Fool Again

It was a Friday evening. He stood dejected, looking at the dark clouds above.The rain had started to come down hard, but he wasn’t bothered. The charismatic smile on his lips and the shine in his eyes had disappeared all of a sudden. Agitated and perturbed as never before, Anil was deeply disturbed by the recent chain of events.

He heard his phone ringing. Without any interest and energy left in him, he was forced to answer the call. He started to walk as he slowly got back in senses and started to realize that he was getting soaked.

“Hey! How are you? What did she say??”

It was Raj…..

Raj and Anil met as arch rivals in a vital cricket match in college. With star performances from both of them, the gripping nail bitter between the teams resulted in a dramatic tie. The tough battle on the field had metamorphosed into a beautiful bond between them. Anil had hinted about certain serious things to Raj only on the morning of Friday. Raj had been waiting to get some news from Anil since afternoon.

Anil knew it was an overseas call, but he was too choked to talk. Hesitantly he spoke into the phone “Raj…sorry yaar….I cannot talk right now….just check your mail in an hour…you will get to know what happened…” he said, and terminated the call.

His memories rolled 6 years back in time as he started walking back to his office. ‘Falling in love couldn’t have been much simpler’, he thought. The very instant he saw her, he was in love! She possessed all the qualities that he wanted his ideal partner to possess. Sweet memories kept flashing until he reached his office. He took his seat in front of the computer.

He started typing out the mail to Raj….

“Dear Raj,
Sorry about the phone call…I wasn’t really in a mood to talk. I really appreciate your concern. Anywayz, there were certain things I had wanted to tell you for a very long time….but guess that moment did not arrive until today. I gave you a clue about the happenings in the recent past….but it was not all….

I first saw her when I whizzed past her on the road with my motorcycle. She and her family moved into our neighborhood about 6 years ago. She looked an angel to me. In a few meetings and conversations, I was convinced that she was the girl of my dreams and a person who would complete me. I could sense something was going on between us, but we were confused souls. Inhibitions prevented me from expressing my love and adoration for her.

I had a testing time when she moved out of our neighborhood. I almost gave up when I unsuccessfully tried to trace her whereabouts. After some intense searching, I finally located her after 3 years. We started our conversations right from where we had left them. Things moved smooth as I had expected and I decided it was time to break the ice.

I proposed my love to her a few hours after I talked to you today morning. I dunno what, but she rejected my proposal for some reason. Well, change is inevitable and I believe that things have changed in her point of view. Although I wasn’t convinced with the reasons she gave me, ultimately I guess I have lost her and my quest to retain her has faded away.

It is always bitter to accept the truth, and in my case….the truth is that she no longer likes me. I’ll talk to you soon.

With a heavy heart,

Anil
………………………………………..”

With much grief in him, he still managed to smile at the other colleagues when he started walking out of his office. It was still raining outside. Unperturbed, he took a walk to reach the nearby railway station. It was a long wait for his train. Finally when his train arrived and just when he was ready to board…he found a melodious young voice in perfect harmony with the chords of his guitar.

“Can’t believe that I’m the fool again…….”

Anil was taken aback for a second. As the compartment doors opened, he stood still. He continued to stare at the guy who was singing the song. Finally, when it struck to him that it was time, he shook his head, gave a gentle smile and boarded the train….. He had decided to start the journey of his life without the girl he had always dreamt of……

Baby I know the story
I ve seen the picture
It s written all over your face
Tell me what s the secret
That you’ve been hiding
And who s gonna take my place

I should ve seen it comin
I should ve read the signs
Anyway I guess it s over

Can t believe that I m the fool again
I thought this love would never end
How was I to know
You never told me
Can t believe that I m the fool again
And I who thought you were my friend
How was I to know you never told me

Baby you should ve called me
When you were lonely
When you needed me to be there

Sadly you never gave me
To many chances
To show you how much I care

I should ve seen it comin
I should ve read the signs
Anyway I guess it s over

Can t believe that I m the fool again
I thought this love would never end
How was I to know
You never told me
Can t believe that I m the fool again
And I who thought you were my friend
How was I to know you never told me

About the pain and the tears
Ohooooo if I could I would
Turn back the time

Oh yeah

I should ve seen it comin
I should ve read the signs
Anyway I guess it s over

Can t believe that I m the fool again
I thought this love would never end
How was I to know
You never told me
Can t believe that I m the fool again
And I who thought you were my friend
How was I to know you never told me

Can t believe that I m the fool again
I thought this love would never end
How was I to know
You never told me
Can t believe that I m the fool again
And I who thought you were my friend
How was I to know you never told me

* ‘Fool again’ was a number from Westlife released in the year 2000

The final cut

The sun was up, dominating the sky, waiting, like everyone else in the stadium. The day had finally arrived! It was a moment of delight for some of the bowlers whom he had clobbered all around the park for years. Everyone in the cricketing world had wished this day wouldn’t come, but then time always has the last laugh. After years of prominence and glory, he had decided to hang his boots.

