A Walk in the Rain: A Journey of Love and Redemption

By UDAI YADLA

Love is poison that kills you. Love is elixir that keeps you alive. An unreciprocated love keeps you alive, but kills every day.

Heartbroken Sunny lives a reclusive life, trapped in the past, living in his memories. He has no complaints about his life, but refuses to embrace the present.

Saloni is a prostitute who is desperate to earn money by any means. She does not care about exploiting others to fulfill her purpose.

Fate unites the loner and the prostitute to embark on a life changing journey of retribution and self discovery.

Lovelorn Sunny turns misogynistic after Sandy, the only girl he loved walks away from his life, unannounced. He suffers painful solitude for almost two decades with the relentless haunting of her thoughts. A distressed friend Imran, vows to change his life forever. A surprise planned for his birthday turns into a tragedy that claims the life of his dear friend, triggering a series of unbelievable events. As Imran gets killed by a stranger, Sunnys calm life suddenly turns into a turbulent storm. With nothing left to live for, vengeance becomes his ultimate mission. His reluctant alliance with a prostitute to trace the killer sets him onto a nerve racking adventure of life and death.

Both are bound to a common goal with different motives, but destiny has its own motive.

A walk in the rain is an intricate tale of intense emotions, driven by hair raising twists and turns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Jan 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482842838

Book preview

Prologue

"E ons ago, god created the world. It was nothing but a huge ball of rock: stark and dull. He was not happy with his creation. He wanted to make the world colorful. Hence, he created the oceans, the mountains, and the tress with beautiful flowers. It was beautiful, but He was still not satisfied. He wanted to make it eventful and interesting. Hence He created the animals, fishes, insects and birds which made his creation interesting, but there was no order in the world. The world was just wild and uncivilized, which demanded his governance every time. He wanted someone to rule the world, so that he could relax and just watch. Hence he created the humans, cloning him self.

Hah… My job is now complete. The God prided.

The humans ruled the world well, but they seemed to be listless and detached from each other. He kept wondering what he had missed. There was no bond between the humans, there was no love. The world was a mean place, only with materialistic purpose. He wanted to infuse love in the humans. It was the biggest challenge for him. He could easily create a zillion creatures in a jiffy, but to infuse love in them was a herculean task. It was a task bigger than creating life itself. He finally thought of an idea. He planned to tie the beloved hearts with a special bond which could make the human life on earth very special. Now he needed a special material to bind the hearts together. He summoned the divine goldsmith and ordered him to make special threads of gold. He imbued the threads with his divine soul. He called it ‘The Thread of Love’. He then created the Kingdom of Love. The spirits of people who have selfless love for somebody earn a place in His glorious kingdom and they can physically communicate with the person they love, through the thread of love. Deeper the love, stronger the thread."

It’s beyond your consciousness that your soul lingers with the person you love and hence your mood will affect the one you love. This is the reason why you sometimes sense your mood changing mysteriously with no reason.

Nice fairy tale, Sandy Candy… I’m enthralled actually. he ridiculed playfully.

Thoughts are not physical, how can they physically affect others? he questioned.

"You can only feel, but not see air. Air is physical.

You can only see, but not feel light. Light is physical.

You can see and feel your thoughts. Then why can’t thoughts be physical?" Sandy’s logical observation was irrefutable.

Perfectly logical… He was amazed by her ability of logical reasoning even for a fictitious fairy tale.

Tell me about it. Sandy asked with curiosity.

It’s priceless. he exclaimed, staring at the exquisite beauty around his wrist.

Magic of Rain

S urya woke up to the symphonic pattering of the incessant rain drops on his bedroom window panes. He dragged himself to the window in a hypnopompic daze and sat on a chair beside it. He pushed opened the window and stared outside to witness the magic of the tender rain. It, actually, was a magical sight.

The tiny specks of rain slapping the leaves of the trees and the leaves swaying to the tune of the rain droplets.

The fresh sprouts of fluorescent green leaves peeking out through the nodes of the branches.

Chirping of the sparrows sheltered in their nests.

