stories Archives - Bhaskar Dhakal

आमा

December 2, 2015May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

आज तेश्रो दिन भो ऊ बाउ बनेको | खुसीको त मानौं कुनै सिमाना नै छैन | छर-छिमेक, इस्ट-मित्र, आदि सबको बधाई पाउँदा त झन् उसको छाती ढक्क फुलेको छ | मन चंगा छ | कति ठाउँमा त उसले लड्डु बाँडी सक्यो पनि | तल्ला घरे काकाले ‘छोरो कि छोरी?’ भनेर सोध्दा, उसले चौडा मुस्कानमा साथ ‘छोरा’ भन्दा काकाले दुख्ने गरी धाप मारे दिवेशलाई | लड्डु पनि दुइटा मागेरै खाए | ‘छोरी भन्दा छोरा नै ठिक’ भनेर काकाले भन्दा दिवेशलाई काकाको सोचाई प्रति दया लाग्यो तर प्रतिउत्तर केहि दिएन | मुस्कायो मात्रै | आज उसलाई कसैसँग बहस गर्नु छैन | नत्र भनी दिन्थ्यो कि उसलाई पहिलो सन्तानको रूपमा छोरीको इच्छा थियो | त्यो त, उसकी पत्नीले छोरा पाउने रहर गरेपछी, ऊ पनि राजी भएको थियो |
दिवेश सम्झन्छ उसकी पत्नीसंगको कुरा |
‘पहिलो सन्तान छोरा कि छोरी?’ मैनाले लजाएर सोधेकी थिई |
‘पहिलो सन्तान त छोरी नै हुन पर्छ,’ उसले भनेको थियो |
‘नाइँ, छोरा नै हुन पर्छ | हाम्रो एक छोरा एक छोरीको सपना छ | पहिले छोरा नै भए ढुक्क हुन्छ | चाडै हुर्कन्छ, जिम्मेवार नि चाडै बन्छ |’ मैना भन्दै गई|
‘अनि पछी उसकी बहिनी आउँछे | अहिले काल-बेला यस्तो छ, दाजुको माया, आड अनि सुरक्षा पाउँछे छोरीले पनि | म घरकी जेठी छोरी भएर मलाई अहिले सम्म नि मेरो दाजु भए हुने जस्तो लाग्छ |’ केही गम्भीर हुँदै उसले तर्क गर्छे |
‘अर्काको दाजुले बहिनीलाई गरेको मायाँ देखेर नि मन कटक्क हुन्छ | नाइँ बा, म त मेरो छोरीलाई त्यस्तो हुन दिन्न |’ उसको मन अमिलो हुन्छ |
‘तिम्रो भाई छ, त्यो देखेर नि त अरुले तिम्रो इर्स्या गर्दा हुन् नि त्यो त’, दिवेश ले मुस्काएर भनेको थियो |
‘नगरेर भो त? त्यत्ति प्यारो भाई छ मेरो | आफ्नै छोरोझैं लाग्छ मलाई ऊ | ठूलो भैसक्यो, त्यै पनि काखैमा लिएर म्वाई खाइ रहुँ जस्तो छ |’ ऊ भावनामा डुब्दै थिई | ‘काले मोरो! अहिले छि:छि गर्छ, पहिला मैले माया नगरी हुन्नथ्यो | छोरीको जात नि कस्तो, त्यस्तो प्यारो भाईलाई छोडेर पराईको घर आउन पर्ने |’ उसको हँसिलो मुहारमा साँझ पर्दै गयो |
‘म पनि त तिमीलाई कत्ति माया… ‘ ऊ आफ्नी प्यारीलाई फकाउन खोज्दै थियो, मैनाले बिचैमा काटी | ‘मलाई त्यहि भएर छोरी होइन छोरा चाहिन्छ पहिले | छोरी पहिला जन्मी भने बिहे पनि चाँडै हुन्छ उसको | घर शून्य हुन्छ | छोरा पहिला भयो भने छोराको बिहे हुन्छ, परिवार बढ्छ अनि त्यसपछी छोरीको बिहे गर्न पो स्वाद | बुहारीलाई हेरेर भए नि चित्त बुझाउन त हुन्छ |’
मैनाको कुरा नि उसलाई सहि लाग्यो | आफुलाई छोरी चाहिए पनि, उसकी प्रियसीको छोरो पाउने रहरमा कुनै लैंगिक भेदभाव थिएन | ऊ त छोरीकै हितमा बोल्दै थिई | छोरीसँग लामो समय बिताउने कुरा गर्दै थिई | यो कुरा दिवेशलाई पनि मन परेको थियो |
‘तर तिमीलाई लाग्दैन छोरी पहिले जन्मी भने ऊ आत्मनिर्भर हुन सिक्छे, आफैँ लड्न र आफ्नो सुरक्षा गर्न सिक्छे | ऊ कसैमा भर नपर्ने हुन्छे, होइन?’ दिवेश ले जानी-जानी मैनाको कुरामा अहिले नै हो मा हो मिलाउन खोजेन |
‘त्यो त ऊ जसरि नि हुन्छे | हो दाजुको आड पाउछे तर ऊ कमजोर हुन्छे भनेको होइन |’ मैना हाँसी | ‘दाजु भए दाजुसँग लाडिन्छे, जिस्किन्छे, अझ बढी माया पाउँछे पो भनेको त |’
‘त्यो त हो, मलाई नि लाग्छ मेरी बहिनी भएकी भए म कत्ति माया गर्थें होला उसलाई भनेर |’ अब दिवेश घोरियो |
‘ल त्यसो भए पहिला छोरा अनि छोरी है त?’ मैनाको मुहारमा फेरी घाम उदायो |
‘हुन्छ हाम्रो इच्छा त्यहि भो | अब भगवानको मर्जी |’ दिवेश नि मख्ख पर्दै मैनालाई अँगालोमा बेर्यो | मैना लाजले भुतुक्क हुँदै मनमनै इश्वरलाई ढोग्दी भई |
साह्रै प्रसन्न मुद्रामा दिवेश घर पुग्यो | मैना छोरोलाई स्तनपान गराउंदै थिई, एकोहोरो त्यो बालकको मुहार हेर्दै | त्यो बालकले उसको छाती चुस्दा, त्यो दुखाई अब दुखाई होइन, उसलाई त्यो प्रिय भएको थियो अनि आनन्दमा परिणत भएको थियो| छोराका कोमल अंगहरु मैनालाई फूलका पत्र भन्दा नि नरम अनि सुन्दर लाग्न थाले | काखमा टुपुक्क भएको त्यो शरीर उसलाई शरीर नभई आफ्नै मुटु सम्झन्थी | त्यो बालकले लामो श्वास लिँदा, शान्तसँग छाती उठ्दा र बस्दा मैनालाई यति आनन्द आउँथ्यो कि उसले त्यो स्वर्गीय सागरमा कति डुबुल्की मारी उसैलाई हेक्का छैन | ठीक त्यसै बखत दिवेश घर पुग्यो | अनि त्यो सबै ऊ नियाली रह्यो | आज उसका हरेक सपना पूरा भएका छन्, ठीक उसकै अगाडि | ऊ पनि मग्न भएर त्यो आनन्दको सागरमा डुबी रह्यो |
‘के हेरेको त्यसरी?’, मैनाले लाजको पोको बिस्तारै फुकाउँदै सोधी | त्यस बखत उसले किन सरमको ओढ्ने ओढी, उसैलाई थाहा भएन |
‘थाहा छ मैना, जब मैले तिमीलाई पहिलो चोटि देखेँ तब तिमी जस्तो सुन्दर कोहि लागेन | तिमीमा बालापन थियो, हँसिली थियौ, चुलबुले थियौ | तिमीसंग प्रित बस्नु कुनै आश्चर्यको कुरा थिएन | बिस्तारै तिमी फक्रदै गयौ, अझ सुन्दर हुँदै |’ दिवेश गम्भीर हुँदै गयो | ‘समयको चक्र घुम्दै जाँदा तिमी परिपक्क भएको हेरें, तिमी चन्चले केटीबाट एउटा जिम्मेवार युवती भएको पनि मैले देखेँ | तिमी जति बद्लिन्थ्यौ उति सुन्दर हुन्थ्यौ |’
दिवेशले यसो भनि रहंदा मैनाको मुटु ढुकढुक गर्दैथ्यो | आज ऊ किन यो सब भन्दैछ ऊ अनभिज्ञ छे | तर ऊ दिवेश लाई रोक्न नि चाहन्न किनभने उसका वाणी आकाशबाट पुष्पवर्षा भएझैं रोमान्चित गराउने खालको छ | उसलाई सुनी रहुँ लागेको छ | दिवेश आज उसलाई बिशेष आकर्षक लागेको पनि छ किनभने दिवेशको आँखाको गहिराईमा उसले अविरल माया नै माया देखेकी छ | केवल उसको लागी |
‘हाम्रो बिहेको दिन जब मैले तिमीलाई दुलही भएर मेरो नजिक आउँदै गर्दा नियाँले, लाग्यो यो संसारमा तिमी जति राम्री न कोहि थियो न कोहि हुनेछ | त्यसपछीका दिनमा मैले तिमीलाई हरेक दिन अनेक रूप, रंग अनि अवतारमा देखेँ | हरेक चोटी तिमीले मलाई चोर्यौ | कयौं चोटि म तिमीमा लीन भएँ र तिमीमा हराएँ | तर तिम्रो सुन्दरता कहिले नि हराएन |’ दिवेश ले यति भन्दा मैनाको गह भरिएर आयो | आज उसका खुसीका लहर उर्लिएर आएको छ, कुनै बाँधले छेक्न नसक्ने गरी | मनको कुना देखि खुसी सोहोरिएर मैनाको दुई आँखामा आएर ढिल्पिल-ढिल्पिल गर्न लागे |
‘तर मैना..’, दिवेश बोल्दै गयो | ‘त्यो सबै खुसीका पलहरु केहि होइन रहेछन् | संसारको सबै भन्दा खुसीको क्षण ती कुनै होइन रहेछन् |’ मैना थोरै झस्की |
‘प्रिय मैना, संसारको सबै भन्दा खुसीको क्षण र सबै भन्दा राम्रो दृश्य – ‘आमा”, यति भनेर दिवेश मुस्कुरायो |
खुसीले हरेक बाँध तोड्यो | मैनाको आँखाबाट खुसी बडा-बडा ढिका बनेर उर्लिदै बग्न थाले |

