It was drizzling and was a cool night. Somewhere far, someone was getting married and the shanai's sweet music was filling the room. Standing at the window, gazing at nothing, Sakshi was lost in her thoughts. Shanai always reminded of her big day, when she had applied menhdi and hidden his name. She looked at her hands. There was no trace of it now. It has been twelve long years. But the ring still had its brightness and she smiled and a tear rolled down her eye, all at the same time!
"Maa, I will not go to school tomorrow. I think my stomach will ache. It's difficult, you see, going to school in pain. So, please make good lunch for me tomorrow. I will be home", Sakshi's ten and a half year old kid Shantanu informed her and climbed on the bed.
Sakshi came out of her thoughts and quietly wiped her rolling tears. She said to Shantanu,"Oh! What happened to my baby? Hmmm if you say so, I will not force you to go to school, but you see if you have stomachache, I will make some khichdi for you. Have it in breakfast, lunch and dinner. You will be fine. Rest for whole day. No school, no play, no TV. Just rest. Is that ok Shanu?" Shantanu frowned on hearing khichdi and looked at his mother for some pity. Sakshi had a naughty smile on her face.
With a sad face and eyes filled with tears, he looked up at his mother and continued, "Tomorrow in school, Father's day is being celebrated. We all have to take our Papa to school. I don't want to go to school Ma. Please let me be home tomorrow." Tears were rolling down his cheeks.
Sakshi wiped his tears and gave him a peck on his cheek. She cuddled him and composed herself and said,"You will go to school Shanu and you will go with your Papa. Beta before your dad went, he assigned me the role of your father too." Tears rolled down Sakshi's eyes, she looked down at her hand and continued, "Look at this ring. You know your Papa gave this to me and you know what he told me?"
Innocently Shantanu asked, "What?"
She continued, "He told me that till the day this ring is white, my love will be with both of you. Till the day, this ring holds the diamonds tight, my love will hold both of you. He told me wear this ring always. He also told me to stand wherever and whenever Shantanu would want his Papa to be. Shanu, will you take me to your school tomorrow?"
Shantanu tears were not stopping but he had a happy smile on his face. He said, "Yes Maa, I mean Papa, I mean Ma, hahahaha. I will go to school with you. I love you Ma. I love you Papa." He kissed the ring and hugged Sakshi tight.
Sakshi continued, "Ok, after your school, if your stomach doesn't aches, we will go to McDonald and have our regular meal and ice cream."
"Yeyeyey", Shantanu yelled and jumped on the bed. He was happy. He slept with happy thoughts. Sakshi got lost in her thoughts, again.
She met Sarthak some eighteen years back. It was not the best kind of first meet. She had applied face pack and went to the terrace to call her brother for breakfast. He was standing there with his new friend, Sarthak. Both of them started laughing the moment they saw her. She was red with anger and looked at her brother with her big eyes filled with rage. Without saying a word, she went down and cried and complained to her mother.
Sarthak and Sakshi met frequently, sometimes at home, sometimes at college. But they didn't speak even a word, till five long years.
Then one day Sarthak's parents came to her house with a marriage proposal. They had seen Sakshi and met her few times and Sakshi's family knew Sarthak very well. 'Happy' was a understatement. It was a pair made in heaven. The match was perfect. Everyone was in state of cloud nine and still counting. Just one person was unhappy, sad and extremely angry. Sakshi.
That night, with help of entire family of Sakshi and Sarthak combined, he sneaked into Sakshi's room. Sakshi was standing near the window lost in her thoughts. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door being locked from outside. To add to her amazement, she saw Sarthak standing near the door with a stupid smile on his face. It reminded her of that day when they met for the first time. Her anger broke all bounds and for the first time in her life, she spoke to Sarthak, "How dare you enter my room. Get out or I will call everyone. What do you think of yourself? Get out, right now!" She went straight to the door and tried to open it. It was locked, from outside. She knocked at the door and yelled at her mother, "Ma please open the door. Look at this ill-mannered person, he has entered my room without my permission. Maa, open the door."
Her mother replied,"Say Yes, beta, we will open the door now. Or else, we will wait till you say yes!" To Sakshi's horror, the entire family laughed out loud.
She looked at Sarthak with dismay and anger. He has made her family against her. Before she could think more, Sarthak was on his knees and he said,"Sakshi, will you marry me."
"Hell, no! Don't you understand. I hate you. Oh, hate..hate is a small word. How dare you entire my room without my permission. And without my permission you want to enter my life too? What do you think, if my parents will tell me to marry you, I will do that? Huh! Never, never!"
