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Pursuit Of Love - Chapter 10 The Conclusion

Discussion in 'Stories (Fiction)' started by Bhargavi03, Sep 23, 2016.

  1. Bhargavi03

    Bhargavi03 Gold IL'ite

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    Aunt Lily and Uncle Sebastian were seated across me while we were having dinner. It had been 2 days since I returned from Hyderabad after my phenomenal discussion with Laura. I was waiting eagerly to receive that one call from Laura which would change things for me and Victor for good.

    “How was your friend? I don’t remember you mentioning about a friend in Hyderabad” Aunt Lily dubiously questioned me.

    I had told my aunt and uncle that I was going to Hyderabad to meet some old friend from college. I had told that I recently got to know that she stays in Hyderabad and was invited for some old college reunion at their place. I had never lied to my aunt and uncle, my foster parents, until I met Victor and had fallen in love with him. That’s when I released how much you lie to your parents when you are in love. But my aunt was pretty smart and she could easily identify whenever I lied or probably I was not smart enough in concocting up stories.

    “Uh... yeah she is doing well. She moved recently to Hyderabad with her family. We used to be really close during college days. Chitra is her name. I have even mentioned about her to you. Guess you would have forgotten.” My uncle smiled at me when I told that.

    Chitra was indeed my old friend from college and I used her name to evade my aunt’s suspicious eyes. We had never been in touch since we left college.

    My university was to reopen for the next fresh semester in 2 weeks and I was preparing myself mentally while inside I was hoping things between me and Victor gets settled before I go for work as my mind would not focus like usual. I wanted to talk to Victor too but thought would rather wait for Laura’s call.

    Next day morning as I was sitting at my couch taking a sip of my coffee, the phone rang. I kept the coffee mug aside and reached for my phone. It was Laura. Instantly I picked her call.

    “Hello”

    “Hi, this is Laura here.”

    “Hi, glad to hear from you. How are you?”

    “I am fine. Thanks. How are you Sarah?”

    “Better, after I got your call.” I chuckled.

    “Hmmm... I spoke to Ashish about your visit. After giving intense thoughts we both have decided to meet you and Victor in Bangalore. Ashish too wanted to talk to Victor from very long but was hesitant. Your trip to Hyderabad gave us the fortitude to meet Victor after so many years. We owe this to him.”

    I was breathing hard as I heard Laura speaking. I was anxious of what Laura might tell and her words ringed a positive bell in my mind.

    “Oh! That’s a relief. I was quite nervous wondering if you would concede to meet Victor but I am really thankful for this great step from you and your husband.”

    “Sure...Uh... When do you think we can come?”

    “Well, I haven’t spoken to Victor since I came to Bangalore. I would first like to talk to him and fix a suitable place where all of us could meet. Now I have a bigger task of convincing him in meeting you two but I am sure I can accomplish that. Give me a couple of days and I will inform you about our next visit. Is that OK with you?”

    “Sure. No problem. You can call me at this number. Ashish is relatively free at work next week. So anytime around the weekend should be OK.”

    “Great stuff. Thanks again. I will call you soon.”

    “Ok... bye.”

    “Bye.”

    I kept my phone down and took my coffee mug. My coffee had become a little cold. I gulped it up wondering how and what should I tell Victor. It was tough feat indeed. I decided to meet him at our favourite sandwich bar. I called Victor.

    “Hello Victor.”

    “Hi Sarah, what a pleasant surprise! Really happy to hear from you.”

    “Me too. How have you been?”

    “Fine. How are you? I am still unable to believe that you called me after all that conversation we had last time. Feels really good. When are you joining work?”

    I was delighted about how Victor was feeling about my call to him. I missed him a lot but apparently did not confess that to him.

    “I am doing well. Thanks. I would certainly call you.” I told with a bit of glee in my tone. “I will be back to college in two weeks from now. How is your work going on?”

    “Oh that’s nice...My work the same regular stuff. I just returned home a day ago from a two day official trip to Chennai.”

    “That sounds good. Are you free today or tomorrow? I would like to meet you.”

    “I am totally free. I would love to meet you too. How about today evening 6.00 p.m.?”

