Roads of dreams!

I had reached the metro station before anyone else did that day. My group of friends were late every time except me, as I kept to my time table with precision. Shweta was frequent to our parties and being a good friend to Rhea, she befriended us too. For, Rhea was in our group and so she invited Shweta all the times whenever we would plan a hang out. Now that the college was over, we had been busy with either jobs or further studies. Getting to plan a meet up within ourselves meant, foregoing all the meetings and plans that were ushered upon us by our employers or our teachers. We did bunk those meetings or lectures to meet our friends and that brought reminiscence bells ringing. 

Driving on those roads that led to our best hang out spots when in college, now brought us back on to them. For, we had grown up magnificently; onto doing the jobs that we wanted and the career we had offset in our plans. All of it flowed like a dream, or more than that. But one thing that sounded in all of the hearts was the missing phenomenon; that happens with all friends. Once they are away, the roads are different and we are away. When we walk the roads past, we get a tone of our gone days; its joy and belief over the fact that time has passed and that we are in the reality of life. At the same time, teardrops scatter around our eye lids; while we clean them and try to look ahead. Emotions can't take you away from the reality and the face of it; it comes to all in the same equations.

One day, Shweta had brought for me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and that was the very pleasant day when she proposed her love for me. I duly accepted her sweetness and I didn't keep my likeness for her hidden in my heart. I held her arm and we danced for a longer time. Longer than a night could ever be. That day, when the lights reflected the most of life's truths. Her eyes danced as if trying to look beyond what was visible, in that day.

We talked about our future plans and she kept on telling me how much she loved me. I had little known the fact that she came to the parties only to find me there. Although, I had formed an inclination towards her from those days; yet I kept silent thinking that the love was one sided. Whereas it wasn't! I don't know if ours was the best love story, to me it sounded ordinary as we never had meetings such as in the films. We kept a distance in the college festivals but glared into each other's eyes for moments as if searching for innocence in the either of us. For a greater part of our knowing each other, I hadn't a thought that one day we could become so close. Later, whatever happened was so spontaneous that we liked to have each other's presence around wherever we went.

Rhea later made us aware that we had led a great start by expressing our love for each other. Soon, we married and today we have three children. Shweta, left me and our children when she was diagnosed with a disease. The children missed her daily, in between their meals; during their sleep. It was like, they were afraid without their mother - to live in a world with so many troubles and different people.

I resisted any act that could hurt their sentiments and taught them stories of moral values that could help them building their character in life.

Rhea often visited us when she got time and my friends from college, paid a visit once in a while. The kids got all the love that they could demand from me but being a father I couldn't provide them with the care and blessing that is held in a mother's hand. I remember my wife today and walk the same roads where we friends partied with a belief that life was long and always as fruitful as those days.

I was right and wrong at the same time. For my kids those roads provide them with dreams about their mother as I keep on telling them about how we met and fell in love; how we roamed and shopped after the marriage; how their mother enjoyed walking in gardens in the evenings.

This way we reach her and while remembering, feel her touch with us in the cross roads of life. I still feel, the spark in her eyes that gently asked answers; to the questions that I never knew. Now I feel that our love was special, it wasn't ordinary; rather no love is ordinary. It has its own acceptance.

We had accepted that she was looking at us with her eyes in those stars as it's often said; and Shweta is remembering us, with the same magnitude and grace with which we love and miss her.

Gagandeep Singh Vaid

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