He stood in front of the mirror, beads of perspiration forming around his head as he concentrated on doing the buttons of his shirt. All the tendons of his one hand strained to accomplish this, the most mundane of things. A soft hand closed around his. Gently taking his hand in hers, she eased it away, and swiftly did the buttons up. Looking into her eyes, looking at the pain in his, they drew together, he lowering his head onto her delicate shoulder as they hugged, the tears in his eyes, hidden from her view.
"Why me, God ?" came the anguished cry from his soul. "Why me?"
Just a week ago, a lifetime ago it seemed to him, he had been his own hyper active self. Short, but dapper, most of the girls he met were charmed by him. But he had eyes only for his beloved, his girlfriend since college, since the first day that they had met. Energised by her presence in his life, he worked hard, long hours, his ambitions soaring as his business prospered, the life he envisaged ahead of him one of happy domesticity with his beloved.
Driving down to Lonavla for breakfast, had been exhilarating. More so, since the previous day, he had met the other man who loved her most in the world: her father. Declaring his intentions towards her, had needed courage, but her genial father had put him at ease immediatly. "Nothing but the best will do for my daughter, young man," he said. After they had talked for long , he had admitted that she had chosen well. Carrying the ring with him, he had proffered it to her, her father beaming in the background as she accepted it.
"It's obscene to be this happy," he thought, as the car climbed uphill towards the hill station. Lost in his thoughts, he misjudged the distance between his car and the truck that was attempting to overtake him. He wondered at the sickening crunch, as he swerved and just managed to scrape thru the side of the truck. Braking at the side of the road, the gravel crunching under his tyres, he looked down at his hand, a bloodied stump greeting his terror stricken eyes, "God, " he heard his hoarse voice scream, before he collapsed.
"Come on, darling" her gentle voice brought him back into the present. "We have to go the Doctors'."
"Thank God, for her," he thought. "What would I do without her ?"
The knock on his door was gentle, then why the sense of foreboding, he wondered, as her father walked in. " How are you now ?" was his strained greeting. Without waiting for a reply, he spoke. For a good length of time. Ashen faced, he listened, as his world collapsed around his ears.
"Don't you love her enough to want the best for her,?"
Only after he had left, did he ask the empty walls around him, "What if it had been her, instead of me. ?"
"Why me, God ?" came the anguished cry from his soul. "Why me?"
Just a week ago, a lifetime ago it seemed to him, he had been his own hyper active self. Short, but dapper, most of the girls he met were charmed by him. But he had eyes only for his beloved, his girlfriend since college, since the first day that they had met. Energised by her presence in his life, he worked hard, long hours, his ambitions soaring as his business prospered, the life he envisaged ahead of him one of happy domesticity with his beloved.
Driving down to Lonavla for breakfast, had been exhilarating. More so, since the previous day, he had met the other man who loved her most in the world: her father. Declaring his intentions towards her, had needed courage, but her genial father had put him at ease immediatly. "Nothing but the best will do for my daughter, young man," he said. After they had talked for long , he had admitted that she had chosen well. Carrying the ring with him, he had proffered it to her, her father beaming in the background as she accepted it.
"It's obscene to be this happy," he thought, as the car climbed uphill towards the hill station. Lost in his thoughts, he misjudged the distance between his car and the truck that was attempting to overtake him. He wondered at the sickening crunch, as he swerved and just managed to scrape thru the side of the truck. Braking at the side of the road, the gravel crunching under his tyres, he looked down at his hand, a bloodied stump greeting his terror stricken eyes, "God, " he heard his hoarse voice scream, before he collapsed.
"Come on, darling" her gentle voice brought him back into the present. "We have to go the Doctors'."
"Thank God, for her," he thought. "What would I do without her ?"
The knock on his door was gentle, then why the sense of foreboding, he wondered, as her father walked in. " How are you now ?" was his strained greeting. Without waiting for a reply, he spoke. For a good length of time. Ashen faced, he listened, as his world collapsed around his ears.
"Don't you love her enough to want the best for her,?"
Only after he had left, did he ask the empty walls around him, "What if it had been her, instead of me. ?"
the emotions really well put..can relate quite a bit..
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