    “Great. Sounds like a plan. Shall we meet at Wimpys sandwich bar?”

    “Sure. I will be there.”

    “Ok then. See you today evening. Bye.”

    “Bye.”

    I was indeed dying to meet Victor but the thought of how I might get Laura and Ashish’s topic was troubling me.

    I was at the coffee shop at 6 p.m. and Victor joined me too right in time. We seated and ordered our favourite cappuccino and cheese sandwiches.

    “It is so nice seeing you again and talking to you Sarah.”

    I was munching my sandwiches and rehearsing mentally what I had to tell Victor.

    “I missed you Victor” I confessed it outright. “I wholeheartedly want our relationship to progress to the next stage but that cannot happen unless you are ready for it mentally. I know you said you loved me and I could comprehend what was forbidding you from moving on from your past. Since you had trouble figuring out of how to get out of your mental complexities I decided to take the challenge to help you out and have your issues resolved.” I took a pause here as I saw Victor perplexed staring at me with hundreds of questions racing across his face. He stopped drinking his coffee and looked at me to proceed.

    “Well, this may come as a little shocker to you...uh... I met Laura a few days ago at her residence in Hyderabad.”

    I could feel Victor missing a heart beat at the very stroke of those words from my mouth into his ears. The excitement of having met me on his face diminished. His face became sullen and pale.

    “What are you saying? You met Laura? Why?”

    “Victor please allow me to finish what I had come here to tell you and I request you to remain calm until then. I only wish for the best for both of us. After you spoke to me the last time and revealed all the things that were troubling you, about your harrowing past, I was contemplating if I could do anything to set things right for you and in a way help you move on so that we both could go ahead to the next step in our lives. I felt that there were a lot of things that remained unsaid and unsettled between you, Laura and Ashish. Suddenly it dawned on me what if Laura also felt the same way about you and if only she too gets a chance to clear off the untold things between you and her. But my prediction was only a probability and I could confirm that only if I meet her to know how she is now and what she thinks. So I courageously took that move and went to Hyderabad to meet her. Actually there was something that I did not tell you the other day. When both of us visited Hyderabad I knew you were trying to hide yourself away from some stranger we met at that Italian Hotel. So the next day I went around to that place to check who he was but could not as we had to leave Hyderabad in a hurry. Later after you mentioned who he was I knew Laura should also be living with him.

    I traced their residence and met Laura. I figured out after talking to her that she was left with immense remorse and wanted to talk to you probably to redeem her sins. Ashish too is equally deliberate to meet you but was ashamed and afraid of how you might respond to him.

    I request you to give them this one chance, meet them and talk to them. I am sure a lot can be resolved by an effective communication. After all it is forgiveness as Jesus said and I believe this would definitely solve your entire trauma. Trust me.”

    Victor was stunned and moved his torso a little uneasily on his chair. There was a brief lull after my tumultuous speech. He sipped water from his glass and was pondering over something probably about what I spoke. Then I heard him speak.

    “Sarah, I genuinely don’t know what to speak now. I never anticipated in the wildest of my dreams that you might tell something like this before I came here to meet you. I am really confused. I...uh... guess would need some time alone. I really appreciate the efforts you have taken to help me and having gone beyond your ways to mend the irreparable but it’s a little too much for me to assimilate all that you told me today and this meeting with Laura and Ashish... Oh god... I don’t know if I could do that. I need some time to think.”

    “I can totally understand. No issues. Please take your time but I would be really happy if you call me with a positive mindset. I would like to reassure you that this encounter will certainly change things better for you. I will be waiting for your call.”

    There weren’t any nod or approval from Victor’s end at my proposal as he quietly stood up and walked towards the exit. I kind of forecasted this reaction from him. Victor was in a huge dilemma and appalled.

    Two days later Victor called me.

    “Hello Victor” I started on a cheerful note.

    “Hi. Are you busy? Can I talk to you now?”

    “Yeah sure...”

