TALE 40 - Nadia

Her best friend was a Hindu boy

They had amazing chemistry

Her boy friend was a Muslim like her

She was clear she'd only marry a man from within her own religion 

She got engaged to her boyfriend

And married soon after....

Realised that the relationship showed lacking,

 she missed her best friend's company...

Her marriage was on rocks.....

Husband flew to UK for work; not taking her with him...

She was now a married single...

Her best friend had always liked her

She very well knew about this

And so he proposed

She put up a condition...

Convert for me and I'll marry you

To which he said yes...

He liked her too much for not saying yes to a thing undoable...

Promising her a conversion, he flew to the U.S. for a project!

She divorced her husband and waited for her best friend for a fairytale marriage...

He couldn't get himself to give up his religion for love...

She couldn't take back her condition of conversion for marriage...

It was again a misfit...

She wanted to settled down and start a family...

Years passed...

She had let go of her husband and lost her best friend

Three people messed up with their lives...

Who's fault was it?

She? Husband? Best friend? Religion? Society? Conditioning?

She finally found a match in an arranged set up...

She will now get married this October...

Was this all arranged for???

Isn't it sometimes really weird for no reason?

Let's hope all of them somehow finally find happiness...

We like it complicated...

Simple is not our cup of tea...

‪#‎notsotinytales‬

- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 39 - Letting go...

She was in her early thirties...
Single...
Tall, dusky and on the heavier side...
She looked attractive, but quite unsure if men liked her giant-like big built...
She had a series of broken relationships to add up to that insecurity...
Nevertheless; she had learnt to find her emotional support in friends and divinity...
But her body burnt of solitude...
That night; at the club;
All her friends danced with their partners....
She danced alone;
Enjoyed the music; 
She was absolutely rocking it...
She was a lil high too...
She didn't know who he was...
Looked like a young boy;
Much younger to her...
She least realised when her body began brushing against him...
He jumped at the opportunity...
Held her the way she would have loved to be held... 
She enjoyed dancing closely with him...
They swayed to glory...
The night darkened...
He kissed her...
She had missed that bliss for long...
That night...
She danced n kissed a stranger...
Oops; one more red line on her societal report card...
She had had this wish for long; Dancing with her man at a club and kissing him passionately...
Ya ya; he wasn't her man...
But He was a Man n he kissed well...
Her one relationship goal addressed...
She felt blessed; smiled to herself...
N did what she normally did...
Let Go!!
‪#‎notsotinytales‬ 
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 38 - Il fitting glove and a frostbite

