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)

The ShowOffs - Part 21

Her driver reached in twenty minutes. She quickly got inside the car and put her shades to cover her eyes. There were many aides of her mother and the driver was one of them. She had too much of drama since the time she had stepped into this project. She didn't want anymore. She was tired. The journey wasn't too long. But the thoughts in her mind made the journey feel longer. 

As soon as she reached home, she rushed towards her room. Unfortunately she was caught red handed by her mother. "Why are you wearing your shades? There are no sun or paparazzi here.", her mother quizzed. She was no mood in confronting her mother. After the cafe incident she was cautious of her mother finding any issues and making big out of trivial matters for her own interest. 

"I am tired. I need to go. ", she said, running past her mother to her room. Her mother didn't follow. She knew that something had gone wrong with her daughter. She had to find out. Simran was safe at her room. She cried as she thought again and again about the allegation Rajbir had made against her. She slept when she was emotionally drained. 

Next day, she woke up to sound of knocking. Someone was knocking at the door. It was soft knock on the door. When she came to senses, she realized it was one of her mother's assistant. She opened the door. Sonia's assistant, a short plump woman named Gippy, hesitantly came inside.  Gippy had taken care of Sonia since the time she had started out her career. She was Sonia's close confidant and best friend." Good morning Simmy, I am sorry to barge inside your room like this. But this is important. Your mother is in great pain. She has taken the world like a wounded lioness.", Gippy said in motherly tone. 

"I didn't understand what you said. Why is mom acting that way? What happened now?", Simran asked with great concern. Gippy didn't answer instead she asked her, "Did Rajbir slap you?" Simran stared at her with wide eyes. She was shaking with fear. "Yes, he did.", she replied softly. "That son of bitch!", Gippy cursed and immediately apologized for the same.  

"How do you know?",Simran asked. "The news has been spreading like fire since morning that you had been slapped by him. They have been waiting outside for the statement. Your mom is in fire. If I let the media in, I am sure your mother would kill few of them in killing spree.", Gippy replied, adding a tint of humor to serious issue. Simran was devastated. She had wished everything would be okay next day. But it had spread like wildfire.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 20

There was complete silence. Both of them looked at bustling street from the car window. They had no courage to melt the ego between them. The driver was getting bored. He switched on the radio. A light music played. "Switch off the radio", Simran said firmly to the driver. The driver was startled and quickly switched the radio off.

Rajbir was annoyed.  "Whose car is this?", he snapped at the driver. The petrified driver replied Rajbir's name. "Then don't turn the radio off.", Rajbir said. Simran rolled her eyes and asked the driver to stop. She was about to leave when he held her hand. "Where do you think you are going?", he growled at her.

She was frightened. But she kept her cool and said with pretentious smile, "This is your car and what's the use of me being here. I know you haven't called me to sit with you for any other reason except to sort things out between us. And it seems like nothing is happening." He stared at her with contempt. She had hit him deeply with her sarcasm.

He pulled her inside the car. She sat too close to him due to effect of his pull. "Why the hell did you do that? I speak to you with utmost manners and you respond back with abuses for a mistake I haven't done.", she argued. "I am not pretentious like you. If I feel something is wrong, then I say it on your face. I don't fall down  to increase my popularity like you or your mother.", he quarreled.

She slapped him in response to his statement. She couldn't take it longer. He felt the sting of the slap on his cheek. His cheeks had turned red. His anger boiled. He slapped her back. The driver looked at them with half humor and half concern. No one had ever slapped or abused his boss in the car. This was sensational.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She got out of the car while she messaged her driver to pick her up. She stood at the empty road , brooding over what had happened. No one had raised their hand over her except her mother. She was always unreachable to others. But today she felt vulnerable.

(To be continued) 

The ShowOffs - Part 19

Cold war broke between Rajbir and Simran. The chemistry between these actors was disappearing. This was alarming for RK. He had been drilling them to show more emotions to each other in the scenes. But nothing worked. The days were numbering. Money and time was simply being wasted. He had to do something fast before Sonia gets to know.

After few days, RK called them to his office. There was a silence in the room. No one spoke. Rajbir and Simran avoided each other's presence. They waited impatiently for RK to speak and get done with the reason he called them both. They wanted to get away as quickly as they could. Finally RK turned towards them. "I am not happy with you guys. What is cooking between you two? ", he asked firmly.

"Nothing !", Rajbir lied. Simran bent down, didn't speak or look at anyone. She was annoyed as well as guilty. She had thought a lot from past few days. She wanted to quit. She was ready to give the fee amount back to RK. But she couldn't do it because of her mother. Her mother's overbearing presence in her life had left her in tight conditions.

"Then why don't I see you both creating sparks on screen ? I heard from my sources that you both had huge fight. I don't care what happened between you. I want my film running.", RK said firmly. "I will give you one day to sort out this mess. If you fail to reconcile your differences, then I will find some better replacements in place of you.", he continued. Both the actors looked at him with distraught.

"But RK!", Simran cried. RK interrupted by motioning her to stop with his hand gesture. "You have only one day to prove your worth. I don't want any excuses.", he added.  They left him with just a nod. As soon as they left, he got busy with his thoughts. He had given them ultimatum. He didn't worry much about Rajbir. He worried about Sonia. If she got to know how he had treated her daughter, she would kill him. He hoped everything worked out between them.

Both the actors walked out of the office. They stood thinking about their next course of action. They had only today to reconcile their differences. They didn't speak to each other. Their egos handicapped their ability to say anything to each other. Their drivers arrived to pick them up. Rajbir motioned her to join him in his car. She obliged him and ordered her driver to go. When they sat inside his car, only their emotions spoke.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs- Part 18

It was early morning shoot. Simran had barely three hours of sleep. She slept throughout journey from her house to the set. When she reached, she was handed several pages of dialogues. She rubbed her eyes to wake herself. Instead of heading to the makeup room, she walked towards Rajbir's room. She hadn't realized until she stood in front of his room. 

She had almost turned back when he opened the door. "Hey! Do you need something?", he asked. She stood there in silence. She wanted to say what she had to say. But words were stuck in her mind. "Nothing!", she replied as she turned back to walk. She stopped and again turned towards him. "Yes I do have something to say.", she said.

He stared at her, waiting for her to speak. "Well! Where do I start? I am sorry.", she began hurriedly. Her hands were shaking. Her cheeks had turned red. She felt immense guilt as she started with her apology speech. Rajbir was confused. He didn't understand what was going on. "I had no idea my mother was behind this paparazzi thing. I didn't know she had got to know that I was with you. I am sorry for my mother's terrible. I realize how you must be feeling. I can understand that you are worried how Rita would react. I am terrible sorry for all this.", she said. 

He took few minutes to react. He was numb. He didn't understand whether he should retaliate over her or her mother. It was not her mistake though. "So you say you didn't have any hand into this mess. How can I believe you?", he asked furiously. She was shocked by his false allegation on her. Here she was feeling guilty for her mother's blunder and decided to apologize. Instead of accepting her heartfelt apology, he was blaming her. 

"Do you think I can be capable of doing such a thing?", she argued. "Yes I do.", he replied instantly. Tears welled up in her eyes, she spoke one last time, "Then I can't do anything except that to stick to what I said - truth. I had no idea about this. If I had, I wouldn't be confronting you about it. It's up to you to believe or not believe me.", she said loud enough for everyone to stop their work and look at them.

She left him thinking about what she said. Her tears seemed real. He wondered whether there was any truth in what she said. He thought whether he reacted too quickly or whether he should have taken her word. His head hurt. He quit thinking and headed back to work.