The fragrant aroma of the rain permeating the cool breeze.

And the cool breeze seeping in through the window, forcing him into a fetal position, gently caressing him.

It was magical indeed. The ringing of his phone on the table near him attempted to disturb his dreamy experience, so he silenced it without even looking at it and continued to enjoy the blissful beauty of the pluvial charm. There was a mystic bond between the two. He sat at the window, silently staring at the rain as if he were deciphering a coded message. The ringing of his phone interrupted him again. He didn’t ignore the call this time. He shrugged in exasperation as he picked the phone. His frustration vanished when he saw who was calling. He smiled as he looked at the calling number.

Hey Sunny boy… What took you so long? screamed a voice at the other end, as he attended the call.

He had a close circle of very few friends, who call him Sunny. He maintained a formal relationship with those not in his old friends circle. He had to move away from the window to take the call as the sound of the rain was a disturbance to the caller. He had a short call with his friend, desperate to go back to his private conversation with the rain.

When he returned, he observed that the pattering of the rain drops had ceased its long and continuous endeavor. Sunny dropped his phone on the table and looked at the clock.

‘Damn it… The rain tricked me once again." He was late for his office.

He rushed to the bathroom and finished his daily chores in record time. Skipping his breakfast, which had almost become a habit for him, he wore a pant and a shirt, carelessly picked from his modest wardrobe. He didn’t even look at the mirror to check how he looked. He didn’t care.

As he rushed out, snatching his bag from the shelf, he made an abrupt stop at the window. He stared at the droplets clinging on the window pane as he slowly walked up to the window. He then connected the droplets and wrote ‘SANDY’ on the pane; his lips curved into a smile on his bushy bearded face without his knowledge, which he noticed in the reflection on the window pane.

Sunny was just over five and half feet tall, with a strong slender physique, which he had attained by hard labor, since childhood. He had a stony-face, devoid of traces of emotions. Despite an unkempt look with an unruly beard and untamed long hair, he possessed a wild look in his eyes and masculine features which attracted girls the most. His unprofessional outlook didn’t affect his job as a system programmer, as the job naturally seemed to have suited him, with his brain working out complex algorithms with mundane ease. He was hailed as the topmost programmer in his company, which he had joined nine years ago. All through the years, he never made any friends in the company. His colleagues often mocked him as ‘the machine’, as he was emotionally impregnable.

No wonder he is the best programmer… He’s just speaking his language. One of his colleague joked.

He looks like a weirdo to me. Look at his unkempt look and the way he is dressed, full sleeved shirt always cuffed at the wrists and that weathered denim jacket irrespective of the weather. A girl jumped in at the opportunity to avenge him for his rude rejection of her love proposal.

Something about him seems mysterious since the day he joined the company. commented the other colleague.

Sure seems to be a mystery. I would give away my month’s paycheck to anyone who could unravel the mystery. joked another colleague.

Sunny’s Parentage

S urya, who was still not rechristened as Sunny, had a forgettable childhood, with nothing to cherish. He never knew any relative apart from his father. Though he lived with his father, he could be called an orphan, as his father, who worked as a mechanic in a private firm at Saltfort industrial estate, was more of a pain than support to him. He took Surya with him, ostracizing his relatives from him, not with the love for him, but hatred for them. He wanted to punish them for their deceit, by keeping him away from them.

Surya’s father was a simple man with a modest job. He fell in love with a beautiful girl, who happened to be Surya’s mother. His marriage with her was not a complicated affair, as both the families were happy with the proposal. She loved him so much that he thought he had all he wanted in life. They made a lovely pair. Every day was an opportunity to express their love for each other. He was delighted with the news of arrival of a new member in the family. Life was a smooth sail, until the fateful day when a tornado rocked the boat. One fine day he returned from his work expecting his wife to welcome him with a beautiful smile at the entrance, which had become a regular exercise. He felt disappointed when that didn’t happen for the first time. He walked in and looked around for her, to know the reason for breaking their custom. He was shocked to find her on the floor, unconscious. He immediately rushed her to the nearby hospital. She was in her thirty fifth week of pregnancy and in immense pain. She was immediately admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. After various tests, they finally diagnosed her case. He was summoned into the doctor’s cabin.

