh hla tam deuh hlekin, chuan story writer i ni mai. :)

dr_feelgood said...

What a Valentine Day story.Think I'm going to out do myself and buy my wife a box of chocolate and flowers for this Valentine.

Anonymous said...

...and Love hurts...sometimes..

Rara avis

ku2 said...

not incest!! ok, they may be 2nd cousins, and thats scandalous and all, but i refuse to call it incest.. am on the side of the lovers.

Mizohican said...

@ Varte: You're smart. hehehe :D nia... a bu siam vel te kha chu ka la ngaihtuah ang :D

@ dr_feelgood: Lucky Mrs. feelgood :-)

@ Rara: Yup... its does... sometimes.

@ ku2: Thats disturbing, you know.. atleast to some of us :-) Thanx for visiting, nice to see your blog for the first time too. :-)

Lal Jo-a said...

What the f f f f f family!! Will you just add 16th there at the last line, so it look like this “She… is your 16th cousin’s daughter.” Hehe Nice story! Yet Again.

Aduhi Chawngthu said...

Nice twist at the end, as always.
Thil dang daih, i profile sira Krismas putar khi a va ding rei tawh ve, isn't it time you sent him home to the North Pole?

Alejendro said...

Seem like an interesting story.. but it's kinda long to finish right... save it for later..


No Valentine this year... the Valentine's Mail that I got last year kept poppin' on my head though... it has been deleted but luckily I know the content by heart. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day to all :-) Wish you enjoy most, now is the time...

Mimihrahsel said...

moral of the story: "always tell your family about the girl ur dating".. I'M WAITING!! losing my patience too :p

Eveline said...

I'm glad I waited up for this one! Its creepy. Well written. Haha, you really had me going. I was literally leaned in as far as I could staring at the screen trying to get to the end of your story. Dude, that was a killing!
So when does the rest of the book come out? lol!

Mizohican said...

@ Father: heheheh... thanx. Yeah, 16th suddenly makes it less disturbing than 1st cousin, in a very strange way :-)

@ Aduhi: haha... nia ka lo dah thla ang. Tunlai chu ka buai lutuk a, blog pawh ka update hman tawk a ni.

@ Alej: If you want to spend a good Valentine's Day here in Mumbai, all you have to do is take a taxi from Bandra to Kamathipura... :D

@ Mimi: Oh nooo.. you're still waiting? For what what what? :-) The phone call? :-)

@ Eve: heheheheh... thanx dear. And lolz, no book so far, though sometimes I do wish I was good enough to publish a book. And yes, it is indeed creepy. :D

Anonymous said...

nice one. when's your book / collection of stories coming out?
so engrossed was i with the story that i had forgotten your stories always have a twist at the end and was caught off-guard by the ending. good one

Lucy In The Sky said...

Well..I don't think you "have failed" but having read other twist ending stories of yours and the fact that this story has two main characters made it easier to guess, I suppose :)

PS: You always hated the word verification in the comment section...

Mizohican said...

@ ruolngulworld: lolzzzz thanx hotupa. :-)

@ Lucy: You're smart. Very smart :-)

Anonymous said...

another interesting post i've been waiting...finally! you well deserved a very haPPy Valentine's Day. let me tip you something for your ehemz on V day ... a bunch of roses! trust me. it works. and i'm hoping getting one as well :D

shhh...lalrimtuii

Alejendro said...

LOL Fare kaun baregan? Tera baap? LOL NOI

wonderboy said...

Ngaihnawm hle mai. Real life ah pawh mizo zingah 1st cousin innei an awm nual tho alawm. An inkarah 'hmangaihna' a par tawh miau chuan mi dang hi lo buai viau lo ila ni mai te ka tia!! :-D

CM khi mi dik leh fel tak niin a corrupt lo chiang ngawt ang! ;-)

T-Cule said...

Nice story. the 'Jennifer Aniston' of all your post :-)

Jerusha said...

I must say the secretary was very smart to be able tp trace Puii. How many Puii's are there in this world? Even just in Delhi alone? I guess he called Johnny's friends and got more info.. :P

HKBee said...

