Who brought these flowers?

John finished reading the last line of one of the Shakespeare's sonnet , It read like this - "That every tongue says beauty should look so.", He remembered Lucy. He had to go "Heavens Home" that day. He was sitting in St James Park of the Central London.'Melancholy' had become one of his favorite words.

John and Lucy had met each other at the Royal Victoria Gardens of East London. Their eyes spoke of the wavelength between them, because both noticed that the other carried a book to the garden. A few weeks later both carried a single book to the garden. They had fallen in love.John was working as a Theater artist and aspired to be a writer. Lucy had already published few of her books. The vividness of the atmosphere at the garden was fresh and serene as long as they were at the garden. They met each other twice in a week, at the garden. John loved Shakespeare. Lucy loved Jane Austen. They loved words and each other very much. At each of their meeting at the garden, their conversation always began with John saying to Lucy "Your eyes are beautiful". Lucy will always look away and see what book he has carried to the garden,If it was his chance to bring a book. They had decided that one among them should bring a book at each of their meeting.

John looked up at the sky and thought , should it be the right time to go to "Heaven's Home". He wanted to delay it because he loved thinking about the beautiful past moments. He also thought about walking to the Royal Victoria Gardens and stay there for a while before going to "Heavens Home" which was near by the Royal Victoria Gardens. For the people in the Saint James Park, he didn't look like someone who could walk a distance of 10 miles. He looked weak and fragile. He wanted to walk, he thought he had enough beautiful moments of the past to think about while walking. He was not scared about the distance.

He had taken only a few steps towards the Royal Victoria Gardens, he saw the tree under which Lucy and John had spent few evenings reading the books for the other they had brought. He thought , the tree is asking him why Lucy hasn't been coming to the garden? John said," She is here with me in my thoughts". The wind blew in the opposite direction, It looked like the tree has turned its head to the opposite side not accepting his answer. He walked away not trying to convince the tree.

Lucy had told him once that, "Love is admiration and courtesy for a person at the highest possible level", She had even used this phrase in many occasions in her published books. John remembered that he had replied to Lucy, "Love is just a dream that mankind has been dreaming for years" and chuckled. Lucy was neither shocked nor showed her angry & depressed face, She had just smiled. minutes later, John had told her,"I really enjoy your presence and you are making my world colorful and makes my life feel worthy enough", for which Lucy never responded verbally , but she was happy at her heart.John had walked about half a mile from the St James Park.The sun was about to set down. John tried not to think about any conversation he had with Lucy, but he was not able to.

John wished that Lucy could complete her book, "John and Lucy". He wished for it , not because it is their story but it was her dream. She had written almost half of that book. It was on a cold September evening that she told him that She, no more has the feeling she had before - for John. She wasn't sure if it missed admiration or courtesy. She even asked him - "Is love a true feeling forever?", for which John had said, "Love is just a dream mankind has been dreaming for years, but i like your presence, and .... i still like your presence, Lucy". The breeze was pleasant, cold and bitter. John started reading Shakespeare's "All the world is a stage ... ". After that event, They have never met in any of the Gardens of London.He had walked about 2 miles towards Royal Victoria Garden, The sun was set, john was surrounded by darkness, he felt the absence of Lucy, once again. He saw vehicles and people on his way. He thought everybody looks at him strangely and he had said to himself,"It doesn't matter".

After that cold September evening,Each day in the past 2 years has been very long, John had started writing. He, Seldom went to theaters as an artist. He was offered to write scripts and books. He didn't take up writing books yet, but he liked writing scripts.He admired Lucy for her writing skills. He thought every word that he writes has been influenced by Lucy.He thought, Only Lucy had made him a writer. For Lucy, It was even bitter and worse. She thought she did the right thing because she wasn't sure of "truthfulness" of the feeling she had with John, She often disliked her for - why she ever had to get this question.Why? She thought she had hurt John very much and She often said to her that " If love is both admiration and courtesy - i still have both admiration and courtesy for John, but do i really love him or the phrase that - love is both admiration and courtesy at the highest possible level - is wrong?". She wanted to be alone, She felt guilty.Never did she realize that she was suffering from "depression" and other psychological disorders. She was taken care by Sister Agnes in the Heaven's Home and thats where John started walking from St James Park.

John had walked almost three forth of the distance, he bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers whose fragrance made every fellow pedestrian to look at him with a smile. When he saw the Royal Victoria Gardens, He wanted to go inside but he resisted. He walked fast to the Heaven's home - he didn't want to give the faded flowers to Lucy. Lucy loved flowers thats why they always met at the gardens.

