Love In The Time Of Virus: The Lockdown And Thereafter
Love In The Time Of Virus: The Lockdown And Thereafter is the sequel to the recently published book, The First Call: Love In The Time Of Virus. If you enjoy reading the long story, I sincerely recommend you to give the book a read!
This post has been published by me as a part of Blog-a-Ton 59; the fifty-ninth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. In association with IndiCreator. For Creators. By Creators.. Share Your #LockdownTales at indicreator.com
Prologue
On a summer evening in 2022.
Leela read the first draft of the eBook – The First Call: Love In The Time Of Virus. She held her baby bump, while rising up from the chair. She looked around for Ram and she called out his name… “Ram… Ram…”
Ram came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He placed the coffee cups on the table, sat on the sofa laid in the living room and helped Leela sit next to him. Though he appeared calm, his heart beat faster than usual, “So… how’s it? Do you like the story? Did it capture the feelings?”
On any day Leela could read him like a book. She understood his curiosity. “Are you seriously a one-woman man?”
“Hmm” Ram smiled.
“At times these blank smiles say a lot of words.” This time, Leela said the exact same words Cathy said a couple of years ago. “I am in love with this story. I can feel my presence in the story, so I am sure you did justice to each of the characters.”
“Are you in touch with Cathy?” This time Leela did not have any eye-contact, and before he could answer, she showed a photograph uploaded to a popular social media platform. The ever-smiling Cathy with her son… probably the baby is a year old. “Looks like she has adopted the baby of a virus victim.”
For a moment Ram was lost in his thoughts. Leela called his name again. “No, it’s been more than 18 months.” Ram looked at the photograph closely, “She and her baby, look awesome together.”
“I agree. I have a huge liking for Cathy and now, I respect her more.” Leela showed her excitement for the first time after reading the story. “By the way sub-title says… Love in the time of Virus. And you just wrote a couple of paragraphs about the pandemic situation.”
“Well, people have read more about the pandemic situation and lockdown in news articles, blogs, and on social media platforms. They are well aware of it. And as my sub-title says- love in the time of virus. The story is about love… that too without any communication between the two… Ram and Leela. The purest form of love. And…” Ram paused for a brief moment, took a deep breath, before justifying his views. “There is a fine line between trust, love and need. One can understand the actual meaning only if you know how to read between the lines. The First Call post the pandemic situation is for the love. And it is about our sweet love.”
“And to those who cannot read between the lines, will you be writing another Coffee Read? Please don’t say… ‘Not this time’.” Leela carefully placed her words.
“It’ll be a blog post for Blog-a-Ton.” Ram smiled.
The baby kicked her bump. “Looks like he is hungry.” Ram and Leela sipped the coffee with biscuits. They looked much like a perfect couple like that you see in the movies.
Ram penned the blog post under the title, “Love In The Time Of Virus: The Lockdown And Thereafter”.
Leela read the first draft of the eBook – The First Call: Love In The Time Of Virus. She held her baby bump, while rising up from the chair. She looked around for Ram and she called out his name… “Ram… Ram…”
Ram came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He placed the coffee cups on the table, sat on the sofa laid in the living room and helped Leela sit next to him. Though he appeared calm, his heart beat faster than usual, “So… how’s it? Do you like the story? Did it capture the feelings?”
On any day Leela could read him like a book. She understood his curiosity. “Are you seriously a one-woman man?”
“Hmm” Ram smiled.
“At times these blank smiles say a lot of words.” This time, Leela said the exact same words Cathy said a couple of years ago. “I am in love with this story. I can feel my presence in the story, so I am sure you did justice to each of the characters.”
“Are you in touch with Cathy?” This time Leela did not have any eye-contact, and before he could answer, she showed a photograph uploaded to a popular social media platform. The ever-smiling Cathy with her son… probably the baby is a year old. “Looks like she has adopted the baby of a virus victim.”
For a moment Ram was lost in his thoughts. Leela called his name again. “No, it’s been more than 18 months.” Ram looked at the photograph closely, “She and her baby, look awesome together.”
“I agree. I have a huge liking for Cathy and now, I respect her more.” Leela showed her excitement for the first time after reading the story. “By the way sub-title says… Love in the time of Virus. And you just wrote a couple of paragraphs about the pandemic situation.”
“Well, people have read more about the pandemic situation and lockdown in news articles, blogs, and on social media platforms. They are well aware of it. And as my sub-title says- love in the time of virus. The story is about love… that too without any communication between the two… Ram and Leela. The purest form of love. And…” Ram paused for a brief moment, took a deep breath, before justifying his views. “There is a fine line between trust, love and need. One can understand the actual meaning only if you know how to read between the lines. The First Call post the pandemic situation is for the love. And it is about our sweet love.”
“And to those who cannot read between the lines, will you be writing another Coffee Read? Please don’t say… ‘Not this time’.” Leela carefully placed her words.
“It’ll be a blog post for Blog-a-Ton.” Ram smiled.
The baby kicked her bump. “Looks like he is hungry.” Ram and Leela sipped the coffee with biscuits. They looked much like a perfect couple like that you see in the movies.
Ram penned the blog post under the title, “Love In The Time Of Virus: The Lockdown And Thereafter”.
Lockdown
April 2020
The World Health Organization declares the tragic 2020 Corona outbreak a global pandemic. The virus has rapidly spread to all 195 countries of the world. In the past two weeks, the number of cases has increased thirteen-fold affecting 1/3rd of the global population. The number of deaths increases by the hour, toppling this 1/3rd with at least 40% deaths across the world, making it the worst epidemic the world has seen. At the moment, with no vaccines in place for the new virus, in the days and weeks ahead, WHO expects to see the number of cases, as well as the number of deaths to only go up.
‘Wake up. Get ready’, ‘Stay at home’, ‘Self-isolate. Prevent the spread.’ Is what they stress on during the press release.
