Heart Beats For You

‘Finally! A start to something new. It has been three long years, and it’s about time to let everything go and have a fresh start.’

This was the very first thought that came into Alex’s mind as he entered his new apartment, which was on the ninth floor of the building.

The last three years have been tough for him. Divorce from his wife, the true colors of his ex-girlfriend, his parents’ disapproval of his behaviour, his efforts to mend his relationship with his sisters, everything has taken a toll on him. For the past three years, he has lived a life of guilt and has always felt responsible for his actions.

He looked at his apartment and had a happy smile on his face. It wasn’t anything exclusive but a comfortable condo for him, just as he liked it. It has been a while since he has lived in his comfort zone. He sometimes felt like smacking himself for not changing his attitude sooner because if he had, not only his life but even his loved one’s life would have been much easier.

He breathed a long sigh, took a shower, and was about to go to bed sooner than usual until he heard the loud music coming from below.

He groaned and dragged himself to have a few words with the owner. Hopefully, it was not some young adult who likes to throw late-night

parties on a regular basis. The irony of life. He used to be that kind of guy who used to have late parties every other night, but with age,

things do change. He is not an old fellow with gray hair; he is a young man who is almost thirty. He is just more mature than other guys his age. Life and experience do that to you or any other person in this world.

As and when he was walking down the stairs, the music got louder, and it was doing nothing but aggravating him more with each passing second. He took a deep breath and rang the bell just before the music stopped. Some timing the keeper has. He might as well have a word with the respective owner so that this doesn’t happen again. He doesn’t want to come home to this every single night. After long hours of work, a peaceful night with good sleep is a must.

He was waiting for the door to open and was flabbergasted when he saw that, instead of some young stranger answering the door, it was

the woman he had longed to meet for the past three years.

----------

Marissa had a panic attack when suddenly the volume of the music rose from the stereo. She recently bought a new music system as her old one decided to die down. She wasn’t that good at technology, so she tried all sorts of buttons to reduce the volume. She tried to read the

instructions, but it all seemed gibberish to her.

“You! Stupid dumb box, will you lower your damn voice? Goddamit! Why can’t this system be simple to work with?” She shouted loudly,

talking to no one in particular. “Jesus Christ! Come on, which one of you is going to lower the volume of the music?” She started talking to the buttons.

As crazy as this sounds, she didn’t want the grumpy old lady to give her a long lecture about discipline, and, as it is, it wasn’t her fault

that she was not that literate about gadgets.

Right when she was able to control the volume, the doorbell rang, and she knew it might be one of her neighbours. Or worse, the grumpy

old lady.

Marissa recalls the time when her friend Ronny decided it would be hilarious to awaken the entire building with loud music in the middle of the night. Much to her dismay, the outcome wasn’t very good as she got a long lecture by the famous grumpy old lady about being an ill-

mannered woman and how it is not ladylike to have a guy home in the evening. She sometimes wonders how the hell that old lady was even born in this era. She was too narrow-minded and orthodox.

She closed her eyes and opened the door, presuming to be the grumpy old lady. “I am so sorry, Margarita. It was totally by mistake. I got

this new stereo and was having difficulty handling it...” She kept on rambling words like an idiot until silence greeted her.

Marissa slowly opened one of her eyes to get a glimpse of the grumpy old lady’s face, but to her utter surprise, she found a man standing

in front of her. The very same man whom she swore never to meet or even think about ever again.