Kartik was a year senior to Reva in college
Together in theatre group they got to know each other
Long hours of rehearsals
longer hours of T.P. on katta got them close
He had been out of a recent heartbreak
Tending to his fresh wound he found out that getting quickly in another relation might just do the trick to heal
Reva too had begun to like him
He proposed on a whim without much thought to it
She treated it like a regular college affair
Not putting in much expectations she replied in affirmation
They carried on till their grads
In the mean while Dipti, Reva's younger sister had joined their college
She was introduced to their gang...
After college they stuck together as a group with a new addition of Dipti as a team member
They got to work with each other for a creative project out of college where in Reva and Kartik decided to get serious about their relationship and take it a step further
They decided to get married
Kartik was habituated to Reva while Reva was in love with Kartik
In the mean while it so happened that Dipti and Kartik got extremely attracted to each other
Dipti was young, for her it was calf love....probably her first ever...
Plus it was a taboo since it was tecnically forbidden...
Like rebellious youngblood she too got a high falling in for Kartik who appeared to be taken
While Kartik was never in love with Reva found Dipti's tender wanting extremely irresistible
Kartik and Dipti had a passionate affair while Reva and Kartik got engaged
This two timing naturally troubled the couple in love but both of them were to scared to come out and reveal...
They weren't scared of Reva but they were definetely scared for her
A day before their wedding Kartik and Dipti thought of eloping away but neither of them had the courage
Reva now as Kartik's wife made sure she left no stone unturned to make their marital life blissful
To her it was a dream come true, she had finally got what she wished for...
For Kartik and Dipti however it was a disastrous situation
While Kartik struggled to render his duties as a husband Reva worried that its her fault that there was some kind of lacking between them....
Finally to escape this daily guilt Kartik decided to take up a job elsewhere...
He shifted to another city taking up a job and settling there
Now he could forgo the guilt of not keeping Reva happy
However his long distance relationship with Dipti wasn't working out
Dipti couldn't bear the distance and confessed everything to her family
Reva understood the situation she was indeed in a pickle
She loved Dipti and she loved Kartik
She wanted to see them happy
So she packed off Dipti to Kartik's city
She said, "Go live with him Dipti if that's what is going to make the both of you happy..."
Dipti rejoiced and joined Kartik in his city...
They lived as lovebirds for a few days
However the young girl that Dipti was, solitude in an alien city just being home, wasn't her cup of tea
She got bored and came back...
Kartik was shattered
Dipti realised that there is more to life than just being in a relationship
She found out that she had professional aspirations and academic interests too which were non negotiable...
She did not find Kartik complimenting her well as a partner...
It was an immature hasteful decision
She rejoined college and got engrossed in her life
She was young and obviously got attention from men her age
She thanked her stars for making her realize that she had made a mistake
Here Reva went to Kartik to start over a new lease of life
Kartik tried but couldn't get himself to come out of his love for Dipti
Tired of trying Reva came back to her homeground and continued with her life
She maintained good terms with her maiden home as well as her in-laws
Lonely and alone Reva knew there wasn't any way out since she knew that she still loved Kartik and that he would never be able to love her
But there wasn't a way out since Kartik had gone in major depression and was under medication
He had suicidal tendencies and needed her every now and then as emotional support
She did not want a divorce... separated they were technically but she knew she was super attached to him....
She decided to embrace both the families and kept the ties strong
Dipti on the other hand fell in love got married and settled down
Reva now lives in her city working hard in her field while maintaining warm relations with people around
Kartik's parents find support with Reva in their lives
Dipti and Reva still stand strong for each other in happiness, challenges and otherwise
Kartik wants a divorce but Reva has her reasons to not ablige
Kartik leads a solo life filled with bypassed impressions of past and unrealistic dreams about the future
He is never in the NOW...
#notsotinytales
- Prajakta Sathe

TALE 37 - Synchronicity...

He strolled in d hall with an exaggerated swagger
Dressed to kill it seemed that he was groomed to look the way that he looked since childhood
The way he held his drink 
The suaveness in his gait
His flawlessly cultivated language skills 
All created an aura of tempting hue to his existence
He had come for a friend's wedding...
Every lady in the banquet middle aged or young was curious, many interested...
He knew that they were looking out for him
Least surprised he basked in the attention
He also knew that he looked so plush that people would often feel intimidated to approach...
Just then he noticed a timid face
A young girl with the sweetest face ever
He had never seen a girl with such brilliant radiance
He wondered as to why she seemed so tensed 
Dressed simply he thanked his stars he noticed her sooner...
Just when he wanted To approach her, she rushed to the washroom...
Neither did she wish the bride and groom nor did she have company...
No one in the hall cared to notice her except him...
She was clearly gate crashing
she'd certainly not be doing it out of choice 
She ate her food slowly relishing every morsel 
Food somehow calmed her tensed face
Wasting not a single minute she left the hall soon after
There was something in her that had struck him...
It wouldn't let him sit peacefully
He couldn't eat...
He left the hall just when she left...
Followed her...
She went to a hutment area nearby 
Picked up a crawling baby from the ground and sat breastfeeding at a corner of a pavement shed 
She seemed calm and slept in a while out in the open...
She was in her late teens clearly living on the road that night
He waited there for hours to find out more...
No sign of any family she woke up twice to feed her baby as it got hungry...
He came home with a strong desire to give them a home. 
He had liked her, he wanted her in his life...
Just like many it was love at first sight
As unreal as it may sound he wanted to get her to his house
Make her a part of his life
She and her baby would make a great home with me he thought
Yes he was from the world of royalty and palatial residences
Yes she was close to no one... an invisible part of downtrodden 
In spite of this, he felt a connect...
Difficult to assimilate,but a connect so strong that he couldn't stop his thoughts from turning into actions
He searched for her the next day.
He found her going in a chawl
She had gone out asking for domestic jobs
People were skeptical to trust a teenage girl with a child....
No one bothered to hear her story...
He approached her...
She wasn't scared a bit....
She was lured on by a roadside romeo who took her off from her native with promises of marriage
They lived together in a room till he got poisoned one night with adulterated alcohol and died
She was unmarried and pregnant with his child in a room with nothing to fend for
She delivered her baby but was thrown out right after...
This incidence happened two days back...
That explained her decent attire...
She was scared but not crushed
She was now a mother
She told him that she was ready to go in for prostitution if she didn't get a job
She was clueless about how things worked in the city 
But was very sure of her abilities to survive and support her child
Listening to her he asked her if she d be interested in living with him
She said yes without a though...
He was a well settled bachelor who never wanted to settle down till then
He had no family around to bother him for his decisions
Even if he did have any he was someone who always listened to his heart...
She was given shelter food clothing and security with her child
He waited for her to gain her confidence in him
He proposed out of love
She said yes as she had no option
But this time things worked...
He took her under his wings
He let her blossom n bloom to her finest glory
He let her raise her baby
She didn't want to study, so he let her be...
She turned out to be such an optimistic positive human
With love for herself and her baby she slowly did fall for her now husband
now all of them have a HOME
they are indeed living happily ever since...
Yet another fairytale came true!
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 36 - Un-mended...

