Chimes of Brewing Life

By Vaishnavi Baheti

For everything that happens, there lies a back story we are never aware of! One's own courage and determination makes them to think beyond and move forward. Avni, our protagonist in the book faces it all. Did she standstill or suffered it all? 

 

Expect the answers in this book through Avni, who has her tales to tell and experiences to share from Delhi to Dubai via New York. Amara, Avni's strength and support, and Pratyush, a perfect mismatch but her partner in everything. She has her fair share of struggles which you get to know as the journey proceeds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Famian
• Release date: Jan 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9788194953210

Book preview

Chapter 1

Comfort Zone

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S

he was on the last page of my diary. I was continuously gazing on her expressions which were changing from anxious to worry. I took a deep breath and waited her to finish reading.

Dear Diary,

I have finally decided to move on. I guess that is the only option left. I never thought I would reach this place, but life sometimes has other plans. Even thinking about this makes my heart heavy, but I can't stay here longer. He made me fall in love with this place, but today, he has become the reason for me to hate this place. It is becoming torture day by day. Till the time I won't move on, my feelings will eat me alive. And sometimes, I guess, for moving on, you have to start with everything new.

Sometimes you need to leave because there are too many ‘known’ people in your surroundings. You are scared of getting judged by them. You are afraid of the questions they will ask. You are scared of them leaving you alone. So, you decide to leave everything before they can fire bullets at you. I might be wrong because some people do care, but at present, I don't know who the caring one is and who is the devious one.

I know leaving this place, where I have spent more than 15 years, will leave my parents and friends shattered. But sometimes others fail to understand you, so you have to understand yourself.

I have tried everything from helping others to being there for them whenever they need me. I have tried everything for the people I love, but no one has been there for me. I know, I know, my purpose in life is to help people in all the ways I can, so I should not expect anything in return. But then again, we all are humans in the end, isn't it? We all expect love, care, and efforts from the people we love.

I know it will not be easy as I am thinking, but then again, what is life when living at a place that is exhausting you every day? I think it is better to take a risk. I might end up achieving everything, or I might end up returning to where I am today. And so I have decided to start afresh, where new people and new hopes will be waiting. All my dreams have already been  shattered into dust, and now it's time for me to have some new dreams and a new adventure.

As Einstein said There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. So, from this very day, I’m turning my life into a miracle and miracles happen, only when you leave your comfort zone. The first step is the hardest, but once it has been taken, there is no turning back.

I am hell excited and nervous. I don't know where life will take me, but I am enjoying the process for now. Tomorrow, I will be leaving this place that gave me my first best-friend that taught me lessons no one could teach, that gave me some memories to cherish forever. This place - New Delhi, has been my first home, where I have cried, smiled, loved, and grew!

New York, I am coming...

*****

Chapter 2

Emotional Mess

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T

here was utter silence for a moment. She was sitting in front of me on her desk, absorbing all the things she just read in my diary. Judging her looks, I knew she was in a state of shock and if I am right, then she might have just one question in her mind. Her gaze was still affixed at my diary as if still digesting the bits and parts of it.

I was sitting straight on the sofa that was meant for her clients waiting for her to speak. Her office was relatively small, but the way she had organized it was terrific. On one end, there was a window from which you could look at the world beyond. The window let the perfect amount of sunlight enter the room, making it bright enough for people to read and write. On the other end of the room, there was a bookshelf with all the psychological and motivational books. There were around 20 wall plants, making the vibe of the place magical. The walls had light pastel colors, making the room more beautiful.

Her desk had a coffee mug brewing with hot coffee, a laptop laying shut, a calendar, a book, and some photo frames, which I think were of her family. She took her glasses off her eyes, kept perfectly on the side of her desk, took a deep breath, and said, So this is your story?I wanted to say yes, but I ended up with a nod. I knew what the next question would be, but I stayed silent.

And finally, she asked the question I was not ready to face, You left New Delhi in 2015 and went to New York. But then how did you end up here in Dubai?

I went into a lane of dark memories, those narrow streets, the negative air fuming in the atmosphere, the unpleasant smell of stale food, and me with my shattered hopes. I was not able to breathe; tears were coming out from my eyes. I realized I was having another anxiety attack. Dr.Tripati stood from her chair and sat next to me.

She held my hand and said, Calm down. Breathe in...Breathe out...Everything is fine. Look, you are in Dubai, not in New York. I think she might have realized that New York had some bitter memories with me.