(To be continued)

 

 

The ShowOffs - Part 17

Sonia tried to contact her daughter in vain. Though they stayed in the same house, her daughter was unavailable most times. When she was present at home, she made herself invisible to Sonia's eyes. She didn't want to see her mother. She was grieving in pain. Her wounds were not going to easily mend by her mother's sweet words like other times.

Her mother tried all the ways to reach her. She wasn't going to give up easily on her furious daughter. She sat at the corner of her living area , hoping to catching her. It was two am in the night. Her daughter had not arrived from the shoot. Sonia mentally made note to reprimand RK on extending the shooting time to late hours in the night. Her tired eyes was almost closed. Suddenly she heard the light footsteps sounds.

She stood up immediately and rushed towards her. Simran was busy engrossed in her thoughts. She had not noticed her mother. She moved back when she felt someone leaping in front of her. She was disappointed to be found by her mother. Her eyes were wide open in anger and surprise. "Mum! Why are you up so late?", she exclaimed. Her voice contained anger and disappointment.

Sonia held her daughter for long time. She felt alive again. She didn't want to leave her hand. "I had to stay up late to see my daughter. You have been avoiding me for so long. Please stop punishing me for mistake I haven't committed. I only did this for your own good.", she said with love pouring out of her heart. Her daughter dismissed her, "Mistake! It was a blunder. You didn't even ask me before going about with your thing. I am your daughter, for God's sake. Stop treating me like your weapon.".

Simran pushed herself away from her mother's grip. She was about to leave when her mother interrupted her, "I am sorry. From now on I will tell you my plans before executing them. But for now at least can you forgive me? You have punished me enough with your silence. I want my sweet daughter back.". Sonia accepted the defeat. But she usually accepts her defeat when the fight is against her daughter.

Her daughter smiled and hugged her. Her anger melted at last. She had forgiven her. Now she had to ask for forgiveness from Rajbir. She had no courage last few days to face him. She had ignored all his pleas to talk to her. Now she would talk to him and beg him for forgiveness.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 16

RK sipped his hot tea as he read the news on the Page 3. He smiled reading the headlines. It was written in bold letters - Love birds caught in action. At least his movie was getting the needed limelight as he thought. Soon Sonia's demand came into his mind, ruining the little happiness he had got. 

In fury, he ate a spoon of hot oats. He screamed in pain , burning his tongue. He pushed the bowl aside and curled his fist. He couldn't enjoy the few seconds of happiness only because of Sonia. He wished he could end this chapter. But he had movie in process. He had invested large amount of money and efforts. He banged his fist on the table helplessly.

Rajbir tore newspaper and threw it in the garbage. His manager had happily stacked them on the table of his spacious vanity van when he was not there. He had contemplated on yesterday's event ever since the paparazzi had caught him red handed with Simran. He stayed away from all kinds of media. He had switched off his phone. He wanted to clear his mind. But nothing helped.

His mind replayed continuously the memories of yesterday. His heart feared of losing Rita. He worried what she felt when she saw the news. He worried that she would be distance herself from him and he would never get a chance to reconcile her. He closed his eyes. He tried to calm his mind. But he ended up scolding himself for thinking about thanking Simran. He should have not done anything.

Simran was still annoyed with her mother. She skipped her breakfast and gym session. She didn't want to see her mother's face. She directly headed towards the set. She was the first one to arrive. Unlike others who were either engrossed in their thoughts and news, she was occupied in rehearsing her lines.

Within few hours, her mother called on her phone. She didn't pick. After many rings, her phone got silent. She didn't speak to anyone. She had rehearsed her lines so many times that she could remember them in even in  her sleep. When the shot was called, she gave her lines effortlessly. Rajbir tried to speak to her during breaks. But she ignored like she always did in other movie shoots. She headed back home once the schedule for the day was completed.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 15

Soniya was in call. It was call from the news reporters covering entertainment segment. They were asking her about her reaction on growing relationship between her daughter and Rajbir. She had replied,"I have no qualms on whom she dates or not dates. I wish only her happiness."  It was a clear lie. The reporters knew it. Few months back, she had given totally different statement. She had made it clear that she would miffed if her daughter was in relationship with anyone from the movie industry.

The reporters didn't want to argue. They only wanted to increase the rating of their channel. She smiled when she was done with the call. "This news will be sensational.", she thought aloud. "What news?", her daughter asked in confusion. She turned around to see her daughter. She smiled to conceal the shock on her face. "Nothing darling ! When did you arrive?", she asked.

"Now.", Simran replied. She looked down to find courage to tell her mother about today's episode. With great difficulty, she found the voice. It was just a whisper. "I didn't get you. You wanted to say something", Sonia said.  "Mum, I was not in the studio. I was with Rajbir at the cafe. It.. wasn't a ..date . He just wanted to hang out with me. I ... didn't thought.. it would be worse. The paparazzi ....", she stammered.

But Sonia interrupted in between of her daughter's say. "I know that.", she said . Simran was appalled by her mother's knowledge. "How do you know that?", she asked. "I had checked with one of RK's assistant, Neha. She said that she saw you with Rajbir. So I asked her to check upon you. She told me that you were in that cafe. Seriously, you guys could only find that cafe. You could have visited some better place. Anyway, I gave the shutterbugs the information that you were there with him.", her mother said with conviction.

"That scumbag Neha! She always eavesdrops on everyone's life.", Simran thought furiously. Her eyes became smaller. Her nose twitched in anger. "How could you just send paparazzi behind our backs? This is not right, mother!" she asked furiously. She hardly bursts her anger. When she does, it is always dangerous. "I was doing it for your own good.", her mother defended herself.  Simran stomped towards her room. 

Soniya followed her. Before she could reach, Simran had banged the door of her room. She fell on the bed and cried endlessly. Her tears made wet spot on the clean floral white bed sheets. She had worried the whole time about hurting her mother. While her mother was only focused on movie and her career. Her mother didn't even bother to ask her at least once before she took the move while she always consulted with her mother first. She hated her mother for being cold and selfish.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 14

The cafe was located on the ground floor of an old Victorian building. It wasn't visible to passerby. A large Gulmohar tree hid this small cafe from public's view. Hence it wasn't crowded. It was popular amongst the stars who flocked in order to avoid the crazy paparazzi. It's interiors was sophisticatedly modern in contrast to the building in which it was located. 

Rajbir and Simran took the corner seat. They ordered one hot chocolate and coffee for themselves. "Don't you want to taste their classic coffee? It's too good.", he asked, trying to start a conversation with her. "No! I am not a coffee person. Hot chocolate is my favorite", she replied nervously. She worried constantly about her mother. She hardly enjoyed the moment.

He was the only one who was talking while she kept quiet. She couldn't get over the worry. She smiled pretentiously to show that she was listening. Unfortunately, he noticed her tensed face in midst of their conversation."It's looks like you don't like the place. If you want, we can go somewhere else.", he said to make her feel at ease.

"No! No! I like this place.", she lied. He noticed that she was fidgeting  around her hands on the table. He placed his hand on her tensed hand. "You didn't even have a sip of your drink. What's worrying you? Are you okay?", he asked. Her face was bend down in embarrassment. "If you want, I can drop you home. You don't have to worry about your mother.", he said.

They  had almost stepped out of the cafe after paying the bill. The paparazzi surrounded them from no where. Both were shocked. Rajbir was certain that he would avoid them as he had thought no one would follow them here. But paparazzi had sniffed them out.

The paparazzi were busy taking their pictures. The couple rushed towards their car. When they were safe inside, Rajbir tried to start the car. But it wasn't possible. The paparazzi had surrounded them. Both of them covered their face. No one wanted to be in limelight.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 13

Simran was still. She was in dilemma whether to go or not to go. She was always schooled by her mother with dos and don'ts of life. One of the don'ts was not to share any kind of relationship except professional with the stars in her industry. It was always come to work on time, do your job diligently and go back home. Many had asked her out but she had either ignored them or blankly said no. She was going to do the same - decline his request.