Pic courtesy: www.stjosephschoolaquem.net

Perks of a relationship?

July 22, 2014May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

“Life does not work that way sweetie”, he told her. She continued to look outside the window, not caring what he said. He was irritated by that act of her. He knew life comprises of both happiness and sadness. But she would not listen. So, he headed outside, got inside the car and drove off. She kept staring at the distant sunset. She loved the scene.

“I don’t understand the way she behaves.” Rick unfolded his irritation to his mate, Marvin. “All she wants is happiness from dawn to dusk. Even the hint of sadness troubles her. She fails to understand that happiness is not the absence of problem but the ability to deal with it. There are going to be problems in life. No one baths in only merriment, do they?” Rick lit the cigarette and kept on gazing the newly formed cloud that originated from his mouth.

“Rick clearly is frustrated”, thought Marvin. He grabbed the hamburger that was just brought by the waiter and gave a huge bite. He was so hungry; only he knew that. “One hell of a burger”, Marvin spoke in a low tone.
“What?” Rick was startled.
“Life is hell when the couples have a dispute, man.” Marvin managed to correct his err. “I think you guys need to be more open. All you have to do is listen to one another and figure out the differences. Work on that and it’s gone.” He smiled. Marvin always had quick and no-nonsense suggestions. No wonder Rick was there with him.

Rick did not speak a word. After three more slow and long puffs, he broke the silence. “May be you are right. She needs to listen to me. Not avoid me.”

“And you have to listen to her too” said Marvin with a wry smile.

Amanda was on the balcony when Rick reached home. He saw her looking at him. She looked beautiful even in the blurry light of the balcony’s bulb. The cool breeze was messing with her hair. He had always loved that sight.

He went to the balcony and noticed that she looked prettier than before. “Amanda”, he began. “Let’s not have a dispute on silly things. One must not always yearn for happiness. There will be sadness knocking at the door every now and then. Let’s face those situations together. You have to comprehend that, sweet heart.” Silence ruled over for sometime. Rick broke it again. “You see, life is not about roses only. Please understand that every rose has its thorns.”

Amanda looked at Rick, smiled a sweet smile and said, “Rick, my darling, I don’t want roses. I want Jasmine.”

The grumpy old man

June 29, 2014May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

It was cold day of mid December. Cloudy, dark and it seemed it would rain heavily. Mr. Hans did not need any weather forecast to carry an umbrella and a bulky warm coat. His experience was enough for him to prognosticate things. Whenever others advised him to do things which he did not feel like doing, he would have a go at them saying ‘how many freaking years have you lived son? More than me? No? Then shut your mouth up’. And he would leave with a sarcastic laugh, nodding his head. No one would dare to speak to him after that. 

