The Forbidden Love

Dear Stella,

It has been a long time since we last met. It’s raining on a warm Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting alone at the balcony thinking of you. I remember the day we first met and how we got along right away. One thing led to another and we had a good night together. We both thought it would be a one night stand but we just could not bear being apart from then on.

I remember you were always there when I can’t sleep at night; when I had to stay up meeting deadlines; when we spent wee hours in airports waiting for my redeye flights; when I was always lost not knowing what to do. You were always there.

Do you remember how I was always there to accompany you, take you out of that cold place? I miss your rich personality. I miss the way you taste. I miss the way you bring warmth to my winter nights.

Now those days are gone. I don’t see you much anymore. Once in a while we rubbed shoulders but never acknowledge each other. Not because I don’t want you anymore and not because you don’t want me anymore. We are in a foreign land now that our relationship is forbidden. We cannot be seen together and for that, as painful as it is, we stay apart.

But I promise you Stella, there will be one day that there’s only you and me, on this very balcony, sitting through a warm, rainy Saturday afternoon, enjoying each other’s company.

Until then Stella, until then.

Yours always,

TauKamal

Edward Scissorhands

There was a boy,
It is rather difficult he must admit. Quite a several moons ago this proud bloke was adamant it will all be fine. Oh was he wrong. Oh was he severely wrong. Unfortunately for him, bracing for the worst with a mere leaking canteen barely suffice. It however would not do him justice mocking his idiocy for he knew what he had signed up for. Crossing the ever-expanding Sahara with depleting necessity believing a mirage of an oasis does not fade away on approach is not what no man had ever done. It is an act of self destruction, a product of ego-gone-wild and a state of delusion and inner turbulence, feeding on raging testosterone.

Little did he know by provoking, or rather challenging life to get to Him, well, has gotten him a life. Be careful what you wish for, people may say. He who travelled to a foreign land to sarcastically search for poverty had actually earned one. As contradicting as it may appear, we must grant him a compliment for his thoughtless determination. Realizing where he had gone wrong, he began to weep. The realization that began as a whisper of self doubt had actually began creeping up his neck as soon as his journey did. Doubt, soon turned into fear, followed by anger and regret, have now became a prison paralyzing his soul as he lives through what appears to be a metaphorical summary of his ill-fated youth.

It seemed that everything he did, everywhere he went, and everyone he met, tends to be a horrific recurring experience. No matter how hard he tried and how much he cared, all that meant something suffered.

Bloody Awkward

It is rather natural for almost everyone growing up, to move on from one partner to another. Yes, along the way people get hurt, some more than others, but most get through. It is really a long learning process. And it doesn't stop ever. The process might come to a halt as one gets hitched but not necessarily for good.

As we move on from one, lets call it 'phase' to another, one tends to bump into one's past which is again, quite normal. Naturally both parties, depending on how the previous 'era' was ended, will try to be decent and hide the awkwardness - hi-s and hello-s are exchanged, and maybe a peck on the cheek, acknowledging familiarity.

All is well when both sides are still exploring the possibilities and testing the water. But what happens when you run into a past, whom had moved on and settled down and said, "Hi Tau, what a pleasant surprise, have not seen you in quite while. How long has it been? How have you been?", and just as you opened your mouth to tell your whole story about how you have completed your studies somewhere half-way around the world and now working but barely making ends meet, the person continued, "oh by the way, meet my baby, his name is Daniel (not real name), is he not the most adorable thing, Daniel, say hi to mama's old friend, Tau, oh he looks exactly like his father. You know I'm married right? I did send you an invitation but I guess you were away". By now, you would be thinking,'no, I did not know you have gotten married, no, you did not send an invitation, and no, I was not away then'. This is when that cute little thing looked at you. What is there to say to the innocent kid? Rule of thumb in making a small talk with a stranger is, find something that you have in common to the other person. But in this case,you cannot be saying 'hey boy, how're you? You know, a few years back, I often visited that place in your momma, you have just gotten out of months ago. It was quite nice and warm right? You have ben there, you should know..'.

This is when that high pitched inner voice screamed "AWKWARDDD".

Awkwardness... there is no real way of getting around them.