Making 1 Year!! :)

Yes! Time can fly! It was on the same day one whole year back, when she decided to create this lovely notebook for herself, for her life! And here I proved to be the best companion she ever had. I saw her crying, I saw her laughing,I saw her thinking hard to write something and then again scratching it out but yeah, I never ever saw her getting irked and I saw her growing! And I never knew how this whole year went past by! So, here's wishing myself and her a lovely 1st Year Blogoversary! :D





Thank you for supporting and loving me! Oh yeah, she told me to mention one more thing and that is, without You, We are nothing! :)

The Not So Grumpy Old Man!!

LAST PART

The notepad, on the table, felt the wet of his tears as Mr.Gilbert tried to focus on calculating the money he has saved all this years. The treacly voice, the never-to-be-forgotten words, the cute pint-sized face made tears welled up in his eyes again. He knew he can't see Ryan dying like this. They have become the best of friends - to him, Ryan was the only person he shared a hell lot with! How can he let  his best friend go away from him? How can he let such a radiant lad die? He kept on wiping his tears constantly and tried to concentrate on the complex calculations.

  "He has a hole in his heart, Mr.Gilbert! Try to understand. We are helpless. We tried our best!" 

"Why can't you try transplant it, God damn it!" shouted he.

"We tried. But he is too weak for that! His body may reject the organ. Its too dangerous. We have tried our best, try to understand, please!" said the doctor.

"I can give you any amount of money. I just want him. I want nothing else!" Mr.Gilbert broke down after uttering these words.

"We can try to fly him off to the United Kingdoms. I know quite great surgeons there but I don't think that would be much of a benefit. But we will try our best, of course!" said the doctor holding the old man.



"Huh!!! Best?! Did they really try their best?! No, never! They didn't!" Mr.Gilbert whispered as he remembered his conversation with the doctor. Ryan's parents were crying their soul-out and the doctors undoubtedly were trying to trick them more!
"Bloody idiots!" shouted the senile man.


He couldn't give Ryan the gift on his birthday, neither did he have the luck to have any piece of the cake which Ryan once mentioned in one of his yellow letters. Ryan was hurried to the hospital three weeks before his birthday when his feeble heart decided to act brash. And since then, Ryan kept on fighting!

The very next day, exactly two months after Ryan's birthday, Mr.Gilbert entered Ryan's room at 9 in the morning, with a big ball and a story book which once Ryan told he wanted like anything and a big packet.

"Hey dude! You're late!" shouted Ryan.

"Oh yeah, sorry kid!" 

"What's that ball for? Is it mine? I mean, of course it must be mine!" Ryan got up from his bed in excitement.

"Happy Birthday kid. I am sorry I am late!"

"Huh! What's that book? Oh my God, is that 'Mouse In Space!' Woww.... man, I love you, dude! I mean, give that to me!" Ryan almost jumped off from his bed.


Ryan didn't bother to listen a single word his parents uttered after that until Mr.Gilbert took out the chocolate cake and lit the candles. The cake had written on it - "Ryan on his 10th birthday and just 2 months more!"

"Wowww... Such a big cake! wowwwww!!!!" Ryan smiled wide as his twinkling eyes shone bright with ecstasy.






"But I heard him say that, dude! Will I be able to talk to you and mamma and papa once I become a star? I mean, the whole thing is so exciting! I never knew I could actually go to the space." said Ryan with shining bright eyes.

"Huh.Shut up, kid. You're annoying me. You aren't going anywhere!" 

"No, but I want to, man! I will surely find out the mouse, you see! Haha! That will be fun." said the kid.

"You will not die, Ryan. Please shut up!" Mr.Gilbert controlled his tears.

"Aahh.. Yeah dying is pathetic if you've to go through all these. But if I don't die, I can't become a star and I want to explore every single thing in that space! So I have to die, you see!" smiled Ryan."But yeah, I will miss you if I can't talk to you."

"I will miss you too, Ryan. You're my best friend, kid. I love you." His eyes welled up.

"Please don't cry. I will come back soon." 

"No.. You won't go." uttered Mr.Gilbert.

"You're such an emotional fool. Okay dude. Either we will go together or we won't go ever! Best friends are meant to be always together. But exploring the space is a must. Let's go together,man! Its gonna be super fun!" said Ryan.

"Hmm.. I hope I go first. I will find the mouse and then you can come!" said the doddery man, hugging his best pal.

