Should I Tell? - The Story Without A Climax - CONTEST!

Induslady · Aug 2, 2005

Hello Ladies,

Welcome to the world of Creative Writing...

This is a contest on writing a climax for the story written by Varalotti Rengasamy. You are sure to Win Fabulous Gifts for writing a climax using your imagination and creativity. Come, try your hands by writing your own climax for this story.

This contest is about writing your own climax and not to guess what climax the author would have written. Alternatively, you can also extend the story into another story involving all the three characters or by introducing new characters.

Not even sky is the limit. So participate in this contest, write your climax and WIN!

Get started to read the story ...

Induslady · Aug 2, 2005

Should I Tell?

Rishi had been in a state of torture for the past one week. He could not sleep well. His food in-take had drastically come down and he did not know how long could he subsist in that condition. He loved his wife Shalini very much and that was the reason he could not forgive himself for what he had done. Of course if he did not tell Shalini would not know. And his life would be as normal as before. But the feeling of guilt would kill him. Theirs was the picture-perfect marriage that happened to only one among a million couples. They loved each other as they were. There were no unrealistic expectations or attempts to reform the other person. Except that their marriage had not produced any child, it was like an uninterrupted melody that had been going on for seven years. Even on the issue of childbirth the couple had an open mind. Each of them willingly submitted themselves to medical examination and the result was, ‘Everything is fine; but you have to wait.’ Wait, they did, without interrupting the music of marriage. But now there was a jarring note threatening the very harmony of the music. Rishi’s mind went through a flashback of events that led to the current crisis.

Rishi was a chartered accountant working in the internal audit department of a five hundred crore company. He was one of the very few blessed persons who had a job, which not only filled his packet with money but also filled his heart with satisfaction. He toured for ten days in a month and the current crisis concerned his last tour programme.

Even from the word go, the last tour programme did not augur well for Rishi. He was paired for the first time with a belligerent colleague. He literally shouted at his boss:

“Sir, I am not going. Period. Why should I be paired with Miss Metha, of all the persons? The whole department knows about the lady. She will never co-operate, will always nag and will try to steal all the credit. Most of the assignments she goes alone, because no other person in the Department is willing to go along with her. And you have made me the scapegoat. It’s unfair.”

“Rishi, please try to understand. I suspect some fraud in our Pune branch. Ms.Metha is very good with computers and she is sure to find something this time. And you are good at investigating the fraud. I am damn sure that the Pune fellow is up to something. So this deadly combination of Rishi and Ms.Metha would trap the culprit. Detecting the fraud will do wonders to your career, Rishi.”

The argument silenced him for the moment. But he detested working with Ms.Metha. She was in her late thirties and elder to Rishi by a good five years. The unusually tall buxom woman was not unattractive; but her human-relations was her weakness. She could only command, dictate or argue; she could not talk, converse or communicate with any one. She had no time for small talk and was a chronic workaholic. She was used to long hours of work without any break. She was not married and had no familial bonds. She hated the males as a race and would have nothing to do with a man, young or old. She lived alone in a well-furnished apartment. She was making good money and lived a luxurious life.

At the office she would do all the work and grab all the credit and leave no room for her colleagues. But she delivered her goods no doubt and earned every Rupee of her salary. She was a brilliant chartered accountant who had won an all-India gold medal in the auditing paper in her final examination.

The flight to Pune via Mumbai was fairly eventless. Ms. Metha did not regard Rishi as a colleague or even as a fellow passenger. Rishi later came to know that she also had fought with their boss for not letting her do the work alone.

They had planned to stay in Pune for a week. They stayed in the same hotel; but ensured that their rooms were in different floors. Other than a customary nod in the morning and evening there was virtually no communication between them during the first three days.

At the office they worked in separate cabins. It was on the fourth day that Ms.Metha came to see Rishi in his cabin. “Mr.Rishi, can you please come with me for a moment?” Rishi silently followed her. She told him about her suspicion over the freight payments made to the local contractor. She explained that the figures were all altered and after running a full check with her audit software she was sure that she smelt fish. Rishi’s mind worked very fast. He talked to her in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Ms.Metha we are now alone here with the Manager who is most likely to be the culprit. We cannot investigate anything here. You take a bunch of the freight bills and the freight statement for the whole year. Transfer as much of information from this computer to your laptop. We shall tell the manager that we are going for a long lunch. I will call the Freight Contractor on my mobile and ask him to come to the Pune Club. Now if he becomes an approver then it’s easy to nail the culprit. We can’t stay here any longer.”

