Victory,Pyrrhic

Ash
Apartments is situated in the heart of Central Park. It is a ten storey
building with a health club, ATM and a heated swimming pool. There is a
reception on the first floor. You can only visit an apartment in this
building if you have proved your credentials at the reception. People
who live here are well-heeled and conscious of their position in
society. Most of them are in business. There are a few salaried people
but they occupy the smaller flats in the rear. Sonaa lives in this
building. She works for a local newspaper. Her father makes steering
wheels for trucks. There is a factory in Donkonee where these things
are manufactured. Sonaa wanted to be a model but was not tall enough
for it. Being an independent sort of person she took up a job. Her
father wants her to get married soon. Sonaa drives to work every day.
The fact that she is
an exceedingly pretty girl in an unsafe city is a source of great worry
for her aging parents. Ian lives in Lake Gardens in a one-storey house.
His father died a year back following a massive heart attack. Ian is an
only child and lives with his mother. He is a commerce graduate and is
currently looking for a job. Ian moves all over town on a
bicycle.

The day was Valentine's day. Ian was going to Pia cinema to buy
tickets for a new film. For this his cycle and he had to pass Ash
Apartments. As always the vehicles were forced to stop near the gate of
the building. The traffic sergeant who controls the traffic in the area
did disappoint. The first three cars in the line of vehicles were asked
to provide various documents. Ian, who was at the back was getting
restive. Even as he looked two people appeared from the gates of Ash
Apartments. One was a boy of around fifteen. He was pleasant looking.
The other person was a girl. She wore a white shirt and jeans. She
looked amazing. So much so if you looked at her you could not take your
eyes off. Ian wanted to smile at the girl but could not muster enough
courage. This girl was Sonaa. Just then the sergeant indicated to the
vehcles that they could leave.

style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">When Ian reached home that afternoon he
felt a strange happiness. It was as if all the windows of his mind had
been thrown open. Despite his best efforts a job had eluded him so far.
He had nothing to feel happy about. Whenever he thought of Sonaa he
felt elated. He felt that it was a joy he deserved. It seemed natural
and legitimate to feel thus. From the next day Ian started a new
routine. By observing Ash Apartments Ian found out that Sonaa appeared
at the gate at eight thirty every morning for one reason or the other.
Every day he rode his cycle and parked it near the huge metal entrance
of Ash Aprtments at eight am sharp. It was a risky thing to do. But Ian
was not complaining. Sonaa would start her car five minutes before
eight thirty. She would halt at the gate, get down and check whether
everything was in order. The inspection of the vehicle would take five
minutes after which she drove off to work. Ian was not sure whether she
noticed her presence. He was also not certain whether the security
personnel of the building saw what he did every day. But he kept
coming.

Three months had passed since Ian first saw Sonaa.He was still
jobless. And his fondness for Sonaa seemed to multiply by the day. He
went to her gate every single day. But he was getting to fear himself.
He sometimes felt that he would do something that he would regret
later. And he did.

It was a rainy morning. As always Sonaa stopped her car
near the gate and got down. Ian noticed that she had no protection
against the merciless ran. He had his black umbrella. Ian appeared to
lose all sense for an instant. He went forward and offered Sonaa his
umbrella. He was unable to gauge her reaction. Because before he could
reach her, the security guards at the gate pounced on him. They hit him
everywhere. On the face, the neck and in the stomach. Ian was a
well-built person. He could have given his attackers a few good blows
but he chose not to react. By the time the guards stopped hitting him
Sonaa had left.

The incidents had two effects on Ian. First the daily visits to
Ash Apartments stopped. Ian also felt it was time to express his love.
He knew he could get beaten up again. But he was adamant. He was sure
of his sentiments and wanted to express them. Possible consequences did
not matter. The 13^th of July was Sonaa's
birthday. On that day she did not go to office. She called a few close
friends home for a daylong celebration. One of these friends was Arin.
He was a colleague whom she was all set to marry. Arin was the first to
arrive. Sonaa and he were standing at the gate of Ash Apartments and
quietly chatting. Ian had plucked a hundred tuberoses from gardens all
over Calcutta and wanted to present them to Sonaa. The guards would
know him and the only way he could do it was to be fast. So he dashed
to the scene on his bicycle. He stopped near the gate and was lucky to
spot Arin and Sonaa. He placed his bouquet in his right hand. He ran to
Sonaa and declared, &;quot;This is for you. Happy
Birthday.&;quot; The reaction was worse than expected. At least ten
people from all over Ash Apartments jumped on poor Ian.They used
sticks, belts, garden scissors, shovels-anything that they could find.
Ian was so badly injured that he lost consciousness. For one hour he
lay there unattended. He was lucky that a friend was passing by. Ian
was taken to SSKM Hospital where he stayed for a month.

class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">But old habits die
hard. On the 2^nd of October Ian was back at Ash
Apartments at eight thirty am. Sonaa's car did stop near Ian. But this
time she lowered her window glass.With a smile that could disarm whole
nations she said, &;quot;Can I drop you somewhere?&;quot; Ian
exclaimed &;quot;You bet&;quot;, unlocked the car door and took
the seat next to Sonaa.