The world has never faced such a scenario before…. Ram switched off the television out of frustration. He always wanted the situation to get better and stable, but that’s not the case in reality. It’s been almost thirty days since he had shifted to a flat share, with a few of his colleagues, so that they could work-from-home. Ram was depressed, despite living with his colleagues in the co-ed flat share in London and working as a team.
His mobile phone rang. It was a video call from a special person and uplifted his mood definitely.
“Hello! How are you, my love?” Ram spoke in an excited tone.
The phone displayed the ceiling fan. “Hold on for a minute, Ram” A voice was heard feebly. Leela switched on the focus light and sat beneath it. She held the phone at a distance, bringing her face into focus. In the bright light, her beaming face was radiant. A sharp nose complimented her heart-shaped face and peacock-eyes. A mole on the upper right side of her rosebud lips grabbed everyone’s attention. The thick wavy black hair complemented her beautiful face. She was considered tall at 5’6”, and the perfect curves made her a very attractive woman for any roving eye. She wore a gorgeous peacock-blue sari paired with a set of golden bangles on the right hand, and the watch Ram gifted on her birthday two years ago, on the left. Her stone studded neckpiece was the highlight. She looked angelic.
“You look….” Ram paused, looked into her eyes deeply in love and said, “very cute and gorgeous, darling.”
She smiled. It was more of a blush. He asked, “What’s special?” and after a pause he added, “I am so happy to see you in a sari.”
She blushed even more. “Karna uncle and his family came home this morning to discuss about the wedding.”
Ram spoke in a hasty tone, “In this lockdown?” He paused, trying to calm down. He asked, “Anyway, Karna uncle lives next door to you. I don’t see any reason for his rush. And what did you say?! Who is getting married? Why are you dressed up like a bride?” And a thousand more questions.
“Because I am the bride!” Leela spoke wistfully. “I want you to be the first one… the special one to see me dressed in this sari.”
A voice from outside the room called her name loudly, more than a couple of times. The voice belonged to her mom. Suddenly, the call the call got disconnected. Ram’s Wi-Fi also got cut off and his mobile phone signal dropped to zero. Lights flickered before giving up. It was a power and signal outage.
He called out loudly, “Cathy”.
The World Health Organization declares the tragic 2020 Corona outbreak a global pandemic. The virus has rapidly spread to all 195 countries of the world. In the past two weeks, the number of cases has increased thirteen-fold affecting 1/3rd of the global population. The number of deaths increases by the hour, toppling this 1/3rd with at least 40% deaths across the world, making it the worst epidemic the world has seen. At the moment, with no vaccines in place for the new virus, in the days and weeks ahead, WHO expects to see the number of cases, as well as the number of deaths to only go up.
‘Wake up. Get ready’, ‘Stay at home’, ‘Self-isolate. Prevent the spread.’ Is what they stress on during the press release.
The world has never faced such a scenario before…. Ram switched off the television out of frustration. He always wanted the situation to get better and stable, but that’s not the case in reality. It’s been almost thirty days since he had shifted to a flat share, with a few of his colleagues, so that they could work-from-home. Ram was depressed, despite living with his colleagues in the co-ed flat share in London and working as a team.
His mobile phone rang. It was a video call from a special person and uplifted his mood definitely.
“Hello! How are you, my love?” Ram spoke in an excited tone.
The phone displayed the ceiling fan. “Hold on for a minute, Ram” A voice was heard feebly. Leela switched on the focus light and sat beneath it. She held the phone at a distance, bringing her face into focus. In the bright light, her beaming face was radiant. A sharp nose complimented her heart-shaped face and peacock-eyes. A mole on the upper right side of her rosebud lips grabbed everyone’s attention. The thick wavy black hair complemented her beautiful face. She was considered tall at 5’6”, and the perfect curves made her a very attractive woman for any roving eye. She wore a gorgeous peacock-blue sari paired with a set of golden bangles on the right hand, and the watch Ram gifted on her birthday two years ago, on the left. Her stone studded neckpiece was the highlight. She looked angelic.
“You look….” Ram paused, looked into her eyes deeply in love and said, “very cute and gorgeous, darling.”
She smiled. It was more of a blush. He asked, “What’s special?” and after a pause he added, “I am so happy to see you in a sari.”
She blushed even more. “Karna uncle and his family came home this morning to discuss about the wedding.”
Ram spoke in a hasty tone, “In this lockdown?” He paused, trying to calm down. He asked, “Anyway, Karna uncle lives next door to you. I don’t see any reason for his rush. And what did you say?! Who is getting married? Why are you dressed up like a bride?” And a thousand more questions.
“Because I am the bride!” Leela spoke wistfully. “I want you to be the first one… the special one to see me dressed in this sari.”
A voice from outside the room called her name loudly, more than a couple of times. The voice belonged to her mom. Suddenly, the call the call got disconnected. Ram’s Wi-Fi also got cut off and his mobile phone signal dropped to zero. Lights flickered before giving up. It was a power and signal outage.
He called out loudly, “Cathy”.
Cathy
Cathy, his colleague, and now, flatmate and roommate, walked into the room. She wore a pair of cotton-blend shorts with an elasticated waist, revealing her long smooth legs, and a wide top with dropped shoulders, long sleeves and a drawstring at the hem; they look quite good on her. And her nick-name was “Hotcake”.
“Was that you?” Ram looked at her angrily.
“Not this time.” Cathy, responded, as usual with her punch line.
“Can I use your phone for a minute?” Ram asked her without any second thoughts.
“I thought you’d apologise.” Cathy promptly sat down on his lap, “Anyway… the phone signal is down, and so is the power.” She glanced up into eyes that gave every indication he could read her mind, “That’s true… it was human-beings all these days and now even worse, everything is down: power, mobile phone, radio and what not!”
“What about the wired telephone?” Ram shot the next question.
