Love between job lovers

Don’t believe the one who tells you that you can’t have both career and love. Simply don’t. That is not true. And they proved that precisely. Who and how?
Well, all started two years ago… She – Anna was a law student. Just like fire, she was destroying everything on her way.
“Come on, Anna” – said Julie. “Just once. Just once let your work at home. You know, there is something else besides work! Maybe a party, come on, come on!” Julie was giving her best to convince Anna to go out with her. The two of them were friends since high school. Anna and Julie both grew up in a small town, and their parents were farmers. They loved the big city, so they worked hard to get a chance to live there. Their worked payed off since they got scholarships for both high school and college and went to live in the big city. However, Anna was always too much focused on her work. She was literary a perfectionist. Julie also worked hard to become a doctor, but she also know how to party. But for Anna, her job was her soul and life.
“You know I have this big case on Monday, and I can’t go out. I need to practice my speech!” – said Anna.
“But you promised me, it is not fair.” – Screamed Julie. “If you don’t come tonight, I will find a new roommate!” – She said as she was trying not to laugh.
“No you will not. But to prove you that I am the best roommate you will ever have, I will go out with you tonight!” – said Anna. She left the books on her table and went to her room to get dressed. In less than an hour, they were both standing in front of the biggest disco club in the town.
“Are you sure this is the best place…” – Asked Anna.
“Yes, come on.” – Julie grabbed Anna’s hand and they went inside. Julie was a complete party girl, so she won the dancefloor immediately. But that was not the case with Anna. She felt strange, like something was missing. She went to the bar and got herself a drink. But in the moment when she tried to get out she bumped into a boy and spilled all her drinks on him.
“Oh, I am sorry, I am so sorry.” – She started explaining.
“Don’t be.” – The boy whispered to her ear.
“What?” – asked Anna. She thought ‘oh my God, on what type of freak did I bumped into?’
Yet, before she had a chance to say or do anything else, the boy grabbed her arm and took her outside on the balcony.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing, let me go.” – started screaming Anna.
“Oh, sorry, you are my ticket out.” – said the boy. He was devilish handsome, he had a gorgeous brown hair and amazing honey eyes. However, he was scaring the crap out of Anna. Thousands of awful thoughts were running in Anna’s head.
“Oh my God in what did I get myself into?” – She said. “Hey,” – Anna continued, “I am talking to you, I am a lawyer and this is pretty much a kidnaping.”
They boy then understood that what he was doing was hurting this girl, and that she was probably petrified. By then, they were on the balcony of the club. There was no one else, only the two of them. He left Anna’s hand and started explaining:
“I am so sorry. I am not a bully.” – said the boy
“You sure look like one. What the hell is wrong with you?” – Asked Anna
“Hey, you are the one who spilled me with vodka!” – The boy got defensive
“So, you needed to kidnap me?” – Anna went full lawyer on him.
“No, I am not kidnapping you, stop saying that. I just tried to escape that party. When you felt down on me, my friend looked at me, and he thought we were together, so I waved him and grabbed you so he can think that I found a girl and that is why I left the party!”
“Basically kidnapping is justified for you if you do it to deceive your friend?”
“No, God no! Stop saying that I kidnapped you that is not how it went down! I am not some creep. Besides, you keep saying and talking like we are in court. What are you, some kind of evil lawyer? – said the boy as he took his shirt spilled with vodka off.
“I am the lawyer that will press charges against you tomorrow. Please tell me your name, because shirtless handsome boy will not be enough.” – said Anna
“Nice to meet you, wild lawyer. My name is Steve. I am a doctor. So, you think I am handsome?” – said Steve
“Oh my God.” – screamed Anna as she tried to get out.
Steve grabbed her hand and said: “Look, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I am really sorry. I am not like this. I am a doctor, I work 16 hours per day, and my friend insisted for me to come here.”
Anna heard him and she knew precisely what he was going through. She just whispered: “Your hand.”
“What?” – asked Steve.
“Your hand, you are hurting me.” – said Anna as she looked at his hand on her arm.
“I am sorry.” – said Steve again, “look, I know it is too much but would you stay at least five minutes with me, here?”
“Well, I can try.”- said Anna.
“Thank you.” – said Steve
