They sat quietly on a very normal dirt road. It was romantic, but not quite. The autumn leaves had fallen, but they were a little wet, a little crushed and very squishy.
"Autumn leaves are supposed to be crisp aren't they?" he wondered, while at the same time listening to the girl speak. There was an exhaust fan in the back ground, and the light from a flourescent lamp in the building nearby slowly streamed out onto the dirt.
"Why do flourescent lamps remove the magic from the air?" wondered the girl as she spoke. She spoke about nothing in particular. They were a couple, the two of them. They were 'seeing' each other.
Two very normal people, having a very normal relationship.
He'd say "I Love You."
She'd say "I Love You too."
They'd both tell themselves that they loved the other person. And everytime they tried to think of a reason, they'd just wonder for a while and then decide it wasn't worth the effort. Every time they spoke on the phone they'd ache to drag the conversation further, in the hope that it would suddenly turn spontaneous and happy. But it wouldn't happen. It would stay. Just like that. Normal. Two people talking, about nothing. Period.
"How many times can I possibly tell her about my day and still make it interesting?"
"How many times will he say 'I Love You' just to make this conversation passionate?"
And so they went on. Sitting on that dirt road. Him having run out of anecdotes and funny stories. Her having run out of nice things to say about him. Two people talking, because they felt they ought to. Period.
"Autumn leaves are supposed to be crisp aren't they?" he said.
"I know, its so gross when that happens. I mean, they make it out to be so romantic don't they. Miles Davis with his jazz solos, they never talk about how the leaking water from a nearby drain can make it a stinky pile of mush."
"Exactly! They try to make these everyday things sound all lovey-dovey and poetic. It's funny how the air never really feels that way."
"Don't you think tubelights remove the magic from the air?" she asked.
"Yeah... yeah, totally. The light feel so artificial, so like.. I dunno, it just feels like its trying too hard."
"Kinda like us sometimes no?"
He chuckled, "... Kinda like us, yeah." and shook his head slowly.
"Chal, let's go get some coffee." she slowly stood up slid the hair-band off her wrist and bit it as she bunched her hair up, tying it into a ponytail. And he wondered why women never understood how hot they looked when they left their hair open.
"Yeah lets..."
And they walked holding hands. They had to you know. It's a couple thing.
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43 comments:
Yeah, TRYING to do 'the couple thing' would kill the romance and spontaneity factor...so I've heard. :P
And he wondered why women never understood how hot they looked when they left their hair open.
Maybe it's because the back of the neck gets sweaty when we leave our hair open...and gets a little annoying. :))
At least they aren't lying to themselves about everything...
"Kinda like us sometimes no?"
This is ... one of your most "real" stories.
@Angel
Yeah "I" knew that. The whole back of the neck thing. Just that I found out about it only recently, and its something all guys wonder about... In fact, I still think women should leave their hair open! Sweaty neck or not. :D
@Camphor
It's not a story. It's a snippet. And they are lying to themselves. All of us do. It's what gets us through life. Read the post again.
P.S: Glad you finally started blogging again. *grins*
Hey u..
Yea.. "The couple thing".. Keep on lying.. Till u start beliving the lie.. But the more important point being.. The neck gets n sweaty and its irritating to have ur hair all over ur face.. U wouldnt know, messy hair boy..
Take care
AJ
'and they walked holding hands.They had to you know. Its a couple thing',
so true people in relationships have to get themselves blidfolded to certain logics.The fact that u dont have answers and logic to love makes it so beautiful and mystical...
@Camphor
This piece is purely fictional.
On second thoughts - does romance really exist?
They aren't lying about everything. You know the saddest case? When you lie to yourself, then then you lie to yourself again ABOUT lying to yourself. That - fron that one line - is not happening here. At least you guys.. sort of.. admitted it.
Snippet? Hmm. That explains why she seemed so real. Especially the hairband in the teeth thing...
very realistic. and i agree about the leaving the hair open thing.
i love your style of writing. "To Pinni" is just great!!!
Sounds so real.
"To Pinni" was damn cute
i dont know shit about autumn and romance... but im weeping now for want of a woman...
and to you.. hmmm... go get a girl man....
the anonymous guy is me
mahesh..
chuckles ... ;)
(they dont allow html tags... )
its much better dude.. its way better than that and you know it very well.. think again..
yes, you know its way better...
you know who. . .
hey anna,
i thought i told you about the sweaty neck thing a long time ago? what do you mean"found out about it recently?" you never listen to me! the post was nice, although nothing you write will ever compare to the last post(for me atleast).
and i agree with camphor, this is one of your very 'real' stories. i think the squishy autumn leaves thing was inspired by amchi mangalore. correct?
pinni.
:-)
i felt this was the most spontaneous conversation there could be.
and quite passionate.
or is that romantic?
