If only I had a second chance - Part 2

                                                        
The memories were still fresh. It was the holiday season, hence Samantha was alone in the college campus. She started walking from the peepal tree towards thew canteen. As the atmosphere was subtle, she could hear his voice, "Samantha, you look so decked up today, anything special?" She was angry. It was her birthday and Raghav hadn't wished her since morning. Infact, She had expected him to wish her at midnight itself. The entire day was filled with mixed emotions. When everyone was calling her up and wishing her, she waited for that one single person to wish her. As usual Raghav dropped Samantha home. When she got down from the bike he striked a conversation and she was happy that maybe he would wish her now. Instead he said, "Samantha, you still dint tell me whats special today?" Her smile vanished and so did her expectations and she said, "I just felt like dressing up, no other reason". At around 7 in the evening she received a call, it was Riya's, her close friend. "Samantha, go up to the terrace and see the moon, it looks so beautiful today" She wasn't interested at all that but on Riya's insistence, she went up. As she opened the terrace door, she was awestruck. The entire terrace was decorated. Her favorite swing was covered with beautiful orchids. There was a small chair, with a pineapple cake that Samantha loved the most. The terrace was filled with colored candles. The entire atmosphere suddenly looked celestial and under the moonlight everything looked so blissful. And finally stood the person who Samantha wanted to see. She went running and hugged Raghav and started crying on his shoulders.

"Why did u wish me so late? I wanted you to be the first to wish me" cried Samantha with tears in her eyes. Holding her face between his hands he replied,"Of course my sweetheart i was the first to wish you. Did you not hear the alarm last night which rang at 12 O'clock singing "Happy Birthday"? I had set it for you. I wanted to be the first and the last person to wish you on this special birthday." Samantha had no words, she was the luckiest girl that day. They cut the cake and sat on the swing talking till midnight. She was lying down on his lap under the moonlight that shone upon them.

She suddenly heard her phone ring. Her thoughts ran back to the present. It was her Dad on the call, "Samantha where are you dear? We are getting late for the flight?" She replied, "I am on my way back dad. I will be home in half an hour" She disconnected the call and remembered the call she had made to Raghav.
Her hands shivered as Raghav answered the call. "Samantha, what is wrong with you? I have been trying to reach you since half an hour. " Filled with a sudden strength in her voice, she spoke "Raghav I need to talk to you, I spoke to my dad regarding our relationship. He wouldn't for the world accept us being together. I don't have the strength to convince him. I can't hurt him as i am all he has. Hope you understand. I am leaving India tomorrow at 12 in the noon" Before he could speak anything she hung the call. Tears rolled down her eyes. She couldn't tell Raghav the truth that her father was sick and he would have to wait for don't know how long for her. She didn't want him to wait with a hopeless hope that she would come back one day for him. She wanted him to move on. And for that she had to lie even if it made her a betrayer in front of him. Her father's treatment would take years as the doctors had predicted and she was not sure if her father would agree to them even after that. But she had one last hope if Raghav would be there at the airport he would get to know the truth.

Raghav was speechless as the line went dead. He was shocked as this was the last thing ever he wanted to hear from her. He didn't want to believe this was true. In anger and by his friends compulsion he did'nt go to see her off at the airport. It took him days to recover from the agonizing pain that the love of life had given him. At times his friends would tell him. "This is how girls are, they just use you and throw you! Do not believe them. They are the most ruthless beasts who cut through your heart and kill it." By now Raghav had started believing his friends. His heart that once beated for her and her alone was void and filled with hatred. There was a deep wound that wouldn't let him live in peace. Many a times he would stroll alone in college and try to fill the emptiness in his life. His hatred had increased so much that now he didn't even want to know the reason why she left him.

At Samantha's end she had moved to Germany with her dad for his treatment. She started serving her dad and seeing him get better day by day she found peace. Emotions had gone dead for her. Sometimes in the loneliness of her heart she would wonder if Raghav had moved on or was he still thinking about her. If she was alone all she thought of was Raghav and Raghav and Raghav. Finally after 4 long years Samantha's dad had recovered and he was completely fine. He often asked her if they could go back to India but Samantha was scared to face Raghav. And then when her dad pressurized she gathered courage to come back.

Just a day before the present day, Raghav had met Riya at a college reunion. No one but Riya knew the reason why Samantha had taken that decision and standing on the promise that Samantha had given her from not saying about this to anyone and specially not to Raghav. On the reunion day Riya could not hold to see that Raghav still hadn't forgotten Samantha. She went forward and told him the entire truth. On hearing this He dropped to his knees. He failed to have understood her. He realized the sacrifice that she had done for her. He failed to understand the reason why she had called him to the airport.

Samantha didn't know that Raghav had come to know the truth and Raghav didn't know that she was in town. He didn't know how to contact her as Riya also was unaware of her whereabouts. After receiving the call from her dad Samantha started to the college gate. She crossed the peepal tree, and felt a deep sense of excitement. She was in a situation that she feared to be in. The reason why she did not want to come back to India was standing in front of her. Her Raghav was standing under the peepal tree. He looked more smarter than before. Dressed in a formal office wear she saw the difference in him and how matured he had grown over the years. She longed to run and hug him. She longed to feel the warmth of his arms. But she kept walking slowly towards him . She thought it was a dream that she was seeing. Finally when Raghav started speaking to her, she came to believe that it was actually happening.

