A Love Story from Border to Village
"Hey you yelled" Sudeep.
"Hey miss, you!" again he shouted.
She stopped her scooty to see if someone is calling her. She removed her helmet and turned. There was confusion in her eye, her eyebrows were shrunk. Her hair blows off with a force of wind. A young man was standing far away from her and waving his hands toward her. She tried to find out to whom he was waving his hands? She tried to guess why he was calling, but she didn't get exactly the reason. She asked what happened by waving her hand. He took a book in his hand and waved again. She checked her books and found her project book was missing which was very important for her for that day's presentation. This time she has to back her scooty towards him.
"Oh, thanks". She said and take the book.
He just to handed over the book but suddenly take back, she surprised.
"I am Sudeep." he said.
"Oh! Hi Sudeep. May I take my book, I am getting late to my college."
"Oh! Sure, but I need your help." He returned the book to her.
"Tell me, what can I do for you?"
"Actually, my bus was left and I have to go to the city. Can you give me a lift please?" He asked.
For a while Harika hesitates to give a seat back to her to an unknown.
"If you are uncomfortable then its ok, I'll try somewhere else".
She gave a look towards the guy, He is looking smart handsome and about 32 yrs. old. His eyes were looking friendly and innocent. He made a good impression on her. So, she thought of return his help; she must have ruined her presentation if he hadn't called her back.
"Ok, have your seat." She adjusts herself on the scooty.
"If you don't mind may I know your name please?"
"Harika."She said.
"Good name."
"Thank you."
"Which college you are in?"
She told.
"Oh! I was completed my degree in the same college. Its 20 minutes away from here, right". He said.
"Yes."
He was very excited and said, "You know when I was studing in that college, we had a reputation of being called as the monkey batch. We liked to have fun every time and did so. I will never forget those days. After a pause he again started, "I have a friend, so stupid and cozy, Rama Swamy, very nice guy. He falls in love with our professor. He was Hindu and she was catholic. Do you know Yashica Ibrahim; she was the teacher taking our bio classes, those days".
"Oh! Yes, I know her. She is our class teacher too. She is a pretty nice lady." Harika almost yelled with excitement. Her long hair touched Sudeep's face. Her fair color and pretty glowing eyes looking as if sculpted by God.
"Once, we caught both of them red handed. They used to meet daily in a park and had quality time with each other, afterwards they got married." Sudeep said. At the same time scooty was going to tilt but Harika got control over it.
"Hey! Take care; the road is in a bad condition".The road was filled with stones and many casualties of slipping.
"Ok, I'll. Then what happened?" She asked anxiously "Oh then, our physics professor Ram Swamy is your good friend?
"Yes, he was my friend; I am going to meet him".
"May I know where are you working?"
"I am an army officer."
"Army officer? she surprised. "Oh! So nice to meet you but what are you doing here, you have to stay at the borders only." At the same moment the scooty was slipped at the end of the road side, they fell down.
"Ouch," Harika yelled. Both were thrown to road side. Harika got scratches on her body and her ankle twisted. She has severe pain and was not in a position to getting up. She tried to ask for help, her eyes searched for Sudeep. He was in an unconscious stage at the side of the road. She called for help But no one was there only green fields by the road bowed their heads with guilty.
She slowly moved towards the scooty and picked up her bag. She removed the water bottle and sprinkled some water on Sudeep. He got up in a while. Slight scratches were seen but he didn't care even. She felt relief that he was fine.
"How are you,Sudeep?" asked Harika.
"I am fine ... How are you?"
"Don't know, its difficult to move my ankle. It's paining"
"Let me see".
"No, its fine, I'll try to walk."
Sudeep checked her ankle, and flicked slightly.
"Now try to move, and check."
"Yes, it's better now. I'll try to walk."
Sudeep gave support and Harika hold his hand tightly. He put his hand around her waist to help her walk along. She was feeling very shy due to his touch, she can't even see straight to his eyes.
"Would you like to go home or to the class?" He asked.
"I have to go to class."
"Can you manage till the end of the day?"
"Yaah! I'll try.
"Then I'll ride the vehicle." Sudeep took the keys.
"I can. She sat on the back seat." They reached college.
"If you feel unwell then give me a call, I'll drop you at home? He shared his cell phone number with Harika. Unknowingly, she appreciates him for his care towards others.
"Ok, Thanks again." said Harika gratefully. She was very happy that she met such a nice person in her life.
Sudeep dropped her in the college and finished his work. In return, when Harika came out of the college she saw Sudeep is waiting for her. He rides the scooty and safely dropped her at home.
