Of Love And Other Demons

By Sreelal E S

Heathrow was bustling with drink orders and the laughter of the customers, much like any other bistro

pub in the city. You could find better friendly pubs, which throw DJ and rave parties at this hour in the

very street, but Heathrow had a personal touch, which the regulars could not resist. In a city that is full

of college students and IT professionals, none of these joints ever lacked customers though. Some

wanted a place to spend their energy with loud music and ecstasy. Some wanted a corner cut out in that

mass, to share love and lust. Then there are some, who would wish nothing, but to be left alone in their

world. A wormhole that is devoid of the songs and spells around them. Where time and space stand still

and move to their whims. Heathrow had places for all these kinds of people. They would serve coffee,

which will go well with the spreadsheet on your PC. A blue lagoon that will match your buddy’s Tequila

Sunrise. Maybe a sip of scotch will go well with your current chapter.

Sara was already late for her girl’s night out. After all, she was not quite enthusiastic about it when Gita

put forth the proposal after yesterday’s daily stand-up. It was almost six months since she moved to the

new job and city. It was always difficult for her to adapt to new surroundings, let alone create a network

of friends in a really short time. Mostly spending her time on work and books, six months went quite fast

and dry. The monotonicity was beginning to carve her bit by bit and she wanted to break it out

somehow. So, when Gita, one of her colleagues, suggested a night out with her friends, Sara agreed to it

without a doubt. But later in the evening, so many questions popped into her mind, which aggravated

her fear of leaving her comfort zone. She almost canceled it, but Gita taking her day off and her being

offline, forced her to book an Uber to Heathrow. A drizzle was starting to brew the very moment she

boarded her ride from the office.

Sara was desperately trying to shield herself from the rain with her handbag, while she was running

towards Heathrow’s entrance from the car. Once she entered, half of her mind was trying to find out

Gita among the tables, while the other half was trying to dry off the wetness from her long hair in a

futile.

“Sara… Over here!!!” Gita was shouting from their table, trying to catch Sara’s attention.

Sara was relieved to see Gita there. She never would’ve imagined that she will have such a response

after pondering over the thought of canceling this meet-up the whole day. With a nervous smile, Sara

approached their table.

“Hi, come over here. I’ve saved a seat for you.” Gita told Sara, pointing to the chair next to her.

“Girls, this is Sara. Our new Technologist. Sara, meet Aasha, Gia and Keerti.” Gita gave a formal

introduction to each of them. Aasha and Gia were Gita’s old Colleagues and Keerti was her college mate.

All of them shared a special bond. With Gia being already married and others having boyfriends of their

own, they had a lot to share, which included lots of spicy details. After a few minutes, Sara started to

feel how big of a misfit she was in this group. Nothing much to share, she spent almost half an hour,

sipping on her Mojito, while the rest of the group ordered shots over shorts. As each round went past,

their inhibitions started to wear off and laughter started to boom around the whole place, or at least

that’s what Sara felt.

“So, Sara… do you have a boyfriend?” Out of nowhere, Keerti threw the question to Sara, that she

feared the most.

“Ah… No, I don’t…” Sara hesitantly replied.

“Oh… Okay, so you are single and ready to mingle, huh?” Keerti said that in a sleazy tone, which made

Sara comfortable.

“But you had boyfriends before, right?” Gia enquired curiously.

“Well…” Sara was thinking way too long to give a reply for that.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t have a boyfriend…ever!!!” Those lines had full of shock laced all over it.

Sara, trying to hide her helplessness, kept on sipping her mojito.

“Seriously, how old are you, Sara?” Aasha joined the fray.

Gita, sensing how the situation was taking a turn, started to pacify it, by diverting the discussion to her

best.

“Girls, let her give some space. Who knows, she might find someone in this city. Maybe today,

tomorrow, or in a few months.”

“Yes, let’s do it then. Sara, I dare you to meet someone today”

Gia was keen enough to elevate it to a level none of them wasn’t expecting.

“Gia, that’s not what I meant.” Gita tried her best not to embarrass Sara.

“Oh, come on Gita, what is so wrong about it? Just let Sara explore a bit. She can pick anyone from here.

Go ahead and have a quick chat. If he is interesting enough, get his number. Else, leave it. Don’t even tell

him your name. Come on, it will be fun”

Gita unapprovingly stared at Gia and then turned to Sara, who was already pale with the proposal.

“Sara, I’m sorry about this. They are a bunch of lunatics when they are drunk. You don’t have to do

anything if you are not comfortable.”

“Or you could do this and might meet your one true love”, Keerti added, tauntingly.

