The ShowOffs - Part 29

Sonia was perturbed about RK's request. "What is it !", she asked. RK took time to speak his mind out. He had to make his reason serious enough for Sonia to consider. "I am waiting. Say something.", she said impatiently. He got annoyed by her impatience. He mumbled something which seemed like curse. "If I hear you mumble another word, I will throw you out of my movie.", she immediately warned.

RK was taken back. He regretted accepting her conditions. If he hadn't followed his heart, it would have been his movie. This thought made him go crazy.  He kept his calm and said, "I am sorry. But I have serious request to make. Rajbir is creating chaos in set. I cannot work with him if he keeps jeopardizing my shoots with his careless attitude. "

Sonia was silent for few minutes. A voice kept saying her to use this as opportunity to get even with Rajbir. She smirked and said," Throw him out. Simple ! You were talking about this Samir Khan. Let hold a meeting with him. If things go well, we can replace him.".  RK felt something was not right. She was not ready to replace Rajbir few days back. Now she wanted him out. But he didn't care. He was happy that she accepted his offer.

Next morning wasn't different like other days. Everyone were getting busy with shoot. Simran was busy reading her lines. She checked the time on her watch. Rajbir wasn't there. "Where is he?", she wondered.

She inquired the crew members about Rajbir.  They all said the same - they didn't know anything about him. One of RK assistants saw her asking about Rajbir. He intervened their conversation and asked, "Can I have a minute with you ?"  Simran obliged. "Please keep this with you. Rajbir is getting replaced. I think RK is not happy with him.", he said. She was stunned by the news of his replacement.

Rajbir was devastated. He had not expected this from RK. All tabloids would publish this news by tomorrow. His image would be tarnished and all the hard work he had put over the years would be wasted. These things bothered him deeply.


( To be continued) 

The ShowOffs - Part 28

RK was angry. He wanted to kick Rajbir out. He controlled his urges. He was dependent on Sonia. She had his hands tied. "Leave before I lose my mind.", he growled at him. Rajbir tried to speak. But RK pointed his finger at the door. Rajbir left disappointed. Everyone watched him walk out.

He was frustrated. Everything was going against him. His girlfriend left him. He followed his director's orders to fake his relationship with Simran. He broke Simran's heart and now he almost jeopardized his career.

He banged the door behind when he reached his make up room. This scared Simran who was inside. "You! Here!", he exclaimed in  shock. She rose up from her seat. "See, I am having a bad day. I am no mood in taking people's shit.", he continued. "I understand you are sad. I am sorry for yesterday. I don't want to be cause of somebody's distress.", she said.

He was surprised. "What are you made up of ? How can someone so sweet and angelic be daughter of Sonia ? ", he asked charmingly. "What do you mean ?",  she asked annoyingly.  He stood close to her. "I didn't mean anything like that. I am very grateful that you have forgiven me. I won't break your trust ever.", he said, holding her hand. She released her fingers from his grip and left.

RK tossed things from his table aside . He broke few glass pieces. A lot of money was being wasted due to that wretched lad. In fit of anger, he called Sonia. "Hey RK ! How are you ? You don't seem to remember at all. ", she said.

Her voice added oil to his fury. "As if she is some important person to be remembered. Fading star !", he thought aloud. "Did you say something ?", she asked firmly. "No ! I wanted to talk to you about Rajbir.", he stammered.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 27

Rajbir waited patiently in the living area. He laid both his legs on the glass top central table. Whenever he heard light footsteps , he would assume it would be her. He would turn back with heightened expectation. He would get disappointed when he found it wasn't her. He didn't lose hope. He knew she would come.

In midst of his wait, his eyes closed. He went into deep slumber. He didn't notice when night turned into morning. He felt soft hands on his shoulder. He smiled and opened his eyes. "I knew you would come.",he said euphorically. He turned back to see her. He was disappointed. It was her mother. "No, it's not she.", Sonia said proudly.

"I told you she wouldn't come.  You wasted your good night sleep.", she said.  He looked at her with hate. "She is busy shooting there and that remind me .. What are you doing here ? Aren't you supposed to be at shoot ?", she teased him. He quickly looked at his watch. It was already 10 am. "Shit!", he cursed as he stumbled to get up. It was morning shoot and he was late.

He checked his phone while on his way. There were several miss calls from his manager, RK's assistant and RK.  He was getting himself prepared to get screwed from RK. The director hated impuncuality in shoot.

When he was inside the location, he handed the keys to guard. He ran as fast as he could to the location where the shoot was happening. He collided with one of RK's assistant. "You are in serious trouble. Boss is fuming.", he said cautiously. Rajbir shivered.

