How I Left The Restaurant–A short story in small chunks
You see that young man sitting in the corner with his wool cap down to his ears?
– That’s me.
I’m sitting in a south indian restaurant waiting for my girlfriend who will be half an hour late as usual.
I have to kill the relationship today so I try to calm myself by counting the prime numbers in my mind.
I was on 43 when…
I was on 43 when I saw the familiar waiter standing by my side placing the menu-card on my table.
“Coke,” I said without bothering to look at the menu.
“Cold or warm?” he asked.
“Cold.”
I’ve been meeting Sandhya in this restaurant for 2 years now and we were always served by this waiter. I don’t know his name.
She’ll be here any moment now, I must think over all the points again in my mind. I want it to go as smoothly as possible.
The waiter came back with the bottle of coke.
“Thanks,” I said and he went away without reply.
I was halfway through my coke when…
I was halfway through my coke when I saw Sandhya coming through the door. Self-confident, energetic, ugly, Sandhya. How I hated her.
Smiling she came to my table.
“What’s with the rotten cap?” she asked, sitting on the sofa.
I took off the cap taking the fruit and nut chocolate out of it. It was her favourite.
“It’s for you,” I said giving her the chocolate, feeling uncomfortable in her presence.
“Oh thank you!” she said.
“Would you like to order something?” I asked giving her the menu-card.
“An idli with a pepsi,” she said putting it down.
I called the attention of the waiter with two upheld fingers, quickly he came to our table.
“Yes sir.”
“An idli, a pepsi and a masala dosa,” I said.
“Pepsi cold sir?”
“Yes,” I said and he went away.
I started to get up to go to the bathroom to wash my hands.
“Washing your hands?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said uneasily and left the table.
When I was coming back after five minutes I saw…
When I was coming back after five minutes I saw the waiter standing by our table talking to Sandhya. He glanced at me and quickly withdrew.
“What was he saying?” I asked sitting down.
“Nothing, he was just putting the dishes.”
“Oh it looked like he was talking to you.”
She didn’t reply.
“Abhay,” she said, “I want to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Nothing, forget it. You say, how are you? It’s been a week we met.”
“Now tell me Sandhya, what happened.”
“Nothing, I said.”
We sat quietly for 10 minutes. All this time I was thinking how to tell her that…
All this time I was thinking how to tell her that the relationship was over.
“Sandhya,” I began. “Sandhya, I met Megha yesterday.”
“O, how is she?”
“I love her Sandhya,” I blurted out.
“Haha, you love everyone.”
“Sandhya listen, I love Megha. I don’t love you anymore.”
“Haha are you serious?”
“Yes Sandhya, I’m serious.”
“So you wanna end this relationship?”
“Yes,” I said wiping my nose with my hanky.
“Our 2 year old relationship for a girl you met last month?”
“Sandhya time doesn’t matter. Megha is a nice girl and she is much more compatible.”
“Oh.”
She was coldly sipping her pepsi as if nothing had happened.
“Sandhya, why are you so silent. I want to end this relationship with you. I love Megha.”
“Thanks for making it easy for me Abhay.”
“What do you mean?”
She was staring at her idli, brooding upon it, silently she said:
“I too love somebody else.”
“Why aren’t you lokoing at me. You are lying. Tell it to my eyes.”
She looked at me with burning eyes, staring at my eyes she said coldly:
“I too love somebody else Abhay.”
“Ah, beauty lies in the eyes.”
“I’m not lying Abhay.”
She was looking very hard at me now. I knew she wasn’t lying but I couldn’t take it. It was hurting my pride I guess.
“I would like to meet your lover Sandhya.”
“Well why not.” She was smiling now.
She held up two fingers and the familiar waiter caught her eye. He started coming towards us.
Why was she calling the waiter now? Surely to ask him to give a note to her lover sitting in this restaurant so he could join us.
The waiter was standing by our table now, smiling.
“Abhay,” said Sandhya, smiling, “meet my lover, Vijayraj.”
finis
-Kunal Goel
Isaiah says:
I really love the names especially VIJAYRAJ.
May 14th, 2005 at 01:37 am
Sushubh says:
funky
May 15th, 2005 at 11:13 am
Pooja says:
ill give you my reviews when i get back to Delhi
May 16th, 2005 at 08:08 pm
Kunal says:
OMG Pooja you stop my heartbeat!
May 17th, 2005 at 08:53 pm
Isaiah says:
Well wud US block the comments on this blog.
May 24th, 2005 at 12:26 am
Anant says:
One of the very few good blogs that I ve seen lately. The stories are perspicasious, crisp and sapient.
May 31st, 2005 at 07:08 pm
Sushubh says:
well that was the purpose of the indivibes
June 1st, 2005 at 12:25 am
coolbuddy_79 says:
it proves u can love someone else when u’re in love with someone…
August 15th, 2005 at 01:26 pm
aditya says:
ok koonal the previous 1 i didnt read but i tell you worth reading….”VIJAYRAJ”common yaar how come you find these funky names???lolz
adi
February 21st, 2006 at 09:46 am
aditya says:
i forgot…..any1 likes warm or hot coke1!!!!!:idea::?::!:
February 21st, 2006 at 09:47 am
aditya says:
cool_buddy is completely right!!!!:)
February 21st, 2006 at 04:41 pm
Kunal Goel says:
in winters, the waiters in that restaurant asked, “coke warm sir?”
February 21st, 2006 at 10:25 pm
aditya says:
and then in summer they shd say “cold tea sir?”:wink:
February 22nd, 2006 at 08:48 am
Kunal Goel says:
but yes! I like cold tea!
February 22nd, 2006 at 09:48 am
aditya says:
lol:grin:
February 22nd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Neha says:
i like cold coffee.
March 17th, 2006 at 01:03 pm
sandhya says:
hi…my name is sandhya as well and i actually know a person called vijayraj…infact when i read the story i was kind of taken aback…
September 5th, 2006 at 01:39 am
Kunal Goel says:
ho!
September 5th, 2006 at 05:05 am