I too had a small Love Story!

It was raining heavily, wind was howling. I got out of my office and ran towards the parking lot, as it was already late and the next day morning, I had to go another city for one month due to some professional commitments. The cool breeze which was hitting my face was enough to get rid of the tiredness and the raindrops falling on my face were enough to change my mood. It was raining so heavily that, it was really difficult for me to open my eyes to get the glimpse of the darkness of a rainy evening. But as people say, “The best things in life are the unseen, that’s why we close our eyes when we kiss, cry and dream.” But maybe those people never experienced this feeling of raindrops falling on the face, cool breeze kissing on the cheeks and touching the body with the closed eyes. So how could I miss one more beautiful thing, which came across my way that day? But the biggest reality of life is, all these beautiful moments of life can never last very long.

So, after few minutes of my romance with nature; whose sweats were falling down from the clouds, dancing in the sky with the music of the wind ; I realized that I was completely wet.  But as people say men will be men, so I thought it won’t be a bad Idea if I would light up a cigarette to bring the body temperature to its normal level. But then one more realization came my way that was during that period of romance everything in my pocket including the cigarettes were also wet.

So as soon as possible I got in to the car, and pressed the start button with a trembling hand.

Now my priority was no more to enjoy nature’s offering or to return home; my priority was to get to the nearest shop as soon as possible, to get some smoke bubbles out of my mouth.

There was not much traffic as it remains on usual days due to this destructive yet beautiful shape of nature. So I reached to a shop within few minutes, and rushed to the shop for a packet of cigarettes without even caring about those heavy drops of rain. That’s the human tendency, a person is only afraid of getting wet until he gets few drops of water on his body, just like a person is afraid of becoming a loser until he has anything to lose. Within few minutes and with few more drops of water on my body I returned to my car with a cigarette packet in my hand.

I was letting the smoke to go & dissolve in the water drops falling from sky through my window glass. Suddenly my eyes got stuck to Rear-view mirror of my car. The lights of the vehicles coming from the opposite direction were making everything look bright and the moment they were crossing me everything was dissolving in the darkness of the night. It was just like seeing a dream with open eyes.

Suddenly, I saw a woman trying to wipe off her wet hairs from her face with one hand, while holding an umbrella with other. The wind was blowing so hard that, both her umbrella and hair were finding it difficult to stay at proper places. She was really beautiful; her face was so bright and her smile was innocent.  She had an endearing personality. The lightening on the sky and the headlights of the vehicles coming from the opposite direction were enough to give me glimpse of her even though there was darkness everywhere. If I would be a poet, I would have compared her face to moonlight falling on the white pearl in the black ocean.  But I am not a poet, so I will let it be simple by saying I was just looking at the most beautiful face I had ever seen.

It was hard to ignore, but I was about reaching home than falling in love with a person whose name even I did not know. Still sometimes it is hard for a man to go against what heart is saying and to listen mind, so I preferred to see her face for few more minutes. I knew she was not the moon, which comes in the sky every evening, and I was not even sure, when would it rain again so that I could get a chance to experience how it feels to see when beauty of a woman beats beauty of the nature. So I thought why not to enjoy this beautiful moment, without thinking too much about anything else. Few minutes earlier I was experiencing a dream, but now it has turned in to a beautiful dream.

After few minutes of struggle,  the umbrella which was dancing with the wind slipped out off her hands. After seeing this, the first thought that came to my mind was to run and hold that umbrella with her. So that she could realize, “there was a person who could be her strength in this journey of life”.  But then, I thought it would be better if  I should ask her for a lift. But what if she would refuse? It would hurt my manly ego. Still she had something, for which I was even ready to compromise with my ego; which usually I do not like to do . I took the car in reverse for few meters. Do not ask me what was that something; it’s really difficult to get all the answers when life helps you experience something really beautiful out of nothing. 

She noticed me coming towards her; but pretended as if she did not. That’s the worst quality of all girls, who know that they are beautiful. 

I asked her, if I could drop her somewhere. Even though she knew, it’s already late, with not a single taxi on the road; she preferred to remain silent. May be there was a doubt going through her mind and it was obvious. We never met before, we did not even know each others name; so it was really difficult for a girl to decide  whether believe that person or not.

