Real Fairies Don't Fly...

One.

Once upon a time, in the modern world of today, there was a fairy. A real live one ! And this is her story…

Now, you all must be wondering how I came to know a real fairy, and her story as well. Well let me tell you. This is how it all began…

One day, as I was sitting all by myself in the corner restaurant, thinking to myself about what to do about a problem that I had been facing at that time with my current boyfriend, a very smartly dressed, older looking woman walks up to me, and asks me if she could join me, since she was sitting by herself and that she did not like to sit alone and all that. Even though I thought it a little odd, I said OK. Introductions followed thereafter, and we ordered another round of coffee. After agreeing that we would go Dutch, I also told her that I was most definitely not a lesbian (I do like to clear things up immediately). She laughed, and said that she was not one too !

"Isn’t it difficult nowadays", she said to me, "we women cannot even talk to each other if we want to, because of all this stuff happening around us. Suddenly we all want to clear things up right away. There was once a time when it was not at all necessary !" I agreed with her and smiled. We got talking about each others lives, what we do for a living and all that. Lets just say that I had a good time with a stranger and that too a woman, and all we had was coffee. We chatted for two hours that day, but we never got too personal, if you know what I mean. You don’t want to tell strangers everything all at once. Isn’t it funny, I thought to myself on the way home, you meet a stranger, with whom you vibe very well, and even if you want to bare your soul, you don’t. She was right. The world has become a strange place. And you want to know the fun part of that meeting ! When we parted, I actually asked her if I could meet her again, and she said, "Of course, you see, it’s destined." The way she said it, sent chills up my spine, as if she could tell the future or something. Stranger still, I believed her, and I both liked the idea and was scared of it at the same time.

Well, I went home, and sat down in front of my computer, checked my e-mails. Answered a few, and then I saw a bit of TV and decided to take in a shower and crash into bed. But as I lay in bed my thoughts turned back to my boyfriend.
Well let me give you a bit of background on this. Now you all must be wondering why I am boring you with such stuff, but its relevant, as you’ll all see…

We had met recently at a party given by one of my friends, and we hit it off very well. Soon we started hanging out as pals, you know, and we used to have a lot of fun. Well, I soon realized that I had a massive crush on the guy. Here we go again, I said to myself. Since I did not want to ruin a really nice friendship, I took a long while thinking if what I was feeling was real or not. I hemmed and hawed and finally confessed to the guy that I had feelings for him. Turned out that he too had feelings for me. Hallelujah ! Was I happy or was I happy ! Those days passed by in a swift blur and soon reality set in. When the romance in a relationship sort of dwindles away, you come to know and fast. This guy one day announced that we were engaged to be married. Huh ! Was I shocked or what ! Nowadays who thinks that a romance has to end in marriage ? I mean its not required for a guy anymore to state his ‘honorable intentions’ as it were, just to get a girl into bed. Certainly not me ! Now I am not an advocate of promiscuity, but if you’re both consenting adults, who play it safe…well…it's your choice right ?

Now, moving on to the complication. We used to meet. Yep ! but, as I had said before, the romance had begun to fade. So I tried, in my own way to bring it back in. But I suppose my way was not his way. He, once upon a time used to hang out with me and his buddies together, but, now he prefers to hang around with them without me. Suddenly he has a lot of work to do, and can only meet me at nights, and that too once or twice a week, if I’m that lucky. Now, I have an ethic that I date only one guy at a time. So here I am, a beautiful lady, sitting at home, not going out much, either with or without her guy ! Now if that is not a big downer, I don’t know what is. And then nice guys keep asking me out and I want to go, but then I simply cannot because of my ethic. I suddenly feel claustrophobic. I tell him about the fact that other guys ask me out etc. etc., and he tells me its OK if I go out with them as long as I know my limits ! Huh ! A big Huh ! What limits ?

So I am still wondering what is it that he wants from me and I cannot sleep nights wondering what is on his mind. If he wants to dump me, why doesn’t he ? Its not like I will die or something. I know that life goes on and its OK with me. What I just don't like is being kept hanging, neither here nor there. And so I somehow fall asleep, tired, and restless.


Two.

I woke up with a headache, like I was having a hangover. Restless sleep does that to me. Even if I don’t even drink a single drop. Plus it looks as if we might have some rain. Welcome depression ! Usually I love the rains, but not when I have not slept well, then it sorta depresses me. So I went back to the corner restaurant to have a cuppa and maybe feel better. And, well, let me confess, if the destiny thingy worked out fine, maybe I would meet her. It would be our second meeting and, well maybe, then we could get personal. Living in a strange town, alone, makes you wary but needy of people, both at the same time.

I was on my second cup, and was nibbling on a sandwich, when she walked in. She seemed as if she was looking out for someone, and when she spotted me, her face lit up. Hey, I thought to myself, she was looking out for me ! She made her way to my table and sat down. The waiter hovered, so she ordered whatever I had ordered and we settled down. A strange silence settled over us. We were both staring at each other for quite some time. It happens to people, you know, you want to say something, and you want the other person to say something as well, but you both wait for the other person to begin.

Like before, she took the initiative and asked me straight up what was really bothering me. So in a rush of emotion, (or was it frustration ?, I can’t really say which), I told her. She listened, patiently. And at the end of my half hour long monologue, sat quietly and looked at me. Then she took a deep breath, and signaled to the waiter for another coffee.