“I don’t remember seeing one in this house.” Cathy answered bluntly.
“Even the walkie-talkie is not functioning anymore.” Mike said standing at the door.
“Under lockdown with all modes of communications disabled!” Gary grumpily added to Mike’s statement.
Ramya came running to the living room, “We do not have to work anymore.”
“No work. No money.” Cathy responded drolly.
“Hey hotcake… do you mind getting up from his lap.” Ramya tapped on Cathy’s back.
“This could be momentary” Ram voiced his opinion on the disabled technology, not paying heed to Ramya and Cathy.
“Or this could be the end to digital life and together with the virus, which is already a global pandemic, could erase the human race on earth.” Cathy glimpsed up at Ram’s face.
“Why are you looking at me?” Ram demanded answer.
“Why not make love before we too succumb to virus?” Cathy carefully placed her words before adding salt to the injury, “Leela will get married to Darshan anyways.”
Furious Ram pushed her down. “I do and will always love Leela.”
“Good one, Ram!” Ramya was visibly excited, obviously shipping Ram with Leela, rather than Cathy.
Cathy was hurt. Ram helped Cathy get back on her feet. “I’m sorry. What I meant was… not this time.”
Mike pitched in to make peace. “We must stay united and try to make the best out of this pandemic situation, guys.”
“I second Mike.” Gary added, “We must stay together in this lockdown.”
“Aye.” Said Mike, Gary too, Ramya and Cathy followed.
Ram nodded his head and yet his thoughts were with Leela. ‘Will Leela marry Darshan due to family pressure?’
Ram had no answer. As he helped his flatmates around his flat, there remained inside him a deep void.
“Was that you?” Ram looked at her angrily.
“Not this time.” Cathy, responded, as usual with her punch line.
“Can I use your phone for a minute?” Ram asked her without any second thoughts.
“I thought you’d apologise.” Cathy promptly sat down on his lap, “Anyway… the phone signal is down, and so is the power.” She glanced up into eyes that gave every indication he could read her mind, “That’s true… it was human-beings all these days and now even worse, everything is down: power, mobile phone, radio and what not!”
“What about the wired telephone?” Ram shot the next question.
“I don’t remember seeing one in this house.” Cathy answered bluntly.
“Even the walkie-talkie is not functioning anymore.” Mike said standing at the door.
“Under lockdown with all modes of communications disabled!” Gary grumpily added to Mike’s statement.
Ramya came running to the living room, “We do not have to work anymore.”
“No work. No money.” Cathy responded drolly.
“Hey hotcake… do you mind getting up from his lap.” Ramya tapped on Cathy’s back.
“This could be momentary” Ram voiced his opinion on the disabled technology, not paying heed to Ramya and Cathy.
“Or this could be the end to digital life and together with the virus, which is already a global pandemic, could erase the human race on earth.” Cathy glimpsed up at Ram’s face.
“Why are you looking at me?” Ram demanded answer.
“Why not make love before we too succumb to virus?” Cathy carefully placed her words before adding salt to the injury, “Leela will get married to Darshan anyways.”
Furious Ram pushed her down. “I do and will always love Leela.”
“Good one, Ram!” Ramya was visibly excited, obviously shipping Ram with Leela, rather than Cathy.
Cathy was hurt. Ram helped Cathy get back on her feet. “I’m sorry. What I meant was… not this time.”
Mike pitched in to make peace. “We must stay united and try to make the best out of this pandemic situation, guys.”
“I second Mike.” Gary added, “We must stay together in this lockdown.”
“Aye.” Said Mike, Gary too, Ramya and Cathy followed.
Ram nodded his head and yet his thoughts were with Leela. ‘Will Leela marry Darshan due to family pressure?’
Ram had no answer. As he helped his flatmates around his flat, there remained inside him a deep void.
Leela
Leela had to undergo the worst phase of her life. As soon as the phone got disconnected, her mom entered inside the room calling out her name. “Leela, will you…” Her mom stopped, admired her beautiful daughter and complimented her. “My beautiful princess, please come down to meet your king.”
Leela cut her mom short and said, “enough joking, Radhika. Let’s go down and meet Darshan and Karna uncle.” It was better to get to the point with her mother Radhika, who would otherwise just continue throwing her tantrums, trying to guilt-trip Leela into marrying Darshan.
“Stop calling Darshan by his name. He is going to be your husband in a few days.” Radhika passed her advice to Leela.
“I’ve no interest in marrying him. Forget it. Let’s not argue now.” Leela tried putting an end to the never-ending conversation.
Darshan sat on the sofa that was placed opposite to the door. Karna uncle sat next to him. Leela’s dad Raghav stood next to the door, waiting for his wife and daughter to join them. Leela entered the living room with the candle, for the power was not yet back.
Darshan could not stop admiring Leela’s beauty… she looked flawless. Leela’s mom sounded formal while speaking to her brother Karna and offered coffee to all.
“Hmm… it’s suffocating here. Shall we go to the garden?” Leela proposed the idea so that she could get a chance to open up with Darshan.
Karna acknowledged her request, and Darshan stood up from the sofa. Raghav asked Radhika to arrange the table in the garden, who happily agreed.
“Leela… hmm…” Darshan cleared his throat. “You’ve become a beautiful woman. You… I” Darshan stammered and struggled to utter a word. “All these days I saw you as a bubbly refreshing girl. I must say this… I am lucky to marry you.”
“Thanks for the compliment, Darshan. You look very smart and I am equally excited to see you after a couple of years. But I must confess this to you: I am in a relationship with Ram, my collegemate… we have been in love for six years. We planned to get married once we get settled in life. We always dreamt of a beautiful comfortable life. However the equation changed, due to our family pressure. Ram promised to speak with mom and dad once the pandemic situation is back to normal. We even planned to marry in the month of August. That’s during the summer break in London.” Leela spoke without looking at Darshan.
