THE RETREAT OF LOVE

It was 15 past 6 pm & the day was fading out. Everyone in the branch had actually withered out after serving customers & doing the whole day’s job. There had been quite a rush all day .Well; it was just such a usual day in that branch of ICICI bank, in fancy bazaar. The day had been quite hectic & after serving the last customer everyone was just settling down, transferring cash to the vault & almost packing up for the day. Some lights had been put out, giving the interior a rather gloomy look.

It was just then that the guard came in towards the Enquiry counter where Vinay was winding up with his day’s work.

“Sir, there’s a person outside who wants to withdraw some cash. He is requesting saying it’s very urgent.”

“Well, please inform him that we are already over with cash & its not possible now to make any transaction as the End of Day (EOD) has already been done in the system,” said Vinay in a rather exhausted tone.

The guard went away as he understood well that transaction timing had already been over. But as the guard was going out, something crept into Vinay’s mind. “I think I should go personally & apologise to the customer myself for not being able to keep his request” .Vinay called out at the guard, “Hey wait, I am going out to talk to him.”

“Good evening Sir, I am Vinay. I am afraid but our cash transaction time is over. I regret inconvenience but could you please visit the branch tomorrow morning at 9?”

“I understand Mr Vinay, its ok. I saw your shutters getting down yet I gave it a try as I was quite helpless. Sorry If I bothered you.” The man said very politely as he was getting ready to go away.

There was some untold, yet apparently heard pain in whatever the man said. Vinay could very well grasp it though the man never uttered anything more. There was something very deeply genuine that appealed to Vinay at once.

“I am sorry sir but is there something very serious?” Vinay enquired.
“I have a patient in the hospital. I was in need of some cash.”
Now this was something that couldn’t be overlooked. From the voice & gesture of the man it was quite apparent that he was really in dire need.

“I beg your pardon sir for refusing you the transaction. I can feel your trauma. May I request you Sir to please come inside as I am going to get your transaction done?” said Vinay.

A smile got curved on the man’s face as if he got his lost breath back.
“Would it be really possible? I would be ever grateful for that. Thank you so much Mr Vinay.”
“Of course we can do that though it might take sometime as we need to reverse the cash in system, Sir.”

The man entered the branch along with Vinay & in the next few minutes the required amount of cash was paid to him.

The man was a young fellow of around 25, very courteous but was a bit worn out that day, may be because of some deep seated worries in his mind. He was Vinit, an aeronautical engineer by profession. All this information was shared over a chat between the two as the transaction was being processed.

“Mr Vinit, may I know about your patient in the hospital? What is the ailment?” Vinay asked politely.

Vinit looked at Vinay with his dim eyes. Some grief all the time was twinkling in his eyes.
“Well, she’s lying unconscious in the ICU of a city Nursing Home. She met an accident 3 days back,” something choked Vinit’s voice & he stammered.

“Oh I am so sorry. She will recover soon, don’t worry. Well, she’s your….?” Vinay wanted to know how Vinit was related to the patient.

“She’s my wife. We got married only a year back. And now all these…”
“Oh no, it’s really sad.” Vinay could feel Vinit’s pain & patted on his back as a true friend. He never knew Vinit nor did he know the lady, yet there was something for which he felt as if some dear friend of his was in pain.

“Thank you so much Vinay for your gracious gesture. I will never forget your help. I need to hurry now. I will surely meet you again.” Vinit offered his thankfulness to Vinay for the latter’s assistance.

Vinit & Vinay shook hands as they were parting & there was the warmth of friendship in that clasp.

Vinit went away & Vinay made a silent prayer that the lady recovered soon. There was certainly something very true & deep in their relation. The pain of seeing someone dear suffering in pain was apparent in Vinit’s eyes. And that apparent pain in his eyes sparked Vinay’s heart at once. Was it compassion for a friend or just a human emotion, Vinay was not sure.
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It was a splendid Sunday morning. The sun was waking up it seemed after a long rest .What could be more blissful for a spring morning than the fragrance of Jasmine that came wafting along with the salubrious morning breeze?

