We will Never Speak & Other Stories
By Raja Sharma
Copyright@2011Raja Sharma
Smashwords Edition
Chapter 1: We will Never Speak
The season had changed and the advent of autumn brought the same aroma of freshness and delight. Juliana was very much lost in the thoughts of her own, the thoughts which were very personal to her.
She smiled as she stretched her arms, sucking in the warm morning breeze; she wanted to jump around delightfully in that garden because it brought her the beautiful memories of the days which she had spent with him in this beautiful place. Her long silky jet-black hair was dancing behind her. She was pleasantly beautiful and when she laughed, her eyes seemed to be smiling. The beautiful shade of blue in her eyes could never pass unnoticed and it had the power to mesmerize anyone who looked in her eyes.
Born and brought up in a village, she was almost alien to the modern ways of life; her rustic beauty was so natural that any affectation would mar it. For all her delight there, in a corner of her heart there was deep hurt.
The dry fallen leaves in the garden cracked under her feet; she let the sharp wind sting her cheeks as she ran around the garden; she shrieked in joy and disclosed every emotion which came naturally to her.
Suddenly, Juliana’s movements ceased for a while, for a man with a not so good looking face was smiling at her. He was smiling but she did not like that smile. Juliana was afraid, yes, really scared of him. He stared at her and she stood there like a scared dove that had no way of escape.
The man said, “Can’t you speak? Why don’t you say something?”
She was too scared to utter a word; she was frustrated and she stomped off. The man was confused and, picking his broom, he began to sweep the fallen leaves.
Juliana was sad the following morning; she sat silently in the garden for some time but then she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing uncontrollably. The familiar face of that sweeper appeared before her and she looked up. A white handkerchief was before her eyes. The same man whom she had encountered the day before was standing above her.
Juliana was really annoyed and she wanted to shout at him but she controlled herself.
The man said that he was sorry and he pointed to the handkerchief, motioning her to wipe her tears. He could not help asking, “Are you really mute, can’t you speak?”
Juliana did not know what to say and she stammered. The man gave her a smile and distorted his face to make her laugh. She did laugh. He produced a white piece of paper from his pocket and began to write something.
She had, by now, been assured that he did not mean any harm to her. They sat side by side for hours. Juliana was thinking about her boyfriend and she knew that he was not as understanding as this man.
She thought, “I wish he were as understanding as you, Michael…”
Michael, the sweeper, looked at her with curious eyes.
“But now it does not matter,” Julian thought again.
The ground was covered with dry fallen leaves but a new friendship was blossoming there.
After that day, they began to meet every day in the same garden. Michael would be sweeping the leaves. They did not speak and communicate through scraps of papers. Julian liked it because he understood her. They really enjoyed each other’s company very much.
Whenever she sobbed and then cried, Michael would be ready with his handkerchief. Sometimes he would bring her to the open fields away from the city to show her the sunflowers which blossomed in plenty there. He wrote suggestions and she followed them. He would tell her to tell her sorrows to the plants and trees.
Every day, Juliana used to go to work in fields but she met Michael everyday in the garden. She had forgotten her boyfriend who had not even cared to see how she was doing in the village. He was from a nearby town.
Michael cared for her and she knew that he was the man for her.
A year passed and they only communicated through scraps of papers. He was not handsome but he had a heart of gold. One morning, when she was sad, he wrote, “Your tears are too precious to be wasted like this!”
She wrote and answered, “Who cares for my tears?”
He scribbled quickly, “I care and I won’t let you cry in my presence. In fact I don’t want you to cry in your entire life.”
She wrote a line and gave the paper to Michael, “I am a poor village girl and I have to work in the fields of others for survival. I live in a small cottage left me by my poor mother.”
He pulled a beautiful pad from his pocket and wrote on a flowery paper, “Will you come and live with me? I have a beautiful cottage waiting for you!”
She thought it was a joke and she began to laugh.
“Since you have laughed, may I request you to speak?” Michael said.
“Yes, I will speak. You are a wonderful man, Michael, but I have known you by not speaking to you. Will it change if we start speaking?” she said to him, looking in his eyes.
“All right, we will never speak to each other. We will communicate through these papers till the end of our lives. Can you do that?” said Michael.
“Yes, I can. I love you, Michel,” said Juliana and she ran into his arms.
People say that Michael and Juliana stayed together for about twenty five years and they had a wonderful life together but no one ever heard them speak a single word.
Chapter 2: Unfathomable Mysteries of Love
“You are not the girl for me, Anu,” Roni tried to shun her.
“But why can’t I be your girl Roni?” Anu pleaded.
“You are a nerd, and I deserve someone very special…”
“Is it because I am not good looking and wear these thick glasses unlike the other girls in school?” she had tears in her eyes.
Roni was the most handsome boy in the school and everyone knew that he was too arrogant to go near the girls like Anu. It was never going to be possible between them because he never tried to come close to her. He kept himself surrounded by the rich and handsome boys like himself.