She was 13. He was 19
In her teens; she asked for all the cute things that a guy does for his girl....
But he told her, I don't like all this childish stuff...
In her early twenties...
she craved all that a man does for his lady...
but he told her, let me settle down a bit...
In her mid twenties; they got married;
she visualised partnership; 
but he even stopped telling her the reasons for not giving her what she needed...
In her late twenties; 
She walked away. 
She strengthened.
She designed a life for herself. 
She struggled to make money; worked out; had hobbies; travelled...
Early thirties; but her soul mate yet not arrived.
Her teenage; her 20s, her mid 20s n the late - 2 decades of suppressed needs. 
Some lucky ones get it from one man. 
She dint.
She searched.
She waited...
She loved.
She broke.
All she got was different things from different men...
Should she be judged???
Is she characterless??
Some tales are best unanswered...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 35 - Mutual

They were vocal about their liking for each other
There could be no hiding of emotions 
It was not love they both understood 
There however was a possibility of something likewise
The colleagues knew their families knew
Courting was on... Big time...
The natural stages of fondness and affection were surpassed in ultra speed
Their companionship had an acceleration of extreme physical attraction which neither of them denied...
They waited well past office hours to spend time
They spoke less but felt more... made out sooner...
They turned into partners before they could be friends
Its today's world, they were open about it...
And happy too!
Their families raised a familiar question which haunts every dating couple...
When would u tie a knot?
Friends asked if they were gonna move in together...
Colleagues assumed their commitment n put them in a couple's league...
In the mean while...
This boy and girl realised that they had already experienced what they would have experienced had they been married...
They had worked, eaten, partied, travelled, slept together and had done everything they could ever imagine...
for all that they knew they had even been there for each other emotionally...
They were happy...
They wanted to keep it that way...
They did not need a stamp on their love...
And yes love it was... They realised...
But they weren't ready to move in...
They were together while being independent...
Yet they were a couple...
Their families after some gentle nudging agreed to their views...
Questions about starting a family were raised...
To which they replied....
They d definitely have a plan if they wanted children
But they would not marry...
It was a good lesson...
For their families...
Who were conditioned to bond for society for ages...
It still is going strong...
Much in love they now work for different companies
But also work towards their relationship
Fairy tales are real
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 34 - Point blank...