    “Uh... I did not sleep much since our last meeting. I was pondering over and over about your options. The bare sight of people who knew my past would only make me nervous. Now meeting Laura and Ashish, the two who are responsible for my conditions would make me all the more miserable. Then your words reverberated through my mind. To solve a problem we need to face it upfront and you are right about it. After careful and intense calculations, I have prepared my mind to consider your idea. I am OK with meeting them. Let it be somewhere where I would not need to bother about people around me. Also I don’t want anyone to witness the three of us together- Ashsih, Laura and me.”

    “That’s great news. I honestly appreciate you for taking this decision. Don’t worry I will make sure that the three of you can talk in peace without any obstacle or hindrance and I would also make sure that you are not put into any awkward moments which would be my prime concern. How about this weekend at my house? I think that is the safest and best place. My aunt and uncle are travelling out of city this weekend and I would be alone. If it is OK with you I will make arrangements for the 3 of you to meet at my place?”

    “Sounds good. My mother too has gone to my brothers’. So this weekend will be the right time before I cocoon myself and change my mind.”

    “Awesome! I will inform Laura and Ashish too. Meet you at my place. I will call you and let you know the timings. Until then sleep peacefully and do not fret about this.” I chirped.

    “OK. Bye Sarah.”

    “Bye.”

    I informed Laura about our plans and asked them to book tickets for the Saturday. Laura sounded nervous and glad, haggling with mixed emotions. Friday night, after my dinner and bidding adieu to my aunt and Uncle for their trip, spoke to Laura who was travelling with Ashish in second class A/C coach towards Bangalore, I was lying on my bed contemplating about the meet that I had to orchestrate the next day. A cold chill traversed through my spine. As the day was arriving closer I began to experience the tense and heat of the moment. I was not sure if all my genius attempts would end up into an unforgettable dirty altercation between the parties leaving me into a remorse for getting them all together or it would end on a happily-ever-after note like in fairy tales. I decided to preserve the surprise or the shocker moment whichever was destined for tomorrow and retired to sleep.

    This was a moment that I had never believed would ever happen was there right in front of me. Laura and Ashish were seated in my living room. They freshened up after their not-so-tiresome journey and had poha that I had prepared for them for breakfast waiting anxiously for Victor to arrive. At around half past ten in the morning I heard Victor’s car in front of my gate. He parked his car and walked towards my door. I had anticipated him to be twitchy and apprehensive but he rather walked nonchalantly towards my door and rang the bell as I ran towards him to receive him. As he walked inside the room Laura and Ashish woke up from the couch feeling a little nervous. Victor raised his chin up and smiled at me and turned his face towards them his eyes fixed on Laura who was wearing a veil. He was perplexed wondering why Laura was covering up her face and was left aghast as she unveiled. He was appalled seeing those scary scars on her face, a once so beautiful face that drove him head over heels and crazy.

    He was still not out of his shock as he sat on the sofa staring at her speechless.

    “Hi Victor, How are you? So happy to see you after really long” Laura struck the first conversation with Victor after four years.

    “Hi...Laura...” Victor greeted her in a staggering voice glaring at Ashish who put his face down as he met Victor’s eyes. “What is all this Laura? How did this happen?” he asked her pointing at her scars.

    “This...it was a fire accident two years ago...managed to survive narrowly. I guess god did not want me to leave this world so easily after what I did to you and he gave me these scars as a remainder. I am glad I am here finally to redeem my sins and seek solace for the rest of my life.

    Victor choked and coughed a little bit. I offered him a glass of water as he composed himself.

    “Hello Victor. I am happy too to see you” Ashish greeted Victor.

    “Hello...” Victor greeted him formally with a bit of scorn.

    I thought my presence around them might make them a little uncomfortable so I decided to give them the space to have their discussion.

    “Guess you guys might want to talk in private. I will stay in the other room. Please help yourselves” I placed a plate with some light snacks and bottle of wine.

    “No it’s Ok. You must stay. After all it is because of you that we all are here together.” Laura insisted. But I was feeling a little queasy so I convinced her that I would stay in the other room.

    After almost two hours I heard a little laughter outside and Laura came inside my room to fetch me to the living room.

    “Sarah, you are an amazing woman and I am extremely happy that Victor got you in his life to shower him all that unconditional and fulfilling love that I failed to give him. You are the one for him and now I can live in peace.”