He reached the set. RK was shouting at one of crew members for their inability to bring him there. Their head were bent in shame. He walked right into their conversations. “ I am sorry. I had forgotten about the shoot.”, he apologised. “How can you forget about morning shoot? This is very unprofessional of you. We wasted one day shoot because of you. I wanted to finish early morning shoot today.  You ruined it.”, RK blasted at him.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 26

She got up from her bed to room full of bouquets. There were tulips, roses, orchids and lilies. The flowery smell uplifted her mood. She took one of the bouquet to check the name of the sender. It was Rajbir. She threw the bouquet aside in anger. She started checking one by one all the bouquets. They had same name in sender tag.

Her anger had reached the extreme level. She took one of bouquet and plucked all the flowers roughly. She discarded them on the flower. She screamed her lungs out. One of maids came running into her room. "Who gave the permission to keep these bouquets in my room ? ", she roared with anger. The maid blurted out Rajbir's name in fear.


"How dare you follow a stranger's orders in my house ?", she growled at the maid. The maid stayed put. She didn't reply anything. "Is he here?", Simran asked.  The maid nodded. Simran stomped out of the room. She found Rajbir chatting candidly with Sonia. She was surprised to see both of them talking sweetly to each other like nothing had happened between them.

"What is he doing here?", she asked firmly to her mother. "He came to meet you.". Sonia replied. Simran was furious. "You know he slapped me. Oh ! Whom am I talking to ? You were the one to publicize that news.", she blamed her mother. " I know. He is guilty for that. He is there to say sorry. Forgive him, dear.", Sonia said, ignoring the allegations she had made.


"Why are you guys acting ? Are there any cameras ? ", Simran asked while pretending to search for the reporters. She left them alone immediately. She was in tears when she reached her room. Sonia was speechless. Her daughter had never behaved this way with her.

"You saw her. Now leave ! She doesn't want to talk to you.", she said irritatingly. " I won't leave until she forgives me.", he said firmly. "Do you think I will let you stay here ?", she asked him. "Yes, because if you don't , I will tell everyone about your dark secrets.", he warned. She helplessly got up from her seat and headed towards the study.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 25

It was morning shoot. Everyone were getting ready for the shoot. The junior artists were getting briefed by assistant directors on their roles. The set was being laid out by technicians and set designers. RK was finalizing on the some changes in the script. It was indeed busy day. The last week's turmoil didn't affect them.

The shoot went smoothly. There were no hiccups in between. Rajbir and Simran were perfect in their act. RK was happy with the shoot. Others were happy to finish the shoot. They were relieved that RK didn't scold them for small mistake. Rajbir anxiously paced around near Simran's makeup room He didn't understand how he was going to apologize her.

She got out of the room and was surprised to see him waiting for her. "What are you doing here ?", she asked . Before he could reply, she spoke, "Oh I forgot ! You are here to complain about my mother and then blame me for her actions. It's fine ! Say it ! I won't feel bad. I am used to it."  She fumed as she spoke.

"I am sorry ! I shouldn't have reacted that way. I am sorry for the slap too.", he said softly. "I don't buy it.", she said immediately leaving the place. Rajbir followed her. She didn't want to speak to him. She quickly got inside her car as soon as she saw it. She didn't bother to heed any calls from him.

He banged his hand in the air. He was frustrated. He knew that she was hurt. He had to beg hard for her apology. The guilt was killing him. What he did was wrong but now he wanted to change it all. He only wanted her forgiveness. It was a challenge.

She fell on her bed. She clutched pillows and covered her eyes. She wanted to be alone. She was tired of being used as door mat for other people's emotions. She was angry at him and didn't want any relationships with him. She was going to cut him off from her life as soon as the movie was over.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 24

It was day off. RK's morning started with good news. He smiled, reading the headlines on the entertainment section of newspaper. He had heard from the insiders how Rajbir had intimidated Sonia to print this news. He had underestimated the boy. He planned to use the boy's charms to terrorize Sonia. He was in best moods. He wanted to celebrate. Hence he called his friends for a get together. 

Sonia sat at the breakfast, contemplating on last night's move. Her daughter's plan of spending quality time with her backfired. She couldn't help her to deviate her mind. She kept consoling her with words 'It's okay !'. Nothing worked. Simran got up suddenly from the breakfast table. Sonia immediately shifted back to reality. 

"What happened ? Why are you leaving ?", she asked. "To my room ! You don't seem pleased by my presence. What's the use of me being here ?", Simran replied back sarcastically. Sonia closed her eyes. "I am sorry, darling. I am not used to losing any war.", she said honestly. She could always be honest to her daughter and no one else. "You haven't lost any war. You only cleaned the mess you created.", her daughter said calmly.

Sonia got up in fury. "Do you also think that I was wrong?", she asked furiously. Simran's heart pained by her mother's allegation. "Yes, you were wrong in snooping other people's business. You were wrong in using your daughter again and again to reinforce your power. ",  she argued. Sonia slowly clapped her hands. "Wow! So my daughter also supports that hooligan star !", she mocked and left her daughter with broken heart.

