Chapter 9 - Stockholm syndrome

This is a chain love story as a part of CBC (Chennai Bloggers Club) chain story relay. 17 bloggers get to write a chapter each starting from 4th feb with the climax culminating on 20th March 2013. I took this kaathal jothi olympic torch from Deepa Iyer - a foodie, home chef, a voracious reader who can finish a book in a non-stop-one-night read and a die hard romantic) and romba mukkiyama proof reader. Aana Spelling mishtake (hehe) paatha netrikanna thoranthiduvanga.

To read the previous chapters inge clickavum

Now to Chapter 9.

(ManiRatnam padathula vara mathiri backgroundla the sound of typewriter typing)

5 weeks later :

Cafe Safari @ Kiruna, North Sweden.

"Of all the places..why did you select this dochu place for meeting" cribs Ahalaya to Guru
"Wait ..wait...always in a hurry..from driving car to driving people crazy"
"hahaha..you still remember the car incident..sorrypa"
"Incident!! could very well've been accident...you were driving mad not just the car but also my cab driver..if there is one thing that a male ego can't take is a gal over taking his vehicle"
"Amongst other things"
"Amongst what??"
"Illa..thats not the only thing a male ego can't takenu sonnen...take your case itself..theria thanama i promised to meet you when we are in sweden. Antha oru skype chat promisekaga you have made me travel all the way from Stockholm to this god forsaken ....." suddenly she looks into the sky as it turns from evening gray into a colorful mess.
"What the...how...oh my god...what is happening?"

                                           (pic courtesy Ahalya Guru)

As the evening merged into night, the sky burst into a greenish hue. It was Aurora Borealis, nature's own version of color lighting of the sky. Slowly it turned into a mix of flaming red spreading across the horizon, lighting up the night sky, bright enough to burn a paper. As she sat there awestruck, soaking in the beautiful color palette of nature, suddenly she heard a voice coming from few feet below.
"Err..its kind of freezing here..so if you dont mind can you look down for a minute"
She burst into laughing looking at Guru holding a ring stooping himself on a bent knee.
"Oh my god..got to give it to you man...you are romantic...did you bribe the sky to blush like this....get up first before someone mistakes you for a stranded stork" and lifted him to his feet.
"See..this is why i need you in my life"
"What for"
"For lifting me to stand on my feet when my knees go weak and making me feel like flying...for being with me to share the joys of life..for making me travel to an unknown land and still having a feeling of being at home...right now there is only one thing that is more beautiful than that colorful amalgamation in the sky and that is you..Ahalya Ramanathan...will you marry me nu questiona kekka maaten..please marry me"


(same typewriter..same sound )

Three weeks before:
@ABBA museum

Varun and Ahalya are stuck in an elevator inside the museum.
"aaarggghh...of all the people..and of all the places.." Ahalya was cursing herself silently.
Varun sat on the floor of the elevator with a sigh and starts humming an ABBA hit number..

"Knowing me, knowing you ..ahh-haa..
There is nothing we can do...
This time we're through, we're really through"

"Shut up"
"Breaking up is never easy, I know but I have to go "
"Will you please SHUT UP"
"Eva avo...ok...old one..shall i try a new mokkai joke"
"Dont you've any shame at all...with what face you are talking to me..."
"The same one that you fell in love with"
"For which not a single day pass that i dont curse myself"
"I for one couldnt be any happy..infact if i've a time machine i will travel back to those days and re-live them again and again..never allowing the future to destroy those pleasant memories"
"I will also wait for that machine..only to destroy those memories..huh....i dont know why i am even talking to you..ANY-GODDAMN-BODY THERE...you stupid swedes..how much time you need to start a broken elevator" and kicks the door.
"Yeah..call them stupid..it will quicken the process..so typical"
"What..what..typical..YOU of all the person dont have any rights to judge me..you were a stupid moron THEN for not understanding the feelings of a girl totally smitten in love...you are a moron NOW for not caring about me knowing my claustrophobia...YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A MORON VARUN"
She starts to kick the elevator door again, slips and falls down.
Varun remains rooted to his place and hides his head on his knees. A slight chuckle escapes from his throat and Ahalya throws her hand bag at him.
"What is so funny.."
He starts to laugh loudly.
Looking at him laughing makes her even more mad with anger and she starts to punch him.
"Ouch..that really hurts. You know..for a puny tiny little girl you ARE strong"
"Thanks to morons like you who taught me the lesson on not to be weak"
"Morons..plural?" he starts to grin and she punches him again and for a second she couldnt help smiling.
"Hey...you smiled...Hasi...toh Phasi... Hasi toh phasi" he goes on in a sing song voice.
"Oh..stop it..you and your juvenile jokes..you will never change"
He starts to laugh and looking at the tears on her face he restricts himself.
"I am sorry"
"For what"
"For everything"
"Its several years late Varun..its too late"
"Too late for what"
She kept quiet.
He smiles "so..whats new in your life..met anyone? boyfriend? married??"
"Why do you expect me to tell you?"
"Well..i thought you would jump on this chance to rub my nose on the feet of your glorious life post our break up"
"As a matter of fact..i do have a boyfriend and yes..my life has been pretty complete without you in it"
"Your lips are saying one thing and eyes something else"
"Shut up..i am happy without you..i am over you..there is nothing between us now..ever will be..you self centered pompous chauvinist ass"
"You've heard of Stockholm syndrome?"
"What crap is that"
"Iru..en phonela signal irukka paakren...well...you are lucky...as per wiki..
Stockholm syndrome can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding, which does not necessarily require a hostage scenario, but which describes “strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates the other.”
"So ..enna solla vara..that i would be falling for you?"
"Well...study says there is a 27% chance"
"Yeah...As much as a snowball's chance in hell fire"
"Ok..tell me about this new guy in your life..Just out of curiosity to know the person who has replaced me - Mr.Perfect"

How and when they got stuck on the elevator..what happened before Ahalya started from Germany..why is Varun in Sweden...answer for these would be on subsequent chapters :)

Next chapter would be taken over by Prashanth Ashok on 24/02 @ http://prashanthashok1.blogspot.sg/ who in his own words is an NRI whose heart is still stuck in the roots of his legacy. Over to you fella.

P.S: ithuvaraikkum they are known just by their names...why not a face for the names. So....Introducing...Guru, Ahalya and Varun