OUR LOVE WAS SPECIAL
OUR LOVE WAS SPECIAL
“Can we get introduced ma’am”.
I looked up at the person even before thinking and was shocked at the unknown person’s uneasy long stare and unexpected words…….nah, he did not match any of my known faces that crossed my mind within seconds, except that I suddenly remembered seeing this person with some other people in the big open plot adjacent to our school for last couple of days. I had never met anyone in my life before who saw that straight into my eyes. His sight was straight, fixed and somewhat I was feeling uneasy as if he was scanning and reading me, not merely my eyes. I walked passed him, silently, completely ignoring the question. It was anyway the most troubled phase of my life, enough to leave me completely indifferent towards everyone, towards life. After all the heartbreak and courtroom drama from a broken marriage, I was trying to cope with life with my new divorcee status taking a job in this school of this remote small town. I wanted to go away from all my known people, tired of that sympathetic look in their eyes and repeating the same story hundred times. I wanted to spend my life in an unknown place, amongst unknown people, for whom I would be just nobody.
I almost forgot the incident. But during the lunchtime, two of my colleagues were discussing something about that open plot which brought me back that insignificant incident of morning. Yes, for that calm and quiet eventless remote town, five six strangers roaming around with flashy cars was in fact a topic of discussion. I came to know that the plot belonged to the Chief Minister’s family and since they did not stay there, they were planning to sell that plot. The Minister’s younger brother was around there with the probable buyers to show the land and discuss the issue. Suddenly I recalled back………these were all over the newspaper for quite some time. The bunch of people in the adjacent plot was still visible through our window. My colleague proudly pointed towards one person as Chief Minister’s brother. Reluctantly just to show her that I’m not ignoring, I looked in the finger’s direction. And yes, it turned out to be the same person of my morning incident. Realizing this I was happier with my reaction. He must be a spoilt child of the rich family wanted to flirt with me, a young woman, alone.
The next morning he was waiting for me in front of my school. The moment he saw me, he came to me with a familiar smile and greeted me wholeheartedly, repeating the earlier day’s question. So, he thinks I’m an easy prey, I thought, I passed him silently. I was sure he won’t be there for me again, atleast it won’t be difficult for him to find another young girl to flirt with. Contrary to my beliefs, he was there with the same greeting and smiling face the next morning too. Days went by with our regular meeting. Slowly and slowly it was becoming difficult for me to keep my cool and silence. I was irritated, angry, sad, worried………everything; and more than anything, I was curious, what he wants from me? “What do you want from me?”, I was happy to be able to ask him directly one morning. I wanted to put a full stop to this irritating game of our morning. He should know I’m not an easy access and can be stern if required. He looked at me with that same long gaze of the first day and softly spoke out one word, “You”. This was the height of fun. I was never more shocked in my life, nobody ignored my personality this much before and treated me this way. “You know I’m a divorcee and I don’t have any desire to go for any kind of fun”, I told in the harsh most tone I can, shivering out of anger. This boy is sick, I thought. “I know”, he told me in the same soft voice. I never met anyone this much calm and controlled in my life, my anger and harsh words just did not have any effect on him. “What do you think of yourself…….that because you are from a powerful family you can have any woman you want? Mind it, I’m not that type of woman?”, my anger was not over yet. For a fraction of second, I saw a feeling of hurt in his eyes that I was starring straight, but he turned and went away silently without looking back again. I stood there motionless for some moments to calm myself down and felt relieved. Hopefully he won’t be there for me again.
The preceding day morning newspaper brought me the surprising news. The Chief Minister’s family decided against selling the plot and that had been donated to make a local stadium.
At my school gate, contrary to all my metal calculation, he was still there waiting for me. God knows what prompted me to ask him, “So you are not selling your plot. Why?”. He told in his cool way, “Two reasons. First, because you talked to me yesterday the first time and second, because you’re not agreeing to my proposal yet”. It was too much for me, he can’t be that serious about our morning game.
But he was more than serious and the construction work of the stadium started faster than anyone’s imagination. He stayed back there to look after the work. As days passed, somehow I started enjoying our morning hide and seek and slowly and slowly we became friendly to each other. However I made it clear to him that he should not have any expectations from me. Slowly & surely I had found the friend, the cool patient listener I needed to burst out my unshared emotions of the broken marriage. I never realized the volume of agony and suppressed emotions within me before. I had learnt to trust people again. He became the caring friend, the undisputed protector and the one who try his best to bring a single smile to my face. I started to smile and giggle again, which I thought I had forgotten long back. It took five years to complete the stadium and at the end of five years, I was more than happy to marry him.
Life was never more beautiful. Instead of going to stay with his joint family, the so called Chief Minister’s family, we bought a small cottage in that small town itself facing the newly built local stadium and shifted there once all the celebrations related to our wedding was over. I was happy to be at home, taking care of the home and waiting for him to come back from work. Doubling our joy, we were expecting our first baby. We decided to name our new guest as “Dheeraj” if it comes out to be a boy. That was his favorite name.
Then, one day just a month before the birth of our baby, I had the shock of the lifetime. While driving from work, a truck ran over his car and crashed it completely. My whole life came to a complete standstill in one second. Even my tears stopped frozen somewhere. I wanted to die, once and for all. I wanted to die with the happy memory of the short period with him. That was enough for me. I didn’t want to live without him. But the baby inside me stopped me from dying. I was living like a lifeless body.
Then “Dheeraj” came to my life. I could see his face in that tiny face of Dheeraj. Not for a single moment I could forget him, but once again I had to come out of my ‘shell’, I had to eat for little Dheeraj, play for him and smile for him. Dheeraj kept me going and taught me to smile and live once again, just like his father. My life revolved around Dheeraj, watching him growing, his innocent smiles, unsteady walk, untold words, and first school.
Now with six years of Dheeraj, I’ve no complain from this life. The love I’ve shared with him within that short period is enough for me for this lifetime; I can live the whole life with it. I just wish the destiny should have allowed him some more days! He could had hold Dheeraj once, looked at him once and kissed him once; and Dheeraj also could had felt his father’s arms around him atleast for once, however infant he might be! I don’t regret his going leaving Dheeraj with me, maybe, he wanted to keep the memory of our shortest and sweetest period forever, that’s why he left me so early. Whenever I feel missing him, I sit in the front balcony of our cottage facing the stadium. I feel his presence in each and every grass of the stadium, touching them, caressing them. I’m never away from him even after his death. Every brick of the stadium speak of our hide & seek and of love and holds the memory of our togetherness. Our love was indeed special!
[Based on a true story. Dheeraj ( name changed) was my close friend in College]
© Anneshwa., all rights reserved.
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