pressure cooker on burner one  
omlette pan on burner two
tadka for veggies on burner three
tea on burner four
butter on defrost mode in d microwave
veg soup stock in the mixer to cool off before blitsing
one hand in the atta maker
the garbage lady rings the bell... black bags are handled over to her in hurry...new bags worn over the bins...
off to the basin to wash her hands
she searches for an opener to open the ketchup bottle
the phone rings and so does the bell
a maid calls in sick over the phone and the watchman comes with the society notice
hastily signing off the sheet she places it on the dinning table
her eyes go on the half done drawing assignment of the elder one
tensed about his scores she rushes off to remind him of it......
still lazing on the bed the elder one throws a tantrum.... you always scold me in the morning.....
the whatsapp and FB alerts keep buzzing on the cell phone
the younger one is woken up in between
he is carried on to the washroom...
the husband is pushed in for bath....
Laundry man turns up just at the oddest minute...
ironed clothes, dry cleaned clothes, bills, change and calculations
omlettes flipped toasts made buttered n layered with ketchup for the trio...
egg whites for hubby cheesy eggs for the older one with no ketchup
lots of sauce with butter but no cheese for the younger one
orange juice, bournvita, plain milk ...each one has preference...
bags are packed....kids are bathed dried and dressed
their hair is combed ties scurried up neat
shoes polished....tiffins filled up with roti subzi salad n treat
hubby scuffles up with his diet lunch.... soup and salad with dry nuts n fruit for snacking....
school bus arrives kids are dropped off...
husband bids farewell...
the home suddenly becomes quiet....
not a single sound of life except her own tired inhales n exhales...
she realizes she is hungry tired sweaty n sleepy at the same time...
she thinks of prioritizing but her brain does not cooperate...
her eyes spot half eaten sandwich on the dinning table, yesterdays socks thrown beside the sofa near the shoe rack...
polish still opened near the rack door...
clothes still waiting to be put in the washing machine...
her breakfast still to be made...
her tea that had got cold....
her phone showing 7 missed calls...
the basin full of last nights dishes...
a messy kitchen platform...
bed that is still unmade
blankets unfolded...
her nails had worn off nailpaint from last month...
her eyebrows were bushy...
she happens to look at her own face in the wardrobe mirror...
when was the last time i went in for a facial....???
she doesn't remember...
however, she does remember that she forgot to cut the younger one's nails
she felt sorry that he would now get a note from his teacher...
she craved for a bath....
but she just sat there on the sofa
for minutes n then hours
sleeping off her stress...
Some stories go on day by day on a loop mode...
and then they crash...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe

TALE 33 - Short Yarn...

It was the softest wool that one could ever find...
Knitting day in and day out she wanted to make sure that the scarf would be ready before he left...
Mauve a color that would go perfectly with his marble fair complexion, she thought...
She would smile as she knitted...
The pattern was intricate and if she'd miss even one weave the design would break...
But she would never let that happen
She was focussed calm and at peace while she made her gift of love
She believed that like food, all things carry the energy of the creator...
Her knitting had rhythm her pose seemed meditative
Sometimes for nights she would knit...
In the knots of wool intertwined her dreams of anticipatory intermingling...
Of desires and fantasies of togetherness with the man she had connected with...
Her heart raced faster as the scarf headed towards completion...
With butterflies in stomach she visualised him wearing the mauve love...
Coy pleasant radiance enveloped her as she knit the last stitch...
Gasp gulp sigh chuckle all mixed up on her already lit face as she folded her gift...
It was early winter... A fond play of sun and cool breeze...
She had called him on the terrace...
Anxious and impatient with excitement her fingers drew hair off her face...
He came gently but she caught his scent...
His very own essence could never hide from her
She turned, ran to him, hugged him tight...
Made him close his eyes and wrapped him up in her surprise...
Tears in his eyes he kissed her
That was the only way he could show how he felt
Time slowed after he went...
She got the news of him reaching the base camp...
Her pride knew no bounds...
He was one of the few who was selected for the summit.
.
.
.
.
.
She holds the mauve scarf that he had hastily wrapped round a fellow climber to help him resurrect..
Today it would be a decade since he had gone to conquer the height of his only dream...
No trace no information no clue of his whereabouts...
Not even his body...
Just... The mauve scarf...
That saved a life...
The scarf
The color
The feel
The knitted texture...
Everything becomes moist today...
In his memory (not remembrance)
Because he is still not gone...
Very much there...
In her eyes... As a dream...
Unfulfilled...
‪#‎notsotinytale‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 32 - 180 degrees

