It was a Friday. The things weren’t like before. She held my hand tight. Her tears gushed out like rain drops. I knew that she had got something to tell me. I looked at her eyes. They’re reddish. They were full of pain. She remained silent for a while. She didn’t have an intention to leave me behind as she did before.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her breaking the silence. She said nothing although she had got something serious to tell me. Now that the time was over, she had to leave me behind. All of a sudden, she ran along the corridor without saying goodbye. I was perplexed. I didn’t know what had gone wrong. I kept looking at her till she disappeared.
A week passed by, but there wasn’t any sign of her. I looked at the corridor till her arrival with enthusiasm. She didn’t come at all. It was noon, yet she wasn’t there for me. I couldn’t control my emotions. My tears gushed out. It was four o’ clock. I knew that she would not come. I didn’t know why. It was a long sleepless night that day.
“What’s wrong with you? It’s impossible to think. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve done nothing wrong, my love. Please do come next Friday. I want to talk to you.”
A letter was written and posted. I was awaiting a reply. Two weeks passed by, but she was unresponsive. It was unexpected because she had been coming to see me for the last eleven consecutive months with lunch and a branded-shirt.
Hard time
She had been absent for the past three months. It was a hard time for me. I didn’t know the exact reason. I couldn’t think of any either for our relationship had been strong. I was released at last after a long fourteen months. I walked along the corridor till the exit with my bag.
“Hey! chap. Be careful. You shouldn’t come here again. You must get married to your pretty girl. She loves you very much”, an Army Officer said while patting my shoulder.
As soon as I came home, I went to her place. There weren’t any roses or orchids taken care of by her. Even the people who were there seemed to be strange. I asked for her whereabouts. They could not give me a proper answer. I was totally disappointed. I didn’t have any alternatives other than thinking about her. I spent most of the time on my bed. I could not count the sleepless nights I had.
Appointment
At last I got appointed to a base hospital in Aralaganvila as a doctor. I was introduced to the staff of the hospital by the Director who was one of our super seniors. I had a friendly and lengthy discussion with him. Now that it was lunch time, I was invited for lunch at his bungalow which was close by. Now that it was a kind request, I did not reject it.
“My wife too works here. She’ll be here at night”, he went on telling while we’re walking towards his bungalow. It was nicely maintained.
“Hello! I’ve come. Please arrange lunch for three”, he told his wife as soon as he opened the front door. He went for a shower while asking me to sit in the living-room for a while. While I was reading a weekly newspaper, his wife came to me with a glass of orange juice. I put aside the newspaper, and looked at her. I wanted to thank her. Really, it was unexpected. It was her. Our eyes met. She couldn’t take her eyes away from me at once. She was so guilty that she rushed back like a thunderbolt. I was helpless. I was benumbed. I strolled along the pathway. [email protected]