Namra Shaikh

Comedy Inspirational

2.6  

Namra Shaikh

Comedy Inspirational

The Missing Key

The Missing Key

14 mins
19.4K


The Missing Key

Part 1

"And then she decided to move away from him, away.......... till there is a sheet of fog between them. A thick one, which will never see the ray of sun..."

The announcement in the waiting area made Tarana stand up in action. She hurriedly closed her diary and collected her luggage and moved ahead to fly with some new wings. She is going to start a new life, in the new city. She is coming to Mumbai after all, a place of dreams where many dreams are made, life changed and wishes explored!

"Excuse me, Do you mind keeping this bag with you for check in? Actually I'm exceeding my limit." A trendy guy with many bags asked her. He looks like a traveller.

"Sorry, Do I even know you?"

"Ooh God, now you want to know me??" He made a face as if he found it too irritating. "You can know me later, just do this now. We are getting late."

"Out of my way please", Tarana almost shouted at him and quickly moved away.

The guy seems to be less bothered about the insult and he swiftly moved to the other passenger, may be to request the same.

Tarana was happy with her seat. The weather outside the window was charming. Suddenly she started thinking about the same guy. The soft heart inches below her expressionless face was still throbbing at the normal pace. "Where would he be? But how can he just ask me to keep his bag? And how could he even think that I want to know him, silly!!" And she smiled.

The reason for this smile was still unclear. Sometimes you smile even when you want to stay angry.

#tobeContinued

Part 2

Suddenly someone entered the flight with heavy steps. "How can someone walk like this?" Tarana thought. The footsteps kept coming closer to her with noise louder than before and it stopped just beside her. Tarana didn't even bothered to look as she had already created the hatred pond for this person only because of his heavy footsteps. The guy tried to open the cabinet and push inside his over sized bag. "Excuse me, be careful" she said.

"Arrey, you! Are you following me?"

"What?" Tarana looked up and saw the same guy whom she met near the check in.

"Haha, before you explode, I'm just kidding. Don't worry I'll be careful." With this something fell off on Tarana's head. A slipper! Followed by a hair brush, deo, nail cutter and then a series of toiletries all on Tarana's head, lap and feet.

"What the hell is this?"

The guy looked up and down and lost his balance he is now on the little floor and his bag with a thud on Tarana's face!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh, they both shouted in pain and anger.

Few flight attendants ran up to them and helped them clear the mess.

Once on the seat, the guy extended his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Ali sorry for the trouble."

"I'm Tarana, this wasn't nice." And Tarana turned away her face.

She was still curious to know about this luggage but she doesn't want to ask him and get friendlier more.

But to her surprise Ali said, "You know how did I manage my luggage?"

"No, sorry I m not interested", she replied

Ooh okay!

Rest of the journey Tarana was just sleeping and Ali did a lot of things from playing sudoku, watching clouds outside, listening to the music, making unnecessary conversations with passengers behind and in front of him, spilling juice, Calling the air hostess 11 times and using washroom for 3 times.

#toBeContinued

Part 3

Tarana has already collected her luggage but she is still waiting. Waiting to see Ali and his series of luggages coming one by one from the hand of different co passengers. She couldn't resist anymore and said, "wow! What a jugaad you have made. All sorted na."

"Yes, if I can manage why shouldn't I?" Ali winked. They exchanged good bye and left.

Life is so simple for few people and few people struggle to get brown sugar over the white one. Is it always a necessity or our self made proclaims? Why do some of us find happiness even in the slightest ray and why some of us can't come out of the dark patch?

Tarana wants to come out of the dark patch left by someone she loved deeply. But she has confined herself within a realm of brown sugar. It's not her necessity it's just that she is afraid of trying the white one.

Ali is a guy who doesn't believe in sanitizers and wet tissues. He believes in openness. Openness in relationship, in life, in imagination and dreams. He has just been on a trip to North India and has collected a lot of stuff for many people. He believes in the joy of giving, sharing and even he will silently get his share from you too. He knows how to get through things and time.

