Your Smile and Other Short Stories

By Manu Peter

In Your Smile and Other Short Stories, author Manu Peter presents four contemporary short stories that explore friendship, loss, love, family, romance, and karma.

In Your Smile, a young man named Nathan chooses the rough road when faced with a life threatening diagnosis and attempts to live his life to the fullest.

It is a fathers worst nightmare. When the peace of his familys lives is shattered by violence, Vishwanathana proud and traditional manseeks karmic balance in The Father.

Four Friends face lifes rites of passage together. As friendships blossom into romance for some, marriage pushes some to evolve, others face the challenges and rewards of professional milestones, and some are left in the shadow of these accomplishments. They will all learn just how precious and strong the bonds of true friendship are.

In Risen from the Ashes, Stephens world rocks when he learns that a disability is going to take over his life. Will he relent or fight back with vigor to take back control of his life and become a beacon of light to those just like him?

An exploration of the meaning of love, loss, friendship, and redemption, Your Smile and Other Short Stories is the first work of Manu Peter, a new author from the United Arab Emirates.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Oct 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482830491

Manu Peter

Manu Peter is an Oil & Gas Procurement officer in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She and her husband of twelve years, Shelley Benjamin, have two daughters, Claire and Caren. She has been living in the United Arab Emirates her entire life.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Manu Peter.

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4828-3048-4

                Softcover        978-1-4828-3047-7

                eBook             978-1-4828-3049-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Your Smile

The Father

Four Friends

Risen from the Ashes

Your Smile

Cancer! Nathan has cancer? Are you sure about this? Rachel asked.

Do you think I would say something like this without confirming? It’s true, Rachel, and the worst part is that the doctors have given up on him.

But, Linda, there are other alternative medications that he could try.

I know how you feel right now, but he is at the last stage, and so, according to the doctors, there is no point in trying out new medications. Moreover, I think we should meet him at the hospital.

Is he here? asked Rachel. In our city? When did he get back from the United States?

He got back last month. Do you remember Shawn? He used to always hang around the canteen. Well, he is my Facebook buddy, and from him I came to know that Nathan had been admitted to the city hospital and the doctors have allowed only his wife to stay with him.

Linda, I cannot meet him.

You have to. He has moved on with his life, just as you have moved on with yours. This is not the time to stay back with your petty sentiments.

Petty sentiments? Is that what you think I feel – or, rather, felt – for him?

Whatever it may be, the bottom line is that he probably doesn’t have too many days left to live, and I’m sure he would want to see you again.

I cannot meet him. I just can’t. I’m sorry.

Rachel walked away in tears. How could Linda be so heartless? Has she forgotten how Nathan cheated on me? Doesn’t she remember how long it took for me to recuperate from the whole affair? I just cannot meet him. Maybe he has forgotten all about me. Why should I relive those unpleasant memories? Though not all of them were that unpleasant.

***

I clutched my books so tightly to my body that I could hardly breathe. Ooh, all those eyes following me. Why did I join a mixed-gender college? I should have stuck with the women’s college. I was a brave lion at home, assuring my parents that I could handle the ragging, but now my knees were knocking at each other.

Is that guy coming towards me? Look ahead, Rachel; you do not want him to think that you are scared to death. Great, I have started talking to myself.

Excuse me, said the stranger. Hi, there. Do you know the way to the principal’s room?

What’s happened to my voice? I have become speechless out of fright.

Sorry if I startled you, the man said. "I am new here, so could you guide me to the