I had something to say before he hung up on me
He did not wait to hear what I had to say
She gossiped to herself...
She then tried to engage herself in random activities for distraction...
What would she do???
Breaking a few dishes...
Or maybe tearing a few newspapers?
Or maybe punching a pillow or two really hard???
Or maybe stabbing it with a knife to tear and wither it off?
Or maybe binge eating junk?
Maybe smoking some light???
Fizzing in some booze...???
Maybe...
She felt like.... But she didn't....
Instead she de cluttered her room...
Rearranged her wardrobe
Threw off many unused things mercilessly...
Then went to the fridge...
If I m really hungry I will make do with an apple...
I need not chuck in the chocolate cake...she thought...
Munching on the fruit she strolled in her house...
Now what??? Need to get some fresh air...
Tracks n tee, socks n shoes with earphones n her cellphone...
She barged out for a run...
Ran till she couldn't run even an inch more...
Then ran some more...
Breaking into epic sweat she felt high...
Returned home to a fabulous hot shower...
Refreshed... She quickly made herself some scrumptious scrambled eggs on toast...
Rewarding she thought....
Her taste buds thanked her n so did her temperament...
Tired n sleepy she crashed onto the bed with full satisfaction of finding opportunity in adversity...
Feeling great that no matter what, she was not letting someone else's behaviour alter or ruin her life...
She was going to give d keys to her happiness to no one but herself...
She had taken responsibility for her own wellbeing...
Relationship will be sorted with time
And if it doesn't it was never meant to be... She thought...
She decided to take no stress...
Just chill...take it one day at a time...
She gossiped yet again with herself...
With a smile on her face...
Feeling fab, she was fast asleep...
Some stories just ARE they don't BE...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe

TALE 31 - Inside out...

She rocked this world with love and laughter
Action was her spice be it at home or outdoors
Let's paint the walls of our street corner with texture this weekend she'd say....
Let's go feed stray dogs now she declared on a whim...
She gave off her umbrella to street kids, her sweater to a girl on the signal and her raincoat to the garbage lady and her poncho to the pale fisher woman at the bazaar...
Giving was her essense...
She'd keep gifting things to animate and non living objects every day of her life...
Why would she give? And give so much?
How did it make her feel?
She would give alms, she'd donate food packets, she'd also teach slum kids...
Most importantly she would give time...
To people...who are in need...
And to those who aren't in need of her time too....
Because she knew... No matter what...
You cannot ever have enough time...
She wanted to make most of whatever she had...
Money, recourses, education, experience and of course time...
She wanted it all to be given away just in TIME...
She did not want to marry because she knew she wouldn't live that long n she did not want to adopt for the same reason...
So she sponsored a child...
She spent every rupee that she inherited from her parents for humanitarian causes...
"I inherited an enormous fortune along with a huge disease from my parents...
Let the disease now be my fortune..." she said.
She refused to undergo chemo and radiation
She did die a painful death full of peace....
And kept her mission going even after she was gone...
Cadaver donation...
There is a hero in this story...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 30 - Living with an Ouch...

Unslept for months she tried to believe that her marriage was working
Lame faith on fate however rotten it may be she held tightly to the rags that hung 
And society's conditioning to make it work somehow and anyhow made her desperate to cling on... 
Well, her husband seemed uninterested in anything but professional success and took everything for granted...
He had no expectations from personal life except a home to come back to for dinner and sleep...
This clarity made him a happy man...
Isn't it great that some people have such limited existence essentials that they make near to perfect current century city humans...!!!
Relationship, health, entertainment, rest, hobbies, relaxation all were DePrioritised by him...
He was a corporate God...
She was soft at heart sensitive and emotional...
This worked wonderfully for her as a creative professional but totally worked against her in her personal life....
With no dreamy unrealistic expectations from marriage all she wanted was communication and nothing else which she unfortunately rarely got...
She was an educated talented part time working woman with an independent work zone... She was quite happy with her profession...
She desperately wanted to get out of this rut n breathe fresh...
Hated the staleness...
Tried at her own level...
Lost weight, got a makeover, stayed impeccable and attractive...
Nothing helped...
How she wished she was not married...
But as woman who was afraid of singledom after years of a secured marital status, she thought that a known devil was better than unknown devil
Hence opted to stay put...
But it was eating her bit by bit...
PseudoGlorified commitment enraged her she doubted his integrity and wasn't a bit sure of hers...
Had she got out of the commitment she would have a myriad of struggles and would ve lost the contact of their only son...
Because she wouldn't take him... She knew she wasn't the type who would work extra hard to raise her son as a single mom...
So she stamped herself as a coward and stuck to the arrangement accepting everything
She is still in the marriage hoping for a miracle...
And many such stories keep going on in mega cities and small towns...
Real not imagined...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 29 - Polar bearing...