“Is he in London? Forget about August, as far as I know he may not be alive till that time. Hope you are aware of the stats and situation in western countries. If you ask me, I’d say that they are building their own grave.”
“Darshan…” Leela shouted, aghast that he could be so tactless and stone-hearted.
‘Chill baby, you are doing well, chill.’ Leela tried to contain her anger and calm down. “The situation is almost the same everywhere. People are dying in hundreds and thousands every day. I trust the power of our true love. Despite all the odds we will sail through this situation to lead a beautiful life in future.”
“Be practical, Leela. The chance of Ram surviving is very slim. Even our survival is not 100% guaranteed. Anything can happen to anyone. That’s why I’d love to have my own family and that too, as soon as possible. Please understand and accept the beautiful life ahead of us. Let’s marry and create magic.”
“I completely understand your need, and also the expectations of us. Anything can happen to anyone, I agree. But why me, when I am not ready for this marriage? I love Ram and I know in my heart that he is doing well. I’ve got a good vibe of this.”
Darshan could not handle it anymore. He said, “Kill your bloody vibe. Get ready for our marriage. I will ask uncle to quickly prepare for the marriage. I will prefer to not having any more discussions on this topic. Period.
Leela cut her mom short and said, “enough joking, Radhika. Let’s go down and meet Darshan and Karna uncle.” It was better to get to the point with her mother Radhika, who would otherwise just continue throwing her tantrums, trying to guilt-trip Leela into marrying Darshan.
“Stop calling Darshan by his name. He is going to be your husband in a few days.” Radhika passed her advice to Leela.
“I’ve no interest in marrying him. Forget it. Let’s not argue now.” Leela tried putting an end to the never-ending conversation.
Darshan sat on the sofa that was placed opposite to the door. Karna uncle sat next to him. Leela’s dad Raghav stood next to the door, waiting for his wife and daughter to join them. Leela entered the living room with the candle, for the power was not yet back.
Darshan could not stop admiring Leela’s beauty… she looked flawless. Leela’s mom sounded formal while speaking to her brother Karna and offered coffee to all.
“Hmm… it’s suffocating here. Shall we go to the garden?” Leela proposed the idea so that she could get a chance to open up with Darshan.
Karna acknowledged her request, and Darshan stood up from the sofa. Raghav asked Radhika to arrange the table in the garden, who happily agreed.
“Leela… hmm…” Darshan cleared his throat. “You’ve become a beautiful woman. You… I” Darshan stammered and struggled to utter a word. “All these days I saw you as a bubbly refreshing girl. I must say this… I am lucky to marry you.”
“Thanks for the compliment, Darshan. You look very smart and I am equally excited to see you after a couple of years. But I must confess this to you: I am in a relationship with Ram, my collegemate… we have been in love for six years. We planned to get married once we get settled in life. We always dreamt of a beautiful comfortable life. However the equation changed, due to our family pressure. Ram promised to speak with mom and dad once the pandemic situation is back to normal. We even planned to marry in the month of August. That’s during the summer break in London.” Leela spoke without looking at Darshan.
“Is he in London? Forget about August, as far as I know he may not be alive till that time. Hope you are aware of the stats and situation in western countries. If you ask me, I’d say that they are building their own grave.”
“Darshan…” Leela shouted, aghast that he could be so tactless and stone-hearted.
‘Chill baby, you are doing well, chill.’ Leela tried to contain her anger and calm down. “The situation is almost the same everywhere. People are dying in hundreds and thousands every day. I trust the power of our true love. Despite all the odds we will sail through this situation to lead a beautiful life in future.”
“Be practical, Leela. The chance of Ram surviving is very slim. Even our survival is not 100% guaranteed. Anything can happen to anyone. That’s why I’d love to have my own family and that too, as soon as possible. Please understand and accept the beautiful life ahead of us. Let’s marry and create magic.”
“I completely understand your need, and also the expectations of us. Anything can happen to anyone, I agree. But why me, when I am not ready for this marriage? I love Ram and I know in my heart that he is doing well. I’ve got a good vibe of this.”
Darshan could not handle it anymore. He said, “Kill your bloody vibe. Get ready for our marriage. I will ask uncle to quickly prepare for the marriage. I will prefer to not having any more discussions on this topic. Period.
Ram
Ram dragged a bean bag to the living room and sat down comfortably. Yawning, he cracked his knuckles, and stretched his legs. “Looks like someone is not hungry. That’s fishy, isn’t it, Gary?” Chuckling he gave a sideways glance at Cathy, trying to tease her.
“Cathy is angry, so she is not hungry.” Mike, as usual, came to the rescue.
“She is in lockdown mode. She is being considerate about our food stock levels.” Gary thought to himself.
“Maybe, or maybe not. I do not know. What I know for sure is… she is angry at someone. Someone she loves a lot actually” Mike responded subtly.
“I am neither hungry nor angry. I am going to sleep.” Cathy frowned, got up from her bean bag, and sipped on a cup of coffee before making her way to the bedroom.
“Good night folks.” Ram grabbed a cup of black coffee, a perfumed wax candle before making his way to the bedroom.
Cathy undressed quickly before jumping into the bed; a habit she developed during her high school days.
“Good night, Cathy. Sleep well.” Ram spoke before she covered herself with the blanket.Cathy sat up on the bed holding the blanket on to her bosom. “This is the limit. I cannot handle the stress anymore. I need you. Let’s talk like adults. Are you game?”
“Of course, let’s sort it out.” Ram appreciated her efforts, giving her a thumbs-up.Cathy walked up to him holding the blanket on to her bosom and sat close to him. “Help me with the answers. Be straight and to the point please.”
“Are you still in love with Leela?”
“I love her to bits and pieces.” Ram whispered looking into Cathy’s eyes.