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From next day she expects if she could saw him again, but she finds him nowhere. Every day she was waiting there for a whilep. A friendly relation took place between them. Days passed, weeks gone but she didn't get him again. Year over, She has to leave the college after some days. But her waiting was not completed.
One day while she came out of the college she saw Sudeep was waiting for her on the college gate. She can't believe her eyes, she just surprised.
"Hey! How are you?" asked Sudeep.
"Oh, Hi I am fine, where are you these days?" asked Harika
"I was busy at the border, as usual".
"When did you come? What are you doing here?"
"Yesterday I came and how are you?" He asked
"Fine."
She has a hesitation to look into his eyes. Unexpectedly, His arrival surprised her, "what are you doing here. Do you want to come with me?" asked Harika.
"Ok, will go."
Silently Sudeep followed her. Both were kept silent. After some time sudeep asked, "How was the exam?"
" Good."
Both were kept silent on the way to home. He said to stop the scooty and get down, "well I'll go." said Sudeep.
"Ok." When Harika started her scooty. She was about to go, Sudeep stopped her. I'll have to go to the border within two days."He said. A force of air blown on to her face, hair covered throughout her face. She took off the hair and pinned. She heard silently as she has nothing to say. "If you don't mind can you meet me here tomorrow?" asked Sudeep.
She surprised, "Why?"
"Nothing, just come here at 5pm, I'll wait for you." Sudeep said and went away.
The next day Harika was very confused, "Why he called me? Why he wants to meet me?" Confusion and excitement simultaneously disturbed her. After a long wriggle she decides to go.
Next day, at 5pm she got ready and watched herself as a final make. She has gone to meet him. After a short distance covered she saw, Sudeep was waiting for her with a bike.
Said "Let's go."
"Where?"She questioned.
"Come, I'll show you. He took her on his bike into a Rose garden.
"Oh! How beautiful. I am surprised to see a rose garden here, I never seen such a beautiful place."
"Do You like it?"
"Of course; its so nice place". She said anxiously and watched all around the ground.
Sudeep plucked a red rose and hide in his back.
"Hey what have you hide? What is that? Please show me." asked Harika.
Sudeep knee down before her and gave the red roses to her and proposed her. She was speech less. She was disorientated and came out of the garden and asked him to let her go.
"Ok, I'll leave you, would you like to come home? Actually my parents want to meet you".
"Some other day". She said.
"Just once, they wish to see you. And the day after tomorrow I'll leave the place. There after who knows I could come again or not."
She couldn't say no this time. Ok, I'll come but you have to leave me within minutes.
"Yaah sure, Thanks." he looked at her gratefully.
They reached to Sudeeps home; the house was simple, old fashioned but traditionally designed. They entered into the hall; so many musical instruments were placed here and there. Sudeep told her to sit and went inside. After some time a women entered into the room followed by Sudeep. She has a stick on her hand. Sudeep let her sit near Harik. After sometime a men at the age of above 60 came along with Sudeep and sit there.
Harika, she is my mother Sindhu and he is father Gautam. "Mama, I told you about Harika. Here she is, talk to her I'll come in a few seconds". he said. He took his mothers hand and put them on Harikas and went inside.
She touched Harika's face carefully and tried to feel the shape, So cute Girl." She told to Gautam. He nodded his head. Harika has nothing to say, she automatically bowed and touched her feet,
She blessed and kissed on her fore head. Gautam also blessed by waving his hands silently. Sudeep came with coffee and some snacks in a plate. After sometime both came out from the house.
He told, his mother's eyes had gone in an accident when she was a child. She fell in love with Gautam who was a dumb by birth. They got married with the blessings of elders and Sudeep is their only child.
She doesn't know what to say. She nodded her head and silently heard what he was saying. They came out of the house. Sudeep continued "This is I and my family. I want to show you my family so that you can see on your own. Now its up to you if you accept us or not."
She tried to say something but Sudeep stopped her, no, not now you take your own time to think; tomorrow I have to leave for border. May be for last time but if you accept me and my family then come to the station at 5pm before train leave. Otherwise I can understand.
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Next day at 5pm Sudeep was at the station. Train was about to leave. He was still waiting for her. He can hear his heart beat. It says she will come.
Train was about to leave he heard a heart touching voice resounded in his eardrums although the station was busy but he can hear her voice. He turns and saw she was running towards him. He hugged her tightly with unexplained satisfaction, a consolation filled his heart.
Thank you, thank you so much. Now I can go with a satisfaction, you don't know what you meant for me. I love you, Love you so much. This moment is so meaningful to me more than my life. She hardly could whisper in his ear, Love you too.
©Smt.Lata tejeshwar 'renuka'