Pu Siama political rival, a huat ber fanu a ni dawn emaw ka tia...page dang enmiah lovin ka chhiar zo vek anih chu!! Nice story...

nell_maiden said...

I ain't good in the technicAL term, but can we call this incest?
remind me of Oedipus..
btw great story..truly great. thought it was a true story in the beginning..plus u make me miss the good ol days in Delhi Munirka.
Frankly speaking my memory is crystal clear about the alley of that double THEKA(Wineshop)A rare sight in Delhi when you got two of them close by..All other locations in Munirka are vivid now even the one i used to make my bed.
LOL

Hriatpuia Pa said...

Chhiar a nuam leh pek e. Chhiar lova ka kalkan chhung erawh a rei deuh.

Thu inzawh fiah ve deuhte hi chu a tangkai reng a ni. Hmelhriat lohte chanchin sawi leh inzawh vak kan ching tih lohvah chuan, hmangaihte nena thil inzawh leh inhrilh tluk a awm lo, a tawpah Pate kutzungchal hmuhna a ni mai! hehe.

Engpawh nise, 'He didn’t care. He loved her and that mattered the most,' tih hian a fun kim ber mai e.

Mariuca said...

Well u certainly pulled off the WTF effect Sandman, nonetheless great one as always... :)

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Unknown said...

that was quite a bit of story writing there. on the lines on Saki, Henry and the short story writers - you delivered a nice power-packing punch! first time reading your blog, gonna be addictive I guess...

Mizohican said...

@ Lalrimtuii: But... isn't that cliche? :D

@ Alej: Tera :-)

@ Wonderboy: Nia, tiang CM te khi nei thei i la chu, a nuam ngawt ang kan ram a tan hian. Cousin innei chu ka hre nual kei pawn, mahse direct first blood related chu an ni lo.

@ Keichala: lolz. Thanx :-)

@ Jerusha: Never underestimate the power of secretaries to CM. :-)

Mizohican said...

@ HKBee: A via filim tawh e tiang te chu :D Thanx for the visit and comment!

@ Nell: Oh stop praising Munirka so much. There is only one legitimate wine shop in that entire area :D

@ Zaia: He didnt care tih hi a ril hle a ni. Heta tang hian sawi tur chu a tam hle in ka hria... entirnan, same sex marriage te pawh... :-)

@ Marzie: Oh dear lord, thank you for stopping by! I have been so busy lately I hardly had the time to come by your blogs. Will definitely do so soon. Happy V'day to you too dear.

@ daud: Thanx! Wish I could read your blog too, but unfortunately I dont have the necessary permission :( Hope you like the rest of my posts!

Zara Ralte said...

Tlai khawhnu ah ka lo chhiar a, a ngaihnawm hle mai, a tawp dan hi ka rin loh deuh in a awm! a dang pawh ziak zel rawh i ril tlat!(fiamthu lovin!)

Ka chhiar lai a ka rilru a lo awm ve pakhat chu a thawn thu ang deuh hian Mizo hi chu kan lo la tlem a ni, hmelhriat ngai loh pawh hi hmu ila han ti ti tak tak chuan "in veng ah chumi kha mi chu i hria em?" "kha mi te In chhak/kawmthlang ah khan kan leng tawh" etc.etc atanga tanin a tawp ah chuan kan lo in chhung leh trep hlawm zel:)

....chuan ka chung chiah a comment hi kei pawh ka pawm thlap e:)ka blog ah pawh khachhawk lam unau te hian an raw comment ve zauh zauh ania:-)

Anonymous said...

hey... i somehow knew that the story would end in that sorta way (well not exactly the same though!!????) hehe...judging from your previous stories i GUESS

:::::the very same guy from pune !!!???

VaiVa said...

An van comment peih zawk em em!!! :D

Mizohican said...

@ azassk: lolz... nia heng ho hian an rawn comment ve fo mai ka blog ah hian :D :D Thanx for the comment.

@ anonymous: heheheh.... I must try not to be predictable next time :)

@ VaiVa: Nang pawh! :)

Unknown said...

Another typical Illusionaire product...interesting and classy!

Dewdrop said...

Nice story, loved it :)

Mizohican said...

:)