The cold was never his friend. And
today especially things were not going well. The knee cap has twisted for an
unprecedented 3 times last night and the painkillers were not helping at all.
The fact that he can only rely on his one remaining hand for support made
getting up all the more tedious and almost impossible. After over an hour of
struggle, he managed to drag himself up and the day has slowly begun.
Although hampered by the
misfortunes plaguing him over the last few weeks, there was no change in the
man himself. One cup of strong coffee, 2 cigarettes and he settle down with the
second coffee cup to read the news. That was when the phone rang. Grunting at
the effort, he managed to answer the call, and that is when his world stopped.
It was no tragic news, no calamity has befallen his kin, just a normal greeting
, “Hi T, how are you ? “ spoken in the shy and sweet voice , the one he had
known years ago , the one he thought he had lost .
It was in that winter time 7 years
ago that he first met her. The streets were emptying as the day was coming to
an end. Ignoring the cold ,ignoring the rush he just sat there outside the
S-bahn station. No, he wasn’t waiting for the train, nor was he waiting for his
friends. It was just that he was drunk , each step was a pain which finally
made him sit down and try to clear his head before the day descended into
night, for at night the party begins again. He might have dozed off because
when he came to , it was already dark and he was not alone on the bench anymore.
There was someone sleeping next to him, and the wafting smell of alcohol
confirmed that this was another one of the victims of the on going Stuttgart
fest. With some effort he managed to get back up on his feet. Still groggy , he
almost fell back again but steadied himself a mere seconds before he could fall
on his companion in the bench. His near fall and the noise had awakened the
sleeping one and for a second T forgot everything around himself. Gone were the
muddy unclear thoughts rampaging his head, and all he could see was her eyes,
the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, looking up at him , frightened and at
the same time fiery. And that is when he lost the battle and passed out
The initial shock has already
passed by the time he regained his consciousness . The girl was still there
,which surprised him but at the same time he was happy she did not leave. Her
words awoke within him a feeling , a feeling of loss and longing and at the
same time , one of peace. That was the first time he met Rachel. After the
awkward introductions, the next few days were something he would never forget.
She was a tourism student from Switzerland spending her last year travelling
around Europe. Unlike most people he had met so far, there was something
different about her, something free and wild. With her, he could be what he
truly is , there was no need of masks or false bravado. With her, he was just
T. She matched him drink to drink , jumped around the ice rinks like crazy
people , talked to him when he was in his dark zone, stuck with him through his
craziness and slowly he was falling madly in love with her. Every moment of his life was centered around
her, her very presence has made his life something he began to cherish.
It was almost a year after they had
met that his world came crashing down again. She had come into his world like
an angel on a cold winter night , and in another cold winter night she just
vanished, as if no one was ever there. Going crazy by the minute, he kept on
searching for her, a search spanning days , months but to no avail. His
condition deteriorated and it all ended one night when he fell down the
mountainside while searching for her. His legs were broken, ligaments torn, the
doctors diagnosed that he would never walk again. In the phases between
consciousness, pain and the haze of painkillers he thought he saw her again ,
crying near his bed side , and when he woke up there was no one . But there was
a note, one which was written in her own hand , “ I am sorry , please forgive
me “
That was the final nail in his
coffin. The man called T died that day, and gave birth to something different,
something normal.
The story goes on from then,
partially recovered he returned home and the journey began again. Working days,
wild sleepless nights, the days went on. Before he knew it 7 years have passed
and there he stood hold the phone , almost shivering, looking like the boy from
7 years ago, lost in her voice.
The conversation was forced and
formal but under the words there was a torrent of emotions that he was not sure
he could control. She wanted to see him , and God how long he had waited for
those words. Every second seemed like hours to him , the wait now was
agonizing. He reached the coffee shop an hour early, and his heart skipped a
beat when he saw she was already there , waiting for him . No words were
necessary , every thing just melted away. It was just him and her and at that
moment it was as if no time has passed. Just the two of them , and the world
they made for themselves. Every word, every look , every touch was
electrifying. Two people were finally finding themselves again , after getting
lost in the bowels of time . The search was finally over. She accompanied him
home, he never asked her what happened that day long ago, nothing seemed
important now . All he could think of was that she was back in his arms, her
smile his own , his life hers to command. Once home , he hurried in to clear a
path through the debris but she stopped him, said “I am so sorry T “ and kissed
him. He was surprised but he kissed her back , a long passionate kiss , which
left them both winded. He gently untangled himself from her arms and went to
get her a drink. He was smiling , gone was the weary eyed angry young man that
his co-workers feared, gone was the bleary eyed drunkard haunting the bars
across the city. He was back to all that time ago, young and in love , his eyes
shining with life and hope. He was still smiling when the knife slashed his
throat . He was still smiling when she turned him over and started stabbing
him, all he could see was her eyes, her lovely green eyes.
The Stutter Times : March 30th
2015
The quiet neighborhood of Santa street was shocked at the events that
happened last night making this one of their most horrific memories in recent
times. The body of Mr.T , one of the city’s upcoming novelists was found
crucified to the side of his apartment building. The discovery of the body was
made by the window cleaner who was setting up his equipment when he came across
this gruesome scene. Police and fire force have come and took down the body.
The cause of death at this point is not clear but it is suspected that extreme
blood loss has resulted in his death.
His throat was slashed and there were countless stabs on his body any of which
would have made him bled out. His face was a mask of pure bliss and joy ,
something which disturbed even the seasoned veterans of the force. The smile
was genuine, the happiness in his long dead eyes were infectious.
The fact that made this even more horrifying
is the fact that not a single drop of blood was found anywhere in his apartment
or near the building except the dried smudges on his clothes. The authorities
refused to comment
Special correspondent.