Mr. Hans predicted things quite astonishingly too. Once the radio forecasted that it would rain heavily. But Mr. Hans looked at the sky, smirked and refused to take umbrella with him. He said, ‘do you really think it will rain? These dark clouds will flee to some other land with the help of winds. It will be sunny day in an hour or two. Give me my sunglasses instead’. And he marched on. And after some hours, it really was sunny and hot. Everyone was stunned. 

But that very day of mid December, it never rained. Mr. Hans returned with a miserable face in the evening. Everybody looked at his face and saw that he was sad about his failed prediction.  He quietly entered the home, placed his umbrella beside the chair and perched. He stared at the umbrella for a long time and said,  ‘Damn it! I have become too old now. I mistook umbrella for my stick.’ He joked and laughed.   

                                                            ~~~~~~~~the end~~~~~~~

THE DREAMER

June 27, 2011May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

I was nearly there at the pinnacle of the world. 8,848 meters seemed some inches away. It was quite an achievement. I could finally smile with the snow eaten lips. No they didn’t hurt but gave me the impression of a true achiever. As I reached the apex of the globe, the first word I yelled was ‘EVEREST.’ Yes, Mt. Everest. I did it when the rest of the world doubted in me. Hell yeah, I was on cloud nine and it felt exceptional. I closed my eyes in unimpeachable satisfaction. All I heard was my best song (you raise me up) playing in the background. ‘You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains’, was what one of the lines said which was very exact there. That was quite a moment. I opened my eyes.

‘Gosh!’ I screamed. I was in bed and that very song was set by me as an alarm in my iPod. Aw! My dreams shattered in pieces in just a jiffy. I sneered at myself.

‘5:00 AM, time to jog my friend’, I suggested my inner me. Within fifteen minutes I was all ready to dance down the muddy lanes of Kathmandu. Dressed in a black track suit, I observed myself at the mirror. ‘You look good, sir.’ Ignoring the pimples at my cheek, I rated myself. In the meanwhile, the reflection on the mirror was smiling. (Well, positivity does the trick so easily, doesn’t it?)

Jabbing the earphone in my both ears connected to the iPod at the other end, I lurched towards the park. My pair of Nike shoes produced a hop-hop sound every time I landed on them. In no time, my lungs started to swell and I felt like the world was going to culminate. I remembered my dream where I scaled the highest cliff of the earth. I laughed. ‘Mount Everest, huh?’ I asked to myself. With this stamina, I would climb the Everest when pigs could fly.

I must have covered halfway to the park when the 30 minutes long Tibetan music came to an end in my iPod. Next Tibetan music started when I crossed the holy temple of Lord Shiva at my left. The rain overnight had made the paths muddy and I could also see a number of small water pools in between the concrete roads of Kathmandu. ‘Wow! Development’, I threw a sarcastic smile and continued to jog as the crows fly. The music in my iPod was still at its best where the Tibetan people were hymning ‘Om Mane Padme Hum’ in a mellifluous tone. It sure was soothing.

‘Pathetic’, I squeezed my nose when I reached the bridge of holy river Bagmati which flowed at the heart of Kathmandu. And possibly each passer had the same reaction unless he was hit by the common cold. In a great velocity, I left behind the river where green water flowed. Was that even water? Was that even a river? I pondered. I would have called it ‘drainage’.

Despite the negatives, Kathmandu is not an ugly city at all. The city has rich history of nearly 2000 years and enjoys a cosmopolitan culture as Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and other religious believers also live here. The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped valley in central Nepal surrounded by four major mountains, namely: Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. Nepali is the common language of the city, though many speak the Nepal Bhasa Newari as it is the center of the Newar (meaning: citizens of Nepal) people and culture. English and Hindi are understood by all of the educated population of the city. Besides, a significant number of the population speaks any of the foreign languages like: French, German, Chinese, Hebrew, Korean and so on. The literacy rate is 98% in the city which is pretty impressive compared to the 53.7% of the whole country. The other integral part of the Kathmandu is its cultural heritage. UNESCO has recognized all the monuments of Kathmandu valley as “Kathmandu valley- UNESCO World heritage Site” making it one of the hottest tourist destinations of the world. Furthermore, the history of Kathmandu dates back to the ancient times. Archaeological explorations indicate that Kathmandu is one of the oldest towns and is traced to the period between 167 BC and 1 AD.

‘Only the unplanned urbanization ruined my city’, I assumed as I jogged closer to the Park I was heading for. By then, other two older joggers were following me to the same destination but they were on the merry conversation of mocking the politicians of Nepal. Well to be honest, our politicians deserved a nice kick at their butts.

‘Only these selfish, egocentric politicians robbed the charm of this Nation, this city’, one of them said. I silently backed his line.

Kathmandu is the lovely city named after a structure in Durbar Square called Kasthamandap. In Sanskrit, Kastha (काष्ठ) is “wood” and Mandap (मंडप/मण्डप) is “covered shelter.” This unique temple, also known as Maru Sthal, was built in 1596 by King Laxmi Narsingh Malla. The entire structure contains no iron nails or supports and is made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the timber used for this two-story pagoda was obtained from a single tree. Kathmandu is sometimes also called ‘Kantipur’ “कान्तिपुर“. “Kanti” is an alternate name of the Goddess Lakshmi, and “pur” means the place where such a goddess resides. Thus, the name Kantipur demonstrates the ancient belief that it is the place where Lakshmi dwells. No wonder why people were angered when the city with that sort of history and charm was under the weather. “This place could have been heaven, had the politicians introduced some wonderful plans’’, another man behind me made no bones about saying that.

It took me two Tibetan songs each of 30 minutes each to reach the park. As usual the park was packed with youths to olds. Youths believed in physical exercise like pushups, pull ups, stretching and so on while olds were more to meditation and yoga stuffs. Every morning a particular group of olds forced a laughter which they called ‘laughter therapy’. Even though without the certain reason, they forced themselves to laugh by throwing their hands upward each time following the loud laughter they made. Sometimes the laughter seemed so unnatural and irritating that I imagined them as a herd of goats bleating together. Having said that, I couldn’t deny that the laughter surely did the trick in their ageing life.

As habitual I headed towards the corner of the park to relish some serenity with the nature. To my amazement, there was already somebody else doing the yoga stuff unlike other days.

‘Beautiful’, I whispered and kept gaping at her.

What did I see was a striking girl of early 20s who was lost in her world of yoga. Her eyes were closed and who would have missed this golden chance to stare an angelic charm from head to the toe? I kept gawking.