But she said yes. She agreed to go out. When he left after giving her details of the time when he was going to pick up, she sat down on the chair, thinking deeply. "Why did I agree? What will mom say? I should better cancel it now.", she thought as she grabbed her phone lying on the  dressing table. She was about to dial his number. She stopped.

"It is just a small catch up with  a friend. It's not a date. I am simply worried for no reason.", she introspected. She sighed and closed her eyes.  Few hours passed. She got ready and headed out of her vanity van. She was surprised to see him waiting for her. He was never on time on the sets. Here he was in his obnoxious attire, waiting for her. She smiled.

"You are on time for a change!", she said, showing her watch. "I thought you would leave if  I don't come on time. You had left the set when I had come late once, remember?", he said. She remembered that day when they were supposed to shoot their first scene in the movie. It was going to be their first movie together. Unfortunately that didn't happen because of her mother. She had pulled her out on last minute when Rajbir had not arrived.

"Yes! You had taken your sweet three hours to arrive on the set. I hate people making me wait.", she said joyfully, hiding the real truth behind her exit. "So where are we going?", she asked. "The cafe is twenty mins drive from here. It's hardly crowded and they serve best coffee there.", he replied. She was getting nervous. She had never gone out with any of her  colleagues. She was hiding this news from her mother for the first time. She had sent message to her mother that she would be late.

Her mother had asked her time. She had blurted out that she would be back home by ten in night. She had precisely two hours in her hand. She prayed her mother had not called RK's office to check on her. "Hmm! I wanted to let you know I have an appointment at 10 pm.", she lied. "Appointment in the night? ", he asked. "You don't have to lie. I can understand. I will drop you back home at the earliest.", he said with smile. She smiled nervously back at him.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 12

Next day shoot was filled with anxiety. The set was set up as usual. The junior actors took their place. The assistant directors were running helter-skelter making tiny adjustments. RK was barking at them, throwing his frustration on everyone.  Rajbir and Simran were ready to shoot.

The shoot began. Everyone took their place. The clapboard was clapped. The background sound was played. Simran emoted her lines effortless. It was Rajbir's turn. Everyone's eyes were on Rajbir. Some hoped the yesterday's drama wouldn't start again. Some wanted the drama to be repeated again. RK stared at him , thinking what next was going to happen.

Rajbir uttered his first line. Everyone sighed except RK. Then he continued his lines with full conviction. The emotions was apt. The tone was right. The words were clearly spoken. There were no mistakes. His performance left the audience speechless. 

RK was satisfied. "At least he is not a bad actor. He does what you ask for. But hope yesterday's drama doesn't start again.", he thought. The shoot ended with positive note. Everyone were contend with today's work. However they were happy that RK's anger had subsided today. They wished miracles happened everyday.

Rajbir headed towards Simran's room. She was resting on a chair with her eyes closed. Light music played. Unlike Simran's courteous manners, Rajbir entered the room. This startled her. She hadn't expected anyone. "Hey!", he said. Simran was still in shock. "Looks like you are back to normal", she said with weak smile. "Yes! Didn't you see today's performance.", he replied. "It was good. Everyone liked it.", she said.

"What about you?", he said, coming close to her. She moved backward. "I don't like people coming that close to me.", she said cautiously. "Sorry!", he said as he smiled. "I should thank you for yesterday's pep talk. I was thinking about treating you at this popular cafe. Will you care to join me?", he tried to imitate her proper manner in jester way.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 11

RK contemplated on his decision in his room. He felt as if problems were never seeming to end. One problem was over and other new one cropped up. It was a cycle. He was tired of the cycle. He lit his cigarette - a habit he turns to whenever he gets into a low phase. "What is his problem?", he wondered. He regretted of not throwing Rajbir instantly when he was in double minds. He should have signed Sameer Khan. 

Soniya called him in midst of his deep thinking. When he saw her number, he hit his head. He wanted to cut the call. But he picked it up. After formal greeting, she got to the point,  " I heard Rajbir had caused ruckus in the set. Is everything fine now?" RK sneered and thought, "Why does she put  her nose in every matter?"  

"Yes! Everything will be under control. I will throw him out and replace him with some...", he said but soon he was interrupted by Sonia. "No!", she said firmly. He hated being interrupted like that. He was about to raise his voice. But something stopped him. "Ok! Then what do you want me to do?", he said irritatingly.

"Wait for few days. If the same drama goes on, then we will replace him with some other stars. I have some names in my mind", she said. "I was thinking Sameer would be best choice.", he said like a excited kid. "No! No! No! Sameer is to old for my daughter.. I mean for the role.", she immediately rebuffed his offer. His heart sank. He was displeased by her bossy attitude. 

He secretly wished that he had never thought of this stupid idea of making public believe the reel romance of actors for promotion sake. Now he had to bear Soniya's dominance for the sake of the movie. He threw his phone in fit of anger after the call was over. He screamed to let his frustration out. His assistants rushed inside to see what was happening."Are you fine, sir?", one of assistant asked meekly. "Leave!", RK shouted. Everyone left his room in fear of his anger outburst.  

Rajbir was back to normal. Simran's words bought his lost confidence back. His heart felt less heavy. The pain was almost gone. He got back to work with a bang. He started reading the lines for tomorrow shoot after he planned to gift a token of gratitude to Simran.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 10

His hands covered his eyes. His head bent in despair. He was angry at himself as well as at the world. He had loved Rita deeply. Within three years, she had become strong anchor to his life. He was fun and full of energy guy in front of world but he got that energy from Rita. He had thought she understood him well. He was wrong.

There was short knock on the door.  Later a soft feminine voice called his name. He turned behind in shock. He almost thought it was Rita. To his dismay, it was Simran. "Hey!", she said when he opened the door for her. She followed him inside. "Are you okay?", she asked

There was no response. Thy both sat in silence. No words. Awkward silence flowed between them. His face said it all though he tried to hide  his emotions. "I have seen your performances. They are spectacular. What happened today? You look lost.", she said, trying to break the ice between them.

There was no response from him. "It happens. Everyone faces these blues. But since your break up, you are not yourself. You loved Rita deeply, right?" ,she continued, finding the silence strange. "Yes, I do.", he said with almost tears in his eyes.

He tried to cover his eyes. She came closer and held his hands. "Don't hide those tears. Let them fall.", she said softly. "Pour out your pain. When you are done, we can get back to work with calm mind. When this is done, we will get your relationship sorted with Rita.", she consoled him.

"What if she doesn't want me back? What if she finds someone else in her life?", he asked innocently."Why are you pessimistic? She will come back once she knows the truth. I don't think anyone could replace you in her life. So chill. If it does happens, you will find better one.", she said. Finally he smiled and hugged her.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 9

The shooting had begun. It was a tragic scene where the hero was breaking up with heroine. The scene was going to be major part of the movie. The actors were given the long pages of dialogues. The background of sea side restaurant was set. The junior actors were given their parts. RK was ready to shoot.

The clapper of movie clapboard was clapped. It was first take. Rajbir and Simran took their positions. The cameramen were ready to shoot. A sad music played in the background. Simran started with her lines. She put in proper emotions on her face. Rajbir was lost. His mind played the memories of his breakup. 

It was his time to say his lines. He didn't realize everyone were waiting for his lines. "Raj, your lines please!", RK shouted from the corner. Rajbir woke up to reality as soon as his name was called. "Sorry!", he apologized.  He tried to remember the lines. He couldn't remember. He stared at her blankly. 