(no, stretch those two words beyond conventional meaning)
well, what i meant is that it read in a rush.
love the pace shifts.
very well-written da.
heh.
jazz stud.
peace. total stud material. :D
there...so i read it now!
so ya, felt good reading it, dunno y.
and yea, all the romantic shit we say, its always our creativity, seldom our emotion, we wanna feel that way, wanna experience a surge of dopamine, so hell yea its always li that, not just half way thru or at the rear end of a relship...its just gets harder to fool ourselves over time.
@Camphor
The hairband in the teeth thing is something I keep wondering about. Personally I think women do it to attract the guys attention to their lips. But what do I know? We guys are just plain horny. :D
@Sayan
Dude, all guys are in agreement over this issue. It's one of the binding factors in guy talk. Seriously, every guy I've asked says, "balls to the sweaty neck, I wanna see women with their hair left free".
@Zypsy, Arunima
Glad to have you guys drop by. Keep coming back.
@Caesar
Dude, I get what you mean, but that has to be the most cryptic comment I've seen in a long long time!
@Mahesh
It's not akin to grocery shopping asshole. If I could I'd march right out there and hump the first cute thing I see, but it doesn't really work that way now does it? :)
@Pinni
Hey kiddo, I do listen to you, it's just that I didn't wanna take a 16 year olds word for it! I had to have some hope! now though it seems all shattered. Sigh... ohwhatever nevermind!
@Finch
Thanks :). Felt nice writing it too.
@S
Why peace machi?
What is courtship, but a man lying to his woman, and keeping her up on a pedestal? I wonder!
Personally, I think that the masks that they wear in the name of romance can be really unappealing!
Well, some of us are so straightforward and undiplomatic that we do appear unromantic!
Well written, Sahil.
that was neat all the romantic talk somehow kills what we really wanna say
we don't leave our hair open coz it fets hot and sticky and really uncomfortable espeacilly in chennai-like weather
peace. my new multi-purpose, for-all-situations word. *sigh*
Perhaps you prod too much. There are a lot of things we do simply because it is expected of us. That, however, need not necessarily imply that those things don’t succeed in retaining their charm. Normal is not very easy, you know. And trying to question or understand something that is supposedly as uncomplicated like love (or lack of it) sort of destroys the whole goddamn frame.
Nice piece. Though I must admit that there are posts I like better:-)
Liked it.
K
intersting .. very intersting!
ps- there is a huge theory behind the typing the hair up thing... several actually.. shall pass on the 'gyaan' someday!
hi again !
thats a really nice piece...! somebody seems to have experienced it to have written such an authentic fictional account!
nice style of writing btw... its casual and meaningful...
Madhu
(remember... i had posted comments on that msg to your sister... and the anonymous there without any id was me.. kinda forgot to type it in! sorry !)
This opportunity I take to tell you to shut the the fuck up.
And I'm I'm not even telling you, goat-o. So guess who?
A: Everybody else.
the couple thing is well written. a huge fan of urs 'piyali' told me to read it.....she was in tears after reading it!
Dude, you've obviously never been in love.. Try it sometime.. it makes mushy autumn leaves seem crisp..
@eka
Thanks!
@Pi
Dude, wtf?!
@Rashmi
Four words "Been there, done that". But somehow at this age, its all temporary. Too many things could change. Think about it sometime and maybe you'll see em autumn leaves for what they really are.
Kini - I can't think of any other way to do it but the hairband in the teeth. Even if it around the wrist, it will eventually need to be tugged out. If you figure out a way (and if you're jobless enough to think about it) do let me know. :D
couldnt agree more kini...."been there,done that", somehow readin this did bring back those faint memories... n i shall take ur suggestion of lettin my hair open... anyways awesome thought process...must say...
manali
Brilliant one, man!
- J
sarcasm - pigeon fairy
yeah
Good read dude... :)
And yup, the ol' cliche of been there done that.
delightful style; wonderful flow. this one is brilliant.
only suggestion: dialogue is a bit too strained for a story; the tension that characterises play dialogue seems to have crept into this a little.
t'is a good read this....
"Why do flourescent lamps remove the magic from the air??" reminds me of Bertie Wooster's fiance Madelaine Bassett (the stars are a fairy's daisy chain).
I am not sure why it reminded me of that, but i reiterate...twas a good read
hey dude.. nice one but what do u mean by'guys are just plain horny'? elucidate please
Nice one. Really made sense.
true!!going through "the couple thing syndrome" and i'm glad to see it in writing for some wierd reason..gah and grrr..not succumbing to it...definitely gonna try not to..
Anon-e-moss
oh anon-e-moss here again...was asked to have a dekko at your blog by a friend :)
I Blogged it...............
Gr8 to read...
they should stop wasting their time, their attractiveness and their sex appeal and just BREAK UP. and then go find better matched ppl.
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