After a few minutes, I calmed down and said, I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to share that part of my life. Talking about New York scares the hell out of me.

Dr. Tripathi said, Its okay...You are strong. It is just that you are not ready to accept. And at times, it is alright to feel weak, to feel emotions. I gave a slight nod.

So, tell me, it’s been around 6 months, you have been taking therapy sessions from me. What made you share the story of your life in New Delhi now? she asked.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and replied, I saw him in my neighborhood yesterday.

Are you sure he was the one? Did you talk to him? She asked.

I’m not sure, because I just saw a glimpse before he disappeared in the crowd. I replied.

So it might be a dream or just an illusion. He is not here; your mind might have deceived you. How did you feel when you looked at him?

I felt like something from my past was hitting me hard in the chest. All those memories, those feelings, those emotions, which I was trying to ignore, came rushing back! I don’t know how to explain, but it felt like a part of my life, which I was trying to remove, came rushing back to me. And the strong me, once again become the weak me!

Dr.Tripati, who was listening intently, said something I was not ready to accept but was reality. She said, You haven’t made peace with your past. You are just trying to run away from everything. In the last 6 months, what I have observed is you are not ready to accept the vulnerable you! Listen, my dear, you have to understand and accept your emotions first, and you can’t always end up running from them. If you don’t accept your emotions, they will hit you hard every time you try to move on to do something new.  I knew what she was saying was true. I have faced all my work problems with amazing solutions, but I fail when it comes to dealing with emotions.

We all need time in life, but we always forget that we are just giving ourselves excuses for not accepting things in the present because we are afraid; afraid to accept that we are vulnerable, afraid to accept that we are emotional, afraid to accept that we are at times weak, afraid of what people will think, if we show them our emotional side.

After a few moments of utter silence, Dr. Tripathi said, Our session time is over. Let’s meet on coming Wednesday.

I stood up to leave and said bye. She smiled and said, You need to understand that it's life. Heartbreaks, shattered hopes, loneliness, negativity are all a part of it. Every day is a gift wrapped in wrapping paper. Some days, you will be happy with your gift, and on the other days, the gift will hurt you so much that you will end up crying. Don’t be too hard on yourself as well as on your life.

I thanked her and closed the door behind. I was glad that in this completely unknown world, I had found a place where I can open up my emotions. Believe me, in today’s world, if you find someone with whom you can share your emotionally vulnerable side, you have found an angel. 

*****

Chapter 3

Unpredictable

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M

y life in Dubai is pretty much busy. I have my own advertising agency, named 'Vibgyor,' which depicts the colors in a rainbow. The story behind the name is simply that marketing is not just about posting a photo on Social Media, but it has many different shades behind it. It took me almost a year to start my own company. It is not exactly where I want it to be, but I hope it will soon become one of the best. At present, we have almost 20 clients, the majority constituting fashion brands.

Hello ma’am! Good morning Elaine greeted with her usually cheerful face. She was a short height, chubby girl who was loved by almost everyone. She was the most dedicated employee in my company. I had an in-house team of 20 employees, and the rest were working remotely. When I shifted to Dubai, I was completely alone. But now, these employees have become my family. We all shared a personal bond beyond this professional life.

Good morning, Elaine. What's the update on the Fashion Show tomorrow? Are we done with all the preparations? What about models and showstopper? Also, have we sent the invites? I fired so many questions out that I had to pause for a moment to take a breath.

Everything has been done. It is all on time. She said with a smile and left my cabin.

My cabin is average-sized, and my desk remains unorganized all the time. Like Dr. Tripathi's desk, mine is the complete opposite of it. I have papers lying all over my desk, a small flower pot on another end, my laptop lying shut, and some pens. There is no fixed place for anything on my desk and even in my life.

On one side of my office, there was a glass window through which you can see Dubai's streets. I loved to watch sunsets from this window. Actually, not just me, but all my employees as well. We used to take a break during evenings and jokes and get to know each other better. At times we talk, and at times we just silently sit and see the beauty of the sunset. I knew all my employees personally beyond work, which made us an amazing team.

I love my office and my employees a lot. It was my ‘The Happy place’ in Dubai. It was the only place where I felt like myself. Not just that, but my home was only a block away, and Dr. Tripathi's clinic was just a 5 minutes' distance. So, you know it was the most appropriate place because I am too lazy to travel for a long distance.

Ma'am...Ma'am where are you lost?

Steve was standing right in front of me. He was the most handsome guy in my office, or should I say in the whole of