Our Hill of Stars

PARINEET X MEET

✨ The lovestory ✨

Prompt : An old male widow finds a long lost recorded video of him and his deceased wife in his computer he was just about to sell off. The video brings back some forgotten memories and untold anecdotes.

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"Take all this stuff away, I don't require these anymore. " he said to the worker who was carrying an old rusted almirah out of the room. The man is in his late seventies. He is awaiting his sweet end for then only he would be able to meet his deceased wife. Simple yet swan like beautiful, the one who didn't have wings but always did magic to his heart - Parineet who died very young, years ago, leaving him all alone, helpless and pained. Life has been a wonderful adventure with Parineet. "Dadaji met dadi when she ran into him on the first day of their college some fifty years back -" 

"28th July  1972" Meet corrected his grand daughter whenever she recited their love anecdotes to someone. He can never forget the date, the time and everything that includes his Pari. "They loved each other so much."

"She loved me more." And Anshika always whines whenever Meet corrects her. But then immediately after, her eyes become heart shaped on seeing him remembering her grandma. He always treasured the memories, photographs, love letters and things related to Parineet. Kept them close to him for her golden coloured not so costly bangles, her hairpin, their wedding album, specially those love letters written by her, reminded Meet of her presence, her essence. 

"look what I found." Anshika yelled at the top of her voice in happiness and Meet came towards her slowly and steadily. He coughed and said "what did you find now?"

"A video. Your video with Dadi. And I know I haven't seen it before." she said in excitement flaunting the cassette in her hands. Meet took the same in his hands and smiled softly. "We recorded it in our backyard, I was on holidays post our marriage. Good days."

"Wow! You guys shot the video here, in this house?" 

"Yes dear. Me and Pari shifted here after our marriage. This house has seen it all. Our newfound shyness, our love, our fights, our disagreements, her pregnancy, your father's first footsteps, and Pari crying in a corner all alone. Everything." he again smiled, this time sadly and patted his grand daughter's back lightly. 

"I want to play this cassette. Can I?" she asked him sweetly and he turned back to her in reply. 

Anshika's face was adorned by a big ear to ear smile as she saw the video of Parineet, looking gorgeous as ever in a Punjabi suit with her open long tresses, playing with her yellow dupatta. She was beautiful. And she can never be like her. Anshika thought as she couldn't take in all the prettiness. She saw his handsome grandfather waving at Pari, giving her a soft flying kiss and her blushing, turning red in return. He was no less than her grandmother. His facial features, were so charming. No wonders that her dadi fell for him. Also, they looked so in love, just like fresh flowers in all their bloom, maybe that's what they call 'you glow differently after marriage'. Anshika cupped her own face in adoration of her young and newly married grandparents on her computer screen. Parineet and Meet - their names also synced in the most rhythmic manner. Anshika felt that she would love to witness a journey like them in her near future. 

"Life was beautiful. Wasn't it?" She questioned as she removed the cassette from the media player and Meet was looking down.

He again coughed. "Every moment I lived with her was beautiful. I couldn't have been more luckier. I got to know her, I fell for her, she agreed to my proposal and married me. What else could I have ever asked for? But I gave her only loneliness. I hate that I was never there for her during her last moments. She fought with cancer all alone. With a big smile on her face, she fought with my absence, her disease and the circumstances like a real soldier. I was always on my duty at the borders. Your dad was a kid only. And I used to tell your grand maa that there are chances I may never return. But I did. I didn't die at the warzone, she did. She died in my wait. She refused her treatment for I loved her hairs. Her health was deteriorating but she never stopped writing to me. Sometimes I was unable to reply, but still I used to find her letters clubbed together, telling that she's doing fine. Summers of 1985 were the worst summers of my life. We won the battle, I lost my home. She was my home. Now all I have is her memories, these photographs, our stuff and this house." 

"Then why you are selling this house off? Why you are throwing away all your stuff?" she shouted as Meet was walking out of the room, trodding the dark vestibule. 

"I won't need it anymore dear." he said in a muffled voice. Anshika sighed and looked at the cassette in her hands. 

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A month later, Anshika attended the funeral of her grand father with her family. Her hands did hold onto the love letters she managed to stole from his house that day, very tightly. "Dad is this why he sold everything off?"

"Probably. Fables say that the old people can foresee themselves meeting their end. Maybe that's why he did that."

"Why did he chose to sell dadi's memories just like that?" she complained. 

"He wasn't here with us when mom passed away, so he wanted the same for himself. And distance makes your heart grow fonder. He must be romancing her right now in the heavens, after this small separation." Anshika chuckled with her dad and smiled looking upwards. She could hear their voices calling out to each other, their young voices she heard in that cassette, she read in those letters.

"aap aa aagye?"

"bahut late bulaya tumne apne paas." 

And she could hear their giggles too. She knew they must be happy. More than happy. Together.