She was a Neophiliac
She knew that about herself
Easily bored with routine 
She kept her options open 
And her outlook broad
She freelanced... Of course
And excelled in whatever she got into...
She left her parents house as soon as she gained the confidence about her financial independence 
Found herself a pretty decent apartment near the seafront 
Decorated it with awesome aesthetic sensibility creating cosy nooks n corners of blissful comfort
A tastefully done up home with things that she fancied and picked up from all over the world
The decor kept changing every few months
She d pack her bags any time n leave her home for a backpacking trip near nature
Sometimes the sea, at times the forests, seldom trips to the mountains n a few to the valleys... Deserts pyramids and tombs fascinated her the most...
She kept changing her priorities...
From travelling to friends to shopping , earning money, spending it on family or going in for a meditation retreat...
No day was same...ever...
Dressed to please no one but herself, one could find her dazzling in an evening gown, dapper in a formal skirt suit, gypsy skirts with hoops in her ears or the LBD with killer stilettoes and yet again in an ethnic nine yards with the nose pin et all...
She was the spice in her life...
From atrocious street food experiments to eating at 5 star cruises she had got it all covered in 35 years of her lifetime...
She never got into a serious relationship for the fear of monotony 
He of age 30 was a 9 to 5 government employed clerk who stayed in a chawl in a single room with his brother his wife and kid 
He travelled to work by train...
He knew he was an absolute mediocre with extremely ordinary ambitions of a suburban one BHK flat a working wife who can support him financially and a child or two according to their financial status
A vacation within India every alternate year and a yearly visit to their family deity made him happy...
He wished for his children to be educated with merits.
His dreams about kids were purely academic and job oriented...
He loved his set pattern of living and any change made him off his hoof...
He felt out of place if there was any change around...
Long sleeved pastel 'gents' colored shirts and dark colored tailored 'pants' was his dress code for life
Bata for shoes and Cambridge for clothes VIP for bags was his formula of power dressing...
He was a vegetarian by birth and he believed to keep it so...
He aspired to marry a graduate girl within his subcaste and blushed at the thoughts of honeymoon...
He had started to meet prospective brides to be for an arranged marriage...
They had no chances of meeting under any circumstances otherwise However they still happened to sleep in beds placed side by side in a blood donation camp.
She donated blood that day on a whim...
He donated out of his routine yearly plan of blood donation that he stuck to since he was 18... 
She was restless throughout
He was calm
They did not speak while at it...
They came out of the camp together... 
Just when she lost her balance...
He took hold of her...
Carried her back made her have another cup of tea n biscuits
They got talking...
She was incidentally travelling to town for a story telling session with an NGO near his office
She gave him a lift...
Impressed by her driving skills and her plush car he loved the feel of Air conditioned car perfume and the ambience that African beats playing on her stereo created against the backdrop of sweat covered pulsating mumbai traffic...
They were amused by each others life 
So much so that for the first time ever he dared give out his own no.when she asked for it...
They kept in touch...
Ocassionally met for some tea and brun maska at the iranis or for some moccha at a café
They imbibed some of each others life nuggets getting surprised at every meet 
They thoroughly loved to talk with each other and chatted for hours about the contrasts that they saw...
No... They did not fall for each other...
They became close friends...
Both of them glad for donating blood that day...
They found each other as strong supports 
The story ends here...
He is happily married 
She is still rocking it on her front
They don't get to meet that often given his settled status and EMI pressure of the suburban flat home loan.
His wife has been introduced to her and being from a background that she is finds their friendship unsettling and abnormal...
Even if they don't meet for months,
they have a fond place in each others heart 
A place which only they can understand...
Friends for life...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe

TALE 28 - Un-Groom-Ed

She bend over and pulled up his sock lost in a pile of clothes n sheets n quietly hand it over to him
Thanks he muttered and hurriedly wore his shoes leaving the house
Uff when were these pillow covers changed last she thought in her mind...
Diligently cleared the room up
Dusted the furniture changed the upholstery
Put off everything for laundry...
She put the books in place
Alphabetical or topic wise she wondered...
She was curious about the topics though...
Books on dogs, architecture and a few coffee table books on films...
CD's so many of them...all over the living room...
Tissues beneath the dining table and half a slice of leftover pizza with a soda can...
Hmmm... This mess couldn't be cleared with a vacuum cleaner...
She took a garbage bag and started the clean up mission
Room by room she tackled his lackluster lifestyle with patience...
Kitchen...Fridge...mission impossible she thought...
Half eaten icecream tubs... Expired bottles of ketchup and mayo...
Blunders of bachelor life...
After about three hours of living room and kitchen she went to his wardrobe...
Should I open it or not she wondered...
It was almost open any which ways...
A gentle push and the whole bundle of used unused folded crumpled menswear fell over her...
With no option she tackled the cupboard for another 45 mins
Clean sheets
watered plants
Spotless tiles
Shinning flooring
Vacuumed carpet
Fresh curtains towels
Clutter free fridge
Arranged kitchen
Super tidy wardrobe
Folded laundry
Three tubs of washed for ironing, for washing, and for dry clean clothes...
This now looks somewhat like a house...
Not yet a home she said...
Went down got a few groceries
Fresh fruits veggies n some bread...
Carnations for the living room
Roses for the bedroom...
Refills for the hand wash and room fresheners
Amazing she said aloud as she lit a lamp in front of the altar...
Home sweet home...
By that time it was evening...
The bell rang... Must be him...
She had already freshened up pretty...
Hi... Said he...
Food... Coffee... And yes... Dinner is ready...
Wow...! He said trying to come close to her for a hug...
No thanks she said... But many thanks!!!
For letting me know the kind of person you are...
Its so evidently reflected in your house...
Look around now... This is how I am...
You would say that then we are a perfect match...
I d complete your lacking and you'd complete mine...
But I m not just this... I m much more than that...
I can clean and clean well... But I can do n number of other things too...
I don't think I can live with a drifter like you...
One who can't manage the place he lives, cannot manage prioritise and compartmentalise his life...
Hence Good bye Mr.Would Be...
Matrimonial sites should feature lifestyles of prospective grooms too!
Intellectually professionally religion wise we might be compatible...
But our philosophies don't match...
She left as quietly as she came...
Thanking her stars...
‪#‎notsotinytale‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 27 - Estro-gen-ex

