Dear Daughter | ✔

पाँच

Dear Daughter,
I haven't gone over this story as much as I would have liked to, but even sharing this with you makes me feel better. Hence, I will continue to tell you what happened between your parents.

After that class, we gradually began to communicate more, and we spent more time with each other. In no time, I was teased with her, and she with me. You must be aware of the normal high school drama.

It was on the 5th of November, 1983, when we both arrived together to the canteen since we had a common class before lunch. There were hooting everywhere, and the teasing was non stop. I was blushing! I did not want your mother to know what I felt for her, for I was scared she saw me as her friend or worse brother, since our relatives were married.

The noise levels rose and your mother started smiling like a cheshire cat. As the hooting rose, your mother advanced her hand, and grasped mine in hers. I felt ecstatic! It felt so right! I would say our hands fit in like pieces of puzzles, but they didn't because her hand was a lot smaller.

For you, the whole concept of holding hands might be trivial now, but back then, it was a huge deal. I felt adrenaline rush through my whole body. My heart was thumping hard, and I would have collapsed with all that was going on!

I looked down to our hands, and then to her face to see that she was already grinning at me. Her smile was infectious, and I too started smiling. Then the worst of ideas entered my mind. What if she was doing this to only prove herself to the crowd? What if this meant nothing to her?

"You don't have to do this. It's okay." I whispered as I looked at her.

"What if I want to do this? What if I've always wanted to do this?" She questioned back.

The whole feeling of ecstatic dizziness came back to me, and I gave her my best smile. She did the same, and I cannot tell you how beautiful it was. Her lips were covered in some cherry lip gloss, but the corners still hid the secrets of the chocolate ice cream we ate earlier that day. Her eyes shone bright, and the crinkles next to them made me promise myself that I would love this woman till her whole face was crinkled and even beyond.

Slowly and steadily, our relationship advanced and we started spending more time with each other. For our families we were group studying, but only we knew what that meant.

We went on dates behind their backs and as the relationship progressed, our focuses started getting hazy. We wished for a big house and an army of children, but none of us cared about how we would earn all of it.

We encouraged each other, but that did not lead to results in academics. We only got better in co-curricular activities. Not that I am complaining, but our families started having doubts. Soon one day, they found out.

Always and Forever,
Your Father.
May 21, 1999.