“Okay, this is the expected answer. Here’s the next. Are you hopeful about her upcoming marriage, considering the pandemic situation?” Cathy leaned to her right and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Love and hope are two beautiful interlinked words. Do you expect anything more?”
“Smart answer. I’m totally hooked to this chic conversation.” Cathy sat up, looked into eyes and asked, “Just answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, okay?”
“Are you a one-woman man?” Cathy raised her eyebrows and added, “Are you still a virgin?”Ram blushed. He could not have eye-contact with her. “Fortunately, yes!”
“Unbelievable! For the past month, you have been sharing the room with a woman, who sleeps in the nude. And yet you never tried anything on me. Have you at least… seriously, you have a great control.”
Ram blushed. Chuckling, Cathy said, “And look… you are blushing. Leela is lucky.”“Okay, the last: do you like me?”
“I like you. I admire you. You are… like a good friend to me. At least one of the few souls I trust in this country.” Ram finally held eye-contact with her.
“I have a huge crush on you. More than just a crush – I am attracted to you. Of course, I have the urge of making love to you. I’m not a virgin. I lost my virginity at the age of 19, with my ex-boyfriend. I also had fun with a couple of guys I met in the dance club. I am open-minded and as a woman, I don’t really believe in the concept of virginity. My mantra is to never regret about anything in life.”
“I like your openness, Cathy. I am in-line with your thoughts. Likewise, I have set few principles in my life. And….”
Cathy cut him short and said, “I respect your views. Is there a harm in hugging a woman other than your love?”
“No…”
Before he could add or justify his views she said, “hug me tight and sleep well.”
The wet-winds blew off the candle. She giggled, “Even Mother Nature understands our conversation.”
“Cathy is angry, so she is not hungry.” Mike, as usual, came to the rescue.
“She is in lockdown mode. She is being considerate about our food stock levels.” Gary thought to himself.
“Maybe, or maybe not. I do not know. What I know for sure is… she is angry at someone. Someone she loves a lot actually” Mike responded subtly.
“I am neither hungry nor angry. I am going to sleep.” Cathy frowned, got up from her bean bag, and sipped on a cup of coffee before making her way to the bedroom.
“Good night folks.” Ram grabbed a cup of black coffee, a perfumed wax candle before making his way to the bedroom.
Cathy undressed quickly before jumping into the bed; a habit she developed during her high school days.
“Good night, Cathy. Sleep well.” Ram spoke before she covered herself with the blanket.Cathy sat up on the bed holding the blanket on to her bosom. “This is the limit. I cannot handle the stress anymore. I need you. Let’s talk like adults. Are you game?”
“Of course, let’s sort it out.” Ram appreciated her efforts, giving her a thumbs-up.Cathy walked up to him holding the blanket on to her bosom and sat close to him. “Help me with the answers. Be straight and to the point please.”
“Are you still in love with Leela?”
“I love her to bits and pieces.” Ram whispered looking into Cathy’s eyes.
“Okay, this is the expected answer. Here’s the next. Are you hopeful about her upcoming marriage, considering the pandemic situation?” Cathy leaned to her right and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Love and hope are two beautiful interlinked words. Do you expect anything more?”
“Smart answer. I’m totally hooked to this chic conversation.” Cathy sat up, looked into eyes and asked, “Just answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, okay?”
“Are you a one-woman man?” Cathy raised her eyebrows and added, “Are you still a virgin?”Ram blushed. He could not have eye-contact with her. “Fortunately, yes!”
“Unbelievable! For the past month, you have been sharing the room with a woman, who sleeps in the nude. And yet you never tried anything on me. Have you at least… seriously, you have a great control.”
Ram blushed. Chuckling, Cathy said, “And look… you are blushing. Leela is lucky.”“Okay, the last: do you like me?”
“I like you. I admire you. You are… like a good friend to me. At least one of the few souls I trust in this country.” Ram finally held eye-contact with her.
“I have a huge crush on you. More than just a crush – I am attracted to you. Of course, I have the urge of making love to you. I’m not a virgin. I lost my virginity at the age of 19, with my ex-boyfriend. I also had fun with a couple of guys I met in the dance club. I am open-minded and as a woman, I don’t really believe in the concept of virginity. My mantra is to never regret about anything in life.”
“I like your openness, Cathy. I am in-line with your thoughts. Likewise, I have set few principles in my life. And….”
Cathy cut him short and said, “I respect your views. Is there a harm in hugging a woman other than your love?”
“No…”
Before he could add or justify his views she said, “hug me tight and sleep well.”
The wet-winds blew off the candle. She giggled, “Even Mother Nature understands our conversation.”
“No toe-curling kisses. No bed-rocking sex. Just a gentle warm hug. Never slept in such a bliss.” Cathy typed a status in her messenger. Only later did she realize the hard-hitting reality. No power. No signal. No social life. It’s just about the worst ever pandemic situation the world has encountered. Once in every five minutes a soul leaves the body.
2.0
Ram stared at the portrait sketch of Leela’s photograph for a while, which he sketched after landing in London earlier this year.
“Someone is special… missing your special one a lot, is it?” Cathy interrupted his train of thoughts.
He acknowledged with a nod. “Feels so hard without talking to her. Make me wonder how did people survived long distance relationship prior to the technology invasion.”
“There is a fine line between trust, love and need. Our ancestors had a great understanding of these. Whereas we younger generation are so bad at managing emotions and end up in nasty things.” Cathy kept it simple.
“It is easy to say, but hard to follow.” He said looking into her eyes. “I pray for her survival every second. And,” he paused, took a deep breathe, and said, “Anyway, there’s no point in cribbing about it. I accept and I am waiting for the day to live my life with her.”
Power restoration project headed by World Health Organization successfully restored the power globally after as many as 30 days. The house, the road and what not… got its actual glow back. Everyone in the house was excited and shouting at peak, while Ram quickly escaped from the celebrations to grab his smartphone. He quickly switched it on as he had 30% charge left on his smartphone when he switched it off. The first two signal bars looked much like the last two lifelines of the game. He quickly dialled Leela on her mobile phone.
