Love Short Story – Her Valentine day
Photo credit: gracey from morguefile.com
Ranjana came to Ramesh and asked, “Shall I serve lunch for you?”
Ramesh answered without taking away his eyes from the monitor, “After some time”
She went to sweety’s room and asked her the same question. Sweety was texting her friends.
“No.” she said, her fingers flying over the keypad.
Ranjana went to the living room. She turned on the TV and watched the news. A minister’s wife was found dead in a hotel room in the capital. The news channel was showing intimate details of her life, her husband’s alleged extramarital affairs, and possible causes of her death. This was running with music and special effects. Before the police investigation, the news channel had drawn the conclusion that she had been murdered and her husband was the main suspect. Ranjana changed to another news channel, the same story was running with a panel discussion on it. She changed to several other news channels, but found the same story everywhere treating the death of the minister’s wife as entertainment. She felt annoyed, “What shameless and insensitive people!” She said and switched off the TV. She felt annoyed with Ramesh and Sweety too. It was a holiday even then they were busy and she could not understand what kept them busy.
They had moved to Bangalore from Lucknow a few months ago for Ramesh’s work. Ramesh was a software engineer and the company in Bangalore offered him better pay and prospects for advancement. Ranjana would have liked to work. She had an MA in English and could easily have found employment, but the girls in her family were not encouraged to go out and work. They could educate themselves, yes, but only because educated girls attracted educated grooms. In that sense, her education did not go waste as Ramesh’s parents approved of her.
VALENTINE DAY
Ranjana remembered her fears before marriage. She was from a well-to-do family. There were several helpers in her house. She had not done any household work earlier. She feared that how she would adjust to her in-laws, with new expectations. However, everything went smoothly. Her in-laws were very nice. Her life with her independent small family had also been very good.
For the last few months, though, she had been feeling as if something was missing from her life. Her son Suresh had passed the entrance examination and had gone to IIT Delhi to study. Ranjana’s daughter Sweety was busy with her college, friends, mobile, and computer. Ramesh used to continue his work on computer and mobile even after coming back from office. Ranjana imagined Sweety’s marriage in a few years’ time. Thought of the vacuum her daughter’s marriage would create in her life left her feeling depressed.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Sweety and Ramesh came there and asked for food. They preferred eating food while viewing TV. Ramesh turned on the TV. She brought food for all and started eating, some dance talent program was running on TV in which dance was less; it was more like gymnastic and circus program. Ranjana lost interest quickly. After food, she removed the dishes from the table.
After washing the dishes in the kitchen, she returned to the living room. Sweety went to her room. Ramesh was sitting there instructing on his mobile phone some of his office subordinates. Ranjana went to Sweety’s room. She found Sweety studying. Ranjana wanted to talk with her, but did not feel like disturbing her.
Ranjana went to the study and picked up a storybook. She sat down in a chair and started reading. The very first story was a romantic love story. Suddenly, she remembered that after two days was the Valentine’s Day. She remembered her earlier years of marriage. This day used to be very special. Ramesh would take her out to a candle light dinner and give her a beautiful gift. She could not think of how, when and why that continuity was interrupted. An idea occurred to her, and she smiled.
The following day when Ramesh had gone to the office and Sweety had gone to college. Ranjana switched the desktop computer on. She searched the Internet for a flower home delivery service and found one in the city itself. She dictated them to present a bouquet of red roses to Ramesh at his office address on Valentine’s Day. She felt a romantic thrill while doing so.
On valentine day after the departure of her husband and daughter to the office and college, respectively Ranjana cleaned and decorated the house. She brought some sweets from the market.
In the afternoon, she put on her best clothes, carefully applied some make up and started waiting for the evening.
Close to 4 pm, Sweety returned from college. She asked, “Are you going out Mom?”
She said, “No.”
“It looks as if you are going to attend some function.” Sweety said.
Ranjana did not want to disclose what she had in her mind. She did not say anything. She served her food. After eating the food, Sweety went to her room.
Ramesh used to come around 6 pm.
At 5.30 o’clock, the doorbell rang. Ranjana opened the door. Ramesh was standing there all smiles with a bouquet of red roses in one hand, a gift-wrapped packet in the other hand. He entered, gave the bouquet and gift pack to her and hugged her tight, whispering in her ears, “Happy Valentine day”,
It was at that moment only that Sweety appeared. Ramesh released Ranjana from his hug. Sweety was excited to see the roses and the gift. She snatched the gift packet, and opened it. There was a beautiful sari for Ranjana and a chudidar suit for Sweety. Sweety understood the reason. She took her gift and ran to her room shouting, “Happy valentine’s day”,
Ramesh announced in a loud voice, “We all are going out for dinner tonight”.
Ranjana felt like being under the first rain shower after a long blistering summer.
–END–
