The book has been written inspired by the people who stay in their comfortable zone even when the situations demand alterations in their lives. Most importantly they know that if they would change their way of thinking & living it could be fruitful, but they fear that if they would decide to alter then nothing would be in their control. In the modern world, as the technology makes every material aspect of life easy for the mankind, the mortals living in the nuclear families are making the personal lives complicated. This handbook suggests the readers to push boundaries in their personal lives, accept what life has to give them and keep their mindset philosophical to bring peace in their lifestyle.
Robin Miller, the protagonist of this handbook, is studying graduation in the college. He lost his dad few years ago and his mother, Julia Miller, is living with her cousin, named as Aunt Rose. The talks and teachings given by his dad, when he was living, has inspired Robin to adopt good habits and unlike other college students he has a different perspective of living life; he has a flexible mindset and also wish that people living around with him, if they embrace his approach then life would become more easy. The story begins with the Robin and his friends, Jerry, Thomas, Dennis, Graham making phone calls using Jerry’s phone, turn by turn, to the colleen living in their college girl’s hostel, saying that the call is from the 154.3 FM and they ask them to do an impersonation of someone they like. In this process when Robin makes a call they come across a girl named Meliza, sitting with her friends, who asks them to give the address of the studio so that she & her friends could give their auditions visiting that place. Robin gives her a fake address in haste and ends the conversation, but feeling guilty he discusses with his friends to call back again and Robin discloses his actual identity.
Later Meliza calls on the Robin’s phone number to talk and as they precede Meliza tells Robin that she likes his voice and asks him to allow her to call him once daily. Both have never seen each other but one fine day Meliza gets the chance to meet Robin and his friends and she flirts with him. Meliza introduces herself as Nina, hiding her real identity, and as this activity goes, Robin shares his perspective towards life which electrifies Meliza and falls in love with him. Over the phone calls one day Meliza proposes Robin but Robin gives her a clear understanding for what marriage means to him. Meliza’s fragility reminds him of her past girlfriend, Angelina MacDonald, who returns into Robin’s life. Robin comes to know that she is married. She gives advice to him regarding his life & shares her life experiences as well.
One fine day Angelina calls Robin to tell him that her life is wrecked and she feels broken. Robin listens to her and gives recommendations. Angelina tries to understand his suggestions and decides to implement them. Angelina leads herself in the muddle and happily brings her life on track. As the reader would peruse they would find Robin’s mother gets admitted in the hospital and hearing this Robin rushes to meet her mom. Julia, in her last breath, asks Robin to acquire good habits and gives her disparate messages which Robin listens cautiously. She wants him to accept her death soon which Robin reluctantly accepts.
How Robin’s ménage did come back in his life? Did Robin accept Meliza’s proposal? How did Robin come to know that Angelina is married? What happened to Angelina that ransacked her life? What did Robin’s mother share with her son in her last breath? The reader would find the answers as he explores the novel.
ROBIN
“OK!” Jerry hands over the mobile phone to Graham and Graham dials the number. The phone is kept on the speaker mode again.
The phone rings. After 5 rings the phone is picked up.
“Hi, I am Graham speaking from 154.3 FM and may I know with whom I am speaking with?”
“154.3 FM?” came a dissenting voice.
“Hello!” Graham said surprisingly. Everybody stares at the mobile; they weren’t expecting this kind of reply.
“Yeah, hello! From where are you speaking again… 154.3 FM?” the girl quizzed.
“Yeah, I am speaking from 154.3 FM and my name is Graham.” Graham replied.
Thomas makes gesture with his palm of cutting throat to his boys; Robin imitates Thomas gesture and Jerry titters noiselessly putting his both palms over his mouth.
“Is that really an FM?” the girl asked somebody putting away her phone from her mouth.
“Whose call is it?” asked another girl from behind.
“Somebody over the phone says that they are calling from 154.3 FM.” replied the receiver to her friend.
“That’s a hoax! Cut the call.” said her friend. The boys mock Graham using different signals.
“Is it? Hey what’s your name again?” shouted the receiver in a threatening way and the girl behind her chortles.
“My name is Graham and it’s not a trick… It’s actually a call from the FM. Today recording is going and tomorrow morning it would be live. May I know your name please” Graham replied; his eyes gape open.
“The name is Graham and he says today they are recording and tomorrow they would make it live.” the receiver conveys the message to her friend.
“What does he want?” asked her friend. Her voice becomes loud as she approaches the receiver.
“He wants my name.” Both are talking over the phone but not to the Graham. Then the voice turns into a whisper.
“Ok… Graham! I am so sorry… My name is Mirinda. Please tell me.” the receiver replied politely.
