Merry Christmas

Everyone.

Email.

I live in LA for three and half days and in SB for the rest of the week. We are attending my company holiday party this weekend so I am not driving home. I wrote my husband an email reminding him to bring a few things with him. His reply follows each request. I couldn't help but crack up.

Babu,

You need to bring the following things with you on your way to LA tomorrow.

1. Black strapy high heels from the shoe closet --- they have long black strings, oh and also the bronze nine wests!
----i threw both those pairs away yesterday. there was no room in the shoe closet for MY tennis shoes.

2. Black Shawl inside the closet... it's on a hanger with the red shawl.
---i thought it was a rag. i used it yesterday to wipe the bathroom floor. do you still want to wear it?

3. Wedding VCD's, so we can send them to india with yogesh. He is leaving next week.
---i deleted the wedding video from my laptop. i didnt have enough room for call of duty (Stupid video game of his).

4. My baby pink wool coat -- its in the closet next to my trench coat.
--- sorry! i burnt the pink coat. it was stinking of elizabeth arden (My lovely perfume).

5. Curling iron from the bathroom cabinet, its got a blue handle.
---oooo!!! it was a curling iron. i thought it was the toilet pump thing. i unclogged the john with it yesterday. do you still want to curl your hair?

I think that's it...
---yes that's it.

I love you.
---yes i love you too.

Chinmay.

Letter.

Dear You,

Hope all is well. Just wanted to scribble a few lines. Had you any idea that…

If it wasn’t for your mother, you would have never understood the magical taste of rice and milk with mango pickle.

Your sister is the reason, you are able to take everything from her bathroom, closet, jewelry box and never return it.

Papa’s genes are the cause for your sense of music, high cheekbones and straight teeth.

Only your husband tells you that you need to be strong and not let other people take advantage of you. Also, how important it is to just ‘listen.’

Baba loves to hear you talk and so he says, “Hi, chatterbox…how’s my daughter in law doing?”

Every weekend Aai tells you how much she misses being near Chinmay and you, and especially during festivals – so she can feed the two of you and shower you with lots of gifts.

Take care –---- of the things which are given to you.

Yours truly,
Me.

4.the other woman.

April continued drinking and Gabi continued serving. The two took full interest in their own activities, only difference was that one enjoyed the activity and the other forced it onto herself. As the night passed, more and more people walked up to the bar and ordered drinks. Gabi still looked as hot and fresh as she did when she came in for work this evening. On the other hand, April's eyes not only still matched the cherries, but their size had decreased, her head was wobbling like a spring doll and while she walked to the restroom, her steps had become baby steps - literally. She was learning how to walk all over again by holding onto whatever and whomever came in her way.

It was almost 2:00 A.M. Fuel bar was slowly going out of energy. Gabi walked over to April.

Gabi: Do you need a cab?
April: He should have told me before. I would have let him go. Why did he wait so long? He has been doing this for the last six months on and off on and off. Why did he lie to me?
Gabi: Husband? Fiancé? Boyfriend?
April: Boyfriend
Gabi: Oh you'll find a new one – she laughed to cheer April up.
April: I really care for him. I want things to work. I made so many efforts to keep him with me. I did everything what he told me to do. I listened to everything he said.
Gabi: you did a little too much, don’t you think?
April: But I thought that'll keep him with me.
Gabi: You can't make him be yours. Open the door.
April: How could he just walk out?
Gabi: locking up always doesn’t work. Try talking to him.
April: No point!
Gabi: Why not? It helps.
April: He keeps things to himself and I hate bugging him. I want things to work between us. I want him to stay with me. I really want to be with him.
Gabi: Dear…April cut Gabi off and continued.
April: We've been together for a while now and we should 'make' things work. Gabi: What exactly happened? If you don’t mind.
April: He wants to be with someone else. He has been seeing her for last 6 months. He says, he's tried telling me several times but I get so emotional that he can’t have a conversation with me.
Gabi: Maybe you need to give him his space and listen to what he has to say with an open mind.
April: (Loudly) NOOOO!!!! I have done so much for him and how can he do this? How can he just be with someone else? He doesn’t even know her.
Gabi: do you know her?
April: No, I don’t, but I know.

Gabi silently looked at April and then at her watch. It was 2:00 a.m. Fuel was officially closed.

Gabi: Hey, do you need to get a cab? Or a ride?
April: No I am ok. I live on west campus.
Gabi: Are you sure?
April: Yea...Thanks.
Gabi: Listen, I am sorry. I hope things work out.

