“There’s a surprise for you in the garage”, Ashok overheard Mr. Sharma telling excitedly to Mrs. Sharma.
“Ashok, open the garage. I have to show madam her surprise.” Mr. Sharma instructed their driver.
Heading towards the garage, Ashok could not stop wondering about the new surprise that Mr.Sharma could have got his newlywed wife. Since their wedding, Mr.Sharma had been showering her with expensive surprise gifts, the likes of which Ashok had never seen before.
As he opened the garage with the couple tailing him, his heart skipped a beat. His eyes fell upon the most beautiful car he had ever seen in his driver’s life of 15 years. The exquisite designing and the sleek model of the car coupled with the beautiful red colour, made his mind and heart go numb. He had fallen in love for the first time and this beauty was his beloved.
Mrs. Sharma’s squeal of joy broke Ashok’s reverie. “Do you like it? This is the new Porsche. Still not available in the Indian market, I have got it exclusively for you, my darling.” Mr. Sharma proudly presented his gift to his beloved wife. As Mr. Sharma uttered those words, Ashok’s heart broke in hundred pieces. How naive of him to think that the car was his.
“I love it sweetie, but you know that I am still learning to drive. I wouldn’t want to try my hands on such an expensive car.”
“That’s Ok, Jaan. Till the time you are an expert to drive this car, Ashok will chauffeur you around to all your parties and shopping trips. Let people see that you have a husband who loves you beyond anything.”
Ashok’s spirits soared again, thinking of driving this beauty around the city gave him a rush he had never before experienced.
Driving for him had always been a means of employment, but over the next few days, as Ashok drove the Porsche around, he recognized the happiness that was missing in his life. The freedom he experienced when the air whooshed past him with the windows down, was magical. Ashok would forget about being only the driver of the car. For him, this car was now an extension of himself.
So when one day, Madam came to him asking the key to the car he felt deceived and vexed. He could not part with it. He could not bear to see anyone else touching his car. The thought of someone else experiencing the speed and freedom that was only his for enjoying threw him in delirium. He could not let Madam take the only thing he loved more than his life.
———–
In the evening when Mr. Sharma came back, he found the garage door spotting red Graffiti, “There’s a surprise for you in the garage.” Inside lay, the motionless body of Mrs. Sharma, soaked in blood. His Porsche and his driver were both missing, maybe driving past the world who would never let them be together.
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- Room 24 - 1 Mar 2019
- The Juggler - 25 Feb 2019
- You will always be alive in me! - 10 Jan 2019
Wow what an ending it took me by surprise
Ah first love! When one thinks of it, we hear music, spring flower bloom and the rainbows forming a tiara. But this story addresses a different love, that turns into obsession. The protagonist’s obsession for the car as shown in the story is nothing but his venomous outrage for the privileged. We could see that he was seething to hold on to something he deemed belonged to him, in spite of the fact that it did not. This, if turned into a full blown story (1500+words) can actually become a narrative on the social divide and the angst that the underprivileged have just because they are deprived. The story and the plot are great but with a gripping narrative this can become quite thrilling. Looking forward to a great deal of work from the writer because her imagination and derivation has great potential. Good luck.