CONFUSED

Red or Black. Black, maybe. Maybe Red. Red would be better. No. It's too gaudy. I don't want to show off. Absolutely not. Black then. No. Black is too shiny. Dark but shiny. But it's subtle too. Red. Yes, red. It's perfect. Matches with the mood too.

She should be here soon. 8 o clock. Ahh. I can't wait anymore. What will she be wearing? Don't know. But for someone so beautiful, I don't care  what she wears. She would look stunning in almost anything. But she shouldn't wear anything too revealing. Anything but revealing. I would hate that. I would really hate that. But I don't want to hate her. How can someone hate her? She is so elegant and wonderful.

8:15. Any moment now.

Should I be quick? Maybe I should take it slow, with her. She might not be the fast paced type. Then again, she might not even like to be kept waiting. I hate to be kept waiting too. Would going too fast make her angry? Maybe sad. I don't know. Ugh. This is so confusing. Maybe people are right when they say I'm not good with girls. But I'm not gay. No, I'm not. I think so. But I am better with boys. They aren't that hard to decipher. Girls are so complex and delicate. Yes,  and sensitive too. I must take it slow.

It's almost 8:30. Why isn't she here yet? She told me she would be here by 8:30. This wait. It's agonising. Maybe I should wait for her outside. Check whether she is coming or not. No. No. She would take it wrongly. She might consider me weird for doing such a thing. Let her come slowly.

Wait a minute. Maybe someone else has got her. No I can't let that happen. I can't let her go. I like her so much. I wouldn't let anyone take her from me. No one deserves her but me.

I am worrying too much. She will be here soon. I know she will.

[Bell rings]

Oh my God. She is here. Everything's ready. Yes. Yes. It can't be better than this. Everything's fine. But maybe it could be better. Just a bit maybe.

[Bell rings again]

"Hey. I was upstairs. Took me a bit of time to come down. Hope i didnt make you wait too long. "

Yes nicely done boy. Nicely done.

"Come in. Hope you didn't have any trouble coming here."

All that matters now is that you are here. I don't want anything else. I don't care about anything else.

"I have to admit, you are looking amazing. "

I'm almost there.

" Umm. I've been meaning to ask something. What color of knife should I use? Red or Black? "

Laurel

Laurel loved to drive (or ride,  depending on the vehicle). She had an incredible fascination over driving since she was a little kid. Her mom used to say that when she first got her tricycle at 4th grade, it was almost impossible for anyone to get her off of it. She was so obsessed with driving that one day she almost gave her parents a heart attack. They had to call her friends in the middle of the night,  only to find that she wasn't there. Then there were sirens wailing all around the locality. Almost no one in our locality had sleep that night. The next morning as everyone was exhausted and all pent up, she appeared out of nowhere, singing merrily,  bathed under the bright light of the dawning sun. That was the only week of my life I had to spend without seeing her not even once. But that wasn't enough to end her passion for driving or riding.

In her life she had enough adventures of that sort. Enough to write an entire novel on it. She loved the rush. But she wasn't just that. She was simple and kind hearted too. She wasn't the brightest but she always tried her best at everything. She had this unbelievable energy to never give up. Maybe that's why I liked her so much.

We knew each other since we were big enough to understand that we have to cry to get things done. But it wasn't until my 16th birthday that I knew I belong to this wonderful woman. That life without her wouldn't simply bear the same meaning. But it took me 5 more years and 3 failed attempts to tell her that.

I still remember the day when she suddenly disappeared on me. It was naturally the worst nightmare of my life. Our kid was just 2 years old and I was not an expert on kids. In no sense was I the ideal father. But I knew how much she loved giving everyone heart attacks. One day. Two day. An entire week went by. I had to call the police. Since we never left our locality the reaction of the officers were just what I expected. Another week went by. I knew that if she returns I would take my son and leave her. And won't look back. Then it was Christmas. The worst Christmas of my life. The next day as I was picking the daily paper. I saw her standing with a big smile. I wanted to slap her as hard as I could. But I broke into tears.

She didn't say much. She just said, "I was just preparing for that day when you would be standing in front of this gate,  picking the paper but there won't be a me. " Pretty harsh way to teach. Maybe she knew how much I was dependent on her.

But I'm glad that that day never came. The day when I would go to sleep without feeling the warmth of her hand.

It was a rainy, damp, cold night. Just the kind of omens you would expect for a night this bad. When I am with her it's rare that I get the wheel to myself. As she sped the car over 60 on the moist ladden road it didn't came to her mind that even the best of drivers can go wrong. The car skidded and soon enough our car was flying off the side rails. But now that I see her head bang into the wheel and dark patches of blood grow deeper and deeper on her forehead,  I think that the night isn't that bad. After all I don't have to die without her. Somehow this day which should be the worst day of my life seems rather beautiful. And as the car kept falling down and down I searched for her hand and held it as tight as possible.

Who knew that the thing that she loved most would be her ultimate nemesis?

It's true that the moment before you die is the longest moment of your life.

THE SOUND OF FEAR

As the door creaked open, it hit the little red bell that hung from just above the door sil. A loud-jingling-annoying noise broke the silence of this lonely diner. A woman walked in. Clad in all leather. A typical NY cap on her head. Pair of headphones on her ear.

Her black smoky eyes hovered around for a few seconds, staring blankly at everything. Her golden hair swinging to the seemingly inaudible tune. After waiting in front of the door for quite a few seconds she approached the dine keeper. "Do you have a pack of cigarettes?" She noticed, that for the last few minutes, I kept staring at her. She put a short grin on her face. As if she was mocking me.

I turned my attention towards my food again. I didn't feel like eating anymore but I hated wasting food. I checked the time. 10 o clock. The last bus to the city leaves at 10:15. Looking back at where she stood. She was gone. Entered like a hurricane, disappeared like a smoke. I laughed a bit as I forced the last few bite into my mouth.