“You know, it is very hard. I mean I love my job, but it takes all of my time, and sometimes, I have no time for sleeping, party doesn’t even cross my mind!” – started explaining Steve. He was standing on the edge of balcony. Anna approached him. He continued: “And that is all I ever wanted, to become a doctor, help people, provide equal help for everyone, but sometimes, it feels like”
“Like it is consuming you, and you have no time for yourself.” – Anna finished his sentence.
“Yes, like everything I do, as hard as I try, I always” – said Steve
“Get myself deep into my work, and forget to have a life.”- said Anna
“And it is frustrating, so much like, will I ever get something else than work? Will I experience anything else?” – Steve was opening himself up in front of this girl.
“Or end up being the crazy lady with the cats?” – said Anna.
Steve laughed on this one: “Hey, I know you for five minutes, and still you understand me better than any of my friends.”
“That is because I am going through the same thing myself. My friend dragged me here against by will too. I have this big case on Monday, and I was planning on rehearsing all night. Being a good lawyer takes all of my energy, and sometimes I ask myself”
“Is it worth it?” – Now Steve was the one who finished her sentence.
“You see, you understand me too.” – said Anna
Steve spread his hand and said: “Since we both established that we are the same, and God, we hate this place, what do you say we get out of here, and go get some pancakes?”
“God, I love you in this moment.” – said Anna.
Through laugh they went through the disco hall and waved at their friends, who both had laugh at their faces when they saw that they were with someone. Then they went outside of the disco club and went into a small restaurant next to the sea. The night was passing, and they didn’t noticed that. After their really late dinner, they took a walk on the beach. They laughed all the way. Steve decided to walk her home. They were standing in front of Anna’s building:
“You know, my friend partly insisted on me to go out tonight because I am planning on going to Hawaii for one week. I am going on Monday evening.” – said Steve. “I know this would sound crazy since we know each other for like a couple of hours or so, but I have a feeling that we know each other for ages. So, would you like to come with me?” – asked Steve.
“Well, I have this case…” – said Anna
“Shh, don’t say no. Let’s make a deal. I will come at the court on Monday, and after you finish, you can decide wheatear you will come with me and try to love, or you will say goodbye.” – said Steve.
“It is a deal.” – said Anna
Then they hugged and kissed and Anna went inside. Julie saw them out of the window and started screaming: “Aw that is so cute, come on, tell me everything.”
The morning went in small talk about the night, and Anna told Julie what Steve proposed to her.
“You should definitely go, you haven’t taken a vacation in the last few years.” – Said Julie
“We will see, but it is not likely. I need sleep” – through yawning said Anna.
“Do you want me to start buying cats for you from this birthday, or to wait till your next one?” – yelled Julie while Anna was going to her room.
The big Monday came and Anna was very anxious. Her client was a poor man who was suing big company. The case was very difficult, since although the big company wasn’t right, she had bigger power. Anna was very anxious. They got inside the court and she was standing in front of the judge, ready to start her speech, and she turned around saw all these people waiting on her, she saw the poor guy she was representing and his children in the audience and then, her gaze went on another man, Steve! He came to watch her, just like he said. That encouraged her. After 4 hours of presenting, and explaining and fighting, she won the case.  As soon as she got out, the media surrounded her, and she gave one statement. As she was talking, she saw how the man only hugged his family, and that put bigger smile on his face than winning the case. In that moment, one of the CEOs of the biggest companies in town, approached her.
“You were brilliant out there Miss Anna. Me and my colleagues watched you, and decided to offer you a job. You can start tomorrow.”
She was flattered by this man’s direct approach and she loved their company and what she represented. But, she also saw Steve in the background behind this man, approaching his car. She was not in dilemma. Through smile she said: “That is great, but unfortunately, I have another case to work on before yours, if that works for you then fine.”
Seeing how determined she was, the man decided not to push her to hard: Fine, you can start with work after 2-3 weeks. But tell me, whose case will you work on?”
Anna smiled and said: “Mine. I have to work on my love case.”
She left his speechless, and went to Steve’s car. He was about to go. She opened the door and looked at his disappointed face which suddenly changed into a happy face: “Is there a place for one more?”
Steve looked her right in the eyes, he took the two plain tickets from his pocket and said:
“Is it possible that I know you this well?”