Sara was not quite sure about what was running through her mind at that moment. Perhaps it was the

adrenaline rush she was feeling, thanks to the stories they were sharing, or maybe it was the sense of

adventure that she had lost a long time ago. Or was it the Mojito? Sara knew it was a non-alcoholic

drink, but she was starting to feel like maybe it was jacked. Nevertheless, she was thankful for whatever

intoxication there was, as it was giving her the courage she needed very badly.

“You know what? I think I’m going to do it.” Gita’s eyes conveyed her disbelief, while the others sent out

a cheer for it.

“That’s our girl. Now, which one of these hunks do you want to chat up?” Aasha asked Sara, clutching

her shoulder.

Taking a quick scan over the room, Sara started an evaluation on each of the men, who were sitting in

that hall, sipping on their beverages. There were a few middle-aged men, whose lips were busy sipping

their scotch and talking to their pals without any interruptions. She hated those kinds of people. Always

felt that they never had any patience left in them. Then, there were some men, around her age, well-

built and well-groomed, drinking their beers and casually checking out the opposite text, including the

table where Sara was sitting. One even dared to throw a grin toward her. Way too much confidence,

Sara thought, which intimidated her. Then, out in a corner, there was one, nose deep in a book, with

one glass of half-drunk scotch without any notice about the world, or the noises of it. Sara felt an instant

connection with his whole outlook of him. He wasn’t the most attractive of the bunch but wasn’t

horrendous to look at. Must be around Thirty, from his looks. He had manly features all over, which

made him distinct. He already earned a few strips of grey on his beard and the side of his head. They

might not go with the beauty standards, but his raw appearance made him more attractive to Sara.

“That one,” Sara said, nodding toward him.

“That one?” Gia asked quizzically. “All right, it’s your funeral. I believe you don’t want to take this dare

much seriously. Anyway, as we said, it’s your choice.”

“Thank you”, said Sara, while getting up from her seat and started moving towards the man with the

book.

“You people are the worst.” Gita’s scolds were fainting in the background, as Sara approached him.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” She asked him.

“No. Please…” Glancing out of the pages for a second or so, he said, with a calm voice.

Sara sat down cautiously, expecting some reaction from him, but he was cold. His face was still,

emotionless, and didn’t even flinch, while he was going through the book. Sara felt a shudder. She

realized how stupid she was. Perhaps it is best if she returned to the midst of the girls. She proved

herself. She did make an interaction with a total stranger. She didn’t find him interested, even though

the truth was the other way around, so she is not asking for his number. Let’s order one more mojito

and call it a night. Enough adventures for one night. Such thoughts were running through her head and

that’s when she noticed the title of the book he is reading.

“Of Love and Other Demons?”

Her question woke him up. He took his eyes off the book and studied her face as if she was an alien

being. Then, as if he was convinced that she is a normal woman, he replied.

“Yes, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez”

“Yes, I know. I’ve read all his works. This one is my favorite.” Sara found her ground and was relieved

that there is something of her knowledge that she could use in such a situation.

“I thought most people preferred his other works, like ‘Hundred Years of Solitude’ or ‘Love in the Time

of Cholera.” Suddenly his interest got peaked.

“For you was I born, for you do I have life, for you will I die, for you am I now dying. I guess I’m not like

most people.” Sara recited them with a little bit of pride. He was amused by that reply. The stern

expression he was holding till then was broken and gave way to a narrow smile.

Then, he went back to the pages, as if nothing happened. Sara, with a deep desire to cash in on the

opening she just created, continued.

“I’m Sara, by the way.” She was not able to hide her excitement. Unfortunately, he did not share it. His

response was a slight nod. But Sara was not ready to back down that easily.

“May I know your good name, please?” Sara asked with all the politeness she could muster.

“Cayetano” He took his sweet long time for that reply.

“Oh… Then my name is Sierva Maria. Two can play this game, Mr. Cayetano.” Sara was beginning to

enjoy this intellectual dual they were having. At the same time, she wanted to prove how invested she

was when it comes to Marquez and how true she was.

“Well played. So, you are indeed a fan.” His words were filled with appreciation.

“Not a fan. Even Marquez has written some bad fiction. Have you read ‘The General in His Labyrinth?

Total snooze fest”, Now that she grabbed his attention, she was ready to unleash herself.

“Yes, I did read the General. Not his most attractive work, yet I wouldn’t call it a snooze fest.” He replied,

by folding the corner of the page he was in and making a bookmark before he closes it.

“No offense. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I understand that.” Sara, with a little bit of concern

that she might be overstepping a bit, told him.

“None taken. It takes a lot to appreciate solitude. I wonder how many chances you have got for that.”

Sara felt the depth of the darkness in his eyes grow when he said those words.

