Patience is Essential in Love - by Noor Tabassum

Sleeping on the chest of her beloved was a sweet and fragile bride. She was staring at him without winking her eyes. He looked at her and said smilingly, “Simi, I am all yours till my death.” She put her finger on his lips with a frown and says, “Have I not gone enough through all these sorrows Anil, why do you want to hurt me more?” He kisses her forehead with a lot of warmth and says.” may no ray of sorrow ever touch you, dear. I have always asked for you in my prayers—nothing else. And I cannot believe my fate that I got you. Now I never want to lose you.” She hugged him tighter and more asked,” How were you so patient?  I was so much away; didn’t the distance fade my love for you?” Anil replied, “The second name of love is patience, my love. And it’s not distance but the depth that measures love.”

Amid all this, a baby comes calling mom. Simi jumps up to go to the baby, but Anil pulls her and says he will take care of the baby.  Anil goes to the baby. He carries her in his arms to the bedroom, patting her, he puts her back to sleep. Simi silently witnesses this, and her heart fills with unknown love for Anil. She goes back to her bed and drowns in memories.
Simi remembers how she met Anil. He was her college friend. Not so good in academics, he was considered as an utter waste. He was a relatively easy-to-go type of boy. Nothing ever made him grave. For Anil, seeing Simi for the first time was falling in love with her. He was so impressed by her looks and smile that it was that very day he decided that she would be his life. Coming to college every day was merely for her. His attendance was improving in class because of her. His strange and changed behaviour made all his friends tease him with her name.
Simi was a studious girl. She studied well. She came from a middle-class family where education was valued. Her father was an ordinary government employee. She was the eldest of two siblings and was extremely obedient and well-behaved girl. Her financial conditions did not permit her to take professional courses. So, she opted for B com. 
She remembered the first day Anil approached her was to ask notes she took while lecturers taught. He wondered what she wrote. He never listened to them so attentively. Slowly he became friendly with her. They would sit together discussing lessons initially.  But over time, they would meet up for a cup of tea to discuss other things even. Anil was a very handsome guy. He would stand out among his friends for his personality, beauty, wit, and sense of humour.  Many girls easily got attracted to him. He was the only son of his parents. He was also from an ordinary middle-class family.  His father wanted a bright future for his son, so he would always be behind him, forcing him to study. But life was fun for Anil.  Things started changing for him since he met Simi. He was getting serious about his studies. He had started thinking of his future. 
When exams approached, Simi helped Anil a lot in his studies. He was bright, so he understood everything quickly. When the results were out, everybody was astonished. Anil had cleared all the subjects in the first attempt, but his parents could not believe he had done so well. Vacation time was the most challenging time for Anil, as he missed Simi to the extent of madness. He could neither eat nor sleep and was desperately waiting for the college to reopen.
The day college reopened was like a festive day for Anil. He went early to the college, waiting for Simi to come. When he saw Simi, he ran to her, stared at her for a while, and hugged her tight. He confessed his love for her. Simi was reluctant initially. But seeing his passion and care for her, she too started loving him. She never revealed her love for him.
Once, Anil approached her and said, “My love for you is authentic. I cannot live without you, but you never uttered anything about your feelings. This is more hurting and killing me. Please say anything. I will bear anything “. Simi smiled and said that she had a challenge for Anil. As the challenge would complete, she would confess her love and give something precious to him as a gift. Anil jumped with joy and asked what the challenge was? Brilliantly, Simi said that she would only acknowledge her love for him if he were a topper to the university. Anil smiled and said that it was something next to impossible.  Simi said that he had to pay this much to acquire her love. Anil took up the challenge. He studied day and night to achieve his goal. He hardly spent time with his friends. He was usually seen in the library or on his laptop collecting some study material. His friends were amazed.
He had stopped outings. His only work was to study or to be with Simi.
When the results were out, Anil was the most nervous person in the whole university. Though he did not top the university, he passed with distinction.  He was highly disappointed.  But Simi astounds him by telling him that she loved him. She kissed him too as a gift. Both were in immense love with one another. Their mornings started with each other’s calls and nights put them to sleep with their kisses. 
Their love did not go unnoticed.  Simi’s parents noticed her constant interest in the phone. Lovers always think nobody is aware of them, but it is not night when we close our eyes. Simi’s parents sensed something fishy about this. They grew concerned about their daughter and started searching for a suitable groom for her.

