[Bittersweet Valentine – Love Short Story]
Bittersweet Valentine – Love Short Story
Image Credit: Eymery
His mood was somber. Varun could not stop wringing his hands while his brow was soaked in beads of sweat. He prayed to God to give him good news. After what seemed like an eternal wait the doctor finally entered the room and laid the biopsy report on the table.
“Mr. Varun, you have to be brave. Veena has a tumor in her brain and if it is not operated it will become malignant”.
“Doctor, will I lose the love of my life?”
“If the operation is not done in the next 2 days the consequences can be fatal”.
Varun thanked the doctor and left his chamber.
The operation was scheduled at 6 a.m. the next day. After 5 long hours the doctor came out of the operation theater looking exhausted.
“Mr. Varun, the tumor has been removed. We will have to keep Veena in the ICU for a day and then she will be shifted to her room”.
Varun did not speak any words. He just grabbed the doctor’s hands enthusiastically with tears silently rolling down his eyes. The doors opened and he saw Veena being wheeled out. She looked so fragile. The 5 year old had gone through a lot.
The doctor asked Varun to follow him to the office. He removed his coat, took a sip of water and looked at the helpless father. He gently squeezed Varun’s shoulders and made him sit. He smiled and said, “Mr. Varun you have a very sweet daughter”.
“Yes doctor. She is all I have ever since my wife Arundhati died in an accident when she was only 2. Thank you. You have saved my life”. The doctor nodded and said, “I can understand. Now go get some rest”.
The next day Veena was shifted to her room. Varun was with her all the time. Both of them were in a deep conversation. The doctor knocked and said, “I hope I am not intruding”.
Both Varun and Veena smiled. The doctor asked, “How is the little princess now?” Veena seemed excited and she was holding a photograph. She said, “I told daddy that mummy came last night and spoke with me. This is my mummy”. She turned the photograph and the doctor froze. Veena’ s mummy was Umesh’s ex-girlfriend. Dr. Umesh had never imagined crossing paths with Arundhati in this manner. The vivacious and stubborn girl he had once loved was no more.
20 years back. It was Valentine’s Day. Umesh was leaving the next day for the US to pursue his medical studies. Everything happened suddenly. He received a scholarship from one of the best colleges in the US and he had to leave in a day. But he could not go without telling his girlfriend. When he told her over the phone she was hysterical. So he decided to meet her and explain things. Moreover it was Valentine ’s Day. He decided to take the short cut to reach early and spend more time with her.
He had almost reached his destination when he saw a motorcycle badly damaged and a young man lying in a pool of blood. It was a deserted patch and there was nobody around to help the man. Umesh without thinking stopped his car and took the bleeding man to a nearby hospital. He was held up in the hospital because there were formalities to be completed. By the time everything was done it was very late to go and meet his girlfriend. Umesh decided to tell the truth. He called her on her mobile.
“Arundhati, I am sorry I am held up in a hospital. I was on my way to meet you and saw a man badly injured. I got caught up and will explain things to you once I meet you”.
The voice on the other end sounded furious and unforgiving. “Everything seems to happen suddenly in your life nowadays. You need not come and need not explain anything also. This is the end of our relationship”. And the line was dead.
Umesh called up several times but Arundhati had switched off her phone. She had an uncontrollable temper which blinded all reasoning and practicality. Her temper was a vice which nearly broke their relationship twice. Had it not been for Umesh’s level-headedness and extreme love for Arundhati they would have parted ways long ago. He wanted to meet her badly but the next morning he had an early flight and he had not finished packing. He just had a few hours left. He returned home and decided to call her from the US. After reaching the US Umesh tried contacting Arundhati but she had changed her number. The years passed but Umesh did not forget Arundhati.
A few days after Umesh left Arundhati had brooded and sulked thinking him to be a callous wimp. If he had true feelings he would have postponed his trip. As usual Arundhati’s anger had triumphed over her reasoning power. In the meantime her parents had fixed her marriage with someone. She got married but could barely sustain her marriage. Again it was her temper and unreasonable attitude that destroyed her marriage. She had met Varun when she was going through a difficult phase in her life and life had given her a second chance to be happy. Varun was aware of Arundhati’s weakness but he was mature and had been through life’s ups and downs several times. Varun was totally smitten by Arundhati and decided to cope with her weaknesses. Soon they got married and Veena was born. When Veena was 2 Arundhati had missed her step and fallen down the staircase. She was in coma for a week and passed away in her half conscious state.
Veena’s laughter suddenly broke Umesh’s reverie. Varun noticed that Umesh looked lost and asked, “Is everything ok?”
Umesh said, “Yes”. Varun said, “I have been saved twice by Samaritans- one is you and the other is the doctor who drove me to a hospital 20 years ago when I was lying by the road after being hit by a truck.”
Umesh could not believe his eyes. Varun was the same young man whom he had saved and in the bargain lost Arundhati.
Umesh went back to his chamber and sat down on his chair. As he pondered over the incidents of his life his eyes suddenly caught the date on the calendar. It was 14th February, Valentine’s Day. Umesh quietly murmured. “Arundhati, I am happy that you settled down with a worthy man. I was sad and also a tad guilty because I never got a chance to explain the whirlwind events that took place and I wondered how you were coping. But you were blessed with a loving family. Today I am happy and relieved that I saved your little girl’s life. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day”.
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