Miss Metha was very efficient with her laptop. In just fifteen minutes she downloaded all the data into her system. She then stashed all the papers into her briefcase and they walked out of the office.

Rishi’s plan worked out really well. The contractor confessed everything and within no time they found out that the Manager was the culprit and also assessed the amount swindled by him. As Rishi admired Ms.Metha for her incisive analysis, which led to the detection of a huge fraud, she admired Rishi for his expert way in handling the situation.

The exhausted but jubilant Rishi and Ms.Metha were walking down to their hotel from the club. Just then a car came rushing from behind them. Rishi was the first to notice and in a flash he pulled Ms. Metha to his side. The car sped away missing her by a few centimeters. Ms.Metha was still in Rishi’s arms and was in a state of shock. Now only Rishi realised the risk they were facing. Perhaps the Manager had found out about their investigation. The Police enquiry was scheduled the next day and the manager probably wanted to finish them off before that.

“Rishi, I owe you my life. Thanks a lot. But for you… I would have been……” Ms. Metha could not bring herself to complete the sentence. “O, nothing, Ms. Metha.”

“Please, Rishi, please call me Deepa. Ms.Metha sounds very formal.” “Ok, Ms… I am sorry, Deepa.”

Induslady · Aug 2, 2005

Should I Tell?

Rishi knew that their hotel room was not safe. They did not go there. He called his boss on his mobile and explained the situation. He told him that he had arranged for the police enquiry the next day. With the freight contractor as the approver it would be a cakewalk for the company to establish the case. He also explained the attempt made on their lives. His boss was really concerned. After thinking for a while he issued instructions:

“Rishi, don’t go to the hotel. Take a cab and go to the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on"><st1laceName w:st="on">Pune</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">Airport</st1laceType></st1lace>. I’ll have a travel agent waiting for you with your tickets to Mumbai. You can buy change-dress for yourself and Ms. Metha at Mumbai. Take the mid-morning flight tomorrow to Pune. You would be driven to the Police Commissioner’s Office with an armed escort. I’ll shift the venue of enquiry there. But you two have to be there to represent the company. After the enquiry you can fly back to headquarters. I’ll have your baggage sent across to your homes. Is that clear?”

It was a thrilling experience for Rishi and Deepa that evening. The feeling that they were being chased made everything they did a great adventure. They got a cab and rushed to the airport. Deepa was holding Rishi’s hand tightly and did not let go till they checked in for the last flight to Mumbai. Rishi found it amusing that this large woman of whom every man in the company was scared was now clinging on to him as a child clung to its mother.

They shopped for a change of dress in Mumbai and had their dinner in the star hotel in which they were put up for the night. It was only around midnight that they went to their rooms, which this time was on the same floor, adjacent to each other. By the time Rishi dozed off to sleep he heard a mild knock at his door.

He was surprised to find Ms. Metha dressed in her nightie standing outside his room. She had been sweating and there was a look of fear about her face. “Please Rishi, I am terribly afraid. Only a few minutes back I had a wrong call in my mobile. The voice sounded a little too familiar and I am afraid the Manager would find us out any way. I can’t sleep alone. Will you please let me sleep in this sofa in your room?”

Rishi was confused. Nevertheless he did not want to be hard to Ms. Metha especially after he had seen the attempt on her life. Poor soul, she did not have anyone to confide her fears in, he thought. He gave his spare blankets to her and let her sleep in the sofa.

After a while Rishi could not sleep. Hitherto he had not thought Deepa Metha as a woman. She had been only an irritating colleague and bad company all along. But now he did not miss the feminine attraction in her, which was accentuated by her fears and her clinging to him. The tall frame, buxom figure, the serene face and her quick analytical mind – every thing seemed to be a turn-on. Now she was available in the same room less than six feet away from him. Then he thought of his wife Shalini, his wonderful married life with her, which any day he can look back with pride and happiness. But here was an opportunity which very few would get. A hassle-free sex just for the asking. His body and mind were at war with one another and in a few minutes his body won the battle. He surreptitiously got up from the bed and walked towards Ms.Metha.