The connection was slow, but not dead. Ram patiently listened to the ring.
The first call got connected. “Ram…”
“Leela… Leela.”
“Ram… Ram… Ram… Leela…. Leela Ram…. Ram Leela…”
Words failed to help the lovebirds. Cathy stood shellshocked, but in a way she was happy for Ram. She understood his true love for Leela.
“Someone is special… missing your special one a lot, is it?” Cathy interrupted his train of thoughts.
He acknowledged with a nod. “Feels so hard without talking to her. Make me wonder how did people survived long distance relationship prior to the technology invasion.”
“There is a fine line between trust, love and need. Our ancestors had a great understanding of these. Whereas we younger generation are so bad at managing emotions and end up in nasty things.” Cathy kept it simple.
“It is easy to say, but hard to follow.” He said looking into her eyes. “I pray for her survival every second. And,” he paused, took a deep breathe, and said, “Anyway, there’s no point in cribbing about it. I accept and I am waiting for the day to live my life with her.”
***
Power restoration project headed by World Health Organization successfully restored the power globally after as many as 30 days. The house, the road and what not… got its actual glow back. Everyone in the house was excited and shouting at peak, while Ram quickly escaped from the celebrations to grab his smartphone. He quickly switched it on as he had 30% charge left on his smartphone when he switched it off. The first two signal bars looked much like the last two lifelines of the game. He quickly dialled Leela on her mobile phone.
The connection was slow, but not dead. Ram patiently listened to the ring.
The first call got connected. “Ram…”
“Leela… Leela.”
“Ram… Ram… Ram… Leela…. Leela Ram…. Ram Leela…”
Words failed to help the lovebirds. Cathy stood shellshocked, but in a way she was happy for Ram. She understood his true love for Leela.
Virtual
May 2020
“It’s scary to hear what you’ve to go through, Leela.” Ram said placing the smartphone in the holder. He adjusted the neckband.
“It’s horrible, Ram. No one should go through it. This incident happened in the third week of complete shutdown. Darshan came home with rape on his mind; an ideology suggested by his friends that he should rape me to subdue me, and it is justified as anyway he would be marrying me. I was listening to music in the USB MP3 player, the mega-powered backup battery and 16W speaker I always use to listen music even during power failures.
He came inside the room after seeking permission. I said yes and turned back cribbing in silence. He increased the volume to the maximum, locked the door and looked at me from top to bottom. He powered me down to the bed, in no-time he tore my t-shirt exposing the inner-garments. I resisted and screamed, but it went unheard due to the loud music. He bit my lips very hard to the extend it started bleeding and even slapped me twice when I tried pushing him away. All I could see is my dreams crushing into nothing.
He released my right hand to unzip his pants. The zip stuck midway. He lifted his legs to unzip or pull the pant down. I used the opportunity to knock his balls with my knee. It was a hard kick and so, Darshan threw himself off from the bed, coughing hard in pain. Bleeding from mouth, I got up quickly, trying to escape. Darshan twisted, turned and rolled in pain. He looked completely helpless. I wanted to inflict more pain on him, stamped on his manhood with all the power I could gather, until he passed out. Still unable to calm down, I kicked his belly hard. Unconscious, he lay there unmoving.” Leela wet her handkerchief.
Ram could not speak a word. He did not expect to hear such things from her. He waited for her to continue.
“Our parents took us to hospital, where we were tested for virus and given treatment. A couple of weeks later, I took Darshan to a psychologist, where he revealed the dark secrets of his life. Darshan was abused by his uncle from his early childhood. He had spent many days losing his self-esteem. That’s why he had a huge problem when someone insulted or ignored him. Regular visits to the phycologist helped him live a better life.” Leela spoke at one go.
“That’s cruel. I cannot image such things, Leela.”
“It’ll take time to heal. Of this I am sure, my love for you is eternal. We are meant to be together forever.”
Cathy walked in apologising and saying a ‘Hi’ to Leela. She spoke for a brief minute about the lockdown before they hanged up as Ram had to join a meeting.
“Do you remember this poem?” Leela dropped a text on WhatsApp
Okay, One, two and three,
Let’s the fun begin with tea,
Get up from the bed,
Freshen up Mr. Red,
Wear the sexy red shirt,
Come to our heaven Mr. Flirt!
Yours,
Lady Book.
“Of course, I do. It’s on my birthday. And of course, it’s our proposal day.” Ram responded. He always liked the swipe right feature of WhatsApp when replying to chat messages.
“Life has changed so much. I never imagined living in lockdown in the year 2020. It was supposed to be the most happening year – every class mate of us said this right?
A virus changed our way of life.” Leela was quick to respond. However, Ram read the message only in the morning. “Did you sleep so soon?”
“Oh yes, I did. I was tired.” He texted her in the morning.
The conversations on WhatsApp chat, audio and video calls continued. WhatsApp became the way of life, right from dawn to dusk and even after that, they lived together virtually – the new normal, cherishing simplest things of life making it the biggest memory of their life.
“It’s scary to hear what you’ve to go through, Leela.” Ram said placing the smartphone in the holder. He adjusted the neckband.
“It’s horrible, Ram. No one should go through it. This incident happened in the third week of complete shutdown. Darshan came home with rape on his mind; an ideology suggested by his friends that he should rape me to subdue me, and it is justified as anyway he would be marrying me. I was listening to music in the USB MP3 player, the mega-powered backup battery and 16W speaker I always use to listen music even during power failures.