                   ------x-----------x--------x---------

"FREE" Old Man

Slowly, the spring was taking over. The cold Canadian ground was changing its color from white to green. The first flowers – snowdrops were starting to pop out everywhere, like mushrooms after rain. Their white innocence, their soft and gentle leaves were opposite of the cold, unscrupulous winter.

The old man was looking out the window. It was his tenth year in that dusty, cold nursing home. His room was small, yet surprisingly clean. The walls were old, moisty and white. There wasn’t a lot of furniture in the room. Right next to the door there was an old sink with Mysore sandal soap on it. The clean white faded towel was hanging lifelessly next to the sink. Above the sink, there was a mirror, who looked just like its owner: old, rusty, with black freckles, yet vivid. Still fighting to last few more years. Three steps from the sink there was an iron bed. On it, there were two pillows and only one blanket, with three small holes in it. It served the old man well in the last few years. Next to the bed there was a window, with wooden dark brown framework. The window was looking right in the park with the big angel fountain. In front of it, there was a rocking chair with 2-3 pieces missing from the back. In it, there was a pillow with Indian flag. Three steps from it, there was a small cupboard with one door missing. In it, the old man was keeping his tree iron, old cups, box with tea, and few pieces of cloth – the only things he had.

Last year, the old man asked the nursing home to give him a blanket or a small wood stove. “The winters here are ruthless” – he said to the director of the nursing home, “I am cold, with one blanket, I simply cannot survive the next year. I barely made it out this year.”

The director, a young boy who inherited the nursing home from his uncle didn’t care at all about the nursing home, or the people who lived there. He went there every Friday after work (he had a pub) and it was just to collect his check and make sure that no one skipped the payday. Nothing else. On these days he was also having a meeting with the nurses and the cook for an hour and then he usually was going back to his pub and celebrating something with his friends. But that day, this old man dared to talk to him and ask for five minutes of his time. He didn’t want to waste his time on a talk with this old man whose days were numbered, but in the name of the home, he was forced to spare those five minutes and talk to this old man. He listened to him and admired his bravery, in the last few years no one dared to ask for anything. That made him feel even angrier, but he didn’t want the old man to leave, so with sarcastic tone he said: “I deeply sympathize with you mister….” He didn’t know his name.

“Singh, my name is Sher Singh sir.”

“Right, yes, mister Singh, I deeply sympathize with you, it is quite cold, but” – the director hugged the old man and started walking him to his room to get rid of him sooner. While walking he continued talking to him: “but in this moment, we simply cannot afford to buy you a wood stove. As you may know, there are 50 people living here and they are also living in the same conditions. If we buy you that wooden stove or give you another blanket, they will ask for it too. And we cannot afford that. However, if your family bought it to you, we can allow you to have it.”

They were standing in front of the room of the old man and the director was ready to leave.

“Family.” – whispered the old man with stone in his throat. “Thank you sir. And again, I am so sorry for bothering you.” – said the old man. He saw that there wasn’t a chance that the director would give him anything, so he started thinking.

The director was already on move and he just nodded his head. In the next second he disappeared. The old man knew that he needed to do something. So, he decided to work and get some money to buy himself a wooden stove. Every morning, he went to the forest that was 30 minutes’ walk from the nursing home. It was at the beginning of the big mountain. In here, he was collecting different herbs, wild strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Then, he was going to the shop on the corner of the town and selling them for a few bucks. Some of the herbs he was collecting in a box and letting them dry to have them for tea in the winter. After 6 months of hard work, he had enough money to buy the smallest wooden stove and teapot. It was already July so he knew that he needed to start collecting woods. It was not easy for him, since he had diabetes and heart problems, but he still worked hard. He was used to having tough life. Then, one morning, in the late August, the strangest thing occurred. One small puppy saw him and started jumping around him. The old man was happy to see the dog. That whole day the dog was jumping around him. He even brought few small branches to the old man. At the end of the day, the old man shared his piece of bread with the dog.

