Manan : Life goes on...

"You know Manik nights are the most beautiful things in the world ... though there is darkness it's still filled with the light of billion stars and the beauty of moon" she'd said that day lying on top of his car.

Yes he was yet again sitting at the pool side gazing at the stars... yes her magical voice was still vivid in this air... her cheerful laughter and her passionate moans still reverberated in his ears making him feel the happy shivers run down his spine... and yet it brought TEARS in his eyes... TEARS of lost love ... TEARS of loneliness... TEARS of longing... A longing he knew would never be satisfied...

"Whenever you miss me just look at these stars and the brightest one shining among them would be me ...looking at you keeping you company...I'll always be there Mani ... I won't ever leave you alone ..." yet another of her words washed over him making him slowly open his teary eyes only to see her smiling and shining bright at him...

"You promised Nandu ... You promised never to leave me ... to always be with me ... to take me in a bear hug when I feel lonely and lost..." his chocked voice filled the silent poolside...

"Please come back ... please I can't handle her questions any more ... her innocent questions are a dagger to my heart... you said I would be the best father on this earth but see I can't even fulfil her simple wish to bring her mom back... I couldn't become a good father Nandu... I couldn't fulfil her wishes... "

Yes it has been years now... days, months and years have passed since he last saw her ... he gets up every-day with a hope to see her and sleep at nights embracing her memories...

Yes he cries every-day... yes he misses her... especially on cold nights like these... he misses her warmth, her cuddles... but he lives... lives for their love ... lives for the little bundle of joy they created with all their love ...

And as if on cue he was crushed into a bear hug ... the warmth he was missing enveloped him as two little soft hands went around his neck... pressing herself into her father's warmth she mumbled still sleepy

"Papa you again complaining mom about me ... Bad papa ... you promised not to complain."

He wiped his tears and caressed her head "No my baby I was not complaining ... I was just telling her how much my baby misses her and you know what she said? She asked me to tell you that momma misses her baby too...but god needs her there na... so she can't come to you."

"I am bad girl that's why god kept my momma with him na?" she uttered in low voice hiding her face in his neck...

"No my baby is the best... God took mom because he knew you had papa and there in heaven children don't have momma and papa both ... they all needed momma na so god took her..." he tried to console his little 5 year baby controlling his own emotions that were at edge ...

Still sitting beside the pool side taking his daughter in his lap he caressed her cheek trying to calm her down as the warm breeze embraced them kissing their cheeks... making them feel her presence ... this has become the daily routine of the father-daughter duo to sit at the pool side under the stars...

"Papa will you tell me a story?"

"Sure... which story does my princess wants to hear? Snow-white?"

"No my favorite story... will you tell me?"

He took in a deep breath... this was hard ... way harder than carrying 100 kgs on his back and climbing Everest...

He didn't know why her mom used to tell her their story every night... and now when she is not there he has to tell it to her every night and still even with all this practice it still isn't easy to live those moments ... feel that happiness only to realize later that the reason of that happiness is no more ...

"Once upon a time..." he started speaking " there was a very scary Monster and a beautiful Princess" he smiled seeing his baby concentrating as if this was the first time she was listening to the story... "Papa... papa" she shook his hand that was circled around her small tummy..."say na ... what happened then? How did they meet? Did the Monster hurt the princess?

He shook his head at her antics and started again ...

"baby you know the story by heart then also you keep asking me to tell again... come on lets go to bed then I'll tell u further"

He took his wife's diary from the bed side table and started narrating the story ... their story ... the most beautiful love story he has known...