He was the local hooligan; she was the girl next door. He was rough, an avenger even. She was docile, gullible too. He was fourteen, She was ten. It wasn’t meant to be a fairy tale, but it spanned over a period of fifty years and more. It’s a love story-beautiful in its own right, wonderful in its own appeal, delightful when you reminiscence the years that have rolled by.
They hailed from a small village, simple families and simple backgrounds, but never for once did they think that their lives could entwine with each other, that too, in the sacred marital bond. He was drawn towards some other girl, but could never gather up the courage to go and speak it out to her.She,on the other hand, wasn’t old enough to harbour romantic endeavours in her little heart.He was friends with her youngest uncle and that gave their relationship a different dimension at all. It was, however,not meant to stay that way for a long time.
She grew up-from being the skinny little lanky kid; she blossomed into a lovely young lady in her teens. And he, a young lad of seventeen. Being an integral part of the village gang of boys, he was a regular visitor to her place. They knew each-other, talked, grew to be friends. It was then, that Fate intervened. Following an unfortunate incident, wherein he was accused of having a roving eye for his friend’s niece and hence was debarred from entering her house thereafter.
Insulted, hurt and angry, his young blood boiling over at the way he was wronged, He chose to think of doing the unthinkable-He vowed to marry the same girl, the same girl who had been the reason for his insult, or so he thought. And that was the moment, he ceased to be the picture perfect hero of the story-the selfless ones you would see generally. He was real, very much so, had his short-comings, was trying to avenge his insult, and yet, there was nothing about it to be termed unjust. It was all meant to happen that way. And so it did.
To set his plan working, he passed her way on the road at times. She ignored it. It went unnoticed mostly. He waited patiently for it to happen, for her to reciprocate back. To feel it back, what he was trying to get her to feel. And then it did. Glances begun to exchange, he passed by her home and she was there on the balcony to just catch a glimpse of him riding in his bicycle. At a circus held at the village, she waited, away from the prying eyes of the others, she waited, waited for him with a packet of nuts. a date.:) Well, not exactly, but THAT was the moment when he knew-she was in love with him. And his conscience hit him. He couldn’t keep up the sham anymore. He had fallen-hook, line and sinker for the girl who had did all that just for him, to get a small smile play on his lips. Fallen for the woman he never thought he would. Fallen for that simple, innocent young lass who had not meant a thing for him ever before that except for a means to avenge his insult, to restore his pride. The fluttering hearts of the young lovers painted so many beautiful canvases of themselves together in their minds and they were all meant to come true. They just knew it. The rides on the bicycle crossing across the fields, the hand-holding, the occasional letters secretly being exchanged,it all was like a leaf out of some fairytale. ”Ra” was the name he used in his letter, she reverted back with a “Ni”. Their codenames for each-other. Irrevocably cute that was. Young love. And Destiny was gung-ho about completing it, a matured bond. And then, it was a journey of togetherness thereafter. Coming of age, his dad asked him to get married, he said-he already had his girl. And there she was. What had been an affair kept hidden from the world, was now for the whole world to get to know. People came to see Him get married. They came to see the woman who had it in her to reach out to the heart of this man, someone who they never thought could love, get married. Surely, she must have been one in a million. And so she was.The simple, strong-willed village belle who wooed this goon of a guy. Adapt the plot for a movie, and you would have it as a blockbuster. But there’s so much more to the relationship they shared. Temptations had been there, people coming in and out of their lives which created situations galore, at times too tough to handle, yet they had held on-been with each-other,together ,forever..She was a woman of spirit, he, a man of his words,and together they went on to create a world of their own. Amazing, to say the least. It was much more than mere words can do justice ever.
Was it a story? No, as I said-It was something real.Grand-mum and Grand-dad-It was them. The two most AMAZING people ever who had the most special love-story in the world to themselves. I do miss you grand ma, but you continue to be with us, every wakeful moment is a reminder of you being SOO near us all. In every tear that I have seen Granpa shed, I have always seen you there, and so much more. Last night,I looked up at the sky and wished for something I had waited for so long now, and something made me strongly sense-- it would come true. Love you Amma, and will always do.
Ending it here..
Deblina :)