“Hi Mirinda, I am speaking from 154.3 FM. Today we are recording and among the different phone numbers your phone number was selected. Congratulations!” Graham explained.
“Wow! I couldn’t believe it. That’s really great.” Mirinda replied gleefully.
“Now according to the rituals you have to imitate someone.”
“Really! Okk… Let me think first…. Mmmm…there is this scenario when in a mall, my friend here, scolded someone who was trying to flirt with her.”
The lot grins pointing their index finger at Graham. Graham smiles helplessly.
“Yeah sure!” Graham replied; unable to say much.
As she starts scolding and abusing over the phone; the band gets off the bed laughing inaudibly while poor Graham sits near the phone powerlessly.
“That’s it. Do you like it Graham?” Mirinda adds the fuel on the fire.
“Yeah that was fantastic. Thanks for your time. It would be live tomorrow. Take care. B’bye!” Graham said and cuts the call then the whole room was filled with laughter.
“Do you like it Graham?” Robin said teasing him pointing his right hand towards him.
“You spoiled brats!” Graham exclaimed glancing at them.
They keep laughing as if nothing could stop them.
They calm down slowly and return to their bed.
“That was really intelligent.” Robin remarked.
“Yeah, Mirinda was really clever.” Thomas praised her.
“I disagree. I think her friend was, remember they whispered prior Mirinda became soft spoken.” Jerry said pointing at the mobile.
“Anyways! Enough now. Who is next?” Graham said.
“Its Robin’s turn now.” Jerry replied.
“Ok.” Robin said and takes the phone in his hands.
He dials the number, titters and says, “Do you like it Graham?” But he manages to control it.
“Yeah, yeah! Let’s see what you get?” Graham commented with a smile.
The phone is kept on the speaker mode again. The phone at the other end rings but nobody picks it up and after few seconds the call goes blank.
“Aha! Nobody was there. Let’s dial another number.” Robin said and starts dialing another number but a call comes on the phone they are using.
“Whose call is it?” Jerry inquired.
“It’s from the same number who didn’t pick up the call.” Jerry replied matching the number from the list the boys own.
“Come on! Pick it up.” Thomas said.
Robin puts his left index finger on his lips telling others to keep silence and picks the call up using his right hand and puts the phone on the speaker mode.
“Hello!” Robin replied.
“Hello! Who is it? I got a miss call from this number.” asked a melodious voice.
“Hi I am Robin speaking from 154.3 FM.”
“Really! Wow, hey girls this call is from the FM station. Come over here.” she invited her friends loudly. Boys could hear disparate sounds.
“You are really calling from the FM studio?” asked the receiver.
“Yeah I am. My name is Robin and may I know whom I am speaking with please?”
“Hi, I am Meliza. May I ask you a question please? Sorry to interrupt you.”
“Hi Meliza! No it’s ok. Please ask me.” Robin replied.
“Do you guys keep the auditions because few of my friends including me really like to be one of you guys.” Meliza asked sweetly.
Robin’s tongue slides between his teeth, he didn’t reply and he gazes Jerry for the help.
“Hello!” Meliza said.
“Hello, am I audible to you now?” Robin blurted; trying to think of some words.
“Yeah, yeah you are! So I was asking do you guys really keep the auditions because prior your call we were discussing about the radio jockey and suddenly your call came in.” Meliza explained.
“Oh yes! We do.” Robin babbled.
Jerry puts the phone on the mute mode and says, “What are you doing?”
“I know what I am doing.” Robin whispers and removes the call from the mute mode.
“Really… Could you please tell the address and the timings?” Meliza replied with joy.
“Yeah, please take a note of it.” Robin said and he gives the address of a shop which is near to the Indira Puram mall in Lucknow.
The boys exchange looks to each other.
Meliza takes a note of it and says, “Thanks a lot. And the timings?”
“Anytime.” Robin said with a shrug glancing at the phone.
“Thank You! By the way may I know why did you call?” Meliza inquired.
“Actually your number was chosen for the recording session. You need to do the imitation of anyone of your choice. Today recording is going on and tomorrow it would be live.”
ROBIN
“Ok. But I won’t be able to do it. No, I am sorry.”
“ It’s ok. The show would be live tomorrow at 07 o’clock. Ok. B’bye!” Robin said in haste.
“Ok. Bye! Thanks for the address.”
Robin cuts the call.
The moment takes the pause.
“This wasn’t right brother!” Thomas said staring at the phone.
“Dude! This seriously went wrong!” Jerry agreed and puts its right palm over his forehead.
Robin says, “That’s what I feel; what if she goes to that particular address then…”
“Then she would find nothing and we would be cursed.” Graham completed the sentence.
“Brothers! I think we should redial the number and tell them it was only a trick.” Thomas suggested.