Part 4:

"I like this house, it's amidst the busy streets in the area called Andheri. I wonder when will the Andhera go out of my life...",Tarana puts a full stop to her today's dairy tale in her new diary.

She is in her uncle's apartment. Uncle's family is in US, currently undergoing 'vanvas' to get the green card, so there is no chance of them coming back to Mumbai and as soon as uncle got to know that Tarana is shifting here and also the previous tenants are moving out, he offered her to stay at his place. Families are there to help you. They are the one whom you can rely on anytime. Some people are blessed to get a family like Tarana's.

Ali on the other hand is a lovable guy but is away from his family. Being in the same city he lives in a different place than his family. Eid and Dadi's birthday are the only occasions when he see them. They have many problems with him but he has only one. Love. He thinks they don't love him enough.

#tobeContinued #AliNTarana #TheMissingKey

Share: Who do you think you will build connection with? Ali or Tarana? Comment down!

Part 5:

"Taranaaaaaa, Taranaaaaaa" Tarana jumped up from her bed, its 12:30 am, First day or maybe the first night in Mumbai and someone is screaming her name loudly outside. 12:30 is actually "Midnight" for Tarana, unlike mumbaikars for whom it's just the beginning of the night. She peeped down from her window. She could only see a guy and the watch man down there. 11th floor is enough to turn a 5.8ft person into a dwarf! She screamed back, "intercom, intercom" only to get the reply back, "What? What?" She knew she had to go down now! In her pj and slippers, she moved out of the house walking like some detective on a mission. Every step gave her the feeling of Rani Lakshmi bai as well as the teenage shy and sacred girl. The teenage one was over powering her strong will. The door of the lift opened and there he was! Ali, Ali Again, her lips parted to call out his name in some mixed emotion of excitement and anger and curiosity and the fear of next trouble!

She didn't realise but she has screamed his name 4 times already! "Yes Ali, Tarana, Ali. Why are you screaming."

#To Be continued.

Part 6:

"Madam, he was not stopping. I don't know him, I don't even know you madam.", the security guard tried explaining.

"Hi, I am Tarana."

"And I am Ali", Ali interrupted.

"Actually, I've come to live on 11th floor, 1102, Mr. Khan is my mamu.", Tarana introduced herself

"Ooh Mr. Khan, yes he is a nice gentleman and he had informed us about you." Watchman smilingly replied.

"Sorry, I didn't inform anybody, actually I've come just a couple of hour ago.", Tarana continued.

"But Tarana, this man is a nasty one." Ali complained.

"And this young man is double nasty. When I questioned him, he had nothing to say. He was only saying Tarana, Tarana.", the watchman tried reasoning.

"But I didn't know anything else.", Ali exclaimed!

Watch man was pissed by now, "So, what do you want? You want me to lose my job?"

"Okay, okay, I think, everything is fine now. You can go. I'll manage, thank you.", Tarana tried sorting out the situation to avoid creating a scene.

"Yes, I have to go. Actually I got an emergency call from my house. So I have to go. Today no one is there for the night duty madam.", the watch man informed.

"Thank you.", Tarana said.

Ali-"So, Tarana, Thank God, I found you, before this man could call the police."

Tarana-"Mr. Ali I'm still in shock. Can I ask you, what are you doing here?"

Ali-"Yes, ask"

Tarana-"What?"

Ali- "Ask na."

Tarana- "You are sick! Tell me or else I'm going back."

Ali-"Here.", Ali handed a diary to Tarana. "Clever girl, if found please contact blah blah blah blah number which no more works!" Ali, mocked her.

"Ooh shit, where did you find this? I'm sure this happened in the flight! I've been searching it all over."

"So, how did you find the address?"

#To Be continued..

Part 7:

"Ooh the address, I didn't find it. I heard." Ali said proudly.

"What?", Tarana interrogated.