“Can you give it a chance, Roni?” she made a final attempt.
“I am sorry, Anu, but I can’t go out with you,” he said and walked away.
“I love you, I love you very much, Roni…” Anu whispered to herself, her eyes wide and filled with tears. She was afraid that he would say the same thing and her expectation was correct.
Anu was a mediocre girl, always alienated from the mainstream girls in middle school, but she loved Roni, the hottest guy in school. The girls in school were ready to die for him and he had some of the best girls ready to date him anytime he asked them. Anu was somewhat relieved that she had informed him about her feelings for him but at the same time she was hurt that she had been so bluntly rejected.
His words were echoing in her ears, “Shut up, you nerd, nobody would like you in this school! What do you think you are? Look at yourself! Who do you think I am? Am I a joker to fall in love with the very first nerd like you who comes across?”
She was unable to stay there and she ran away from there. She was literally devastated and she never wanted to see him ever again. She was so deeply hurt that she did not realize that the students were looking at her and she had bumped into something.
It was Aman, her classmate, and he supported her, saving her from a fall, “What’s up, Anu? Why are you running like this?”
When Aman came to know what had happened between Anu and Roni he got furious because Roni was his best friend and he knew that he had to do something.
He said, “I will talk to him. He has no right to behave like that. It is all right if he does not like you but to slander you like this…!”
“No, Aman, please don’t do it! It’s not his fault. It was my fault. I was the one who foolishly thought that we could ever date…” Anu was crying.
“Please stop crying, Anu,” Aman put his arm around her shoulder.
“It’s all right. I should go now,” she looked at him.
“Please, Anu, stay for a while, and don’t go!” he grabbed her by the wrist.
He looked in her eyes and found a kind of warmth there, a feeling she did not know she had. Anu felt the same in his eyes. She gently freed her wrist from his hand and slowly walked away from him with tears still in her eyes.
The very next day, Aman faced Roni and shouted, “What right do you have to shout at a girl like you did!”
In the afternoon, Aman met Anu and invited her to the school canteen for an ice-cream. After that they spent an hour together in the market and finally reached Aman’s house. Aman invited her in and she did not refuse.
“Why are you so kind to me, Aman?” said Anu, tears beginning to appear behind the thick glasses she wore.
“Why do you cry so much, Anu?”
“Because no one likes me, I am a nerd, an ugly human being…” her sobs followed.
“No, Anu, you are the owner of a most beautiful heart and a very sharp mind. People go for appearances but I know they are wrong. If I say I like you, how would you react?” he held her hands.
“It is so nice of you, Aman, but I know you are showing mercy on me,” she avoided his eyes.
“No, Anu, I love you,” said Aman.
“But, I love Roni and I can’t think about anyone else at the moment,” said Anu.
“I have always loved you, Anu, and I know you deserve my love,” said Aman.
“But I can’t Aman. You are such a nice person but I can’t promise. I love Roni,” said she.
They remained silent for some time and then suddenly something happened which surprised Anu.
Aman pulled her glasses off her eyes and said, “No more glasses from today. We will have to get contact lenses for you, the light blue contact lenses.”
The following day they spent together. First of all he bought contact lenses for her and then took her to a beauty parlour and got her hairstyle changed.
“You need to wear tight shirt and skirts with high heels, Anu,” he suggested.
In less than twenty four hours, Anu was not Anu and no one could tell that she was the same ugly looking girl wearing thick glasses and loose sweaters, with loosely bound hair.
When they entered the school the following morning, many heads turned in her direction and Anu was ecstatic. She had never even imagined that she could be the centre of attraction in this life but it was happening and it was happening only because of Aman who loved her very much.
Roni was no less surprised to see this transformation in her. He was literally bowled over and he wanted to go on date with her. Anu was on top of the world. It was only Aman who was left alone.
With tears in his eyes, he came back home. Though he had disclosed his feelings to Anu, he had not informed her that he had enrolled himself and he was going away to Iraq. He had taken that decision on the spot because he felt that he could not bear it there, while Anu would be going out with Roni.
Anu wanted to stop him but he did not listen to her. Finally, Aman went away.
Anu and Roni went steady for a few months but things did not remain rosy between them for long because Roni felt fed up with her. He began to look for greener pastures and he started dating other girls.
Anu was back in her room, in her parents’ house. She refused to go to college for her higher studies and started doing odd jobs. She was not satisfied with her life. She wanted to be with Aman to tell him all that she had in her mind because he listened to her so attentively.
After four years, when Aman came back to US, he phoned Roni, his best friend. Roni had passed from the Law College and he had started practicing under a reputed firm.
“Hey, dude, it’s so nice to hear from you. Where are you?”
“I am in my parents’ house. I want to meet you?” said Aman.
“Wonderful, come over to my place. You have the address?”
“Yes, I have. How about tomorrow evening?”
“I’ll wait for you. For old time’s sake!”
Next evening he was sitting with Roni in his drawing room.
“Anu, I want to meet Anu…do you know where she lives nowadays?” said Aman.