He came inside the room after seeking permission. I said yes and turned back cribbing in silence. He increased the volume to the maximum, locked the door and looked at me from top to bottom. He powered me down to the bed, in no-time he tore my t-shirt exposing the inner-garments. I resisted and screamed, but it went unheard due to the loud music. He bit my lips very hard to the extend it started bleeding and even slapped me twice when I tried pushing him away. All I could see is my dreams crushing into nothing.
He released my right hand to unzip his pants. The zip stuck midway. He lifted his legs to unzip or pull the pant down. I used the opportunity to knock his balls with my knee. It was a hard kick and so, Darshan threw himself off from the bed, coughing hard in pain. Bleeding from mouth, I got up quickly, trying to escape. Darshan twisted, turned and rolled in pain. He looked completely helpless. I wanted to inflict more pain on him, stamped on his manhood with all the power I could gather, until he passed out. Still unable to calm down, I kicked his belly hard. Unconscious, he lay there unmoving.” Leela wet her handkerchief.
Ram could not speak a word. He did not expect to hear such things from her. He waited for her to continue.
“Our parents took us to hospital, where we were tested for virus and given treatment. A couple of weeks later, I took Darshan to a psychologist, where he revealed the dark secrets of his life. Darshan was abused by his uncle from his early childhood. He had spent many days losing his self-esteem. That’s why he had a huge problem when someone insulted or ignored him. Regular visits to the phycologist helped him live a better life.” Leela spoke at one go.
“That’s cruel. I cannot image such things, Leela.”
“It’ll take time to heal. Of this I am sure, my love for you is eternal. We are meant to be together forever.”
Cathy walked in apologising and saying a ‘Hi’ to Leela. She spoke for a brief minute about the lockdown before they hanged up as Ram had to join a meeting.
***
“Do you remember this poem?” Leela dropped a text on WhatsApp
Okay, One, two and three,
Let’s the fun begin with tea,
Get up from the bed,
Freshen up Mr. Red,
Wear the sexy red shirt,
Come to our heaven Mr. Flirt!
Yours,
Lady Book.
“Of course, I do. It’s on my birthday. And of course, it’s our proposal day.” Ram responded. He always liked the swipe right feature of WhatsApp when replying to chat messages.
“Life has changed so much. I never imagined living in lockdown in the year 2020. It was supposed to be the most happening year – every class mate of us said this right?
A virus changed our way of life.” Leela was quick to respond. However, Ram read the message only in the morning. “Did you sleep so soon?”
***
“Oh yes, I did. I was tired.” He texted her in the morning.
The conversations on WhatsApp chat, audio and video calls continued. WhatsApp became the way of life, right from dawn to dusk and even after that, they lived together virtually – the new normal, cherishing simplest things of life making it the biggest memory of their life.
Unlock
August 2020
The World Health Organization declared that the virus outbreak had killed 70% of the global population and erased few countries from the map. With only 30% of the global population surviving the pandemic, this was worst of the pandemics the world had seen. Social distancing was also regulated across the globe before announcing the end of pandemic on the 150th day from the first reported case.
Cathy held Ram’s hand for a brief time. She always knew that when the time come, Ram would fly back to his hometown. But in her heart, she had believed that she would have got more time with him – than the 30 days of lockdown as they lived in the flat share, followed by the second month of the global power outage and then, the post power revival unlock period. The time they shared was too less for her heart, and when the time came to say goodbye, it left her heart sore. Those beautiful days and nights had come to an end.
“So much happened in the past 150 days. So much to the extent that we look at this world like a fresh start. So much that…” Cathy blurted, she paused, took a deep breath and she said, “You have to go now, Ram… but my heart says ‘don’t go’”.
Ram kept looking into her eyes deeply. Completely wet. Fresh tears-brimmed in her powerful eyes.
“Will you come back to this country?” Cathy was hopeful.
“Probably, not.” Ram looked away as he knew he would hurt her with that response, but he wanted to be truthful to Cathy.
“In the last 30 days we shared a beautiful bond….” Cathy was completely emotional.
“Hmm” Ram smiled.
“At times these blank smiles say a lot of words” Cathy paused, looked straight to his heart and continued, “A part of you is inside me… and it will stay with me forever. It will make my life meaningful.”
She wiped off the freshly brimmed tears. “Memories. The memories of past 100+ days. I meant.”
“I’ll… leave. I do not want to cry in public. I will miss you very much, Ram. And yes, I love you, Ram.” Cathy ran from the airport.
Ram waved goodbye to his colleagues for one last time. Sam, Mike, Gary and Ramya was sad too as they had all fought against pandemic situation together.
“Tough times make people stronger. Whoever said this, go to hell.” Sam murmured.
‘Bye!’ All of them waved together.
The World Health Organization declared that the virus outbreak had killed 70% of the global population and erased few countries from the map. With only 30% of the global population surviving the pandemic, this was worst of the pandemics the world had seen. Social distancing was also regulated across the globe before announcing the end of pandemic on the 150th day from the first reported case.
***
Cathy held Ram’s hand for a brief time. She always knew that when the time come, Ram would fly back to his hometown. But in her heart, she had believed that she would have got more time with him – than the 30 days of lockdown as they lived in the flat share, followed by the second month of the global power outage and then, the post power revival unlock period. The time they shared was too less for her heart, and when the time came to say goodbye, it left her heart sore. Those beautiful days and nights had come to an end.
“So much happened in the past 150 days. So much to the extent that we look at this world like a fresh start. So much that…” Cathy blurted, she paused, took a deep breath and she said, “You have to go now, Ram… but my heart says ‘don’t go’”.
Ram kept looking into her eyes deeply. Completely wet. Fresh tears-brimmed in her powerful eyes.
“Will you come back to this country?” Cathy was hopeful.
“Probably, not.” Ram looked away as he knew he would hurt her with that response, but he wanted to be truthful to Cathy.
“In the last 30 days we shared a beautiful bond….” Cathy was completely emotional.
“Hmm” Ram smiled.
