She came to my home that evening when I was having my tea after returning from school. I was so childish that time as like a normal boy in 2nd standard. She came to call me for playing hide and seek with her. I have to obey Archana as she is senior to me (she is 3rd standard fail& and I am just pursuing my 2nd standard!!!)
So as soon she called me for the game, in a single gulp, the tea hid in my tummy! I then flew to our playground- neighbor aunt’s banana field. Whether it is ‘hide & seek’ or ‘coco’ or whatever the game is, the banana field was our playground always.
After two hours game of hide and seek & throw ball, piled with mud & dust all over the body we all ‘irritating-kids’ of neighborhood thrashed their own homes. Everyone used to study at home except me. There was a reason for that. Archana used to give me tips/advices on studies even though she flunked her 3rd standard. From those tips/advices I realized that there is no use in studying as everyone will definitely flunk in 3rd standard. So I skipped studying, when all my others friends studied. Poor fellows...!! They don't know na that they'll fail in 3rd!!!
Time passed away like tsunami waves. I passed my third standard, 10th standard, graduation...Archana too passed all these. She graduated her B.com with First class marks! She did post graduation M.com and scored high and became a school teacher after completing the qualifying course for that.
By that time I had become an employee of an MNC working in Silicon Valley of India. We humans plan something and God plays!
I was in Chennai when she got married. It was just more than a year back. I couldn't attend her marriage for some official reasons. However, I went and met her & her Prince next time when I visited my hometown. Vimal was so nice, friendly & a good company to get acquaintance with.
Archana & Vimal were leading their life king size happily. Some days later, Vimal got an excellent offer from public sector Company in Indore. Archana was not at all happy in parting from her Vimal and that too when she was carrying. However, as a typical responsible man, he left for Indore to earn bread for his Archana and their baby being carried by her. Archana and Vimal were somehow happy & fine except that they miss each other! Vimal used to come every month for seeing his beloved queen!!
It was February, 2011. The month their young one was supposed to see the beautiful world. One day, Archana was having severe pain and was admitted to hospital, expected to deliver the baby on the following day. Hearing this happy news Vimal stopped his work in his office by afternoon itself and packed his bags to start to native where his Archana is going to give birth for their young.
After 5 hours I got a call from Hari, a cousin of Archana. I expected news that Archana delivered a baby. Unfortunately, the earpiece of my phone had to deliver me the news of Vimal's death while taking bath in a pond after packing his bags! I was stunned and couldn’t believe my ears. I was shocked and literally paralyzed for a minute. A drop of water carrying salt came off my eyes!
I have seen Vimal just twice in my life, still I felt heart-broken hearing the news. I was then thinking into how many pieces will Archana break herself when she hear that her soul-mate is no more! I couldn’t imagine Archana coming to know about the death news of her Vimal. Nobody had the courage to pass this heart-breaking news to ears of Archana!
Next day morning Archana was tickled pink as she delivered a cute girl baby. Archana was searching for Vimal's face and voice among the visitors came to see the baby. But it was all vain. Alas, the doctors and her parents somehow managed to say her about the sad demise of Vimal. She blew off with screams which literally broke the hospital walls, when she was told that her Vimal is no more.
It's all God, the Almighty's game as I told in the beginning. We expect something and God delivers something else.
I can still hear the sobbing tears of Archana waving into my ears. I believe Vimal will be seeing his Archana & his cutie girl from a far distance!!
I pray from my heart for Vimal’s soul. May his soul rest in peace!