That beautiful fragrance entered into our rather shabby room through the half-opened window. Vinay woke up some moments ago but lethargic as he was that holiday morning, he just laid down in the bed tossing around. He only had a plan to catch up with some friends for a movie in the afternoon, and then of going out on a drive & finally ending up the day with dinner in some hotel. That was how we often would spend the Sundays. Vinay hailed from Jorhat & was staying in Guwahati in a rented house. It was a mess of 4 people – Ujjal, Chanchal,Vinay & myself, we all being colleague-friends in ICICI. Teaming up with us were our other few very close friends, Jaya,Bitopee, Banashree, Sushanta, Lovely and Zaidi who were also employees of ICICI Bank. Usually we were the friends who hang around on the holidays.

“Hei Chanchal, get up dude, it’s your turn to prepare the tea today,” Ujjal said from the nearby bed in his rather unpleasant alarming voice.

“Ummm, sleep silently, the day hasn’t yet broken. I want to sleep some more time.”

“Shut up, get up & go or else Vinay will sing a song.”

Now as if that seemed to be the ultimate threat for all the room-mates, Chanchal shouted at once, “Oh please spare us this morning Vinay, don’t you dare to sing.”

Chanchal & Ujjal started laughing & looked towards Vinay.

“Vinay, Vinay, what happened”, Chanchal went up to him & shook him slowly. Vinay seemed to be lost in some reveries with his eyes opened.

Shaken back to reality by his friend, Vinay exchanged the morning greetings with them.

“Hei Chanchal, you remember about Vinit? I think I should give him a call regarding his wife’s health, isn’t it?” Vinay said.

“Oh yes I remember. You should certainly call him up.”, said Ujjal who instantly could recall Vinit as they had already talked about the accident the other day.

Without wasting any further time, Vinay took his cell to give a call to Vinit though it was too early in the morning. He could not wait any further as he wanted to offer some help to Vinit that day if required as it was a holiday.

“Hello, is that Vinit?”
“Hello, yes it’s me,” Vinit said in that same broken voice.
“Good morning Vinit, I am Vinay. You remember we met in Icici Bank?”
“Oh yes Vinay, sorry I was late in receiving your call.”
“Not at all. Well Vinit sorry I have called up so early but I was just worried about your wife’s condition. I hope she is recovering...” Vinay enquired about his friend’s wife’s health who was, perhaps, fighting with life.
And there was a silence on the other side. Vinit was not answering & Vinay could only hear his breathing over the phone.
“Vinit, are you there? Hope everything is fine?”
“Thanks for your concern Vinay,” Vinit spoke in a choking tone of voice, “but she’s….” he could not continue.
“Yes Vinit, how’s she?”

A silence prevailed for sometime thence. And then Vinit spoke softly with a voice that seemed to be breaking out in pain. “She’s no more Vinay. She is gone forever,”

Vinit started crying over the phone & Vinay got thunder-struck at what he heard.
She is dead? He could not believe what he heard. He never even saw her in person but he felt as if he had seen her through Vinit’s eyes, that first day that they met. He saw her through a lover’s eyes & he wanted their love to survive.

“What are you saying Vinit? Oh God, I m so sorry. I couldn’t do anything for you Vinit.” Vinay consoled as a true friend though he knew the loss that fate incurred upon Vinit was inconsolable.

“I felt so helpless as I saw her grasping for some breath, lying in the hospital bed. I kept on calling her back but she went away silently. My love got frozen Vinay, my love is gone. My life has become meaningless.” Vinit kept on murmuring these, crying over the phone.

Vinay was speechless. He did not have words to console his friend. We all also knew it by then what unfortunate had befallen Vinit. We were shocked & stood dumb-struck. We had no relation with Vinit yet we could feel his pain. It was indeed the truest of all relations that we shared, the human relation, humanity in general. The relation that took birth right at that moment when Vinay could satisfy one request of Vinit’s. It was a small help but certainly it had gone a great length in strengthening the bond of humanity. Vinay, perhaps, could not save his friend’s love and he felt immense pain in that, yet the feeling that he could hand over the cash to Vinit that day when he needed it could bring some solace to his aching heart. Had he refused any help to Vinit that day, today he would have suffered deadly under that remorse.

Vinay decided to pay a visit to Vinit at that moment of grief. Collecting his address, Vinay was all set to be with his friend that evening itself. Vinit welcomed him any time.


It was late in the evening. The sun had already set in the western sky, painting the horizon with a ruddy glow. Vinay reached Vinit’s place. He didn’t know how to console him, yet he thought his presence itself could bring some solace to his shuddered friend.

