"What have you done? Why did you ruin everything? Our story was a fairytale dream come true."
She kept thrashing her arms on the door with full force, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears. Her wedding bangles broke and fell, her wrists bled and h...
She leaned forward and reached out her hands, cupping the palms, to receive some holy prasadam.
The priest looked at her and smiled. She reciprocated his warm gesture.
"Beta, you always come around the same time every year. Despite the long queue, you are so patient and I've been observing you for a long time. Is there something special on this day? Is it your birthday?"
The woman did not reply. She simply nodded her head, and touched the feet of the priest.
"Oh, bless you, daughter! Don't touch my feet in front of the Lord. He's Vishwanath, the Lord of the entire world. Those who bow and kneel before God, can stand before anyone with their head held high." He touched her forehead and smeared some sacred tilak. He then blessed her and took the pot of prasadam in his hand.
She folded her hands and acknowledged his words, still standing with her head bowed down. She was definitely a persona of clean humility and grace, as shown by her actions.
"This is ShivShakti's blessings; Mahaprasad, or Charnamrit. May they always bless you and protect you and continue to look after you."
She brought her hands forward to receive the prasadam. It was the fruit of her patience, after having waited so long since the morning in the queue for her turn for Darshan and Pooja at the much revered Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Banaras; one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Just as the priest was about to pour out some prasadam in her hands with the ladle, a pair of other hands reached forward.
She turned to her right to look at the intruder.
A pair of dark hazel eyes winked at her playfully. But she was least interested in entertaining the man who had just interrupted her.
He smiled at her, flashing his dimples. His face had such sharp features, and the dimples only added to his handsomeness. He certainly had another world charm about him.
But that smile. That damned smile.
It definitely didn't complement his face at all.
He wore braces and had crooked teeth. And his smile was so sheepish, unlike those dashing handsome heroes one sees on the silver screen.
He could have been the man of her dreams, prince charming, or her knight in shining armour had he not had that hideous smile. Atleast, she would have believed that, seeing his sudden entry. But she pushed aside all her delusional thoughts, knowing well that they were doomed and useless.
She rolled her eyes, and gestured to him to take the prasadam, taking her hands back.
"Uh oh, I am sorry, only a little bit of the prasadam is left. Only one of you can receive it. But it's precious and everyone should have it, so I will suggest that you both share it." The priest said in a concerned tone.
The man looked at her and smiled again.
Is this idiot going to only stare at me and smile like a donkey?
"Pandit ji, please give him the offering. I will take it some other day. Besides, I come here regularly. He is a new visitor and possibly needs it more than me." She spoke in an irritated voice.
She bowed once again in front of the temple deities and turned to walk out.
"Tyaag. Sacrifice. She is indeed a great devotee, may Maa Annapoorna bless her with abundance", whispered the priest as he looked on.
Surely, for no one would willingly sacrifice their well earned offerings which was the direct manifestation of the Lord's blessings.
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