Simran's heart was filled with heaviness. She cried softly, staring blankly at her plate. Her plate contained her mother's favorite pancakes cooked specially by her. She wished her mother understood what love was. She wished her mother let go off emotions and hatredness. 

Rajbir felt contended reading the newspaper. He also felt guilty for slapping Simran and misjudging her for something she had not done. He had to apologize. But whenever he took his phone to call her, he lost courage. He had pained her deeply. He felt disheartened whenever he decided to take a step.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 23

Sonia was scared like a child caught doing mischief red handed. "Why are you silent?", Rajbir mocked. Sonia fidgeted with her hands. "Why would I know such lowly persons? Who is he?", she lied. Rajbir didn't believe her. "But he says he knows you!", he retorted. She smiled. "Everyone knows me, son. You must have forgotten that I was a star too. ", she said.

He stared at her with cold eyes. He got up and stood close to her. She was sitting on the soft plush sofa, staring at him. He sat down on the floors with his hands on her hand. The grip was tight. "I hate lying to others and others lying to me. Now tell me the truth !", he said sternly. "Are you threatening  me ?", she asked,  calming herself.

He smiled. "I was just sharing my preferences with you. You need to know your daughter's boyfriend before you let her date me.", he said. Suddenly he got up and turned back to place he was sitting the whole time. She stared down at the polished floor, looking for answers. "Yes, you are right. I know him. I had to hire someone who could keep his eyes on you two. I don't want anyone using my daughter. She is too naive to fall into charms of anyone. ", she said calmly.

He smiled. "How sweet ! You could have asked me directly. Instead you had to hire my driver and use him as pawn for your selfish needs. Look what happened!", he mocked her.  He turned behind and caught the driver by his collar. "Come front! Why are you shy?", he teased the driver. The driver stood front. He shivered.

"Now I want you to clear all the mess or else I will use the same medium to convey my message that you are using me to save your daughter's sinking career.", he warned her politely. She was furious. "Who was this guy ? No one threatened me like he did.", she thought. "I like your guts but you won't do that. ", she said. " I love challenges. If you want, I will do it now. ", he said childishly as he playfully dialed the number.

She stared at him with wide eyes. "Wait! I will do as you say.", she cried out of fear. For the first time, someone had won the battle against her. For the first time, someone snatched the hold of situation from her. For the first time, she couldn't do anything to save herself.

(To  be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 22

Rajbir was in fury. He grabbed the driver by the collar and thrashed him. He didn't stop until his manager intervened. He nudged off the manager's hand when he tried to stop him. "I know it's all your work.", he blamed his manager. "You might have bribed the driver and circulated the news everywhere.", he continued alleging him.

"I have no hand in this mess. Why would I tarnish your image? Building your image gives me my bread and butter.", his manager finally protested. "Then whose work is this?", Rajbir growled. The driver shivered. "I am solely responsible for this. I have a friend who works as the peon in one of media houses. I didn't know a small gossip could turn into big news. If I had known, I wouldn't have done that.", the driver cried.  Rajbir picked him and grabbed his collar again. "Small gossip! Spill the truth or else I will break your bones.", he snarled at him.

The driver feared the consequences and revealed everything. He was bribed by Sonia to keep a tab on Rajbir and Simran. He should share anything interesting brewing between them to her. The information of them being at the cafe was given by him to Sonia.  The truth shook Rajbir. The anger boiled inside him. He dragged the driver outside and pushed him inside the car. He sped his car towards Sonia's house.

It was midnight. The paparazzi had left her house by evening. Sonia was at peace at last. She sat with her eyes closed. Her hands gently placed on her temple. She was relaxing. But the calm was short lived. The tranquility of the house was disturbed by loud voices outside. She rushed out to see the source of the chaos. It was Rajbir fighting with one of guards.

She rolled her eyes in dismay. "Stop fighting! What are you doing here at this hour?", she asked firmly. Rajbir stared at her with anger. "I was just walking past your house. I decided to say hello to my so called lover's mother.", he replied in sarcasm. "Come inside.", she ordered. He followed her to the spacious living room. "Tell me! Why are you here?", she asked him directly. "I told you that...", he was about to repeat his words when she interrupted him. "Cut the crap! Tell me what do you want?", she asked irritatedly.

"Okay! Let me introduce you to someone. Do you know him?", he asked curtly, pointing his fingers behind him. She stared at the man with white face. She hadn't noticed the man who was with Rajbir until he was introduced. "The driver!", she recalled. She had being trying to reach out to him. But he was unavailable. She knew it was him when the news had leaked. She was going to dismiss his service for directly contacting the media instead sharing the news with her. "Maybe he was greedy in using this news to earn more money for himself.", she thought.  She wanted catch him before Rajbir. But it was too late.

(To be continued)