A Gift Of Time

By Ajay RamRaju aka Vamsi Saiteja Lakkoju

That day I was completely normal. We have planned for a double date kind of thing with my bestie and her husband. After roaming everywhere, we are relaxing in a hotel and suddenly they started this game, “truth or dare”. After playing this for a while, My wife asked me, “What will you do if Priya comes back alive?” The moment I heard the name, I became deaf. Everything around me was in slow motion. My mind is gathering words to answer the question. I said, “I’ll escape with her from this world”. My wife shockingly started to ask, “What about me an…..” But she never completed her words. She was static. Everything around me became static. I experienced real magic for the first time.

I saw Priya coming as a projection of a star. I wouldn’t know what is happening. I have never seen anything like that before. I started standing, and walk towards Priya. She is smiling and coming towards me. I held her hand in my hand. She felt so real after a long time. I wanted to hug her. Instead, she hugged me. I felt so relieved. I am having a wide range of mixed feelings. I asked her while hugging her, “How did this happen? How are you back? How are you alive? And How are….” She interrupted me, “Are you wasting time by asking all these questions or will you do something useful, slapper boy?” “What should we do now?” I asked. She said, “The whole world will be stuck until I go. Let us roam around the world”. I asked shockingly, “You should go??? Why so?? Can’t you stay”. She took out a pocket watch and showed it to me. It was in a heart shape, with some diamonds on its edges, shining glass and a beaded chain. The time in it was 10:53 pm. She said, “We have till it hits 12. When the new day starts, I should go. It is the order of god.” I came to know how this happened. I asked, “What did you do for getting this boon??” She smiled and said, “ Not me, you did that”

“Me!!! I did nothing”

“I read every letter you placed at my grave and I used to share them with the god of life. He used to read every word and sometimes used to feel guilty for taking me out of your life. He used his powers to grant us this time”

“God of life read my letters?? I wrote because I missed you a lot. I never thought you will read them”

“I read them from the time you are a naive writer till the time you became a professional writer. Let’s not waste time digging into the past. We have time and let’s use it.”

“Ok let’s get out of here. I will bring my car.”

“Car!!! You think I didn’t bring a vehicle”, she said and started looking towards a cloud. The cloud came down and she told me to sit on it. I was surprised but stood on it. We went flying in the air to see this beautiful world from a new view. I started shouting because no one could hear us. We went to my childhood school where I first met her.

After seeing the school, I couldn’t control myself. I cried for a moment and hugged her so tightly as if it was the last hug. She started hugging me in the same way and I can feel her long awaiting feelings. This continued for a few moments. After that, she asked, “Tell me about your life after I left…” I was not interested but it was the only time I can have with her. Therefore, I started telling,

“After my tenth standard, I came to know that you are no more. I wanted to blame someone for taking you away, but I found no one. I started blaming god. I become an angrier man than ever before. I used to behave rudely to everyone. After some time, I saw myself in a helpless situation. My mother is the only person who provoked me to develop myself. She knew nothing about you, even now. But she became the reason for my life. Then I started to analyse my life and found that you are correct. The future is too unpredictable. We can’t expect something from it. What we should do is “Enjoy the moment” But I have a question. How did you have that kind of mature thinking at that time, Priya”

“Because my life isn’t planned as yours. From the time I got my senses, I used to live in an orphanage. I don’t know who my parents are. I don’t know what life was. We used to have food when someone donates to us something. If no one came to us, we used to have nothing. Then I found the truth. “Enjoy the moment”. I started to enjoy the food instead of worrying about tomorrow. After a few days, things got changed and we got enough resources for our basic needs. All the children were funded by someone for our studies. Even then, I used to follow the same thing “Enjoy the moment”. I never worried about next year. I thought more simply. I was funded for this year. Let me complete this year. Let it happen whatever will be in the future. That is where I met you. An always-worried student about the future. I started admiring your silly actions and fell in love with you. After a few days, I proposed to you and you slapped me...” and started laughing

I continued her story, “Hey silly queen, I don’t know that you were an orphan at that time. I thought you were just a student like me. I don’t know how to react to that proposal. Because no one liked me at that time. Even my friends used to hate me. When you proposed to me, I thought you wanted to make me feel embarrassed in front of everyone, so I slapped you. But I was the one who came back to you, apologised to you, and proposed to you. Remember that.”

