ETERNALLY YOURS !!

By Jyoti Saraf

Jaba loved Saahil with all her heart and soul. He was a wonderful man with principles and truthfulness. Till the day she had met him, she did not know the true meaning of love. It did not happen overnight or in a day. It just grew on her. She had never imagined, she would like a person and then fall in love with someone who was exactly opposite to her. Saahil's goodness was overwhelming. He was not shallow like other people whom she had met in her journey of life. Jaba herself was a very different person. She had never taken anything and anyone seriously in her life. All the phases till she had met her real man had been a joyride. She had never bothered about who came and who left. Nothing interested her for long. She was a gorgeous woman, full of life and free spirited. What had mattered was only fun, laughter and achieving whatever she wanted.

She had met Saahil in the oddest place in the strangest way. Jaba had to attend a party for which she had visited a beautician. She always had liked to experiment with her looks. Though she was forty plus, she behaved like an eighteen year old. This time she had got some bright blue streaks in her hair. It was looking like fixed feathers on the crown. There was some bold eye make up to follow. She had looked content. She came out of the salon and started walking towards her car, which was at a distance. The traffic was neck to neck and unfortunately Monsoon decided to show it’s harsh colours then only. It started pouring heavily . Jaba tried to cover her hair and makeup with her hands and she started running towards the direction where her car was parked. It did not help in the least. She reached the car somehow and started struggling to find her car keys. In the process, her hair turned messy and the makeup was doing it’s own thing, running down her cheeks and neck. She felt crazily angry. She was sure that she had left behind her car keys in the salon. When she looked up in despair to get some help, then she noticed a man in his car, just beside hers. He was waiting for the traffic to move. At that particular moment, he was laughing at Jaba. He did not know, she would notice him but she had. This made her angrier and she walked up to him and knocked on his car window. He really tried to control but failed. After all Jaba looked funny . He came out to say sorry but she had all the intention to slap him. She couldn not though, as she was stopped by him. He offered her fresh tissues and a lift. Jaba was desperate but her ego stopped her to take the help. Then he asked for genuine forgiveness and gave her a lift which she accepted.

Saahil did everything to make her feel less embarassed. He spoke about himself. He looked older than her . Saahil had taken an early retirement to concentrate more on himself. He owned a Meditation and a Wellness center. He believed in being beautiful from inside. Many people who thought like him were a part of it. He sounded very calm and peaceful. His smile looked genuine. He requested her to to visit his center some day . She was sure once she got down the car, she would forget all about it.

To her dismay and surprise, Saahil's smiling face was constantly on her mind. She tried her best to ignore it but it was a futile attempt. One day ,true to her character, she just hopped in her and went to meet Saahil in his center. He did not look surprised as if he knew she would come. He gave her a warm welcome and showed her around. There were so many beautiful faces which were glowing with their inner beauty. She decided to join the group. At that particular time, she just was looking for a way to be close to that handsome man. After a few days, she came to know about his family and their mutual love and respect. It did not bother her. She wanted him for herself. He was taking great care in changing her outlook. They became very good friends and started sharing a lot. All the wisdom talks by him really began to go deep inside her. She thought she would never separate him from his family but would defininitely bring him much closer to her.

A year passed. Saahil and Jaba became close. One evening, after the session, she invited him over to her place. He readily agreed. Jaba had not told him that her family was not at home. She pretended to look surprised when they entered her place. Saahil sat in the sitting room, while she went inside to freshen up. After a while, she came out in a pair of shorts and a short tshirt. She got some coffee for both of them and went to sit right next to him. She was sure of her own charms. Saahil looked unaffected and this made her irritated. He started showing her, his family pictures in the phone. His wife was an ordinary looking lady. She wondered how to go ahead and then she held his hand and told him all about her feelings. He did not look disturbed. Rather he held her hand gently and looked at her affectionately . He told her, he loved her but the love he felt for her was much above the normal love. He said he cared about her in a very beautiful manner. He wanted to be with her always and protect her. He also said that he knew how she felt and he respected that. He had told his family all about her. Then, he bent forward to kiss her forehead.

It was all too shocking for Jaba. She was not prepared for that situation and such openess. According to her, love was all about give and take. The feeling of sacrifice had never entered her mind. That evening she sat still, looking at that divine man, next to her and feeling very proud of her choice. Till then she had not known that she could love in that manner. She did not even know that she had the capacity to love someone like that. Saahil had taught her that. That day, she finally understood the true meaning of love. She got up, got dressed properly, and went out to see him off. Before he sat in the car, he turned around to give her a hug but on the contrary she bent to touch his feet. Saahil deserved it. She was glowing and shining. Now there was no mask on her face. It looked genuinely beautiful. She smiled with a tearful look . Saahil was successful once again. He looked content and he drove away.

By Jyoti Saraf