Ms. Metha should have undergone a similar torment, for she was also walking towards him. They dashed against each other in the darkness and started to apologise. For Miss Metha who was in intimate male company for the first time, Rishi groping with her body was simply electrifying. Very soon their bodies took-over and things reached a logical conclusion.

“Rishi, it’s already 7:30. We’ll have to be at the airport by 9. I have ordered coffee for you.” Rishi did not have the guts to face Ms.Metha and went to the bathroom without a word.

“Good Morning, Rishi.”

Rishi mumbled something and hung down his head avoiding an eye contact with Deepa. “Rishi, for heaven’s sake, please don’t feel sorry for what happened last night. Don’t feel guilty. Neither of us is to be blamed. Given the force of circumstances what happened was inevitable. I will not demand any relationship with you because of the last night’s incident. Let’s not start an affair and complicate our working lives and personal lives. I know you are happily married and I wish you stay so for the rest of your life. Let’s just forget this as a wayside experience. Let’s be just friends.

For me it was a redeeming experience. I feel some great load has been lifted off my heart. I feel a greater clarity in my approach and suddenly I feel an overflowing love towards all human beings. I think it’s all due to the sudden release of repressed sexual energy. I will remember you forever for giving me this wonderful experience. You have restored my faith in the opposite sex. I am going to marry and lead a normal life. Now, let’s get on with our work.”

The Police Enquiry was smooth; the Manager was arrested and he confessed to making an attempt on the life of Ms.Metha. Rishi and Deepa flew to their headquarters the very same evening.

When Shalini welcomed Rishi with a passionate kiss he felt a pang at his heart. Rishi’s mind was in a conflict.

Induslady · Aug 2, 2005

Tips for writing the climax!

The climax to the story should focus on the following issues:

Should Rishi hide it from his wife Shalini and pretend to live normally? Should he tell her everything and risk losing her?

Should Rishi be forgiven? What should Shalini do after knowing about the incident? Should she pardon him or punish him?

Is Metha’s stand correct?

Hurry-up to post your climax! This contest is open ONLY till Aug 25th, 2005.

uma · Aug 5, 2005

It was a mistake....but!

Rishi thought, "whatever be the situational excuses, what I did was wrong. Period!. There is no way to justify it and there is no way I would accept if shalini had done something similar.

At some point, I need to start thinking about what happens next, instead of what already happened. I can confess to Shalini, which will decimate the trust based relationship that we have shared for 7 years. Or, I can conceal it, in which case my guilty feeling will eat me live. Which pain would I rather suffer?"

After thinking hard, Rishi decided his course of action: conceal and save the relationship. He had a few thoughts that drove him down this path.

What Shalini does not know will not hurt her. Why unnecessarily make her aware of something that is going to be painful for her, particularly when there is no way she will come to know - given mehta's approach.

He also rationalized that his guilty feeling is going to kill him for the first few weeks, even months. But there is no emotion or feeling that time will not heal away. He also felt that this guilty feeling itself will make him love his wife more.

But he said to himself, "never again...."

Sharada · Aug 6, 2005

Climax

To tell or not to tell was his dilemma. Shalini said, “I’ll bring hot masala chai and your favourite onion pakodas, and then you can tell me about your trip.” “Oh, it was the usual business trip, nothing much to report about,” he replied nonchalantly. “Did you find out who was siphoning the money?” Shalini asked. “Ms.Metha proved to be a super sleuth. In a few hours she was able to find out!” Rishi said. “And all the while you were cursing your luck that you had to travel with a bossy, opinionated woman like her!” said Shalini. Rishi did not reply. “What is she really like as a person?” Shalini asked. The hot pakoda almost got stuck in his throat. “She’s good at her job and that’s what counts,” Rishi replied.

“Let me tell you a story,” Rishi said. He started telling her about a traveling salesman and his encounters with the opposite sex. “Oh, don’t bore me,” she said and reached for the TV remote.