Don’t you know that your wife is affected by Marfan’s Syndrome? asked the doctor.

What? He said, in utter confusion.

The doctor stared at him for a few seconds and then answered Marfan’s syndrome is a genetic disorder. It’s caused by the deficiency of a protein which builds the connecting tiss…

Is she doing fine? He interrupted her conversation as he was not interested in learning genetic science.

The doctor was silent for a few seconds and then she replied No.

The word shook the world around him. When he came to know that he was deliberately kept in the dark about her medical condition, he erupted in fury. He then banished everyone from his life.

He feared the inevitable and it happened. His wife gave birth to a cute baby boy, but she wasn’t lucky enough to have a glance at him. Doctors couldn’t save her despite their relentless efforts. He carried the child and walked away to lead a solitary life. He also hated the boy, because he believed that he had caused the death of his wife and also because he reminded him of the painful betrayal. After persistent attempts, he offered a slight reprieve to his mother, as she was widowed a year ago.

Sandy befriends Sunny

S urya was a lonely, timid boy who never made any friends, as he suffered inferiority complex. He was afraid people would reject him. His only business with school was studies, and he did very well with it. He restricted himself to solitude… until another fresh academic year.

He was in the fifth grade.

He sat on the last bench as usual and observed the incoming faces, of which most were familiar, without acknowledging anyone. He turned away to look outside the window, discontinuing his boring observation.

May I sit here? A melodious voice spoke.

He turned around with inexplicable curiosity, to find a cute girl. It seemed as if it was the first time someone had spoken so courteously to him. He didn’t respond, but just moved a bit, indicating her to sit down. He liked her at the first sight, but still faced away from her as she sat beside him.

My name is Sandhya. she spoke in a cute voice.

Surya looked at her and again turned away from her without any response.

I told you, he’s not the kind you make friends with. said a girl from the front row, priding her judgment.

Come on… Sit with me. She offered her a seat.

Sandhya ignored her remarks and also his indifference, as she had already made herself seat beside him. As she was getting settled, he stole glances at her.

She had a chubby face with bright black eyes and a round nose. Dark curly hair flowed down her shoulders, occasionally falling before her eyes, which she blew away playfully. Her skin was fair and flawless. He noticed her pink palms, delicate and smooth, unlike his. She was as tall as Surya, but slightly plump. She had neatly arranged rows of teeth, enclosed in her pink lips, which sparkled as she smiled. As he looked at her radiant smile, he had an uncanny feeling that he also had a smile on his face. He was not sure whether he smiled or he felt as if he smiled, as her mood seemed to be contagious. As she turned to his side, he immediately looked away.

It was the first day of the academic year. The class started with self-introductions. She came to know that his name was Surya. She was a new admission in the school, yet she made a lot of friends on the very first day. Her confidence was evident from the way she carried herself. He felt uneasy sitting beside her. He probably felt uncomfortable because she felt comfortable with him. He was afraid that once she began interacting with other guys, she would come to know about him and hate him.

When he entered the classroom the next day, he saw that Sandhya was surrounded by her classmates, each very glad to make a conversation with her. She was an instant charm. She was seated in the same place as the previous day, but he saw that her adjacent seat, which was his usual place, had a bag placed on it. He understood that it was reserved for someone and started to look for another seat, when she spoke,

This seat is for you.

He couldn’t believe his ears. He looked back straight into her adorable eyes.

How can someone make friendship with a despicable person like me? he wondered.

He sat down consciously and placed his bag on his desk. She just smiled at him and then continued with her chatting. He appreciated the way she carried herself with confidence. He lacked it.

As the class progressed, Sandhya was amazed by his brilliance and wondered why he had no friends.

The class ended and everyone started to pack their bags.

Hey Surya… You did a great job today. He didn’t expect the conversation.

