The Last Letter

As she fell asleep in her bed, I observed her from a very close distance. I was sitting in a chair just next to her. She looked pale and worn out. She never let her pain overcome her strength. But I could figure out very clearly that she was slowly submitting herself.  I had witnessed her good times and bad as well. She was someone who was eager to learn, to grow and delve more and more. She would laugh her heart out at all my jokes. She was mentally very sharp and was able to give perfect answer to my pranks. Her presence had made my life beautiful. She was like the sun rays for me who had filled my life with light from every corner. And now when the sun-rays started diminishing, a part of me had eloped somewhere. Every day, I would take her for a walk and would listen to all her philosophy which seemed stupid in the past. All I wanted was to see her happy. Her smile was my world. I wished I could rewind our years of togetherness. Alas! I could not. I was just capturing memories so that I could spend the rest of my life.

Suddenly, the moment that I never wanted to save had arrived. She was breathing heavily. She held her hand over mine. The touch of her weak hands broke me further from within. She smiled meekly.

‘Open the packet that I have left in your shelf after I am gone. There are five letters. Each of them is numbered. Don’t break the chain. Go and give the letter to the person addressed. Please fulfil my last wish...’

I could no longer hold back my tears. Before I could speak, she was gone- gone forever.

After she left, my world had changed. I became workaholic. I chose to stay away from home and would return late at night. Sometimes, I would stay back at office. One night, while I was returning back, suddenly I remembered her last wish. And the thought of being associated with her again made me restless. I wanted to fulfil her wish and I got a reason to live- to live for her wish. So, that moment I decided to take a leave and accomplish her dream. As soon as I reached home, I took out that packet from the shelf. I opened the packet. There were five envelopes and each was numbered as she had mentioned. I did as she had directed. I did not break the chain. One by one, I opened and delivered it to the person referred. Each envelope was addressed to that person who mattered most in her life.  The first envelope was addressed to her cousin sister whom she loved the most. The second envelope was addressed to her best friend, the third one to her secret lover, the fourth one to her favorite teacher and the fifth one was without any address. At first, I could not make sense of it. But later, I understood- I understood clearly of her intentions.

I opened the last envelope and found a hand written letter. It was addressed to me- her dadabhai.

Dear Dadabhai,

Hope you had come to terms with the reality of life. You would for sure because you had accepted and faced all challenges of life strongly. And so I believed you had accepted my sudden farewell too. I was destined to go on an unknown journey where nobody could trace me- not even you. Trust me; you had done whatever you could. So, never blame yourself for failing to delay my departure. I considered myself lucky for I had the best brother in the world. I had given you so much pain while I was there and still I was bothering you with my last wish. A big round of applaud for you from the heavens above for fulfilling my last wish- the last wish of your only sister. I really meant it- thank you.

You had been my ideal and the one whom I considered Mr. Perfect. And I wanted you to be like that always. Please don’t engross yourself with work. You had to keep a balance between your personal and professional life. Had I not gone on a permanent vacation, then also one day we would have to part- part our ways.

...

...

With love,

 Chintu Candy.

I could not read her complete letter. Tears started rolling down and hardly could I see anything. The name ‘Chintu Candy’, as I used to call her, made me more emotional. I close my eyes and hold her last remains- the letter close to my heart.

New Beginning

Everyone was restless. Air of tension ran across the faces. Unable to cope with this anymore, I decided to take a walk in the corridor. As I was tolling, something made me more curious and I decided to peep in unaware of what awaited for me. A glimpse that turned into the worst nightmare, I had ever thought of. I never knew that I would come across him like this in my life. He was fighting for his life and I had the slightest clue of this. I wanted to get in and how badly I wished to tell him how my heart craved for him. I wished I could hug him, throw myself on his arms and cry like a new born. And he, in turn, would console me by running his fingers on my hair. He would do all crazy things to make me smile. I stood there unable to decide my next step. He was lying inside armed with heavy machines.

‘Don’t get inside. Let him sleep,’ a lady dressed in white interrupted. I had no option but to follow her orders. I sat on one of the two abandoned chairs outside his room. Suddenly, I wanted to know what brought him there. What had happened to him in last five years? Had he been punished? Did God really hear my silent prayers?  Many questions started ringing in my thoughts. I never wanted to meet him again but destiny brought me to the same track which I left years ago. I realized some chapters of life could be never erased from memories. And he was that chapter which followed me like the shadow.

All memories were still afresh in my mind. I still remember that fateful day when I finally accepted his proposal after several no episodes. At first, I liked the attention and all the love he showered upon me. But as time passed, his love turned into obsession. If I chose to avoid his calls, he would leave his classes and would be there right outside my classroom. He had become my shadow who even without my permission would follow me.

As time rolled on, I was afraid- afraid of everything. His abusive nature was unbearable for me. I became physically and mentally weak. And when I could not deal with the situation any longer, I told my parents everything. But situation worsened. He started threatening my parents. I was under surveillance and one of my family members always accompanied me. I lost self confidence and self respect. I felt pity for myself and I was unable to face my parents. Sometimes in the darkest hour of night, thoughts of putting an end to the pain permanently would cross my mind.

 Seeing me in such circumstances, my parents thought of discussing the matter with one of our family friends who was a chartered accountant and a lawyer by profession. He was young, dynamic and a much matured person. Mr. CA was 4 years older to me and had achieved more than others of his age. He handled my case in a very professional way. And in a few months, the shadow faded from my life. I started reliving my life back. Not only did Mr. CA bring light in my life but also gave new meaning to it. I became stronger mentally and had learnt to decide between right and wrong. And the best decision I took in my life was choosing Mr. CA as my life partner.

I was completely lost in my thoughts when my mother interrupted, ‘Where have you been, Pahi?

I was just...

Before I could complete, my mother told me that our family was gifted with a little princess. And as soon as I heard that, I ran happily towards my elder sister’s cabin. As I ran, my past slipped away and I looked forward towards a new beginning.