It was a winter evening. The mild sunlight sifting through the window was making the room golden. Roses, marigolds and champa flowers were blooming in the garden outside. There was a slight coolness in the air, but the atmosphere inside the room was heavy and sad.
Raghav was sitting on a chair next to his wife Meera. Meera was lying on the hospital bed. Fatigue and pain were clearly visible on her face, but her smile was still as gentle as it was on the first day of marriage.
Raghav bent down to her and said,
“Meera, should I make ginger tea? You have always liked it.”
Meera said softly, smiling,
“Now I like your company more than tea… ask Mohan to make tea.”
Raghav's eyes filled with tears. He said,
“No, I will make tea for you.”
He went to the kitchen and returned with two cups of tea on a tray. But Meera could hardly drink half a sip. He pushed the biscuits away from her hand. Raghav felt pain from within.
His mind kept going back to the past -
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The early days of marriage
When Meera came to this house after marriage, the whole family welcomed her with open arms. Raghav's mother had said,
"Now you take care of the responsibility of the house, daughter-in-law."
Meera, who looked gentle, took care of everything without any complaint. Food, house, relatives - she did every work with such ease that everyone praised her.
Raghav was a lecturer in a medical college in those days. He was busy from morning to night with studies, research and clinic. He felt that by giving Meera clothes, jewellery and comforts, he was fulfilling his duty as a husband. But Meera's heart was yearning for his company.
She wanted Raghav to sit with her and talk for a few moments, sometimes laugh and joke without any reason, or just sit beside her in silence holding her hand. But all this never came her way.
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Ambitions and loneliness
Time passed by. Raghav's ambitions grew. He sold his ancestral land and opened a big nursing home. Meera also handed over all her jewellery to him for that work. She remained his silent support at every step.
Raghav remained busy day and night in the nursing home. Meera tried to stay happy in raising the children - Aarav and Kavya. But loneliness kept gnawing at her inside.
Whenever she tried to express her feelings, Raghav laughed it off. Once on her birthday, when Raghav had asked,
"Tell me, what should I gift you?"
Meera had said in a low voice,
"You have already given me a lot of gifts, now I just want your company."
But Raghav had said even at that time,
"Let me work hard now, then I have to spend time with you only."
And handed her a costly sari.
Raghav had never seen the agony in Meera's eyes.
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The truth of the disease
The wheel of time kept turning. Aarav completed his medical studies and got married. Kavya also got married. Raghav and Meera were free from their responsibilities.
But then one day everything changed. Meera suddenly fainted and fell down. After examination, it was found that she had ovarian cancer - that too in the fourth stage.
Raghav was shocked. The doctors clearly said,
"It is too late now. Just keep her happy in the time that is left."
Raghav realized that he had made the biggest mistake in his life. He never gave importance to Meera's existence. Today, when there was very little time left, only then he understood that Meera was the biggest part of his life.
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The last day
Raghav left the nursing home. Now every moment of his started passing only with Meera. He would read stories to her, sit next to her and watch TV, and sometimes stroke her hair.
Meera's condition was worsening, but there was a strange satisfaction on her face. She knew that now she was getting the same precious company that she had been longing for for years.
One night Raghav brought milk for her. Meera seemed to be sleeping. Raghav stroked her forehead, but her body was cold. Meera had gone to sleep forever.
Raghav's eyes were filled with tears.
He kept thinking -
"If only I had taken out some time from my busy life for her... then Meera would not have left me alone like this today."
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The end
It was raining lightly outside. The clouds in the sky were clearing, but the flow of tears from Raghav's eyes was not stopping.
Meera took with her all his unfulfilled desires... and gave Raghav only a long life full of regret.
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Read more : -
Bound by Duty: The Price of Unfulfilled Love
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