She interrupted me and continued, “Don’t lie now. You never proposed to me. You came to me the next year and said sorry. I was the one who proposed to you again after a few months and you accepted that”

I started to admit myself and said, “Ok ok, I agree. I wasn’t as mature as you at that time. You showed me a lot of love in a year. I realised your affection towards me. After a year, I thought of proposing to you. However, being an introvert, those words changed into an apology. Every time I met you in school, I wanted to propose to you. But I couldn’t. After a few months, you proposed to me. I can still remember everything.”

“Is it that true? You forget everything so easily. Tell me everything that happened that day”

“Ok, I take it as a challenge. It was a Saturday. Like every Saturday,

we are allowed to wear the civil dress on that day too. I wore a white shirt with blue stars on it. You were in a blue frock. After all the classes, in the evening, we sat on a bench on the ground. There was a cool breeze. Everyone was busy going to their home. Some of them are playing on the ground. You turned towards me and said, “What will you do if I say ‘I love you’ again? Slap me? Or do anything new?” Then I held your hand in my hand and said, “I’ll do this” and I started smiling. I saw happiness on your face. But we were speechless for half an hour. After that, we came to know that it was time we left for home. We stood and started to move towards the gate. Before leaving, you said, “Bye, slapper boy”. I said, “Bye, silly queen”. That is what exactly happened”

“Good, slapper boy. You remember everything. That’s so good. Perhaps remembering everything is making you guilty or feel sad, right?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. After a few days, I accepted the truth that you are no more. I neither felt relieved nor felt sad. I started to lead a normal life. I followed your lines, “Enjoy the moment” and “Future is unpredictable”. Anger left me and Peace started to fill that position. I started to be normal and people started to observe a new person in me. Some people started to admire me, some made me a part of their family, and some people think I am weird. I ignored them and enjoyed every moment. After a few years, I started to be a counsellor for some of their problems. That’s how I met my wife. I taught her how to handle problems and she taught me how to smile. Later, we are married and leading a happy life. That’s all, silly queen”

“Don’t escape, slapper boy. I know that you smartly avoided the part of you becoming a writer. Tell me that”

“Ushhhhh… Ok. In the days of being a normal man, there are days when I couldn’t forget you. Somehow or the other I used to remember you every day. I couldn’t bear that pain. I had thoughts about you. When I had you, I never dared to tell you about my feelings. By the time I had that courage, I lost you in that accident. That guilt never left me. After a few times of this guilt cycle, I started to write everything I thought about you. But I don’t know how to give them to you. I used to store them and keep them on the grave when I came. After a few years, I developed this skill of writing and started to write. Many people found it amusing. I became a writer with help of my mother and my wife. Now, I am a software engineer and a writer. All thanks to you. You are the reason for my developed mindset and this behaviour. You gave me a skill I never asked for. I am having a happy life because of you and without you.” And I stopped.

“So, you wanted to propose to me. Then I am here for you. Propose me, slapper boy”

“No, I can’t. I can’t propose to you knowing that you are going to leave me again. I won’t” and I cried

“What is the recent quote written by you? Let me tell you.

No happiest second has gone fast

No saddest second stayed forever

It is all in the mind you see

It is unstoppable so should we

This is the one, right? And by saying no to me, you are proving me and this quote wrong”

“What!! I don’t want to prove you wrong. I said no that’s it”

“(smiles) You told me that you were leading a happy life because of my line “Enjoy the moment”. And you are not enjoying this moment because I’m leaving you. Enjoy this moment, slapper boy, enjoy this moment”

I realised that I’m wrong. I started to propose to my first love. I said, “I slapped you without knowing that you will be the reason for my happiest life. What will you say, if this slapper boy tells you “You gave me life, a happier life? Will you be in my life? Will you be with me forever?” …”

She smiled and asked me to close my eyes. After I closed my eyes, she placed her hand with that pocket watch in my hand and slapped me. After giggling for some time, she hugged me. I started to open my eyes. She said no. She whispered in my ears, “Enjoy the moment”. There was a heavy light.

After the light diminished, I was at the same hotel where I went. My wife asked me again, “What will you do if Priya comes back alive?” I understood that I imagined everything. But this time I didn’t black out. I smiled and said, “I will tell her that she was too late. I found my love and I will be with her”. Everyone started to cheer for my answer. And my wife hugged me.

At the same moment, the pocket watch in my hand rang. I turned it back to look if it is real. It has the quote “Enjoy the moment” printed on it. I saw a star in the sky glittering. I understood everything and I smiled……………..

By Ajay RamRaju aka Vamsi Saiteja Lakkoju