Sweetheart under the moonlight

Unveiling truths

~Viraj~

It was a peaceful night. And I exactly had all that I could ever ask for- The sky, a stream flowing nearby, my favorite flowers, and Maithili. Nothing could be better. I felt my life was complete. But in reality, it was just a normal good phase of my life that would pass soon.

We made our beds in the backyard, among the flowers. The sky, with its moon and stars watched over us. Maithili laid a little apart from me, at least there was a two feet distance between us. How badly I wanted the distance to just vanish!

"Maithili, you know, I haven't always been like this. My life, too, was as beautiful as these flowers. I lived happily with my two younger brothers and parents in a big house. I was rich once. I had everything I wanted. Even love. That girl, she was pretty. She looked the prettiest among every other girl. Actually, I never even looked at any other girl after she entered my life. But maybe I was too innocent. Or naive. Or stupid. She said our families would never agree to our relationship, so she suggested that we elope. I was 21, and I took all the jewellery my mom had, and a huge amount of money from dad's locker", I just blabbered. I didn't know why was I telling her everything. Maybe, maybe because after seeing the harsh reality of the world, my heart was feeling safe with her.

She looked at me and listened patiently. And then gestured me to continue. I continued "And that's where my foolishness began. That's when my destruction began. She took everything from me, and left. She left with someone else! And I just stood there, blank. I didn't know how to respond. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't process whatever was happening. Eventually, I was kicked out of my own house. My own family refused to let me stay there. And that's when I became homeless. I had no one with me. My parents kicked me out of the house. She kicked me out of her life. And see where I landed. I worked as a mechanic at a shop where I earned some money. My heart wasn't satisfied with it. And that's when I turned to smuggling. I started to earn a lot. I spent most of the money in helping the poor, homeless children. But then, I also got addicted to all kinds of stuffs I was supposed to stay away from. Because all that happened was too much for me to bear". My voice was cracking. I didn't want to cry. At least not in front of Maithili.

She was just quiet for a while. And then said, "You know, my parents had a love marriage. But the irony is that I never saw the love between them. All that I could remember about my childhood were stupid and silly fights between them. It continued even in my teenage. But I still loved them both. They were all I had. Until a few weeks back... ". She was starting to break down. I wished I could just embrace her in my arms and make her feel safe, comfort her, and tell her that she's no longer alone. I wished I could just take away all her pain, because I couldn't even fathom the pain the poor girl had gone through in the past few weeks. I looked at her, and as the tears flowed from her eyes, they looked like little pearls. How badly I wished I could preserve them and never let her cry again!

We both stayed quiet for a while, while reminiscing all that we had and could never have again.

"So eventually, we both have lost something precious. And look where we are today!" I said.

"I guess love always destroys us", she uttered while still looking at the sky.

"Not always", I said while looking at her. And I meant it from my whole heart.

I could see that she felt sleepy. The cool breeze was perfect enough to relax every mind. Soon, I too fell asleep.

The next morning, Maithili had prepared breakfast before I even woke up. By far, it was the best meal I had ever had in my life. That's why my heart has always said that she is absolutely perfect, in all aspects of life.

"Viraj, why don't we make a deal?", Maithili asked while we were having our breakfast.

"What deal, Maithili?"

"I'll help you in overcoming your addiction and you lead a better life again. And for me, you just bring me here every weekend".

CAN IT ALL GET ANY BETTER! God! I was fully convinced that God was with me this time, that everything from here will be perfect for me. My life would become better. I'd have Maithili with me. What else can I even wish for? Life felt complete.

I enthusiastically agreed. And just like that, Maithili had become a part of my life; a part of me. We went on to spend most of our days together.

I lived in my apartment, and Maithili rented a house in the area nearby. She had asked me about things I liked, and activities I was passionate about. That's when I told her I liked writing and gardening. I had a strong admiration for flowers. I always loved planting them, and then watch them grow. I felt that a part of me grew with them.

Writing, to me, was just a hobby. I'd write in my past time, and had never thought of it as a career. Until Maithili insisted me to give it a thought. And to my surprise, I could actually write well. Maithili pushed me to become a proper writer. She made me attend workshops. On some days, just to test me, she'd tell me to write about random things. She liked reading it all. And gradually, the smuggler Viraj turned into a decent, writer Viraj. All thanks to Maithili.

~Maithili~

My life changed quite a lot after meeting Viraj. He always said that I helped him to change for the better. But little did he know that he had made me better, too. Every weekend, we went to the cottage. For me, it felt more like a palace than a cottage.

We often spent our time there by painting, gardening, laughing, and humming with the rhythm of the stream. It felt as if two grownup adults were healing each other's inner child. Everything seemed peaceful. I was getting better. I was getting over my trauma and giving another chance to life.