"Cut!", RK shouted. He looked at Rajbir scornfully. His assistants ran towards Rajbir to provide his lines. He read them for some time. When he was confident, the clapper was clapped for take 2. Simran said her lines with some more improvements. It was Rajbir's time again. He tried to say his lines. But he mumbled the wrong lines.

After many takes, he either made mistakes or didn't remember his lines. RK was getting annoyed. The clapper again clapped for fortieth time. Rajbir mumbled the wrong lines. RK shouted, "Cut it! Pack up, guys.". He stomped out of the set.

The day was bad. Rajbir sat in his vanity van. His face lost the shine. He was broken inside. He wanted to cry. But he was taught not to cry when he was a child. 

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 8

Everything was going as per RK's commands. But he wasn't happy. He wasn't delighted with that fact that he had promised to part away with the profits earned from the movie. He didn't want to give single penny to Sonia. His mind was constantly engrossed about the his defeat with Sonia. He lost the interest in the pre- promotional events of the movie. His subordinates were busy making the event success while  he was busy thinking.

The week passed. There was buzz everywhere already. Everyone wanted to know everything about them. The paparazzi's attention suddenly shifted towards them. They only wanted to capture them in their lens. Suddenly they became the IT couple of the industry. RK decided to have move launch interaction with the media. His only motive was to add more fuel to the fire. He was going to introduce his lead actors as the real life couple. 

On the launch day, all media houses arrived. They didn't want to miss the chance of telecasting news of the couple's first public appearance. When the couple arrived, there was lot of buzz. Everyone wanted to ask them all sorts of questions. But they were silenced. Rajbir hated being in limelight for the first time. He wanted to avoid the interaction with the media for the first time. Ironically, Simran was ever ready to interact with media she always avoided. 

After brief introduction about the movie, RK began the interaction. The first question was about the couple and not about the movie. This annoyed RK slightly though he knew this was bound to happen. "Are you guys dating?", a journalist asked. Rajbir stayed quiet. "Well! I don't know. Are we?", Simran said with a blush. "When are you guying getting engaged?", another asked. "Can everyone direct your question about movie?", RK interrupted. 

The event was successful. The movie was getting enough publicity as envisioned by RK. He pretended to be happy the whole time. Rajbir seemed lost while Simran was extremely delighted. The seemingly odd couple was accepted by all. 

RK was successful in selling the lie to everyone. Sonia was extremely elated with RK's gig. She had sent him token of appreciation gifts and wishes. He threw them all. It angered him. He was furious. He threw all his anger on his subordinates and juniors. He was always screaming at them for their smallest mistakes.

(To be continued)

 

The ShowOffs - Part 7

Rajbir grabbed his manager by his collar. His eyes were burning with fury. His breath smelled of anger. He was in mode of distress. The only thing in his mind was to kill his manager. He wanted to lash out all kind of abuses. But he could only muster out "Why?".

His manager watched him in horror. He tried to release himself from his clutches. But Rajbir's grip was too strong. "Leave me! I can explain.", the manager cried. Rajbir didn't listen to his cries. His anger was strong enough to be melted by pleas. Finally he pushed him. The manager fell down on the floor due to the impact.

His manager trembled in fear. "Please don't hurt me!", he begged.  Rajbir entered inside the apartment and closed the door behind him. "You should have contacted me before spreading lies everywhere. Who gave you authority to meet Rita and fill her ears with lies? ", he asked. The manager composed himself and spoke, "I agree, you didn't give me the permission. But RK was continuously grilling me for update and warning me of dire consequences. You weren't picking my call. I had to do something. I had to do something to retain your stardom position."


Rajbir laughed. "Are you my manager or RK's manager. Position! It seems! I know everything about you. Why don't you cut the crap and tell me straight? Why don't you tell me that your commission will be affected if I don't get the offer? I wish I could fire you.", he said. "Then fire me!", his manager said boldly, knowing that Rajbir couldn't.

"You can't fire me because I have all the connection. If you fire me, you know that you will not get the meaty roles, the endorsements and shows. You have got this role only because of me. Not because of your looks or talents.", his manager said , hitting the soft spot of Rajbir. He had learnt his weakness in his years of service to him. His insecurity was his manager's trump card.

He stomped back towards the door. He banged his fist on door out of frustration. He drove back home. He couldn't do anything. He was under the influence of his manager. Loss of love didn't pain him deeply. What hurt him hard was the picture of him as weak man shown by his manager.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 6

He tried his best to make her feel better. He tried to share the truth with her. But she was not ready to listen. His truth seemed lie to her. The lie shown to her by the media seemed truth to her. His flashy image created  in front of the media to influence his work was harming his personal life. He cursed himself for this. For the first time in his life, he wished he wasn't a star.

He begged. He cried. He appealed in front of her. Nothing worked. She was firm. She didn't want to believe his words. And then it happened like as if it was scripted to happen. She uttered those words which he was ask to say. "I am breaking up with you.", she said.  He stared at her blankly. It was like as if a thunder struck him.

"Please don't do this to me. Why don't you trust me?", he pleaded.  She stood there like a stone. She didn't utter a word. "You know media. They are just making up stories to increase their TRP.", he cried. "I wouldn't have believed the media if your manager hadn't visited me.", she said furiously. He was stunned. "Manager! Why did he visit you?", he asked.

"He wanted to share the truth you hid since few weeks. He wanted to save you from the burden of our relationship. Why didn't you tell me that I am an embarrassment in your successful life? Why didn't you tell me that my struggling career was black mark in your life? Why didn't you tell me that you wanted someone successful to complement your life? That's why you have been dating that witch. If you had told me the truth, I would have saved you from this relationship.", she said, weeping her frustration out.

Her words struck him like an arrow. He wanted to murder his manager for jeopardizing his life. He wished he had said no to RK. He wished he was not in double mind of breaking the relationship for career. He wished he was not in this state. She left him. He followed her, begging her to stop. She didn't listen. She was adamant to break the relationship.

When she left, he was burning with fury. He broke the furnitures. He broke anything that came in his hand. His fury was raging every second. He drove his car towards his manager's apartment. He banged the door of his manager's flat. The manager, an average height, plump guy opened the door to see what the commotion was. He grabbed the manager's collar and stared at his eyes with fury.

(To be continued)  

The ShowOffs - Part 5

It had been difficult week for Rajbir. He was on the thin line between love and career. It had almost costed him his career. It was a difficult choice. Losing an offer from RK would shift his spot from number one to number two. He didn't want to give the spot to Sameer Khan. But he loved Rita deeply. 

He sat on the sofa with his legs on the plush ottomans. He flicked the channels from the remote while his mind was occupied in thoughts of Rita. His phone vibrated. It was his manager. He sighed and cut the call fiftieth time. His manager was behind him about the breakup. Obviously, his manager worried about the fat pay he would get if Rajbir did the movie. He tossed it aside.

He spent the rest of the day, thinking and reasoning with himself. He slept in the process. The rays of sun from the window woke him up. He was still sleepy. His head was heavy due to constant thinking. He didn't want to get up from the sofa. The TV was still on. Suddenly door opened. It was Rita. He stared at her with astonishment. It seemed like a dream. He blinked his eyes several times. Rita was still there.

"Rita! ", he cried. She walked over the room towards him. She took the remote from his clutches and switched off the TV. She crossed her arms and looked deep into his eyes. "Why didn't pick up my calls? ", she asked. He didn't understand. He searched for his tossed phone. He didn't find it anywhere. She found it on the floor. She bought it to him. He was shocked to see several miss calls from her. 