After a few months, Simi’s father came up with an excellent proposal for her. The boy was a government official whose name was Rajesh. He was a very decent man. When the proposal was told to Simi, she denied it without a second thought. She cried and refused the offer. But all her cry went on deaf ears. Unable to bear the torture, she told her parents about her love for Anil. Her parents got enraged and said that he was unemployed and just a degree holder. He was of no use. Her future with him would be disastrous. She cried, lamented, but there was no yield. 
On the other hand, when this devastating news reached Anil, he just went mad. He approached Simi’s parents and tried to convince them.  They were too stubborn to listen to him. When Anil’s parents tried to persuade them, they were insulted. Simi and Anil decided to run away and settle their life far off when everything was like flogging a dead horse.
The night when they had planned to escape, Simi packed her clothes and took all her pocket money with her. As she opened the door, she heard someone’s footsteps.  She turned back to see her parents and her sister standing behind her. She was taken aback and pleaded with her father to set her free. Her father agreed. He said that she was free to do her will the next day. She jumped with joy. But he said that they had a bottle of poison with them. They would consume it at night, and after they were dead, she could do her will. She wept a lot and asked them not to do so. They were too determined.  She finally dropped her plan. She was asked to take an oath that she would never talk to Anil and insult him when he came to meet her.
Anil waited for Simi the whole night. The following day, he walked straight to her and asked her why she had not turned out. She said that she loved her parents more than him and could lose him, not them. She asked him to go back and lead a meaningful life. She said that the Simi he knew died the last night. He tried to assure her that he would give her a good life, but she turned her face and walked off.
The next few days were a turning point in both cases.  Simi was forcefully married to Rajesh and sent to his house. She promised never to return to her parent’s house. She didn’t shed even a drop of tear from her eye. When her dad hugged her, she gave the cold shoulder to him and walked off.
Anil was immersed in sorrow and started smoking. He started staying in his room the whole day and stopped mingling with friends.  He would hardly eat. His parents grew exceedingly worried about him. They tried to calm him down but failed. He would cry the whole day and have raised his beard, losing all his charm. One day, his mom came to him and said that Simi was her parents’ best child. For their sake, she quit her love. She married someone whom she hardly knew just to give life to her parents.  But he was killing his parents bit by bit. What was their fault? They were so supportive of him that they even tried to persuade her parents. Troubling such good parents was a sin.

Anil listened to her attentively, and each word pierced Anil’s heart. He thought about it and decided to come out of this depression for their sake. The next day, he shaved, had a bath, and went out of his room to his parent’s surprise. They hugged him and told him to divert his mind. He agreed to study further. Now his was the only aim in his life. He wanted to earn money and be a prosperous man; therefore, he started working towards it, completed his MBA, and joined a company. He understood all the ethics of business and opened his own business. He started flourishing.
On the other hand, Simi was always sad. She never connected with Rajesh. He tried his level best, but she would still be a wet blanket. But Rajesh never lost hope. He was consistent in persuading her. He would bring her flowers, take her out, buy her gifts and do whatever he could to see a smile on her face. When Simi did not budge despite all these efforts, he once advised her to go back to her parents. She refused. That day Simi realized that she had no doors open for her as she had promised herself not to go back to them.  She started becoming soft. She slowly started compromising in life. She spent time with Rajesh willingly. But all this had consumed two years of their life. 

In the third year, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl called Mira. Mira was her life. She spent all her time with her. Rajesh, too, was the happiest person. He would wait for evenings to return to his family. Mira was his heartbeat, and he named her after Simi and Rajesh. Mi of Simi and Ra of Rajesh.  Mira was a chubby doll who had a strange attraction in her. One year had passed, and Mira had started calling dada to Rajesh. He would love the way she called him. He used to rush home after his work just to listen to her and play with her.

