That Love

While he was gently slurping his morning coffee, Rudra's eyes were fixed on the beautiful and enchanting face of his new neighbour Riddhi who was busy watering plants in her garden.

Riddhi was a young girl in her twenties having an exquisite charm.With an oblong and fine face cut, she always wore a subtle smile. The soft curls on her dense eyelashes sat elegantly on her dark but bright eyes. Along with a slender and an athletic built she had golden beige skin that accentuated her arresting features.

Rudra was a guy quite conscious about maintaining his chiseled body contours. He would wake up early and go for a short run in the fresh air in joggers park, before hitting the gym floor.

That morning was magical. He had never before seen a lady more beautiful than her. He wished the moment freezed there. He wished she never went out of his sight, ever. But while he was fantasizing about her, someone called her and she slid away in no time. That left him disappointed but he was sure elated to have her as his new neighbor.

Days passed like that. His pining eyes would sometimes succeed in catching her view and sometimes he would have to wait for hours or even days to get her glimpse. He lived with his parents who had shifted permanently in this city a few years back.

In-spite of her phenomenal beauty that she was aware of, Riddhi had no false pride or airs. She believed, it is the different life skills that make a person complete. Physical beauty is a gifted asset that sure ought to be nurtured as well.

One day while she was driving back home, she saw some people gathered on a side, surrounding a man who had met with an accident. She pulled over to see if she could be of any help. She managed to stand on the footpath and peek into the spot. The man had got a bad head injury that had led to a stream of blood flow from his hind head. The man was lying on the road supine. She was aghast to see it was none other than her neighbor, whom she had sometimes seen on his bike or in his open terrace in the house next to hers. It was Rudra.

She made no haste in getting him parked in the front seat of her car and rushing to the nearest hospital. There in the emergency ward she got him examined. More than his being her neighbor, she knew nothing more about him. His parents were travelling abroad on an official tour and they needed at least 36 hours to reach the hospital. And hence she decided to take his charge till his parents arrive.

He was shifted soon to the ICU where upon further examination it was found that there was a blood clot in his head that was fatal and had to be removed. Within few hours he was operated and next morning he was shifted to a special ward.

She was his sole caretaker, apart from the nurses and doctors. She dealt with his condition with patience and without a hint of peeve. That day he remained listless throughout. Next morning when doctor came to examine him, he was awake with minimal body movements. While the doctor was checking his pulse, Riddhi entered the room. She saw him and smiled. Rudra seeing this squinted as if in a dilemma. He could not believe his eyes seeing the girl of his fantasies standing in front of him and giving him the warmest of smiles. He could hear his own heart pound hard! He could feel a sudden stream of blood gush to his head.

Doctor introduced about her as his saviour and told how composed and helping she had been in the last few hours when Rudra had needed an attendant. The doctor then described how badly Rudra was injured and that Riddhi was the one who was the reason for his new life! Rudra was already overwhelmed. But before Riddhi could put forward her modest words, something happened to Rudra. 

He started shivering out of sudden chill. His feet and palms turned cold as ice. Doctor and nurses swaddled him in thick blankets but in vain. He was still cold as never before. He started taking long deep breaths. The sight was very frightening, at least for Riddhi. He got a seizure and he entered the state of Coma. He could feel everything but could not react or move. Doctors investigated his case and concluded that he might or might not return to his normal active state. This greatly perturbed Riddhi and she remained unsettled for many days as she had got attached to this 'just a neighbor' of hers.

Time heals everything. Like every other thing, she moved on.

Several months passed. Rudra's condition did get better and he got resurrected to an active mode in about a year. He recalled all that had happened to him. His parents were the happiest when they got him back. On returning to his house, the first thing that he did was inquire about Riddhi.

She had got married by then. This troubled him like hell. While returning from the hospital he had dreamt of spending the rest of his life with Riddhi, his saviour and more important – his lady love! He was left broken and dismayed.

And so a love story that could never transpire, ended.

Five years later, one fine winter morning Rudra got a phone call that said, 'congrats! You are now a father to a beautiful daughter'. With an immense happiness he smiled and replied, 'Call her Riddhi!'.