Her stretching, her slow breathes, her lovely pony tailed hair, perfect figure and a charismatic face had already lured me. Her grey colored T-shirt embraced her tightly from neck to the waist. What a lucky shirt, I said to myself. And the black trousers ran down to the knees. She bowed down unaware of the fact that I was staring her. I could notice the butterfly (tattoo) right at the back of the neck under the pony tail. I didn’t know when I started smiling.

“Excuse me”, she caught me smiling after she opened her eyes like a bolt from the blue. ‘May I help you?’ she asked.

I smiled more. Well, she didn’t know that she already had helped me to grin and enjoy this morning.

‘This is my place’ I told hurriedly. (My place? I cursed myself for saying that. Seriously, my place? What was I thinking?)

‘I thought this park was public’, she shot back.

Well I was amazed by the response. I realized that I should really roll out the red carpet to impress her. It did not seem an easy task to be the cat’s whisker in her eyes.

‘I mean I usually sit here. And nobody seats here except me. I am almost alone in this part. No one really seats at this corner. So I was amazed to see you here.’ I corrected myself and tried hard to act decent.

She smiled. Now that was a real dilemma. (A girl’s smile is always confusing. It’s really hard to derive something from the smile of an unknown girl.)

‘Then, you can be here’, she said softly. ‘I haven’t occupied the whole realm.’

What?? An invitation to join her? Seriously. Her? I was dazzled. A beautiful girl in the public park invites you to join her. Who wants to say no?

I nodded and seated some meters away from her mat. But I could not stop myself from ogling her. Big eyes, perfect lips, slender body and magnificent smile. Earnestly I, in no time, made her the mother of my children in no time in my imagination. But damn it! Why the hell did the reality seem as stressful as the typical Nepali movie?

I wanted to make the first move. But I didn’t want to have a go with a full-steam ahead. So I checked my breath. I was not convinced. I checked again. Not bad but not great though. I cursed myself for not brushing my teeth in a good manner earlier this morning. If only I didn’t expend my time on that stupid facebook status, I would have had a great breath here and a confidence to win her heart within a flick of hand. Why did Mark Zuckerberg create that stupid facebook? I waste my precious time there just to update the stupid imaginary romantic statuses with a motive to attract the girls of my age and get more ‘likes’ and ‘comments’.

‘And here is the wonderful girl I’ve ever seen and I don’t smell good. Great!’ I thought to myself, disappointed.

I was muddled. Should I initiate the conversation? Should I not? The only thing I was sure of was my condition. I was clean bowled by her charm.

‘Are you new to this town? I have never seen you before.’ I asked as if I knew every girl of the town. Nevertheless, I managed to start the conversation and I was proud of my guts.

She didn’t reply that soon. And she didn’t throw a look towards me either. My heart started to pound. I thought I was too hasty or I reckoned that was not the best way to start the conversation. Her facial expression was not great either. But she remained quiet. Was that the lull before the storm? I feared.

Broking the silence, she managed to speak, ’yah! I am.’ She replied with a faint smile making me feel better.

‘I bet you have not visited this town then.’ I started to get better. ‘You know I’m free whole day’

She gave me a surprised look but she could not avert herself from stretching the corner of her lips. I felt heaven guessing what would come after. So I continued, ‘well then, we’ll meet outside the park at?’ I paused to make her say the time.

She remained soundless giving me a mini-heart attack. I waited for her reply eyeing every move of her. Her lump of hair slid down the head and tickled her front part of the neck. Subsequently, she moved it back hooking it behind the ears. She turned to me. Finally, I was relieved.

‘I hardly know you and this place. What makes you think I’ll happily go out with you for a lunch?’ She queried.

‘Oh! So you want to have lunch with me? Okay, that’s cool with me’, I smiled and waited the reaction.

‘Excuse me! When did I mention that?’ She quick fired.

‘Just now,’ I sounded cheeky. ‘I told you that I was free all day. I never told you the lunch stuff.’ (Well who would have missed this chance of showing how clever you are? Certainly not me)

She chuckled making me more lured to her.

‘Is that a yes?’ I raised my eyebrow.

‘Not that easy’, she managed to give another stroke to my heart.

‘Then?’

‘First I should know my guide’s name,’ she winked at me. And that came straight as a bullet and pierced my heart.

‘How much will be the wage of the guide?’ I grinned. ‘Akash is an expensive guide, you know.’ I indirectly introduced myself. After the brief introduction of both of us, we departed with a vow to meet later at the day.

Arati and I agreed to meet outside the same park at 2 PM. And I was already at the place before half an hour. To my amazement, the same polluted Kathmandu seemed much beautiful than before. Well that proves ‘beauty is feeling good.’

After departing with Arati earlier on, I took half an hour longer than usual to bath; I brushed twice, and smiled thousand times by looking at the mirror. (One charming girl can rock you, there is no doubt). I had my breakfast real slow but still the clock seemed stuck. ‘Why does the time move slow when you are going to meet a gorgeous girl?’ I thought and logged onto the facebook. Unlike other days, I ignored all the notifications and straightly went on to update the status.

‘I am impatient. Wanna live that moment real soon’, I posted. Within a moment, my best friend left a comment ‘Good Luck Pal’ as if he knew what I was craving for. I neglected his comment and signed off. After checking thrice in the mirror, I set the foot out of the home and I reached the Park half an hour earlier.

The first time I saw Arati, I thought that there was not a dog’s chance to go out with her. But how wrong was I. I actually was waiting for her to lunch together. Though I knew I had to wait her till the cows come home, I was ecstatic to experience the sweet pain of waiting someone very special. I was little nervous so I thought of chilling out by thinking her smile. I closed my eyes.

——————————————————————————

‘Hello Akash!’, A very sweet voice called my name. I turned around and my jaw became wide open. Arati looked super gorgeous in one shoulder light yellow dress. She wore attractive earpieces which kissed her neck. She had let her hair loose, absolutely untied unlike morning, letting them embrace her from back. And most importantly, she wore a smile. The smile so natural that outcasted all the make-ups. She looked pretty.

‘Am I late?’ She asked raising her eyebrows.

‘Better late than never’, I grinned. ‘You look lovely, by the way.’

‘By the way, huh?’ She intentionally contracted her face.

‘Uh-huh’, I replied in short, stopping myself very hard as I wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked. I just wanted to see her reaction.

‘You lie too bad’, she pinched me in my arm.

I beamed. I felt the sweet pain as that was the first contact that she made with my body. Well, not the exact kind of contact I’d yearned for but that was not too bad to start with. I’d love hundred pinches than no contact at all.

‘So where is my guide taking me today?’ she showed some concerns.

‘Any special place you want to visit, madam?’ I tried to impress her.

‘I’d like to eat first. I am really hungry’ came the reply.

‘Is there any Chinese restaurant around? I love Chinese,’ she revealed her taste.