Th… Thank you. he stuttered.

Nice knowing you. She said as she extended her hand towards him.

He shyly extended his hand and held it hesitantly. She gripped his hand and shook it briefly. Surya felt as if his shackles of self-restraint were broken by her delicate touch. Since then, Surya experienced a different world around him. He made friends with everyone in the class. He began to smile a lot. Surya and Sandhya became best friends in no time. Days passed and their friendship grew stronger every day.

You have a beautiful smile… just like the sunshine. she said.

I’m going to call you Sunny. she declared gleefully.

Everyone started calling him Sunny. He liked the name very much.

Hey Sandhya… I’m going to call you Sandy hereafter. Sunny announced.

Sandhya was thrilled.

What’s the meaning of Sandy? she asked playfully.

He thought for a few seconds.

Nothing… Just goes with your name.

Isn’t it cute? he asked, blinking innocently.

She laughed at his innocence.

It’s so… cute. She held his cheek and gently pinched him, as she stretched the word ‘so’.

Sunny gave a beautiful smile.

As months passed, they became special friend to each other. A year rolled by so blissfully for them.

It’s a beautiful morning, Sunny bunny. she said one day.

Sunny gave her an enquiring look.

I don’t like to call you the way others do. she spoke with childish charm.

Sunny smiled as he nodded his head in disbelief.

Ok… What does bunny mean? he asked.

Nothing… I love them. It’s just cute, isn’t it? she asked.

Then, I’ll call you Sandy candy. he replied instantaneously.

What does candy mean then? Sandy asked.

You are as sweet as a candy. Simple, Isn’t it? he replied.

So sweet… she liked it so much.

They had lunch together, they took breaks together, they walked home together. They spent so less time away from each other.

One day, Sunny happened to assist his teacher with shifting the assignment books to the staff room. When he returned, he found that all his books had a sketch of a sun beside his name.

What’s this Sandy candy? Sunny asked.

Well… It’s your logo. She giggled.

Logo!!! he blushed, as he felt like a celebrity.

She was a mountain of confidence to him. She changed his life altogether.

Sandy shared all her likes and dislikes with Sunny.

I like sunflowers. I love the way they turn in whichever direction the sun goes. I like peacocks. I love bunnies. They are cute, aren’t they? She nudged Sunny with her elbow, hinting why she nicknamed him bunny and then again continued with her list.

My favorite dish is brinjal fry. I like mangoes. My favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry. I eat ice creams, a lot. I love chocolates too. I like pink. I love to drive my mother’s car. Someday, I’ll take you on a drive. I listen to melodious music when I’m upset. It soothes me. I like to dance. I like to sing… when I’m alone, of course. She giggled.

What do I love the most? Any guesses? she asked playfully.

Sunny didn’t guess anything. He just admired her enthusiasm.

I’m waiting… she warned him.

Oh… Could that be me? he joked.

I’m not talking about people I like. I’m talking about things I like. she explained impatiently.

I can’t think of anything. He shrugged in defeat.

Rain… I think it’s god’s blessings showering in the form of rain droplets. I love to get drenched in the rain. I love to walk in the rain. She spoke with immense appreciation.

What do you like? she asked him.

Sunny’s smile turned into a frown, as he only then realized that he didn’t know what his likes were.

He blinked at Sandy for a few seconds and then replied I don’t know.

Sandy was surprised.

Sunny believed that he didn’t have a choice to like or dislike. Whatever life gave him, he accepted.

Think again. She insisted.

He thought hard and then replied You are the only one I like.

She stared at him for a long time… and then gently kissed him on his cheek, which he didn’t expect. She was emotional. As his life moved on, her likes became his likes and her dislikes, his.

Sunny days

S ummers were always special for the school kids. Everyone celebrated the last day of the academic year, because they would get a long vacation. Each had their own plans. Some went to their native places, some enjoyed a summer trip to hill stations, some got enrolled for swimming classes and some enjoyed summer camps. Sunny didn’t have any of those privileges, which he never brooded about. He was only painfully expecting to hear Sandy’s plan for any those.

