Going Down

"22nd June 1999,
 Dear Saurabh,
                       
                                                            My love, it's been a while, quite a while, I haven't had the chance to talk or write to you either. But whatever be the circumstances, I miss you every second of my life. Everything is fine here, the kids are too, it's been only a week since the twins were born but they manage to keep me awake the whole night, I hope this gets better with time, I really need some sleep. I try to stay happy as much as I can, but how can I when you're not around? When are you coming back? Are you coming back?" 
 
22nd June 2015,                                                           
As I make Surbhi's and Saurabh's lunch, while they get ready, I remember the last letter I wrote to him. He never replied. The war was just about to end, everyone knew India would regain possession of Kargil. But I lived with uncertainty, would I meet Major General Saurabh Mehta again? 

                                  
22nd June 1989,
"Kajal!" a voice came from behind me, "Hi, you're Kajal ,right? Here, Seema asked me to give this to you, I'm her neighbor, our colleges are are on the same road, she asked me to hand this to you if I saw you" the stranger said, panting heavily. "Thank you" I said taking  my assignments back into my hand. "Do you need some water?" I asked, feeling a little awkward. "Yes, please". He was a gentleman, standing almost 6feet high, he towered above me, his complexion was a little wheatish and he had big brown eyes with jet black hair trimmed into a crew cut.
"How did you know my name?" I asked in curiousness. "Your assignments" he said while handing me the bottle back and straightening his back. His voice was low, smoky and dead attractive. Of course, my every assignment had my name on it. 
"Hi, I'm Saurabh Mehta, and you are?".I gave him a weird look, okay, this guy was not at all normal. "You know my name" I said, a hesitance in my voice. "I know, but that shouldn't stop us from a proper introduction".

22nd June 1991, 
"Stop Saurabh, I know you want it, but right now I can't give it to you" I told him.
"But why? It's just one pair of shoes!". It was his birthday next week and Seema, apparently, had told him my gift for him. "I know you want your heels, but I just can't give them to you. It's too bad Seema told you what 'kind' of shoes I got for you, now I'll have to buy a whole new pair" I said, mocking him. "Oh please, I prefer belles over heels" he said, mimicking my tone. I couldn't believe we'd come this far after the assignments. 

22nd June 1995
"KAJAL, I DID IT! THEY PROMOTED ME! YOU'RE TALKING TO MAJOR SAURABH MEHTA!" he screamed on the phone. "OH MY ,SAURABH! Oh Saurabh, I'm so glad for you!" He couldn't have been happier. Starting Army from the lowest rank and being promoted to major within a year was truly an achievement. It'd been 2 years of us too. I still remember how taken aback he was when I'd repeated the words he wasn't hoping for.

22nd June 1997
"DAD I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY HIM!' I said but who was he to listen to me?
3 hours later:
"Nothing happens, Kajal, we'll still be like this. No one will know. I'll love you together! You'll love me and even if we can't be together, we'll love each other, and we don't need words to tell each other that"

22nd June 1998

I went into the barber's shop and up the stairs into the dusty room with barely any light. Seeing him made me feel so beautiful, it was as if all my problems vanished.. 
9 months later:
"I'm so sorry, but I'll have to go! It's why I joined the army. Now are you coming till the bus top with me?" he said it with such a fierce look of passion. His eyes clearly, on the verge of tearing up. I'd told Karan that I was going to the neighborhood to see one of my friends. "Yes." I said with tears in my eyes.
We waited. Hand in hand, not a word out of either of us' mouth. I rested my head on his shoulder, I could feel his heartbeat. "You will write to me, wouldn't you?" he asked. I nodded. While waiting to hear the rumbling of the tires of the bus, the bus that'll take me away from him, little did I know that it'll take me away from him forever. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gas burns my hand, making me jump out of my dreams. I go and put my finger under water. Surbhi comes and asks me to help her pack her big project. They keep disturbing me from my thoughts and make me face reality, maybe that's why God sent them. Karan comes out of the shower in his robes and hugs both the children goodbye. Saurabh comes and kisses me on the cheek. I smile and kiss him back. My life, now, were these two. Karan sees the burn and and gets me some ointment, I couldn't have asked for a better husband. I go out of the house to see the kids board the bus. Waving them goodbye and waiting to see the bus start going down the road and disappear.