A LOVE STORY THAT FAILED!!!

27 Aug 2010, Wednesday
0600 hours
Nameri Natural Park.

I am 45. I grasped my breath, coughed my lungs, cleared my throat and disregarded every single signs of ageing one possibly could have. Sick for a few days now, I took my customary diabetes pills, meditation doses and laid back on the wooden bench. That’s how my day begins, with a gentle morning walk. Yet today’s a day unforgettable. It’s the day I failed, failed for 22 years now.

28 Aug 1988
0100 hours
Diary page – The D-Day, Graduation Party.

Recollecting recent past:
I was following her from the terrace. Her magenta silk satin, elle18 makeover, stellate ring to Gucci bag, everything fitted her. She is just so perfect. My eyes followed unhindered through overcrowded hall-way, our champagne-clad Club 18 set, to the dining set, off to disco and the hiccup party. Suddenly she looked disturbed.
Her quick steps ran my heart as I followed her to the vast second floor balcony. I studied her as she looked far-away into the jovial night-life of the city. I moved a few yards away, away in the dark. She looked moved and terribly sad. Her watery eyes spoke more than her quivering lips. Ok, that’s enough.
‘Hi Aratrika. Happy Graduation’.
She retracted; tried her best to gain back composure. ‘Hey, how are you doing?’
I am a good friend of hers, a friendship developed over my six years stay of college. Words gave to emotions, emotion gave to tears. I discovered it was the lost necklace that cracked her down; moreover it was a planned gift to her mother on their anniversary.
‘Hey, it’s gonna be all right. Take this and nobody is gonna notice.’
It was my set. We went shopping together and got two similar sets for our moms.

I pulled the gold off my sherwani and put it in her palms, closed it and passed her my last words:
“The day you will see through it, you will see through me.”


Present Day, Nameri Natural Park:

‘Do you have a water bottle in your sack?’
‘Ya, sure’ I said as I passed it along. The old lady rested for a while. To my surprise, she had my necklace and in her fist, my love letter, intentionally preserved by me inside the crest for her to find out someday, which said:
‘I love you, always have. Never able to tell you and never will. Wish you and Rohit many happy regards.’
Her lips spoke:
‘Why did you have to leave me Dev? Why?’
‘I can see through you.’

I couldn’t say anything. Not twenty-two years before, not now. I closed my eyes only to see she’s gone, forever.


P.S : It's friction, a story for here at internal story writing competition in Infy. Kept at word limit of 450, so details got compressed. I hope you guys enjoy this story of a LOSER and yes, nabami is up next for posting, stay tuned.