Gautam Prakash

Drama

5.0  

Gautam Prakash

Drama

The Cursed Fate

The Cursed Fate

7 mins
279



Alex was walking through the cold streets of Porton with a cigarette in his mouth. He wanted to grieve and forget the girl who left him at the altar a few weeks back. His heart began to feel heavy and wanted to get the despair out of his system. He had a few close friends from his work where he worked as a scientist but chose not to burden them with the story. He was not very close with his family to talk about it. Since he had not much of a choice, he decided not to share it with anyone and wanted to bury the sorrow within him. He walked randomly through the streets with no destination in mind. He cut right after seeing a neon sign and went straight into a liquor store, bought him a first-class whiskey and started to wander the streets unknown of his future.


Therapy sessions, focus group, laughter club, yoga, gym and many other tricks in the book were not enough to cure the gloom in his mind. Everything he does reminds him of her. He spends his entire day thinking about her. He thinks about her soft velvety cheeks, her perfectly crooked teeth, her remarkable mole above her lips, her sparky nature and many other significant things keeps him from being happy. These thoughts keep floating around his memories and had started to infuse into his everyday lives.


Alex walked and walked until he could walk no more. His legs gave up as he fell to the ground. During his fall, he made sure the whiskey bottle in his hand did not break. He raised his elbow high as he tripped. He brushed himself up and noticed that he bruised his knees. He did not care about the injury. Why would he? He lost everything precious to him. He continued walking until he reached a bench at the corner of the street. He sat there at one end of the bench and started staring at the restaurant’s neon sign. The restaurant reminded him of his first date with Emma. He started to replay those memories in his mind with his eyes closed. Even though he felt pain while thinking of her, he smiled as the memories floated in his head.


He was disturbed by an elderly man’s mumble regarding his daily chores. The old man sat at the other end of the bench. He was in his 60s but his dressing style was that of a 30-year-old. He wore a long khaki trench coat with a plain black t-shirt inside, blue jogger jeans and a white and blue sneakers shoe. Alex, addled about the old man’s strong dressing sense wanted to strike a conversation with him. However, he realised that it did not matter anymore. He kept quiet instead. The old man started a conversation after five minutes.


He pointed at the alcohol bottle and said alcohol is like painkillers for the mind, heart and soulIt is the best thing invented by man to forget things. Too bad it has side effects.

Alex irritated by the old man ignored him. The old man continued.


Love, I preassume. It’s always love. What else would you be in this state for? Education? Parents? Career? Nah… Humans always have a tendency to prioritize love more than anything. But did you know that true love is a myth?

The last dialogue caught Alex’s attention. What do you mean? Asked Alex.


The old man bent over and started to search for something in his bag. He took a small Humidor box and placed it on his lap. He chooses one Culebra Cigar from the box and started to smell it. Alex started to become impatient for his answer. The old man looked at him and offered a cigar. Alex was hesitant at first but took one after a moment’s thought. Alex had a cigar in his hand but did not know what to do with it. He had never smoked a cigar in his life. His usual would be the Malboro or the occasional weed. The old man knew that by seeing how Alex was holding the cigar. Follow my lead said the old man.

He used the guillotine blade to cut the head of the cigar and started lighting the foot end of the cigar as he started to smoke it. Do not inhale the smoke, you need to suck the smoke inside your mouth and let it go. A cigar is all about tasting, savouring and rejoicing the flavour and letting it out.


Alex had a difficulty of savouring the intense taste at first, however, as time went on he started to get used to the taste. As he approached his 9th puff he started to enjoy the taste.


Love failures are just like a cigar. At first, you will not like it. However, as time flies you will start to cherish the little things in life and before you knew it you will enjoy your solitude. Your feelings will be overwhelmed with bitter, sour and other useless things your mind creates after a breakup. It’s your mind who is the enemy. Focus on the good things you have right now. This will create a positive environment within you and you will look at life from a new perspective. All this will not happen in a day. Your friend here is time. Time will help you heal all the scars. Time heals everything. It will heal you to the extent that you will have a hard time collecting those bitter memories in the future. said the old man


My alcohol addiction, attire and no care attitude must have given away that I am dealing with a breakup.Thought Alex. Although he was miffed, knew that the old man was making sense. His words were solace and gave hope for something undefined. The old man finished his cigar and left. Alex was too drunk to bid farewell and slept on the bench all night.


The next day Alex woke up early morning with an acute headache. He noticed a suitcase near his leg

The suitcase had a name on it- Alex Peters. He opened the suitcase and found some money and clothes of his size inside it. He knew that the suitcase was for him but was perplexed who had sent him and why. Was it from the old man from yesterday? he thought. He continued to think. He did not know my body size. This would be from someone who knows me personally. It could be my parents or close friends but they had no reason to give me cash. Could it be Emma? No… she is living in a different country with her husband. Emma… the girl I was destined to live together.


The thoughts about Emma flooded his mind and he started to feel low again. He was about to search for the nearest liquor store who sells liquor in black at that hour. Suddenly he recollected the memories of the old man and his speech. He stopped searching for a liquor store and called for an Uber to get back to his house. He took his suitcase with him. Alex even though was intoxicated the previous night, took the old man’s words to his heart and never looked back to the past again in his life. He would go on to become successful in his career with a grand discovery, would eventually fall in love again, have kids and become happy again. His story turned out to be like the old man said.

Time heals you to an extent that you will have a hard time collecting any bitter memories you had in the past


Little did Alex know that Emma was standing right behind him while he was checking the suitcase. It was Emma who kept the suitcase with all of the cash and clothes inside.


Why did she do it?


Emma chose to hurt Alex that way so that Alex would be angry at her and would be less sad when he finds out that she died of cancer. She was staying in the same city, was not married and she left him at the alter because of her cancer which is an incurable disease. She chose to move away from his life because she loved him too much. She knew that Alex would die of heartbreak and would choose death for himself if she passes away. Anger fueled by the feeling of betrayal is the only way Alex would move on with his life. If not now, maybe years after Emma’s death she knew that Alex would move on and chose a spouse eventually. She did all this because she felt that heartbreak for a few months is better than a heartbreak for a lifetime.

Little did Emma know that at that time Alex was on the brink of finding a cure for cancer.


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