‘Chinese?’ I thought to myself. ‘Chinese cuisine in Nepal costs an arm and a leg. Plus, it is not exactly a date to pay all by myself. I even don’t know if she is single or not. I would pay the bill happily but I’ll surely regret it later if she turns out to be in a relationship. That would be a formal robbing by her. What about a GTPS (Going together Paying Separate)? Well that won’t impress her either. Ah! What a situation, trapped either ways.’ I thought.

Okay I admit I asked her out; so literally, I got to pay the bill. But come on……

‘Any problem?’ She broke the silence forcing me to shut my imaginations.

‘No, let’s go. I will take you to the good place.’

I took her to the best Chinese Restaurant in the town. But to my amazement, the same Kathmandu seemed the best place on the earth when she was with me. The two well-dressed Chinese girls on the either side of the door bowed their heads joining their hands just to welcome us. There was no point on focusing their position as they were fully dressed from neck to the ankle. But I joined my hands and replied to their gestures. Arati smiled and I was wowed.

We selected the place with a road-view near the window. The window had no gorgeous scenes to offer than an irritating view of the packed road of Kathmandu. As we perched there, a Chinese guy with less hair in his face than a bald man’s head appeared with a menu and grinned two meters away from us. To be honest, he was hardly 25 and looked more handsome than me too (I got to admit it, unwantedly.) But who cared? I was the one with the stunning girl, not him.

‘You order’, I pushed the menu towards Arati. ‘I am not usual to these Chinese items.’

Perhaps she was stunned by my statement but she nodded and glanced the items listed in the menu. The Chinese waiter seemed ready to jot down the items. He waited with his pen’s cap open.

‘Two Orange juices. Fresh ones. Two Apple Dumplings with vanilla ice-cream and two Chinese noodles.’ She gave the order and that Chinese guy finally gave some privacy to us.

‘Dumpling?’ I asked back.

‘I bet you know dumpling. You have tasted it before. They are called Mo:Mo: here.’ She clarified.

‘Oh momo? I love it.’ I said to comfy her.

‘But you see, Apple Dumpling is special and can be eaten with ice-cream. I so much adore it.’ She licked her lips in imagination of ice-cream as she told about the apple dumpling. I got to admit that she looked sexy when she did that.

‘But God! Why do these girls adore chocolates and ice-creams so much? Sometimes I wonder if humans could marry ‘things’, most of the girls would probably marry chocolates or ice-creams. Nevertheless, that also reveals the weak part of the girls. Whenever we (boys) have to make them happy, we, without a second thought, can buy them a packet of chocolates or liters of ice-cream. That’s one of the easiest ways to get pinched in the cheeks or hugged tight.’ I said to myself.

‘Hmm, I think I should just observe you and even offer my apple dumpling to you because girls look prettier when they eat ice-cream.’ I flirted.

She giggled and bit her lips. I bet she looked the best at that very moment.

By then we were already having the cool sips of orange juice that the waiter brought when we were on the middle of the conversation. I, time and again, glanced at her and wished that she was single. She, in the meanwhile, played with her hair rubbernecking at the ugly streets. I noticed there was no ring on her fingers and I punched the air in delight on my imagination.

‘Here’s your Apple Dumpling with Vanilla ice-cream’, the young Chinese grinned.

‘Thank You’, she said smiling at him. (I could die infinite times just for the sake of that smile)

An apple dumpling was nothing but a pastry filled with apple, cinnamon and raisins mostly eaten with ice cream or in milk. Apples were peeled and cored, placed on a portion of dough, then filled with cinnamon and sugar. Then the dough was folded over the apples and the dumplings were baked until tender.

She was already in her favorite dumpling. She seemed to be enjoying that like she had missed it for ages. So I too took the spoon and had a go at it.

‘Akash?’ she called my name real sweet. (I realized how sweet your name sounds when the lovely girl calls you with all her tenderness) ‘Are you single?’

I nearly dropped my plate in quite amazement. I was surprised and stared at her with big eyes. The thing I couldn’t ask her was asked by her with ease. ‘Is this girl forward? Or is there any hidden power in that apple dumpling?’ I wondered. Heavens! I should have bitten the very dumpling first; I thought and remained quiet not blinking my eyes.

——————————————————————————–

‘Akash? Akash? Where is your mind?’ She poked me. ‘Did you have to wait long?’ I am sorry, I am a bit late.’ She said to me.

‘What?’ I was startled. I was in front of the gate of that very Park where we met earlier. And all I did was dream of her. I glanced at my digital watch, 14:10 was the time and literally she was late to arrive. Mathematically, she was10 minutes late and my dream lasted for 40 minutes. I felt shy when I supposed what people have thought about me? ‘A new gate keeper of the park in good dress?’ I cursed myself for being a dreamer.

‘No. Not at all. Just in time’, I made her feel cozy and forced a smile though I was fucked up inside.

‘So sweet’, she smirked in the same typical girly way which I adored. This proved I was head over heels in love with her.

‘Let’s go then’ she pulled me and I followed her as if I were the new face of the town and she was my guide.

A WORLD BEYOND THE SANITY

April 3, 2011May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

Robert is out of his adolescence. He turned twenty some days back. He is tall, lean and not that handsome. And unlike his friends he believes in prefect (true) love. He is against the notion to spend the time with every possible girl and make an affair. In other words, he considers that love happens once and lasts till the eternity. And he believes he has found his true love in Patricia.

It’s been two months since Robert had first seen her. And that first glimpse was ample for him to fall over her. She appealed him extra-ordinarily. She had long curly blonde hair. When she smiled, her face brightened up as a lovely sunny day with a dimple on her face. She was tall and had great figure. She was exactly the same type that Robert used to dream. No wonder that Robert was lured by the beauty of his dream girl.

Robert is a loner. Due to his leanness, low self-confidence and the fact that he has different perception about life, he is constantly bullied by other friends around. And he prefers to be alone. He has few friends and he doesn’t usually mark his presence at the social gatherings. Moreover, this lonesomeness has increased more since the day he met Patricia.

He loves sketching and writing. So he often throws himself to the lonely place where he can completely get lost in his sketching and the nature. He has a journal which he carries everywhere. He keeps himself busy in them and just neglects the world around him.

One windy evening, he buckled up and drove to the near hillock. Content with the environment, he went past the woods. As he laid down on one of the rocks, his eyes set the sights at the distant scenes. To his amazement, unlike other days, he caught a glimpse of a striking lady just some yards ahead of him. That was Patricia and that’s how he met her for the first time.

“Hello. I’m Patricia.” She tried to comfort the confused looking Robert who was still gazing her. It was evident that he was flabbergasted.