"I am sorry! I can explain.", he said as he got up to hold her. "You haven't been picking my calls. You have been ignoring me. There's news of you breaking up with me everywhere.", she shouted. Her anger caused confusion within him. He didn't understand what was going. "What! I ..", he stammered, looking for words. She misinterpreted his confusion for his ego. She played the video from her phone to prove her point.

A news anchor was presenting the entertainment news where she was talking about the movies and finally about him breaking up with his girlfriend in the video. He was surprised. He hadn't sent any news to the anybody. He was supposed to break up with Rita but he wanted her to know it first. He never wanted to do  anything like this. Rita cried uncontrollably while he tried to console her. He was hurt with way the events turned up.

(To be continued) 

The ShowOffs - Part 4

The colour of Sonia's face matched her red chiffon salwar suit.  "You know what you are saying! Tarnish the image I built for my daughter for your stupid movie! No way! ", she spilled out her anger, controlling the tone of voice.

When two head weight people argue, sparks bound to happen. But RK didn't want to lose Simran. She was perfect for the role. He had to make this work.  RK controlled the temper building within him. "Simran's image will not be affected. This is just promotional gimmick for the movie. After the movie is released, Simran and Rajveer will move in different direction. Now every actors and actress are involved break ups and link ups.", he said calmly.

"Simran is not a common actress. She is a gem.", Sonia argued politely. "What if I tell you, I will promise you 50% profits of the movie if you accept my proposal.", he smartly bribed her. Sonia stared at him as she thought deeply. RK  patted his back in mind. He was sure she would accept his idea.

"Ok!", she said. He cheered himself for the victory in mind. He had almost waltzed in his room towards his favorite drink in his mind. But she wasn't finished. "But I have a condition.", she said. In quick second, he waltzed back to the reality. He was nervous. What was the condition. He wanted to bite his nails. For the first time, he was on the other side of table. But this was Sonia. Who could win over her?

"My condition is that if the movie works, you give me 60% profit but if it doesn't work, you give me 80% profit of the movie.", she said confidently. RK thought. If he agreed now, he wouldn't be able to bend down her conditions. But he had no option. He had to either agree or forgo Simran. After much thought, he agreed defeatedly.

Sonia relieved a sigh with a smile. She had whisked off the opportunity from RK'S hands. She thanked her naive daughter for bringing him to her.


(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 3

Simran was nervous the whole time. She was aware of her mother's fury. When others get angry, they display their anger in form of abuses and emotional outbursts on the person they are angry at. But when Simran's mother, Sonia gets angry, she uses sweet words to attack the person. Her words are enough to burn any person.

Simran ran towards her room before RK could say goodbye. She didn't want to witness the horror. RK was greeted by the loyal housekeeper. He made him wait before he proceeded to call Sonia. It took quite long for Sonia to appear before him.  Sonia had a habit to keep her guests waiting for her. It wasn't related to punctuality. It boosted her ego. It made her feel important. 

RK fidgeted with his fingers. He hated being made to wait. He had tossed the film magazines after re-reading it several times. There was no sign of her. "Is this Sonia's way of rejecting my idea?", he wondered. He had started planning about the replacement for Simran's role. It was a tough choice. But he had to do it. 

He was about to get up and leave. Sonia arrived finally. "I almost thought you would never come.", he muttered. "Did you say something ", Sonia asked, "Nothing! I meant that it's been long time since I have seen you.", he said with pretentious excitement. "Same here. You are hardly seen since one of your movie failed to make any mark in screen.", she mocked while watching her freshly painted nails.

RK frowned as he watched Sonia. Sonia hadn't changed. She was witty and feisty. She hadn't lost her charm. However her physical appearance was changing. After several plastic surgeries, she couldn't cover the few wrinkles on her face. She couldn't defy the aging symptoms.

"So, what would you like to have?", she asked out of courtesy. "The usual, coffee for me.", he replied. After few minutes of chatting, gossiping and rekindling old memories, he bought up his idea.  "What do you think?", he asked, after explaining her the whole detail. Sonia looked at him with extreme hatred. "How dare he comes to me asking for my opinion? He knows I won't approve this. I should have not allowed my daughter to sign this movie.", she thought.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 2

They stared at him with intense perplexity. What he had asked was impossible for them. Their gaze then shifted at each other. They were like chalk and cheese. They were paid hefty fees for their role in movie. But that didn't mean they would do anything for the movie. Simran fidgeted her hands at the thought of being in relationship with Rajbir. She worried about her image of not dating anyone from the movie industry. Her image was just a small issue. The greatest concern was her mother's fury .Her mother would skin her if she found out about her relationship with any movie actor.

" What! RK sir, this is not possible. She and I are from two different world. Public knows that.They won't buy that easily.", Rajbir argued. For the first time Simran agreed with Rajbir. She nodded like an excited kid. "Anything can happen in this industry. Linkups,hookups and even breakups too. Public doesn't care about the truth in this industry. They just want entertainment. A small gossip can never be harmful if it can bring you in the limelight.", RK explained.

"But this gossip can fuel my mother's fury. You know how my mother reacts to such news.", Simran said anxiously. "I will discuss with her.", RK assured her. "So let's take a week to sort this thing out. I will discuss with your mom tomorrow. Hopefully Rajbir will break up with your girlfriend within this week. We don't have much time and then we can get started with our pre promotion plan.", RK said excitedly, dreaming already about how his idea would succeed.

"But I haven't given my nod. How can I just break a three year old relationship? It will be difficult for me as well as my girlfriend. I can't do this . I love her too much.", Rajbir protested. RK was annoyed. He smirked and was about to say something. He was politely interrupted by Simran, "I am sorry RK, but do you think my mother will agree. You know I have a reputation. Just for a movie, I don't think she would let me take that risk."

"I understand it's not easy. But you got to try. Rajbir, sometimes we need to take up huge risks to climb up the ladder. Even if it means to break some relationship. If you still wish to stay with your relationship, it's okay, I won't stop you. But I want to remind you that Samir Khan was my first choice for the role I gave you. He wouldn't even think twice to join me if I called him. He has far more popularity than you. What is your say, should I cancel your contract?", he said with dark eyes.

Rajbir was stunned. He agreed to cooperate finally. "Simran, why don't I accompany you back to your place for a chit chat with your mother... I mean my dear friend. It's been a while I have met her. I may also discuss this idea. I am sure she will agree. ",  RK said with huge smile. Simran smiled weakly, thinking about her mother's reaction.

(To be continued)

The ShowOffs - Part 1

RK watched the rain pour the streets. The trees and bushes became greener and fresh. The soft sounds outside the large windows of his office building didn't bother him. The momentary roar of the thunder didn't bother him. Nothing bothered him. Even the knock outside the door didn't bothered him. He didn't even realize that two persons had just entered his cabin without informing him that they had come inside. 

When he turned back, then only he had noticed those two persons. "Oh!", he exclaimed instead of shouting at them. They weren't some ordinary people. They were the stars of his movie. If it were someone else from lower level , they would have been rebuked by him for their manners. But these two were special. They were the reigning stars of the industry.

He had penned the script of his dream project for a decade. He had perfect crew. He had best designers for the costumes. He had best people for cinematography and choreography. He had booked the best music directors with hefty price for his movie. He had good promotional staffs. Everything was finalized. But he felt something was missing. He wasn't satisfied with what he had. He wanted to make his movie the much awaited one.

He stared at his lead pair of his movie for quite sometime. The lead pair watched him in confusion. "He calls us for some urgent work and stares at us with blank eyes.", they wondered in unison. Rajveer , known for his outrageous behaviour , came close to his director's face. He waived at him in order to bring him back to reality. His co actress Simran nudged his other hand. She signaled him, "What are you doing?" 