"You are soo dumb, you should have written some more things na", Ali tried reasoning, realising that he has been caught.

"Excuse me, address? How did you find it?"

Woh..... actually, what happened is, that.... while going out from the airport, I was just behind you.....", Ali said.

"What??? You followed me?", Tarana interrupted angrily.

"No, no, no, not that much!!! I just heard you speaking to the taxi driver. You know he fooled you, Andheri from Airport, Hahahha, Do you even know, Airport, itself is in Andheri.!",Ali again got a reason to laugh.

"Very funny!", Tarana said angrily.

"Sadly, the taxis doesn't drop you till the house door, that's why I didn't know your floor."Ali, said.

"Smart, anyways thank you for this. You may leave now.", Taranareplied rudely.

"Don't you want me to come for a cup of chai?", Ali said.

"No", Tarana don’t want him anymore.

"Ok, fine! You are really arrogant, I just wasted my time coming here!", Ali answered roughly and decided to move.

Ali and Tarana turned their back towards each other and moved silently.

Finally the things are sorted and they hope not to see each other again!

Part 8:

Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Ali who was trying to book an uber, almost jumped up in fear!

He turned back to see Tarana, " Ooh, No, Not again, I've not done anything."

"My house is locked." Tarana replied panting.

"Whaaa, what??" Ali is shocked.

"Yes, I just locked my house while coming down without carrying the keys." Tarana said in a low tone.

"How can you be...", Ali tried giving her a lecture.

But Tarana can’t let that happen, she snapped back saying, "Shut up, just shut up! It's all because of you. First, you troubled me all the time in the flight, then you followed me till the taxi stand, you stole my diary and now because of you I'm here just below my house but can't get in! I don't have my phone, I don't have any other contact, I don't know anything."

"What? When did I do all this? Wow, you just made a story.", Ali replied back.

"Shut up, just shut up", Tarana gave her final verdict.

"Calm down, relax, okay don't worry. We will find out a key maker.", Ali is trying to make her calm.

"Do you think we can get one so late? It's 1 am.", Tarana said.

"Ooh, right, no we can't. Do you have your uncle's phone number, maybe we can ask him about any other spare key?"Ali, Suggested.

"No, I don't have my phone.", Tarana replied angrily.

"What can we do? Yours is the top floor right?"

"Yeah and I'm the only one staying there. The other house is locked too."

"Wow! Great!"

Beep beep, the uber arrived.

"No, no Ali please don't go! Please. I don't know anyone here.",begged Tarana.

"Hmmmm, please. Courtesy. Nice.", he turned towards the driver, "Bhaisaab I don't want to go, madam says ruk jao.", and he winked, the driver winked back.

"What did you just say?" Tarana shouted.

"Okay, then let me go.."

"Okay, fine wait. But stop this nonsense jokes of yours."

"No I can't, lol, anyways let's go up. We can figure out something."

#ToBeContinued.

Part 9:

"This lobby is big enough to accommodate the two of us for tonight.", Ali said.

"Can't you try something? Look I have this hair pin.", TaranaSuggested.

"Dear Tarana, I know I've troubled you the entire day, but do I look like a robber to you? This pin thing happens only in Bollywood movies and your uncle has put up a nice quality lock." Ali said in a sweet sarcastic tone.

Tarana quietly tucked back her pin in the hair. One of her hair lock fell on her face. She looked tensed but beautiful. For the first time Ali noticed her sweet face, big dark charming eyes.

"Ali..." Tarana made Ali come out of his fantasy. "What can we do now?"

"Maybe we can play rock paper scissor?"

Tarana made a face again. "We can only sit here, I can give you some company till morning and then we can go on the key maker hunt!"

Tarana nodded her head to agree. She doesn't have any other counter view this time!

"Let's go to the terrace, atleast I won't find you soo irritating there."

"Wow, so you have brains too!"

#ToBeContinued...

