This is one of the oldest stories I had written. Guess some 2 or 3 years back 
It was a special day for me. My birthday. Not just because it was my birthday, but because she was there with me. The girl I loved truly madly deeply. It was my first birthday, in which she was there with me. I dont remember how thrilled I was before that in my life time. Little did I relaise, that what an eventful day it is going to me.
Right from 12 in the midnight, I started receiving calls, SMS from my friends,family. But still my mind was waiting for that call. The call from the person whom I considered the Ruler of my mind and heart. It was still eluding me.
At last she called me, by 10 AM. Just asked me one thing. “What time are we meeting? I want to wish you” . Thats it. I was bit disappointed. I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice, and cheerfully answered “Any time you say”. She said “Lets meet at 2 PM”. I was taken aback. It was a hot day. She wants to meet me in the dead of the afternoon. I was toying with the idea of going with her to a garden restaurant in the evening. Anyways the thought of meeting her, made me feel happy. I could not wait till afternoon.
At around 2.15 she came to my house. I was alone at home. She was wearing a simple dress. I did not know what to say, or what to do. I just asked her to come in. She came, held my hand looked straight into my eyes and said “Happy Birthday.” I was choked with emotions. I dont have words to explain the feelings, I went through at that particular moment. She asked me “Can we go somewhere? I dont want to goto movie or restaurant. I am bored. I want to be with you, and only you. Do you have any such place in mind?”. I felt that the floor in which I was standing was melting. I just could not believe my ears.
There is a place called Mulshi near Pune. It is a beautiful lake. Some 30 kms from the city towards Goa. I had heard a lot about that place. Never been there. I took her over there. It was bit hot initially, but after we travelled for some 5 kms or so, the temperature dropped down considerably. It was very pleasant. The bike journey was a memorable one. There were so many twists and turns just like my life.
We reached the Mulshi dam. We had to climb a mountain. After sometime, the roads were very bad and we could not proceed. I stopped in a restaurant. We had something to eat. I dont even remember what we had. Till the time we reached the mountain, we were talking so many things.
But the moment we started climbing, both of us became very silent. I dont know why. Maybe is it a lull before the storm? Only time can tell.
After refreshing at the hotel, we were wondering what to do. This was a new place. Not known to many a people. Then I asked the guy over there, whether any river was near by. He told me that a path leads to the river. And we have to walk for some 1 km. We both started walking. It was about 5 pm in th evening. Sun was slowly hiding behind the clouds and mountains. We doubled the steps. The path was a bit scary for her. It was a forest and pitch dark at places. No sign for any living thing apart from some insects and birds. She was bit hesitant beyond a certain point. She wanted to go back. I persisted saying that having come so far, we should go for some more distance. Something told me not to go back so soon.
We reached a huge rock. Or rather I will call it as a wall of some mountain. My heart sank looking at it. I felt that, we have come to a dead end.
At that point, I saw a goat coming from one side of the wall. I just peeked in, and saw a small way leading to some undisclosed spot. I literally dragged her over there. We walked for hardly a minute. By Jove. There was a huge river in front of us. Wherever we turned we could see only water. The water was so still. Other side of the river, very very far away there were some more mountains and forests. Rarely the birds used to chirp, and apart from that the noise you could hear were the river kissing the shore.
Even she was thrilled. She was admiring the beauty of the place and after sometime, she called me. I just turned. She came close to me..Looked at my eyes..Held my hand and then asked me “What makes you like me so much?”. I was surprised. I did not expect this question from her. I just looked at the river, and then asked the same question to myself. I picked up some stones and started throwing them at water. “There are many a reasons. Do I say I like you, for the way you look at me secretly, when we both are in a group. Do I like you, for the way adjust your hair, when it falls all over your face. Do I like you, for the way you fold your hands and wait for me at your door step, when we go for a movie. The way you look at me, when you want to thank me. The way you pull the cigarrette from my mouth and throw it away. The way you try to grab my attention when I am talking to some other girl. The way you get angry, when I forget to call you. The way you say “I miss you” when I am not around.What do I say? Does anyone ask why they like their mother? Does anyone ask why they like their family? “. Then I looked at her eyes, and said “I like you for the way you are.Nothing more”.
She suddenly hugged me, and whispered in my ear “Happy Birthday”. At that particular moment it started drizzling. The clouds just like my heart, were shedding its tears of joy. We had to get back. But neither of us were in a mood to get back. I took out my jacket and gave out to her, and we started walking back, holding each other’s hands. That 5 minutes walk was the longest walk in my life. I can never forget those moments. By gods grace, the rain faded away. We hardly spoke anything while we were coming back. Whenever I looked at her, she used to look at my eyes and smile. I dont know what she was thinking or what was going on in her mind. I get into a trance, when she looks at me like that. If someone had asked me at that particular moment, where heaven was, I would have replied saying “It is in the eyes of the girl you love.”
We started for Pune. I dropped her home, somewhere close to 10. She called me in. I went in. She said that, she will prepare something for dinner. I offered my help as well. It took so long for us to prepare dinner. She was a major distraction for me. I could not concentrate on cutting vegetables, or frying something. I did’nt feel like taking my eyes off her even for a single second. We had our dinner. She fed me. The food was all the more tastier, as I had it from her hand.
We were watching TV for sometime. She came close to me and lied down in my lap. I was wondering why god has been so nice to me, and whether I really deserve whatever I am getting? After sometime, she got up and it was my turn to lie in her lap. I dont know how long we were there like that. After sometime, i felt her tears drop in my cheeks. I was shocked. I got up and asked her, what happened. She just hugged me tight, said “I am sorry.”. I did not understand anything. Anyways I didnt force her to tell me what happened. I felt that she needed some privacy, and more than her I needed sometime to come back to senses. I wished her Good Night and came back to my house.
I was awake for a pretty long time and slept pretty late. Next day I had to goto bangalore to attend an interview. I went to bangalore, with my mind completely on her, and not on my interview. I was in bangalore for a couple of days. I got through the interview and came back to pune. I never knew, what life had in store for me. I met her the same day. We both went out for dinner. She was bit different from what I had seen her 3 days back. She suddenly said, “I am getting married next month. This weekend is my engagement”. It took sometime for it to sink in. When it did, it really hit me bad. Real Bad. I just came to my house and started drinking. I was asked by her parents to help them in arrangements.
The day of her marriage. She was dressed like an angel. I was running here and there for something or other. I had to smile outside and cry inside. I carried this double act for sometime. The marriage went on very well and she went along with her husband in the evening. I went to a temple and sat in front of god. I dont know why this happened? I felt like a kid, who was given a nice chocolate, and moments before having the chocolate, it was snatched. Why? Why did those things happen, if they were supposed to end like this. There are many a questions deep inside my heart, that are unanswered and will never be answered.
Its almost an year now. My birthday is around the corner. I guess I will be the only person in the world who doesnt like his birthday. I am amazed, how much my previous birthday had changed my life. Even now, I keep thinking about her.
“Time goes by, life goes on, and all I can think of is why she is gone.”