Simran unlike Rajveer was born to be perfect. Perfectionism was an addiction to her. Anything that didn't fit into her 'perfect' dictionary was unruly to her. She had habit of correcting even single action of unruliness according to her. According to her, Rajveer's present action was required to be corrected by her and she did as per rules - No monkeying during business.

 

An idea struck RK's mind like a thunderbolt. "Oh Rajveer! Please take your seat.", he laughed though he hated Rajveer's childish antics. He didn't want to loose him. He was perfect for the role he had tirelessly written over a decade. "I have an idea for the  promotion of our movie. I was thinking of small gossip couldn't harm us. In fact people will be talking about our movie even before it hits the screen.", he said. The actors looked at each other. "Do you have a girlfriend, Rajbeer?", he asked. "Yes! I am in steady relationship with...", Rajbeer replied. But RK intervened, "Break it off! And Simran, what about you?" "I just broke off few days ago. It was..", she said, thinking about the casual relationship she was in. "It's good. I don't need the details.", RK said politely.  "I need you two to be in relationship for the movie.", he said. Both the actors stared at him with bewilderment. It was like as if he had slapped them hard.

(To be continued)

O'Suzzanna - Part 19

He stayed outside for couple of minutes. He was worried. The thoughts of what had happened to Sue concerned him. He almost believed that he may have been late to stop the wedding.  He walked toward the door.

As soon as he knocked the door, Sue opened the door. He was relieved. But still there were few concerns in his heart. Did she cancel her wedding for him? "Hi", he managed to say. She nodded and invited him inside.

They sat one hour in silence, staring at each other's eyes. Then Sue spoke, "Sorry for my manners. What would you like to have?" "I am not here to eat or drink. I am here to ask you something. But first I want to ask what happened about the wedding?", he said.

She watched him for a moment, confused and surprised. "Instead of starting with a sorry, you ask me about the wedding. Won't you ask for forgiveness for what you put me through ? ", she yelled at him. "I was coming to that. But first I wanted to know about the wedding. I was worried about you when I came here.", he said.

"Worried about me! What about Suzzanna!", she mocked him. Temper was at it's high at the both side. "Yes I was worried about you because you are my Suzzanna. I was searching for Suzzanna everywhere while I didn't see that she was always with me.", he snapped. She was shocked. "I love you, Sue.", he said, hugging her. Sue cried in happiness.

He released her from their embrace. "I broke up with my fiance next day of our engagement. I was never in love with him. I wanted to make you jealous and said yes to his proposal. I tried to move on but my love for you was too deep.", she said. "I am sorry that I put you through this. I will always be your side just the way you have been.", he said. At last her love had triumphed over imaginary obsession.

                                      ********  The End ************

O' Suzzanna - Part 18

Sue watched him leave. She was discouraged. She had thought her marriage plans would trigger him. It would make him realize his love for her. Unfortunately it didn't work. He was moving faraway from her instead of getting close to her.

She left the place without making any more efforts. She was tired of making him understand her worth. She should have understood her place in his heart by now. But she didn't want to understand. When she reached home, she cried hard.

Jacob was alone in his vanity room. His band members had gone out to celebrate. They had coaxed him to join them but he refused. Sue and her words tortured his mind. He tried to distract himself and think about Suzzanna. But his mind was fixed in Sue's thoughts. "Am I in love with Sue?", he wondered.

He fought with himself. "No, This can't be!", he protested with himself. "Then why am I not happy with Sue's marriage?", he argued with himself. "I don't know!", he said. "Because you are in love with her. You never realized it until now.", his conscious complained. "What about Suzzanna?", he asked.  "She never existed. You were obsessed with her name.", he argued with himself.

"I was  searching for Suzzanna everywhere but never realized that she was next to me in form of Sue. How naive I was?", he said to himself.  He got up with new sense of mission. He was going to get his Suzzanna- his Sue.

He reached home next day after eight hours of hitchhiking ride. He hugged his mother and said, "I have to meet Sue. I will be back soon." His mother sighed her disappointment. He headed towards her place. Her house seemed empty. It wasn't decorated . There were no relatives, no friends or anyone. There was no sign of celebration of wedding. He felt strange.


(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 17

***** Present Day ******

As audience cheered his name, he looked for Suzzanna. No one in audience reminded him of her. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. He was restless. He didn't find her. His song filled with pain was enjoyed by crowd. No one could understand his pain.

The concert was good. His shoulders drooped. His eyes was filled with pain. His heart ached. Everyone else were busy chatting about the concert and he was in his own world. He was tired of failures. " Is Suzzanna real?  Was my love all these years not real?", he wondered.

He walked toward his vanity room, unaware of who was approaching him.  He collided over her. As he held her, he was surprised to see that the person he collided was Sue. "Sue!", he said. "Jacob", she replied back.

He released from his grip. "What are you doing here?",  he asked. "I am here for my best friend.", she replied. He didn't understand. "I need my best friend to be my side on my day. I missed you so much. Let's keep our egos side and become friends again.", she said softly.

"What do you mean?", he asked confused. "I am getting married. I need you to be on my side. Can I at least ask my friend to do that?", she asked. He didn't reply anything. He felt as if his world was coming down. 

His friend was getting married. She was asking him to be there for her. She had always been there for him. But now she needed him and he couldn't give her what she wanted. He didn't want to witness her being someone else's bride and he didn't know why. He left her without giving her any promise. He was running away. 

(To be continued)

O'Suzzanna - Part 16

The engagement was simple affair.  There were not many people gathered except for closed ones. As she was putting the ring to her fiance, she looked for Jacob everywhere. He wasn't there. She had asked his mother many times about him. His mother replied her with same answer - he had some urgent work.

She still hoped  though she knew he wouldn't come. When everyone asked her to put the ring, she obliged with heavy heart. She stared at her fiance with teary eyed , looking for Jacob in him. She was sad, heartbroken and lost.

He wasn't sure why he had felt bad that his best friend was getting married. He should be happy but he wasn't. He didn't love her. He had always loved Suzzanna. Sue had known that. She had helped him with his quest. But her engagement pained him and he felt as if something was taken away from him. He felt she was going away from her. But then he remembered her words. He had to find Suzzanna.

He focused his attention on music and Suzzanna. But he would think about Sue during the night. He missed her. He would check her status and pictures in social networking account. She looked happy. She looked normal.

He felt miserable watching her. He was unable to understand the feeling he had for Sue. Sue was his friend. His best friend. He tried to call her and message her. But his ego stopped him. He tried to not think about her. But he failed.

His music was hit with the youth. Girls idolized him. He had become a sensation. But nothing made him happy. He was miserable inside. He searched for Suzzanna in every concert. He always started the concert with full of hope and positivity.  He wanted to prove Sue and himself that Suzzanna was real. But when he failed to find her, he would end up in questioning himself - Whether Suzzanna was real.


(To be continued)

O'Suzzanna - Part 15

She looked at him angrily. "Why did you care? I marry , I don't marry. It's my life. Who are you to say anything?", she said rudely. Tears in her eyes, she shivered in anger.  He didn't reply. He didn't understand the feelings running in his heart.

"You are marrying because I didn't reciprocate back your love. You are angry. I know. But don't ruin your life like that.", he said. His words were like fuel to her anger. "How dare you? I have stood by you always and yes, you broke my heart. But that doesn't mean I marrying someone else by forgetting you. Why does it even matter to you whether I marry or not?  You have Suzzanna. Be happy with your imaginative lover and let me move on.", she fought.

He held her tight. "Suzzanna is not imaginative. She is real. One day I will find her and bring her to you.", he snarled. She smirked and said," Fine! I will be happiest to meet her. Speak to me only when you find her. Goodbye!". She stormed towards her room while he watched her with blazing fury.