    I was a little startled at those unprecedented compliments as she held my hand and dragged me outside. I was overwhelmed as I saw Victor smiling at me. I was bewildered wondering what really happened in my absence. Ashish came towards me and thanked me for all my efforts to set things right for three people although I had initially planned it only for Victor. He shook hands with Victor. Laura and Ashish told me that the purpose of their visit was fulfilled and bid us adieu stating that they would be around the city for a short while and catch their early return train to Hyderabad.

    After they left I spoke to Victor.

    “Victor what really happened? I am curious.”

    He laughed at me, took my hand and held within both his.

    “Sarah, you are really awesome. I could not imagine how much you love me and I am indebted to you for the rest of my life. I never knew how this would be to meet Laura and Ashish after all that turmoil I underwent but now my fear has vanished and that is because of you. If not for your persuasion and the confidence you gave me to come for this meeting, I don’t know if I could have managed to pull through this easily. Today I am an enlightened man. I knew what true love means. I was foolish and ignorant all these days. Laura and Ashish were meant to be for whatever reasons and I have accepted that reality. Also I have found the true love of my life.”

    He genuflected and holding my hands proposed.

    “I love you Sarah, truly and deeply. Will you marry me?”

    I burst into tears unable to believe my ears, a little too overwhelmed and exalted and instantly I told, yes.

    “Yes, I would love to be your wedded wife.” I smiled at him with glee and coy. He got up, held me closer to his chest, as I felt his breath on me we kissed passionately.



    1 month later....


    After all that fun, frolic and exhaustion at my wedding, there I was lying at my luxury honeymoon suite in Mauritius with Victor beside me after a long and passionate love making as I was looking at the ceiling smiling to myself contented and blissful.

    I got up to take a sip of coffee, as Victor came around me and hugged and caressed me on my forehead.

    “I am still inquisitive to know what really happened that day at my home. What did you 3 speak?” as I asked him he grinned at me and told

    “Ha...ha... trust me I don’t think it really matters and its over. I do not want to think or bother you with my past which does not exist any longer. I am immensely happy this minute with you and want this to last till our end.” He winked at me and kissed. I giggled at his little secret and went inside the bathroom for a shower !!!

    Previous Chapter:
    Pursuit Of Love - Chapter 9



     
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  2. Bhargavi03

    Bhargavi03 Gold IL'ite

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    @peddadas @leenam05 @leenarajaryan @Arunarc
    Dear friends,

    I have posted the last chapter "PURSUIT OF LOVE - Chapter 10 THE CONCLUSION" after quite a long break from last posted chapter. It was a spellbinding experience writing this short series and reading all your timely motivating and lovely feedback. As we have reached to the end of this series I am kind of experiencing the withdrawal syndrome :)

    Hope to meet you all soon with my next fresh and exciting short story. Until then its a ciao...:)
    Happy reading! Happy writing !

    Cheers,
    Bhargavi
     
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  3. Rampuri9

    Rampuri9 Silver IL'ite

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    A perfect ending bhargavi .. You narration skills are excellent. I felt as if I was reading a english novel :)
    Will be waiting for your next story.
     
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  4. Bhargavi03

    Bhargavi03 Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you very much :)
     
  5. Deepu04

    Deepu04 IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Bhargavi ... Good episode and good story too... Happy for victor to start his life a fresh one.. Sarah indeed a beautiful and lovely girl to help victor in this way... Loved your narration.
     
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  6. Bhargavi03

    Bhargavi03 Gold IL'ite

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    Thanks a lot. Really glad you liked the story :)
     
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  7. leenarajaryan

    leenarajaryan Silver IL'ite

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    Good one Bhargavi. Super liked the ending. Thanks for completing it though late. Do come back fast with a new lovely story. Waiting for you dear.
     
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  8. leenam05

    leenam05 Platinum IL'ite

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    Nice episode with happy ending Bhargavi, I am too eagerly waiting for your next story.
     
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  9. Lata6

    Lata6 Gold IL'ite

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    This was an excellent story, I dont know how I missed to continue reading this. Read all chapters non-stop, it is a really beautiful story.
     
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  10. Bhargavi03

    Bhargavi03 Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you Lata
     

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