Expert Ideas

"Oh boy! How did I miss this one?" Rahul stared at the ceiling as he lied down on his bed. The old diary with tattered pages lay across his chest. Once more he gazed at the tiny scribbling along the inner edge of the page, not believing what he saw. All of a sudden, he found his heart beating wildly as the meaning of the words hit him. "Rahul you are the greatest idiot ever", he couldn't stop cursing himself with the realization that what he wished for was always there and somehow he had always managed to overlook the obvious.

“Life seems so simple and straightforward and yet sometimes destiny takes you somewhere else", he pondered as he looked through the window at the swaying trees beside the lonely roadside. He still remembered her; may be he was still fond of her. May be she had known about it. He found himself smiling as he remembered the twinkle in her eyes every time she was upto some pranks.

It all started with a friendship built upon the innocence of childhood. Isha had been his only friend in the neighborhood. Although they had studied in different schools, Rahul always used to look forward to spending time with his best friend in the evening. They had grown up playing and fighting with each other. He remembered how she had tricked him to come out of his hiding place during the Holi and splashed him with colors. He had been angry as he stood there covered with colors all over his new shirt. Gradually anger turned into amusement as he had watched her standing at a distance laughing her heart out. She was always like that; her jolly attitude endeared herself to one and all.

He remembered how happy she had been when he had passed his 10th standard exams with distinction. She had embraced him as tears of joy filled her mesmerizing eyes. It was only then that he had realized her importance in his life was more than that of a friend. She was his first love and when he knew about it, destiny had already decided otherwise. He never forgot the smiling face which had ineffectively tried to shield her emotions on the day he moved out of his hometown for further studies. He had wished to tell her that he didn't want to go without her; to say that she meant more than anything to him. But his voice had betrayed him as he found it difficult to utter the few words he wanted. His voice choked as all he could say was "Take care!” She had nodded as if she knew what was unspoken. It surprised him to think that it was supposed to be their last meeting. He couldn't come back home for the next two years and she had moved to a new place along with her parents. They had still managed to keep in touch for sometime until one day the letters stopped coming. The diary was her last gift to him. The most precious gift he had overlooked!

Rahul stared out of his window. Mixed emotions overwhelmed him. He didn't know whether to curse his fate or to be happy for what he knew. He looked at the diary once more. The words were still there waiting to be read all the time. He silently read through the line - "I love you....I was always yours... I wish you knew...” If only he had listened to his heart when it mattered.

"Rahul, can you help me with the mixer here?” His thoughts were suddenly disturbed by a familiar voice. "Yeah.. coming... just a sec", he replied. He rubbed his moist eyes and walked towards the kitchen. “After all, a good husband should help his wife!” he thought.