The Overcoat Lady

Love Short Story -The Overcoat Lady
Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com

Like every nature lover, I also love the sea and the beaches.  I just love the way the rising sun gives a colorful appearance every morning as it wants to hold the waves of the shaky sea.  It was a day like every other day; I went out to enjoy a sunny dawn and beautiful sea shore.

I used to sit on one side of the beach and start making sketches as per my thought themes. This time I was looking for a True Love based theme. In the modern world where everyone is busy in own self; I was looking for someone interested in living that relationship philosophy by heart truly.  My eyes were in search of a scene, a scene by heart. At once I got distracted by a beautiful young lady passing by me. Her face, her eyes were so peaceful that her awkward dress went unnoticed. Once she has covered the distance, where my eyes lost contact with those most peaceful eyes I have ever seen I my lifetime, her not so good, in fact awful fashioned overcoat started disturbing me.

I collected my thoughts again and start searching for the scene based on the theme in my mind. But all in vein, she was attracting me towards her.  Earlier it was her eyes and now it was her OVERCOAT. My eyes took a round of the everyone around on the beach. The sun bath is like a boon and everyone loves to enjoy that, especially if your are on beach.  In the middle of people fully enjoying sunshine and the beach, the lady with a long overcoat sitting at one corner of the beach all alone , was striking in my mind like a big WHY?. I tried sketching the beach scene without wasting my precious time. I did Completed the sketch about in half of an hour. It was all set, the couples, the mother father, the families everything as a part of relationship philosophy.

Once I finished that sketch, my heart started fighting with my mind for the same issue, the lady with the overcoat. A lot of questions start flooding my mind

Who is that beautiful lady?

Why she is not following the culture of the beach?

Is she having some health issues? Don’t seems like? Then why?

Why her eyes seems so peaceful?

Why wearing such an old fashioned overcoat and that’s also at beach, where everyone loves to wear only the sufficient cloths?

Is she new to the culture?  Is she not a native? And a lot….of WHY’s????

and my so called friend my heart start instigating me for the answers. It was making me uncomfortable. As much as I know myself, it’s going to disturb me till I won’t get those anwers? Specially answer about why such an overcoat. To save myself from being more uncomfortable, I decided to approach and ask her. Perhaps, it was all awkward, to question someone about anyones dress. Its not counted as a part of etiquettes.

I reached the corner she was sitting. I passed a smile and a “hello”. Her peaceful eyes started shining and she passed a gesture of HI as well. I did started the questions about the weather , the beach, the sun bath. She started conversing about the same as well. Her answers, cleared me that she knows the culture, she is the native loves to take sun bathe every year .

At last I came with the BIG WHY QUESTION?.

In simple words I spelled out ‘ don’t mind, but at this place why you are wearing this overcoat???? It seems masculine fashioned. ???”

Showing full patience she smiled. Her beautiful eyes got bit colder. It was a total change of expression on her face. I was about to say sorry when she  looked at me and answered

“ I am collecting the sunshine for someone- someone who  cant come to collect but  love the way sun shines and spells its magic over the beach.”

She laughed and said ” I m collecting this for my loving  husband. Its his overcoat. He is suffering from cancer. He is at his last stage.He  is not able to come to enjoy beach and the sunshine. But he has been a great admirer. Today morning he told me, if it has been possible for me to go to beach and both have a sun bath. So for him I m collecting the sunshine in my overcoat and will pass her in the afternoon. He loves to wear it after this. That’s why. This masculine fashioned, old Overcoat.”

I was not able to say anything after that. She continued,

“He is the only person in my life and as per doctor advice he would not be able to live more than two weeks even. When he was healthy, he has fulfilled all my wishes always and now first time he has wished for something. So I am trying to fulfill that. I hope it would work.”

Then she got silent.  The lady and me sat there for 15 for minutes without saying a word and then she went away saying a cool bye and same peaceful eyes. The True love was reflected by her eyes. That’s why the eyes were so glowing, so peaceful , so satisfied. I got the answers to all my questions .it was  seems like , a single answer to all questions. I was overwhelmed by the answer.

I started thinking; there was everythng in what she said. I at once, took the paper and pen out from my bag and had something in my mind. Then suddenly my hands started sketching the all alone, young, beautiful lady, in overcoat. In other words, The overcoat lady, I named her so at once. I thanked god for the beautiful and meaningful dawan.

Now my sketch was having nothing other than the beach, sun and Overcoat Lady. But I found it complete. As per my thought, my theme, my idea,- relationships ;  it was perfect one and I named the sketch as well : The OVERCOAT LADY.

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