“May I?” Ritesh asked excitedly, extending his right hand towards Jeny while holding the ring box in his left. Ritesh loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with Jeny. ‘Instead of ‘You’ and ‘I’, let’s become ‘We’!’ he implored.
Hearing this, Jeny turned outrageous, and she immediately snapped. “We can either be friends or nothing. Moreover, I need to focus on my career.” “I can wait Jeny”, pleaded Ritesh, but she remained adamant. A deep sorrow weighed heavily on his chest.
Years passed. Ritesh tried contacting Jeny on several occasions, but she never answered his calls. Later, she changed her contact number. Gradually, he lost all hope and lived a lonely life.
Ritesh prospered in his career and was financially sound but never at peace. He lost his parents at a young age and didn’t have anyone to console him. His friends and relatives advised him to marry, but he could never get Jeny off his mind.
Ritesh often helped the needy and senior citizens. He had decided to spend his life with them after his retirement. The subsequent year, he retired and moved to a nursing home, 15 km away from his residence. He was in charge of new enrollments. One afternoon, while he was arranging some files, someone knocked at the door. “May I come in, please?” He adjusted his spectacles and looked at her, and jumped in exhilaration. “Are you Jeny Andrade?” he questioned excitedly.
“Yes, that’s me. Do you know me?” enquired Jeny.
“Hey Jeny, it’s me, Ritesh,” he responded.
“Oh, Ritesh! What a pleasant surprise?” Jeny expressed joyously.
“What brought you here?” asked Ritesh quizzically.
“Ah! That’s a long story,” she sighed
“I was working as an air hostess and travelled a lot. That’s when I met John and got married. But within a year, he left me for another woman. I returned to India and stayed with my parents. A few years later, my parents, too, met their fate in a car accident. My younger brother got married and settled in Europe. I took tuitions and taught kids, but I did not find solace. Loneliness started killing me. One day, my eyes fell on this nursing home and I instantly decided to invest my time and help them run some errands.” Jeny narrated.
“That’s a good thought,” expressed Ritesh.
“How did you land here?” asked Jeny.
“I retired two years ago and since then, I have been working here,” answered Ritesh.
He continued, “I tried to get in touch with you several times, but you had closed all doors.”
“I am sorry,” confessed Jeny.
“It’s ok Jeny. I guess we were destined to meet here.” Ritesh smiled
“Will you marry me?” asked Ritesh as he opened his closet to pull out the same ring from eons ago.
“At this age?” retorted Jeny.
“Well, age is just a number. May I?” he checked, and Jeny immediately accepted the proposal while whispering the three golden words, I Love You.
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She writes poems in English and Hindi. Some of her poems and articles are published in the Book Speak Your Mind, You are my Valentine, The Road Taken, Hat tip, The teacher I will never forget, Yes boss, Life on track and Lockdown Diaries. She has contributed to many other anthologies which are in the pipeline. She also writes for YourQuote.com. Her poems are deeply appreciated on Social Media. She also writes for the Asian Literary Society group and has received many certificates for the same. She received 2nd prize for her story “Doctor's Prescription” in the Annual wordsmith award 2021, organized by Asian Literary Society. She won 2nd prize for her poem “Never be defeated” and 3rd prize for her article “Ways to Happiness”. Organized by Impish Lass Publishing House.
She loves to listen to music and watch comedy shows/theatre. She can be contacted on shelshri@yahoo.co.in
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