Robert did not even blink his eyes. For the first time, he wanted to talk to a stranger; that stranger who resembled to his dream girl. And he could not believe that she was with the first stride of introduction.

She was still waiting to Robert’s response with a smirk on her face which Robert thought was truly angelic.

“Hi, I-I am R-Robert,” he managed to reply in a shaky voice. That was the initiation of their secret relationship. Robert and Patricia, from then on, started to meet regularly at the same venue. They began to share everything and in no time, fell for each other. Robert was exultant that in spite of his weak physique and average look, she was in love with him.

Days passed on with Robert meeting her secretly. Robert started to pass most of the time in that very place with Patricia or sketching things in his room which made a further declination to involving in the family activities. There were days when he lingered quiet for hours in his room and sometimes he was caught with strange behaviors which made no sense. On the other hand, Robert was ecstatic to get Patricia as his love. Thus, he was having the time of his life.

One fine day, Robert’s dad, worried by his son’s behavior, thought to have some chat with him in the lunch time. He asked if he was in bedlam or anything was troubling him. He urged Robert to share his feelings and to reveal why he was no more social. But Robert acted insanely; he just did not listen to his dad. He skipped from one topic to another. He did not want to talk about nothing. He acted in a strange manner and started to yell at his dad with some disorganized speech. He, then, ran away towards the woods leaving his dad muddled.

Vexed by his son’s behavior, he decided to check out Robert’s room. The moment he opened the room, he was dazzled. All the things were in disarray. He then found the sketches of his son which made no sense. They were all pathetically penciled. Mortified with that, he opened the notebook of Robert. There, too, he found jumbled letters which were all over the place and made no logic. But somewhere in the middle, he found a sheet where he had described about Patricia and himself. But Robert’s dad was too worried to withstand all those mess and immediately called a psychiatrist.

The doctor marked his presence in no time and he examined all the things in Robert’s room. Robert’s dad managed to pour all the information about Robert to the doctor. He listened serenely how things turned worse past two months. The Psychiatrist demanded to examine his son without letting Robert know about that.

According to the plan, the psychiatrist observed Robert’s actions for quite a time. He then came to know how he behaves with his family, what he does and how he does it. But he was amazed to see him drive through the wood every single day.

So, one day, he followed Robert to the forest. And what he saw was an utter dismay. He watched Robert talking for hours, alone. There was not a single being but it seemed like he was talking to someone. Doctor understood the whole thing. He recalled how Robert had mentioned about Patricia and talking to her for hours in the wood. He, now, comprehended that he was talking to none other than Patricia.

He then drove back to Robert’s home where his dad was waiting impatiently. Doctor approached him and said,” Patricia, the girl, who your son loves, is not real. She is just an imagination of Robert which he takes as real. He is suffering from Schizophreniform Disorder.”

Robert’s dad was left stunned.

(Note: Schizophreniform disorder is a short-term type of schizophrenia, a serious mental disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. Like schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder is a type of mental illness, called a “psychosis,” in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. Although schizophrenia is a life-long illness, schizophreniform disorder lasts less than six months.)

John and his dear Granny

February 9, 2011May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

“Granny, look what my friend brought; a brand new PSP,” Little John rushed towards his grandmother’s bed with a big smile in his face. He was very joyful that he finally got the merchandise that he desired for. With the pocket sized silver coloured gadget, he went much closer to his Granny. But there was no reaction from her.

“Granny!!”, he shouted with fear.

With great difficulty she opened her eyes and gazed.

Her eyes were watery and they seemed tired as if she has worked all night long. Her hair was messed up and lips were dry. The wrinkles on her face were more evident and the face was swollen. She looked bluish.

The merriment John had in his eyes just vanished within a second for he had never seen his granny look more pathetic than that. He was frightened. He continued staring.

‘My dear Johnny’, she called him with sheer love. She knew that he was frightened of her condition. ‘Come sit with me.’

With trembling feet he walked closer and sat beside her. She held his hands and asked, ’Finally you got your PSP, huh?’ She tried to distract him.

‘What happened to you Granny?’ he asked with a shaky voice instead of answering her.

‘What happened to me? I am just fine.’ She forced a smile.

Johnny did not believe her because he knew if she were fine, she would not have been lying in the bed with the terrible face, sick voice and weak eyes. His face grew pale and he could not speak a word.

“John!” his mother exclaimed, “Don’t you have to prepare for your exam? Go to your room and prepare for it. Granny is just a little sick. Let her rest.”

John was in 10^th Grade and his finals were imminent. He was a hard-working guy and was one of the good students of his class. Apart from that, he had a lovely sense of humour and he was tremendously friendly. Because of that he was admired by all.

He went to his room with a very heavy heart. He loved his grandma and he could not see her that way. He opened his books but the concentration was never there. He kept on staring the books with granny in his mind.

“This way… this way”, he heard his father’s voice. He closed his books and rushed towards the granny’s room. He saw a man with long grey hair, ugly looking beard and small eyes. John didn’t like him as he looked more horrible when he smiled; he had a broken tooth upfront and a big scar on his forehead which was more like a wound created by a knife.

In no time, that ugly man and Johnny’s father lifted his Granny and put her in an ambulance. John was now clear that the ugly fellow was the driver of that ambulance. He kept staring to the ambulance while it raced towards the hospital. Nobody even told him to wipe his tears off. Those drops of tears kept on rolling down the cheek.

He went to his Granny’s bed. She was gone. He did not even know if she would be back. Beside the bed, a fresh Daisy was cheery on the table as usual. But it could not fascinate him this time. He turned towards his room ignoring its lovely scent. On the way back to his room, fishes in the aquarium danced as if they were having a great festival. With a miserable heart, he looked at them. But they were not blue like him and why would they be? Their Granny was not sick.

Days passed and his exams were going fine. He had worked his sweat off to secure the good grades. The only pain he had in his heart was his granny was not back from the hospital and he, too, could not go visit her as he was having exam. But he was always curious about her health and asked if she was fine to his papa and mama. And they used to convey him the positive news. He used to throw a relaxed grin.

One day when he was back from his school, his mother told him to get dressed up to see her Granny. He was happy as well as sad at the same time. He was frightened if she was in serious condition. But her mother said that Granny wanted to see him because she missed him. He managed to reveal a confused smirk.

On the way to the hospital, his mind was full of random thoughts. He didn’t speak a word. No awkward looking traffic men, no funny billboard, and other stupid acts on the street made him laugh. He had just that swollen face of her Granny on his mind.

“Johnny my son”, his mother broke the silence “Granny is alright.” He kept on staring the distant object.