I could read her face that moment. So I told, “What are you thinking? Do not worry? I am not going to rape you. I just want to help you, seeing you alone.” That’s the biggest problem when you are honest, but do not know how to share your honest thoughts.

She started laughing listening to this. I could not get why she was laughing; so I said, “No do not think that, I can’t ! It just I do not want to do so. ” One more honest thought came out of my mouth.

By listening this she preferred to remain silent. Might be she did not want to listen one more honest thought of mine.  I told her, “There is very little chance of getting a taxi today; if you are thinking I am doing any favor to you. Then, do one thing think it’s a taxi and pay me my bill. I will not mind it. Fair deal! Now get in”.

“Ok! It’s fair enough”. She replied with a smiling face, while getting in to the car.

 I told “But I would be really happy if you will not pay for it.” She smiled and preferred to look outside through the window glass than looking at me.

I was about to say, “This smile on your face is much more precious than those few rupees.” But thank god I could able to keep that honest thought within myself than sharing with her. 

I asked her the address, where I would drop her. She was staying with her friends few meters away from my place. For the next one hour while driving, we kept on chatting with each other. It was a feeling, as if we both knew each other since a long time. She had the ability to make the other person smile out of nothing. I did not care about, if I was looking stupid, while sharing those funny instances of life with her. I was just happy seeing her smile and seeing her wiping off her hairs from her face; so that either she could see me or I could get a glimpse of her beautiful face.

Just before we reached her place, I came to know that she was going to quit her job and leave this city after few days as she was getting married the following week, to a person whom her parents decided for her. I did not bother to ask her, to which city she was moving? May be I was living some wonderful moments of life without caring about what tomorrow would bring to me.

I stopped the car. Suddenly the silence and the sound of those raindrops hitting my car’s bonnet hard, made me realize that Now I had to wake up from the dream, I was experiencing in the real world with open eyes. Before she got down from the car to walk towards her place; she said, “Thank you” with the most beautiful smile. I got a feeling as if she wanted to tell lot more than these two words. But she did not. Might be she was expecting me to speak. But again I failed to express those honest thoughts which were coming from my heart and roaming in my mind. I just said: “It was a pleasure to meet you. You made me realize what L…..? ok leave it”.

I still do not know she took this “L” in which sense. Either she made me realize what love was all about or what life was all about! To be honest, in those few moments she defined both love and life through her laugh,through her innocence .

Without asking me what was that “L” word, she extended her hands to shake hands with me. It was a different feeling when ten fingers of two hands of two different people, find their space to fit in. As I said before, all the beautiful things in life can’t last forever. So now it was time for the last good-bye. She gave me a hug, and started walking towards the opposite side of the road. I was just thinking about, why my hands did not have enough strength in them to hold her hands for the life time. I was just looking at her, while staying in my deep thoughts. Just before she opened the gate to enter her place, She turned back to get the last glimpse of me. Or I may say to give me last glimpse of that beautiful face; so that I could store it in my heart for a life time. 

I looked at my watch it was already 1.25AM. I had few hours left to catch my morning flight. I had a very quick decision to make either to miss the flight and holding on to someone, who suddenly became my life or to catch the flight without unfolding a new chapter of my life. I took the decision to catch the flight and honestly I did not regret that. It was one of those most difficult decisions, which a person has to take very few times in his life. 

I was not sure if I could give her that happiness that comfort she deserves; at that point of time of my life. I thought her parent’s decision could not be wrong. She was getting married to a person, who was earning much more than me; he had his own home. So I preferred to see her happy without me, than seeing her struggle with me. Today I may consider it as a wrong decision, but it was perfect at that point of time.

Every love story does not end, leaving smiles on everyone’s face. But still today, remembering those few moments I spent with her, leaves smile on my face. It does not really matter how much time you spent together. What it matters is, how many moments you both spent together, which you still remember…..

“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.  ~Robert Heinlein

 

If you want to read the full novel, then leave your mail Id in the comment section, so that you will be inform about its publication. This book is going to publish on May2013. 

NB:- All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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