LIFE and LOVE: The HUMAN Way – Valentine’s Day Love Story

This short story became SPIXer (Most popular story) on 12 May 2012

This short story is participating in Write Story from Picture India 2012 – Short Story Writing Competition. 

Dream certainly is a thing that drives us forward and help us to achieve the landmark set. Dream may be a virtuous one or may not be of that kind. But, one thing which is free from doubt is that dreams are the driving force. I, Brittany was no different. I too had some dreams of mine, dream of having a wealthy and a peaceful life filled with all the ingredients of love and happiness along with a regal surrounding. I was born in a time where knowledge and accomplishment meant everything and I was no different from anyone else, I too thrived and struggled to gain those.

Got into a school which was considered to be the elite and as per my expectation and expectation of my family, I did manage to crack the top of the charts which took me one step closer to having that life I desired to have someday. With all the success of my schooling behind me, it cleared all the qualms if ever there were any. The college days were no different in the context of my success in education, but as I grew older the essence of joy and happiness which once occupied the greater part of my life didn’t manage to be the same. It was more of hard work than happiness, more of struggle than light-heartedness. My life was certainly maturing and so did my thinking. I started to sacrifice sleep in favour of my studies so that I could make more out of the time I get. I could see my dreams coming true in the near future, until this guy named Tony who was a college-mate of mine became a part of my life. This certainly was a turning point in my life. Life became more of a ‘Life’ and not a dream chase, I sacrificed all my dreams as most of the girls do, not because I was forced to do so instead, it was because living a life being loved by someone gave greater happiness than any of my success in studies, but my journey of clinching a respective bachelor degree to be printed alongside my name on my wedding card continued. Life being in love sometimes is the best thing you can yearn for, if everything’s going well, but if you have place for misunderstandings in your relationship then it certainly isn’t going to be easy which was not a case in my relationship with Tony, he was the best of the boyfriend’s a girl can ever come across.

Love, often is the hardest thing to recognize. Some recognize it too early and make a mistake which will ultimately lead to part their ways while some fail to recognize it and make a mistake, but of a different kind from the one committed earlier, you probably want to be in the latter case rather than the earlier one. Any girl would find it hard to realize who is the right guy to her and I was no different. There were many moments which I considered before considering giving my heart to Tony, of course giving your heart to somebody isn’t really in your hands, but this is that moment which I consider as the most romantic one I have ever experienced simply because I believe words are the greatest means of romance.

This comes to those days when Tony was just a friend of mine whom I knew then for more than a year. Tony’s mom was not at home and Tony had just returned home from his Football practise and was searching for something to quench his hunger simultaneously while texting me, the romance in the conversation that followed is better understood reading it than me describing it,

Me- while you try to find something to quench your hunger, I will have a glass of milk along with some yummy bourbon biscuits ;)

Tony- what? Bourbon biscuits huh? They are my favourite.

Me- ya ya I know :)

Tony- great so won’t you share them with me? :)

Me- share? Why should I share them with you?

Tony- oh come on girl, you know I love bourbon biscuits and I want to have some of them. :)

Me- hey no, no. Those aren’t for sharing, I will eat them all by myself :)

Tony- hmmm, fine here’s a deal, you eat half and give the remaining half to me. Okay? :)

Me- half-half huh?

Tony- yeah :)

Me- why half-half?

Tony- simply :P

Me- hey don’t lie, tell me now. Why half-half?

Tony- you said you wont give a full biscuit, so I said half-half ;)

Me- yeah, but you could have said half biscuits for you and rest to me, so tell me why you said half-half?

Tony- well, fine so you wanna know why half-half huh? :)

Me- yeah :)

Tony- it’s because when you split a bourbon into two, one part will have more cream and the other will have less. So the half with more cream will be mine :) ;)

Me- hey, there will be nothing like that. You are lying, you meant to say something and you are saying something else now. Go liar.

Tony- hey really girl, try it yourself if you want :)

Me- hmmm, whatever Liar.. .

Tony- :)

Me- so did you find anything to quench that hunger of yours?

Tony- no :(

Me- hmmm, I remember you saying you write poems. So.. .

Tony- so what?