“Oh you little joyful creature. You made my day. I really hope that you will find your family.” – said the old man. He took the bag with wood and went to the nursing home. On his big surprise, the dog fallowed him.

“Now where are you going little fellow?” – asked the old man. The dog looked him in the eyes, like he wanted to say ‘with you’.

”Don’t you have a home? Go, be with your family.”

The old man went upstairs in the nursing home. A big storm was coming. He left the woods between the old cupboard and his new wooden stove. There was a small wall made from woods. He started adding the woods he collected to it, when it started raining outside. “Such an unpredictable weather.” – said the old man. He looked through the window and saw the little puppy standing outside in front of the nursing home.

“Oh you poor one.” – The old man grabbed his coat from the cupboard and immediately went downstairs. The dog was really happy to see him. It run immediately into his arms. The old man with tear in his eye hugged the little dog and wrapped it in his old, torn coat. The puppy was so happy.
“Well little one, it looks like we are both alone in this world. Come, I prepared a tea for myself, you can have my chicken soup. I never liked it anyway. ”

They were both sitting in the room during the storm. The old man gave his soup to the dog and he only ate bread and tea. He was drying the dog with his old coat. Then he went and set in front of the window in the wooden chair. He took the pillow with Indian flag in his arms, and looked at it for a minute. The dog came next to him, and jumped into his arms.

“Do you like cuddling?” – the dog barked. It looked at the colorful pillow that the old man was holding. The old man noticed that: “Oh do you like it? It is the only thing I have from my family.”

Oh, my family. You know puppy, the only ones who can betray you are people who you loved. The one to whom you opened your heart and let them in. Only they can stub you.”

The tea was ready. The old man let the dog sit in the chair for a second, and went to get the tea. He returned with a cup of tea and set in the chair. The dog again jumped into his arms, and the old man said: “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. I was about to tell you my story.”

He looked at the dog who was looking at him with love, waiting for his next words.

“I saw that you loved that pillow. It is the only thing I have left from my country. You see, long time ago, I was just a little boy. A foolish little, intelligent boy who believed in the good of the world. Just like you. Happy, smart, ambitious. Full with love. Full with hope, full with trust. Oh that trust, that sweet poison of this world!” – The old man started petting the dog.

“You know, I had a family. I wasn’t alone always. I grew up in India. Oh, my beautiful India. So colorful, so wonderful. It is the wildest, most rare flower, you know. But, I cannot say that for the people who live in there.

Little friend, I was born in a wealthy family. My father had one of the biggest shops in whole country. Different types of materials, decorated with gold, with Rubin, with Sapphires even diamonds. We were three brothers. Three brothers from whom two were demons. My older brother was a gambler. He loved spending money in casinos. My younger brother had trouble with alcohol. I was not like them. Since I was young I always wanted to become something more. I was ambitious. I wanted to help my father spread his business to the entire world. I wanted everyone to see the beautiful colors of my country, the amazing dresses made from materials from my father’s shop. Such a fool I was! Now days, I am angry at myself for being so naïve.