That day ego won over the friendship. Jacob locked himself inside his room and tossed everything. His mother tried to intervene and cool his temper. He cried badly as he slept on his mother's lap. His mother mistook his emotion for one sided love for his friend. She advised him to forget her and be happy for her as a friend. He didn't say anything to clear his mother's misunderstanding.

Sue was distraught. She wished she had not said anything. She wished she had not accepted Ryan's proposal. She still loved Jacob. Every word Jacob said broke her inside. She had decided not to be affected by Jacob's presence. But she was. She had tried many times to distance herself from him. She couldn't. Her love for Jacob got stronger when she met him in the morning.

She had almost believed when he had stormed toward her and asked her why she was marrying. She was wrong. He was jealous indeed. But he believed more in his imaginary love story than her love for him. She had failed again to recognize that there was no love in Jacob's heart except for his false ego.

(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 14

Busy schedules had left him with no time with his mother. He wanted to spend time with her. He decided to take few days  off from music and his search for Suzzanna. When he reached home, he was surprised to see Sue and a stranger.

They were laughing and chatting with his mother. A sudden sense of restlessness hit him seeing his friend enjoying someone else company. "Who was this guy? Why is he here?", he wondered. He watched them at the corner until his mother noticed him. "Jacob! When did you arrive? Why are you standing there? Come here!", his mother called.

Sue smiled at him as their eyes met. He sat next to his mother. His mother hugged him. She had missed him so much. "Hi Sue!", he finally greeted her. "Hi Jacob!", she said finding words to speak to her best friend. An awkward silence engulfed them. After few minutes,he got up and walked towards his room in pretense of looking for something.

Their past still held them. He still felt guilty. She was still stuck with the pain he had given few years back. They left after sometime. During evening, his mother approached him with tea. He was lying on the bed and thinking deeply. "What are you doing alone here? Sue is your best friend and you didn't receive her well. Is everything okay between you two?", she asked.

"Everything is okay. I was just tired and needed rest. I didn't expect her today. So I came here.", he said. "Hmm. You and your music!", she complained softly. "Anyway, Sue is getting married. She came to invite us for the engagement.", she said. The words 'Sue' and 'marriage' shook him. He didn't like it. "What!", he said and raced before his mother could stop him. His mother was puzzled with his sudden disappearance.

He dashed towards Sue's place. He stopped when he had reached the destination. Sue stood at patio, staring blankly at the sky. He took few minutes to breath properly. She didn't notice him storming toward her. He grabbed her hand and turned her towards him. "Why are you doing this to me?", he growled. "What?", she asked him , startled. "Why are you getting married?", he asked.


(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 13

Next day he tried  messaging her , asking her if he had hurt her anyway. She had replied back with a no and why. He was about to type something. But  he simply replied back, "Nothing". He didn't want to bother her more for a childish issue he had faced last night.

His addition to the band was not all bed of roses. He wasn't welcomed properly by the group. He became mere guitarist instead of a lead singer. Roy, one of the member was dominant  as well as the proud one. The other members of band were his tail who only followed his words and  encouraged his opinions.

Jacob felt like outsider. He had voiced his opinion many times to improve the quality of music. He had even shared his concern about being the lead singer to manager. But the manager couldn't do anything more than just sharing his sympathies with him. 

He was getting frustrated day by day. One day his frustration had reached all bounds. The band was going to play at the youth fest. As soon as their names were called, the members got ready to step in. Suddenly they heard Jacob playing on the stage. It was the same song he had auditioned for the band. The member stared at Roy. Roy was embarrassed. He was silent for the first time.

The crowd cheered. Slowly the band joined with sorry face. As soon as Jacob turned to see his band members behind , he signaled them to join in. He forgave them. They added beats and their own touch to the song. 

After their performance, new friendships were formed.  Past was forgotten. He got busy with the band. He hadn't realized when the days had become months and Sue's sudden arrival startled him.  

(To be continued)

O ' Suzzanna - Part 12

Thoughts about how his future would be and will this help him find Suzzanna was worrying him. The words of the manager remained deaf to his hear. The manager shrugged his hand. He had asked him a question - ' Did he understand everything that he had said?'. Jacob looked at him blank.  A band member joked, "He must have smoked weed before coming here."

The word 'weed' bought him back to reality. "Oh I am sorry! Yes! I did understand what you said.", he said.  "Ok then! Why don't we begin your audition?", manager said. Jacob got ready with his guitar and song he was going to sing.  The song was one of his composition.

He closed his eyes. The manager and composer watched him while the band members giggled. He tried to unwind himself and travel to place where Suzzanna was. He started playing his guitar and soon began to sing his song.

His voice was deep. He added emotions of love, sorrow and hope into his song. He improvised the song wherever needed. The audience were spellbound. The band was speechless by his performance. They had never expected that person so lost in thoughts could sing so beautifully.

He ended the song in good note. Everyone applauded his performance. He was instantly selected and signed after terms and conditions was explained to him. He was overwhelmed. His work at last was recognized. His search for Suzzanna would be over now.

He reached home with box of sweets. His mom wept and hugged him when she heard the news. He called Sue to inform her the happy news. But she didn't pick up the call. He was sad for few minutes. He quickly sent her a message. She replied back with a smiley. Her mediocre response didn't lit up his heart. It caused commotion in his heart and he felt as if something was not right.


(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 11

He waited for few minutes. He had expected already what she would say. He had already made up his mind to say no. He wanted to call them now itself. But something stopped him. He felt that he would never get such opportunity again.

Her mail arrived soon than he had expected. But the message she had sent for him surprised him. It read just one line : Go for it! Don't let past deter your present actions. He read the line again and again. He smiled. It was her that stopped him from doing the blunder. He called the composed and said yes to being auditioned.

Next day he arrived at the manager's office where he would meet the band members and manager. He was nervous for the first time. He was worried whether they would like his talent or whether it was right for him to join the band. He hadn't told his mother about this audition. He had simply lied to her, thinking that she would never allow him if he had told her.

The office wasn't spacious. It wasn't small either. But too many furniture cramped together made it look tiny. He sat on the cheap black sofa near receptionist area. The receptionist was engrossed in playing online games. Her mind was distracted from the game when the phone rang. She picked it up haphazardly. After the call was over, she asked him to go inside the cabin.

The cabin contained a three seater sofa where four members of band sat cramped to each other. The manager wasn't at his desk. Instead he gave that place to the composer. The manager seemed few years elder to Jacob. Jacob was startled. He had expected the manager to be middle aged with pot belly.

The manager quickly got up to greet Jacob. The band members didn't get up. They simply scrutinized him. The manager started introducing himself and band members. He spoke about Jacob's role in the band and continued about how highly his composer brother had spoken about him. Later he ended the conversation with how much they relied upon Jacob and hoped that he was the one. Jacob didn't hear a single word. His was under the spell of  his own thoughts.

(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 10

After several months of hardship, he was finding no bright sunshine. He was losing his new found confidence slowly.  His mother complains was becoming unbearable day by day. He was tired of promising her that he will find his foothold soon. There were some days he just wanted to give up his dreams. There were other days he thought about Sue's words and his mission to find Suzzanna. These two driving factors would fill him with strength to face the world.

The struggles bought him to auditions for a television singing show. The show was being broadcasted on a small local channel. The judges of the show were small time composers and a singer who was a forgotten winner of big television singing show. He had given his best and was selected for second round. Unfortunately nepotism took the front seat and the talent was given the back seat. 

He was disqualified in second round because he didn't have star quality. This was not real reason. The real reason was the producers of the show had selected their relative who was also participant in the show. They only required 10 participants and nine were selected. Unfortunately his place was supposed to be given to producer's relative.