Me- write a poem or some lines on me and I will give you bourbon biscuits :)

Tony- well, really! :)

Me- yeah :)

Tony- but, it will take some time to write. I will write the poem tomorrow now give me those bourbon biscuits :)

Me- hey no no. Write now itself and send me soon. I will be waiting. Dont text me untill you send that writing of yours.

Tony- okay :)

Me- completed writing so soon?

Tony- no girl when did I say so?

Me- then why did you text?

Tony- hey I just said ‘okay’

Me- whatever, dont text now. Write and then text. :)

After about an hour Tony sent me the lines written not on me but on our relationship he said and they read as follows,

 

Oh I remember, I remember the day when we first nattered.

It wasn’t planned and neither was it fancied, but it was destined.

It hadnt been anyone before thou, and tough to find another you.

Many folks were around in the vicinity but couldn’t find anyone closer to you.

Tough is what it is to say why only you?

Probably it was only you who sort of comprehended me,

Probably it was only you who even when hurt winked at my mistakes,

Probably it was only you who never wanted to leave me when in squabble.

Probably it will only be you.

Uncanny is how it’s all panned out, yet there’s a feeling of unification.

Straightforward isnt what it was, there were moments of elation and so were depression.

Trust is what has been inadequate, yet there’s a hope that someday it will be quashed by faithfulness.

Even after this voyage there still surrounds a feeling of voidness,

Perhaps it will end with that, yet there’s a hope of eternal bondness.

For once there will be a day when we would say,

“Oh ever remember, remember the illustrious days when we were part of each other’s blissfulness n dolefulness”

 

Me- aww how sweet?! Really, you are some talent dear. You really are! :)

Tony- well, you liked it?

Me- liked it? I just loved it :) No words to express how good that was!!

Tony- :) so where’s my bourbon? :)

Me- well, I wont share them with you :(

Tony- why dear?

Me- when have I lied to you? And why will it end “that way”?

Tony- well, I didn’t say you lied to me, but the fact is that sometimes it’s hard to digest the things which you say. And to answer to that latter part of your question, well, I dont know I felt it that way.

Me- well, let’s hope that whatever you have hoped for will turn true :)

Tony- yeah :) but my bourbon? :'(

Me- oh k k now dont cry I will eat half bourbon biscuit and will spare the remaining half of all biscuits and will courier it to you right now :)

Tony- :) :)

This was one of the many instances that I remember from the build upto our happy relationship.

It was february the 14th and a special day for every couples and it was no different for us. Tony had invited me for a candle light dinner. Words fail to express how ravishingly decorated that place was,  Really! The place looked as if it was next to heaven if not heaven. Those red heart shaped cut- out’s, those roses smeared all over my name Brittany, the candles, petit fours and the sweets placed in sectional heart designed server, those hanging love sign birds, those crystal florida red rose in that heavenly white crystal vase. And there was a table whose plane was a heart shaped one painted in red and those chairs had a lovely curves of heart shaped cushion painted in red to rest our back. Man it was really such a beautiful place to be at!! It was simply mind-boggling.

As I sat on those beautiful looking chairs, Tony knelt down, held a rose in his hand and proposed me in a manner which cannot be expressed in words except for saying the lines which he had framed for me,

 

“Will you be the queen of my kingdom?

Will you be the sun of my sky?

Will you be the honey of my beehive?

I might forget to say how much I love you sometimes,

I might forget to say what you mean to me,

But never ever I will hurt you, never ever I will let you down,

Never ever I will let you have a complain about me, never ever I will forget you,

Never ever I will let anything come in between us.

Will you be the queen of my kingdom?

Will you be the sun of my sky?

Will you be the honey of my beehive?

Will you be my life?”

 

I was just awed and I was as happy as a sandboy, probably I was the happiest valentine on that day. He simply was at his romantic best. I accepted the Rose and his proposal which anybody would have done even if they weren’t in love with Tony, simply because they would fall in love with him after listening to his proposal. We had our dinner and it was by far the best dinner I have had all my life not because it tasted that good because it was with a person who loved me that much. Ofcourse, the dinner tasted good to be fair to the cook.