Sarthak stood up and looking straight into her eyes, continued, "Sakshi, look I can't lie to you. I am not sorry for laughing at you that day! But, but I didn't knew such a beautiful angel would come out of that ugly green face pack." Sakshi looked at him with anger but he continued, "When you had washed your face, you looked stunning in that yellow dress. I fell for you that very moment. Your anger just kept on adding to your beauty! You look just stunning. I used to come to your house, so that I could get at least one glimpse of you. I never ever missed college because bunking college would mean missing a chance to see you. I have told this to myself like few zillion times and wanted to tell you this since I met you for the first time that..aa..that that aaa that.. I I love you!"
He was still looking into her eyes. Sakshi's ego was getting a good pampering and her anger was slowly coming down. He continued, "Since, the first day I saw you, I wanted you in my life as my friend, my wife, my life partner and my everything."
She smiled a little and instead of becoming more confident, he became nervous. He reached his pocket to take out the ring and then he continued, "I bought you this platinum ring. I saved all my hard-earned money to buy this for you. It is very expensive, but you deserve the best. This is platinum, it's rare, unique, precious, it's natural white glow will never go, it is least allergic for the skin, it will....!" They both started laughing at the same time.
Sarthak quickly wiped a tear from his eye and told, "The speech which I practiced, was much more romantic than what I just said. Hahahah I have it written. Wait!" He took out a piece of paper and handed over to Sakshi.
"Read it later, but please accept this ring and say Yes", continued Sarthak.
Sakshi looked at him and said, "Let me see the ring first!"
He said, "Can I...ring....in your finger...just asking?"
She said, "Did I say Yes?"
He said, "Hmm ok! Here!"
He handed over the ring to his lady love.
She saw it and her heart stopped beating, "Wooww!"
"He should have shown me this ring first, I would have said Yes anyways. How can anyone say no to this precious beautiful ring!", thought Sakshi.
He promptly said, "Star for my star!"
She looked at him with a plain face and said, "Yes!"
He said, "Ok! Yaa..What, What? Did you say yes? Did you say yes?"
Before they both could sink this feeling, the door opened and the entire family, Sarthak's and Sakshi's entered the room and they started hugging both! In that crowd, all Sarthak could see was Sakshi and all Sakshi could see was Sarthak.
Sakshi came back from her thoughts and looked at her ring. Still the same. She quickly jumped out of her bed and went to the cupboard. In her closet was the most important thing of her life. That piece of paper, her first ever love letter. Probably the only one.
It read,
Sakshi....
You are most beautiful girl I have ever seen. When ever I saw you, I couldn't even come up with a 'hello' even after a million times practice in my head, because each time I saw you, you mesmerized me. I used to forget everything after seeing you, even breathing!
I bought you this platinum ring, because this is the best and I want to give you just the best available in this planet earth and beyond it!
I will be with you till it shines,
I will hold you till the diamonds are in line,
Be mine, be mine!
Sarthak
Tears rolled down her face and Sakshi sunk her face in the pillow and cried her heart out.
Next morning, Sakshi and Shantanu went to his school. Sakshi told Shantanu to head to his class and she will meet the principle and join him there.
Shantanu went ahead. Sakshi went to the principal's room and entered.
Principal, "Hello Sakshi! Please come. Have a seat!"
Sakshi, "Thanks Ma'am! I have come here for a purpose! I want to ask you one thing!"
Sakshi looked little angry but she controlled herself and continued, "Is it important to celebrate days like father's day or mother's day? Have you ever given a thought how those kids would feel who don't have their father or mother? How can you and your school be so insensitive?"
Principal understood her emotions and stood up from her seat. She poured a glass of water and gave it to Sakshi. Then she said, "I am in a similar situation like you Sakshi. But I want to make my daughter believe that I am her father and I am her mother. She has nothing less in this world. I will be there where ever she needs me or where ever she needs her father. I am not being insensitive, neither my school promotes such things. But I just want to make these kids stronger and make them realize that they might not have father or mother, but they are no less. They have someone to stand for them at all times. At all times. I have mothered and fathered my girl since she was nine months old. She doesn't know what father's love is. How it feels to travel on dad's shoulder or so many other things. But she has accepted it and she considers me to be her father and mother."
Principal looked at her watch and continued, "It's time Sakshi, let's go our to kids classes. It's father's day. Happy fathers day to you!"
Sakshi smiled with a tear in her eye and nodded her head. She thought in her mind, "Yes, I am his dad, I am his mom! Sarthak will always be there, in me."
She smiled and said to the principal, "Happy fathers day to you and to me!"
My heart happily repeated few lines:
I will be with you till it shines,
I will hold you till the diamonds are in line,
Be mine, be mine!
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