After 15 minutes Mr.Gilbert had to leave the hospital. He was shocked with what the doctors had told him today. Ryan was too weak to survive even for a month! He was scared. He didn't know how could he survive without Ryan! He constantly cursed God, for letting him survive and taking away Ryan.



The kid's heart started to be an annoying brat that night. He was taken into the surgery room. His heart was transplanted as this was the only way left to them. The doctor's were right the kid was too weak for a transplant. His body finally rejected the heart. He finally gave up the following morning! Ryan's parents had called Mr.Gilbert. But he didn't come that day.


A day later, Ryan's father got a call from the hospital. "Hello? Yes, yes I know him but what happened to him?" His fathered looked scared.

"I am sorry, but if you could come just now to the hospital again. Someone found Mr.Gilbert dead inside his house last night. It was a massive heart-attack! He actually expired last morning. We are calling you as we don't know where else to contact. Please can you come right now?!" Ryan's father froze as he listened to the words. It wasn't less than two days he had heard Ryan tell Mr.Gilbert that either they would go together to the space or they won't ever go, and that, going was a must, so they must go together as best friends are meant to be always together!


                                                     






To read the second part please click on the link - http://preetidesarkar10.blogspot.in/2014/02/yes-that-grumpy-old-man.html

Yes, That Grumpy Old Man

2ND PART

1 Month Later

Sorry. Sorry for breaking the window of your car. I threw the ball, yes, that's true but it wasn't my ball, dude uncle uncle's dad old uncle old dude dude. Please don't call the police, please! I am Sorry and John is sorry too as it was his ball. He didn't say that but I know. And I think your car is very old. So it won't be a big deal, you know! Please sell it and buy a new one. It's an advise advice.

From Ryan, I am the boy in the yellow shirt at whom you shouted.

Huh! Advice! He must have known the spelling of it correctly before rendering me with one!

   
Mr.Gilbert closed Ryan's very first letter and got hold of the cup of soothing coffee. Days passed but neither did Mr.Gilbert receive another letter from the kid nor did he see him another day playing in the lawns in front of his house, with the other boys. 

Something must have happened to Ryan or may be he read my letter and kept it fixed there itself! May be he is scared of me now - uttered his venerable yet adamantine oubliette-like brain. Mr.Gilbert opened another letter from the box, which held 12 more little letters of the same kind after taking a sip of the warm coffee and placing the cup rightly on the table.

Hello dude! Just writing to you for something exciting today. Okay, guess it while I gulp down the milk mom gave me. You know, I hate milk! But you know my mom! I don't want to take any risks with her. So here I have to drink the whole milk now, before she comes back again from kitchen within 5 minutes, mom said. That's the deathline deadline, she told me. Okay, so keep guessing, what for I am writing to you today!

   Noooo.... Nooooo!! Nothing happened in school. Kate? No, she didn't come too. Wait, there's a surprise! Okay, More three months to go, for something very special. You must have already guessed by now. Yes, Its my birthday! Ting!!  Dad said he will buy me a bigger bicycle this birthday if I score A in numbers and I am sure I will. And mom said she will invite all my friends home for a party! We will have a whale of a time, dude! And there, mom doesn't know you, so I am inviting you to my birthday. You will get cake to eat. Isn't it wow?! And you can meet all my friends too, and yes, you have to bring a gift for me. All friends do when they come. 

                           What would I like?! Mom told I should not ask for any gifts from anyone. So you can bring anything you like, but I like story books and video games too. Well, I forgot to tell you the date. You can well understand how excited I am, isn't it?! Okay, okay, its on 12th of August. See you there, dude! We will have fun.

By the way, I have a question, why don't you write back to me? Can't you write on your own? Or are you still angry with me? Or you don't like the way I call you dude? 

From Ryan.

Mr.Gilbert realized that his coffee was staring at him with a cold eye. He got up and was going towards the kitchen as something caught his weary sight. The calender which hung from the wall, showed that it was Sunday, the 12th of August!

Oh no! Today is Ryan's birthday! The thought of Ryan's absence and hence made him itch with anxiousness. He went towards the window but there wasn't Ryan anywhere. Mr.Gilbert sat on his bed while Ryan's handwriting wandered through out his mind.

