SEE YOU in DREAMS

SEE YOU

in

DREAMS

~ SHORT STORIES ~

by

Sumali Majumdar Samadder

Copyright © 2015 Sumali Samadder

All rights reserved.

Email-id: seeyouindreams.sumali@gmail.com

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, organizations and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved by author. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author. Published by author.

The views expressed in this book are entirely those of the author. The printer/publisher, and distributors of this book are not in any way responsible for the views expressed by the author in this book. All disputes are subject to arbitration; legal actions if any are subject to the jurisdictions of courts of Kolkata, India.

ISBN: 978-93-85524-34-9

First Published: September 2015

Price: ` 275/-

Cover Design

Sumali Majumdar Samadder

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Logic will take you from A to B.

Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein

Dedication

A special dedication goes to my five years old daughter, who demands most of my time and I remember the disgust on her face if she ever saw me on my laptop writing I love you the most in this ‘whole wide world’, we both say this to each other and we mean it…high five!!!

To my parents. My father, my pillar of strength, the one to whom I handed over the first manuscript of my book. Cannot imagine life without him. My mother, truly the best friend I ever had.

And last but definitely not the least, my husband who has believed in me so much and encouraged me always. Fortunate to have him as my companion.

I love you all. You all mean my world!!!

Contents

Prologue

Air France

Desire

Love for the Stars

Sign

Just (Not) in Time

The Magical Story of Love

Friends in Unknown Land

Surreal but Nice

Prologue

I dedicate this book to my family, my dreams and my immense love for movies. Since a long time now every morning I get up with this feeling that I should write a book and believe me or not I see some plots in my dream. Few of the stories in this book are exactly how I saw in my dream. I felt that if I do not start penning down my stories, I am going to lose them because they do not tend to stay in my memory bank for a very long time.

Before I started writing and taking over the very important role of a Mother, I was working as an I.T. (Information Technology) Business Consultant. My book would be incomplete without a big thank you to that dream profile of mine which made me travel so much around the Globe and that made me meet some really interesting people. I always believe that travelling by far is the best enriching experience of life. It only gives us back something and does not take anything in return and among all the things it gives us the most interesting one is it does make one a storyteller. You come home with so many travel stories, even if they seemed trivial when they happened the nostalgia will create a spin around you forever. Some such small travel experiences of mine have inspired some stories in the book here and there.

This book is a work of pure fiction written very simply based on some imaginary events and people. I wish to tell my readers some simple yet beautiful romantic tales. I think some might remind you of your High School days. I always loved reading short stories so I have knitted my first book with some of my own. I really hope and wish my readers will like them.

I feel the book and its light hearted stories can be best enjoyed while travelling or sitting at a park bench Please enjoy reading…

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy

To help me through reality

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness still another mile

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

Thank you ABBA for the music!

From,

A great fan of ABBA. I love this song and I believe in fairytales

Original song written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.

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Air France

Since my childhood all I wished was to travel around the whole world, meet new people, see and explore new places. When I joined my job as an Information Technology Consultant, little I thought that soon God would grant my wish and I would get a chance to travel so much. I loved my job and believe me I said it every morning.

Travelling is by far the most enriching experience, while travelling, it is very common to have long journeys but that leaves us a lot of time to just sit back, stare out of the window, and reflect. Whenever I travelled, sitting at the Airport I just loved looking around so many different people, different emotions, different ways of dressing up and so on. Some with sparkling eyes at the Duty Free shops and spending so much time looking around without having picked anything in the trolley, while some looking too exhausted and tired of flights and travel may be and picking up their chosen drink and rushing for billing. Some posing for pictures at every nook and corner, while some sitting relaxed reading their book. Kids running around and parents running behind them. Some aged ones sitting with closed eyes may be praying to reach their destination as fast and safe as possible. I loved looking at every emotion.

While I travelled I came across many memorable incidents but this one is worth sharing. I was travelling from India to Poland that time. I had to change 3 flights to reach Poland. The link was Kolkata-Delhi-Paris-Krakow. I had a long waiting time of around 6 hours at Delhi before catching the next flight to Paris. Knowing this a friend of mine staying in Delhi insisted that we meet and spend some time together. He picked me up from the Delhi Airport. I had all my huge suitcases with me as the last flight was a domestic flight and in the next International connection I had to re-check them in. We went to a nice restaurant little far from the Airport. Soon I realized that it was time for me to head towards the Airport and my friend called his driver to come over. He kept calling but this guy was not answering his phone. I was already tensed because my friend might have called him a 30 times but the driver was not picking up his phone. All my baggage was inside the car. I decided I have the passport and ticket with me hence if the driver doesn’t respond in another 10 minutes I am going to take a cab and go. I was getting angry at my friend as I was reluctant before to go out of the Airport and had asked him to sit at some restaurant outside the Airport itself but he only had insisted me to come along with him. Finally the driver picked up his phone and informed that he had gone for refueling when a cop on patrol asked him to open the trunk of his car. Finding the big suitcases inside the policeman thought he might have stolen someone’s bag and running away hence they took him to the Police Station for interrogation and also was not allowing him to use his phone. Anyway he managed somehow and was on his way to pick us up. I realized that it was already very late and I was worried that I might miss the flight.

Anyhow we reached Airport finally and to my greatest dismay when I reached the Air France check-in counter, they had closed them already. Just rushed-in to one of them but was informed by the personnel that they have already closed, and there came tears in my eyes instantly. In a sobbing voice I told the guy, Please do something. I got stuck in traffic and I only know how I managed finally to the Airport. Please, please, please. I have a very important meeting to attend tomorrow in Poland. My job will be at risk. From the face of the personnel I could imagine he was just waiting for me to stop and was ready with his reply. He told me, Madam I understand the situation but even if I let you in, you are too late to clear the long immigration queue as this is the time for most International flights. I am sure you cannot make it through. This time I was waiting for him to finish and was ready to speak already. Please I am travelling alone I am sure I will make through the immigration. Its India and people are emotional and definitely if I tell few in the queue my problem, on humanitarian and emotional ground they would definitely let me pass before them. Finally the person said, I do not know, I think I am doing something like this for the first time. This will be at my risk, please do not let me down. Now my job too is at stake like yours. Whatever you said please follow and run now. Immigration will be difficult, the maximum I can do is, I am sending an Air- France staff with you to carry your cabin bags and just rush you to the immigration queue and if needed he can reiterate about the flight timing so that you can be taken more seriously and can be taken ahead. I told him that I cannot be more thankful to him than already I am. He checked me in and gave me boarding passes and said, Run miss run. Reach safely.

Finally cleared all safely and boarded the flight. It was a double decked one and I took the stairs to my seat. There was a lady with a little girl who were already seated at the window and middle seat, mine was an aisle seat. We both greeted each other with a smile. During the flight we got quite friendly with each other. The child too was very jolly and we made friends with each other, she even wanted me to read the story from her storybook and was soon fast asleep.

Finally we officially asked each other’s names and our respective reasons to be in Delhi. She was a French lady Evelyn, professional Fashion Photographer from Paris. She was coming back from Jaipur where she went for a professional cum personal reason. The child’s name was Eva and she was 2 years old. I introduced myself as Shalini, an IT Business Consultant coming from Kolkata and heading towards Poland for a Project. We both exchanged our business cards and she even invited me for a hosted stay in her place whenever I am in Paris.

We started talking about many topics like independent women, life away from your home country, different food and lifestyles etc. and realized we have quite some characteristics in common. Obviously by then we got so comfortable with each other that the next thing to discuss was our personal lives. I told her I am26 years old and single and my parents stay in Kolkata, India and my work takes me