By Saket Shridhar Panicker
It rained all afternoon. When are you coming, my friend, and what is taking you so much time?” Leo dialled the phone in a hurry and asked. On the other side, the reply was, “I am about to leave; it won’t take me more than an hour to reach you. Also, I have to get some things that we need for this occasion, so see you soon, my friend.”
Leo was relieved, as he had been trying to get in touch with Mac since morning.
Leo and Mac were kith and kin who had grown together since their childhood. They also completed their education together and got commissioned as personnel in the Army and Air Force, respectively.
Leo Roy, a retired Brigadier from the Army and Mac Biswas, a retired Air Commodore from the Air Force, shared a bonding of friendship for nearly 60 years.
That afternoon, Leo’s daughter, Debjani, was getting engaged to his best friend’s son, Jaydeb. The duo’s fathers could not wait to see each other after all these years and were extremely happy to see their kids' knots with each other.
Just like their fathers, Debjani and Jaydeb also grew up with extreme qualities. Despite their frequent postings and long-distance relationship, they never let distance be a barrier to their friendship. Their love blossomed in the final semester of IIT, and they decided to continue seeing each other. Being deeply committed, there was never a day when they didn’t talk to each other.
Following their studies, Debjani started her career as an interior designer, while Jaydeb continued his profession in electrical engineering. Both families had settled in Manali after their retirement.
That afternoon, Leo Roy was eagerly waiting for Mac and his family to arrive at their place. It was planned that they would disclose the marriage date and discuss other plans once the rings were exchanged.
Since the pour was heavy in the morning, the weather contained a dense fog in the afternoon. Mac was waiting impatiently for the weather to get a little clear when Leo called the second time. This time Mac missed his call and already left the house alone.
It took about two hours for the rain to show some mercy.
Finally, both families met and sat together, looking at each other.
“If you could have just waited a little longer at your place that afternoon, this ceremony would have been a joyous one for both of us! Leo told Mac.
“I should have attended your call for the second time, but the wait seemed longer than usual, and there were no signs of the rain stopping at any moment. I was so happy that I couldn’t control my wait. The feeling of seeing you and your family after all these years was so lovely that I somehow just wanted to come and see you. In excitement, I left the house and found myself lost in the fog. It was only a moment later my car crashed into the valley that afternoon.” - Mac replied.
Leo was devastated to learn about the tragic incident of his dear friend on the day of his daughter’s engagement. Following this, happiness vanished from his life. Having lost his childhood friend, Leo succumbed to a heart attack within a month after the incident.
While the children survived and moved on with their marriage within a year, it was said that Leo left for heavenly abode to meet and reunite with his dearest friend.
By Saket Shridhar Panicker
very creative