Part 10:

"I'm sure you must have read my diary.", Tarana said as they reached the open terrace with the starry sky. Ali who was mesmerised and lost in the view asked "what?"

"Guys like you, who keeps poking their nose here and there, they love to read personal diaries na."

Ali said, "No, guys like me loves to give personal spaces to people. We get melted in their space, look for the happiness on the superficial level. We don't need the reason sooo deep and sooosecret to love anyone."

Tarana who was thinking Ali as an idiot till now, was baffled to hear this. "Hmm"

"What hmmm? Why are u so judgemental? Is it's compulsory?" Ali asked.

"I'm not judgemental, I'm just protecting myself."

Ali- "protecting from?"

Tarana- "Anything that could probably hurt me."

Ali- "What can hurt you?"

Tarana- "I don't know, it can be anything!"

Ali- "So until you don't know what is it, are you going to test everyone around?"

Tarana- "What do you mean?"

Ali- "you need to stop your 'hurt test' and start Trusting more. One incident, one situation can't defy your whole life. Give people a chance,

Yourself a chance."

Tarana- " And what if they go away hurting me, the ones whom I trusted the most?"

Ali smiled, "They never go away, they are there, not as a person but as an experience, as a memory. They are not blocking your life infact They will teach you to move ahead, to look and identify characters like them. Sort them out and keep them away."

Tarana is quiet.....

"Leave it tarana, let it go! I won't ask you what and why. I don't believe in pouring your heat out. I feel coming to the terms and accepting it with a positivity is better. Find a positive thing in your bad experience and move ahead.", Ali continued.

"Yes just like I met you, the bad incident on the airport made me meet you!", Tarana exclaimed.

"Wait! What??? Really? Soo much of positivity, you are considering me the good part.", Ali said happily.

Tarana tried covering up, "No actually, what I meant is..... that....."

"It's okay, it's okay", Ali interrupted.... "I'm feeling lucky!"

#to be continued...

Part 11:

"How can you be soo carefree Ali? Have you never been hurt by something or somebody?"

"I was hurt, many a times."

"No, I don't think so. I feel you don't know what pain is. The pain of trusting someone blindly and getting back stabbed by the same person. The pain of realising that your world was fake. The pain that your story is not going to get the tag of "HAPPILY EVER AFTER" Tarana spoke with a heavy voice.

"I know how it feels. I know how it feels to be away from your family despite of the fact that you love them unconditionally. I know how it feels to love someone and get the love back but losing them in the middle of the life. I know how it feels to be a musician, have the capability but not a chance to perform. I know how it feels to roam around aimlessly, enjoy the moment and come back home to the cold bed. You don't know the reasons for these pain Tarana, I know but what I also know is that, its just an experience for me. My end is not fulfilling but my journey teaches me new things everyday. My journey is my life and I am living for that. May be I have incomplete dreams but I have a life that is moving. A life which is hoping. A life that is living in itself. Every disappointing feeling doesn't need to be tagged as a 'pain' "

"Do you mean to say, even if you don't get an end, a fulfilling end, its okay?", Tarana asked.

"What is end? Acquiring something? and do you think is HAPPILY EVER AFTER?? Life is not a movie Ms. Tarana, there is no happily ever after. It's CONTINUES EVER AFTER. Don't wait for the end, just keep on moving, keep on doing, and Not WHAT but HOW you do it is the most important."

Tarana smiled, " Actually it's not the end that should make you happy, its the journey that should bring that smile, the end is just an experience to move further."

"Gotcha, there you go...", Ali gave her a tight hug!

"Is it soo simple or you making it feel simple?", Tarana taunted...

"I am giving you an experience, take it and use it if you like!", Ali summed up.

The night continued followed by the next morning. This morning was different. Tarana has learnt to laugh more, she has lost her baggage of worries now. She is smiling, smelling, enjoying.

They both went to get the key maker and the door opened. She never knew that the missing key is not just of the door but of her life! This time the door opened for a new friend, Ali.

The End.


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