This is the story of a young girl of 17 years. When her parents relocated to Kolkata, in a new city, she found herself uprooted from all that was comfortable in the previous town. In her present surroundings, she was trying hard to adjust, to live in a metropolis when suddenly an unknown entered her life with a blast. She got mesmerised by his personality and aura. This tall dark stranger whom she had noticed in the neighbourhood took away her peace of mind. The so-called stranger’s words to her have remained vividly alive in her memory even today “Will you marry me?”
The fear of the unknown, the fierce attraction, and the persuasion of the stranger did little to sway the girl into agreeing to see the stranger again. But then when have young men given up on chasing girls who have refused them? The inevitable happened and eventually, the girl lost her heart to the man whom she loved with all her young heart. Soon she realised that the dark powerful looks of the tall man and the vast age gap has created a barrier between them, the girl could never bridge!
Eventually, reality intruded in the form of well-intentioned relatives and neighbours and the young immature love got lost in this harsh world. Both parted ways but a strong link had been formed between them which none could deny. A few years into her marriage with an abusive alcoholic husband and after the birth of her children, she got lost in the sea of troubles. This little girl, now a mother to two was amazed to see her sunshine at her husband’s door. He had heard about her troubles through a common friend and wanted to marry her even after so many years, along with her two kids. He was forty and had waited for his love so long.
Then again life took a turn. Our protagonist went abroad with her children and husband. Her only mission in life was to see her children settle in their life. She continued to suffer in silence at the hands of her husband until the day her daughter got married. The news of her sunshine’s wedding and the birth of his sons reached her amidst a feeling of jealousy, despair, anger but ultimately a feel of happiness. At the first break, she came back to her favourite city with her 19-year-old son and began living for herself at the age of nearly fifty for the first time in many years.
These star-crossed lovers met again, once more, at the waiting lounge of B M Birla Heart Foundation. One was 56, the other 49, exactly 32 years after that first fateful meeting. There is a time, a space, a moment for each love story to bloom. And their time had come. She had left behind her husband and was emotionally free to live life according to her terms. The only guilt she had is the presence of his wife which had stopped her from enjoying her newfound old love. But mature love found its own way to complement each other. And now for the past many years, the two soul mates have been together, comforting each other in their troubles and helping each with their respective families and children. She had, at last, got the love, respect, admiration and attention of a man who truly cared. And he had found a shelter to shield him from the storms of life. Her sunshine was back in her life and had been shining brightly for the past many years filling her life with warmth, love, happiness and care. Life and love are truly amazing. All the fervour, passion and heat of youth could not compete with the honest love of mature years. May the sunshine in their lives into eternity.
By Sudakshina Roy Chatterjee
Sudakshina Roy Chatterjee, has been teaching the past 30 in various colleges and Universities in India, Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, being one of them. She can be reached at sudakshina1963@gmail.com
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