The city is experiencing the first rain of the season. The dripping water from the foliage, wet concrete forest, trippy road and colorful umbrellas are creating a picture perfect rainy day painting from a child’s coloring book. Though its 7 pm but the gloomy watermark of the rain and the dark and cocky clouds had turned the chaotic street dull and shady. This is the perfect moment for some creatures that come out with extra zeal and enthusiasm, the “lovers”. Lovers of all age, shape, sizes and color can be found at every corner hugging, kissing or simply walking hand in hand or hand on waist or hand on wherever they want. Suddenly their romance and heat comes oozing out from every pore of their body; as because they love getting wet with each other. May be that adds some extra stars on the rating reviews of their love stories.

Well!! Almost every face looks cheerful except one.

The street lamps looked spooky in the rain. The trees and the benches on the side walk, along with the dim light of the lamps created an uncanny chiaroscuro. Beside one such bench was standing “Rosaline” all alone, wretched and disturbed. She lost her job today. She was fired, humiliated in front of all the staffs when she was not even culpable. The only good thing happened today was, she carried an umbrella with her. Her biggest fear at this moment was how to reach home. Rosaline was very confident that she won’t receive the salary of this month, so until and unless she finds a new job, savings are her only refuge. She can’t take a metro or a bus because she is carrying a box full of her stuffs and it’s raining. If she hires a cab she will have to spend a fortune. Rosaline calculated instantly in her mind all the aspects and the consequences both. Rosaline knows she won’t have any problem searching a new job. She has lined up already. “Why does this happen to me all the time? Why can’t I take a simple decision?” Rosaline thought in agitation. At last, overcoming a dilemma, she heaved a deep sigh and booked a cab. She thought “let’s face one problem at a time; First things first.

Though it is a rented studio apartment but Rosaline has decorated it with all her heart and made it a cute and cozy home. She freshened up quickly and sat with the laptop and hot cup noodle. She started checking out the job vacancies one by one and short listed few for tomorrow. Just then her phone started ringing with the song “there’s someone for me somewhere…..and I still miss someone…” the name that was blinking on the screen brought a good amount of smile on her face; “Zoya calling…..” Rosaline picked up the phone and walked to the balcony and said “hey!! What’s up?”

Zoya smelled the distress in her best friend’s voice. She said “I am absolutely good but you are not good. What is it?”

Rosaline took a deep breath and said “I got kicked out from job today.”

“What? ……..are you serious? That must be definitely Edna. Am I right?” Zoya rubbed both her jaws together with rage.

“Hmm…. Leave it Zoya I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Rosaline said in a low tone.

“Hey! Okay hon…. Look… I know you will get a job with just snapping your fingers ………… let’s catch up on weekend. The drink is on me and don’t dare say No. And no need to over think. You know that whenever you over think you fall in a ditch and can’t decide. ” said Zoya with an affectionate tone.

After few more chatter Rosaline hung up Zoya’s call. She looked out. It’s still pouring heavily. The arrogant wind ruffled her hair but Rosaline was somewhat in love with the wind’s tough attitude. She stayed in the balcony for few more minutes and allowed the wind to play with her hair.

Rosaline ran her eyes through the list. She has three job interviews tomorrow. She went to sleep and thought “I hope the rain stops and the sun shines bright tomorrow.”

Its post lunch and Rosaline is waiting at the lounge of a top class office. After facing two interviews she is sitting calm and quite turning the pages of a fashion magazine and waiting for the third one. She isn’t worried much because she is not going to take any decision this time. “But what if I clear all the three interviews? That will be really impeding again.” thought Rosaline with a punched face.  Just then the receptionist came and asked her to go inside with a lovely smile.

The bar is crowded tonight. But Rosaline knows her spot where Zoya is already waiting for her. They sat with their favorite Bloody Merry and nachos.

Zoya started the conversation “I am glad you came. Which one are you joining from Monday?”

“BRICKS AND BONDS” Rosaline replied in short.

“Congratulations, my love. But what exactly went wrong in your previous office?” exclaimed Zoya.

Rosaline wiped her face with her hanky and said “I was running out of time, the deadline was hanging like a naked sword over my neck so the previous night I decided to take up the work at home. But when I sat down to work and opened my bag the file was missing.”

Zoya’s eyes widened and she said in dismay “what? You misplaced it?”

Rosaline took a small sigh and said “no I didn’t. I distinctly remember I had put the file in my bag. I don’t have any proof though but Edna was there. And before leaving for home I went to the washroom. May be………”

Rosaline exhaled a deep sigh.

“That bitch I know she must have slipped away that file from your back.” Zoya said with rage.

“Next morning I knew what is waiting for me. That file was of a VIP client. Edna was ready with an amazing story and I got fired.” Rosaline scoffed.

