ESL Blogs

Beautiful girl with a red rose 1

That night in my dream, I saw her smiling. She looked more beautiful with a smile. Mesmerizing. Morning when I got up, I prayed to God to bless her with a smile.

I didn’t expect, but again I saw her on bus stop that morning with a red rose, strand of her hair falling on her face that she adjusted behind her ear. She was more impatient than before. Bus came and left. But, she was there for a couple of minutes more, then walked away leaving the red rose wrapped with a paper scribbled in same message ‘waiting for you dear’ that I picked and read in one breath.

Four days in a row, I saw her coming like that with a red rose and going in despair. Fifth day, before she came I wrote a message on a piece of paper ‘Sorry, I couldn’t come in time. Thanks for such a beautiful rose.’ And rolled it over on that rose and left there. She came, picked my rose, read that letter and smiled. I loved to see her smiling. I felt as if I got the best gift of the day. A smile can make your day and that was that smile. I danced in my kitchen garden with joy. She was there until bus came and then left. Again, I picked the rose she left there and read her message ‘waiting for you dear’ before going ahead to my daily chores.  

She was coming daily and doing her ritual of waiting and leaving the same message ‘still waiting’ and I was doing my ritual of leaving a message ‘Sorry I couldn’t come in time.’ Whenever she read my message, she smiled and that was something I liked, so I continued. This went on for 25 days. She didn’t write more than that, nor did I. That was enough for both of us.

One day I thought I should not give her false hope and I didn’t leave any rose and message. She came, waited and left. But, she didn’t break her ritual of leaving rose and message. This time message was different and it went like this –

“My wait is not going to over I know, yet I wait. He will not come I know, yet I wait. It’s because I am keeping my words. He was in defense service. One day I complained that he never fulfilled his promise to come to meet me and that day he promised he would come within thirty days. I promised I would wait for him for thirty days and if didn’t come, he would not see me alive. He was about to come in the bus I waited for. But, he couldn’t keep his words as he sacrificed his life fighting for our country. I got this news same evening I took his promise. He couldn’t, but I kept my promise. Today is thirtieth day, last day to wait for him. Today, I am going to meet him in some other world. I am sure he is waiting for me there and we will be there together. Whoever you are, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for showing your concern towards me without even knowing me. I wish you didn’t have to wait for anyone in your life. May god bless you.”

Letter fell from my hand. I rushed to the florist shop and asked about her whereabouts, but got no information. I felt so helpless that I never felt before. I couldn’t sleep that night. Morning I waited impatiently for her to come, but she didn’t. After that day, she never came.

Every day I see her red roses that have dried now. I remember her last line ‘I wish you didn’t have to wait for anyone in your life…..’ and I find myself waiting for her.  

** A work of Fiction. So, Please don't mind my writing. I don't think I wrote anything wrong. **