John gave the bouquet of flowers to Sister Agnes and requested her to give them to Lucy.He walked fast out of the Home as he didn't want Lucy to know that it was John who gave the flowers. When he was coming out from the Home , he overheard the conversation between Lucy and Sister Agnes - Lucy asked Agnes "Who brought these flowers?" , Agnes said, "Its Johny , the new writer in town" and Lucy said , "I like that name". John stayed in the Royal Victoria Gardens the entire night, but he didn't sleep.

Job Seeker

Arjun was traveling,standing, in a bus , in one of the most crowded cities of India. He looked at all the people sitting at the window seats of the bus expecting that some one will get down from the bus, so that he can occupy a window seat.He looked at the eyes of all the people who catches an eye contact with his eyes. He understands a man or a woman by just looking at their eyes. He believes that eyes speak of Life. Eyes speak of Happiness, Melancholiness , Expectations, Dreams, Hope , Mercy , Pity , Admiration and so on. That evening , many pairs of eyes , said to him that the people of that city are in a hurry and are lost in thoughts. He told himself , may be because it is a Friday and they are just planning for their week ends. Week end was never there in his dictionary.Days were same to him – except for one reason that the companies were closed on the week ends. He hoped that he would get a window seat before he gets down from the bus, though his right brain told him that he’ll have to get down in another 2 kilometers. It seemed , It will rain. He thought he should have borrowed an umbrella from his friend. He didn’t like the fact that he has to walk for about 500 meters from the bus-stop to his home.He realized , the fellow travelers would have also thought , that he is also lost in thoughts. He said to himself , “People are lost in thoughts when they have none to speak too”.

It started drizzling, When he started walking back to his home.It was refreshing, he thought.He remembered few good movies he watched, when few drops of rain fell on his cheek. The direction of the rain was slanting , making the drops of rain to fall only on his left cheek.He thought , How many days would it take to get a job in this world? Its been a month, since he came to this city searching for a job. He thought : the money he had would only last for couple of more months. He did not know what he would do , When he reaches home.He looked at the sky for an answer, more drops of rain fell on this forehead , but there was no answer.He reached his home. The books were scattered all over the hall. He wanted to look at a particular book and check whether he answered an interview question correctly – but later, felt it doesn’t matter. He stood at the balcony of his home, looking at the eyes of the people, and How their gait was!. He thought , “everyone has a unique gait and that also tells me something about that person. What would my interviewers thought : when i walked to their desk ?”. It was few minutes after the rain had stopped, He thought he wanted to have a tea.He waited for his friend to come. He forgot it after he waited for about 30 minutes. He started reading , again.

He and his friend , went for supper in a cheap hotel near by. They did not talk much. His friend said: It was a refreshing rain this evening.Arjun just nodded yes. He didn’t like the hotel for they had hurt them many times by just asking the cheapest food to serve, even when they don’t ask for it.Arjun thought several times why and How they cannot have food in other hotels.

At night, He did not sleep for a long time. He looked at the air planes in the sky – dreaming that he would one day travel in one of those planes.He did not cry but the tears rolled on in his cheeks. He reached for a blanket to cover him completely so that he can cry without worrying that his friend would see him.He questioned himself, Why none of his friends calls him? may be they are afraid that he would expect some help from them. He asked What friendship was that?

He decided:” If one day , If I am of help to someone , I would never deny a help for – If a person comes and asks you for anything , He or She might have thought about it several times -No body gives up their self-respect so soon , When he realizes that he has no way out – He selects a very few friends whom he can ask and asks for help in a low,timid voice hoping that his friend would comfort him or her”.

He spent most of his time in preparing for the interviews.At times, He remembered his family and remembered How they cannot help him anymore.He wanted to be alone , alone. He thought: “Every man wants to be alone when he thinks that he is either inferior or not doing good and so he avoids meeting people – Every one is alone especially when they are lost”.Loneliness , sometimes gives him strength and sometimes, It teaches him what pain is?!.Sometimes, he cries at heart thinking that all this would never end and sometimes he hopes for a good future.

On Monday, when he walked on the road for an interview , a poor old man , asked for help – asking if Arjun can help him with money or food?. Arjun gave the old man a 2 rupee coin. The old man chuckled at him. Old man’s eyes spoke of How his self-esteem was respected by Arjun. Arjun looked at the sky to confirm if that was true ,there was no answer, no rain either.

Serenity & Harmony.