Just then a boy walked in and asked Zoya for dance. While sitting alone and taking sips of Bloody Merry Rosaline noticed two eyes are staring at her from the opposite globe. When their eyes met the boy smiled but Rosaline turned away her eyes. She thought “oh no!! I should have smile back too. Always wrong in taking decisions.”

“The credit is all yours Zoya. If you had left the decision for me I would had never made up here in Ibiza.” Rosaline said in a very pleasant tone.

Both the friends were enjoying the pleasant breeze coming from the Mediterranean Sea and basking in the bright sun of this Spanish island. Few moments later Rosaline walked up to the shack for some drinks. She was coming back with the juice glasses when she heard someone calling her from back. Rosaline turned around and she was surprised to see the boy from that bar that night who politely smiled at her and she had turned her face off.

Zoya was watching them from a distance and smiling. She asked Rosaline when she came back “You know him?”

Rosaline replied with her cheeks turned red “yes. No…… not that way. I mean……. I saw him that night in the bar just after I got a new job and we were partying. Remember?”

“Yes I remember indeed. But that was 6 months back. Is he in love with you? He followed you here?” Zoya asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

“No. How would he know? He too is vacationing with his friends. He just offered us to join them so that we can have fun together.” Rosaline said with a casual tone.

Zoya jumped up from her mat in astonishment and said aloud “what? And what did you tell him? Don’t tell me you refused.”

“No I didn’t. I said I am totally messed up while taking decisions so I’ll ask my friend.” Rosaline said with a stupid face.

Zoya was dancing all around the sand with joy. She said “finally we will have a great time over here. Fun doubles when you have more in company.”

A magical love story brewed up in this sun kissed Spanish island. Rosaline and Max came closer in two weeks. The vacation turned up to be a pleasant dream which nobody would ever want to wake up from. Today is the last day of their trip. The beach and the setting sun looked murky and lone. Rosaline and Max were sitting and trying to reach the horizon virtually. Max held Rosaline’s hand and said “Rosaline we really had a great time together, all of us. I felt like myself, grounded, very close to my soul, all the time I was with you. But before we enter into something real and serious, there’s something I want to tell you.”

Rosaline turned to Max with modest eyes.

“Rosaline ……..I have a girlfriend. But ……….it’s better to say I had a girlfriend. This trip was planned just to escape from her fierce clutches. I don’t want to malign her. But I want to come clean in front of you.” Max took a small sigh.

He said again “our relationship has turned toxic. It wasn’t like that before. But eventually my girlfriend got obsessed of me. She became so possessive that I felt she counts my breath too. It was exasperating for me to be with her. It’s not because you stepped into my life like a blessing that I decided for break-up. No. After landing, the first thing which I was going to do is break-up with her.”

The twilight wrapped up the island slowly. Both of them sunk deep into the translucent darkness holding each other’s hand.

Max broke the benign silence “Rosaline will you be in my life like my guardian angel? Okay I understand. No need t reply right away. Then let’s meet the next Sunday near the fairy fountain at 5 in the evening. It’s getting windy. Let’s go back to the hotel.”

Rosaline and Zoya were waiting outside the airport for their cab. Just then Rosaline said aloud “oh my God!!! Look over there Zoya.”

Both the friends stood still when they saw Max’s girlfriend had come to the airport to welcome him. And his girlfriend is none other than Edna, who is holding Max in a tight hug right now.

In the cab Zoya looked excited and overjoyed. Rosaline was very confused with her sudden change of behavior. At last Zoya said with a broad smile “I knew it. God will punish Edna one day. This is the greatest opportunity for you Rose. She snatched your job, you snatch her boyfriend.”

Rosaline burst out laughing. She said “look at you. How cheap you sound Zoya. He is anyways going break-up with her.”

“Yes. That is what I am trying to fit inside your brain. God has chosen you for him why? That’s Karma my girl. Go ahead and embrace your win.” Zoya said breathing heavily in anticipation.

Before parting Zoya said thoughtfully “Rose, don’t over think again just decide wisely.”

Rosaline reached the coffee shop by 4:30 that Sunday. She sat overlooking the fountain with a cappuccino and Tiramisu. Max arrived at 5pm sharp. He looked so handsome and graceful that Rosaline was unable to take away her eyes from him. With every racing minute Rosaline watched the rising anxiety in Max. He was moving to and fro all around the place impatiently. Rosaline waited and watched for another 30 minutes, then she settled her bill, walked out from the coffee shop and took the road which goes to the opposite direction from the Fairy fountain. She didn’t stop for once. The dusk was round the corner; just then her phone started ringing with the ringtone “there’s someone for me somewhere…..and I still miss someone…”

Rosaline took out the phone from her purse looked at the screen with wet eyes and disconnected. She sat down in a bench far away from Max and she let her tears roll down. Few moments later, she wiped her tears and said to herself “for the first time in my life, I took a dilemma free decision. And I know I am right.”

                                       The end