“At times these blank smiles say a lot of words” Cathy paused, looked straight to his heart and continued, “A part of you is inside me… and it will stay with me forever. It will make my life meaningful.”
She wiped off the freshly brimmed tears. “Memories. The memories of past 100+ days. I meant.”
“I’ll… leave. I do not want to cry in public. I will miss you very much, Ram. And yes, I love you, Ram.” Cathy ran from the airport.
Ram waved goodbye to his colleagues for one last time. Sam, Mike, Gary and Ramya was sad too as they had all fought against pandemic situation together.
“Tough times make people stronger. Whoever said this, go to hell.” Sam murmured.
‘Bye!’ All of them waved together.
2022
At around 11 PM in the night.
Leela slept on the bed by the time Ram finished typing the story. It was more of an extract from the first book plus he addressed the gaps in the story.
By the time he crossed 4000 words, he was sure to stop and close the story, but his policy of ‘have-no-regrets-in-life’ pricked his heart. He cannot fail at second attempt too.
He recalled Cathy’s words: “A part of you is inside me… and it will stay with me forever. It will make my life meaningful.” After a pause Cathy added, “Memories. The memories of past 100+ days. I meant.”
“Just memories inside her? Is her son the baby of a victim? As Leela thought… what happened in the last 30 nights of unlock was more than a beautiful memory. Cathy might call it as a sexual need. I might say ‘hmm’ as these unspoken silences speak a lot of words.” Ram typed the unspoken words.
He kissed Leela’s cheek, “What about Leela? How will I tell her that I am not an one-woman man? And I am neither a cheater.”
Ram deleted the last couple of paragraphs before he pressed ‘CTRL+Z’.
Before he published the post, he made his mind to confess all that happened in the last 30 nights to Leela in the morning.
“Good Morning!” Leela woke him up and gave a cup of coffee.
“Good Morning. Sorry, I had a disturbed sleep. What’s the time?”
“10:00 AM for us. 4:30 AM in London. Cathy must be sleeping at this time, right?” Leela carefully placed her words.
Ram was in complete shock. Leela continued her word-play, “Cathy and her son are happy to become the permanent residents of India.”
Ram did not look up. He felt bad and guilty yet again.
“You want to live with two wives and two kids, is it?” Leela nailed the final words.
Ram did not have courage to speak.
“CatRamLeela… sounds nice right?” Leela said with freshly brimmed tears. “No, I am not crying. I will be happy for the sake of my baby.”
After a pause she shouted, “I know… I know this is coming. It is hard to digest, Ram.”Ram had no say. He could not even hug her.
“I want to confess the truth, Leela. I cannot live with regrets. I do not want to cheat you, my love. I always want to live a happy life with you. I texted Cathy because I do not want her to live in pain, for the mistake we committed knowing the fruits of it.
In all ways you are the most affected in this case. I checked her decision before proposing the idea to you – Cathy, her son, you, me and our baby – all of us living together leading a happy life.
I leave the decision to you.”
Leela posted a new photo for the first time in a while. The caption read “#CatRamLeela #HarryHermoine wishes you a Happy New Year 2023!”
Leela slept on the bed by the time Ram finished typing the story. It was more of an extract from the first book plus he addressed the gaps in the story.
By the time he crossed 4000 words, he was sure to stop and close the story, but his policy of ‘have-no-regrets-in-life’ pricked his heart. He cannot fail at second attempt too.
He recalled Cathy’s words: “A part of you is inside me… and it will stay with me forever. It will make my life meaningful.” After a pause Cathy added, “Memories. The memories of past 100+ days. I meant.”
“Just memories inside her? Is her son the baby of a victim? As Leela thought… what happened in the last 30 nights of unlock was more than a beautiful memory. Cathy might call it as a sexual need. I might say ‘hmm’ as these unspoken silences speak a lot of words.” Ram typed the unspoken words.
He kissed Leela’s cheek, “What about Leela? How will I tell her that I am not an one-woman man? And I am neither a cheater.”
Ram deleted the last couple of paragraphs before he pressed ‘CTRL+Z’.
Before he published the post, he made his mind to confess all that happened in the last 30 nights to Leela in the morning.
***
“Good Morning!” Leela woke him up and gave a cup of coffee.
“Good Morning. Sorry, I had a disturbed sleep. What’s the time?”
“10:00 AM for us. 4:30 AM in London. Cathy must be sleeping at this time, right?” Leela carefully placed her words.
Ram was in complete shock. Leela continued her word-play, “Cathy and her son are happy to become the permanent residents of India.”
Ram did not look up. He felt bad and guilty yet again.
“You want to live with two wives and two kids, is it?” Leela nailed the final words.
Ram did not have courage to speak.
“CatRamLeela… sounds nice right?” Leela said with freshly brimmed tears. “No, I am not crying. I will be happy for the sake of my baby.”
After a pause she shouted, “I know… I know this is coming. It is hard to digest, Ram.”Ram had no say. He could not even hug her.
“I want to confess the truth, Leela. I cannot live with regrets. I do not want to cheat you, my love. I always want to live a happy life with you. I texted Cathy because I do not want her to live in pain, for the mistake we committed knowing the fruits of it.
In all ways you are the most affected in this case. I checked her decision before proposing the idea to you – Cathy, her son, you, me and our baby – all of us living together leading a happy life.
I leave the decision to you.”
***
Leela posted a new photo for the first time in a while. The caption read “#CatRamLeela #HarryHermoine wishes you a Happy New Year 2023!”
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Show your support for the hastags #BlogATon59 & #LockdownTales. Participation Count: 42.
PS: I’d like to thank “Nika” for editing the first book, of which few parts are extracted and used in this post.
PPS: It takes lot of explanation/justification to understand what made Leela accept Ram’s proposal. I shall do that in the book. If you have enjoyed reading the story, please vote for me and do read the book 1, The First Call: Love In The Time Of Virus.
