Pangs of Separation

                                                                     Pangs of separation

Sameer woke up with chill running up and down his spine and beads of sweat on his face in the month of December.He became restless and could not catch his sleep. He moved upstairs and went to the terrace. He saw the moon shining against the dark sky like Mishti  against his dark loneliness. It was not for the first time that Sameer woke up in the middle of the night and could not sleep later on, it was almost a routine now. He sat there enveloped by the deathly silence only broken by the voice of Mishti ringing from the past. He found himself to be a child of ten years sitting on a school bench with Mishti sitting beside him both giggling and

sharing tiffin during the lunch hours. Yes Mishti , a girl as sweet as her name was, a childhood friend of Sameer. The years passed by the kids stepped into adolescence and they

did not come to know when  the love bug bit them. They realized when one of them took leave, it became difficult for the other to move through the day. After tenth though they took different roads but the roads ended with each other’s name. The boy being a good friend kept visiting Mishti’s home. One day Mishti’s parents went out of city and she called Sameer because she was feeling lonely. Sameer visited her in the evening. Mishti served french fries to him with coffee, they munched at french fries and talked about normal stuff. Finding themselves all alone at home, the young hearts brimming with desire to reach each other’s soul gave in and became helpless. They kissed each other and they for the first time enjoyed each other’s body. They felt their world complete when one saw one’s reflection in the eye of the other. Suddenly the racing hearts realized what  they have done. They tasted love for the first time and deep inside they were happy.  

Knowing each other’s body was like digging the hidden treasure. Yes Sameer and Mishti were as happy as they could be. They started making love whenever they found chance. Each time they made love, each time they wanted to have more of each other. They being too young took precautions because they were not mature to handle the responsibility of being parents. One day the common friends made a program for picnic Sameer and Mishti too went, unfortunately on the way back their car broke down, the friends took lift from passerby  and reached home but it being Sameer’s car, he planned to stay back with Mishti and informed at home that they are safe and would reach tomorrow. Sameer searched for a place to spend night and came to know that there was a forest guest house a kilometer away.Sameer locked the car and started walking with Mishti. The sun was dying in the arms of the sky turning it red with its blood. It was beautiful. Mishti and Sameer took a lot of selfies . They considered them to be the uncrowned king and queen of their own world. They enjoyed the silence of the dusk with the voice of the insects and the rustling of the leaves produced by the wisp of wind.

Finally they reached the forest guest house and requested the watchman to let them spend night there. The watchman first did not agree then Sameer greased his palm to allow them to spend the night there.

Sameer and Mishti just munched on the snacks which they carried along with them and drank tea prepared by the  watchman. They both relished the moon peeping at them behind the clouds. The silence was broken by  the noise of some moving car on the road. For about two hours Sameer and Mishthi sat outside in the lawn . Then it started raining so they went inside. The weather turned cold. Once again both the lovers were left alone in each other’s company. They lost themselves in each other. They made love , loved as much as they could. As it was not planned, they forgot to take precautions. Sameer realized it afterwards and then made Mishti take some pill  once they reached their city.

Sameer’s father got posted to Banglore and Sameer too shifted but both kept in touch.

They both had plan to marry each other and to reveal their relation at the right time but one day Mishti’s mother overheard what Mishti was talking to Sameer. She was shocked and told Mishti’s dad. Phone was taken away  from Mishti and Sameer’s dad too was warned to take care of Sameer. Sameer’s dad felt very embarrassed at his son’s act and thrashed Sameer.Mishti was not able to contact Sameer now as her mobile was taken away by her parents. Mishti and Sameer’s make believe world crumbled and streamed down their cheeks. Mishti stopped eating properly and  crawled back to her cocoon, she stopped laughing and talking to anyone. It seemed she was dragging her existence. One day Mishti was lost in her own thoughts when a bus hit her while crossing the road. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared brought dead. Mishti and Sameer’s common friend told Sameer about this news. Sameer broke down and went into depression. His relation with his parents strained because he started holding them responsible for Mishti’s death.

Yes, the moon is still the same who peeped at them when Mishti and Sameer were together in that forest guesthouse but now only Sameer stands there in the silence of pitch dark night with the moon watching from above at his eyes brimmed with tears. Sameer lost in doubt thinks if he committed blunder by making Mishti take that pill. He feels remorseful and thinks may be he had their love sprouted in form of a young one.May be Mishti’s part was left behind with him to carry him through the ordeal called LIFE.