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She was right in front of me posing perfectly – just like Mona
Lisa. Her visage was as pretty as a new born. She had a flawless skin, a
charming grace, her red attire, and she looked like a princess. A
broad glistening smile that adorned her face made her appear prettier.
There was a mellifluous music playing in the background – the kind of
one that is romantic, sensuous as well as soothing. And, I was busy
bringing my love on the canvas. It was my unrelenting desire to bring
her alive on the blank paper. So I was making all the attempts to work
on the tiniest details of her face to gift her with a captivating
portrait. All of a sudden I felt a bit of tremor. Everything started to
wane - My brushes, canvas, music and my girl. Eventually, I witnessed
the appearance of my mother. Holy shit! She has trespassed into the
land of my dreams. I was searching for my princess but all in vain. I
stumbled upon a stone and fell from my bed with a loud thud. With this,
my eyes opened up instantaneously. My mommy saw it all. A tinge of
annoyance was clearly visible on her face. I was awake; my eyes were
wide open; the door to my dreamland was closed.
Mom made me realize that it was the time for me to get ready
for the first day of my college. I got myself busied to embark on a new
journey. My last night’s dream completely slipped out of my head. I
reached college on time. The songs I was listening while traveling to
my Institute kept playing repeatedly on my mind. I felt jittery, as all
the new faces appeared right before me. That sight made me recall the
sweet memories from my past which made me nostalgic. The noise of the
people broke my contemplation and I headed towards my classroom. As I
entered the room, there were very few lads and lasses present. The day
began plainly with boring lectures, monotonous speeches of professors
and a rather dull view of the classroom itself. At the lunchtime, I
felt an urge to move out of that dreary atmosphere. So I went out to
breathe some fresh air. But soon the lunch break came to an end and I
had to face that bleak environment once again. My mind said to me that I
must retreat from going there but my heart coaxed me to go ahead.
The mind and the heart are always at loggerheads with each other.
At the end, one has to concede to the power of the other.
So was the case with me that day. My heart won and I prepared
myself to bear the boredom for another few hours. As I reached the door
of my classroom, a body collided against mine. My head was hung down
when this happened. I managed to keep calm and maintain my composure.
As my eyes met hers, I was entranced. I was rapt by the sight of those
tiny lamps that shone brightly. That cute face of hers attracted me
instantaneously. She looked at me and apologized for a mistake for which
I was equally culpable. She didn’t waste a second in arguing and went
away. I was overwhelmed by her innocence. I took my seat and wondered
that why this pretty face didn’t come in front of me since the morning.
She came again in the periphery of my eyes and I could not help but
smile. The next few hours were pleasant. In the evening, the first day
of my college came to an end while it marked the inception of the new
chapter of my life long book.
In the course of time, I made a lot of friends and she was one of them.
At the outset, I presumed that she was arrogant, introvert and
extremely rude. But as I got to know her better, I realized how
unfounded and futile my assumptions were. She was a cheerful and a
bubbly girl with a pure heart. As the days passed by, I fell more in
love with her. It was the sublimity of her heart that drew my attention
and appeased my inner demons. Her sumptuous smile and vibrant aura
shook my ego. The first time we walked, I was elated. Her melodious
voice echoed in my heart.
She was a literature enthusiast. Words allured her more than
anything. I still marvel at the beauty of her exquisite creations imbued
with a plethora of heartfelt emotions. She was gregarious, frisky yet
someone who admired the silence. For her, even silence was not silent.
The commotion never leaves you. It might subside for the time being but
trust its power, it will return because it is eternal.
We never turned into thick of friends. She drifted apart from
me as she was apprehensive about me since she saw me for the first time.
I don’t know why but she never tried to figure out what laid behind
those eyes. My façade was good enough to draw a bridge between both of
us. And therefore, I didn’t confess my unconditional love for her.
She was an epitome of the perpetual beauty. The mystery that
lingered around her persona was so intriguing that I could never take my
mind off her. She was humble, demure, silent, sensitive yet the one
whose actions spoke louder than words and whose mettle proved it time
and again that none could impede her progress. The fierce passion
breathed within her. She was a savage soul and that made me worship her
as if she was the incarnation of the goddess.
One day while she was passing through the corridor, a group of
morons remarked at her with aspersions and derogatory comments. She was
so furious to hear them that she instantly slapped one of them. The
slap was so swift and thunderous that the victim stood still. She
rebuked him and went away. But what she left behind was the fiery
vengeance that was about to eat her away. She risked her life for the
protection of her dignity. She punished a man for his cheap activity of
humiliating a girl with his nonsense words.
She was on the way to her home. That day she was extremely happy as
a major achievement of her life welcomed her. She was being chosen as
the President of the student union for her exceptional qualities and
gentle demeanor. She wanted to break the big news to her parents and so
she was walking quickly. But as the smile on her face broadened, two
men emerged unexpectedly and threw acid on her. She was left there
dying and crying of excruciating pain. The fatal incident came to her
as a bolt from the blue. She lost consciousness and her eyes closed.
When I heard about this, I was taken aback. It came to me as a
complete shock. I was bewildered. I rushed to the hospital to see her.
All I could witness was a young girl enthused with vigor and
unparalleled strength and courage were lying there struggling for her
breath. That day I prayed to God to cure her. I didn’t want to lose
her.
After a series of woeful prayers, they finally got answered. She
returned but with a half burnt face. When the truth unveiled before
her, she could not stop shedding the tears. She was weeping
uncontrollably. She felt helpless and worthless. The charm and grace
that reflected in her personality ceased to appear as the tears and the
sorrow surrounded her badly. This phase of her life was terrible.
Though she was recovering, her will to live was fading away. She
accepted the darkness of her life as her way of living.
It took her family and all of us a great deal of time and
patience to handle her devastation. She gave up hopes. But then we made
all the efforts to revive them. We made sure that we never show her
sympathy or pity her despair; rather we tried to help her summon all
her strength to face the adverse situation that engulfed her tightly.
It was difficult. This process of getting over the pain inflicted upon
her soul was very torturous for her.
It was a Sunday evening when I went to her place. She was
sitting in her garden staring at her splendid surroundings. I whispered
her name and she got up to face me. The streaks of setting the sun made
the sky resplendent. The birds were returning to their nest. The
ambiance was full of motion yet the peace slipped into its linings
unknowingly. There was an awkward silence that embraced us. I looked
deep into her eyes that spoke volumes of suffering and grief. I took a
step forward to clasp her tightly. She rested her head against my chest
and cried. I didn’t stop her. I wanted her to lighten up herself. The
burden was getting heavier on her heart and I never wanted to get it
buried because I knew it was more important to release herself from the
shackles of agony. And for this, she had to let go of her torment.
That evening she spoke her heart out – her fears of her
future, the bleak life she was submerged in, the lack of love and
affection, the failure that was emanating out of her constant
rumination, etc. her words pricked me. I wanted to shout in anger and
pain but I refrained from doing so. The pearls of tear drops didn’t
leave her face. She was in a deep thought when I took her face in my
palms and planted a kiss on her forehead and said, “I loved you since
the moment I saw you and I will love you until the last moment of my
life.”
Hearing this, she cried her heart out. And I joined her too to share her sorrow.
Thus, our love ushered us into a beautiful journey of togetherness.