After a little while they were both in front of a gigantic hospital. With an increased heart rate, shaky hands and feet and confused mind state, John entered the hospital. Fair looking mother’s face gave him a boost and convinced him that granny was okay but deep down he was afraid. The smell of the hospital was always a nuisance for him. This time, too, it was no different and he had to face it. He followed his mom with a pounding heart and the cries of other patients’ in pain did nothing to help him. Finally, they both were in front of the big room.

“Room no. 414, 4^th floor. Silence please.” He grasped this information with a single glance at the door and marched on. He noticed huge machines to his right and one of those showed the heart beat details of his Granny. Next to those machines was her sweet Granny, lying on the bed.

Her wrist was connected to the bottle, via pipe, which was hung just above her head. The bottle contained the water like liquid. He didn’t know what that was.

He stared his granny’s face. The face was much brighter than the last time he observed. It was no more swollen but the wrinkles were hanging loose. She seemed thinner yet beautiful than before. Her eyes were watery but not numb; they were more conversing this term. She looked livelier than before.

“Look, who is here,” she said with ecstasy, “my little prince.”

He got closer with a light heart as her voice seemed as dulcet as those merry days. She kissed his forehead and held his hand.

‘How are you, Granny?’ he asked with a smile in his face.

‘Much better now, sweetie’, she grinned.

‘Yeah, I can see that.’ He joked. ‘ You look as beautiful as a 18 year old girl.’

‘Naughty.’ She chuckled.

They conversed for some time as if they were having a party-time. That eased John’s pain of the heart as he was convinced that his Granny was getting better. In addition to that, his father also told him that the doctor’s words were positive about his granny’s health. He was happy to know that.

‘Why didn’t you come to see me these many days, huh?’ Granny pretended as if she were angry.

‘I wanted you to miss me,’ he revealed his sense of humour. He watched his Granny laughing louder. He felt greatest bliss and had teary eyes. He wiped them off with real pace to avoid her Granny’s sight at them.

‘So will you come to visit me more often from now onwards?’ she raised her eyebrows.

He wanted to say yes. Moreover, he wanted to stay there with her. But it was his exam that he should take care too. So he could not say a word for what he wanted was something he could not do.

‘He has exams, mom. And it is final. So he should be aware of that. He has to score good grade’, explained his dad. ‘So he can’t come regularly. But he will be here once in a while.’

John threw a faint smile for his father spoke the words of his mouth. Grandma kept staring at him and she too gave a sweet smile.

‘Oh yeah, I was just kidding with my prince. You need not come here often. I am getting better each day. See, I look better than before. You just keep your head cool and do your best. You need to score good marks.” Granny told John. ‘You just wait me at the home. I’ll be there soon as I’m getting better.”

John felt awesome. He wanted her to be back as soon as possible. He came to know that she had lungs’ problem and she would be back after some days with the completion of some minor operations. Having this information, he was ready to head towards the home.

‘Granny, I will see you soon there. Take care okay?’ John said with watery eyes.

‘Aww! Don’t do that I am very fine now. It’s just about 2-3 days more and I’ll be back at the home fit and fine. You take care of your studies’, Granny told in deep voice.

She embraced him very tight and kissed him. He then headed back home and started to study with happier mind. “Just some days more and she’ll be back home”, he thought and continued to concentrate on his study.

“Tring.. tring…” the phone sang loudly and woke him up.

“Who is calling this late?” he groaned with his eyes closed. He then turned the light on and glanced at the clock. ‘2 AM’ it showed.

The phone continued to sing in a louder voice. He quickly rushed towards the phone.

‘Ah! What a cold night?’ he murmured to himself.

He received the phone.

“Hello?”

“John?”

“Yes…”

Dad was on the phone other side. He was with Granny at the hospital. His voice was deep and depressed. John didn’t realize that as he was in half sleep.

“Call your mom, John”, he ordered.

John rushed towards his mother’s room. He didn’t know what was happening. He certainly had no clue. He forgot to ask to his father about his Granny’s health. He knocked his mother’s door.

“Mom, Dad is on the phone from the hospital,” he managed to utter only those words.

In a flash she came and received the phone.

‘What?’ she shouted in terror. ‘She is no more alive?’

All of a sudden tears started to flow from his eyes and turning to John, she said, ’Your Granny is no more son. She is gone forever.’

His feet started to tremble. He couldn’t withstand that. He landed on his knees. Tears started to rain from his eyes. He felt as if something is blocking his throat. His heart pounding and he felt an enormous pain in his chest. He could not speak a word. He thought of his Grandma. Only he knew how badly he wanted her back.

“It’s just about 2-3 days more and I’ll be back at the home fit and fine.” These words of his Grandma started to echo in his ears. The flood of the tears came down from his eyes because he knew that she would never come back. She was gone forever..

MICHEAL IS ONLINE

November 23, 2010May 31, 2026 Bhaskar Dhakal

“I love you, love”

“I love you more, sweetheart”

They hugged each other feeling the seventh heaven in each other’s arm. It was certain that their first kiss was coming. They looked at each other’s eyes. She appeared confident while he (Micheal) seemed a little shy as this was his first kiss. He blushed but he held his nerve and went on to experience the bliss.

“Tring…zzzzzzzzzzz…..Tring/………..zzzzz ………..Tring”The cell phone on the table started to sing and dance. “Oh Jesus!” he cried, wiped his eyes and glanced the clock-8AM. He hastily picked the phone up. “Hello……………” (Phone disconnected)He smiled. “Wow”, he said remembering the dream he dreamt about his first kiss. He gasped and talked to himself,”Micheal dude, You better get dressed up and hurry.”

AROUND ONE YEAR AGO

Moon was shining at its best proving it was a full moon night. Dogs were barking and the sound of a metal from the workshop nearby was distinct. A crowd of teenagers were partying around when the clock exactly struck 11 PM. But these things hardly drew any attention of Micheal as he was busy in his own realm. He was active in one of the chat rooms as he liked to make new friends. That day was as common as previous days because he was not finding anyone of his type. Most of the people of the chat room emphasized on advertisement or pornography. His zeal was fading away and he was somehow exhausted of that.

“Phew”, he sighed glancing the wall clock. Making new friends was his hobby but it seemed he had no luck on finding the kind of friend he was longing for. Irritation conquered him and he closed his eyes in anguish.

“Ding”, the alert sound of the chat startled him. He opened his eyes and stared the monitor. There was a private message from a girl named Sharah. He hustled and read the message, ‘Hello Micheal.’