A few months later…

Shalini walked in looking radiant and informed Rishi that she’d landed a plum assignment with a company in Kolkata. “Why do you need a job, don’t I provide you with all the comforts and luxuries?” “I don’t deny that Rishi. You have been a good husband, but now you have to be a good father,” Shalini replied. “Great news darling, why didn’t you tell me that you were pregnant?” he said sweeping her off her feet. “Who said I was pregnant? Deepa is going to be the mother of your child,” said Shalini matter-of-factly. Rishi was too shocked to react. He felt as if a truck had knocked him down.

“It’s my turn to tell you a story,” said Shalini. She told him that when she had gone to the fertility clinic for invitro-fertilisation she had seen Deepa coming out of the gynecologist’s room and being sent for further tests. “I soon came to know that she was pregnant. Assuming that she had got secretly married I paid her a surprise visit.”

Deepa was taken aback. Shalini grilled her and got to know about that night of passion and betrayal. Deepa said, “We never wanted to hurt you and I had told Rishi that this matter would be buried and forgotten. But nature had other plans.”

Rishi went down on his knees and begged for forgiveness. “It will never happen again,” he promised. “Rishi I pardon your mistake. But love means responsibility and a child needs both a mother and father. I know how much you love children and for Deepa to bring up a child out of wedlock will be a Herculean task. I will send you the divorce notice shortly, so that your relationship with Deepa can be legalized.” Saying this Shalini walked out of his house and life with her head held high.

SHARADA PRAHLADRAO

ambika ananth · Aug 6, 2005

Climax of the story - PArt-1

Rishi felt the usual warm embrace of Shalini unbearably suffocating as iron chains of guilt tightened around him. He knew he loved Shalini far too much to risk their blissful wedded life by confessing the sheer hasty act of carnal appetite, where there was not even an iota of emotional bonding. He regretted every moment of that momentary pleasure…but how to undo the whole thing ?? Rishi’s mind was in a great turmoil. How he wished the clock turned back magically to those days of past where it was only Shalini and himself and no looming presence of a third person.? The hardest thing for a man is to understand which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn….Rishi felt a seething heat of remorse swelling up in his system. Sleep evaded him that night and seeing Shailini sleep like a baby, he felt what it means to have a guilt free conscience, which serves as the softest pillow for anybody’s sleep…
The next morning, he avoided looking into the clear eyes of Shalini, some how managed eating his breakfast, mumbled a half-hearted and hurried ‘ see you Shailini..” and rushed out of the house.. Guilt clawing at his brain, and heart beats pounding in his ears, Rishi felt totally dazed but gathered his senses quickly and drove straight to Metha’s house with a sense of great urgency.
When Metha opened the door, she looked so peaceful and radiant, Rishi was struck by the freshness of the expression on her former hard face. She too must have felt a kind of shock seeing the usual bright and sunny Rishi standing with drooping shoulders and a lost look in his eyes. But without a word, she went inside and Rishi followed her.

“Rishi before you say anything , let me please thank you again, for bringing out the ‘woman’ in me…you helped the real nature in me to blossom and I feel like a totally different person. .my perception towards this whole world softened., but let me assure you, I am not demanding any continuity of relationship with you….I know you are a married man and that you truly love your wife….!!

Rishi shifted in the chair uncomfortably. He felt the lump in his throat hurt very badly and his eyes smart with the hot welling tears.

“ Metha, sorry Deepa, the irony is, for you, the world changed into a better place, but for me….My world just collapsed. I cannot carry on with this guilt and Shalini’s love for me and her trust in me are weighing down on my heart so heavy, I am not able to breathe…

Sensing his genuine agony and emotions, Metha went close to him and put her hand on his shoulder…”Rishi, why are you taking it so hard..?? did we plan anything , scheme anything behind Shalini’s back, were we into any affair ..?? No, by some quirk of fate or destiny, we entered a state of blind lust and not being in full possession of our senses, we had physical relationship. I was the one, more eager to delve into the dark desire of the night to enjoy as a man and woman, it was almost an accident, we were suffused by our desires. As colleagues working in an office, moving in close proximity. you never ever cared for me as a woman and I never felt any stirring in my heart for you…we were just victims of an over-powering circumstance.”