He was dejected. He couldn't believe this. He was confident that he would make it. He was sure the judges liked him. The pain of losing wasn't more than the pain when he saw the person who was less deserved bagged the place in the show. He had almost given hope. He had almost decided to switch back to helping his mother in her catering business.

As he was wrapping up his dreams and hiding it deep in his heart, he received a call. It was from a composer who was the judge in the show he was disqualified. The composer had a brother who was manager of band looking for lead vocalist. They wanted to audition him as the composer genuinely felt that Jacob's talent didn't get a fair chance. 

But Jacob wasn't sure. Flashbacks of losing a friend due to his association with band reminded him. He didn't want to get back to the same road. He asked them for a day to get back. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to say no. But his heart stopped him. He decided to seek advice from his friend and see. He wrote an email to Sue with mindset that she would say no.

(To be continued)

O ' Suzzannna - Part 9

It was difficult for Jacob to continue with his life without his dear friend. He hadn't noticed then that she had been important part of his life. He made several changes to his life in the hope of getting her back in his life. He had left the band and their habit once she had gone. Whenever he got the urges to get back to his old life, he would remember the flashback of the day he lost Sue. 

 

He was more responsible now. He helped his mother in her catering business. His mother was surprised and happy to see her new matured Jacob. He wrote several emails to Sue to come back. He also wrote about how much changed he was now and he would never repeat the same mistakes. But she didn't reply to any of his emails. 

One night he was checking his emails for her reply as usual after work. He was about to log out when suddenly a new message popped into his inbox. It was her message. He opened it. It read - 

"Hi Jacob!

I am happy that you have left your old habits. Aunty must be proud of you now. But why did you quit music? What about your quest for Suzzanna? I only wanted best for you. That band and the drug was ruining you. I only wanted you out of it. I didn't ask you to quit music. Go and make more music. Your passion lies there. Find your Suzzanna. 

I won't promise that I will come back now. Let me finish what I have started here. Three years are not long. I will meet you soon.

Yours truly annoying friend

Sue."

He had read the mail again and again. He felt his life had come back. But he wasn't happy that he had to wait three years for Sue. Next day, he had politely informed his mother about his decision to revive his music career. His mother didn't quite like the idea. But she supported him for his happiness. 

He started his journey from the scratch. He auditioned several music companies. All the companies rejected. He didn't give up. He sang for small gathering and functions. He earned little. But that didn't bother him. He knew his time was coming soon. 

(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 8

Jacob woke up next day feeling miserable. He wished yesterday's horrific events never happened. But it did. He couldn't change. He had lost a friend. He rushed out after freshening up. He hadn't changed his clothes. He didn't bother to listen his mother's request for having breakfast.  His mother's requests turned into complaints as soon as he left.

He rode his bike as fast as he could towards Sue's house. He wanted to meet her. He wanted to change everything that had happened between them. He wanted to mend whatever he had said to her. He wanted to promise her that he would never take the drugs again.

When he reached, her mother was about to step inside the house. She was startled by his presence. "Aunty, where is Sue?", he asked with sudden restlessness. "She left just few minutes ago. Didn't she tell you she will be travelling to Bangalore for studies?", she said. He left instantly before she could say anything more.

He sped towards the nearest railway station. "I messed it up. Please don't let Sue go", he prayed. It took several minutes to track the Bangalore train. At last he found her father and relatives bidding her goodbye. He reached to try one last time to change her mind.

"Please don't go, Sue. I am sorry. You are my true friend.", he begged. Sue pretended to ignore his pleas. "I won't do drugs again. I will be better person for you. Please don't go.", he pleaded. Tears rolled from his eyes for the first time since his father's demise. Sue's heart pained to see him crying. But she had promised herself to be tough.

"I forgive you, Jacob. But I won't come back.", she said sternly. The train started to leave. But Jacob didn't leave. He paced with the train. He begged her to come back. But she didn't melt to his request. He finally gave up and fell down to the ground. She wept softly while he cried uncontrollably. Sue's father put his hand on his shoulder, trying to console him. Nothing could console him. He had lost his only dear friend.

(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 7

Surprised and startled, she stood doing nothing. She was finding words to say. She watched him bend down and inhale on the perfectly drawn lines of powder using a rupee note. He rose to sitting position. His eyes were closed. He was in ecstasy.

She remembered the promise she made to his mother. She rushed to him. Her presence startled everyone now. She pulled him by his collar and slapped him. He pushed her in retaliation. "How dare you slap me?", he slurred.  " I should have slapped you before. But I chose to cover your mistakes. As a friend, I failed. But now I won't let you do this. I won't let you ruin your life.",she said, feeling embarrassed and angry at the same time.

He pulled her hand and dragged her close to him. For a minute, she had forgotten everything. She only wanted to be close to him. She searched love in his bloodshot eyes. She found nothing. "You already created a scene. Now don't be a prick and ruin my life.", he snarled at her. "Please don't do this. You are everything to your mother and me.", she said, weeping softly.

He released her. "Why do you have to be goody two shoes? Why can't you once enjoy and let others enjoy life?", he mocked her. "I have always let you do what you want because I always loved you unconditionally.", she said, finally opening her feelings for him.

"Love! Sorry my friend, but you know I love someone else.", he said laughing at her. "But Suzzanna doesn't even exist. She is just your imagination.", she growled at him. "Don't you ever say that. She is not my imagination. I will find her one day. You will see that.", he argued.

"What am I then to you?", she asked one last time. "You were my friend once. Now you are nothing to me.", he said, breaking her heart. "Okay! Then I have no use being here. All the best for future, Jacob. You will never see me again. I had great pleasures of being your doormat.", she said. Jacob didn't understand then. He was under strong influence of drug. If he was normal, he would do anything to stop his best friend and nothing such would have happened between them.

(To be continued)

O' Suzzanna - Part 6

******  10 Years Later *****

As years had passed by, their friendship grew thicker. Sue always had Jacob's back. She saved him every time he got into trouble. Since the time he reached the age of thirteen, he had always been prone to troubles. But he knew he had Sue with him and she would always get him out every time he got into one. Unlike his rebellious persona. Sue was obedient one. 

Whenever she said lie about him to help him to get out of trouble, people believed her. Jacob's search for Suzzanna had continued till now. His madness for Suzzanna had increased. Ten years ago when Uncle Mark found the singing star in him, he encouraged him to participate in competitions and show. And there Jacob realized that he could use music as means to find his Suzzanna.

He participated in every contest and shows. He won few of them too. But he didn't find Suzzanna. Few months back, a local band in search of lead singer found him. It didn't take him long to make decision to join them. Sue didn't like the idea of him joining the band. However she didn't complain instead she convinced his mother to let him join. Sue always knew there was something fishy about the band. She had heard rumours of drug abuse by the band. She never said anything until now.

It was normal day. Sue cycled towards Jacob's house.  Cool breeze blew over her face. She had been contemplating on whether to accept or reject the admission she had got in good college in Bangalore throughout the journey to his house. She hadn't even shared the news to her parents. She wanted to share it with Jacob first. She wanted to know his opinion. 

When she arrived, Jacob was not there. His mother was watching television.  She greeted her politely and asked about Jacob. "I really don't understand this boy. He is never home. He is always with those bad boys. He only cares about music and band. Nothing else. Sue, can you please put some sense into this boy. You are his good friend. He listens to you.", his mother complained. 

Sue understood her concern. Every mother would like to see her child happy and not misled by bad company. She nodded and hugged her. "Yes Aunty! I would never let your son down. That's a promise.", she said. She headed towards Jacob's hangout. When she reached, she saw her fears turning real. She should have stopped him then. It was too late now. 

(To be continued)