Not all stories have a happy ending

“Vivek, I have to talk to you about something very important” said Neha, while having breakfast with her husband.

Vivek’s brain stated running quickly remembering if he missed any important date or did something wrong.

Last Saturday was Neha’s birthday, he completely forgot it and wished her in the evening.
He somehow managed to say he had a very important client meeting, so it just vanished out of his mind.
Neha was extremely disappointed and was not talking to him until he bought a diamond ring as the birthday gift.

“What happened Neha? What should I buy for you now? A platinum chain?” asked Vivek sarcastically raising his eyebrows.

Neha continued “This is serious Vivek. I want to share this with you and is really important.

As soon as I woke up, I went to use the bathroom but your father was already there inside. I was about to leave the place but Vivek I heard your dad crying inside” said Neha with a puzzled face.

“What? what are you saying? My father is crying? Are you sure? But..” Vivek found it hard to believe what he just heard.

“Yes, Vivek. Believe me. I heard him crying for about 20 minutes and then I knocked on the door feeling something was wrong. He came outside with red eyes and did not speak even a single word when I asked if everything was fine?” asserted Neha.

Vivek just could not digest what he heard from Neha.
A lot of things are running in his mind.

He quickly completed his breakfast and started his car as he has a meeting at 10 o clock. If he doesn’t start by 8:30 from home it would be very difficult to reach his Oracle office
in this Hyderabad traffic.

He is driving his car and thinking about the possible reasons which may have led his father to cry.

He saw his father crying only once when his wife died 8 years ago. Can it be a reason? no. Because he is a strong man and he never cried for his wife although he was sad sometimes.

His father, RamMohan is a retired teacher, healthy man and always a jovial guy. He faced a lot of up and downs in life and he faced them like a warrior.
He got his daughter Meera married to a Professor in his hometown, Agra and Vivek is a senior software developer at Oracle. He has been living with Vivek for the past 8 years after his wife died.

Vivek reached office but he could not work properly with this thing running in his mind. He completed the meeting and informed Neha that he is coming home and he wants to know why his father cried.

He reached home only to observe Neha with a sad face. He asked the reason for which Neha replied

“I was watching Suryavamsam in Sony Max and I again heard your father crying in his room while reading the newspaper. He did not come out of the room from the morning.”

Vivek is not getting what is happening with his father. He asked Neha to explain clearly what all happened from the morning frame by frame.

Vivek heard everything and gathered enough courage to ask the reason directly to his father. He entered his father’s room. He was sleeping. Not to disturb his father, Vivek left the room but he observed that
his father’s eyes are a bit swollen.

He called his sister Meera and asked if anything has happened to any of the relatives or any of his father’s friends? She replied negatively.

After around 1 hour, Vivek’s father woke up and left the home informing that he feels like having a leisure walk along the park at the end of the street. He simply denied eating food saying he is not hungry.

Vivek went into his father’s room again to find any hints. He found nothing but a newspaper on the bed. He remembers Neha mentioned father was crying while reading the newspaper.

He took the newspaper and started turning pages looking for any content which may have triggered his father. Any news from hometown. No there is no news such news.

He was about to finish but something caught his eye in the very last page.

He scanned carefully from top to bottom, and immediately at one point of time had a broad smile on his face. A relief.

He closed the newspaper and went straight away to Neha with the newspaper.

“Neha, I got to know what made my father cry. He loved a girl and she died yesterday.”

“What? Seriously? How? You did not even talk to him. You are talking nonsense. How do you explain that.” Neha was very excited to know the reason.

He showed a photo on the last page of newspaper filled with all “Shraddanjali” advertisements(ads which are printed as a remembrance in newspapers when someone dies).
He pointed towards the name of the woman in it.

 

“Meera” it was. Neha did not understand anything.

Vivek – “Neha that’s my sister name. He loved that girl and hence he named my sister Meera. You see, she is also from Agra. She is almost the same age as that of my father.”

“But Vivek, this can be a coincidence. There may be one Meera in Agra with the similar age of your father. It has nothing to do with your sister’s name. You are just joining the imaginary dots.”

“Neha you missed the most important detail in the advertisement”.

Vivek smiled and showed the name of the person who paid for the advertisement.

It read….”Your loving son, RamMohan”.

Neha understood what Vivek was trying to say and yes Vivek was right.

Not all love stories have happy endings.
In fact, love has no end. Love is endless.

Some people are meant to be special.
Some stories are meant to be unsung.

Inspired from one of the columns from Eenadu.