“Metha, can you come and tell Shalini the same thing…???? Almost fearing a big NO from her, Rishi’ said and his eyes shone with pain and also with hope. Metha read it as his deep love for his wife. She felt a sudden warmth spreading to her heart. Without a second thought, she said.. “YES !!

“Give me a minute, I will change and come..!! “ Metha said and went inside. Rishi sat and wondered how just one day turned a life which was without any remorse and self-reproach into a life full of that..!

(Continued in Part-2)

ambika ananth · Aug 6, 2005

climax of the story - part-2 ( the concluding part)

When Metha came out dressed and ready to leave Rishi said, “ Metha, I don’t know how to thank you for understanding my feelings. This is really cruel on my part to ask you to come and to talk to my wife but you know Metha, she is my mainstay, she is my rock of Gibraltar, my best friend, my wailing wall, my soul-mate…she is just about everything to me. I feel if you explain to her under what circumstances we ended up in bed, purely for ‘sex’…and physical pleasure and that there was no emotional bond or that it was not ‘love-making’, then if she understands and forgives me, I will take it as the “rainbow of my life which followed this terrible rain’…

Before stepping out,
With a tremor in his voice Rishi said…But will Shalini forgive me Metha’…???

“ Yes, she will…!! “ the voice boomed with a finality.

Shalini stood in the doorway of Metha. Rishi and Metha were shell shocked to see her there…

“What did you think Rishi…that I couldn’t sense if something goes terribly amiss with your mental state ? The dark pain in your eyes and the loud silence in your heart hit me hard. When you left in the morning as though like a zombie, I followed you….and I heard every word you both exchanged.

Before I say anything, let me tell you something…” I am truly proud of you and I feel a rightful pride for being what I am…your soul-mate…!!

Our motto had always been - “Do more than live- Exist “, we both existed for each other, we still will….!! Each of us will have only one lifetime to spend on this Earth, I don’t want one human mistake to ruin it. Truly loving couple are always on ‘speaking terms’ with God, asking for forgiveness for each others’ mistakes … though what happened between you and Metha is a serious breach of trust between the two of us, I ask Him to forgive you Rishi, because I love you too much…

The guilt which was eating away your peace of mind is the ‘touch stone’, proving your innate goodness and morality. Dear hubby, circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him…. This one revealed your true love for me…..

Metha, I always trusted Rishi and I will continue to do so… You both are two good individuals who ended up committing a big blunder …

I want to tell you about the one rule of life which I learnt in a workshop.

Life is testing me if I will use the lesson now and I am sure I will…

To a stunned and stupefied Metha and Rishi, Shalini started telling about the lesson of life she plans to adopt now…

"In the work shop which I attended as a part of a Motivational Program, the well-known speaker started off by holding up a Rs.500 Note.
and asked, "Who would like this Rs.500 Note “
Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this Rs.500 to one of
you but first let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the note up.
and he dropped it on the ground
and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now
all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went
into the air. Then he said,
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I
did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rs.500 .
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by some wrong choices, wrong decisions and wrong doings, and we feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value if you have learnt a lesson. Life is too precious to be marred by mistakes…correct them and lead your lives… You are special - Don't ever forget it!

The speaker ended his speech with these words… "Never let yesterday's mistakes and hurts overshadow tomorrow's dreams"
“ Rishi, in my eyes, your value has not decreased…and I won’t allow your yesterday’s one mistake ruining thousands of tommorow’s dreams….but promise me that you have learnt your lesson.. “ Shalini extended her hand towards Rishi…

“I did , I truly did…!!” saying emphatically, Rishi grabbed her hand- the hand of a true friend and a soul-mate…
Tears of joy streaming down , Rishi hugged Shalini with over flowing love and abandon …and seeing both of them in a state of deep love and understanding, Metha’s decision to marry and lead a fulfilling life took deeper roots in her mind…and she wished this loving couple a long long life of love and mutual trust….!!

manjula · Aug 7, 2005

Kismat

Before he could reply his wife's passionate kiss his wife just ran to the bathroom and there the first time in her life she felt "THE MORNING SICKNESS". Rishi was worried about what's happening
why shalini just ran away like that, but shalini dint say anything when she came back. Even on dinner both of them were quite. When rishi tried to started the conversation shalini said she is not feeling good. But there was something else going on her mind too!