“Don’t get me wrong. People like us, tend to stay in our world. We love the taste of ourselves. Whatever

others call Solitude, we call it freedom.” Sara was relieved when she said those words. In a way, she was

able to connect with him.

“Wisdom comes to us when it can no longer do any good.” It felt like sarcasm at that moment, but Sara

was able to catch it.

“Love in the Time of Cholera.” Our Cayetano was pleased with Sara’s answer so that he could resist his

smile.

Thus began an hour-long discussion on Marquez, Sierva Maria’s copper-like hair, Macondo, and many

more. What was expected to be a boring night, turned out to be the best Sara had in months, thanks to

a stranger. Gita was worryingly glancing over the table now and then, to make sure that Sara was doing

fine, while the others went back to their drinks once the initial excitement died out. As the night grew

darker, Gia bid farewell to the girls, and Keerti followed her. Gita was also ready to call it a night and

Aasha was already on her phone looking for an Uber. Gita hurtled over to Sara’s table to let her know

that it was time for them to leave. “Hi…” Gita glanced at him once and told Sara.

”Sweety, it’s almost midnight. Aasha is booking a cab. Why don’t you wrap things up here? We’ll be

waiting for you.”

“Sure, I’ll join you in a minute,” Sara told her, checking on him from the corner of her eye.

As Gita was walking back to Aasha, Sara wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t be the last that she will

see this man.

“So, that was my friend. It’s time for me to go. It was nice chatting with you… Mr. Cayetano.” She kept

silent for a few moments, and taking her cell phone out of her handbag, she asked him politely.

“Could you please give me your number?”

“I don’t think that is necessary.” Saying this, he went back to his book again.

“I’m sorry, but did I offend you in any way?” Sara was a bit broken by the way his personality turned to

the dark side again. He wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying. It was as if the last hour

didn’t even happen.

“Now you are just being rude. All I wanted was someone with whom I can share some good stories. I

thought you are someone like me. I believe you also felt that. If you don’t want to give me your number,

fine, but…” Sara went back to her handbag and took a sticky note and pen. She wrote her number and

stuck it on the table.

It must have triggered something inside him, which made him get up in a hurry and leave the table. He

even forgot to take his book with him. Throwing some cash bills from his wallet, he hurried through the

exit without even turning back. It was too much for Sara. Self-doubt crept into her, which made her

question every single decision she took so far this night. In a soaring rage, she collected his book from

the table and hurried after him. Gita, who was waiting outside with Aasha, called out her name but Sara

was not listening to anything or anyone. The heavy downpour has given its way to a drizzle, and his

hoodie was good enough to cover it. Sara didn’t mind the wetness. She went after him across the street

and stopped him.

“Why? Why don’t you tell me? Was I a terrible person? Am I that terrible to look at? What is your

problem? You talk about solitude so much, how haunting it is. Why won’t you let someone ease it for

you a bit?” Sara was pleading with him, trying so hard to find out his problem. Somehow it became her

problem too.

He stood there for a second. Then turned away and started walking again. Sara was not ready to lose

this game easily. She confronted him again, clutching his arm.

“No, I won’t let you leave unless you tell me why!!!” She was stern this time.

He didn’t try to walk away this time. He stared at her face without saying anything. From the light of the

neon signs, Sara leaned that the rainwater dripping from his face was his tears.

“Why?... Why are you crying?” Sara was confused by that.

“Please… Leave… They won’t let me. They won’t leave me…” the words were very much sobs when they

came from his throat. “Who? About whom are you talking?” Sara was truly concerned now

“Them!!! They will never let me have happiness! They will never let me have love!” He was screaming

his words now

Suddenly Sara felt a shudder. Was she running behind a madman all this time? Was the person that she

was desperately trying to connect with a lunatic? So many questions started to race through her mind.

She cursed herself and then fear took over. She released her hand from his arm and slowly walked

backward. He was staring at her while she was moving, and a sudden shriek came from him.

“LOOK OUT!!!”

Sara knew what he meant with that warning, but only after a truck launched her through the air. She felt

her bones crushing on her side. The pain was elevating through her nerves. She landed on the footpath,

the fall crushing her skull. It didn’t take much longer than that. Sara took her last breath around that

moment. The bystanders rushed to check on her, but he knew that it was over, as he saw no human

swarming over her body, but demons. Claws that are fashioned like scythes, sharp fangs dripping with

fresh, thick blood, horns, long and huge!

They were mocking him, taunting him. They were dancing around her body. They claimed another one.

Everyone he has ever known, everyone he ever loved. The demons will dance again if he ever dares to

love again. That was his curse, this is his story.

He adjusted his hoodie again and ignoring the commotion, started walking… To a destination far, far

away... Where no one will dare to follow him...

By Sreelal E S