He smiled and comforted himself. That was the initiation of their friendship. Days, weeks and months passed and they got closer and closer. Both started to trust each other in a magical way. They shared things and laughed together though they were far from each other. Micheal, citizen of USA and Sharah, a British proved no distance is greater for a friendship. Micheal started to fall over Sharah. From the day he met her, he stopped entering the chat rooms. He felt complete after the friendship with Sharah. Micheal, who was living a monotonous life, started to live a joyful life. He gained his smile back. Sharah’s words always urged him to be a better person. He developed positive thoughts and he discovered the splendor of life. Dreaming her every now and then was his daily schedule. He fell in love with her yet he feared to say it to her.

“Hadn’t we met that night, what would have happened?” he asked to Sharah with all the guts one night.

“We were destined to meet, Micheal; if not that day, we would have met another day.” she replied.

That made him so jubilant. He took the long breath and continued, “I never saw you before in that chat room, how did you come that particular night?”

For the moment, silence ruled the time. Micheal’s heart beat started to increase. He didn’t know what to do?

“Micheal, I split with my boyfriend that day. I was so lonesome and heartbroken that I needed something to distract myself from that chaos. So I entered the chat room in search of a friend who could help me to get rid of the havoc.” She replied after a long pause.

Micheal was stunned. He closed his eyes and took a long breath. That night, they conversed for so long as Sharah thanked Micheal for being with her in her hard times and making her smile. After that, Micheal pondered all night long. He could not stop thinking about her. He really loved her. But he was in dilemma whether to propose her or not after knowing about her completely. With the hope of dreaming her, he closed his eyes that night.

“Dear Micheal, You were the one who dragged me out of the world of turmoil. You pulled me into your world where you gave me every possible happiness. After I met you and got to know you, I started to smile and I gradually kept on forgetting my chaos. You showed me the light in my gloomy world. You were always sweet to me and made me smile whenever I was depressed. I like you Micheal, I really do. Yours Sharah”

Micheal was astounded to see the email, next day. He could not believe his eyes. He pinched himself, but it was a reality. “Wow” he shouted in joy. He got what he wanted. He replied her describing all the feelings he had towards her. He felt as light as air.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Sharah called her last week and gave a surprise that she was coming to USA. Finally, the special day for Micheal had arrived. It was already 8.15 AM in the clock and he had to reach the airport to pick her at 9.00 AM. So, he jostled to pick his love. On the way, he remembered how his life ‘U-turned’ after he fell in love with Sharah. She came as an Angel in his life who spread light and happiness in his overcast life. Her love urged him to be a better person by making him believe in self.
The plane landed after he reached the airport. He was so anxious to see her. He kept on stretching his neck to catch the first glimpse of her.

After a while, a gorgeous lady in lily white with a magnificent smile appeared. She too was very eager to see her best buddy. As soon as their eyes met, they hustled and embraced each other so tight that they felt paradise in each other’s arm. Few drops of tear rolled down their cheeks because they were experiencing the supreme joy. They were both so ecstatic to be with each other. After some refreshment, Micheal took Sharah to his favorite place for dinner, in the evening.

Micheal wore black and Sharah was in shinning red attire. She looked like a princess and Micheal couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Stop looking me in such a way”, Sharah was shy. She blushed.

“Who else could have seen this rare genuine exquisiteness?” Micheal flirted. Sharah smiled and gave a slight punch in his cheek. Micheal was busy staring her.

After they dined together, the soft romantic music grew louder in the background. Everybody went to the dance floor with their beloved. Micheal quickly got into his knees and asked, “Will you dance with me, sweetheart?” Sharah broadened her lips. Micheal fell in love with that smile. He had never seen a girl so fine-looking before.

“Not that easy, Mister”, Sharah wanted to judge him. He scratched his head, compressed his nose and gave a confused smile. “One second, Missy”. He vanished.

“Crazy boy”, she whispered and smiled by biting her lips.

“For the most beautiful lady”, he appeared with a bunch of red roses.

“My poor guy, so sweet”, she chuckled and threw him a kiss. They went on the dance floor.

Micheal was a horrible dancer, yet he managed to dance okay. Micheal looked at her. He was speechless to see that sort of charm. They were, hand in hand, delightful. Micheal loved the way she looked that night. He had never seen such an enchanter before. Her soft hair was hanging down on her shoulder and he held her hands tightly. He adored the way she danced, her slow and sweet tangle just made him lose in her. He enjoyed the way she stared him with those pearl like eyes. He could see the ocean of love there, so peaceful and homely. The quick breath of her made him warm inside. He wanted time to freeze right there.

Night grew older and they decided to walk home. Sharah’s hands were around Micheal’s right arm and her head on his shoulder. They were walking at a slow pace with complete silence.

Micheal broke the silence, “Sharah?” “Hmm”, she replied as if she were thinking something. “This is the best day of my life. I have never had this feeling before. You made my day, sweetheart”, he mentioned. Both remained silent for a while. Micheal glanced at Sharah. She seemed lost. But Micheal did not notice that.

“Will you marry me, Sharah?” he asked her though she never admitted that she loved him. Sharah was startled. She took her hands away from his arm and she stopped. Micheal got scared. He thought he made a mistake. “Sharah, is something wrong?” he asked with a heavy heart.

Silence once again became dominant. Micheal waited for her to reply. He continued to stare her weirdly. “It is not that easy for me to love you, Micheal.” She replied in a compressed deep voice after a long break.

Micheal got serious, “Don’t you love me, Sharah?” Sharah preferred to remain unspoken.

She was already disheartened by her beloved before. She didn’t want the same in spite of knowing Micheal would love her forever. She feared if she would lose Micheal in the same way she lost her ex. She thought of all the negatives and she did not want all those again. She just wanted to be free. Free like a bird and enjoy the beauty all around. But she could also not deny her love from him. She liked him too much. Micheal was a precious gem for her. She was just muddled. She couldn’t decide what was good for her. It was just the past that troubled her. The pictures of the past started to play in her mind. She glanced to Micheal, he looked wretched by her answer. She knew Micheal’s perfect for her. But it was the bygone that has been bothering her. She again glanced at Micheal, she did not want to lose him neither she wanted to hurt him.

“Micheal”, she called him pouring all her love. Micheal pretended as if he has not heard anything. Sharah became too emotional and called even more sweetly, “Micheal?”

“Yes”, he answered without looking at her.

“Love is not always explained in words, it is elucidated by eyes too.” She poured her love for him. Tears flooded down from her eyes.

Micheal looked at her eyes, saw infinite love for him. He wiped her tears, hugged her and said, “I love you, love”

“I love you more, sweetheart.” She responded. They looked at each other. Micheal still seemed shy but Sharah appeared confident. Micheal blushed as it was his first kiss. Yet he managed to hold his nerves and went on to experience the bliss.