So here is life's crucial reality. On one side of bed rishi was lying down and thinking about 'to tell the truth to shalini or not to tell dilemma'. On the other side shalini was lost in her own dreams of future which were full of guilt of past. Actually in past couple of months there was something going on between shalini and rishi's boss. Shalini and rishi's boss Kunal
met at one of the office party. And shalini felt something after that. She was feeling that she is alive again. She realised with rishi there is everything like routined, waking in the morning office, dinner and then that love they shared even that looked like fake bcoz there was nothing like passionate. She slowly started to see Kunal when rishi was out of town and when they became
two bodies and one soul, even she dint know. But now she was founding out that she was pregnant with Kunal's child. So she was just happy she could not think about anything else. She was weaving her future with her child's tiny hands.

In the morning daily life started again neither rishi said anything nor shalini. But when he reached office he saw Deepa was taking all the credit for all the work they both have done. He was fumed to know that. After that he could not work in office he came home early and what he see there shalini and kunal were celebrating their happiness. he was shocked to see his wife his loving wife betrayed him. he could not see that and came out. He was just walking and walking and walking on the road and thinking about how life played with him, but who can say anything to "KISMAT" and just then
there was loud crash. everything was stopped for a minute. everybody was rushing to see what happened. And there was Rishi lying dead under the truck who just hit him with his eyes open.

Shalini got the news and she was shattered. But who can stop life. After all the necessary formalities she got married to Kunal in very simple ceramony at nearby temple.
Till today she doesnt know about this that rishi betrayed her and he saw her betraying him too.

"Mumma, mumma come here i want to show u my new plane which daddy just made for me." comes out the little rishi and life starts again.

Manjula Kumar

madhu_cute · Aug 11, 2005

Rishi though was guilty about what happened did not want to show any expressions on his face. He remained unusually quite, just swallowed something Shalini had made for dinner not bothered to know what he was eating. Then went to bed. Shalini thought he would have had a tiring and tough trip that left Rishi almost with no energy going to bed so early.

The next day Rishi got up and hurried to work trying hard to avoid looking at Shalini in her eyes for the fear of guilt. At office, Rishi came to know the news that Mehta got herself transferred to a different branch in a differnt place. Days passed by and somehow Rishi managed to come out of the guilt slowly.

Few months later, Shalini had a real good news for Rishi, something they had been waiting for years. They were soon to be blessed with a baby. Both Rishi and Shalini felt they got a new world to live, celebrating and enjoying Shalini's pregnancy. Rishi took good care of Shalini with full of true love and affection.

Shalini was due for delivery and was admitted in the hospital. In the same hospital, Rishi to his suprise and shock, found Mehta also admitted in the maternity ward. He approached Mehta and came to know that she was due for their baby. Rishi was again reminded of his guilt and this time he hated himself for having left Mehta in such a bad state in the society. This made him decide that whatever happens he is going to tell Shalini all that happened between him and Mehta.

When he returned to Shalini's room in the hospital with these thoughts running in his mind, he already found Shalini moved into the maternity room. He waited for hours impatiently for two things - to see the new life to be born and to tell Shalini about his guilt. The doctor who attented Shalini came out with a life shocking news for Rishi that their little one is no more. While they tried hard to save the life of both the mother and the baby, they could save only Shalini.

Rishi was in a miserable state of life. He thought it is a God given punishment to him for not being true to Shalini and for disregarding Mehta. But to his relief he heard the good news that Mehta delivered a little angel. He rushed to see the angel and shared the news about Shalini and her no more baby. Mehta made up her mind hearing about it and told Rishi, 'now this little angel is going to be a blessing for you and Shalini. Take her to Shalini before she wakes up and do not open up anything that happened in the past. This will be the gift you can ever get for Shalini and will also help you to come out of your guilt'. Though Rishi was not in agreement initially, Mehta told everything to convince him. Mehta said that she will be strong to lead her one life while Shalini would not be strong enough to hear about her lost baby or the guilt of her loving husband.

Rishi moved out with the little angel not only from Mehta's room but from her life too.