 One day when Rajesh hurried to come back home, his scooter hit a truck, and BANG... everything went dark. Rajesh was spot dead. When the news reached Simi, she fell unconscious.  She was not in her senses for two days. Her parents tried to console her when she came back to her consciousness. She said,” Papa, you wanted to give me a bright future. Where is my future now?” She dried her tears and asked them to leave her alone.  The next few days were the harshest days for her. Every day new challenges awaited her.  She was running short of money too. Fortunately, she got a job in the same office where Rajesh worked before, though the most significant task was to leave Mira with a maid and go. She was hardly a year old. Simi’s parents would spend most of their time with her, though, at times, she would be punitive to them. 
One hot sunny day, Simi’s father stood roadside, desperately waiting for an auto. Anil happened to see him. He purposefully stops his car and offers him a lift. On their way, Simi’s father enquired him about his job. He was astounded to see him driving such a big car. Anil told him that he owns a business that is doing good. With a lot of courage, he asks him about Simi and her family. The older man, with eyes filled with water, told him the entire story. Anil gets shocked by his life. The old man invites Anil home for tea when they reach home, but Anil refuses and promises to come back some other day.
After a few days, Simi’s father hears a knock at the door. As he opens the door, he finds Anil’s parents outside. He gets astonished. He welcomes them in and asks their forgiveness for his bad behaviour earlier. He treats them with the utmost respect. Anil’s parents say that they had once again come with the same request. Simi’s father exclaims that Simi is now a widow with a tiny baby. They say that they accept both heartily. Simi’s father gets enthralled.  He immediately rushes to Simi to give her this good news. Simi hears her father patiently and then starts laughing hysterically, saying, “Papa, now Anil is a big man. He has a lot of money. So, you feel he is fit for me. There was a time when I knew he would succeed, but you did not trust my decision.  Today when your daughter is a widow, and none will take an interest in her, you want me to marry him. I reject your offer. He deserves a much better girl than me. I want you to bear all the sufferings that I go through in my life.”  Her father tries his best to persuade her, but she refuses. With a heavy heart, her father conveys this message to Anil’s father.

Anil again gets disheartened. He feels this is the second time he is dying. One day he visits Simi. It was the first time they saw each other in five years. Anil looked the same, charming and handsome. He just had a glass added to his face to enhance his beauty. But Simi had changed because she had faced so many hardships, and it showed on her face. She looked weary and had dark circles under her eyes. Despite all these odds, she was the most beautiful woman in the eyes of Anil. They both looked at each other with surprise, and love sprouted again. A wave of current passed through both. Simi smiles and welcomes him. He sat staring at her with million questions in his eyes. She placed Mira in his laps. He played with her and proposed Simi again. With a lot of integrity and dignity, Simi refused him. She said it is her decision, and she just wanted to be a mother to Mira. She could not accept him only because her father now thinks that he is eligible.  Once her father had decided, now it was her turn. Anil tried a lot to persuade her, but he failed.

Time flies. Few months had passed, and Simi was still very stubborn.  Anil had not come to her again. One day as Simi stood waiting for an auto, she sees an older woman counting some money. She was fragile and ancient. In a splash of a second, few robbers came on the bike, snatched her cash and her chain. The older woman screamed and cried. Simi ran to her rescue. The old woman started screaming, “call the police, call the police.” People pitied her. As police arrived, the old woman started saying, “Arrest me, I am at fault.” Simi was shocked. She said, “What’s wrong with you, aunt? It is the robbers’ fault. You have been robbed. You are the victim.” The old woman started saying, “If I never carried money and never wore the chain, how would they rob. So, it is my fault.” Simi was perplexed.  She said, “if there are robbers and bad people should we stop wearing ornaments? Should we be locked up? Why are you punishing yourself? You are innocent. It’s injustice. Who does like this?”
With contentment in her voice, the old woman said, “You do. Isn’t my son, Anil, innocent?  What is his fault? Is it that he loved just you and no one else? Is it that he thought of just you in five long and difficult years? To teach your father a lesson, aren’t you doing injustice to my son?” Simi goes dumbstruck. She looks down, and tears start rolling down her eyes. The old woman says that it was all set up to teach her a lesson. The old woman says that her son is ill. He again has gone into depression after meeting her. She requested her to come with her and see his condition at least.  Simi follows. On seeing Anil, she starts weeping. Anil hugs her tight and tells her to give his life back. She says,” Didn’t you find any beautiful girl to marry?”. With a broad smile, he says, “Found much better than you, but I couldn’t find anybody just like you.” He promises to be the best father for Mira. They get married to lead happy life.  

- © Noor Tabassum