She needs to cry every 10 to 12 days
That's a routine... Let her cry
If you stop her then you've had it
Don't ask her questions while she is letting it all out...
Just be there...
Don't hug her on your own...
She ll hug you if n when she wants while her sobbing episode lasts...
She ll be a lot better after this
Her mood will be back to a good high within the next one hour
Relaxed and positive she ll give you the most logical solutions to anything that you ask her...
No don't make out after this...
She d prefer to cuddle on cry days
She d b most likely to seek action in bed on her most stressed days...
Make sure you are available on those...
She doesn't like to cuddle post the post stress intimacy
Be prepared to sleep with your pillow since she sleeps the minute you'll are done
Also... Don't bother to remember the birthdays anniversaries...
She ll make sure she reminds you for one full month that they occur in...
But if u wish her one day early or late... You are gone...
She hates badly made tea and don't dare to offer to make one if you aren't a pro
Its best to leave her to her chai, just give her company and enjoy the tea
She does make worlds most awesome tea ever
Also she ll ask you for a compliment when she thinks she looks pretty
Be kind enough to oblige
Saves us a lot of trouble to fish for occasions then...
She hates jeans on herself but loves men wearing jeans so don't force her to match outfits...
Or she'll embarrass you death by coaxing you to wear matching maxi gowns to bed
If you watch her chick flicks she'll happily accompany you to your action war films
She loves sci fi movies, no I m not joking she totally got Inception Matrix etc...do not judge her
She gives a great head massage but likes getting a foot massage for herself...
So you give some to get some...
Also she likes being on her own at times but hates to be left by herself sometimes...
The secret weapon is ASK...
Use your mouth...
Everytime... Literally...
She hates sports don't nag her to watch it...
She loves music, she won't bother u to tag along... She has her friends watch it with her
She has a good taste in everything,
Well yes in almost everything unless you like to eat cookie dough more than cookies...
She loves pets and kids
Make sure you get her either one of of them or one at a time
Both pets n kids together can turn her from a calm princess to a screaming witch...
She has crushes but she'll admit them to you,
No need to be possessive , she won't ditch you... Ever...
If you ever cheat on her even in your dream... Do not hide it...
Be sure you tell her...
She ll listen smile n forget...
If you don't tell her n she finds out...
Then duh... Welcome to my club...
Goodluck dude!
Life's going to be a roller coaster
Call me anytime
XOXO
- Yours truely,
The Ex-husband...
‪#‎notsotinytale‬

- Prajakta Sathe

TALE 26 - High...Bye!!!

They met, unexpected, random...
It was destined that they would meet...
She hadn't been in love for a long time
She was a compulsive lover
By then he knew he would never be in love ever
He was over love for love and had settled into loneliness
She had the power of expression at her disposal which she was well aware of
He on the other hand had the power of experience
She thought she lacked focus
He thought he had vision
They were naturally attracted to each other
They spent enough energies with each other to know how they were
Together and otherwise
Life had come to a standstill
With no real adventure for her she kept expressing through mediums
He kept thinking of the time he had lost and kept free wheeling with life
They wanted to live together
But understood that they carried different sensibilities
Though what they wanted from each other was similar,
What they wanted from life was way too different
What they derived from this stint in each others lives was far more than actuals
Pain and power both...
Vibrational compatibility would have made it last but it wasn't there
They were from different worlds...
His gypsyness shook hands with her cohesion...
They stayed connected at heart but bid farewell in reality
Not all things are meant for everyone
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.

TALE 25 - GenderWise...

Soha typed hastily on her I phone 
I ll be late keep the keys at the reception
She got a reply OKAY
She smiled...
Knowing that everyone would be either be gone by the time she reaches or would be sleeping,
This made her sigh with relief...
She was the only child of a high profile socialite couple who partied hard, clubbed or threw bashes at their own terrace attached floor at Juhu
She drove back to her boyfriend Sid
for staying over that night...
Sid from Delhi, son of an owner of a MNC
Sid stayed alone in Mumbai freelancing as a model...
With no real ambition in life he was living the life of his dreams...
Money, glamour, intoxication, girlfriend/s...
Soha was illegally driving at 17 and with the permission of her parents...
She reached his house
The door was ajar...
He was over the phone...
She wanted to surprise him so walked in quietly...
"She gave in long back" he said...
"Its a quick fix pact now...I can call her anytime and she is here in minutes...She thinks this is love", he said...
And He was not talking about her...
But about another common friend of theirs Rhea...
She got surprised but not shocked...
She laughed to herself as she quietly walked back...
Called up Rhea..."Rhe, honey I ve been missing you... Can I come over??? We can go out for a drive or maybe crash at my place!"
Rhea was the daughter of a yester year film actress born out of wedlock...
Raised by a single mom she had both money and sympathy at her disposal...
"Yes of course sweetheart, I ve been thinking about you all day long", said Rhea...
Soha drove straight to Rhea's place picked her up drove back to the former's house...
Pizza n beer... No grass today, they decided...
Sid decided to surprise Soha by dropping over at midnight...
He confidently rang the bell...
And we all know what he saw...
Not all of us need to be spoon fed...
Now what happened next... Is best left to our imagination...
GenX...
A story with character names...
‪#‎notsotinytales‬
- Prajakta Sathe.