"Sohan?"

He was floating in serene darkness, completely lost into the abyss, when the soft voice penetrated his ears. A light tap on his forearm forced him to pull himself out from his dark sanctuary, abandoning all the beautiful series of images of his dreams. Sohan slowly opened his eyes, and Ruchita's round-shaped face slowly came into his vision.

"It's time for office. Wake up!" His wife shook him harder this time.

"Five more minutes, please sweetheart!" Sohan pleaded in a muffled voice and rolled on the bed. But Ruchita had already pulled away the quilt, leaving him trembling on the bed from the January cold. Sohan accepted his defeat and slowly sat up.

Ruchita was standing across the room now, combing her wet hair, and droplets of water dripped down from the strands. She was wearing the same black night gown from last night, and her fair skin appeared as a stark contrast to the fabric. She didn't have any makeup on her face, yet she looked devastatingly beautiful. Sohan ogled at her as she put the comb on the table and walked to the wardrobe, her steps as graceful as a ballerina. He felt like he was in love with her all over again, just like he had been four years ago.

"What?" Ruchita suddenly noticed him staring at her like a raven, and her big doe eyes stared back at him questioningly. Sohan smiled and motioned her to sit beside him, and the corner of her mouth twisted up in a naughty smile.

"Please don't tell me that you want to skip office today," Ruchita sat by her husband and took his hand in hers. But instead of answering, Sohan pulled her in his arms.

"I love you, Ruchi!" he whispered in her hair, smelling in the fresh essence of strawberry.

"Are you okay?" Ruchita asked him, a little surprised.

"Yes, I am," Sohan pressed her harder to his chest. It had already been three years since they had tied the knots, but Sohan still could not forget the memories that came rushing back to him, the memories which depicted that he was once on the verge of losing the only love of his life-Ruchita.

"I'm happy that we are finally going on a vacation. Aren't you?" she lifted her mouth and whispered softly in his ears. He sighed, feeling elated from the rush of hormones within him.

Sohan and Ruchita were so busy with their lives that they barely got any time to spend with each other, let alone going on vacations. But they had their anniversary coming, and they didn't want to miss the chance to make this day as memorable as possible. And so Sohan had planned a vacation for a week to Cox's Bazaar. The plan was set: Ruchita, him, the beach and lots of hot, passionate love!

"Tell me!" Ruchita shook him, pulling him out of his tangled thoughts. Sohan shrugged.

"Well I'm sorry we're just going to Cox's Bazaar," he caressed her cheek, "I wanted to take you somewhere abroad, but...with my salary...I can't afford..."

"Shh!" Ruchita patted his arm, "Don't say that. I'm very happy that we are going away for a few days. As long as you are with me, I don't care where we go," she smiled.

Sohan sighed. No matter how many times Ruchita said that she was okay with it, he didn't believe her. She said all those just to console him, to make him feel good. Ruchita's father was rich and had thousand times the money Sohan's family ever had in their life, and she was brought up with everything she had ever demanded. He had felt quite sorry for her when she had to leave her colossal house in Uttara and came to live with him in a two-bedroom rented apartment in Shantinagar. Sohan had promised her their own apartment right on the night of their wedding, and he had been saving ever since.

The phone on the bedside table beeped, and Sohan leaned forward to pick it up. The screen flashed a reminder with only two words written on it:

'Maa, birthday.'

His stomach twisted. He had forgotten his mother's birthday! Had it not been this reminder, he would probably go through the day without wishing her. Sohan felt the guilt sting him, and his face burned. Ruchita looked up from her nails and met his eyes.

"What happened? Who texted you?" She asked intently, her eyes trying to catch the words on the screen.

"Nothing...it's from office." Sohan threw the phone on the bed beside him. Ruchita seemed to be in a very good mood today, and he didn't want to spoil her mood by taking his mother's name. Although three years has been gone by since their marriage, the prolonged period had done nothing to fill up the gaping holes inside him. Sohan tried his best, but he could never bridge the distance that had taken place between his family and his wife.

Ruhcita was in twelfth grade when a young, handsome student of the most reputed engineering university-Sohan-fell in love with her. She was strong as the wind, beautiful as a goddess, a strong force that the nature herself had failed to bind. Everything about her was welcoming, and Sohan had lost his heart to her despite his poor attempts at taming the odd drumming of his heart when he was around her. But little did he know that the story of her childhood would leave him staggered and wounded.

Ruchita's father was a filthy rich businessman who lived with her wife and only daughter in Uttara. Ruchita's mother was abusive, and she never found the love of a mother in her entire childhood. When she was thirteen, her mother ran off with a random guy, leaving her in grave despair and shame, and she indulged into drugs and sex to stay out of the tormenting agony. Sohan knew he was stepping into a boundary that was off limits, and that she would never be accepted to his family; because poorer they might be, they had their own values and conscience on which their entire life was based. Yet he followed his heart, which cost him half his world. He found the true love of his life, but left his family way behind, and never turned back.

Sohan tried heart and soul, and within three months after their marriage, Ruchita came out of her past. However, there were still shadows of her past lurking inside her somewhere, which took her over at times. She was often selfish, egocentric, and Sohan often feared that he might lose her for all these. But there was nothing he could do about it. Ruchita had grown up drowned in negative emotions, and selfishness was something that was embedded to her genes.

By that time Sohan's elder brother and sister-Shabab and Rumana, both had shifted to USA, and Sohan was convinced to come and stay with his parents. But neither Ruchita could adjust with the constraints that Sohan's parents had imposed on them, nor could they tolerate her obsession with freedom and the habits she had grown up with. There used to be disputes, leaving him in a conundrum as to which half of his heart he should support; and he ended up defeated and helpless, always turning up in front of the dead-end. Finally, the moment of truth came when he had to make a choice, and deep within himself he heard the call to love Ruchita with every ounce of himself, and to protect her no matter what. Eventually, Sohan had to leave his own house with his wife for the second time, this time with a vow to not to return again as long as he should live. Many days had passed. Sohan's father had died, but the bitterness in Ruchita's mind had only doubled, harming their relationship more than ever. But his father's death had thawed his heart a bit, and Sohan came in touch with his mother. He used to pay her visits to her new address, most of them unknown to Ruchita.

After getting ready, Sohan left a euphoric Ruchita at home and started for office. He added a trip to the nearest shopping mall to his agenda. He would pick up a small gift for his mother on the way. It was not every day that his mother turned sixty, after all.

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Copyright © 2013 Mehnaz Tabassum All Rights Reserved
Chapter published on September 12, 2015

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