ALSphere Foundation
This morning, Shivani woke up to a dream. She had learnt to live in this dream like reality for the past eight years. She had shifted to Goa, uprooting herself from where she belonged. But Goa had been kind. It had accepted her with open arms. Her early mornings were spent walking on beach but today’s morning was different.
“Sukesh”, a call from some lady to her distant playing child was enough to drag her to the flashback that had destroyed her eight years ago. Sukesh and she had been besties. She was 24, had a promising career, doting parents and a handsome soulmate. Sukesh was 27, a doctor working in a prestigious hospital. They both loved surprises and often indulged in them to cement their bond.
Soon their parents started talking about their marriage. One day Shivani’s mother asked Sukesh about his marriage plans but strangely he skipped the question. Soon Shivani realised a change in him. Suddenly he had changed. To put an end to this deadlock, she decided to visit his place and propose him for marriage.
He looked irritated, and at her proposal simply said, “I intends to leave for the US as I have better prospects there.” For days she remained confined to her room. Time passed. Then one day as she went to a nearby glossary shop, met one of their common friends who informed Shivani about Sukesh’s marriage with Neha, a beautiful senior of hers.
She was devastated by lies in love. Her confidence was shaken and faith blighted. But gradually she picked up her broken self and came to Goa where she joined the hospitality industry. Goa brought her back to life. She started loving herself. Every morning she went to beach, sang to herself, wade through sea waves kissing her.
Today after eight years, her weekend routine was to be with a group of children from an orphanage at the beach and spend the day with them, take them for water sports. It was December. The beach was badly crowded so she took the children to a distant corner for playing football. As they played, a small child came there running and slipped on beach water. A man quickly followed him asking “Sunny, are you ok?” She turned her back and found Sukesh there. So he has named his son Sunny, not the one we had decided for our kid years ago. “Shivani,” Sukesh said a little perturbed, “what are you doing here?”
Shivani, hugging the kids from the orphanage where she worked on weekends, said “I am with my kids whom I love, enjoying every moment of my life.”
Icy water splashed out on her face. She saw Sukesh going. She too had come too far from her past to be with ones whom she loved the most.
Ritu Kamra Kumar
