"These are the papers you were searching for, I completed every legal work so you can occupy it as per your wish," I said to the man in front of me while he took a notice of the papers and smiled,
"It's okay I like the house especially my wife, so we are okay with it. Moreover, your family looks decent and nice so I don't think there will be a problem later on. Oh! but yes I would like to rename this house if you are okay with it"
I looked around and saw the nameplate near the right post of the gate. In my favourite font, there was the name we chose together. "Heimat," it said. The German word had a deep meaning in itself. I smiled a bit as a flash of those old memories made me revert back to where Heimat actually came from.
"You can change it," I said sealing my lips.
It was just me who knew how hard it was to lend something so close to heart to someone else. The man nodded as we shook hands and walked away riding his bike. I stood there for quite some time observing the nameplate. The beautiful font carved on a black background was the theme for which we argued back then. I still remember it like it was just yesterday when everything happened. I looked towards the two-storeyed house standing in front of me.
Heimat was something which wasn't just a house. It was the storehouse of all our memories built with love as the brick cemented with some relations stitched to the deepest core of our hearts.
A tear slipped down my eyes as I walked inside this time stepping in for the first time after a year. After I left Heimat abandoned. I wonder if Heimat too missed us making our own sweet memories, after all, I believed that Heimat knew all about our stories mingling in the sweetness of love and embellished with all those thoughts that were OURS.
I stood there in front of that wide room which had no pieces of furniture to adore its beauty. The vacant space did make me travel back in time when we were bickering on which set of furniture will fit best for that room. An October evening while we stood together. She had a piece of paper which had all those images she finalized, while I was going through them weaving our own dreams. The room, however, was still the same, vacant but surely that empty space was far more different than the present time.
"See this, if we paint our walls all white this grey one will suit best" she argued showing me the photo
"You are still not getting my point. It will be all dull and no show. Please let us go for the green walls and black couch"
No one won and finally, we settled down on having the black ones for my sake but white walls as the background. Why? Because madam said she needs some white walls so that I could click every perfect picture of her while she poses for me. I smiled as the flashback ended right in front of me. I looked at my wristwatch. It was already 4 pm and I have to return back. She must be waiting for me but HEIMAT?
What about Heimat who was experiencing the same pain just like me? I walked inside this time, not caring much on what the time said. I was busy adoring Heimat for the final time before it belongs to someone else. I saw the lawn outside and that little heart in red which she drew over the glass panes. A smile was immediately over my lips while I felt it a bit closer. I moved my fingers over it this time.
"This will go away one day, what is the use for drawing that on that glass surface?" I asked while she was done with the outline. A small red heart at the corner of the glass.
"This won't go, if you don't believe me, come back and have a check on it after a few years. This heart belongs to me which is with you, this will always stay here" she smiled.
"You were right perhaps, this heart is still there intact like it used to be"
I spoke to myself while the sound of the phone distracted me. I answered it this time wiping out those tears from my eyes.
"Yeah"
"Where are you? We are getting late please come fast"
The call disconnected. I looked around for one last time and walked out of Heimat never to feel it this way ever. Before leaving I evacuated every piece of memory that was knitted to it.
Heimat wasn't just a building. It wasn't a home. It was a storehouse, of every little snippet of US. It was a dream world where everything seemed surreal yet it was real. It was some other world which we painted with our emotions, cemented it with our bond, yet left it vacant today because when the roots itself gets shattered from its ground, there is no way trying to make a dead plant alive.
I walked out looking back at Heimat for one last time. The sky was growing dark as a soft mizzle poured down drenching both me and Heimat. I blinked my eyes as I bid my final adieu to it.
......................
"May I come in?"
I asked as I entered the courtroom where both the judges sat next to each other. She sat across the table with her adjacent chair left vacant. The trio looked behind and saw me at the door. We did make an eye contact which subsided right after a millisecond.
"Please come in," my lawyer said as I walked in and took a seat near her.
"So Mr and Mrs Rai are you ready with your decision this time? Do you want this divorce to happen?" they asked.
I looked at her. She took a slight glance at me and looked away shifting her gaze to the lawyers in front of us.
"I am sure about it," she said without a stop.
"What about you Mr Rai?" they asked me this time.
I stopped for a moment. There was no turning back this time, even if I wanted to hold it back there was just one option. I had to let it go.
"I am sure too.," I said after a pause. I could see a sigh of relief over her face.
"Okay then if both the sides are okay with it, please sign these papers"
We signed simultaneously while the paperwork was done. We were freed off from that bond legally this time. The weather outside was brumous that day. We walked out together just to find it raining heavily.
"Did you sell it off?" she asked as we waited for the rains to stop.
"Yeah"
"Okay then well and good, we at least got some good people for Heimat," she said looking away towards the rain. She, being the perfect pluviophile enjoyed the heavy rains which blocked us together there.
"It's no longer Heimat," I said looking back at her.
Her quizzical eyes were asking me the question which was obvious.
"Its just a house now. They will change its name too along with all those other things" I said with the pain that was taking a toll on me.
"But it's Heimat why do they need to change it? Can't they do with that name too? Why didn't you stop them?" she asked surprised.
"When the reason behind its name no longer exists in our lives, what's the use of keeping a name which holds no value for those strangers? Heimat was born because of our memories because we stayed there building some beautiful memories. When the reason dies, there is no sense in keeping pieces of stuff which has traces of those memories that already demolished in the path of life. Take care. Goodbye"
I smiled. Not letting her speak anymore I walked away drenching in that heavy rain. Both physically and from within.