Anyway, like I told you I was ambitious. I studied from 7 in the morning till 3 in the evening. Then I went to my father’s shop and continued working till late at night. That was my life. At school I was the best. I had a friend, Jagat. We were inseparable. I felt in love with the most beautiful girl in the school – Anandi. She had amazing long, deep brown hair, and most beautiful honey colored eyes. When I was 16, I won on our science tournament. I was winning every next tournament. I thought my friends were proud of me. Little did I know that jealousy had taken their heart. When I was 18, the director of the school told me that people from the biggest universities in our country are coming to our tournament, so if I won it, I will be able to go to any university I want and learn business. I can’t describe you how happy I was. I simply ran to my friends from school and told them all. Thought they will be happy as I was. But I did not know how dark their souls were. My project was big, I built a rocket, small rocket. It was so amazing, so gorgeous. I still remember all the nights I spent on working on it. On the day of the tournament my friend Abul called me outside. In meantime, the other ones sabotaged my project. I almost burned down the school. As you can imagine, two friends that sabotaged me won the tournament. I got home disappointed. My brothers by then has given deeply into their vices. My father was very disappointed at me then. In those days, I met Anandi. We got closer. In the days when I was not working, I was spending my time with her and Jagat. Jagat was my best friend since I was 5. We were going out for a walks. One day, I asked Anandi if she wants to be my girlfriend. She said yes. I went home and told my father. God, we were happy.” – The old man started coughing. He got the dog in his old, frail arms and put it in the bed. “Enough for today. Let’s sleep my little fellow.”

The next month, the old man and his dog were too busy collecting wood so they didn’t have time for talk a lot. And the memories were too painful for the old man, he needed time to recover. He and the dog were each morning going into the woods. The old man loved the puppy. In the nursing home, no one cared about them as long as their check s were paid on time. One morning at late November, felt down the first snow. The old man knew they couldn’t collect any more wood. So, he stood up early and lighted a fire. He put the teapot on the wooden stove and sit in the chair. He saw the dog coming to him with the Indian pillow in his mouth.

“Oh you little one, you remembered.” – said the old man with love. “Now, let me continue. Like I told you, after the big fail and betrayal from my friends, who took my ticket to college, I was starting to improve again. But my life was taken from me again. My happiness was the pain in my friends and family heart. When I told my brothers that I am going to ask Anandi to marry me, they panicked. They knew that I was the best and my father was sick of bailing them from their depts. My big brother almost got twice arrested for gambling, and my other brother sold his house in order to get money for alcohol. So, my father said that he will give me my share of the company once I get married so I can stand on my knees. My father give me his company, more precisely his share and mine. My brothers heard that and decided to make me pay. They came one day to me. They said that they wanted to take me out for drink to celebrate my success. Even today I don’t know if they just drugged me or made me drunk, but anyway they forced me to sign a contract that said that I gave them my share of the company. In one day, I was left with nothing. They throw me out of my own house. When my dad heard what they have done to me, he got a heart attack and died instantly. My mother, in pain for what her children had done, and my father’s dead, lasted two months more. Then, her heart failed too. It was too much pain. Me and Anandi were married but with no roof on our heads. Soon, we found out that Anandi was pregnant. I was tremendously happy. She was too. I started working three jobs so I could support my family. We got twins Jaman and Badra. It was then when I started working two jobs so I could make more money and Anandi could stay at home and take care of our children. But, that was not the biggest tragedy that got me there. I wasted all my time on earning money for my family. Then, I started noticing strange things. My kids started saying that they see Jagat every day. We were all close friends since children so there was nothing suspicious about that. In my work, they said that we all need to take systematic review. In there, my doctor said that I am mostly fine, but I will not be able to have more children because of the hard physical work that I was doing in the last few years. It devastated me. Yet, I didn’t tell anything to Anandi because I thought that it will kill her, and she will think that she is responsible. Maybe she would even start searching for job, I thought, so I didn’t say anything. One year later, she came home all pale. I remember vividly I asked her what is going on, but she didn’t want to tell me. After I returned from work, my son Jaman said that his mommy is in the toilet all day long throwing up. I took her to hospital and the doctor got out after few minutes and started congratulating me, he said that I will become a father. You can imagine how my world felt apart. I knew what happened immediately. I confronted her and she said that she felt lonely all those years when I worked to improve our lives and Jagat was there for her. My best friend took my wife. She even dared to say that she thought I was a looser. So I took my beautiful kids and came here in Canada in hope and search for better life. ” – The old man was crying.

