King of Spades

Sometimes the most beautiful love stories end, before they even begin... but then the love still remains and that’s where the real beauty lies. It was the 14th of February, 6pm. He didn’t want to be late. He had waited long enough for this day to come in his life. The 14th of feb is a special day for all lovers . It is a day when you make your loved ones feel special, show them how much they mean to you, how much you care for them. More importantly tell them what you feel about them. For Shankar it was all the more special, this day had come in his life 36 years after it should actually have! As Shankar dressed up for the occasion, he looked at the mirror. White shirt ( her favorite colour), Dark Brown pants…Neat casuals , yes the hair was a bit of salt and pepper but the heart was young. It still had the same beat ( 140 beats per min!), the same excitement and yes the same longing for her,as it had 36 years ago! It was the third day of junior college. As Shankar sat in his clas...

The face was calm and composed. There was a positive aura surrounding her,the way it had always been. 'Amma' was what she was known as in our locality. Her real name was Dhairyalaksmi, Dhairya meaning courage, something which she had always represented throughout her life.As Kartik stood there watching her, memories flashed through his mind. Amma had moved into the colony with her husband and son around 30 years back. Her son Vinod was of Kartik’s age and in no time they became the best of friends. Being neighbours he often used to spend time in their household. She always used to treat him equally as her son which was a quality, Kartik thought was rare to find. The morning hours in their household used to be bathed in loud carnatic music. She had immense faith in god and which reflected in whatever she did.Everyday as he and Vinod left for school she used to say, “Bye, Kartik. Take good care of Vinod”!. Life has its own strange ways of unfolding events and that was precis...