"Samantha, this heart has waited for 4 long years" Filled with tears in her eyes she realised that he had waited for her. He hadn't moved on. She hugged him this time to complete the emptiness in her heart. He hugged her and thought.

"If only i had a second chance, I would have gone to the airport that day."
"If only i had a second chance, I would have stood by her in all the pain that she went through."

On the other side Samantha thought,

"If only i had a second chance, I would have told Raghav the truth as he waited for me even without knowing the truth"

They walked back home and seeing their love, Samantha's father gave up his adamant decision and agreed to their relationship.

Reflection:
A lot of relationships break due to misunderstanding. So if you are true do not listen to what the world says or to what your friends say. And do not hold back your feelings thinking of the otherwise.

If only I had a second chance - Part 1

It was the 10th of February, the day she had let her life take a new turn. And 6 years down the lane she was sitting on the same bench below the peepal tree of her college. The only difference was that today she was alone without her "RAGHAV". Yes, Samantha had fallen in love on this day. She had finally told a yes to Raghav, the street smart guy next door who had proposed her. Raghav and Samantha had studied college together and today Samantha was standing the the college premises, the place where she learnt the lessons for her life. As history says, it takes only a glance to find a soulmate, it took only a second for Raghav to decide that Samantha was the girl for whom he had waited patiently to let his hormones take a toll over him.

She had worn a simple T-shirt and a denim and entered the classroom and seldom did she know that she had already captured the heart of the most cutest guy in class. Her smile was a drug that Raghav had got addicted to lately. Initially it was a single Hi and Bye that Raghav exchanged with Samantha everyday. It took a month for them to become good friends and ever since then there was no turning back. If her phone beeped it was Raghav's, If she was out shopping, it was with Raghav, if she was crying, it was on Raghav's shoulder, if she was happy, it was Raghav who was obliged to hear it first. Over a period of 7 months, their friendship had grown, it had slowly bloomed into liking on Christmas Evening.

Samantha had invited all friends home for the christmas party and without any doubt Raghav had made it to the list of invitees. Samantha as usual was dressed in her best that day. She was worn a full length purple gown and had left her hair loose just like how Raghav loved it. As always, Raghav could only watch her with mouth wide open. He couldn't find appropriate words to describe her beauty. She smiled again and again and the drug that he had started consuming a few months back became a habit to him now. He gifted her a chain with a heart shaped pendant. And on Samantha's insistence he was more than overjoyed to tie the chain around Samantha's neck. After putting the hook of the chain Raghav had gone close to Samantha's ear for the first time and said "This heart has started beating after it has met its owner".

That night neither of them slept. They were quiet. Samantha couldn't forget what Raghav said. His words kept ringing in her ears. She kept twisting and turning on her bed trying to sleep. No messages were exchanged that night and the next day as usual Raghav stood at the college entrance for her. He was scared that he may loose her forever because of last night, he thought did her heart also beat the same way for him like it did for him. He was scared to loose her friendship. She finally arrived and in a mustard color salwar and a light pink dupatta. She looked terrific as usual and Raghav stood there admiring her from a distance. As she came closer his heart started beating faster, he finally held his emotions and went to her. She started talking as thought nothing had happened last night.

Raghav was confused, he dint know what to do. Ever since the Christmas evening he had no peace, he was anxious to ask her if she loved him too. He finally gathered some guts and went ahead. He had called her in the morning and asked her to come a little early to college and wait at the peepal tree. She was excited what was it that he wanted to tell her. That day Samantha dressed for Raghav and went to meet him. Raghav dint say anythin but simply asked her "Samantha, the heart that i gifted you on christmas evening was mine, I just wanted to tell you that it starts beating faster whenever it meets you , its owner. Can you please tell me if you can let this heart keep beating throughout your life?" Samantha was awestruck. she had waited so long to hear this. She finally spoke. "Raghav, I accepted your heart long back. I had just waited for you to ask me."

Finally they both had accepted each others love, and as every love story goes, they spent every single possible minute with each other. Slowly it so happened that one day Raghav's parents came to know about this. Raghav wanted to let his parents know about this earlier but he wasn't prepared. And when his mom asked him he told her the truth and his parents had accepted it quiet well.

It was Samantha's turn to let her Father know about this. Mr. Dias, Samantha's dad ran a chain of Fastfood restaurants in Mumbai, He was hardworking and ever since he had lost his wife, Samantha was the world to him. He lived and breathed for her. Samantha also loved him the immensely and all her life's decisions were taken by her dad and she never objected to it. She entered his room to tell him about Raghav. On hearing this her father was shocked as to how could she fall in love with a boy who was not of the same religion. He was angry on her and had told her to forget him. In between the argument he fell unconscious. Immediately he had been admitted in the hospital and doctors had said that half of his body had been paralyzed. Samantha was shocked, she had to take her father to a bigger hospital abroad to treat him and she dint even know if after his treatment would he accept her love. Her heart ached, she couldn't think of a life without Raghav, but she couldn't hurt her dad as well. She finally picked up the phone and dialed Raghav's number to tell him her decision.