Today, my friend, also my flatmate, were shopping. I somehow just can't ever crave my urge to have a bhutta,  once I've seen it. So we stopped by to have one, usually a sure stop when we're out. We started discussing about something, we've discussed uncountable times in the last one year... FOOD. So we went on with our super serious talk about what we must cook, and as they say even walls have ears, surprisingly a wall happened to hear it all. So this wall, enters the conversation, to share the burden it seemed. From discussing OUR problem, which just a few seconds earlier we thought, we're the only one grappled with, we were discussing a perennial problem as per the wall.

While, this some 30-year old wall (thanks to the god gifted scanners all girls have), went on telling us about this so called perennial problem. Till she mentioned - 20 years after marriage, and i still face the same problem. Hey, hey hey, like we look at each at other, wait a minute, dude did you hear that, yeah that look is what we gave each other. The rest she spoke went to deaf years. What the !@#$, this lady is married for 20 years... #scan 1 failed, scan #2 start, mission finding more about this lady. The biggest setback, ow could our scan have have failed at the first go. Okay ma'am, so you're a teacher, wow you get to come back early, there goes the War of Words. Defense Weapon ready, yeah but we are also squeezed and we start early... Okay we work more number of hours. My son is the youngest bestseller writer.... Oh ma'am you should have saved this to the last, why did you have to paralyze us this early. So there, we are both on the floor, begging her for more... Yes I've heard of him RITWIK MALIK, and there enters the guy, and before we can gather ourselves and get up.... there they've zoomed off...

Nevertheless... we're left with a b'ful night ahead.... looking forward to dozing off...

THE LAST MEETING

To let go someone, close to you,

Is not easy to do,

But marriage, is a bond, of two,

With no place for me & you.

He pressed my hands tight, between both his hands, as tears rolled down his eyes. It was peaceful, quite, serene, divine; it seemed to me as if I were in heaven. And then, he kissed me, & l felt like an angel had graced me. We were trying to live, an entire life, in those few moments we had. And then he came close to me & held me tight, in his strong & assuring arms. A moment for which I would have done anything. Then, he said, “Annie, my darling, I love you, I love you very much, & I’ll miss you, & wait for you, to join me, soon. My love for you, will last till eternity. I wish if I could stop this time, that’s just slipping from our hands. I won’t be able to see the morning sun, but it will still shine on, as always, & so will you. Do not let your life stop. I will now live my life through you. Wherever I may be, know, that I’ll be thinking of you. Words can’t express my love for you, & its today, when I’m leaving that I realize, how much I love you. How I wish, to just, save each moment, that’s just passing by. Never find yourself, away from me, & when you do, just close your eyes, & you’ll find me there with you. Your heart & soul, are places, where you’ll find me residing, always, you just have to look in there. Remember, no matter what happens, you’ll never be too far away from me, coz I’ll never let you go far from me. And I know I’m gonna see you again soon, & till then, promise me, never to forget me, & never to stop, but move ahead. I’ll never die, coz I know, you’ll always keep me alive in your heart & soul, & till I’m alive in there, I won’t die.” As his words faded, into divine silence, forever. That was my last meeting, with my husband, Sam.

It was Tuesday, evening, he wasn’t well since morning, and so hadn’t gone for work. When I came back from work, I saw a letter, saying: Honey, I’m going to Dr. Alfred, see you soon, miss you. Just as I was thinking of what to do next, I got a call from Dr. Alfred, asking me to come over soon. When I reached there, I was told that he was living his last half hour or fifteen minutes. He could’ve lived for 2-3 days, but he’d asked to stay without machines, for he wanted to see me & talk to me, like always. He’d been suffering from cancer. He knew it all the while, that he won’t live long, but never told me.

But, truly, in that one last meeting, we’d lived our whole life. That last kiss, was like a divine kiss. Everything seemed, just so beautiful, pure, divine & complete. It were his last words, remembering which, I’d spent so many days, here, without him. Without a person, whom I couldn’t live without, even for a single moment. Whose presence was the reason for me to live.

I was going through the letters, he’d written to me, just when the doorbell rang. It was the delivery man. I opened the box of cake & lit the candles, just as I lifted the knife, to cut the cake of our 25^th anniversary, the lights went off. I got scared & the knife fell off my hand. Just when two hands held me tight, & assured me that all was fine, & said, “How could I’ve not been, here with you on this special day, with you, honey, when I’ve been with you every moment, all this while. Every time you’ve cried, you’ve had a hearty laugh, in your joys, pains & sorrows, everything, I was there. I promised you my love & so have I kept it, & will keep it forever.” As, we cut the cake & blew the candles, TOGETHER.

Thus, I know, though, it’s been nine years, since he went away, that he’s always, there with me & for me, no matter whate’er it may be, & I’ll never be alone, coz he’s always there for me. He might have died, for the others, but, for me, he is still alive, with me, in my heart, mind & soul.