After the dinner Tony took me outside the dinner hall located in the first floor to the open air to the natural light of moon. It was here where we took our first valentine day photograph. Tony placed that camera of his on the tripod and set the camera to 15 seconds timer before it could click our photograph, Tony rushed towards me and made me to sit and he knelt down on his knees with a Rose and asked me to pose as if I’m accepting his proposal. I too knelt down and accepted the Rose and hugged him and there was the click, the first ever valentine day click of both of us together. It was a day to remember. It was heavenly.

 

***

Days passed by and our relationship was no more like what it was in the beginning. The trust started to fade, the dreams of us living a happy life were beginning to be replaced by dreams of having money and living a luxurious life with no constraints and the love which once was binding us started to let loose. Probably it was me who was more leaned towards being set free from all these family bondages. Tony did try to hold onto the relationship and did show signs that he didn’t want to lose me infact he loved me more than anyone could, but with all the doubts and constraints that he started to put didnt get on quite well with me and hence I had to part way and start a new journey towards my dream of having that happy and luxurious life which I once yearned for.

Two years passed by and I was 25 and my parents decided that it was time for me to marry and they decided to look for a guy who suited me the most. A guy who’s rich enough to look after all my needs and deeds. After months of search they did find a guy to whom I was married to, a guy who had all the qualities which my parents were looking for perhaps, he was more rich than what I expected my fiance to be.

Post- marriage life started to lose it’s shine as I would sit all day in a big bungalow with nobody to talk to and call onto when I need someone, since my husband would be busy working 11 hours a day every 6 days of the week.

 

***

It was february the 14th the first of my hopefully many valentine’s day with my husband and guess what it was no different to a normal day which I used to spend sitting in that boring TV room all alone watching those boring serials. This is when I started to realise what a blunder I have committed by ditching Tony who loved me like anything. Perhaps someone has said it right, “There are things that money can’t buy and happiness and love certainly does fall under those precious things.” I called Tim, my husband to check out when he would be returning home and taking me to that much awaited dinner which I yearned for. Tim asked me to come directly to that hotel where Tony had invited me to that unforgettable candle light dinner on that night of the 14th of February a couple of years ago.

Tim had informed me that he would join me by 8:30pm, the clock ticked to 9pm and there was no sign of him coming yet and I decided to move to that place where I and Tony took our first valentine photograph. I sat on that same place where Tony had asked me sit and give a pose for that proposal of his and recollected those pleasant memories, I was so involved in recollecting those days that I could see that camera of Tony’s, resting on that three legged pod, and I could see Tony who started to sing that song which he had written once just for me,

 

“Queen, oh queen of my heart.

Listen, here’s a song for you tonight.

Now, I am spending all my night’s, in the hope that you will be mine.

Oh, yeah.

Now, I am starving for your love.

Now, it’s all about your move,

May be I know, baby I know,

oh baby I know.

You, you are the queen of my heart.

Oh baby, you will be the queen of my heart.

This life is in search of you now,

In search of you girl.

Search, a search that will lead, that will lead n end

up with me,

Oh baby, with me finding your love.

Queen, oh queen of my heart.

Listen, here’s a song for you tonight.

Now, i’m spending all my night’s, in the hope that you will be mine.

Oh yeah.

Now, it looks like we’re not, we’re not meant to be united.

Now, it looks that you arent mine,

May be I know, baby I know,oh baby I know,

You, you are the queen of my heart.

Oh baby, you will be the queen of my heart.

This life can wait for you girl, can wait for you till

the end of it all,

But, yeah, yeah I do realise,

Realise that we arent meant to be,

Realise that it wont ever work,

Realise that you will never be mine,

But hope, hope is what I can,it’s the only thing I

can do.

Yet, I do realise,

Hope aint such good a thing.

But, a dream, knowing that which will remain that way aint such a bad

thing afterall,

Afterall dream, dream is the only place where you can be mine.

Oh yeah.

Queen, oh queen of my heart.

Listen, here’s song for you tonight.

You, you will always be the queen of my heart, no matter who will be

the king of my queen.”

 

Suddenly the camera flashed and few seconds later I was woken up as I fell down from the tree due to a thunderbolt, thanking god that he had not turned me into one of those greedy and idiotic human beings.

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