"Well", she said, " if it's not the money, then it's the honey". And then she smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "Do you have some time on your hands ?", she asked me, "’cause I think that this is going to take some time". Well I had all the time in the world. Being a student, it was not really necessary for me to take in lectures at my college. She smiled and said that it was what she used to do in her college days too. Then she proceeded to tell me a really strange tale. Her story.

She had realized very early on in her life that she was gifted. With all types of strange powers. She could read peoples’ minds if she concentrated too hard, or she could wish things into happening and so on. Which did give her an edge over everyone else, but she said she also learned how to turn it off, because according to her, it was really very boring when you knew everything. Mystery, according to her was the key to any relationship. Not knowing everything about the person, made you go to him or her again and again. Or else, it got boring.

Well, anyway, proceeding with her tale, she went on to outline to me, how she had, in her college days fallen for a guy in her class. He was her friend and she did not know if he liked her too. So one day, when they were together, she tuned into his mind. And to make matters worse, she discovered that he did not harbor any such thoughts towards her. She was depressed, to say the least. So, in ‘the folly of her youth’ (her exact words), she wished that he would fall for her too. And he did.

Now this is where her story takes a twist. As guys go falling for girls, he fell for her in a massively big way. To the extent that he wanted to be with her day and night. She was in bliss, and was very happy. The guy was so totally with her all the time, and so attentive to all her needs and so taking her out to all the places she wanted to go to, she was in heaven. Everything was perfect. And then things started to get to be too good to be true. He wanted to be with her all the time. He would not like her talking to some other guy. He needed to know what she was doing all of the time. And so on till he sort of got to be totally obsessive. The relationship started to drain her. Besides, by that time, she had sort of gotten bored with him.

Trust me to understand that sort of thing. Then she did not know what to do. She was very confused. So she finally told him that she ‘wanted more space’ and all that sort of thing. But he still would not get it. She started to see some other guy, but then he turned violent. He threatened the guy and created a really big scene. Let's just say that the whole thing went really sour. Her ‘magic’ had turned on her. So she finally decided to wish that the guy falls out of love with her. But here is the crux of the matter. It just wouldn’t happen. The guy just turned crazier. Began drinking and smoking heavily. Lost his luster and all that. She went crazy.

She realized that you can wish for something to happen, and after it happens, you simply cannot wish for it to go away. Especially not with feelings and such stuff. Eventually, as she told him time and again that she was not interested anymore, he went berserk and one day tried to commit suicide, and failed. But that cured him of his craziness for her.

And after that her life went on. But then, she always used her ‘magic’ with a lot of thought. After that she went silent. Drank her coffee.

I began thinking. Sipping my coffee, I looked at her face. But I still did not understand why she told me all this. I knew that there was a point to this, but I still could not figure out what it was. So I asked her.

She looked at me and said that of course there was a point to this. It was very relevant to my current situation. But I still did not get it. I mean the guy had no problems falling for me. He already had. But then things had gotten a little stale, that’s all. So I told her.

Then she smiled and told me the ‘secret’ that she had figured out over the years. She told me that you could not make feelings happen. Boredom always sets in when the things became old. We all seek new thrills in life. And nowadays, with so many more thrills always happening all around us, it was easy for boredom to set in faster. So, if it was OK for him to get bored and all that, so it was OK for me to feel bored as well. It would do me no good in the long run to force a thrill in a relationship that had already lost its sparkle. After all, you cannot force anyone to feel something for life. So the only solution in my case was to move on.

That day when I went home, I was thinking about the whole thing. Peace was not long in coming. I knew that what she had said had a point, but I still could not bring myself to reconcile to the fact. I mean I still was I love with the guy. How could I tell him that it was over when I still loved him. And the basic fact still remained that I wanted to see him from time to time. Only I needed my freedom. I simply could not remain tied down. I wanted to remain a free spirit. I sighed. I knew what I had to do. I called him up and made an appointment for breakfast the next day.

Three.

When I met her the next time, it was three years later.

She was sitting alone, sipping coffee. I approached her and asked her if I could sit down with her. She looked up and immediately recognized me. She lit up like a Christmas tree. "So what's up ?", she asked me. Almost as if we had been meeting everyday. I smiled and told her what had happened. She smiled and said, "Good thing you did what you did. I mean, after all, you should always look out for number one and that is you !". And then we proceeded to give each other an update on what we were doing lately and drank some more coffee. When we were leaving that day, I could not help myself and asked her when I could meet her again. She said, "Of course, we shall meet again. It's destined. I am your fairy godmother ! You’ll meet me whenever you need me. It's written in the stars". And then she left. I smiled and went my way, happy.

Four.

Crazy kids there are nowadays, she thought when she left the restaurant that day. They’ll believe anything if you dress it up with a little mystery and thrill and magic. If you simply tell them the truth as it is, they don’t believe it. But you make a thriller-like story out of it, they’ll believe you immediately.

If I just had the patience to put down my spur of the moment stories on paper, I’d probably make a fortune, she thought with a smile as she walked on, hurriedly. She had to see the guy in another restaurant whom she had met yesterday and tell him another story. She never thought in advance. Just made it up there and then. It was more fun that way.

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THE END
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