What’s your plan for the summer? Sandy asked him.

Nothing. he bluntly said.

Great… she shouted cheerfully.

Sunny didn’t understand.

We can spend the summer together then. Sandy said excitedly.

Sunny couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. He was ecstatic. He realized that the lack of privileges had turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him. He was prepared for a memorable vacation.

What do we do today? Sunny would ask.

Let’s play - pick out the lie, Sunny bunny. Sandy would say.

Pick out the lie? he wondered. She would suggest new games, which he had never heard of.

The game was that one participant had to narrate an incident from their own life and the other had to find out whether it was the truth or a lie.

Sandy easily picked out his lies. It was as if she read his mind. He failed most of the times. He genuinely lost to her, but he realized how much fun it was, losing to her. Her childishly enthusiastic giggles were priceless.

Shall we play riddles? Just before his interest for the game faded, she would propose a new one.

Before he got tired of the games, she would amuse him with some fascinating fairy tales, which her mother shared with her as bedtime stories. They visited the Portshore beach few times. It was a great joy for both of them, holding each other’s hands and walking in the soothing breeze along the magnificent sea shore.

She invited him to her house every day. Her mother served him snacks. He occasionally had lunch at her house. Her mother was so kind to him. He wished he had a mother too.

Won’t you invite me to your house? Sandy joked once, as he had never offered an invitation to her.

He gave her a deep regretful look and then said No.

Sandy was shocked and wondered whether she heard him right and if so, whether he was joking.

What? she asked in confusion.

He then spoke about his personal life for the first time. Sandy could not hold back her tears. She then understood the reason for his reclusive nature before he became her friend.

Not a big deal. I don’t have father. You don’t have mother. It’s even. Sandy tried to console him.

Not even… You get love, I don’t. he told her painfully.

Sandy was sad for him. She observed his mood change.

Shall we go for mango picking? she asked him out of the blue.

Sunny returned to cheerful mood with her enthusiasm.

Sure. he replied gaily.

Let’s go. She snatched his arm and ran towards the backyard, where there was a huge mango tree. Sunny looked for a long pole, trying the ones lying around.

She giggled and said That’s not the way you pick mangoes.

He wondered how else. Sandy swiftly walked to the tree and climbed it with ease.

Come on. She called Sunny. He was scared.

He hesitantly walked to the tree. He tried to hold the tree trunk and climbed up a few feet. As he looked down, he jumped off in fear. He was strong enough to hold the trunk, but was afraid of heights.

Sandy laughed uncontrollably.

You stay there. I’ll throw you the mangoes. She said and climbed even higher and threw him some ripe mangoes. As she looked down, she was amused to see him rub his nose in fear. He had this strange mannerism; he rubbed his nose when he got anxious or tensed. He was awed by her fearlessness.

What are you doing there Sandhya? How many times should I warn you not to climb the tree? Her mother ordered her to get off the tree immediately.

Sandy swiftly climbed down the tree and immediately ran to her mother and gave her a hug. Her anger vanished in an instant and she kissed her daughter on her forehead.

Wow… Is this why she is called mother? He wondered at how her mood changed with a hug.

Blessed are those who have mother. He envied her.

They had loads of fun with a variety of games all through the vacation; he couldn’t imagine a better vacation than that one. Since then, he made it a rule to spend the holidays together and she gladly complied.

His classmates once wondered whether he could smile, but then again agreed that he had the cutest smile. Within four years of friendship, they became inseparable. They were seldom spotted without each other’s company. They came to school as early as possible and left as late as possible. They spent together, as much time as possible.

Heartbroken

O ne morning in the classroom, he kept waiting for Sandy, but to no avail. He knew that she was never late to school. He finally came to a conclusion that she wouldn’t come to school that day.

I will not talk to her, even if she apologizes. He swore in anxiety.

He eagerly waited for her the next day, with lots of questions for her. He was earlier than usual to school that day, as he had even skipped his breakfast. As minutes passed, he started to worry. The class started, but she was still