Vinay rang the bell and Vinit came out. His house was by Dighali Pukhury in the vicinity of Guwahati High Court. Vinit opened the door and embraced Vinay as a very old friend, though it was only their second meeting. There were some more people inside coming to offer their sympathy to the bereaved.

“I am really very sorry for what has happened to you, Vinit,” Vinay offered his sympathy to Vinit when the latter gave a faded smile with tears visible in his eyes.

Vinit took him inside and made him seat in his room. It was a cosy room, decorated simply and the ceiling fan and the wall clock seemed to be the only instruments to beat the deadly silence prevailing inside.

Vinit pointed out to a picture on the wall and said to Vinay, “There she is, my lost love, My Maya.” He was all the while making an effort to stop his tears but they were always there, breaking the embankments and flowing profusely.

Vinay looked towards the picture and on seeing it a sudden loud cry came out of him. “Maya?” he stood up from his seat as if a chill ran down his spine.

However, he managed to veil up the shock and to conceal his feelings with much effort. He couldn’t believe his own eyes on seeing that the picture of the lady on the wall was that of Maya, his Maya, his beloved Maya.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe this. Maya is no more”, Vinay murmured to himself.

Vinay went near to the picture of Maya and silently bid farewell to her. He turned his face away from Vinit so that Vinit didn’t notice the moisture in his eyelids.

Gone days started flashing in Vinay’s mind screen. Maya, the most gorgeous lady in the college. Those were the days in Cotton College where both of they were pursuing their Masters in English. Maya was very meritorious and contrary to her was Vinay, who never studied for knowledge but to pass in the exams anyhow. Yet, Maya was in love with this person. They seemed to be the quite talked about couple in the college who very strongly proved the famous statement, “opposites attract” to be correct. But however strange their union appeared to be, whatever differences they had in them, they were true lovers, a match surely made in heaven.

Vinay remembered the silvery evenings that they used to spend by the river bank, the cosy moments that they spent under the arbour in Nehru Park. Her simplicity, her vivacity, the sweet little cards that she made herself for him on his birthdays, there chats over a cup of tea in the college canteen, everything came to his mind.
Vinay wanted to cry loud remembering all those days of togetherness but he could not. He had his heart breaking into shivers yet he could not cry. He could not disclose to the world that Maya was his first and last love. They would have certainly got married very happily if,……only if,…..luck hadn’t played that cruel prank at him. Vinay remembered the last time they met when one gloomy evening he lied to Maya that he never loved her in his life. He lied to her that he was faking away in love and he could not marry him ever. Maya cried like mad and begged in front of him not to finish up everything that way, but he did it. He broke all relations with her and went away. He never looked back and he suffered alone in solitude. He lied to her as he knew that he could not give her a happy life. The doctor who had been attending on him finally diagnosed him with a malignant disease and feared he would survive only few years thence. He felt he had no right to invite pain in Maya’s life by marrying her. He retreated in agony yet veiled up his feelings from her.

Vinay had left Maya in the journey of life so that she could hold someone else’ hand in the journey. He went away from her life. He was dying but he never wanted to see his love dying each day for him. Ever since, they never met. Vinay just heard that Maya got married few years later, keeping up to the last hope of her ailing father.

Tears rolled down Vinay’s cheeks. He came to console his friend but now he could not console his own heart. Vinit could cry out loud but Vinay was only holding back his tears all the while. He could not even disclose their relation to anyone. He had to hide everything within himself. He looked at Maya’s picture and bowed to her. He wondered if she ever had forgiven him for his betrayal. He mournfully engraved her in his heart and made a silent promise to her that he would be following her very shortly. They would meet again in heaven and this time there would be no power that could separate them. He felt a divine strength inside him thinking of that eternal power of love. He wiped his tears and turned towards Vinit. Embracing his friend he consoled him once again and left his place. Maya was there on the wall, smiling at him and he promised to return to keep his promise. He promised to meet her very soon.

Darkness already enveloped the dying day. Vinay looked up at the stars. The twinkling stars seemed to be known to him. Who knows, one among them might be his Maya, winking at him in love. He wanted to fly towards the firmament. He wanted to emerge to his heavenly abode, where he would meet his Maya once again…..