April slowly got up, grabbed her coat, put her scarf back on and wiped away her tears. She continued mumbling something and signed the bill for the drinks. As they were leaving, unexpectedly, April hugged Gabi and said, "I don't know what to do. How can he do this to me? What have I done to him? Why me? Tears kept falling on Gabi's shoulder as April let out so many words, sentences; questions like the continuous waves in the ocean, Gabi simply stood like a rock and let the waves of words hit her. She ran her hand on April’s head and gave her a warm friendly pat on the back.

April stepped away and felt a little awkward and humiliated. She quickly uttered, "I am so embarrassed, so sorry, and thank you so much...I really need to leave, i don’t know what I need to do. I am just not thinking, I need to be alone....Max shouldn’t have done this...he should’ve known better than be with someone…whoever that girl is...some Gabi at some bar..."

April stumbled out of the bar as Gabi just stood there -- Speechless.

3. Conversation

"She told me her name was Billie Jean, as she caused a scene Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one Who will dance on the floor in the round.."

These famous lines of Michael Jackson literally grabbed Gabi by the waist, pulled her off the ground and pushed on the bar top.

Everyone clapped and cheered as she moved her hips, hands and head from right to left in a perfect rhythm. Her wavy brunette hair enjoyed their swing dance in the air. Her blue eyes twinkled with excitement and happiness as her turns created a perfect circle around her - along with a circle of people watching her go with the flow. April was one of the spectators, though it seemed as if she was watching Gabi dance, in truth, she herself was running in that very circle with her emotions, questions, assumptions and more.

"You go girl", cheered a random girl with a loud voice. Gabi bowed and stepped off the bar top. She continued serving drinks to her customers and thanking them for the compliments. April swallowed her last portion of the whisky with her eyes closed and eyebrows drawn together, like a thirsty person in the middle of a desert. As she finished drinking April quickly put her head down on the bar, and felt the whisky flowing down in her system like lava would through the rocks. Unfortunately this flow wasn't destroying any of her un-needed thoughts and emotions. She shook her head and said, "Hey let me get a shot of vodka."
Gabi turned to look at April and said, "Are you ok?"
"Just get me a shot of vodka, please!" April ordered.
"Alright woman." Said Gabi. As she was stepping away...

April: Listen, I am sorry. It's not my night.
Gabi: Anything I can do other than get you drunk?
April: That might be the only thing for now.
Gabi: Talk about it?
April: What good is it going to do?
Gabi: Get it out of your system.
April: It's like a chewing gum stuck in your hair, hard to get it off.
Gabi: Lot of times you have to cut the hair off to get rid of it.
April: I like my hair.
Gabi: It'll grow again, really. Let it go.

"Yo sexy thang. You gonna get me a drink or just talk to the 'pinky'?" taunted an obnoxious middle aged guy with a mustache. April just looked at Gabi as she stepped away to help the guy.

2. First meeting.

"Can you get me a glass of whisky straight up?" Said April, as she took off her baby pink wool coat and plaid scarf which was wrapped around her neck. She felt a little piece of snow on the right side of her neck, so she raised her shoulder to wipe it off. Glancing in space, she ran her hand through her beautiful light blonde hair and grabbed a high chair to sit at the bar.

Her nose and ears were the color of a cherry, her eyes matched the grass underneath the snow outside, and the deep circles under her eyes tonight created curves like the moon. It seemed as if, she either had a huge fight with someone or just finished crying her heart out; for whatever reason/s. She looked quiet and portrayed an image of, "Stay Away From Me!" Yet something in her eyes flashed,” Someone please come talk to me."

"Here's your drink," said Gabi.
"Thanks." Replied April as her green eyes met with Gabi's Blue eyes for the first time.
"Sure. Anything else?" Gabi threw back.
"No, I am good, I think." April muttered.
"Oh and can you please keep my tab open?" Asked April. Gabi smiled back.

Many strangers ended up visiting Gabi at the bar on her work nights. She'd become a rich girl - with a lot of emotional assets deposited by her customers in the bank of her heart. Her upbeat and 'people' personality could sense the low-key-ness of April's mood. As she stepped away to help the girl with a black Kangol hat for a Strawberry Daiquiri, Gabi wondered about April.

"Score!!!!" a crowd cheered for Lebron James when he scored a 3 pointer. Everyone's head automatically turned towards the big flat screen T.V. hanging on the back wall of the bar.

Gabi continued shaking the ice with Vodka, and lemon juice inside the shaker, simultaneously she wondered what sort of cocktail of thoughts was pouring itself out in April's mind. "I bet it's not intoxicating enough, so she came here!" Thought Gabi. She sure was curious to find out.