Just A Little Bit: A Twist In A Taste Of Destiny

By D.S. Pais

Just a little bit is a collection of short stories illustrating the contribution of destiny towards life under unfavourable conditions. It speaks volumes about keeping up the hope under adverse situations, falling in love, facing tricky circumstances and  yet winning, expecting the unexpected, not having hopes and getting rewarded, losing it all and gaining back, unusual relationships and friendships that defy time, feelings unexpressed, braving it all and finding happiness, pain and forgiveness and unexpressed love and so much more. Even in adverse conditions where there isn't any hope left, you can change destiny by simply trusting and directing your emotions towards what you firmly believe in. It also gives you an answer towards emotional attachment to a person and if we lose them, are there any possibilities of spending time with them after life. It deals with daily normal situations in life that destiny chooses to give a twist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publication Consultants
• Release date: Feb 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781594339240

D.S. Pais

After completing her Masters in Engineering, D.S.Pais has been working in the IT industry. She is a born-dreamer, imagines a lot. She has been writing since young, but considered it seriously since 2016. D.S.Pais is a creative person who once worked as an actress in student films and TV serials for a brief period, until she discovered that her passion was in writing. She writes short stories, novellas, novels, poetry and self-help books, as she cannot put her thoughts anywhere else. When she is not working on a book, she too enjoys reading books from different authors, watches movies in her free time, loves travelling and routinely works out ( pilates). Many of her titles have appeared among the top 100 Amazon Best Sellers in their own section. Born and brought up in India, D.S.Pais has taken Singaporean Citizenship and currently resides in Singapore with her husband and two sons.

Book preview

Unsaid

Destiny

It was a busy day in the streets of a town, a town that was unfriendly a thousand times but when it showed a bit of luck to someone, it could get a little friendly or rather it would show some kindness to those that it chose to. The town was not meant for the meek and was suited only for the survivors. There was rapid competition everywhere, the opportunities presented were few, and the required manpower was overpopulated. If anyone had to sustain in this harsh, jinxed town, the only alternative they had was to outsmart the other person and be the best of the lot.

There was smoke rising in the air, the atmosphere was heavily polluted, and the people were breathing in sooty dust and smog. The streets were crowded with honking vehicles from all directions. Every inch of the road seemed to have been inhabited with the moving wheels. Listening to these intimidating sounds, it was hard for the unaccustomed to get a good night’s sleep. Finally it was daybreak, and Aubrey woke up from slumber.

She had returned from the boarding school upon her graduation and was put up at her own home in this town. Although she stayed away from home most of her life, she did not miss the home atmosphere. She grieved for her mom badly at times, but there was nothing that she could do about it. Aubrey was a naive girl. The boarding school had not changed her even a bit, and she was morally much grounded. She was prone to the criticism of bossy roommates but maintained her own dignity in their midst. From the outside, she looked delicate, yet she remained a very deep person who had a strong mind of her own.

It was another day wherein she had to get out of the house for the umpteenth time to look for one single opportunity that perhaps could change her life. She needed one chance to stand up on her own two feet, come out from the clutches of the house where her stepmother lived with her own daughter and a son and her own father. She often felt that she was the neglected one. Her stepbrother and stepsister did not treat her differently, but she had grown to be aloof from everyone; she felt that she did not belong there and was different from the rest.

After pursuing a while for a job near her boarding school, she hadn’t been successful. They couldn’t accommodate her, as she was a graduate, and the room had to be vacated for the next boarder. She had come to a place, her home, and she wasn’t acquainted with the surroundings yet.

Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her own face. She was a beautiful girl, who had only entered her twenties, and her charm had to do with the age that she was in; she was just blooming like a pink rosebud. There was color on her cheeks even without applying rouge. She had a quick breakfast, thinking about where else she could go and highlight her skill sets to try to get her first job.

She put on light makeup, did her hair, and saw herself from head to toe on the full-length mirror in front of her. She then grabbed the file containing her educational certificates and her small purse for the journey and set out on her hunt, hoping that that day would turn lucky. She had completed her graduation in science, and today she had decided that she would go to some of the good educational institutions in the town to look for an opportunity. There weren’t any advertisements, and to those that she had applied were all overwhelmed with experienced people taking over those jobs.

She walked out of the house and thought of taking a public commute, but then, again, asking for money from her family would be a grueling task, so she decided to walk the whole path; she could ask for directions with people around in case she wanted to. She was quite new to this rough-edged town, and all the stalls, shops, and houses looked the same. She knew a few landmarks and had roughly written down a sketch of the distance that she had to take to reach and come back. It was now a couple of hours before lunchtime, and she finally reached one of the prestigious colleges where she decided to step in and meet the professors in person.

It was quieter inside than what she had imagined; she realized it was because it was a term break and thus there would be no students. Yet she prodded on hoping to get lucky. Perhaps she could find some professor there, someone whom she could talk to and get help. She walked across the deserted campus after being led in by the sleepy, middle-aged watchman and saw the empty classrooms. The watchman had her name registered as a guest, and she fibbed that she had an appointment.

As she stepped inside the campus, she remembered her life in the college that she had graduated sometime back, and although she wanted to join her alma mater as a teaching staff, they had informed her there was no vacancy, and, for the next vacancy slot, she had to wait for yet another year to pass by. Her eyes then drifted toward a room; it was labeled Chemistry Laboratory.

She hoped that someone would be inside, as all other departments were locked, and there was not a soul in sight. She made a light tap at the creaking door that was left half-open. Come on in came a male voice from inside.

Aubrey walked inside with her files tucked in her hands, tagging along her purse for comfort.

Yes, how can I assist you? the man asked, his mature eyes hiding behind rimmed glasses and his hands busy with some writing. He looked at her briefly. He appeared to be busy and seemed to be gathering his thoughts to continue what he was doing.

Aubrey looked at the huge pile of files that lay in front of him, then her eyes shifted toward the nameplate; it was brown in color and the name Benjamin Brown was written on it in white color. Mr. Brown, my name is Aubrey. I have completed my graduation in science, and I am looking for an opportunity to work. Are there any vacancies in this college?

Let me go through your certificates, he said. Aubrey nervously handed him the file that had the photocopies of her certificates and topped them up with a portfolio that listed down her achievements. She never carried her originals, as she thought she would bring them for verification as soon as her job was confirmed so that she would not lose them on her way.

It was quite some time since she had graduated, and she had tried at several institutions and firms. The employment opportunities for fresh graduates were slim. She was shunned most of the time, saying that they were looking for experienced staff. But then, how was she ever