All the Same

The Liar

She walked up and down her tiny studio apartment wondering what to do. She had told 4 different versions of stories to various people. And now she stood at a point where everything could potentially collapse. The mountain of lies she had so carefully erected.

Her parents thought she was going to arrive home on Tuesday. She had told them she would pack up and that she had booked tickets. Her boyfriend thought she was leaving a couple of days later. Her latest fling was told she would be leaving on the weekend. Her friends thought she had already left, because she had resolved to spend her last few days in the city with her two lovers. In this well thought out situation, only one thing was amiss. She hadn't thought of her cellphone.

She had mistakenly left it on, after deciding it best to keep it turned off for the week and use public phones. Her parents obviously called her everyday. One of her friends had mistakenly dialed her number and found it ringing. The lover tried her number once out of symbolism and loneliness. And when it rang the 50 seconds, it went on to the automated voice that said that the call was unanswered. In Marathi. This had given it away that she was still in Bombay.

She played her cards well enough. Every word she uttered was calculated. She would've been a perfect candidate for a spokesperson, perhaps for a political party or a government. She would never reveal anything than was asked, she would claim she hadn't lied if she was confronted and always took advantage of information asymmetry amongst people.

She checks her phone and sees the multiple missed calls. She knows her friends will talk about it for a couple of minutes before giving her the benefit of doubt. She predicts her lover to jump into a taxi and makes his way to her house anytime now. She picks up her bag and leaves, giving her lift operator a fifty note while instructing him, "Woh ek sir aayenge, unko bolna main 3 din pehle hi chali gayi".

The lover arrives almost a minute after she has left. He asks the lift operator when he last saw 'madam' from the 4th floor. He blurted out his rehearsed line. He walks up to her apartment and uses his key to open her door. He sees all her luggage still there and the newspaper of that day. She had forgotten about his key. 

The Whore

He was sitting in her house nursing a drink when she got up to take a call. He fumbled to find his phone.

He had been flirting with a girl he hadn't known a week ago. She was new to the city and he had found her on a social networking site. She had given in wondering what harm it could do. All she wanted was to meet new people and find a good circle of friends. After a couple of telephonic conversations and one meeting, he had invited himself over to her house. At the pretext of her not being familiar with the city, he had suggested he could come over. It had worked. He stuffed his three pack of condoms into his back pocket.

He quickly called this other girl he knew was in town only for the night. They had known each other for a while and she was going thru a bad breakup. He had consoled her and told her everything she wanted to hear. "You were always too good for him", "A girl like you would be so sought after now, you shouldn't worry" and the likes. With her bring a small time model, the last statement was probably honest as well. She said she would be done with her dinner with colleagues very soon, hinting that he should come pick her up. He said he was caught up with something and would leave soon.

The girl standing with the phone across the room was oblivious to this entire conversation. As soon as she hung up, he started pretending he was a little tipsy. He showered her with compliments and suggested they do shots. She relents, now realizing she was losing her last bastion of good judgment with that shot down, adding to her tally of 4 doubles. He slowly starts off with his well rehearsed moves. He puts his arm around, playing with her hair as she looks at him. They make eye contact for a second too long, he holds her gaze and dives in for a kiss.

Half an hour later, he gets off the bed and tells her he's going to go find cigarettes. She tries dissuading him, but he's already wearing his clothes. He kisses her on her forehead, assures her he'll be back soon and heads out. He gets his phone out, dials the last called number. He tells her he's on his way to pick her up, and asks if she's wearing a skirt.

The Cheat

She hugs him in their trademark style and tells him she's going to miss him. He kisses her softly and whispers "love you" before darting down the stairs from the fourth floor.

It is going to be 14th February in a couple of days, and he had tried to plan a small vacation. She had dismissed it outright, claiming it's such a cliché. She adds that she must fly to Jaipur to meet her aunt. He is disappointed but tries hard to mask it. He assures her that she'll be alright while himself booking tickets to a weekend with his family.

She zips up her bag which was almost packed, throwing in her 3 pairs of shades along with a high SPF sunscreen. She gets a text message asking her to wait outside her apartment for the car that's been sent to pick her up. She closes the mail thread she's reading on her MacBook and shuts it down.

As she opens the door to the BMW 5-series and gets inside, she glances over to see her ex-boyfriend sitting on the other side. He leans towards her, lands a kiss and says, "All set for Goa?!"

The Deserter

She calls him to tell him about the catastrophe that has just hit her family. He listens without interrupting, as she sobs thru the painful details of how her father has another family and child, out of wedlock.

She is inconsolable, and he doesn't attempt to empathize or tell her that everything will eventually be alright. He hangs up, not knowing how to react when he meets her an hour from then. His mom sees him getting off the phone with a grim expression and quizzes him knowing very well it was her he was talking to.

"You know very well there's no future there, right. I wonder why you're wasting your time", she adds finally when he doesn't volunteer any details.

He storms out, pretending not to hear his mother's barbed taunts.

They both meet at a coffee shop that's come to be their favorite haunt. She hugs him and sheds a few stolen tears, not wanting to let go. He feels the weight of the gazes of everyone around on him. He withdraws from the hug and asks her to sit down. Before she starts, he says he wants to tell her something important.

She is intrigued, and waits for him to start as she picks up another tissue. 

"I don't think it will work between us. We should break up and carry on with our lives", he almost mumbles. She can't have mistaken those words. She gets up, her hands trembling. She suddenly feels very weak, and hopes she doesn't faint. She walks outside, till she can't remember how long she's been walking. She goes to a small roadside shop, and lights up with her trembling hands, the first cigarette of her life.

"The liars, the whores, the cheats and the deserters. All the same." - M. Night Shyamalan