Jerry says, “Couldn’t agree more. We didn’t plan for this. Our main motive was to just have fun but…”
“But this talk diverted us from our purpose. I feel we should call them again and tell them the real story.” Robin recommended.
“Alright! Enough discussions. Raise your hands on 3 for redialing the number.” Graham ordered.
Graham starts counting, “1, 2, 3.”
Everyone raises his hand.
Robin picks up the mobile and gives that phone number a ring again.
“Hello!” came a mushy voice.
“Yeah hi. I am Robin; remember I just talked to you.” Robin said.
“Oh yeah! Hi… I am Meliza.”
“Hi Meliza…Actually I called you to inform about the call that we did prior was only a prank.” Robin ejaculated in one breath.
“A prank; what do you mean by that?” Meliza quizzed.
“Actually, I am sitting with my friends and we thought to dial some random numbers pretending that we are calling from the FM studio and then we ask them to imitate someone.” Robin explained.
“Oh no no! You are joking right… I know the FM guys call people to make fool out of them.” Meliza said.
“What happened?” another voice came behind Meliza.
“Remember the guy who called 2 minutes ago?” Meliza asked her friend keeping the phone away from her mouth.
“Yeah!” replied her friend.
“He is calling again and is telling that the call was a trick.”
“WHAT?”
“Yeah…. wait let me talk to him.” Meliza said to her friend.
“Robin; that’s your name right?” Meliza asked Robin.
“Yeah!” Robin replied.
“See Robin if that call was a prank then I must say that it was really a terrible joke; I mean that wasn’t really funny.”
“I understand that fact and that’s why…”
“How could he do that? Such an idiot.” her friend shouted from behind Meliza interrupting Robin.
“See its ok you are having fun with the people but it should not extend in playing with the feelings of the people. What you do by the way?” Meliza advocated.
“Yeah I understand and we are sorry for that. I am an engineering student.” Robin replied.
“Engineering student?” Robin replied. Graham gestures Robin to ask what does she do.
“And what you do?” Robin asked.
“Ask him how many people are listening this conversation?” Meliza’s friend asked from behind.
“Did you hear the question?” Meliza asked.
“Yeah, I did. Actually we are only 4.” Robin replied seeing his friends.
“All pursuing Engineering?” Meliza asked.
Graham asserted Robin to keep the conversation on.
“Yeah and what you do by profession?” Robin asked.
“She is police inspector. Did you get that?” Meliza’s friend replied loudly and the girls snigger.
“I am a dental student actually.” Meliza answered politely.
“Yeah she is a dental student. Don’t mess with her, else she would break all your teeth and won’t even give an artificial teeth to chew lunch. Did you get that?” Meliza’s friend replied.
The boys also smile. Thomas indicates Robin to ask her friend’s name.
“What’s your friend name?” Robin asked.
“And why did you ask?” Melzia counter- questioned.
“No, I mean. Your friend is really witty.” Robin praised.
“Oh wow! Now he wishes to flirt with me. I am pursuing MBBS so stay away from me else you would keep searching your kidneys for whole life.” Her friend replied and the girls tittered.
“Her name is actually Gloria and she is also a dental student.” Meliza replied.
“Do you have a girlfriend Mr. Engineer?” Gloria asked.
“Are you crazy? Why do you have to ask that question?” Meliza asked her giggling, keeping the phone away from her mouth.
The boys smirked and signaled Robin to keep the conversation going.
“What’s wrong in that? They want to talk so I am also talking.” Gloria replied her.
“I don’t have any girlfriend Gloria.” Robin replied loudly.
“That’s great. Meliza also doesn’t have the boyfriend.” Gloria shouted.
Meliza says to her friend, “Are you insane? You idiot… Come here!”
The boys could hear the tee-hee of the lasses as the call wasn’t disconnected. The young ladies left the phone on the bed and were fighting with their pillows off the bed.
“Hey! Is the call still going?” Meliza asked Gloria.
“Hello!” Gloria said after picking up the phone.
“Yeah! Hi Gloria.” Robin replied.
“Hi… You are such a bad person; because of you my best friend is fighting with me. I wonder what would happen after she would become your girlfriend.” Gloria replied.
“You psychotic. Give me the phone.” Meliza roared and the boys could hear them quarreling over the phone.
Luckily Meliza wins and takes the charge of the phone.
“Hello Robin.” Meliza asked.
“Yeah, Meliza; I am sorry for all your quarreling.” Robin apologized.
“Your should be.” Meliza agreed.
“But Meliza having said that I also tell you that I really don’t have any girlfriend.” Robin said and started laughing loudly to which Meliza also starts laughing loudly.
“Anyways! Nice speaking to you Meliza. Take care. Bye!” Robin said and disconnected the call.