Why wasn't I writing to Ryan so many days even when he went on writing to me? Didn't I like his addressing me as dude?! No, not at all! I find it cool, oh I mean, I find it okay! Why didn't I like him? Just because he broke my car's window and then didn't even hesitate giving me advice about it? No, I don't think so! Do I really hate him? I don't really think so, I mean I quite like that kid! May be I am missing him and so his absence is so much worrying me! And may be he's just the only friend I have in my life,in my whole bloody life?! And today is his birthday, and shouldn't I write a letter to him? But well, he won't come and take it?So what do I do now?! 

Thoughts kept him busy through out the day. Yes, he missed that annoying kid! He has started loving that kid. He didn't annoy him anymore. He loved Ryan, just the way he once loved his own son who ditched him together, along with his wife. But he was scared, scared of getting ditched again. He promised never to care for anyone in his life, but his doddery heart gave up on his decision at last.

 Mr.Gilbert sat on his chair with a paper, a pen and the ink, again. He started writing -

Hello, kid  dude! Happy Birthday! By the way, how old are you with this birthday?! 

The Grumpy Old Man, Harry! (Did your mom say what Grumpy means?)

He closed the letter and put it inside an envelope. He put on his favorite shirt and his more favorite coat and stepped out of his house, his hand holding his favorite letter. He started walking towards the park and walked and walked until he saw a yellow house just behind the park.

To Be Continued....

To read the 1st part please click on the link - http://preetidesarkar10.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-grumpy-old-man.html

                    

The Grumpy Old Man

Hi dude, I saw you  there at the window looking at us once, yesterday. But then I could neither see you, nor make out your shadow. Wait, you must be thinking what a shadow is! Well, we had a lesson about it in school last week. I don't know whether you too had Ms.Jolie as your teacher but I am surely not going to take any risk, in case you didn't have her as your teacher! As, mom says there are things only she knows and so we must pay attention in her classes. So here I go and you must pay good attention when you read this - A shadow is a dark area which your body produces when it comes in between the sun rays and any flat surface. 

          So, I didn't even see your shadow but after a while, I saw it. Yes, it was there! I told mom about it but she told it wasn't there. And yes, she even told me that you're a grumpy old man. So I must not write you anymore letters. But tell me one thing what is the meaning of grumpy? I am scared of Ms.Julie, I can't ask her. Anyway, I need to know your shadow was there or not. You can at least tell me it was there or not. Okay, not me, but at least tell my mom. 

Bye.

In case you never before paid any attention to my name, I am writing it again, My name is Ryan and please tell me whether it was there or not. Okay, I mean, not me, but my mother! She really needs to know the fact, man! Oh, but you need to know my mom's name too, right! Well, her name is Mother, you can also call her Ryan's Mother. Please go and tell her. Please. And yes, I forgot to give you my address. My home is just behind the park and it is of my favorite color.Can you guess it? I knew you can't! Okay, it is yellow. And do you think mom would let me come here every evening if I stayed far away. No way! You don't have an idea how strict she can be! 

Mr.Gilbert read it again, and hesitated to write a letter to Ryan. Well, Ryan was just a kid. He was unaware of the real world. This unpardonable world has a lot more in store than some silly conversations. Mr.Gilbert cocked his hoary bushy eyebrows and took out a pen and the ink from the cupboard. Its been 2 months since Ryan has written this last letter to him. Well, Mr.Gilbert didn't know why didn't he! Ryan never came and took the letter which Mr.Gilbert wrote after waiting for a month for Ryan's another letter. It was still beneath the door. Mr.Gilbert had kept it there even now. He was quite sure of it being undisturbed as it was just in the position he once placed it into. He had always kept an eye, but no, none of the kids bothered to pick it up. But today, today was the day he thought it was enough. That naive kid made him write a whole letter and now he didn't even bother to come and take it. Was it any kind of prank played on him, again?

     No, he wasn't going to write another letter. Writing another  letter would just    be a patch of waste ground! He walked  towards the door and picked up his  own letter which lay there,  languished. Heated, Mr.Gilbert went towards his    table and    opened his own letter.




   Hi Ryan,
             Do you really think I would talk to your  mother, I mean, your mom, and tell her whether I  was there or not, after she called me grumpy?  Well, I can't! And why don't you ask your mom  about its meaning. She must know a hell lot more about everything, I mean, when she knows that I am a grumpy old man! And about the shadow, no, I wasn't there. I was not even asleep. See, your mom knows way too much about everything! I was busy doing my work. And, yes I hope this is the last letter you're writing to me. How every time I see your letter and wonder if this is the last one. But no, you nagging little kid! I again stumble over your another letter! 