Paying the bill, I asked him, "Does she come here often?" The answer was as I expected. I am a regular. If she was too. I would have known.

As I left the diner and re entered the wilderness of the star-less night, a cold chill went through my entire body. The night was still young. But it seemed as if it has been night for a decade. I slowly walked towards the bus stand.

There she was. Sitting in the bench. A cloud of smoke surrounded her. Slowly lifting. Rising. Into oblivion. She looked at me one more time. This time, no expressions. I slowly approached the bench. It was quiet all around. Except for the frequent sound of a distant stormy breeze blowing past the shed, making a strange slumber-inducing whizzing sound. Blowing away the cloud. Unveiling her face, glowing under the rays of the dull street light. And again the cloud rises from the bud, eclipsing her visage. As if she was teasing me. Taunting me. Knowingly.

I sat beside her. Not daring to look again. I didn't intend to freak her out. She was still listening to some song, now a bit more audible. But still not even a bit tangible. I sat there. Quietly. 10:10. It was almost time. I heard a faint vibrating noise buzzing from her pocket. She has got a call. I wondered. Maybe it's her boyfriend. Asking whether she reached home or not. Maybe it's her parents worrying about her. But the phone kept ringing. She didn't even bother to check it. She sat there immobile and mute. I was about to ask her to pick the phone. But i stopped. Maybe she doesn't want to talk now. Maybe she knows who is calling. Maybe and many more maybes. A mysterious woman indeed. Tingling and exciting my interest in ways I never knew.

Suddenly she stood up and started walking towards the road. And then she stopped. I was about to wonder what she was trying to do. Just then, I saw two glaring eyes approaching us. Yes. She is quite the time keeper. The bus screeched and slowly stopped just in front of her and the door swung open. The bus was completely dark. She went in. The driver made a honk. So as to tell me to hurry up, or else he will leave. I had no intention to spend the entire night on the road, especially on this cold freaky night. Without anymore delay I went in too.

The door closed behind me. And the lights of the diner gradually vanished into the darkness. I moved forward. There wasn't many people in the bus. Apart from me and her, there were three more people. Or at least, what I could make out in the faint, receding and again approaching, street lights. I sat beside a man sitting on the left, second row. A middle aged man. He was fast asleep. With his head resting on the glass window. Cold breeze kept creeping in from under the small gap in window.

An elderly lady sat to my right side on the right row. She was awake. Staring out the window. Another boy sat on the front seat of that same row. His face was shining in the light of his phone. He didn't put it down or stared away from it, for as long as I stared at him. I intended to look behind and check what she was doing. But I felt not to act in such a way. Maybe she will think I'm stalking her.

All this thinking was making me a bit sleepy too. I wanted to talk to someone. "Hey, driver. Why are all the lights out?" One second. Two second. A minute went by. He didn't reply. Maybe he didn't notice because he was concentrating on the road. I heard there was an accident on this road a few days back. Better to be safe than sorry.

I usually never return this late from work. Today was an exception. I had to work a lot. And right now I'm craving to return to my home and drop my body on the bed.

I looked out the window. The night is getting darker and darker. Maybe with a reddish tint. Then within a few minutes I saw the yonder sky flash with rumbling sounds. Rain was coming. Great. Now I will get all wet. Hope it doesn't come before I reach home. But to my vain. The Graceful God put that same wide grin on his face and poured down his Eternal Grace on this mundane planet.

The bus kept on rolling. I saw the drops of rain rushing down the window pane. Racing to reach the bottom. Sometimes a drop entering through that little gap. Falling on that man's cheek. But that doesn't seem to disturb his beauty sleep. What a Snorlax? Everyone else was doing, what they were doing, the moment I boarded the bus.

By now I gathered some courage. I stood up and looked back. She was sitting on the last row. Her face completely shrouded in darkness. She sat there, still. Like an impenetrable object. I moved and went up to her. She didn't look at me. I, though a bit hesitant, sat beside her.

"Hey, umm. Can I ask your name?" She looked up. She kept staring straight. Still not looking at me. Then there was a sudden bright flash of light. As I guarded the light with one hand and looked towards her, I saw her pupil recede into nothingness and her whole body curled up in fear. And then every living soul on the bus screamed with all their might at the same time. My heart started to race. My blood was running cold. I couldn't comprehend what's about to happen. The flash. The scream. It felt as if I was turning blind and deaf at the same time. Her shrill and sharp shreak was penetrating my heart like a thousand poisoned arrows. My body started to shake violently, when the bright light completely engulfed my vision.

"Hey, man. Wake up. Wake up. Man. You're one lucky dude. Hey. Hey. If you want to sleep I………"

I slowly raised my head. It was hurting like hell. What? Was I dreaming?

"Are you alright? You are sweating badly, man. You must have had a really bad dream. But …."

I guess I did have a bad dream. But that woman. All of that was a dream. I guess I must have a really vivid imagination.

"So, how much is the bill?"
"It's OK. You can pay tomorrow."
"Why? I have money."
"Oh. You didn't listen to what I said. You missed the last bus. "
"What? No way." As I checked the watch. It was around 11.
"But you are a very lucky man. I would say the luckiest man I have known so far"
"How so?"
"You just got saved by whatever nightmare you had. Or you would be a dead man by now. "

As he kept on speaking. Everything became more and more clear. So I wasn't dreaming. But in fact it was real. But it was a dream too. All that thought kept hammering my head. I held my head and sat down in pain and fear and a lot of unknown feelings came swarming around my mind. I was overpowered by awe. But that woman. What happened to her?

Then suddenly the diner door creaked open. "Hey, how can I help you mam?"

"Do you have a pack of cigarettes?"