He stood up and made a tea. He drank it slowly. Feeling every slug falling down his throat. His hands were shaking, he was barely holding the cup. He took the dog and went to bed. He was tired. In the next month, his health got worse, he spent even two weeks in the ambulance. He asked one of the nurses to give the dog some food while he was gone. Thankfully, she did took care of him. In the beginning of January, he returned to his old room. Slowly walking, he spend whole month preparing drinks for him and his new friend the poppy, and he read him books. Then, the spring was coming. One morning, he saw the snowdrops in the park. They reminded him of the day when he and his two children came to this foreign country. He took the picture of him and his two kids that was standing above his bed. Tired, he sat on the bed and continued his story: “Well, my little puppy. I need to tell you the last part of my story. My dear friend, my lovely roommate.” He said through laugh to the little dog. “We came here in cold February morning. I thought, we will have a new beginning. I had some money aside for rainy days so we took a small apartment. My beautiful children went to school here. I wanted them to become someone, I wanted them to have all I didn’t. But destiny, oh that stupid destiny, again ruined my plans. I started working in supermarket in here, so I will pay for the expenses. I always worked and helped my children with homework. I wanted them to be proud of their country, of their father. However, they were missing their mother. And they got in the sea of delusions. They were in foreign country where tradition is not valued. I raised them to be good people, but the environment did it’s too. My son never forgave me from separating him from his mother. He thought that I was the one responsible for that. In one of our frequent arguments, which by the time he turned 20 were very frequent, I told him the real reason why we left India. He couldn’t believe me, he shut the door and went out. He never returned nor did I hear ever again from him. I lost him.” – The old man was crying as he was hugging the old photo.

“You know, we took this photo the year when we got here. I had only 10$ in my pocket, so I bought the kids two sandwiches, and I trade my sandwich for this picture. I never regret it.” – he was crying, so hard that he started coughing. He stood up. Took a glass of water and recovered. Then, he said: “Oh, and my baby girl, oh my little puppy. I wanted her to be a doctor. When she was a kid, we used to play patient and doctor. She would took my pulse and give me candy and say they are my medicine. Oh, we were happy those few years. Until she decided to be a singer. Soon after her brother left us, she gave up on her studies and went with her boyfriend on tour. Now, they are both living in Germany. She is blaming me for her brother’s leave. You see, all I ever did was work hard to create a better life for my family, but that was not enough for none of them. They all blamed me for their mistakes. That is how I ended up here. I took my pension and decided to get here. I don’t need a big house – it is empty. I lost all I had.”

The puppy – now a bigger dog, was playing in his feet, like he wanted to take some of the pain from the old man. Like he wanted to share the pain of his friend. The old man banded. He hugged the dog and said: “Thank you, my puppy. Thank you for being my best friend. I love you.”

The hugged him for the last time. The last tear felt down on the cold ground before the soul of the old man left his body.

Finally, he was free.

The road not taken

"Two roads diverged from the wood,sorry, i could not travel both"

Rule 2

Faulty Generalisations lead to faulty Deductions

Rule

Corelations never neccasarily means Causations

Some interesting views on democracy

'Democracy is by,of and for the people'
Abrahim lincoln

'Democracy is the rule by Selected few to advance the interests of Selected ones and to Con the interests of Selecting all'

"Democracy is the rule by the uneducated,while the communism is rule by the badly educated"

THANKS Mrs PRESIDENT; Aam aadmi

Today, as i was sifting through the pages of my daily bunch of newspapers, i came across one news item which was common to all of them i.e PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS which is the policy statement of what govt is doing and has done usually read by president at the start of budget session of the parliament.

The headlines read "GOVT commited to 'aam aadmi'(with govt in capital letters and aam aadmi and commitment in small alphabets).The promise emerging from Mrs president sounded very assuring especially while i was still half sleeping and has not washed my face to come to terms and face realities of my day ahead and it still provided a fantasy laden comfort of my nightime stories usually told to me by my Late grandmother who was of her age approximately in my memories.

( to be continued)