Serendipity

Radha and Krish bid each other goodbye at the airport as they head to their respective destinations. Standing tall in his handsome stature, Krish looks at least a decade younger than his age. His smile still reminds Radha of her childhood love. Overcome with fondness she tiptoes and plants a kiss on his cheek. "I will always love you, no matter what", he says, trying to conceal a deep pain behind the toughness that he exudes, a pain that she alone understands and feels. Her eyes fill up with the tears that she has tried so hard to hold back. As Radha wipes off the tears that have trickled down the corners of her eyes and looks up at Krish, he says, "You are beautiful". To lighten up the intense moment she remarks with a smile, "I was born beautiful. After all, I was born to be your Radha."

As Radha saunters towards her aircraft she does not look back. She knows that Krish is by now well into his journey. She sits in a corner seat and looks out the window lest her fellow passengers should see the tears that she continues to try to hold back in vain. As the aircraft ascends and soars to its cruising altitude, she drifts into oblivion seeing glimpses of her and Krish's childhood and adolescent years, of the time when they fell in love with each other without even knowing what it was.

~

"Radha, I'm home"."How was your day, Baby?" asks Radha as she hands Krish a cup of tea that she has just brewed in anticipation of him coming home from work. As he sips tea and tells her about his day, she looks at him in admiration. She feels so proud of him. She knows that she falls in love with him every single day. "Where are the kiddos?", asks Krish. Their oldest, Karan, is upstairs in his room doing homework. Younger, Arjun, is playing video games. "And Sewali? She is eager to listen to daddy playing his guitar", giggles Radha.

Krish plants a kiss on Radha's womb. They are expecting their third child, their first daughter, in a couple of months. "We will name her Sewali", Radha and Krish said in unison when they learned the sex of their baby, "after the fragrant night-blooming flower"! As Krish plays the guitar close to Radha's womb, Karan and Arjun join the fun. Sewali wakes up and starts kicking, totally amusing her dad and her brothers.

~

Radha jolts out of the beautiful dream when the public announcement in the aircraft advises the passengers and the cabin crew to prepare for descent.

It was in the 6th grade that Radha walked in to join Krish’s school. He says she walked into the school and walked right into his heart! They were kids when they fell in love, not even knowing what it meant. Their hearts just connected. They never expressed it explicitly but always felt deeply connected with each other. Through middle school and part of high school, they were the entire world to each other. But it had remained unsaid. The turbulence of situations and beatings of time had their say. The unthought of happened. Their lives took separate courses, each broken by this feeling unfathomable and yet seemingly unfounded! They were not to know that each was loved in return, trying to cope with this riddle of a one-sided love story. Both braved on, living their lives, striving to find such a ‘connect’ in their own situations, and yet nothing ever filled the void within.

Three decades later, their meeting like friends was mere serendipity. In no time dawned a deep realization that even though they have been physically apart all their lives, they have always loved each other. Carried each other’s essence within. Physicality is not the most important form of connection, strongest is when hearts and souls connect. Like theirs do.

The aircraft lands and passengers disembark, scurrying to their respective destinations. As Radha carries her backpack and walks towards her car, she wishes for Krish to be with her forever. At that moment, the voice in her head takes over and talks to Krish.. "You are always with me.. and I am always with you...eternally."

Everyday as she goes about her day, she sees him in every person with whom she exchanges a smile. She sees him in the blue skies, in the trees and in the flowers. She finds him with her when she makes someone's day and when she takes care of herself.

Life does not come with a rewind button but may be Radha and Krish don't need one because their love is all encompassing and timeless.