By the way, do you really think I don't know what a shadow is? Huh! Please, stop being in denial. And yes, I don't care where your house is and which color it is of and what is your favorite color! 
And speaking of your that first SORRY letter, it is okay. If I wanted I could have called the cops and get you paid for what you have done but I didn't! How can I call them each day for your perversity! 
Are you insane, little kid? How on the Earth did you imagine that I will stop at your house when you and hundreds of your annoying friends will jump and scream and shout and run at your birthday party?! For God sake, stop building castles in air! 
I do not want a single letter from you anymore. If you do, it will not take me a single minute to go to your "bad-tempered dad" and complain about you. 

And what will you do with my name when you can't even invite me to your party!


The Grumpy Old Man (According to your mom, now don't say, she knows everything!)




Mr.Gilbert sat on the armchair after closing his letter and again placing it beneath his door. What if Ryan came today and missed his letter? He closed his eyes and there came thousands of ever-wandering questions in his mind. Why didn't Ryan come to play anymore? He didn't read my letter, then why did he stop writing to me? Will I ask anyone of his friends? Huh, no! They are so annoying. And why would I, when I don't even care for him?

And finally - Thank God! He doesn't write to me anymore!






To Be Continued....

Partying On Birthdays!!

Parties! Parties! Parties! 

That's what ardently corresponds to the birthdays nowadays! We sleep,we eat, we work, we play , nevertheless we never forget our birthdays are approaching! As a child, I found myself always waning in thoughts about the other important stuffs in my then life, viz studies, much before my birthday would have even approached.

Too many guests to accommodate inside our 3 storied home and the large roof that I loved beyond any imagination, mostly comprised of children of my age and their ever-worrying parents. And once they all pack up their bags and leave me and my family behind in our house, me mourning again with the thought of another terrific wait till my next birthday arrives, my mother sits to open all the gifts I had received that evening leaving me patiently abiding for her to tear off the gift wraps!!

And my face once again enlightened as she opens all my lovely gifts one after another.

Aaaaaahhhhhh!! Those were days, left a long time back.!


While triffling gifts mean a lot to the children, we adults too never budge away from the little gifts and parties we get to throw at our places on our birthdays! We wait for the friends and the family to arrive with their smiling faces and of course the gifts they bring us! We start to renovate ourselves and spend more than half of the day in front of the mirror for the upcoming birthday bash. For my Birthday Bash! Its My Day!

We neglect the fact that we are one more step ahead of reaching our forfeit, the death, that will one day engulf us too very boorishly and we thus celebrate on putting some more mileage on!

But paying a penalty in future doesn't really mean we give up on celebrating our happy days, our relationships!! These remain as grotesque memories as we go along with our life!


Mausis, Boudis, Aunties, come along and say-- Oreyy baba!! Koto boro hoyegeche!! Sei chottobelai dekhechilam!! (You have grown so big! Saw you when you were a kid!), and me stunningly looking at them and smiling at some of my wicked thoughts where I relate the same facts with them!

Some of them gorging over the food like the food being served was a little more than what they have seen during their whole lifetime! And others, talking about their own sarees, brands and jewelleries and bemeaning others!


As I grow a little more each year, my priorities, my taste change and I abashedly find myself not getting flattered on the matters I previously used to do! These Parties to me, have left a very little euphoria!

I love my birthdays simple yet fun! I make sure to have all those stuffs and people who matter to me the most on my day! I make sure I have my mom, dad, my sister and my best friend on that day, partying and having fun with them rather than the phony grinning aunties.


The food, the favorite meat, a glass of wine, and my loving family and a handful of besties are all that I wanted in my birthdays!


And what else can give you more elation when the people who matter the most to you give you lovely  self made gifts! You can't stop smiling, right?!

Aaaahhhh, this what happens to me too!! :) 

My bestfriend gifted me on my last bday!

My elder sister and mom too have never stopped sweeping my feet off with their own hand made recipes and gifts on my  birthdays! I'm a firm believer of these trivial things when it comes to rendering joy! So last night was the similar birthday party at our house celebrating the birthday of my very on elder sister where I cooked her favorite mutton dish as a birthday gift! Here goes one of its snap, that I clicked after the preparation was over.


How can I not make her favorite dish on her budday  myself, when she never stops swooning me off with her surprises?! :) Happy Birthday Di! :)