He stood gazing at the lush green outfield of his beloved home ground on the morning of his final game. His entire career flashed in front of his teary eyes. The mood was awkward. He recalled something someone had said on the occasion of the latter’s last game 10 years ago.

“The final game is like the penultimate stage of death. You see everything that you ever did on the field”

The pressmen and the photographers were all around him. They had haunted him for 20 years and the last day was no different. He had never been in the news for the wrong reasons at any point of his career. There had been moments when his ability and integrity were doubted. But every time such an occasion arose, he seldom opened his mouth and was content to let his bat do the talking instead. Arrogance and hubris had ruined the lives of several cricketers, but this man stayed the same throughout his 20 years of fame

His sentiments were quite unique. Starting from his red colored socks, padding his left leg first, wearing his helmet throughout his innings, praying to Lord Ganesh before every game …, the routine never changed. And today, for one final time, he donned his whites and padded up to get ready to face the storm in the arena.

The openers got off to a flyer of a start. The ball was coming on to the bat pretty well and the pitch looked an easy one to bat on. But, two quick wickets saw the moment arrive, which everyone was waiting for.

The great man rose, flipped the straps on his gloves and started to take his final walk towards the pitch. The scene was quite incredible! A silence like now had never been heard before. Everyone stood on their feet and welcomed the man with silence for the very last time.

“I doubt even if the president of India would command such respect”, remarked one of the TV commentators.

Slowly the silence was replaced by a thunderous round of clapping and chanting. For the way this person had carried himself throughout his life, nobody could ever think of hating him for any reason. People of all ages shed tears as he took guard.

Amidst all the drama in the stadium, the fiery Aussie quicks started their onslaught on the men at the crease. The great man stood rock solid. He had the occasional ball that troubled him, but he refused to settle for anything that was less than what he deserved.

For people who had seen the man play the game during the pinnacle of his form, they could easily observe the absence in his usual magic. His bat was no longer the angel’s wand that would make an extraordinary bowler look like a mediocre one. His running between the wickets was no longer quick enough. He looked much slower when compared to his young partner who was running like a hare. Just as the lunch interval neared, an outswinger whizzed past the outside edge of his bat.

“Phew!! That missed the edge by a whisker”, said one of the commentators….

“Yeah! But before 5 years, the same ball would have been flying to the backward point boundary”, replied his co-commentator.

The great man watched as the ball missed his bat. He looked embittered. He was a master of the cut shot, and anything with width outside the off was murdered to the boundary ropes. His hand-eye co-ordination wasn’t the same as it used to be.

“I guess I am done….” he said to himself. He was scratching around and was desperately trying to hang in and give India a chance to save the test match. It was only a question of time before the moment of pain arrived.

Very soon, the great man swung his ‘sword’ like bat to a produce another of his famous cut shots, but without much success. His most favorite shot had ended his cricketing career. He didn’t look at the umpire and without any hesitance; he started his long walk back to the pavilion. He had just scored 19 and it wasn’t good enough to pull his side out of the mess.

The spectators couldn’t believe the happenings for a moment. Everybody had come in to see the master make a ton and all of them felt let down. Nevertheless, everyone was up on the feet again. They started clapping as he slowly walked back. Every Australian player came and patted him on his back.

“Thank you for all the entertainment”, said the shrewd Aussie captain. He gave a timid nod, managed a smile and continued walking.

Tears rolled down his cheeks. Trying to control his emotions, he could not. He wiped his tears as he removed his helmet. Holding his bat high in the air, he kissed the Indian flag on his shirt and looked at the sky as if to thank the almighty. As he neared the boundary rope, he stopped for a moment and took a complete 360º view of his adored field. He had sweet moments in every inch of the field. To everyone’s surprise, he went down on his knees and kissed the field as if to bid farewell. Finally, when he was done, he waved his bat to the entire stadium as he disappeared inside.

He was gone for good…, but his legend will still continue to haunt the cricketing world and our minds.